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Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Polar Vortex
Stardate: 57601.58
Day 18
March 28 2381
1100 Hours


Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]   Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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Vivian's day had started like any other. She woke up, had a shower, got dressed, had some pancakes and several cups of coffee before making her way to her office to start another day. With the investigations into their Radiant crew member's light and how to weaponize it against the parasites, to working with the Medical department to find ways of safely removing said parasites from hosts as well as also finding out ways to seal off the area of space the Parasite's dwelled in from the rest of the galaxy, not to mention the other numerous projects they were running, the Science Department was suddenly very busy and as the Chief Science Officer it was her job to make sure it was running as smooth as possible.

Needless to say the last thing she expected to be doing was heading to one of the coldest parts of Aldea's north pole to investigate an ancient ruin and yet here she was doing just that. It had started with her being summoned to the bridge when the junior science officer manning the night shift had requested her to take a look at some strange readings the Theurgy's sensors had detected. At first they had looked like random energy fluctuations of some kind but with the ongoing repairs to the ship, the young officer wasn't entirely sure if it had simply been a sensor echo or glitch and had wanted to check with his boss.

Doing her own analysis of the data and running her own scan on the area where the anomalous readings had been detected. At first glance it was hard to tell what the readings were and if it hadn't been for the fact that Ensign Halliwell, who had been stationed at Ops at the time had informed her that the sensors were functioning normally, she might well have brushed the readings off as a glitch or simple sensor echo. Since they were functioning normally however that anomalous reading had peaked Vivian's curiosity. Running a more concentrated scan of the area, she discovered an ancient ruin of some kind, that appeared to match others on the planet, however she hadn't recalled ever reading about such ruins that far north in their briefing on the planet.

As one of the senior officers she had the authority to contact the Aldean government and had informed them of what they had detected and was told that nobody had ever really explored that far north before and the Aldean government were as curious about this ruin and whatever the reading they detected could be. Vivian had suggested that she could send a team to take a look for them, which the Aldean Government had agreed to, under the understanding that not only would a representative accompany the away team that went as well but that the Aldean Defence Council would monitor their investigation, given the circumstances.

So that was how Vivian found herself a few short hours latter in a shuttle heading towards said ruins wrapped up in more layers than she could ever remember wearing in her life. Ahead of her at the front of the shuttle, manning the helm was Lieutenant Junior Grade Alessia Garcia, one of the Lone Wolves who had offered to fly them though the cold, stormy weather. Given the conditions in the north pole it had been inadvisable to transport there and the conditions required a highly skilled pilot to fly a shuttle in such weather and the Wolves were the best pilots there were.

Also on the away team was Ensign ch'Xinya, one of the scientists in her department who had requested to join her and she had seen no reason to say no. For one thing the Andorian was used to the cold and it couldn't hurt to have someone immune to it's affects along just in case the other members struggled with it, not to mention the fact that it was always handy in these situations to have another pair of scientific eyes on hand.

The other member of their team was Mickayla MacGregor from the Security department. Admittedly Vivian didn't know much about the security officer beyond the fact that she was Scottish, which made her rather unique among Klingon's in her opinion. While they hadn't detected any lifesigns coming from the ruins it was always a good idea to bring at least one security officer with you on an away mission for protection, after you you never knew what you'd find on an away mission...or any time you went out really, as Vivian herself had already discovered once during her time on Aldea.

The final member of their expedition was First Appointee Radue, the Aldean Government's representative who was accompanying them to make sure they respected the ruins and didn't try to run off with any relics or technology they would find. Outside of the away team the Klingon's were also on alert and were monitoring the area to keep out anybody else who may have detected the anomaly and for the crew, as with most away missions Theurgy's Mission Ops was the point of contact for them.

Taking one final read through of the information they had on other Aldean ruins, Vivian looked up from her PADD and directed her attention towards the helm. "How long until we reach the ruins Lieutenant Garcia?"


OC: Here we go everyone, I hope it's a good opening post for everyone. Usual spiel 7 days to post starts now, any order really at the moment, have fun and let's make this interesting shall we. Also let's try to avoid freezing to death if at all possible.

Also shout out to @Patches for the thread title :P
 

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #1
[Lt. JG Alessia Garcia – “Angel” | Shuttle Archimedes |  En Route to the Aldean North Pole | Aldea> ] Attn: @chXinya @Kinvarus @Stegro88 
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All things considered this wasn't a bad gig, Alessia thought as her fingers danced over the helm controls. While she loved flying, admittedly her usual patrols she had been undertaking along with the rest of her Wolves had been rather boring. An entire shift in her Valravn would normally be something the Wolf would jump at the chance at, even after all the years she had flow one...as long as she had something to do or fight, but zipping around a sector of space with nothing to do but watch the stars zip by and not encounter anything had started to get to her. So far she had encountered one pirate ship and they had given up all too quickly for her liking.

This however was a far more challenging experience in comparison. Granted this shuttle in no way stacked up to her Valravn, flying in these weather conditions? That was something that would actually test her abilities and she always loved being able to do that. Also she had people with her, while yes she had her RIO with her in her Valravn, they weren't exactly the best of friends, given the fact the two had only recently been paired together after Scylia's untimely death but normally they were in combat so the flights were more stressful. Despite the weather however, this was far more comfortable and relaxing than a dogfight, not that that meant the Angel didn't have to keep her wits about her.

While the Chief Science Officer, her fellow Scientist and the security officer would be venturing into the ruins to explore whatever it was they had detected, Alessia would more than likely be staying with the shuttle, mostly because the snowstorm and cold would more than likely freeze up the nacelles if they left it outside, meaning she'd more than likely have to take the craft up into orbit and wait around until they were done.

The Spaniard was brought out of her thoughts when Lieutenant Commander Martin asked her how long until they arrived. "ETA is 10 minutes Lieutenant Commander." she answered. However the second she had gotten the words out of her mouth, a strong bout of turbulence rocked the small craft, causing it to hop slightly and shudder. "Maybe 15 to 20 if these winds get any stronger. Don't worry though, I'll get us there before it gets too bad."

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #2
[Ensign Irnashall “Shall” ch’Xinya | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Revan @Kinvarus @Stegro88

Normally the Andorian would be sitting in his chair on the shuttle stewing up a proper grump at the idea of getting sent onto an away mission, but not this time.  Firstly, he’d asked to go when he heard of it so it would be wrong to be sour over it now.  In some respect it wasn’t a bad idea for the chan to come along, there weren’t too many people on the ship who knew more about the sensor arrays than him outside of the Ops department thanks to his upgrades to the Stellar Cartography Lab.  Other than that though, as Shall’s eyes were glued to the viewports and whatever screen he could commandeer to show the outside, his antenna was broadcasting his excitement to everyone.  Quivering atop his head like a vibrating reed it was a wonder that he wasn’t bouncing in his chair like a child going to an amusement park.

Outside the shuttle the temperature was already -10°C and falling thanks to a combination of their climb into the higher latitudes and oncoming snowstorm.  Said storm was already cutting down on the visibility and regular gusts knocked the shuttle around like a toy drone.  Snowflakes as large as fingernails slid along the hull as they pushed through, and down on the surface glaciers filled entire valleys.  Most anyone would’ve tried to find any excuse to get out of this mission, but this was exactly what Shall needed right now.

For him, it was like a spring day back in his home of Lor’Vela.  He’d honeymooned (as the humans called it) in the middle of a blizzard in the Northern Wastes.  This was going to be one of the most pleasant times of the past few months for the Andorian.  Hearing Alessia speak up from the cockpit he didn’t turn from his exterior views.  “Take your time Lieutenant, I’m in no hurry.”  Emphasizing his, Shall shrugged the middleweight coat Commander Martin had insisted he wear off of his shoulders to drape across his lap.  It was already uncomfortably warm in the shuttle, and if it wasn’t for the storm he’d probably leave it behind altogether.

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #3
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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Checking her equipment for the third time, Mickayla wondered how she had ended being assigned to this mission. Purportedly, it was due to her ‘extensive experience’ in the target region’s weather, given her upbringing in Scotland. The Klingon had resisted the urge to scoff when she had finally found out their destination; the Scottish Highlands were a far cry from the arctic, in her opinion at least. Either way, it didn’t matter. She had been assigned as security escort to the two scientists and one pilot also on the mission and she would do her duty. Even if she would be uncomfortable the entire time doing it.

Since her ‘correction’ by the Savi, Mickayla’s now wholly Klingon biology had taken a liking for temperatures more akin to the tropics than the practically blizzard like ones that they were flying through. In addition, her skin had also become highly sensitive to pressure on it. Great, in certain circumstance; almost torturous in others. This was one of the latter times. Not only was she in uniform, but she was also kitted out with standard issue cold weather gear. And while she would all serve to keep her alive and somewhat warm, the constant pressure and rubbing from the suit would test her self-control to the extreme.

At the announcement of their impending arrival, Mickayla stopped checking her equipment and instead readied herself for arrival. She had only been briefed on the bare minimums of the mission, essentially to keep everyone safe. This lack of information about potential threats troubled the Klingon but there was nothing she could do about it now.

“When this is over, I am going to sit in the sauna for a whole day,” Mickayla mused silently even as the Andorian scientist took off his coat. “Bloody Andorians. He is probably enjoying himself.”

OOC: Starfleet Cold Weather Gear. (For Reference)

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #4
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]   Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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10 minutes, that wasn't too bad Vivan thought. She wasn't surprised that ch'Xinya didn't mind if it took a little longer for them to arrive at their destination, based on the expression on the man's face and how his antennae were moving he was rather happy, although given the cold climate the Andorian's preferred that didn't surprise her too much. "Bet you're loving this eh Ensign?" she asked the Andorian with a warm smile, ignoring the fact that he had shrugged off the coat she had ordered him to wear. Thinking about it though, out of everybody currently in the shuttle, her fellow scientist was probably the last one that needed it...at least if it wasn't for the storm, he wouldn't. Based on the reports however, she doubted even an Andorians would like that type of cold.

Their Klingon security officer seemed far less pleased with their outing, again not that that surprised her, Klingon's much preferred the warmer climates, hell she preferred the warmer climates and yet here she was. Why? For the mystery, as the CSO she could have easily assigned another member of her department to look into this and avoid the cold but where was the fun in that? "I imagine it's the exact opposite for you Petty Officer, sorry you're the one that got stuck with the babysitting duty in the cold." she smiled.

As their journey continued, Vivian couldn't help but notice that the turbulence seemed to be picking up based on how much the shuttle was jarring now, of course the howling wind outside was another indication. "Everything okay up there Garcia?" she asked as another bout of turbulence rocked the small craft, this one a little bigger than the last.

"Is that normal?" First Appointee Radue asked with some nervousness in his voice.

"Everything is fine First Appointee, Lieutenant Garcia would let us know if it wasn't, right Lieutenant?" she asked.

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #5
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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As the shuttle rocked, Mickayla could help but look up at the roof, wondering how strong the weather had to be to affect the shuttle as it flew. It was a mostly unconscious reaction; she couldn’t help but be concerned. Not that she could do anything about it. She was a passenger after all. Her life was in the hands of Lieutenant Garcia and her piloting abilities. But trusting her life to others flying skills was something that Mickayla was used to, even if it was harder to do sometimes.

Being in the Security department of a Starfleet vessel certainly had its exciting moments. But it also came with a certain requirement for trusting in others. And while that was true of all members of a ship’s crew, for people like Mickayla, who were trained to fight and defend the ship, being veritable passengers in a fight took some getting used to. And even after 10 years, it was still not second nature for Mickayla to do so. Or perhaps it was just recent events had eroded her ability to trust.

“It’s alright Lieutenant Commander Martin,” Mickayla responded. Perhaps she was a little bit too formal, but she didn’t know the officer, so it was better to be more formal than less so. “I grew up in Scotland, so I am somewhat used to the cold. But I was hoping you could tell me more about what our mission is?”

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #6
[Ensign Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Stegro88 @Kinvarus @Revan

“Time of my life Commander!” Shall beamed back at his department chief, white teeth shining in the light.  Not once did his smile waver as the shuttle bounced around in the turbulence.  A quick glance around the cabin showed that he was the only one though and it faded a bit, if only to not show off.  He couldn’t do anything about his antenna though, it did what it wanted.

“I heard about that Scotland while I was at the Academy.” the chan interjected when he overheard Mickayla talking about it.  “Don’t recall hearing much about tundra, just wet and rocks.  Reminded me a bit of Cheshras Island in the wintertime.”  The Reserve found there was famous throughout the Andorian sector but he wasn’t sure how many pinkskins knew of it.  Now wasn’t the time for a lesson though, First Appointee Radue was looking a little off-put by the weather and Vivian probably wanted to start a briefing now that someone had asked about the mission.

“Someone spotted something in the ice, wasn’t it?” he asked first.  “If that’s the case why are we doing the search and not the local experts?”  Shall glanced at Radue momentarily.  “It’s your planet after all, you’d know the history better than we would.”

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #7
[Lt. JG Alessia Garcia – “Angel” | Shuttle Archimedes |  En Route to the Aldean North Pole | Aldea> ] Attn: @chXinya @Kinvarus @Stegro88 
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From her spot at the Helm, Alessia didn't need to look at her panel to know the weather was picking up. She could feel the craft vibrating beneath her feet but she knew the shuttle could handle a little more weather than this, it certainly wasn't enough to worry them too much.

Keeping her focus on flying through the storm, she narrowed her eyes slightly as she focused on looking through the ever decreasing visibility. Luckily the sensors were doing a good job of keeping track of where they were.

They were only a few minutes out now which was probably a good thing when the turbulance caused the ship to shudder and rock from side to side enough to cause the Commander to ask her if everything was okay.

"It's getting a little choppy but we're only a few minutes out now Commander nothing to worry about." the Spaniard replied as she fought the controls just a little bit to keep the craft flying straight.

After what seemed like only a few seconds she had told them all that there was nothing to worry about the Computer let out a few alert beeps. "Warning: Wind Speed approaching maximum flight safety limits, landing is recommended as soon as possible."

"I know thank you, we're almost there." she muttered, getting a response from the computer almost immediately with another alert beep.

"Warning: External temperature approaching minimum shuttle operational limits." the female sounding voice informed her.

"I am aware of that as well." Alessia muttered as the shuttle rocked again causing her to curse in Spanish.

Luckily the large structure they were heading for suddenly appeared before the shuttle through the blizzard and Alessia let out a soft sigh. Even better it looked like there was a hanger bay she could land in, assuming it opened of course otherwise she'd have to either land on the snow and hope the craft didn't fall through the snow and ice that had no doubt accumilated up here or open the rear hatch and let everybody out before hopefully whizzing up into space before the thing froze up, both of which were risky.

As she decreased her speed, a blue beam eminated from the structure and washed over the shuttle. "We're being scanned." she announced and smiled slight when just after the beam had cut out, the roof of the structure started to open. How it hadn't been frozen shut she didn't know but she really didn't care too much given how many warning lights were slowly starting to blink on across the helm.

Hovering the shuttle over the roof, Alessia noticed that one of the empty bays was lit up and assumed that that was where she was meant to land and slowly lowered the ship down, the small craft shuddering slightly as it touched down on the pad.

Pressing several buttons across her console she powered the craft down and glanced at the sensors. ""Ladies and gentleman we have arrived at our destination. External temperature is -35 degrees with a windspeed of 140MPH, looks like that blizzard hit early, we're not going anywhere any time soon. Internal temperature is a brisk in comparison -20 degrees, by the looks of it the facility is running on minimal power, there are no lifesigns detected and no other ships in the bay, looks like we are on our own ." she informed them.

Hitting the hatch button, the whirring noise echoed through the craft as it slowly started to lower. She wasn't sure if she would now be accompanying the away team now considering the original plan was her to fly around until the away team were ready for pickup but that had obviously changed. Her immediate job however was to check on the shuttle and make sure it was okay.

""Just going to check on the Shuttle, Commander." Alessia said as she walked past the away team and down the hatch, shivering slightly as the cold hit her. "Puta vida, que frío!" she muttered under her breath as she stepped outside and looked around. Sure enough there were no other ships in the bay, at least that probably meant that they were alone here, unless a land craft had been used instead, not that she had seen any signs of that on their approach.

Making her way around the shuttle. Visually it looked like a thin layer of ice had started forming on the hull, several tiny icicles having formed on the corners but other than that and a little bit of ice build up around the nacelles and impulse manfold, all of which could be melted quick enough by attaching a few thermal heaters to the hull, the shuttle was fine.

Shuddering as she felt the cold starting to claw at her bones, she made her way back into the shuttle and grabbed her thermal jacket, zipping it up. "The shuttle is fine Commander, we've got a little build up of ice but nothing a few thermal heaters on the hull won't melt in a few minutes. I will say though Madre de Dios que frío." Knowing that the UT would translate her Spanish for everyone in the room.


OOC:

Translations: 
"Puta vida, que frío!" - Fuck my life, so cold!
"Madre de Dios que frío." - Mother of God, so cold.

Thanks to @Numen for the translations as always!

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #8
[Ensign Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Shuttle Archimedes | Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Stegro88 @Kinvarus @Revan

Whatever it was First Appointee Radue had to say it was quickly dropped and forgotten the moment Garcia called out that they’d been scanned.  A flash of blue passed by in the corner of Shall’s eye a faction of a second later and he swiveled his chair back to the console as quickly as he could.  The cameras and non-visual spectrum sensors were all focused on the source thanks to the computer’s programmed responses giving him a perfect view of the ice-encased facility below.  The Andorian’s jaw dropped slightly as the roof doors opened to let the shuttle inside.  “Did we trigger some sort of proximity alarm?” he asked no one in particular.

Garcia didn’t waste any time with the landing and Shall’s antenna perked up with the weather report.  -35 Celsius outside?  -20 inside?  Blue fingers rubbed the heavy materials that made up the coat he was supposed to be wearing, a debate raging in his mind.  Leaving that for the moment it was time to get some work done.  Now that the blizzard wasn’t fouling the sensor array he could get some decent sensor sweeps of the immediate area.  The hangar was empty, abandoned cargo cranes and empty platforms hung from tracks just below the closing ceiling and protruded from wall supports, large shrouds of ice marking where moisture seeped in and pooled.  Large icicles draped from the cranes in a way that made Shall a bit nervous to walk underneath, he made a note of them in case someone wanted to take a phaser to them first.

Curiously, while there were no heat sources anywhere nearby, the sensors did lock onto a power source deep in the facility.  “Something’s hot up here.” the scientist announced.  “I have a power source a few hundred meters deep inside the facility.  It’s faint and there’s a lot of shielding between us and it, I can’t get clear readings of it.”  That was when Garcia decided to duck outside for the post-landing survey, and the blast of cold air that rushed in the moment the hatch was open made Shall shiver.  “By Lor’vela feel that!”

Switching the sensors to an automatic sweep and linking the result feed to the tricorder on his hip Shall stood and walked to hatch.  Coat gripped in his hand it fluttered in the breeze caused by the thermal disparity between shuttle interior and hangar outside.  “Minus 20 you said Lieutenant?” he confirmed as she reentered, the human’s face already threatening to turn as blue as his own.  “If we can get a good breeze going it’d be just like a nice summer breeze on the border of the Northern Wastes!”  A grin spread from ear to ear, Shall was loving every moment of this.

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #9
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]   Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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Vivian felt the shuttle shaking and was tempted to ask Garcia if she was sure they were okay, especially when the warning beeps were going off, announcing how fast the wind was and how cold it was but decided not to since Garcia was a Wolf after she, she was a skilled enough pilot to know what was best for them. It also helped that they were almost at their destination.

She couldn't help the shiver that ran through her body when the pilot informed them of how cold it was, unlike Ensign ch'Xinya she was in no way a fan of the cold. Before her thoughts could progress any further than that however, a blue light passed over them as they were scanned, with the Andorian asking if they had triggered a proximity alarm.

Using her own console, she run her own scans and shook her head. "It doesn't look like an alarm, more like a general scan of ships as they come in to land, maybe a security check? I'm not detecting any alarms being triggered or automated response from defence systems, at least not at the moment." she replied.

 First Appointee Radue appeared to be nervous although whether that was just from the turbulence and warning alarms coming from the shuttle or from where they were heading, the CSO didn't know. He did however seem to be distracted by Shall's questions.

"It was actually your ship that detected some unusual energy readings coming from this facility and informed us. As for why the "Local experts" as you say aren't conducting the search the truth is that there are none. We have never explored this far north before. We always suspected there could be ruins further north than we knew of and had explored but frankly we had more than enough ruins to research and explore in the areas we had already discovered that it would be best to complete as much research as we could on what we had already found before venturing further and risk discovering things we might not understand. Your ship's discovery has needless to say changed that." he answered as the shuttle touched down.

When the female pilot walked past them, asking to check the shuttle Vivian nodded and shuddered, pulling her clothing tighter around her when the rear hatch opened and the cold air rushed it, a shiver running through her even as Shall seemed to enjoy the cold, not that that surprised her. "That's brisk." she muttered under her breath as she took another scan of the facility.

"I'm still not detecting any response to our arrival, but we should keep our guard up just in case." she told them all as Garcia returned to the ship, nodding at the pilot's report.

"That's good to hear, how long do you think that will take?" she asked.

Once Garcia had given her the answer, she moved onto the main briefing for the team. "So as the First Appointee said, the Theurgy was the one who detected the reading coming from this facility and given the lack of knowledge the Aldeans have on the region and our general experience with the unknown it was decided that this would be a joint venture, hence the Appointee's company. The mission is "simple" she said, using air quotes, explore the facility and discover the source of the energy reading we detected and find out what it and this facility does." she said to the group.

"Now as has already been said we don't expect there to be trouble but keep your heads up just in case, when we venture out CPO MacGreagor will be taking point. Shall I know you Andorian's love the cold so I won't force you to wear that coat if you can handle the weather, however I am requesting that you take it with you just in case. Finally standard away team rules apply to everyone, no running off on your own, keep an open comm channel and don't touch anything you shouldn't, I know it doesn't need to be said but these are old ruins and unknown technology so it's better to be safe than sorry." Vivan told them all, before turning her attention to Garcia.

"Lieutenant things have changed a little mission wise for you, considering the plan was for you to remain in orbit and provide support so would you prefer to remain here with the shuttle or accompany us?"

Truthfully Vivian didn't know what experience the Spaniard had when it came to ground work beyond standard Starfleet Training but an extra pair of eyes never hurt nor did she particularly fancy leaving the pilot alone if they weren't in fact the only ones here, nor did she want to return to find the pilot frozen or something, then again would it be alright to leave the shuttle unattended? There were advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether the Wolf stayed or joined them but she would leave it up to the Lieutenant to decide.

After the pilot had made her decision, Vivian nodded "Now that that's settled everybody gather whatever equipment you need and let's head out."

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #10
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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Ignoring the Lieutenants commentary of their landing as best she could, Mickayla focused what might be said about their purpose here. Precious little had been conveyed to her about the mission and its parameters and that already had her annoyed before she discovered that they were going to the Arctic. And call it pride talking but after everything she had been through in the last month, she did not want it to end in a shuttle crash in a blizzard.

The announcement of them being scanned did nothing to lighten her mood. There could be any number of reasons, most of them fairly innocuous for it but you never could know if that innocent scan was the prelude to a phaser blast to the face. Thankfully though, nothing seemed to happen and soon enough the hull shuddering gently heralded their arrival before the pilot’s report confirmed it. 

“Well shit,” Mickayla thought to herself when the pilot announced that she would just casually step outside. Her objection died in her throat as the Lieutenant stepped through the hatch before she could stop her. And then the Andorian went and followed her, and for no better reason than to see how cold it was “Andorians,” Mickayla mused. She’d been ambivalent to the species before but this Ensign was really starting to get on her nerves. “What is the bloody point me being here if no one is even going to try and be careful?”

“I would advise against going outside again until we are ready to move together or I have secured the immediate area,” Mickayla commented as she pulled her hood up over her hair. Patting her hips, and lamenting that she would have preferred an exosuit instead, the Klingon verified that she had her sidearm and tricorder secured as Commander Martin briefed them on their next course of action. “So, par for the course. Explore the unknown, find out what’s so interesting and try not to die while doing it. What could possibly go wrong?”

“Understood, ma’am,” Mickayla acknowledged before shouldering the pack of survival gear. They were out of the storm, which was a good thing but with no idea how long it would last, coupled with the unknown they were exploring, it was better to have the gear and not need it than the opposite. Once the pack was seated, Mickayla picked up her rifle and headed for the hatch, shivering as the cold air from the hanger intruded on the warmth of the shuttle. “I’ll have a quick look around while everyone else gets prepared,” she said before exiting.

Outside, the hanger looked like it had seen better days. Empty and abandoned equipment littered the area, all of it coated in the evidence that this hanger was not weatherproof. With the blizzard outside in full force, Mickayla idly wondered just how cold it was going to get. Finishing her sweep, she proceeded over to what appeared to be the main entry point into the hanger; a set of double doors with a frozen keypad set into the wall beside it.

“Commander, I’ve finished my sweep of the hanger. No apparent threats besides the cold,” Mickayla briefed after activating her comms. “Two access points to the hanger. What appears to be a frozen shut maintenance accessway and the main double doors with a dead keypad. I’m awaiting instructions at the main doors,” Mickayla finished, turning around to see the rest of the away team just outside of the shuttle’s hatch.

Re: Day 18 - [1100 Hours.] Polar Vortex

Reply #11
[Ensign Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Shuttle Archimedes | Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Stegro88 @Kinvarus @Revan

Hanging by the hatch just inside the shuttle, Shall kept out of the way in case anyone else needed to step outside for the post-flight checklist.  Looking at everyone’s faces though, that was probably not going to be a popular duty.  The look on MacGregor’s face alone killed the smile on his own, it was clear that this was going to be brutal for the others.  If only some of the others were still here…  Shall had already shed his tears over Shar’s departure, and he didn’t know the other Andorians they’d picked up in the past few weeks very well before most of them slipped off into the unknown.  Half-listening to Commander Martin’s in-field briefing update Shall slipped on the coat if only to free up his hand.  Hanging loose around his slim frame the fabric rustled in the warm breeze flowing out of the shuttle.

Nodding and verbally acknowledging the orders to keep together and to be careful Shall plucked the tricorder and phaser from the equipment storage mounted by the hatch and clipped them their usual spots on his hips.  Pulling the tricorder from its holster the Andorian’s blue fingers used the device to link into the shuttle’s sensor controls.  “Normally I’d suggest we use mapping drones to get a more detailed layout ahead of us but if the rest of the facility is as iced over as this hangar they may not get very far.  I’ll see if the shuttles sensors can penetrate the walls and floors, though even if they can we’ll lose a lot of resolution.”

Tapping the requisite buttons the Archimedes’s sensor platform lit up, the high-energy pulses buzzing in his antenna as they swept around.  An image slowly built up on the display, the hangar in sharp detail but everything outside of it remained fuzzy at best.  Frowning at the density of the building materials Shall could only growl at the inconvenience caused by the old Aldean’s use of high-quality, high-durability compounds and alloys.  This place had been built to last.  “I can’t get much on the physical layout, whatever this place is made out of is absorbing just about everything the shuttle is sending out.”  A few button taps sent the constantly refreshing sensor display to everyone’s tricorder if they wished to see for themselves.  “The power grid isn’t quite as shielded though, I’m reading an ancient EM induction system running all throughout the walls, typical trunk and branch layout common for braided copper or similar wires.”

Stepping out into the hangar at last the blue hue of Shall’s face quickly darkened in response and he took a deep breath of the frigid, biting air.

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #12
[Lt. JG Alessia Garcia – “Angel” | Shuttle Archimedes |  En Route to the Aldean North Pole | Aldea> ] Attn: @chXinya @Kinvarus @Stegro88 
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Having informed everybody about the status of the shuttle and listening to the conversations of the others around her, Alessia made her way over to the storage area and retrieved several thermal heaters from the locker and started setting the temperature outputs on them, once they were configured all she would need to do is attach them to the hull and let them melt the ice that had built up.

With the others still discussing the mission and what their plan would be, the Wolf exited the shuttle again and attached the heaters to various points on the hull, a metalic thud echoing slightly as the maglocks sealed themselves to the hull. Activating them, Garcia shuddered slightly as she made her way back inside, knowing it would take several minutes for the heaters to do their job.

As she stepped back into the craft, she heard Ensign ch'Xinya inform the others that this place seemed to run on an ancient EM induction system, evidently this place really way old. As the Andorian walked past her and out into the cold, the pilot turned her attention to the Commander, who had asked her what she was going to do.

She respected the fact the woman had given her a choice and not just ordered her to do one thing on the other. It was certainly true that her original role had been to provide support from the air if necessary but with that blizzard outside going on, it was a little risky to fly the shuttle in those conditions and even if she did make it into orbit it was more than likely that the storm would interfere with their comm signals.

Granted she could stay with the shuttle and launch when the storm eased up a little but based on the readings she had taken when they landed, that wasn't going to be for a while. On the other hand she was a fighter pilot, not a scientist and while she certainly knew how to handle a weapon she wasn't exactly a security officer either and so wasn't entirely sure how useful she would be on the ground beyond being another gun and set of eyes. On the other hand however she wasn't exactly going to be useful sitting on her ass in the shuttle doing nothing either.

"I'll come with you Commander, there's not exactly much I can do here at the moment with that storm outside. Another set of eyes for you won't hurt but I'll keep an eye on the weather as best I can, if the blizzard starts to settle down I can always head back to the hanger and take the shuttle up if necessary."

Ensuring her thermal coat was done up as tight as it could and having collected a tricorder and phaser from the equipment and weapon lockers, she stepped out into the hanger. Taking a look at the thermal heaters, she could already see the pools of water from where they had done their job and melted the ice on the ground over the last several minutes.

"Well at least the shuttle isn't frozen anymore." the Spaniard said aloud as she shut off the heaters and removed them from the hull, for now placing them neatly inside the shuttle by the ramp. WIth everybody else gathered outside the shuttle, she keyed in a code on the panel beside the ramp, watching as it started to rise, hearing seveal thunks as the ramp closed and locked. As the mission pilot it was her job to make sure the shuttle was secured before they headed out. Even though they were apparently alone here, without actually confiming that fact, it wouldn't be good if they weren't and somebody stole it after all.

"The Shuttle is secure ma'am, ready to head out when you are." she said as she jogged over and joined the others.

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #13
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]   Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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Having finishing her little briefing she first nodded to MacGregor at her suggestion that nobody else step outside until the hanger was secured and the group was ready to move out together, a sound suggestion and one that Vivian wasn't going to ignore, after all that was the reason the Security Officer was here, what good would it do to ignore her tactical advice and bring her along if they wasn't going to heed it.

Sure enough the Security would indeed inform her that she was going to scout the Hanger for them and have another nod "Understood Petty Officer, be careful just in case." she said as the woman stepped out of the rear hatch.

Somewhere behind her Garcia had rumaged through the lockers and retrieved several devices and made her own way back out of the ship, a few minutes later hearing several thunking sounds against the hull as the pilot no doubt placed several of those heaters on their craft to melt the accumulated ice.

While Garcia was doing that, Shall spoke up as well and had to nod at his assessment that while using drones would have been ideal the ice probably would have prevented them from getting very far, she had come to the same assessment as well. The Andorian did however use the shuttle's sensors to run a scan and listened to what he reported. The pilot had opted to join them and Vivian certainly couldn't argue with the woman about having another set of eyes down here, plus from what she had heard Garcia was a pretty good fighter too so an extra gun wouldn't go amiss either. Plus it seemed as though she would be more than willing to return to the shuttle and provide air support should it be necessary once the storm cleared.

The fact that this place was absorbing whatever the shuttle sent out wasn't exactly the best news she wanted to hear, if it was absorbing everything, that could also include Comm signals as well. Granted the blizzard outside was doing that as well currently but  that storm would pass and when it did if they needed help they wouldn't be able to call the Theurgy for assistance.

The good news however was that at least the ancient "wiring" of this place would give them some sort of trail to follow, even if they didn't have a layout of the place. "When you say this place is absorbing just about everything the shuttle is sending out, do you think that will include Comm and Transporter signals too?" she asked before the Andorian stepped away from the console.

After Garcia had returned with the heaters, the group, accompanied by the First Appointee vacated the shuttle, with Garcia the last one out to seal up the shuttle. With the woman's confirmation that the shuttle was indeed secure, she gave the pilot a nodded. "Alright everyone, let's see what this place has to show us. Keep your eyes peeled just in case we aren't alone here, if you find anything tech wise don't touch it until we can scan it and get an idea of what it does...that goes for pretty much anything down here actually, not that I'm sure I need to tell any of you that." she said with a smile before turning her attention to MacGregor "You're on point Petty Officer, let's move out."

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #14
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Aldean Science Facility | North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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Mickayla was on point, right where she was meant to be. Although, in this case, that point was a little blunt without knowing where she was going. She had just been told by the commander that she was on point and that was it. Besides the instructions to not touch anything unless they were 110 percent certain what it was used for.

“Which leaves out trying to power up the terminal,” Mickayla groused mentally. For all she knew it could initiate some sort of biohazard containment protocol as soon as they supplied it with power; killing them all. The Klingon Chief had the idea of trying to pry the doors apart but a quick glance at the size of them forced her to discard that idea. “I guess we are going for door number two.”

Moving across the slowly warming room, Mickayla approached the door that she had tried to open earlier. When it hadn’t budged, she had assumed that it had been frozen shut but now, with no other option, she took a second, closer look at it. The door itself was solid, looking to be made of a steel alloy, as was the wall around it. Another thing that Mickayla gleaned from her closer inspection was that the door was, literally, frozen shut. She could see a ring of ice between the door and the surrounding frame; the pressure from it preventing the door from moving.

“Well, I know how to fix that,” she thought to herself, stepping back even as she adjusted the settings on her phaser rifle. She needed to heat the area without damaging it. “Fire in the hole!” Mickayla announced loudly once she judged she was at a safe distance. After counting to 2, she fired once at the door, which was suddenly obscured in a cloud of steam. Stepping through it, Mickayla approached the door, her hand held out to judge the temperature of it lest she burn herself. The ice though, had seemed to absorb most of the phaser blast and the door, while quite warm, was not untouchable. And, as Mickayla found out, it was now openable.

“Looks like we have some sort of maintenance tube,” Mickayla described for the other’s benefit from her position just past the door. One way is a dead end while the other appears to meet up with a vertical shaft,” Mickayla continued as she began advancing down the tube. “Yep, it’s a shaft going down,” she confirmed a moment later. “Ladder looks like it is good condition, ma’am. How far do you want me to go down?”

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #15
[Ensign Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Shuttle Archimedes | Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Stegro88 @Revan @Kinvarus

Commander Martin managed to get her question in just before Shall could close out the console and could get outside into the pleasantly frigid air.  It was a wholly appropriate question so he held his consternation at the delay in check.  “I don’t think comms will be affected, especially if we stick to the subspace bands.  Transporters would be another story though, let me try something.”  A quick active pulse through the subspace antenna quickly proved what the Andorian had been suspecting.  “Just what I suspected Commander, whatever is blocking our sensors has no effect on subspace so comms will be clear on those channels.  As for the transporters, nothing should block the matter stream, but we’d be reliant on our commbadges to get a lock.”  That seemed to satisfy the woman so Shall closed everything down and followed the rest outside.

Pausing to take that deep breath, Shall could feel the blood rushing to his skin and his entire bearing perked up at the long-awaited feeling of the frozen moisture prickling his nerves.  This was the climate he was used to, and while he could get the temperature right in his quarters the humidity was a different matter altogether.  The moment was short lived though, it was time for work.  Martin took charge as soon as everyone was outside and gathered for their marching orders.  They were an interesting sight for the blue-skin, all those pinkskins huddling close under their thick coats and other bits of thermal gear while he stood proudly with his own coat hanging open to reveal his standard uniform underneath.  The tricorder in his hand soaked in what data it could, infrasonic pulses mapping the room around them with sonar and echolocation, EM pulses induced minor but detectable currents through the wiring in the walls giving them a partial map of the areas beyond.

While Macgregor worked on the door, Shall figured this was a good as time as any to see what was hampering their sensors.  Slipping off to a part of the wall well out of the security officer’s way he produced a small vial and a metal tool to take a scraping.  Holding the vial against the wall he easily managed to get flecks of paint into it but the material underneath was proving to be far more resilient.  Running his fingertips along the wall didn’t tell him much more, the material was smooth but not metallic, somewhat like a polished stone but artificial.  Frowning in concentration, Shall produced another tool, one with a much sharper end than the bladed scraper.  Returning the vial to the exposed wall he jabbed the pick into the material and managed to dislodge a few small chunks of it.  Quickly sealing the vial he held it up to his dark blue eye and gave it a quick look.  The grain size of the components was effectively homogenous, as was the color.  Something sparkled in it though, possibly some sort of mineral.

That was as far as Shall got in his little study when his antenna buzzed from the phaser blast and he quickly logged the sample in the tricorder and put everything away.  Rejoining the team he tapped a quick note about the possibility of the “concrete” containing a sensor absorbing mineral and aimed his tricorder down the exposed shaft.  “I’m reading access points every 5 meters and there appear to be hallways after each one.” he reported over his shoulder.  “I can’t get any reading on what’s on the other sides of them though.”

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #16
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]   Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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With everybody gathered close by, Vivian watched as MacGregor used her phaser to melt the ice around the door. While she was doing that, Vivian went over what Shall had just told her, comms should be affected, that was good and sticking to subspace bands wouldn't be a problem for them. Being a science officer herself, Vivian wasn't at all surprised when Shall added that the transporters would work as well which was another load off her mind. Even with Garcia coming with them, the shuttle's computer could easily lock onto their comm badges and beam them back if it was absolutely necessary.

Turning her attention back to MacGregor who was still working on melting the ice around the door, Vivian looked around. The fact that there were no other ships in the hanger covered in ice raised a few questions for her. While her immediate thought had been that it was good nobody else was here, it also meant that whoever was stationed here had clearly left with all the ships but why? The cold perhaps? Whatever the Aldean's were doing here they simply finished and had no more use for the facility? As the thoughts continued, Vivian shook her head, speculation wouldn't do her any good, hopefully they would find answers.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when MacGregor announced that she had cut through the ice and reported on what she saw, asking her how far down she should go. Before she could respond, Shall joined them and scanned down the shaft. Access points every 5 meters, that was good and hallways in each one, however that was all the Andorian was getting.

With a nod in Shall's direction, Vivian turned to their Security escort. "Let's play it safe, head down to the first access point and see if you can open it, we don't know exactly how far down we need to go and maybe there's be something on that floor to give us a better idea, an active terminal or something." she said, keeping her thought about testing the ladder to herself. That being said however, she reached into her pack and retrieved some rope. "Better tie that around too just to be safe. If that ladder isn't as stable as it looks...well it's a long way down." She added as she handed the Klingon one end of the rope.


OOC: Having discussed it Rev and I decided that since there was very little for Alessia to do in that moment that it would be best for me to post next and move us along. With that said...I wonder what's down there?

Steg up next as Mickayla is on point and no posting order after that for now.

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #17
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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"What was that ancient saying? It’s not a job, it’s an adventure?” Mickayla wondered silently as she accepted the rope from Commander Martin. Tying it off the rope around her waist, the best she could so without a proper harness to attach it to, Mickayla slung her rifle over her shoulder before making sure that she could still draw her pulse phase pistol. All of that taken care of, Mickayla moved to begin her descent. 

“I’ll see you all down there then,” she said before lowering herself over the lip of the shaft and only the first rung of the ladder. It was always awkward and despite the number of times that she had performed the motion, Mickayla still hadn’t figured out a way to make it at least look graceful. Once past the lip though, Mickayla made quicker progress. “Everyone needs to take care on the ladder. The rungs are slippery and a fall from here is going to hurt, a lot.”

Reaching the target access point, Mickayla found the hatch closed. Bracing against wall and ladder as best she could, the Klingon reached for the handle to try and open the door. Unfortunately, despite all of her strength, Mickayla was unable to budge it. Weighing her options, the Chief decided it was safer to try the next access against shooting the door. She was simply too close to it while on the ladder.

“Ma’am!” Mickayla called upwards. “The hatch is sealed shut. I am going to try the next level down.” Once advised, the Klingon began to descend once again, being careful on the ladder. It was slow going as she tried to break off any of the accumulated ice from each rung. Eventually though she reached the access point and unlike the first one, this one was open. Wary, Mickayla left the ladder and stepped into the hallway beyond. After a quick check of the surroundings, Mickayla activated her comms.

“Ma’am, second access point is open,” Mickayla advised calmly, untying the rope. “You can bring the rope back up.”

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #18
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Shuttle Archimedes | En Route to Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]  Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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Vivian watched as MacGregor tied the rope around herself before slinging her rifle over her shoulder and lowing herself over the edge of onto the ladder. "We'll be right behind you...relatively speaking, just be careful." Vivian replied. The CSO wasn't exactly surprised when the Security Officer informed them that the rungs were slippery and she was certainly right about the fall hurting. "You heard the lady, be careful on the way down." she said to the others with a glance.

As she waited for the Klingon to make the descent, she turned to look at the First Appointee "So from the little we've seen of this facility so far, does anything look familiar to other ruins your people have discovered or is it too soon to tell?"

The First Appointee took a brief moment to look around before shrugging "The shuttle bay looks somewhat familar in design but that isn't saying much, most of those are the same but the interiors of other ruins have seemed to differ. However all the previous ruins we've discovered and explored do share similar layouts to other facilities of their kind."

Vivian nodded "So every ruin that was used for say scientific purposes all shared the same layout compared to one used as a power plant?"

"Exactly." Radue replied.

"So would you be able to tell what kind of facility this used to be when we get deeper into this place?" Garcia asked from behind her. Vivian didn't mind the pilots interjection as it was the same question she was about to ask.

"Well I've only seen a few reports on some ruins but if it's one of the ones I do know about then yes, I'll be able to tell you what it was used for."

Vivian nodded "Well if you can, at least we'll have a better idea of what we might be walking into."

From somewhere down the shaft, Vivian heard MacGregor call up, cursing at the fact that they had encountered their first problem. Of course the first hatch was sealed shut. "Understood, just be careful." 

As they waited, she could hear the sound of breaking ice coming from the vent and glanced over the edge, just about seeing the Chief Petty Officer chipping away at the ice that had built up on the rungs. Vivian made a mental note to keep that in mind for her report when this was done. Eventually she heard the woman call up that the second point was open. Her voice was calm so at least there wasn't anything immediately waiting for them it would seem.

Pulling the rope up she stored it back in her pack and glanced at the rest of the team. Okay we take this one at a time, that's an old, frozen ladder who knows how much weight it can support. First Appointee if you'd like to go next, Shall you're after him, then me and Garcia you bring up the rear." Vivian ordered, watching as Radue slowly and carefully lowered himself over the edge and started to climb down.

"I'm down Commander." the First Appointee eventually called up, allowing Vivian to give a nod in Shall's direction.

"Shall you're up next, slow and steady. If you see anything down there, take a scan when you get down there, see if the Tricorder picks up anything, but don't run off if there is, we stick together." She knew she probably didn't need to tell the Andorian that but as a fellow scientist she knew all too well the urge to run and investigate a new scientific discovery but given the circumstances Vivian was going to play this one safe.


OOC: Thanks to Rev for Alessia's bit of dialogue there. @chXinya up next, if he detects something or not is entirely up to you (As is if he wants to run off. We know that whatever they're looking for is lower down but between here and there we're free to find whatever we want so if anybody has any ideas, have at it. @Revan you're after chXinya and feel free to have Vivian climb down before Alessia, no need for me to post again just doing that.
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Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #19
[Ensign Irnashall "Shall" ch'Xinya | Ancient Facility | Aldean North Pole | Aldea] attn: @Kinvarus @Stegro88 @Revan

Nodding in response to Command Martin’s marching order (or should that be climbing order?) Shall took up a position near the open shaft and watched from a kneeling position.  He wasn’t too happy over the lack of proper climbing gear, but if the ladder held up to Appointee Radue’s weight then it should handle the rest of them without issue.  Normally he’d assume that the cold here would’ve weakened the metal rungs but it looked like the builders knew what they were doing.  Once Radue called up that he was clear Shall tightened the straps of his bag and slung himself into the open pit.  “Coming down!” he yelled to those below and took his first few careful steps.  Mickayla hadn’t been kidding when she said the rungs were slippery, even hooking the rung between his boot heel and sole wasn’t enough to hold everything steady.  The cold ice started to bite into his fingers in less than a minute, but the Andorian paid it no mind.

Taking the ladder one step at a time was all that was needed to get to the second landing ten meters below the hangar.  Even with the door pried open there was minimal light and if it weren’t for Mickayla and Radue standing near the door Shall might have missed it.  A quick stretch of the leg and a helping hand from the First Appointee got the chan off the ladder and back onto solid ground easily enough.  “Ladder is clear Commander!” he called up then pulled out his tricorder to examine the new surroundings.  His antenna waved around on its own in the dim lighting, almost as if it were trying to get a sense of the hallway as well.  The tricorder could easily pick up the wiring inside the walls again, a steady emission of radio-band EM radiation from the tricorder was enough to induce a small current through the braided metal giving the device some data to extrapolate the layout.  Stepping further down the corridor (only a few steps, mostly just to clear the landing more than anything else), Shall spent the time trying to get some clues as to where they might find something interesting.

By the time the entire team was together again he had his answer.  Syncing his tricorder to the others Shall didn’t wait for a prompting to start a small briefing.  “There is something on this level that might be worth checking out after all.  I’m reading a very large branch coming off of the main power trunk, and if its bigger than anything going to the hangar then it's got to be something important.  It’s on the other end of the facility from here and outside of tricorder range but once we get to that area we just need to follow the copper road.”

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #20
[Lt. JG Alessia Garcia – “Angel” | Ancient Facility |  Aldean North Pole | Aldea> ] Attn: @chXinya @Kinvarus @Stegro88 
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Alessia had been mostly been observing the others and taking scans with her tricorder, not that it was picking up anything different than the others, she really didn't have much to do at the moment. Deciding to take another scan of the weather outside the facility, the storm was still raging which meant they couldn't fly out of here just yet if there was an emergency, like say somebody falling down that shaft they were about to descend. On the flip side however, it also meant the odds of anybody joining them, at least from the outside was virtually non existant at the moment, too dangerous to fly out for them, too dangerous for anybody to fly in either, so a win lose situation currently.

She watched as one by one everybody slowly and carefully lowered themselves over the edge and descended down the ladder. As the person assigned as the rear guard, she would be going last. She'd heard the comments from the others and watched as Commander Martin eased herself over the edge. Making her own way over, she peeked over and watched as the dark haired head of Science slowly made her way down to the second level and stepped off, making it her turn.

Lowering herself down over the edge, it didn't surprise her that the ladder was frozen and a little slippery. As she carefully made descended the ladder she wondered why the turbolift shaft was, it would make sense to be nearby but without power it was of course be in operable but it would have been nice to know if it was on this floor or not. Assuming the place was abandoned, it would make sense for it to be on the mail floor or the roof for an evacuation but if it wasn't that would imply that either somebody else had been here at some point in time or that not everybody had made it out.

As she reached the second level and stepped off the ladder into the corridor, she made a mental note to scan the one of the shafts if they passed on, even if it was just to saite her own curiousity.

Joining the others, the Andorian announced that there was a large branch coming off the main power trunk that they should explore and given the fact whatever the sensors had picked up was deeper in the facility and the fact they didn't really know what they were looking for, it didn't surprise the Lone Wolf when the Commander gave them the order to investigate it.

As she followed the group down the various corridors, she noted the numerous living quarters that they passed. Most of these ones were similar to her own small living quarters on the Theurgy, most of them empty apart from various inactive computer terminals, all the personel effect seemed to have gone, which either meant that whoever operated this facility packed really light or everybody had managed to pack up most of their stuff when they had left.

Despite the cold temperature inside the facility, none of the walls or floor were completely covered in ice, although there were bits and pieces that were, most things covered in a thick layer of dust however. It did however make it easy to notice that nothing appeared to have been disturbed in a very long time.

"This place looks like nobody has been here in quite a while, at least not in this area anyway. It does beg the question however, what's causing that reading we picked up and why isn't there any power to the rest of the facility or at least not here anyway?" she asked before glancing behind her, just to make sure there wasn't anything sneaking up behind them. It was afterall entirely possibe that while there wasn't any people here that some of the local wildlife hadn't found a way in at some point and made this place home and as the person guarding the rear, it would be on her if they all got devoured by wolves or something, although as the only Wolf on this mission that would be rather ironic in her case.

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #21
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Aldean Facility | Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @Revan @chXinya
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Once the Andorian had climbed down safely and was seeing to the other’s descent, Mickayla had turned her attention to exploring more of the level that they were now on. Most of it was iced over with only a few patched of bare metal here and there. Running her hand along one of the flatter surfaces, it came away dusty, as if the snow had formed inside the base itself from the residual moisture in the air.

Coming to the end of the passage, Mickayla was met with a junction of two tunnels branching off; one left and the other right. Walking down each for several metres, she found no obstructions and several side rooms that might hold information regarding the use and history of the facility. Returning to the group, she was just in time to see Lieutenant Garcia stepping off the ladder. Her arrival spurred the Andorian, Shall, into describing a power branch coming off the main trunk on this level but heading towards the other end of the facility. Which was both good and bad news.

“I scouted the tunnels a little bit,” Mickayla explained. “The passage splits up ahead with both directions looking clear. I hate to say it and don’t advise it, but splitting up might be our best course of action to determine how to get to this power branch. Commander?”

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #22
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Aldean Facility | Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]  Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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With everybody now at the safely in the corridor and no threats currently in the area, Vivian listened as MacGregor informed them all that she had done a little scouting while the others had made their way down the shaft. Evidently they had two pathways before them, heading in two seperate directions. Vivian had to agree with the Klingon that she too didn't particularly want to split up the group but the facility was big and they didn't really know where they were going within beyond the fact that their objective was several floors below them.

"I'm not a big fan of splitting up either but I don't think we have much of a choice at the moment. This facility, whatever it is is huge and scouting it together would take far too long, splitting up, we'll at least have the opportunity for one of us to at the very least find the way down and inform the other group." she replied.

Taking a look at the group, she quickly evaluated their options "Okay MacGregor you're with me, we'll take the right corridor. Garcia you've got combat training so you go with chXinya and take the left corridor. First Appointee you're with us. Keep an open Comm channel and let us know if you find anything, we'll do the same."

Turning to look at the Andorian, Vivian knew that as a Scientist that curiosity could always get the better of them and gave him a soft smile "chXinya if you find anything you know the drill but remember we don't know what we might find here. Garcia's going to be playing security for you so if she tells you to hold up, listen to her." she said before turning to look at the fighter pilot.

"I know you're not a security officer but I do know you Wolves are trained in ground combat...I also heard about your fight in the Arena shortly after we got here so I know you can handle yourself, so I know you can do the job. Watch your guard though and if you run into trouble get out of there and make your way to us if you can, that goes for both of you."  

Done with her little speech, Vivian turned to look down the corridor her group would be taken, it was clear for now and there were still no signs of any foot traffic, which was good. Glancing at the First Appointee and then over at MacGregor, she gave a nod "What do you say, we see what's down there Chief?"


Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #23
[ CPO Mickayla MacGregor | Aldean Facility | Aldean North Pole | Aldea ] Attn: @Kinvarus @chXinya @Revan
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"What do you say we see what's down there Chief?" Lieutenant Commander Martin proposed after looking at the Klingon Security officer and the Chief Appointee. It wasn’t like Mickayla could object; it had been her idea to split up in the first place. She may not have made the decision but she had put the idea out there. And now she would be leading them into the consequences of that choice.

“Sounds like a plan, ma’am,” Mickayla acknowledged, shifting her phaser rifle in her hands a little to try and keep her blood flowing a little better. Despite the warmth of all the clothing she was wearing, the cold that permeated the facility was starting to invade her body. It wasn’t dangerous or anything, that Mickayla knew the clothes would protect her from. It was just the feeling of being surrounded by the cold, a feeling made all the worse by her new love for warmer, tropical weather. “I’ll lead out and stay ahead of you by a few metres. Call out if there is anything you want to stop and look at.”

As she moved slowly down the passage, Mickayla checked each of the doors methodically. As far as she could tell, each of them was frozen shut, without any kind of identifiable marking to describe the interior’s purpose. She felt confident she could have opened the doors, but also knew that just clearing the passage way she was in would have taken several hours at best. That was time she didn’t feel they had.

Re: Day 18 [1100 hrs.] Polar Vortex

Reply #24
Lt. Cmdr Vivian Martin | Aldean Facility | Aldean North Pole | Aldea ]  Attn: @chXinya @Revan @Stegro88
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With her orders given and MacGregor taking point, she nodded and followed the woman as she started slowly moving down the corridor, the First Appointee following shortly behind. As they made their way down deeper down the corridor, Vivian pulled out her Tricorder and started scanning. She wasn't surprised when the usual reading popped up. Oxygen and temperature readouts, structural data and their mysterious power reading coming from below them but beyond that nothing.

"I'm not picking anything up on the Tricorder beyond what we've already detected. It seems as though this place really is abandoned." she muttered as they continued down the corridors. Most of the doors they passed were closed and frozen shut making Vivian wonder if coming down here had been a waste of time.  "Does anything look familiar First Appointee?" she asked.

"No Commander I'm afraid not, at least not yet. The design of the facility so far is pretty standard as far as old outposts go. Although I am wondering why we're wasting our time exploring and not simply heading to our objective." he asked.

Vivian smiled "We don't know what this place is or what's down there or if there's anyone or anything else here. The last thing we want to do is get down there and get stuck or run into trouble only to find out some creatures from the outside got in and ambush us on the way back, better to be safe and do a little exploring first. Not to mention we don't really know where we're going at the moment so we are technically still making our way toward our objective."

Turning her attention to the Klingon woman in front of her she watched as the woman scanned the area ahead "Any thoughts Chief?" she asked as they continued making their way down the corridor. Just ahead of them, Vivian's eyes narrowed as she spotted something. "Well look at that, if I'm not mistaken that looks like the first open door we've come across. Would be nice if it was the furnace, get a little heat in this place." she muttered although she highly doubted they were that lucky.

 
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