Quell’ish - Away Team

Posted on Fri Feb 12th, 2021 @ 5:31am by Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Lieutenant Commander S'hib & Lieutenant Baeryn Whavi-Tonelly & Lieutenant JG Miraj Derani & Ensign Ethal Luen & Captain David Tonelly [Reece] & Private Christian Laknema & Cadet Senior Grade Kedar Rackthorn & Lieutenant Tonya King ( Barclay de Tolly ) & Lieutenant JG T'Kek [Naxea] & Senior Chief Petty Officer Fernando De La Rosa [Taylor]

Mission: Season 5: Episode 1: No Exit
Location: Quell’ish
Timeline: -MD5
3512 words - 7 OF Standard Post Measure

IC

Once the Marines confirmed no hostiles in the immediate area, the away team began their disembarking and setting up of base camp.

T'Kek walked towards the forest with Ensign Luen as everyone was required to travel with a partner. The giant mushrooms fascinated T'Kek as he looked up at them. "This is a wonderful planet," he commented.

Ethal was walking closely with T'kek looking around at the environment they had landed in. Her tricorder was out taking some scans as she replied. "I've not seen fungus like this, at least not in person."

"Agreed," he replied, now looking up at the stalk of the nearest fungi tree. "I wonder what causes them to grow so large? Something in the soil or air?" Looking back at camp, he watched the others begin to setup but he elected to stay in the shuttle as if anyone was injured it would be simple logic that he sleep somewhere he could keep a close watch on them with the runabout's surgical equipment...which he did need to set up.

"From what I'm aware, most fungal species feed off decay but to get fungus growth this large there defiantly must be something else these feed off to get this large." Ethal pondered while her scans continued before mentioning "Either that or we are standing in an ancient mass grave." She gave a nervous chuckle at her own comment.

"You just had to go there," T'Kek asked looking down at the ground around his feet now. He had seem too many old terran horror movies where zombies came up from the ground, grabbing people. "Should we keep moving?"

"Maybe we should head back, we have some scans of the area and shouldn't venture too far out unless instructed too." She said being cautious about straying too far, after all, they could always volunteer for exploration when the time comes.

"Yes. I suppose you are correct," T'Kek agreed as he and Ethal began to make their way back towards the shuttle.

Tonya grabbed her backpack as she firmly placed it on her back. She scratches her head a bit as she asks, "Who is going to be my hiking friend?"

Fernando exited the runabout and looked around. His rifle was in one hand, his pack on his back. "Perhaps we should set a perimeter as well as set up camp before we do any exploring." He suggested.

"Agreed," Tonya says as she looks around. "Two types of philosophies. Some like to set up a base camp right next to the ship while others, a safe distance from the ship. Looking at the clearing over there which looks like a ten to fifteen minute hike unless you are one of those strong Marines, it would be a five minute run. "

Fernando chuckled at Tonya's observation. "I guess it would take me about seven minutes Lieutenant as I'm not a Marine. I'm in security. Senior Chief Fernando De La Rosa at your service."

Christian stood over by a small rock cropping watching the ship and the crew unloading supplies. His rifle was still at the ready but Christian was already standing sentry waiting for some orders from David, "Fifteen minute status check Corporal," Christian said into their com channel.

Tonya brought her back pack to a safe spot close enough to the runabout. "I will set up my Engineering area and my tent here unless someone's objects. So I take it Fernando when we go on hikes, you will be my hiking buddy."

"Certainly Lieutenant, I would like that. Safety in numbers." Fernando replied with a smile.

"Agreed," Tonya says as she shows her sense of humor. "Some reasons in those horror camping movies, the one who usually gets killed is the one that wanders off alone." She starts setting up her Engineering tent.

"Well, now that you know what usually happens, make sure you don't go wandering off unless I'm with you, after all we're hiking buddies." Fernando says with a smile.

"Agreed," she says as she unfolds her tent. Tonya whispers a bit, "I do not know if you are the correct person to ask but on Elysium's trips like this might last a long periods of Time, of you all stay in uniform or do you get into civilian clothes?"

"You probably need to check with Lt. Commander S'hib to see what he thinks. Personally, if you brought civilian clothes I see no problem with you wearing them. But, I'm not the one in charge." Fernando answers as he bents down to help Tonya with her tent.

"Good answer," Tonya says as gives Fernando a smile. "Thank you for your help. This tent will be big enough to store the equipment and for me to have a sleeping mattress." They set up the tent in record time. "Now to set up a table in here."

"Diplomatic answer." Fernando corrected with a grin, "But thanks for thinking so. Do you still need my assistance in getting your equipment in here as well as a table?"

"I am good," Tonya says, "We have Teleporter to teleport most. Only few things to carry but I am good. I am sure others need your help. S'hib will probably brief us at the Away Team meeting."

Fernando nodded, "Very good. If you do find you need my help, don't hesitate to ask, that goes for going on hikes as well... we're buddies after all." He joked. He looked around, "I'll see if anyone does and yes, I'm sure Commander S'hib will brief us later."

After he left, Tonya caught some air. "Good thing he is married and I am dating Victor. Odd, more I am around attractive men, it reinforces my feelings for Victor. It has been awhile for me and Victor has been patient," she says in her mind felt content.

David was on the far side of the landing zone, leaving the shuttle and the rest of the crew between himself and Christian. He was running some scans with his suit’s sensors, when he heard Christian’s report. “I hear ya, Private. Are your sensors picking up anything unusual?”

"I am no scientist but there is something, my suit can't really understand it. It isn't high enough where it is causing an alarm but there is something there," he replied as he walked twenty feet to a new position.

Turning in Christian's direction, David pushed his suit's sensors to maximum power and tried to see what his shipmate was seeing. Grunting, he received the same readings. Something was out there, he just could make out what it was. The hairs started to stand up on the back of his neck, giving him the feeling that the entire landing area was being watched.

Activating his comms again, he responded. "Yeah, I see what you're seeing. Keep an eye on it, but do not engage unless ordered to, or you are engaged. Do you copy?"

"Rodger Corporal," he had no plans to go after anything on his own.

Unlike a camping tent, this one was made of a better prefabricated material that could withstand the harshest weather conditions. Tonya went back to the runabout after she had the tent set up for Engineering.

Miraj had absolutely zero intention of sleeping in a tent when she had a nice comfy shuttle to stay in, but she was happy to help haul stuff from the replicator and the lockers off to the other tents going up in a little ring leading off from the Archeron. On a her second trip with her arms full of bedding, she realised the little camp was missing something. And that gave her an idea.
She went back in the Archeron, and put her requests into the replicator.

She staggered out again ten minutes later, a heavy iron firepit in one hand, a duffel slung over the other shoulder and a small box under her arm. She settled the fire pit down in the centre of the ring, and emptied out the box, tipping in a bunch of replicated logs and firelighters. A small bottle also fell out, and she emptied it, liberally splashing the contents all over. With it all set up for tonight, she opened the duffell and started unpacking the rest. Football, bat and ball, a ring frisbee, all the fun things for after being trapped with nine other people in just fifty five square meters for three days.

With a satisfied smile at a job well done, Miraj switched back to hauling out the sleeping gear.

Baeryn was setting up one of the multipurpose tents a bit farther from the shuttle then the others. She wanted the tent she slept in to act as first line of defense from the shuttle and the other members of the crew should something or someone unknown enter camp. Pausing to readjust her filter mask she caught sight of Miraj setting up what to her looked like a campfire with all the essentials. Baeryn released a small chuckle before heading back towards the shuttle to bring out more supplies. She couldn't wait to take this blasted mask off, it was almost as bad as the EVA suits.

"Ensign Luen or Ensign T'Kek, What have the environmental scans told us about what's in the atmosphere?"

Ethal turned towards Baeryn when she heard her name be called before responding. "Yes, we have managed to get some preliminary scans. Our only concern is spores from that fungal forest. At this distance we are at a safe level to be able to take the masks off but I do suggest we make an inoculant to the fungal spores as a precaution." Ethal explained balancing the risks and the fact she also had enough of wearing the mask.

It took Baeryn a moment to consider the risk. She wanted the Ensign to know she had faith in her assessment and instantly regretted her minor pause.

"Okay Ensign, get started on that inoculant asap. No one leaves camp without a mask until then. Keep me updated on your progress."

"Yes Ma'am, I will need to go further out from the camp to get a larger sample. Should I find someone free to accompany me?" She asked knowing it was not a good idea to go alone out of the camp area but wasn't sure if Baeryn would appoint someone or not.

“As a matter of fact I’m free to accompany you.” She looked down to her belt to make sure she had her weapon and thought it best to grab a tricorder to help assist the Ensign. She didn’t really know the first thing about creating a inoculant but collecting samples and ensuring her safety seemed easy enough. “Let me grab a tricorder and we can start.”

Tonya had herself beam to the runabout as she needed to set up a forcefield within the camping area. She was not going to activate it. That would only be done if there was an imminent threat.

David opened up another comm channel. "Commander S'hib, this is Corporal Tonelly, Sir. Do you read me?"

"I read you, Corporal, go ahead..." S'hib replied, his mask fogging up with every breathe as he walked beside the small stream the Archeron landed next to.

“Sir,” David began. "Private Laknema and I are picking something up on the periphery of our suit's sensors. I'm not sure if its a threat or not, however, to be quite candid, Sir, I feel like we are being watched."

He was quiet for some time, glancing down at the clear water gently washing around his long ankles. "That's because we are... Though I can't quite put my finger on it," he said quietly despite being alone, the Archeron off in the distance behind him, the crew still around its bulky frame setting up camp.

"keep scanning, but I want you to shrink the search perimeter, stay away from the mushroom field, or forest... whatever it is..." He sighed, glancing up quickly.

His eyes flicked to the vast forest of mushrooms on the horizon, a thick haze of spores lingering over it. "I don't need scans to know there is something out there." He snorted before kneeling down in the stream, feeling the bitter cold washing over his coat.

"Understood, Sir. Private Laknema and I will reduce our patrol field to just outside the Archeron's shield radius. With our armor, we can adjust the power frequencies to match the shield frequencies. We will be able to just walk right through the shields as if they weren't there. Tonelly, out." With that, he cut the comm channel and opened another one to Christian and relayed both S'hib's orders and the plan for their suits.

Kedar Rackthorn, the young Cadet from the Academy seemed a little out of sorts here. He hadn't been on an away mission before and had yet to really make any friends aboard. "Uh, anyone want to be my plus one?" he asked, looking around. He saw that people had been pairing up and heading off to explore or to set up camp but he hadn't really done this before, hoping to learn from someone a bit more experienced. The sun looked beautiful where he looked and he felt like this place would be really picturesque, if only he'd brought a holoimager.

The sun slowly began to set in the east, and the Runabout's computer sent out an alert to the crew commbadges [["Sun Setting in 2 hours]]

"W00t!" Miraj threw her hands up in celebration. "Should i replicate a barbecue? Who wants barbecue? I'm going to get a barbecue!" She started back to the Acheron. "Oh, and Marshmallows. We can roast marshmallows!" Her job was done, she'd got them here. Now it was time for a little fun, and a cook out would be awesome.

Tonya who was in the runabout answers, "BBQ Chicken, potato salad, grilled asparagus and corn with ice tea sounds yummy to me." Tonya did the last touch on her current task. " I have set up in case we need a force field for the camp in case if the Archeron has to leave."

"Yes Ma'am." Miraj started thumbing through the replicator, looking for the barbecue, and adding more options to the lieutenants initial requests to feed the other eight.

Tonya presses her communication badge, "Lt. Commander S'hib, the force field for the base camp is ready in case if we need it. Be sure all personnel understand safety protocols."

"Understood Lieutenant, " S'hib replied, still sat in the small stream, phase staff leaning against the bank as he gently cleaned his coat, enjoying the feel of the cold and non replicated water. "I'll gather everyone up in a bit, have a little talk, S'hib out." He snorted, ending the comms before attempting to cup water to his mouth, forgetting the mask was there.


-----


With the sun setting, Miraj set up the barbecue grill she'd replicated. It stood a little wonky but that wouldn't matter. she tipped in coals, squirted some left over accelerant on it from the fire pit, and zapped it with her little type 1 phaser.

It jumped to life, and she put the grill on top, and went back for the food she replicated while they coals burnt down. She happily threw down the pre marinated strips of replicated meat, throwing them on hap hazardly, saving a section for the various items the proper vegetarians, laying out various vege-proteins, and fleshy vegetables. Clouds of smoke rose up as fat and marinade hit the hot coals, and the young hybrid had to jump back, coughing and eyes watering.

Watching Miraj set food on grill, T'Kek grinned at the woman, deciding to help out as he grabbed a nearby white apron that had been stored before realizing it said kiss the chef on the front as he finished tying it. "Here, allow me," T'Kek said as he approached the fire. "You have to be more delicate in adding the marinade and the fat needs to be trimmed," he commented before grabbing a knife and beginning to tidy up the food.

Miraj wiped the water and soot from her eyes, leaving a soft smear of grey across one cheek. "I didn't know that." She turned away from the food to cough up more smoke. She picked up another of the stack of comedy aprons's she'd replicated. Hers said, 'May the forks be with you'. "Dad makes it look easy. He can cook anything."

T'Keke grinned. "My father always said cooking was an illogical waste of time.
Like anything, it takes practice. The first time I tried to cook meat, I set half the kitchen on fire. In all honesty, I initially learned cooking simply to help pick up women," he added with a shrug. "I learned to enjoy it as the food was better than replicated foods."

"But cooking allows us to bring a better flavor and texture to what we eat," Tonya remarked, "Even if the meat is replicated."

Miraj used tongs and a pair of scissors to try and hack some fat off a piece of steak. The tongs slipped and she dropped the steak right onto the coals where it not only got sooty but started to burn. "I'm not sure that's going to have a better flavour now." she sighed.

"That one is yours then," T'Kek joked as he grabbed the steak. "Don't worry, cola can make a good meat tenderizer and normally, it is alot easier to trim the fat with a knife instead of scissors." Some of the first steaks were nearly done as he placed some vegetables on the grill away from the meat. "Steaks are almost ready!" he announced to the others.

"Thanks, I think." she smiled back, setting the scissors aside. "But last time I tried to do anything clever with a knife I bled all over my omelette."

Tonya fixed her plate. "So tell me while we about to eat, on Deck 10 where the civilians hang out and several of the civilian spouses have jobs, where do you like to go to besides Arcadia? I usually let Victor pick what we do on date night."

Miraj shurgged. "I've never been on a date, so I'm not really the person to ask. Hang on." She grabbed up one of the coals in the barbecue tongs. "Forgot to light the fire pit." She dropped the coal onto the large iron dish.

A gout of fire leapt into the air, the fumes from the accelerant catching with a loud whump". Heat rushed past her face and she jumped back, tripping over a chair and landing on her rump. "Okay, that didn't go as planned." she admitted as the fire pit settled a bit, no longer a pillar of flame though still burning fiercely.

"Are you injured?" T'Kek asked, stepping away from the grill to Miraj and offering her his hand.

MIraj let him pull her back up. She was a little singed around the edged, but looked like there was nothing seriously wrong. "I think I put too much fire starter on there." she gave him a sheepish smile. "sorry."

Glancing back in a mild panic as the flaming collum of fire subsided, S'hib snorted, his mask fogging up heavily as he shook his head and scratched his hoof at the dirt below him. "Everything ok over there?" He grumbled after tapping his comm badge, turning his attention back to the perimeter forcefield, its faint glow buzzing against the floor in between each connector node.

"Yes, Sir. Ensign Derani just Bar B-Q'd herself," T'Kek joked with a chuckle as he looked Miraj over for injuries.

Tonya looked at Miraj as she places her food down to grab a chair. "Once must be careful."

"Yes Ma'am," Miraj said dutifully, try not to die of embarrassment as T'Kek examined her. She felt about ten years old again. Earth, open up and swallow me now "Really, I'm fine. I think the food needs to be looked at more than I do."

Satisfied Miraj wasn't injured, T'Kek made his way back to the grill. "Come on, get you something to eat," he said looking at Miraj with a grin. "I'll handle the rest of the cooking."

Laughter and chatter continued as S'hib circled around the edge of the forcefield, phase staff in hand as his eyes readjusted to the dark, the vast expanse of flatland around them somewhat illuminated by the last vestiges of sunlight. On the other horizon, hundreds of stars had already started to flicker into existence on a world untouched by light pollution, it would have reminded him of his first home had it not be so cold.

Perhaps he should have brought a poncho he thought as a shiver went down his spine, it would only get colder now the sun was leaving the sky. "I should replicate one." He muttered to himself, glancing around with judgemental and narrow eyes at the world around him before marching back to the Runabout.

Tbc...