Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]

[hi_there_aliens]

The trip down revealed that Taleen was going to be of several things, none of which were pleasant. Arid, pale with a light dusting of red from the rocks, and yellow-white grass that extended in plains all the way towards far off mountains . There was a giant gash in the land near the orb landing area, which resolved itself into a massive canyon as the party drew closer. Spider webbing out across the top of the canyon were signs that a civilization had once flourished here. Traces of broken pillars and half submerged buildings, as well as what looked like a downed ship that had embedded itself in a massive building. There was no movement visible amongst the ruins now. As the dry wind blew through the stonework, it would became clear that they were walking into a mass graveyard.

Not somewhere you'd want to spend your vacation.

For some people, this was going to be a field day.

According to the scans and what little records they had, there hasn't been a sentient being around for hundreds of years. The majority of native wildlife had moved out of the area, seeking refuge. The land looked dead already. In the sky above, several specks of light twinkled in the sky, growing bigger with each passing hour. In a few days, it will be raining fire.


[Closed to Daniel, Eleventh Doctor, Sofia, Jamie, Hoshi, Howard, Billy, the Master, River Song, Cassie, Tom]

Comments

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

"My species?" she repeated in confusion. Weren't they both of the same species? Different universes of course, but he looked human to her. Was she wrong about that? To be fair though, it didn't really matter and it wouldn't have shocked her that much. She'd seen far stranger things then aliens who either looked similar to humans or who could pass themselves off as human. After all, Ax could pass as human while in morph. Well, okay, Ax could pass for human as long as he didn't talk with his mouth that much and was nowhere near food, she thought with a grin. Still, she was curious. "You're not human then?"

She didn't look particularly comforted by the Doctor's reassurances for some odd reason. Funny that. "Well, hopefully it's inactive," she said a bit tensely. Overall, she'd prefer to survive the day. Still, she took a tentative step forward as the Doctor leaned towards the device. "What do you hear?" she asked after a few moments of debate about whether she should risk an interruption.

[makeherblue]

"Your species, yes. And no, I'm not. But that's boring stuff," the Doctor flapped his hand at Cassie as he bent down, pressing his ear almost against the dust. He listened for a moment, face scrunched up. "Something's active. It sounds -- " He pressed his ear against the dirt again. " -- Not 'weapons primed' active. But I'd say it's about bus sized from the sound of it. You still have buses where you're from, Cassie?"

He threw that last bit out casually as he leaned back on his heels. He assumed she did. Cassie must have a good eye for important artifacts. Personally, he hoped she found something like a wave skimmer, but right -- battle site. Could be a small one-man scout ship. They'd found several bits and pieces of various ships already, but not much in the way of intact ones. Maybe Cassie was the first to make that discovery? At least she had the sense not to want to blow up, the Doctor studying her for a moment and deciding he approved.

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

Boring stuff to the Doctor perhaps, but not to Cassie. She'd have liked to learn more about the culture that he'd have grown up with, but, after a moment of contemplation as she watched her companion press his ear to the ground, she let it drop. Perhaps she'd try to ask him more about himself another time when there was less to distract. The way he had brushed her comments about it off, she suspected that he wasn't in the mood to discuss such things.

"Yes, we still have buses," she confirmed with a smile, as she knelt beside him, although she didn't press her own ear to the ground just yet. Cassie hoped that the Doctor was right that the uncovered object was not dangerous. "You can hear it beneath the dirt? And how do you tell size from just the sound?"

[makeherblue]

"Excellent hearing. Like a bat, I'd even say, except without the flying, obviously. And the sonic helps," the Doctor grinned back. "So! Big thing under the ground and you probably haven't even come up with a name for it. You need a name for it. It's better than calling it 'Hey You'."

He trusted Cassie to come up with something good, if not decently cool. He wiggled until he was almost lying face down over his little patch of dirt, moving to dust away some of the dirt with one hand. Considering they didn't know the civilization or just how dangerous this was, he could see this taking several long, excruciatingly dull hours bent over one patch of ground and no exploring at all. Still, so far he liked Cassie and there were worse things to be doing than spending a few hours with a human.

[caringcassie.livejournal.com]

Cassie, who had actually been a bat before, smiled at that, amused. "That's pretty amazing that you can hear so well." A concerned frown flickered across her face though a moment later, "You... want me to name it? But... we don't even really know what it is yet." And coming up with names on the spot was not something that was necessarily up her alley.

She watched the Doctor continue in his efforts and decided to join her new friend in working to uncover the artifact, although not in the same fashion. Cassie settled near the large chunk of metal with her trowel and went to work, trying to dig quickly without damaging the artifact, smiling as she went about her business. She was enjoying working with the Doctor.