Mission 01 - Recovery: Group 4

[cityship]

Worf, Kousaku, River, Billy, Javert, and Leon all set off in the direction that Leela had indicated. They skirted the deeper parts of the forest, and seemed to have pretty easy going.

Something had broken them a trail in mostly the right direction, but what?

Or perhaps a better question was: Who?

Comments

Trailing Along With The Pod Scouts

[morphitudinous]

Billy drifts to the middle of their lineup as they walk, frowning at the snapped twigs and matted underbrush they step past along their way. The sense for danger he'd developed as a Ranger tells him that something feels wrong, like they're succeeding too easily. Stacy's claim of 'No sentient lifeforms' on the planet is starting to ring a little hollow to his ears, if his brief stint with the Angel Grove Campfire Scouts had taught him anything about the art of trailblazing. Of course, this could easily be a natural state of the planet, or the byproduct of a being that did not mean them harm, but Billy decides to seek the opinions of the team.

"Hey...fellas? I thought I should note that I've observed an unusually high density of broken twigs concentrated along our path. Unusual by Earth's standards, anyway." His voice is soft, almost hesitant to bring this up for fear of being branded as one who worries too much.

Re: Trailing Along With The Pod Scouts

[governmentninja]

"Unusual by most any standard," Leon chimed in. He wasn't on point, but he was near the front of the group. "Something made this path... but I haven't seen any tracks to give us an idea of what did, or which direction it was heading at the time."

Re: Trailing Along With The Pod Scouts

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

Worf, as the leader, was naturally in front, phaser in one hand and tricorder in the other. He glanced back over his shoulder, nodding his agreement with the sentiments expressed by Billy and Leon.

"We should be cautious. Although Stacy claimed there was no sentient life, this trail seems too simple. Stay alert."

Re: Trailing Along With The Pod Scouts

[asluciferfell.livejournal.com]

"Personally," Javert spoke up in a quiet drawl, "I'm loath to trust anything 'Stacy' says."

He's picking his way carefully through the damaged undergrowth, a pistol in each hand. Eventually the man will move beyond single-shot weapons, but today is not that day.

[anoldtrickster.livejournal.com]

Wednesday's 'voice' comes over the comm rings.

«Be careful, everyone. The tracks I'm seeing suggest much larger creatures than I'd normally expect in this terrain. Certainly not normal wildlife.»

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps survivors from the escape pods?"

[governmentninja]

"Figures..." Leon muttered quietly under his breath when Wednesday's message came in. Leon always seemed to constantly get into fights with things far bigger than he is, for some reason.

«Acknowledged. We'll keep our eyes peeled and call in if we get a visual.»

He looked down the path, then back the other way.

"Assuming the crash site is ahead of us, any survivors would have made this path going the other way, away from the pod."

First Obstacle

[cityship]

They come across an area that opens up a bit to the sun. Despite being somewhat overgrown, it is undoubtedly a grove of some kind of cultivated tree--perhaps an orchard of fruit trees?

There is a distinctly pungent smell, at least, somewhat sickly sweet, that might remind one of fruit.

Re: First Obstacle

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

Worf approaches very, very cautiously, scanning the grove with his tricorder in an attempt to get a reading on...well, whatever they were. One couldn't be too careful on an alien planet, after all!

Re: First Obstacle

[governmentninja]

Leon was a bit less cautious as he moved through the trees. A few of these all spread out everywhere, he could accept. But this kind of set up was not-quite-random.

"'No sentient life'... right."

He glanced up at the fruit.

"Any way we can check if these are harmful?" Well, any way without potentially sacrificing one of them.

Re: First Obstacle

[spoilerpatrol.livejournal.com]

River raises an eyebrow at Leon, and then glances about the orchard with a bemused expression. "I understand the food on board is questionable at best, but eating the local flora on alien planets is generally a bad idea..."

Re: First Obstacle

[asluciferfell.livejournal.com]

Javert nods. He's never had the experience of eating alien food, but River makes sense. "Whether it is 'revealed' to be harmless or not, I believe I will pass."

He's just fine with the organic slop, thanks.

"Though it's possible we may not want to stay here very long-- in case the harvesters return." Whatever they may be.

Re: First Obstacle

[morphitudinous]

"Agreed. I wonder, though, if it would be advisable for us to obtain a sample. Perhaps there's equipment on the ship to test it properly, and there might be a chance that the fruits have a medical usage or other beneficial application?"

Billy leans forward slightly to study the plantlife, imagining what it might taste like. "But I have to question whether we could take the sample safely, or even if we're permitted to do so. Maybe it would be best to abandon that thought and proceed to the pod." He sounds somewhat reluctant about that, though. Wouldn't it be awesome to study all the cool plants?

First Discovery

[cityship]

Eventually they see a clearing up ahead in the trees, and what looks a place where some of them were knocked down.

Should they investigate it? It's on the way.

Re: First Discovery

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

Worf pulls out his handy-dandy tricorder and approaches the clearing, scanning for any signs of life or anything that might be dangerous like the fruit they just encountered. Payed to be cautious, after all. But on the other hand, too cautious could be bad too. He shuffles close to the edge of the clearing, peering around the trunk of one of the standing trees, phaser in one hand and tricorder in the other.

Re: First Discovery

[cityship]

They all get a call on the comms from Mal Reynolds.

«This is Six Lead--we've found the remains of some sorta city.. weather control devices and everything. Looks like everyone just, I don't know. Vanished. Might be some nasties out there to so keep y'alls eyes open. Anyone gotta pod status report?»

Re: First Discovery

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

Worf frowned, ducking back behind the tree to respond.

_<<Understood. We'll keep you posted._>>

Re: First Discovery

[cityship]

Chief adds:

« This is Five Lead. We may have found the reason for the empty city. There's some kind of bomb out here. Current theory is nanites. Possibly targeted all humans. No sign of them, if any are left they've most likely deteriorated and are not a threat. Have not reached the pod, but we're close. »

Re: First Discovery

[cityship]

Nightwing chimes in next. « This is Three Lead. That bomb would explain why there's signs of sentient life but not any actual life. And we actually already ran into at least one nasty, but we'll keep our eyes out for more. Hopefully, you're right about the nanites or whatever it was, Five lead.»

[cityship]

After another few more miles of trekking, they finally stumble upon the thing they have been searching for: the missing escape pod. Inspection will reveal that it is abandoned with no sign or clue as to may have been inside when it launched.

[morphitudinous]

Billy inspects it from a distance. Visual clues are absent, so he turns to the others for information.

"Are the scans revealing anything?" It still feels strange to say that. He's used to being the one doing the scanning.

[cityship]

They then get a call on the comms from Master Chief:


<< This is Five Lead. We have mission accomplished. Heading back to the Obs Deck to await dustoff. >>

[cityship]

Shortly after that, they get a call from Cybil:

«This is One Lead. Mission accomplished. Also heading back to Obs. Team 3, just an idea, but if you have any, one of you Bat-folk ought to pop a tracking device on your pod. It'd be interesting to see where these go, provided yours doesn't self-destruct like ours just did. Bennett out.»

[sonof-mogh.livejournal.com]

Worf moves over to inspect the pod. What were they supposed to do with the thing now? Harumph. He looked over the pod for a moment before discovering a flashing button. Ah ha! He presses it, then takes a few steps back.

[cityship]

"Initiating recovery procedures. Please retreat to a safe distance of twenty feet," a voice from the pod right before the sound of the pod's engines powering up begins to echo around them.

A few minutes later--giving the team plenty of time to withdraw--once the engines have fully powered, the pod launches, blazing its way through the sky and up toward space.