Ice Planet Expedition: Setting Up Camp, part 1

Posted on Sat Jan 23rd, 2010 @ 8:45am by Commander Raven Adams & Commodore Edward Fannin & Commander Basil Hart & Khiy Tal'ehrihn & Commander Jack Tolren

1,155 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: FORGING AHEAD
Location: Tyberius X
Timeline: current

ON

The two shuttles came to a gentle landing on the surface of the ice planet. Everyone put on their coats, then gathered the tents and camping gear and headed out to set up camp.

Zach smiled, the frozen tundra of the planet always made landing a bit dicey but he was satisfied with this one. No bumps or bruises and more importantly no complainants. He was about to talk to T'mpest but she was up and gone. She had barely spoken two words to him. He wondered if he had done something to make her mad.

He sighed and shook his head as he finished shutting down the shuttle engines.
He wished he could have taken the Aldrin but that wasn't possible. So, this had to do.

Zach zipped his jacket up even further as he steeped outside into the cold air. "The perfect vacation spot if you're a polar bear." He grumbled. "Give me Hawaii anytime.

Zach moved to the shuttle door, drawing his jacket closer around him.
He looked at the various personnel who had come along for the mission.
He realized he few very few of them. Other than T'mpest and Gifford he knew no one, he recognized other Endeavor crew but that was all. He was beginning to feel like a fish out of water.

T'mpest and Sam took one of the tents and set it up between the shuttle and a large cliff with a number of caves dotting its face.

Kara and her squad checked the perimeter and set up a watch. Two Marines on guard, four sent to do a quick recon of the area.

Gifford and Ty Seven dropped their equipment bags. Ty scanned the area while John inflated the tent and tossed the bags inside. It was fairly cold but the air was crisp and clean.

Zach switched the runabout's settings to standby. He didn't want to completely turn the systems off given the temperature of the planet. That and not knowing if the science teams would need to pull any power from the runabout. It was better to be safe than to be sorry.

That done, he got up and prepared to go out and see what T'mpest had talked him into joining.

After the second tent was set up, T'mpest and Sam went in search of Harmos and Damon to see what their plans were.

Lana waved her hand to her squad, setting up their tents quickly and locking everything down. Finishing quickly she left her squad unloading gear and went to find the Colonel and the MCO of the Orion.

Damon was inside the second Firefly transport pod underneath one of the two Marine Argo’s they brought along for the trip. His hand reached up and undid the buckle that was holding the all terrain vehicle in place and with a satisfying snap the Argo was free of the final restraint. He crawled out from under the vehicle and gave the driver a spin of his hand to indicate he was free to start it up. The engine only turned over twice before it came to life with a whine. Damon walked down the ramp and waved for the driver to follow him out. Slowly its tires came in contact with the frozen surface and the snow made a crunching sound as it was compacted under the weight of the vehicle.

“Give the camouflage a test.†Damon said as he walked over to the driver once the Argo was completely out of the pod.

Instantly the matt finished armor plating flickered and began changing colour. In a matter seconds the holo-adaptive scales on the craft shifted into a likeness of the surrounding snow and ice. Damon walked around the Argo making sure all the panels were working within spec, stopping occasionally to tap on the panels. Satisfied with the working condition of the camouflage, he had the driver pull away to park beside the second Argo that had already gone through its checklist.

“Have the iso-mag loaded on that one.†Damon said to the driver and crew of the Argo he just had parked. “The Type Five will go on the other one. I want both carts loaded and ready for a field test in one hour.â€

The crew’s briefly acknowledged the command as he walked away to attend the group setting up the command tent.

Harmos observed the young officer, and how he commanded his troops. There was a no-nonsense style to Damon's orders. Precise and to the point. He had the makings of a good officer, but the real test would come sometime in the future and most likely in combat. The Marine CO watched as Damon's Marines erected the command tent, and started the ceramic heaters that would make them comfortable during their stay here.

Having their tent set up Gifford and his sidekick Ty Seven watched the Marines from the Orion land. It was very professional. The guy in charge knew what he was doing. They drank their coffee and took all the sites in as the camp grew in size.

Nurse Jaynes set up her tent that is a little smaller than the marines. The cold weather on the planet didn't bother her as she walked over to one of the marines drinking coffee, "Petty Officer 3rd Class Yvette Jaynes...I'm a nurse. I believe we haven't met. I've got my tent set up." She took a mug that was offered to her from another marine, "Thanks."

Sam and T'mpest watched as the Argo rolled out and was put through its paces. As the Marines were busy, the two women went into the shuttles and began to pull out heating units to put inside the tents, then to set up cots.

Before long, they were done and headed back to the shuttle to begin looking for the best cave to start their search. They only had two days, so they didn't want to waste any time wandering round, although, in an ideal situation they would have time to do just that.

(To be continued...)

USS Endeavor:

Commander T'mpest Michaels
Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant Colonel Harmos Aurelius
Marine CO

Commander Zach Scott
Chief of Staff

Lieutenant Commander John Gifford
Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant JG Anjen Torvil
Assistant Chief Science Officer

1st Lieutenant Lana Hunter
Platoon Commander

Ensign Beatrix Marelle
Alien Archaeologist/Anthropologist

USS Orion:

Lieutenant Commander Samantha York
Chief Science Officer

1st Lieutenant Damon Raine
Marine CO

Staff Sergeant Jethro Hawkes
First Sergeant

Petty Officer 3rd Class Yvette Jaynes (NPC)
Nurse

Sergeant Kara Melo (NPC)
Marine Scout

Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan
Executive Officer

Staff Sergeant Allen Riley (NPC)
Marine Section Leader

Trent Kushner (NPC)
Marine Rifleman

Starbase Typhon:

Lieutenant Commander Basil Hart
Chief Medical Officer

Lieutenant Commander Raven Adams
Chief Intelligence Officer

Ty Seven (NPC)
Intel Officer

Lieutenant Lucinda Sprout (NPC)
Science Officer, Glaciologist

Lieutenant Alex Faulkner (NPC)
Engineering Officer

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