A Walk on the Wild Side

[Alex]

The halls of Theseus always seemed too clean. Every time Alex visited the colony, with its ranging tunnels built into the side of the mountain face it rested beneath, he felt as if he were breathing in disinfectant and sanitizers. The heady smells hung in the air in noxious clouds throughout the compound, which was extremely disorienting when one walked outside towards the animal cages and exchanged the over-sterilized air for the pungent stench of dung and hide. How did these people stand it all the time?

"I understand the situation has deteriorated," he commented to no one in particular, trying not to breathe too deeply to maintain his focus. He stood in a small room outside a few smaller offices, going over the situation at hand with the colony's administrative lead and Security Director. "What I don't understand is why they were allowed to go there at all without an escort."

"Time seemed to be a factor, per their reports," the admin replied abashedly, abstaining from eye contact. "I thought they would be able to handle themselves. By all reports they were to be far away from any aggressive or dangerous local fauna, and this was only to be an observational visit. I don't know what happened to the team, but-"

"What matters now," the Security Director cut in, sliding a stack of papers across the desk to Alex, "is that we have lost contact with the research team. Three hours ago we received a broken transmission and then static, suggesting that their long-range transmitters have been damaged. The planet has a breathable atmosphere, but if their ship is damaged then I assume that the trouble is very real."

Alex sighed as he glanced over the research reports. The team was small, only four in total, and had flown to an unexplored planet based on a few preliminary scans they had received only days before. They had left without any STG Agents to accompany them, which was strict protocol for any location marked with dangerous local wildlife or personnel. Now, according to the Theseus Director, the team had lost contact with home base and could not be reached.

"We need to recover their research, Commander," the admin explained. "The data they were collecting on the weather patterns of-"

"What we need, Director," Alex corrected, leveling a glare at the portly man, "is to recover the scientists that you allowed to fly off into unknown territory without support."

"I will call for a recon team," the Security Director said, projecting a roster from his omnicom. The image rose from his wrist in bluish light, and he scrolled through a few of them with his other hand.

"Send two of them to Perseus," Alex instructed, flinging the reports back on the table. "I want them geared up and ready to fly in two hours. As for you," he continued with a harsher tone towards the admin, "we will discuss this matter further when I return."

Alex stormed from the room and set off towards the exit, trying to maintain his calm. A few steps down the hall, however, the Security Director called for his attention.

"Commander, I believe we may have someone who could be beneficial on this Jump, given the circumstances."

"Given your current record with this mission," Alex replied drily, "I highly doubt that."

"Take her with you anyway. She may have some insight on how to avoid some dangerous encounters." The director pulled up another file on his omnicom and waved his wrist over Alex's own, transferring the file. The band on his left wrist blinked once with a soft blue light. "Doctor Pratt will meet you at Perseus in two hours as well."

Alex stared at his colleague for a second before offering a short nod and walking away. Once outside the stench of animals and their corresponding excrements again assaulted his senses, but it soon faded away as he hopped back into his shuttle and took off. The flight back to Perseus was not a long one, but it was calming in its own right. He recovered a bit of his calm as he flew, gazing out over the beautiful landscape of Prometheus.

He just hoped he'd be able to recover more than research data on this mission.

[Devon]

“No. No. No, absolutely not.” Devon didn’t bother to raise her eyes from the pen, where her arms currently lay nestled in a trough of some unsettling mixture of scents and texture. Around her, in the enclosure, a half a dozen hog-like creatures snorted around her, snuffling up the ground and stirring the dirt around her feet. One of them had chosen to nibble at the edge of her bandana, hanging loosely from her neck. Devon didn’t appear to notice. Or care.

The woman standing on the other side of the pen, a short, squat woman named Matilda, who had come on board just before Devon’s awakening, shifted just a little. Her hair was graying around the edges, but age really had nothing to do with experience out here. And Matilda’s pencil-pusher notions were evident when confronted with the dank stench of outdoors. “I don’t think you have much of a choice, Devon.”

Devon’s arms, gloved up past her elbows, continued digging. “I have every damn choice. I’m not military. Neither are you. We’re scientists. I’m a zoologist. And the Security Director /certainly/ has no jurisdiction over my actions.” She paused, and as Matilda stated to speak again, Devon cut her off, splooshing around more of the material in the trough. “Mary is about to foal. It’s going to happen within the week. We’ve /never/ had an opportunity to view this, not with her species. If the Security Director just thinks I’m going to up and leave because he gets some wild hair up his-..”

This time, Matilda found herself able to get a word in edgewise. “Devon, it’s not a research mission. He said it has something to do with the team not being back on time..”

Devon reached up, nudging a strand of hair from her face with the edge of her elbow. “So he wants me to go finish the research for them?” But her words had picked up a softer tone, maybe a bit reluctant to argue. Keith had been on the team, barely 22 years old, if she remembered right. He’d shadowed under her for a bit when he’d first been woken, before deciding to go off into climatology, as had been his original intent. She moved to sit back, dropping onto the ground with a squelching sound that caused the older woman’s nose to wrinkle in distaste. And tediously, carefully, Devon pulled off each glove, tossing them aside as one of the hog-creatures nosed up toward her.

She sighed.

“I’ll talk to him. But I’m not making any promises.”

**

The shuttle’s landing was smooth, if not strictly perfect, and Devon found herself pulling off the shoulder straps to exit, with her other two companions and the pilot. From the relative confine of Theseus below the mountains, the river of Perseus had caught her eye upon arrival. Oh, she’d grown used to Theseus, and the sterile smell of the indoors and the stink of animals had become a way of life. As the group exited the craft and Devon adjusted the zipper on her lightweight flight jacket, she immediately noticed that change – the air. The fresh smell couldn’t be misplaced, though nor could the throne of machinery, ships and shuttles gathered about on the landing strip.

A rescue mission? She hadn’t been briefed much, other than having been told that the team had gone missing, and her expertise would be needed if the team needed support with local wildlife. And Devon slightly felt out-of-place among the other two.

But then again, only just a little over two hours ago, she’d been back on Theseus, wondering what she’d agreed to.

With the other two’s backs turned, Devon lifted a sleeve, sniffing and momentarily contented to know that she didn’t still smell like the trough, before following after to meet with their Jump contact.

[Alex]

"Flight checks are finished," the mechanic said with a last scan over the dropship. "Fuel is a go, stabilizers are connecting smoothly." The blue light from the omnicom flashed off and he slapped a hand against the hull of the ship. "Gotta say, I've worked on a lot of ships in my day but these things are a work of art."

"They get the job done," Alex replied, marking an acknowledgement of the troop transfer from Theseus. Most of the Perseus agents were busy already, tending to other Jumps or assisting with compound security, so he'd grabbed a few from Theseus to accompany him on the mission. They were already familiar with the missing scientists, as well, and could offer insight on how to find them. As for the scientist assigned to his ship, a Doctor Pratt, he'd not heard of her before, but he couldn't deny her usefulness either.

"Double check the emergency response grid and get me a portable generator," he instructed, "I don't know the condition of the other ship but we may need extra power to secure any life support systems. Make sure there are a couple beacons in the stow as well, in case I need to mark it for recovery."

"On it." The mechanic took the notes on his omnicom and offered a nod to the commander before setting to work. He waved over another mechanic to assist him.

A beep on his wrist noted an incoming call. He held up his hand as the display activated. "Commander Stark, this is air control. We have an inbound from Theseus, cleared to land on the fourth green."

"Copy that, control. Notify Theseus of their arrival. Thanks for the heads up." Overhead, a shuttle entered the compound from the South, indicating the arrival of the other two agents and the scientist. The engines were quiet, offering only a low hum as the thrusters sped it along. The small ship flew by his position and stopped over a small clearing used for supply transports before lowering down vertically to settle in the grass. The mechanic was right, these ships were a thing of beauty.

Even though the sun was high overhead, the river offered a cool breeze coming off of its calm flowing water. Strange fish occasionally hopped from the surface and made small splashes. Alex had not donned his armor yet; most agents preferred not to until just before take off. It was a silly superstition among some who thought the tradition was in place to ward off bad luck. Most just enjoyed filling the air on their skin and soaking in the sunlight. Once the suit came on, the mission started.

The shuttle's engines shut down and the side doors opened, curling upwards like a metallic bird raising its wings. The agents hopped off first, talking to each other and laughing. They were both dressed in simple clothing, pants and a shirts, but each wore a pistol strapped to their legs and a silver armband that all STG agents were required to wear when not in uniform to mark them. Following them came a tall women with long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She surreptitiously sniffed herself as she exited the ship before heading after the agents.

"Agent Shaw, sir," the first agent remarked as he reached Alex, offering a hand. Alex took it firmly and nodded in response. "This is Bradford. We understand we're to assist you with the Jump today."

"I'll brief everyone onboard the ODS," Alex replied, shaking Bradford's hand in turn. "Stow your gear and go see the arms room to get equipped. We Jump in twenty." He glanced at the approaching scientist and frowned a bit. "Gran an extra 91, while you're there."

"Yes, sir," Shaw acknowledged. He and Bradford tossed their bags aboard the dropship and set off to do as instructed. The woman had closed the distance, looking somewhat estranged in the environment. Where Theseus was a scientific research facility, Perseus was more stark in its operations. The clear air blew in from the mountains around them, helping to dissipate the smell of oil and machinery, but it was probably a far cry from what she was used to. Not to mention the constant noise coming from every direction with engineers working on ships and the occasional explosion from some experiment or other in the distance.

"You must be Doctor Pratt," Alex began, holding out his hand for her. "Commander Stark. I'll be leading the Jump. I hear you're somewhat of an expert on the wildlife."

[Devon]

It wasn’t Devon who had a weird stench about her, despite having been in the trough just a little over two hours ago. No, it was the area. Clean, but.. technological. She couldn’t miss the oil and exhaust in the air, so different from the sterile rooms of the labs, or the organic animal scent of outside. As the Agents stepped forward, introducing themselves to the man she presumed was the Jump leader, Devon lingered behind a few steps. Honestly, it wasn’t just the location change, though this had to be one of the first times other than –the- first time that she’d felt in another world upon waking. The whole situation just seemed out of character. Odd. And she’d heard so little about what was actually happening and why.

But if they somehow thought her expertise could be useful (and it had better be, if she was going to miss Mary’s foaling), Devon couldn’t help the flicker of excitement at a new venture off-world.

They wouldn’t have asked along a wildlife specialist, if there was not some intention of running into wildlife. And that, mixed with the need to help the team, spurred her onward, stepping forward with a small pack slung over her shoulder to grasp the outstretched hand offered toward her. She’d honestly had little experience with the Jump teams, especially since they didn’t even have one specifically assigned to their area on Theseus. Commander Stark exuded confidence, without coming across as the prattling cocky of which had sent her here to begin with.

The relief was evident in her features as she shook his hand and the nodded. “Devon Pratt. I specialize in animal behavioral traits. We’ve got a pretty varied group over at Theseus, some even domesticated since our arrival. It’s allowed us to really understand the nature of wildlife in general on this planet.” But, since they were going off-planet, likely to an unknown area, she added as a small caveat, “Though animal behaviors don’t differ too much, across worlds. There’s an underlying similarity between environment, needs, and behavior.”

She shifted her pack, looking toward the ship where the others had dropped off their bags. Certainly bigger than the small shuttle they’d taken over, and unfamiliar to Devon, as she’d really spent most of her time in one place after the initial movement. This area was all foreign, the tech, the ships, the military-styled routine and regimen. “I hope I can be of use to the team, Commander,” she finally offered, with a faint smile. He didn’t need the entire background of the zoologists on Theseus.

From some short distance away, the sound of another vehicle’s engine starting caused her to look back abruptly, before shifting her eyes once more to Stark.

“I don’t know how you even hear yourself think in this place,” Devon offered, bluntly.

[Alex]

“Though animal behaviors don’t differ too much, across worlds. There’s an underlying similarity between environment, needs, and behavior.”

"I've had first-hand experience with some of these animals in the wild, Doctor Pratt. I'm not sure if I find that comforting or exhausting." Alex's omnicom blinked to display a message from the mechanic, notifying him of the completion of pre-flight checks. "Personally, I hope the other team just had a bad rat infestation that chewed through some wires. Or space rat. I'm not really certain how you name everything."

“I hope I can be of use to the team, Commander,” she finally offered, with a faint smile. He didn’t need the entire background of the zoologists on Theseus.

From some short distance away, the sound of another vehicle’s engine starting caused her to look back abruptly, before shifting her eyes once more to Stark.

“I don’t know how you even hear yourself think in this place,” Devon offered, bluntly.

"You get used to it, after a time," he replied, glancing behind her to see Shaw and Bradford return. They each carried an assault rifle slung over their backs, as well as a duffel full of other various tools, surely. "Try to focus your ears on where you're looking. It helps."

"Ready to fly, Stark," Bradford said excitedly, tossing his bag aboard the ship. "This'll be my first Jump to uncharted space. Thanks for bringing me along."

"Don't thank me yet," Alex replied to the agent, "we're not sure what we're gonna run into out there."

"Gotta be better than nothing," Shaw interjected with a smile. He handed Alex the extra GT91A he'd gotten from the arms room. "Which is what we get sitting around here."

"Nothing can't rip your arm off," he said, leaving Shaw with a slight frown. "Everyone on board, get your armor on. Doctor Pratt, you'll find a spare MVA in hold. Put it on quickly before we take off. And take this," he continued, handing her the pistol. "Protocol, all personnel must be armed. If we do our jobs right, you won't have to use it, but its better to be prepared."

With that, Alex hopped aboard the Aegis dropship and moved into the cockpit, checking with the pilot. The engines began stirring up, throwing a slight vibration throughout the hull of the ship. Internal regulation and inertia dampeners would soften their flight through space, keeping them from turning into soup during light speed, but the floors still felt as if they were buzzing.

Back in the hold, the cargo ramp had closed and sealed, the rest of the crew inside. The agents grabbed their bags they had arrived with and removed their sets of armor from them. V-tech armor was a different standard to the suit the doctor would use. While the MVA was made to survive in the harshest of environments, including open space, the V-Tech armor was designed specifically for the STG exploration teams and anything they might encounter. Jumpers were required to wear the suits when taking a team off-world.

Alex's own had been loaded earlier with the rest of his gear. The suit activated via cybernetic control unit embedded in the spine, reacting to neural command. On cue, the armor attached itself to his body like a metallic sheet wrapping him up, the nano-fibers and filaments moving on their own; chest first, followed by arms and legs. He left his head uncovered for now; the life support systems in the ODS were plenty until they reached the destination.

Agents Shaw and Bradford had likewise donned their own suits and were strapping on their equipment now. Alex began to do the same as he the ship lifted off, raising vertically before reaching an adequate altitude to slant. They were out of orbit in moments. Artificial gravity instantly kicked in, allowing them to maintain standing even as they entered FTL.

"Okay, listen up," Alex instructed, latching his 91A to the side of his right leg. The armor latched the gun to its surface under his neural command. "This is, first and foremost, a rescue mission. We have four scientists from Theseus down on an uncharted planet without flight sequence or records."

"Damn director doesn't really think things through, does he?" Shaw leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Eager little beaver."

"How are we supposed to find them?" Bradford looked up from his equipment case, searching for answers. "If they don't have any flight plans, and their communications are down, thats not really a whole lot to go off."

"We have the general location of their last communication, but most likely they've moved from that point by now." Alex attached his rifle to his back and slung on his gear belt. "We'll have to go from there. The Aegis can scan the planet from low orbit while we look around on the ground, try to narrow down the field."

"So its a hiking trip," Bradford remarked dully, "joy."

"Our first priority is to find and secure the missing scientists," Alex continued, ignoring the agent. "Doctor Pratt is along to assist in determining response and avoidance to the local wildlife. Make no mistake, gentleman, this is a hostile planet. We get in, find the team, and keep your eyes open everywhere in between. Once the team is secured, we will recover whatever research is available, provided it does not interfere with the first objective, and bring it all back to Prometheus. If we can repair their Aegis, we will. If not, we mark the ship for a recovery team to return later for reclamation. Are there any questions?"

[Devon]

"This'll be my first Jump to uncharted space. Thanks for bringing me along."

"Don't thank me yet," Alex replied to the agent, "we're not sure what we're gonna run into out there."

The trio bantered a bit, and Devon took to settling into her observant silence. The real work would come on the ground, once they reached the new location and she had a chance to eyeball the wildlife from as close as they’d allow. This wasn’t a sight-seeing or even an exploratory mission. It was rescue and recovery.

"Everyone on board, get your armor on. Doctor Pratt, you'll find a spare MVA in hold. Put it on quickly before we take off. And take this," he continued, handing her the pistol. "Protocol, all personnel must be armed. If we do our jobs right, you won't have to use it, but its better to be prepared."

She almost argued. In part, because of her pacifistic nature, especially when concerning discovery of new animal species. And in part, because she was sure she’d gone through proper training at one point, but hadn’t handled a firearm in ages. But Devon simply nodded, gingerly taking the pistol and following the others onto the ship and toward where the armor would be made available. With the others already on board, Devon had no problem finding a spot to drop off her small bag of supplies, and begin the process of sorting out the armor.

"This is, first and foremost, a rescue mission. We have four scientists from Theseus down on an uncharted planet without flight sequence or records."

"Damn director doesn't really think things through, does he?" Shaw leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Eager little beaver."

”Not in the least,” Devon agreed, sorting through the armor and offering a faint smile as she sorted it out and found it surprisingly less bulky than it looked. Still, for a scientist not having expected to wear armor, the visibility and maneuverability would take some getting used to. ”Try working with him nosing into your job every five minutes.”

"Our first priority is to find and secure the missing scientists," Alex continued, ignoring the agent. "Doctor Pratt is along to assist in determining response and avoidance to the local wildlife. Make no mistake, gentleman, this is a hostile planet.”

”Doc, let’s stick to avoidance!” Shaw remarked from his spot against the wall, offering a faint smirk to Devon as she tied her hair back and finally stood back up, shifting her arms a bit in the armor. ”I don’t think Bradford’s in any mood to get eaten on his first Jump.”

”You’re the bigger meal!” Bradford shot back.

Devon rolled her eyes, flexing her fingers and eyeing Stark as he finished up with his little briefing.

”Are there any questions?"

”It’s an uncharted, hostile planet,” Devon spoke up, eyeing the Commander through a fringe of blonde, as she had yet to put her helmet on. She’d wait and follow suit with the others, as the armor felt concealing enough as it was. ”But someone must have charted /something/ before sending the four of them. Another Jump team. Scans from orbit. Right? Does the hostility come from the wildlife? Or from the uncertainty?”

”Why not both, Doc?” Bradford offered. ”I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to find out on our joy-hike.”

”Because,” Pratt shot back. ”If the area really is prone to hostile animal life, you boys are going to need tranqs a bit stronger than those pistols to keep them back. A lot of these animals are bigger, and stronger, and smarter than we are. And the only good in me being here is to tell you to run like hell, before it eats you.”

Her eyes shifted back to Stark, as if remembering his role, and she finished with, ”With all due respect, of course, Commander Stark.”

[Alex]

”Because,” Pratt shot back. ”If the area really is prone to hostile animal life, you boys are going to need tranqs a bit stronger than those pistols to keep them back. A lot of these animals are bigger, and stronger, and smarter than we are. And the only good in me being here is to tell you to run like hell, before it eats you.”

Her eyes shifted back to Stark, as if remembering his role, and she finished with, ”With all due respect, of course, Commander Stark.”

"Thats the point of you being here, Doc," Alex replied with a nod. "Your job is to help us assess the hostility level on ground." He pulled up a file on his omnicom and forwarded it to the rest of the team, each of their wrists blinking once as they received it. "Initial scans indicated the planet's presence and location. Standard procedure is to follow up over 72 hours with second wave scans measuring long range atmosphere viability, land mass, and orbit. Each planet with any form of indigenous life form is deemed hostile until otherwise verified by close-range observation scans and a tactical reconnaissance team to establish a secure outpost.

The issue we've encountered is that these scientists skipped the second stage of this method in a rush to get some data on the planet's weather readings. Now, for whatever reason, we've lost contact completely with them. However, one of their initial reports did mention aggressive contact with the wildlife. Therefore, if contacted by said wildlife, you will make every concerted effort to follow Doctor Pratt's recommendation on interaction. If aggression persists, we will escalate accordingly."

Shaw and Bradford nodded to the commander, double checking their ammo supplies and making sure their weapons were fully loaded. Bradford glanced over at Pratt as he did so and patted his rifle assuringly.

"Standard issue for STG, doc. Good for just about anything short of a tank. If we run into any trouble, we'll handle it."

"Unless its snakes," Shaw interjected, plopping down on a rate. "In which case Bradford can handle it and I'll take care of the ship."

"You and the damn snakes. When have you ever even been around a real snake?"

"There's a first time for everything, dude. Especially for you." They both laughed at that and continued their equipment checks.

Alex waited patiently, hoping that they didn't actually run into any snakes. Not that they really posed an issue, a fang would have a hard time getting past his armor, but that didn't make him care for the any more. Pratt didn't seem to be too concerned for now, which boded well for her, but he would wait until they had landed and explored a bit of the terrain before reassessing. If the scientists had gotten far from their last known location, it could take a while to find them. That left a lot of possible ground and wild life in between.

"Doctor Pratt," he called, stepping forward. "Take the opportunity to re-familiarize with the MVA. From what I understand, they didn't spend a lot of time going over it during orientation back in Sol. These suits offer a lot of equipment, its good to know what it can do. For instance," he took hold of her left arm and twisted the vambrace. There was a sudden suctioning pop as the suit sealed itself and the nano-materials molded to form a better fit. "They provide excellent protection from space. If you remember to fit everything together so the seals shut properly. Its bulky at first because it fits all sizes." He took her pistol and checked its load out; fully stacked, ready to go. "Safety here," he showed her the selector, and flicked it to red. "Death here. There is no stun. If you point this at something, Doc, be prepared for it to die."

"Commander," the pilot came on over the intercom, "ETA 10 mikes."

"Helmets on," Alex instructed, sending a neural command to his own. The armor melded around his head as he reselected the safety and flipped the pistol in his grip, holding it out to Pratt grip first. "Time to go to work."

[Devon]

”However, one of their initial reports did mention aggressive contact with the wildlife. Therefore, if contacted by said wildlife, you will make every concerted effort to follow Doctor Pratt's recommendation on interaction. If aggression persists, we will escalate accordingly."

The initial comments about words being deemed hostile until the wildlife had been vetted made sense. The aggressive contact with wildlife did /not/ make sense. From everything she’d seen on Prometheus, the wildlife wasn’t outwardly aggressive unless someone encroached upon their territory. Even the ones they’d set up the barrier to keep out weren’t.. aggressive. Not really. Though Devon supposed her observations of wildlife, and those of a person not accustomed to working around them, could very well be different. She nodded, taking the information in, and supposing it wouldn’t do well to drop conclusions before reviewing the area, herself.

"You and the damn snakes. When have you ever even been around a real snake?"

"There's a first time for everything, dude. Especially for you." They both laughed at that and continued their equipment checks.

Devon laughed aloud, adding a quip of, “Snakes should be the least of your worries. We’ve found insects that can kill with a painless sting. You won’t even know before you’re gone,” before glancing up to the Commander as he walked over to assist with her armor. The shift did tighten things up, making the material more snug and her movements more flexible, as she shifted her arms to either side. “Thanks, that’s much better. I don’t suppose any of us outside of your group has worn these since the initial training.”

She still had no intention of shooting anything with the pistol. Her job was in preserving life.. not in taking it. But she tucked it in against the armor with the other equipment, making one final check to secure things before settling the helmet in over her head. For a moment, the airflow felt stymied. Odd. And then the regulators kicked in, allowing not even a bit of mist on the visor, and Devon found herself surprised at just how comfortable and natural everything felt.

As the others settled in, Devon just checked and re-checked the armor, while steadying herself for the first Jump mission. Really, it was good they had brought her along. If any animals showed signs of aggression, Devon might help them to stay alive, rather than acting out of fear. They could rescue the team /and/ preserve a probably never-before-seen species.

The thought was enthralling to the zoologist.

“Ready, Doc?” Shaw asked through the mic in his helmet.

“Why, do you need someone to hold your hand?” Bradford shot back, earning him a shove from his teammate, and laughter from Devon.

“Save the hand-holding for the snakes,” Devon quipped back, cheekily, and Shaw visibly shuddered.

It was go time.

[Alex]

Alex stood in the cockpit with the pilot as they came in over the planet a few minutes later. The ODS flew effortlessly through orbit and atmosphere, orientating to the lidar of the last received beacon from the research team. The sky was cloudy, forcing them to come in lower than originally anticipated in order to get a better view of the terrain.

"This part never gets old," the pilot said wistfully, taking in the surroundings. "Its still hard to believe at times, isn't it?"

"Its all the green," Alex replied with a matter of fact. "Outside of the small gardens on Mars or botanical centers on the stations, most people have never really seen anything like this in person. Its hard to imagine just bow big trees really are until you see them for yourself."

The planet was indeed a green one. Forests spread across the surface for hundreds of miles in any direction, occasionally dotted with raised plateaus and patches of dark blue lakes. He saw several rivers flowing through the trees, but they too were covered from most aerial view. Far in the distance, a low range of mountains pierced the land and rolled away out of sight.

"There's the other ship, on the low riser. I'll bring you in there and head back up to do some sweeps, see if I can find any traces from overhead."

"Good, keep me apprised." Alex clapped the man on the shoulder and headed back into the hold to ready the team.

---

A few minutes later, the ODS settled onto the plateau next to the other ship, depositing the Jump Team before taking back to the air. Shaw and Bradford began scanning the immediate area, working their separate ways around the small encampment to check for distress signs or anything out of sorts. A small construct had been erected as a base a few meters away from the ship; a simple metal hut as it were, formed from interlocking plates used for quick assembly and transport of small shelters.

"I wonder what sort of weather phenomena had them in such a rush to get here," Alex queried, glancing back up at the cloudy sky. It didn't look in any way out of sorts, and the clouds themselves appeared to be just normal clouds. They weren't even dark enough to indicate rain.

"Come on, Doc. Lets take a look inside and see if we can find any notes. Maybe you can pick something up on what they may have been looking in to."

[Devon]

She hadn’t been offered the opportunity to get off-world since her first arrival. Not that Devon had expected it. Clearly, her expertise had been needed in the area she’d settled. Though she couldn’t help the awe that slipped into her features, hidden neatly behind her helmet, as she scanned the area upon stepping out of the craft. Every world had a similarity, a style that mimicked the organic nature of life as a whole. But this world, as with Earth, and as with Prometheus, had its own culture. Even the feel of the ground lilted differently than the world she’d become accustomed to, likely due to some slight change in gravitational pull, despite the suits.

Devon hadn’t wanted to leave her research for anything, but she couldn’t help the awe upon arrival.

Nor could she deny the urgency built up even within the excitement of the team, as they drew apart to study the abandoned encampment.

"I wonder what sort of weather phenomena had them in such a rush to get here," Alex queried, glancing back up at the cloudy sky.

Devon supposed perhaps the relative safety of Prometheus, especially for those sites outside of her own wild Theseus, had built a sense of security within the team. They hadn’t expected anything terrible, especially considering the seeming lack of any dramatic weather phenomena. Even the security of the jump teams in the other colonies differed from her own. But she kept those thoughts to herself, rummaging around the remains of the camp, looking for any sign of disturbance. What bothered her more, perhaps than the rush to get to the site, was the rush with which they had left.

Everything stood mostly in place and as far as she could tell, no life had disturbed it other than the humans who had first set foot here. They hadn’t been chased away by something dangerous. It didn’t appear as if there’d been a struggle at all. Likely, the team had set off.

"Come on, Doc. Lets take a look inside and see if we can find any notes. Maybe you can pick something up on what they may have been looking in to."

“Whatever caused their delay happened away from the camp,” Devon noted, gesturing to the ground and the complete lack of disturbance other than their own footprints and those of what she presumed to be the team members’ own. And she followed Alex inside the small construct, outward signs, again, giving no real clue as to where the team had gone and why. Devon slipped around, her steps quiet against the round as her gloved fingers idly rummaged through leftover bits of equipment. “It’s cloudy here. Do we have scanners.. anything that might be able to reach long-range?”

Or did the original team, she wondered, pulling up a small handheld datapad that had been left aside. Perhaps in haste, or more likely, just forgotten in what had been anticipated to be a quick move. “Are these standard issue?” A few quick taps at the buttons, and the screen slowly lit up. “Ah, just like the ones we have. But.. probably with different data embedded?” Devon glanced up to Alex, shrugging lightly as she handed over the little black device.

“Weather coordinates? Maybe?”

[Alex]

“Whatever caused their delay happened away from the camp,” Devon noted, gesturing to the ground and the complete lack of disturbance other than their own footprints and those of what she presumed to be the team members’ own."

"That's what worries me, Doc," Alex responded calmly as he cast a wide, observing look around the visible sky and forest. "Without an STG Agent with them for backup, and no clear indication of struggle or duress, we've no idea what is holding them up. Or where. Lot of unknowns out there."

Doctor Pratt followed him inside the construct and the two began rummaging through piles of scan charts and equipment. Alex sifted through a few topographical readouts and atmospheric measurements that were sitting on a desk near the window, but nothing with any markings or intent to explore. The drawers were filled with pens and measuring tools, note pads, a first aid kit and some spare chem lights in case of emergency.

“It’s cloudy here. Do we have scanners.. anything that might be able to reach long-range?”

"After the initial scans, its just whatever the team produced upon arrival. Oxygen levels are within acceptable ranges though." A bin stuffed underneath one of the tables was packed with steel or glass containers, filled with myriad samples taken from the ground and water, along with a few plant samples, to be studied further upon return to Prometheus. "But I'm not seeing anything that stands out. All of this looks like basic examination samples, nothing spectacular. What made them in such a rush?"

“Are these standard issue?” A few quick taps at the buttons, and the screen slowly lit up. “Ah, just like the ones we have. But.. probably with different data embedded?” Devon glanced up to Alex, shrugging lightly as she handed over the little black device.

“Weather coordinates? Maybe?”

Alex took the holopad and scanned through a few of the entries, recognizing some of the readouts. A of them were indeed weather patterns, tracking the movement of several storm heads across the surface of the planet, but some of the others...

"Ground team to Overwatch," Alex directed, holding up his left wrist to initiate a holographic image of the pilot from his omnicom. "You see anything up there yet?"

"Nothing much, Commander," the pilot responded, "same old storm clouds overhead. That river we passed over opens up a few klicks West of your position into a lake, it looks pretty deep from here, big fish moving around in it. To your North the trees get a lot thicker, but scanners are indicating a lot of heat coming from that area."

"Thermal vents beneath a swamp." That matched what the data told him. "We found a data pad with thermal readouts and gravitational measurements that may be indicating the swampland."

"Likely," the pilot responded, "I'll keep sweeping North a bit and circle around to the East. Overwatch out."

Alex waved his wrist of the pad to copy its data and set it aside. "We'll head North, scout out the swamp and make our way toward the mountains. If the team is out there somewhere out of range of their camp, I'm guessing the best source of cover would be to head for some caves in the foothills."

The door to the building flung open and Bradford stepped inside, waving to the commander. "You might wanna come check this out," he said a bit breathlessly, nodding to something outside of the building. "Shaw found something... weird."