Lt. Cmdr. Alieth - A Blazing Forge
Alieth
((Outskirts of Kite Springs, West Continent, Grus Beta Three))
The flames rose to the sky, hundreds of metres high, red, orange and yellow to blazing white. They twisted and twirled, tongues and columns, torrents of sparks that danced in the scorching gusts of wind.
The core of the flames burned more brightly than some stars, so much so that the diminutive Vulcan who observed them standing on the edge of the hill not only had her inner eyelids squeezed closed, but required a pair of dark glasses to be able to stare directly at them. A rather unusual phenomenon on a so-called M-Class planet that prompted her to tilt her head, as she folded her hands behind her back.
Not only
were they bright, they were so hot that even there, 5.3465 km from
the flame front, it felt as hot as summer noon at the Vulcan Forge.
Though they were so far away, the air itself was thin, virtually
oxygen-depleted, and the vegetation and crop fields, not so long ago
verdant, lush and humid, had become withered, yellow and brittle.
Even the profiles of the outermost houses of Kite Springs seemed on
the brink of collapse, incapable of withstanding the heat, the glare
of the fires and the breathlessness of the lack of oxygen.
Alieth
took one last breath of that dry, ash-ridden air, so similar and yet
so different from the atmosphere of her home planet, before she pulled
the respirator over her face. Not even a Vulcan could survive there
unassisted for too long.
Finally, she turned to the two officers waiting a little further down the hill, near the always reliable Rhine, which had brought them down there.
Alieth: The situation, at first glance, is worse than we expected, so we may have to use the EVAs at some point.
She
made a small pause and looked at the Caitian first, already poised
and prepared, as she had come to expect of her.
Alieth: As you know, the first news of the fire occurred in an area some 45 kilometres north of where we are. :: She made a tiny motion with her head towards the approaching wall of flames on the other side :: and Kite Springs was the first to report an out-of-control wildfire and be evacuated. As far as we know, the forest down there has been burning for at least 96 hours without pause, but the village has not been reached until the last 3 hours. The winds are shifting in an unpredictable pattern, so it is required that we monitor environmental situations and evacuate if the situation becomes dire :: The Vulcan's dark eyes locked onto Luxa's golden orbs for a second longer than necessary before she added. :: No hijinks, no heroics and no harebrained ideas today, Miss Lorana, understood?
Despite the harshness of her words, there was an animated gleam in the Vulcan's eyes, and a slight distension in the stern muscles of her face that, perhaps, spoke of pride, as her gaze slipped to the new empty pip that accompanied the golden one on the collar of the newly promoted JG.
Lorana: Response
She then turned to the other member of the team. A newcomer, the CSO had not served alongside him and had barely seen him in the distance at the awards ceremony. But from what she had read in his profile he had served on the Artemis along with Lorana which made them... suspect of misbehave at the very least. The two had been chatting with illogical cheerfulness on their journey to Grus Beta Three, which was more than likely making them potential troublemaker. The commander stifled a sigh.
Alieth: Mr Jones, in view of your background, I expect that you will also be circumspect in this endeavour too.
Jones: Response
The response was greeted with a very Vulcan eyebrow raise.
Alieth: In any case, you know that our objective is to look for clues as to the possible origin of the fire, as well as to closely analyse the nature of the fire in order to extinguish it. At present, the fire has spread over about 15% of the planet's landmass and is growing by about one per cent every two hours, but it is accelerating.
She
extended a hand towards the wall of flames once again.
Alieth:
As I said, we are close to the starting point, this area has only
remained unscathed so far due to the local prevailing winds and the
presence of a groundwater source that has kept the terrain relatively
wet to be affected. However, the remaining groundwater has largely
evaporated in the last few hours, so there is a high percentage
chance that the fires will advance in this direction soon. Before
that happens, I would like to search for clues near the edge of the
flames, analyse the air and ash for combustion agents and unnatural
accelerators, as well as review who lived here and what they do. We
must work quickly, but I need us to stay together and stay focused
throughout, because the chances of injury are high. That is why you
are here, Mr. Jones.
Lorana/Jones: Response
Alieth: I would like to hear your preliminary hypotheses as to how it originated, as well as key points of research that you consider relevant.
Lorana/Jones: Response
The petite Vulcan listened as she hung the tricorder from the hitch on her belt and slung the science kit on her back. Unlike the bandolier she usually favoured, this time she had chosen a backpack-shaped one, more convenient in case they had to run off.
Alieth: Unfortunately, using the Rhine is not an option, as Grus Beta Three's magnetosphere interacts with its atmosphere in a way that causes disruptions to scanners on a regular basis, and since the fires started this has worsened so much that we would have to stick the Rhine's nose in the middle of the flames in order to detect anything. Our tricorders, thanks to their narrower and targeted scanning range, have more capabilities here.
After all, that was the reason why the transporters could not be used or why even the mighty Ronin flew like a drunken warrior over the planet, barely able to detect glimpses of the surface, in contrast to its usual power. And the reason why they were standing there instead of in their labs.
Lorana/Jones: Response
[[Tags/TBC]]
Lieutenant Commander Alieth
Chief Science Officer & 2O
E239702A10
=================================