The Azure Expedition

[Arrun Dihsar]

Mission Title: The Azure Expedition
Synopsis: An expedition of Federation scientists embarked on a expedition to Natoh IX, a Class L planet whose snow and ice surface reflects the blue skies above like a mirror, about 5 years ago. Their goal, to examine an unknown alien ruin's life support technology that can withstand the intense cold with incredibly minor energy output; which is buried deep underground. The USS Yourship has been sent to check in with these Federation citizens to ensure they are safe and evaluate their research for further Federation support. However, upon entering orbit and hailing the research ship SS Azure, they receive no reply. The USS Yourship must determine what happened to the expedition without becoming victims themselves.

Starting Point: In orbit above Natoh IX, the USS Yourship hails the Azure Expedition's research ship on the surface but gets no reply.

End Goal: Safely evacuate the last scientist with the data they collected before the ruin's tech melts the entire complex down around their heads.

Story points that must be passed?:

1) Contact Attempt: The USS Yourship first attempts to hail the SS Azure and upon getting no reply scans the ship for life forms and finds none. The crew must either beam down or shuttle down to the surface to investigate their ship and determine where the scientists went.

2) SS Azure: The research ship has been abandoned a for 55 days, the away team determines the scientists had been steadily but frustratingly running into roadblock after roadblock. Each new computer console they uncovered, was just an indicator they needed to dig deeper for a computer with yet more access clearance. Even with the replicator aboard the Azure, the patience and hard but meticulous work of digging month after month wore on them. Eventually, some began to camp inside the ruin, rather than listen to the howling winds outside the Azure or be in close company for too long. Further detailed examination of the logs and research data aboard the USS Yourship indicate the expedition had passed over more easily attainment research opportunities and steadily stopped eating regularly to push their work ever faster; with the predictable outcome of the scientists getting more and more agitated and overworked; all for their primary search for the truth of how the ruin's life support worked.

3) Where the Trail Leads: Eventually no more information can be garnered as the entire expedition abandoned the Azure when the team got about 120 feet below the surface of the planet. At which point, they replicated as much supplies as needed for their team to survive for about 50 days. Meaning 20 scientists are below the surface of an alien world so deep communicators are unlikely to work, thus they would neither receive hails from an orbiting ship or be able to enact emergency beam outs. The USS Yourship can only assist so much from its systems, this will require a deep dive into the underground ruin and investigation of where exactly the scientists went, and how many are even alive.

4) Down the Trail: Although the surface of the world is dangerously cold, the alien ruin itself is 310.15 Kelvin. Various strange technology akin large bubble like touch consoles and shades of blue glimmer in the dark breathable caverns. As away teams explore the winding labyrinthine caverns, they will encounter abandoned campsites and equipment, signs of physical conflict and, about 60 feet down, will find graves of two murdered scientists with intense blunt trauma to the back of their skulls. Any consoles investigated will reveal details and layout of the floor, the current life support status (in the language of the user) but will not give any information without a "higher access level".

5) Halfway down: Without special preparations in the form of signal boosting or portable transmitters: comms from the away team will not reach the USS Yourship and thus transporter locks will not be possible. As the away team progresses, they will be attacked by a gang of 10 maddened scientists bearing rocks and spanners. After subduing the scientists, they will mutter in delirium. Medical investigations from a tricorder reveals they have been subjected to some sort of narcotic but only shipboard examinations and bloodwork will fully reveal The Truth (see later). Crew may be injured from the surprise attack, some may seem overly-agitated and exhibit signs of paranoia. Tri-corder scans of the air will reveal nothing wrong with the air; though an air sample taken to the ship for examination will also lead to The Truth. After any injured crewmen and captured scientists are taken away; the crew pushes on in hopes of rescuing the scientists; though how cautious they are will depend on The Truth.

5.5) The Truth: The Alien life support system is malfunctioning due to some aeons old planetary event. Resulting in a strange mix of gases both known and unknown that appear to be breathable air at 310.15 Kelvin but anomalous once more than 20 degrees difference. Bloodwork shows the symptoms get far worse the deeper one goes as the gas is heavy and tends to pool lower. It has a highly negative narcotic effect that drives people exposed to high dosage to paranoia, hyperactive violent tendencies, and inability to rest. Prolonged exposure (two weeks or more) can lead to homicidal rage and brain damage. Without rapid brain surgery treatment, the captured scientists will die of brain hemorrhaging.

6) The End of the Trail: By this point, the concentration of the gas is high: any crewmen without an exosuit or special breathing apparatus will find themselves subject to The Truth of the life support systems. The away team will come upon a scene of chaos, where intense short-range mining laser fights occurred between the scientists only a few hours ago. A large bright azure power core pulses as strange alarms ring out from across the entire ruin. The temperature is rising rapidly as the sole surviving scientist is madly fiddling with the wiring of the energy system and has created a fatal error in the alien system. The entire facility's cooling system is failing and will get so hot it will melt down everything within the ruin with the space of an hour.

7) Escape!: Unless the away team brought along pattern enhancers or a portable transmitter of some kind, it will take a long intense run through the caverns to get at least 60 feet up from their current position and just within comm (and therefore transporter) clarity. Before they flee, there are certain matters to consider: 1. The scientists have discovered a way to make life support systems 50% more energy efficient but only madly scribbled their finding across their individual PADDS. Either the physical collection or download of all the data will net any usable data. 2. The sole survivor is badly wounded and needs emergency treatment to be moved safely in a hurry; the other four dead or dying scientists will need to be carried away if they are to be saved. 3. The sole survivor is tucked into the high energy plasma wiring of the core and is irrationally hostile to the away team and armed with a mining laser that is very unkind to organic material at contact range. 4. If the away team takes too long, many if not all of the away team will be caught in the catastrophic meltdown of ruin.

Departments: (To make sure everyone has something to do.)
- Flight: Shuttle pilots could land near the entrance to the ruin to act as a relay amplifier for the away team. Some Flight Controllers can be part of the away team to assist in examining the Azure or assist engineers in puzzling out the alien technology.

- Engineering: Engineers are can determine that the life support systems are functional; they can help in the investigation of the Azure; if they are at the Escape! they can pull some patented Engineering miracles to buy the away team time to escape; with some intense study they may come close to the same conclusions the scientists did about how to make life support more efficient (perhaps able to identify that an energy core is required to be examined to complete the theory)

- Operations: The away team needs to be beamed down; as the mission progresses to delve into the ruin will need special supplies to maintain sanity; the collection and inspection of the recovered scientists' research materials; at the Escape! stage transportation in hurry will be vital.

- Security and tactical: The away team's safety will need to be assured; at Halfway down security will be best used to fend off the sudden attack.

- Medical: Needed to uncover The Truth; give emergency away team medical treatment; perform brain surgery to safe any recovered scientists; help any away team members who were exposed to the gases of the deeper ruins.

- Science: Needed to uncover The Truth; is able to decipher the conclusions the scientists slowly came to in their research expedition; able to identify the PADDs at the Escape!  as such vital.