Athena Mission 2.9: Perfect Paradise

[Naira]

[Unknown Planet - Forest]

Naira sat down her tricorder and the thermos she had tucked under her arm as she took a field test kit from one of the science officers and slowly edged her way around the bush she was examining. Carefully, she plucked off a few flowers, leaves and twig samples, using the tools in the kit. She labeled each sample and placed them in a bag.

She collected a few pebbles off the ground, a soil sample, some moss growing up the side of a tree, some bark and sap from the tree. A million thoughts rushed through her mind as she worked. She had no idea what might or might not be useful. One of these things could prove to be the cure for some alien plague devastating an entire population or another could prove to be an invaluable food supply that could support an entire colony.

This is what she lived for.

There was a sense of wonder and thrill in the possibility and until they collected all their samples and tested them, made their results available to the greater scientific community, there was just no telling what kind of discovered they might stumble upon.

With all the excitement, she tended to lose focus of what was happening around her. She knew the others were busy collecting their own samples and she overheard one of them ideally chatting about some social gossip that seemed trivial in nature. However, she was happy to let time slowly slip by as she went about her work.

Then, she remembered that she needed to check in.

Naira to Commander Carter, science team is checking in. Nothing unusual to report.

Then, she checked in with the Captain.

Naira to Captain Carter, Sir, the Copernicus landed safely, we've set up camp, scanned and secured the vicinity and have begun sending out small teams to scout the area and collect samples. I've joined a science team on such a mission and left Commander Carter in charge of the camp until my return.

When she was done giving her reports, she let out a deep sign, turned around and reached for her thermos, but it wasn't there.

"Has anyone seen my thermos? I could sworn I left it right next to that bush."

[James Carter]

[Beach]

Carter knelt down and let the sand run through his fingers. It felt like all sand did, but there was something distinctly different about it. His instinct from his second life had already kicked back in. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since he rejoined the Athena. The Captain glanced back at the forestation, scanning the treeline carefully with his eyes. Something felt...off. He assumed his entire team hadn't seen him slip away, but the lack of their presence wasn't what felt off. Unable to quantify what it was, he slipped back to the treeline to gather some wood for a fire. He knew that there were easier ways to build a fire now, but doing it by hand was completely second nature to him. He assumed that once the fire had built, his team would likely notice his disappearance and look for him. Venator was there when the Athena found him after his first death. She likely knew that to find him, all you'd have to do is follow the water.

[Unknown Planet - Forest]

Naira sat down her tricorder and the thermos she had tucked under her arm as she took a field test kit from one of the science officers and slowly edged her way around the bush she was examining. Carefully, she plucked off a few flowers, leaves and twig samples, using the tools in the kit. She labeled each sample and placed them in a bag.

She collected a few pebbles off the ground, a soil sample, some moss growing up the side of a tree, some bark and sap from the tree. A million thoughts rushed through her mind as she worked. She had no idea what might or might not be useful. One of these things could prove to be the cure for some alien plague devastating an entire population or another could prove to be an invaluable food supply that could support an entire colony.

This is what she lived for.

There was a sense of wonder and thrill in the possibility and until they collected all their samples and tested them, made their results available to the greater scientific community, there was just no telling what kind of discovered they might stumble upon.

With all the excitement, she tended to lose focus of what was happening around her. She knew the others were busy collecting their own samples and she overheard one of them ideally chatting about some social gossip that seemed trivial in nature. However, she was happy to let time slowly slip by as she went about her work.

Then, she remembered that she needed to check in.

Naira to Commander Carter, science team is checking in. Nothing unusual to report.

Then, she checked in with the Captain.

Naira to Captain Carter, Sir, the Copernicus landed safely, we've set up camp, scanned and secured the vicinity and have begun sending out small teams to scout the area and collect samples. I've joined a science team on such a mission and left Commander Carter in charge of the camp until my return.

When she was done giving her reports, she let out a deep sign, turned around and reached for her thermos, but it wasn't there.

"Has anyone seen my thermos? I could sworn I left it right next to that bush."

Noted. We found a large body of water here, I figured if there's life on this planet the easiest way to find them is to set up near it. I'll send the coordinates to both you and Commander Carter in a few moments. James watched the embers of his new fire float into the air for a couple seconds before grabbing the PADD he'd brought and sending off his location.

[Katheryn Brighton]

[Unknown Planet - Forest]
Naira to Commander Carter, science team is checking in. Nothing unusual to report.

[Copernicus Landing Site]

Now that she had been given the shot and check up from Wendy and offered to send Baker with Cal and his team if he wanted to investigate the area, Katheryn decided to continue checking on those who remained inside the camp. However before she moved off she received the hail from Commander Naira and was pleased to hear that there had been nothing unusual to report not that she thought there would be but since this was unexplored territory it didn't hurt to be cautious.

Tapping her badge to respond Commander Carter to Naira, understood

Turning to Cal " Once your ready, Ensign Baker will be at the perimeter and I look forward to seeing more of your sketches  when you return and we talk more about you know" she said cryptically smiling at him before leaving the group to gather their equipment.

As she passed other crew members again she stopped to speak to them especially Lucy who informed her that the rest of the tents were now in position for people to sleep in. Thanking her Katheryn then moved on coming to a stop when she spotted Leo.

" Hey Leo how are you?" she asked as her PADD pinged and informed her of the Captain's location, making a note of where he was should they need to change location or send one of her officers to help with Beta team.

[Susan Venator]

[Beach]

Carter knelt down and let the sand run through his fingers. It felt like all sand did, but there was something distinctly different about it. His instinct from his second life had already kicked back in. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since he rejoined the Athena. The Captain glanced back at the forestation, scanning the treeline carefully with his eyes. Something felt...off. He assumed his entire team hadn't seen him slip away, but the lack of their presence wasn't what felt off. Unable to quantify what it was, he slipped back to the treeline to gather some wood for a fire. He knew that there were easier ways to build a fire now, but doing it by hand was completely second nature to him. He assumed that once the fire had built, his team would likely notice his disappearance and look for him. Venator was there when the Athena found him after his first death. She likely knew that to find him, all you'd have to do is follow the water.

Noted. We found a large body of water here, I figured if there's life on this planet the easiest way to find them is to set up near it. I'll send the coordinates to both you and Commander Carter in a few moments. James watched the embers of his new fire float into the air for a couple seconds before grabbing the PADD he'd brought and sending off his location.

Unknown Planet

Suzie finished setting up and had completed her scan of the area. She had found nothing out of the ordinary. Looking around, she saw that the Captain and gone exploring. She figured he would be down by the water so she turned to the Andorian Ensign.

"Stay here and keep an eye on the ship and camp. Call me if there are any problems." She ordered.

Without waiting for a reply, she headed down to the river and looked about, The Captain was nowhere in sight. She could however, smell the faint aroma of wood smoke. Deciding to investigate it, she headed along the riverbank towards the sea.

After about 10 minutes, she came out onto a beach. And sure enough, the Captain was sitting on the sand next to a wood fire. She walked over to him.

"Camp is all set up Captain. So far we have detected nothing that can answer any of the questions about the planet. The others are waiting there. Have you found anything?" She asked, sitting next to him on the sand.

[Ashlynn Ren Morgaine]

[Unknown Planet - Forest]
When she was done giving her reports, she let out a deep sign, turned around and reached for her thermos, but it wasn't there.

"Has anyone seen my thermos? I could sworn I left it right next to that bush."

[Unknown Planet - Forest]

Ash sat up from where she had been crouched over on her hands and knees at the sound of Naira's voice, popping up through a flowering bush like a confused doe. She had assorted bits of the native foliage in her hair and grass stains on her pants, but she was beaming and had a pack full of meticulously labeled samples - even if they were labeled more like a naturalist and less like a Starfleet officer.

She glanced around to see if she could spot the missing thermos. "I don't see it... Are you sure you didn't move it anywhere?" Ash ducked back down into the bush, then crawled out from under the branches a few seconds later, pushing herself to her feet and ineffectively brushing off her pants. She walked over to Naira's, continuing to look around as she spoke. "I saw some small prints in the soft soil under there. Maybe a curious, little beastie ran off with it. The cap is rather shiny, isn't it? Perhaps..." Ash trailed off as she noticed a glint of something up in the hollow of a nearby tree. Could that be it?

Ash pointed so that the commander could follow her line of sight and asked, "What do you think that is?"

[Ezac]

[Unknown Planet - Beach]

The shuttle ride, as calm as it felt to Ezac, was no match for the planet's awe-inspiring tranquility. As he slowly put distance between himself and the landing site of the Zeus, Ezac scanned the horizon. Aside from the occasional sounds of dialogue behind him, the only things he could hear were the gritty crunch of dry sand beneath his boots and the sound of what appeared to be water licking at the edge of the shore. He wondered silently to himself if a flora-rich planet such as this could survive without the mutually beneficial existence of fauna.

Suddenly, almost as if it was because he had been tapped on the shoulder, Ezac thought to turn around. He had wandered so far in thought that he no longer had visual contact with the rest of the crew.

Realizing the danger in separating himself from his crew on an unknown planet, he began walking back toward the landing site with a bit more haste.

[Jaron Man'dak]

[Unknown Planet - Beach]

Jaron looked around the camp, taking in the sights. Watching the crew doing their various duties. Speaking of duties, he should start his own. After all this is his first mission since getting his commission.

"Captain, the short-range sensors will be up and running shortly. Nothing will be able to surprise us today." Jaron said

Not really waiting for an answer, Jaron started setting up his equipment. The captain seemed to be taking in the sights, and getting a sense of the surroundings. Which is a luxury captains have earned.

Just then Jaron thought about the fact that on this beautiful planet it is highly unlikely that no intelligent life exists. Even if its non-native life, anyone would be lucky to call this planet home.

[Caleb Brighton]

[Copernicus Landing Site]

Still smiling as she whispered back " We will my love and I promise I'll be careful". Her voice then returned to its normal tone. " If your finished here and wish to check out some of the local plant life, I can have Baker accompany you and your team" she suggested knowing that Cal would enjoy being able to investigate and take samples to test and experiment with.

[ Copernicus - Landing Site ]

Caleb smiled after their exchange. His eyes lit up a bit at the prospect of exploring for documenting purposes."That sounds wonderful. There is no doubt a lot to learn here," He hummed a bit as he walked with a pep in his step. He was thinking on who to take with him. He decided on Edward as he had expressed interest in learning about more herbal remedies to use from Caleb. He was always ready to pass his knowledge along.

While he was happy, his mind was wandering. He thought back to the clinic and the various festivals they helped with. One in particular was a fertility festival. His clinic oversaw the birthing of children, but mostly kept things hands off. They were only there if there were complications which were rare. His mind wandered a bit and instead of seeing any of his staff from that time, he saw his current staff and Katheryn by his side.

[Naira]

[Unknown Planet - Forest]

Ash sat up from where she had been crouched over on her hands and knees at the sound of Naira's voice, popping up through a flowering bush like a confused doe. She had assorted bits of the native foliage in her hair and grass stains on her pants, but she was beaming and had a pack full of meticulously labeled samples - even if they were labeled more like a naturalist and less like a Starfleet officer.

She glanced around to see if she could spot the missing thermos. "I don't see it... Are you sure you didn't move it anywhere?"

[Unknown Planet - Forest]

The science officers stopped in the middle of their current tasks to exchange weird and confused looks with the Commander. Meanwhile, it looked as if the Mess Hall Manager had jumped head first into finding the lost object.

"I was positive I left it right here while I was collecting samples. It's not as if it could just get up and walk away."

Ash ducked back down into the bush, then crawled out from under the branches a few seconds later, pushing herself to her feet and ineffectively brushing off her pants. She walked over to Naira's, continuing to look around as she spoke. "I saw some small prints in the soft soil under there. Maybe a curious, little beastie ran off with it. The cap is rather shiny, isn't it? Perhaps..." Ash trailed off as she noticed a glint of something up in the hollow of a nearby tree. Could that be it?

Ash pointed so that the commander could follow her line of sight and asked, "What do you think that is?"

Naira followed the woman over to the tree in question. Sure enough there was something lodged inside it, giving off a slight metallic sheen. Carefully, she reached her hand within the hollowed section of the tree and wrapped her fingers around the smooth edges of the object. Unlike the thermos, this device fit perfectly within the palm of her hand. Slowly, she pulled her hand back out and turned the object over.

It was a tricorder. Starfleet issue.

How did that end up in a tree?

"Who does this belong to? Is anyone missing a..."

Immediately her hands went to her waist. She felt, unsuccessfully, for the familiar piece of technology that had become such a custom addition to her being that it might as well have been another appendage. However, hers was missing. How could that happen? She tried desperately to recall when she had it last.

What had she done with it?

She remembered scanning the area when they first entered the forest, examining the flowering bush and then...she couldn't recall. She just might have set it down. Such forgetfulness wasn't like her. She was always so careful with her tools.

Now however, two of her things had gone missing without her notice and one turned up in a tree. One item she could chalk up to maybe a small animal like Ms. Morgaine suggested, but two? That couldn't couldn't be a coincidence.

"Check the supplies," she called out to the others. "make sure she aren't missing anything else."

There was something strange going on here.

[Jules Bash]

Unknown Planet

Suzie finished setting up and had completed her scan of the area. She had found nothing out of the ordinary. Looking around, she saw that the Captain and gone exploring. She figured he would be down by the water so she turned to the Andorian Ensign.

"Stay here and keep an eye on the ship and camp. Call me if there are any problems." She ordered.

Without waiting for a reply, she headed down to the river and looked about, The Captain was nowhere in sight. She could however, smell the faint aroma of wood smoke. Deciding to investigate it, she headed along the riverbank towards the sea.

[Zeus Landing Field - Unknown Planet]

Jules nodded to the Lt. Cmdr. as she made her way towards the beach he had so readily dismissed. Humans and their beaches.

While the rest of the crew seemed to mill about, he finished setting up the main away team tent, and returned into the shuttle to retrieve another sleeping tent. Digging it out, he pulled the briefcase style container out and brought it back into the landing field where he had begun to set up base camp.

He opened the briefcase at a small level area adjacent to the main tent that he had already set up, and proceeded to set it up. It did not take long for him to set up the small pop tent, and he returned to the communications console that had been set up, making sure it's connection and diagnostics all came back clear.

[James Carter]

[Beach]

Carter looked over the waters for a moment before coming back up to a stand to address his crew. "Right. With any luck the fire will draw out life. All we have to do is withdraw and observe." The captain commanded as he dusted off his uniform. "Let's head back to the shuttle. We need to make sure the beach is monitored carefully as well." His voice was somewhat absent as he began making his way back to the landing site.

[Susan Venator]

[Beach]

Carter looked over the waters for a moment before coming back up to a stand to address his crew. "Right. With any luck the fire will draw out life. All we have to do is withdraw and observe." The captain commanded as he dusted off his uniform. "Let's head back to the shuttle. We need to make sure the beach is monitored carefully as well." His voice was somewhat absent as he began making his way back to the landing site.

Beach

Suzie nodded at James' order.

"Aye Captain." She replied.

Getting up, she brushed the sand off her uniform and headed back to the Zeus.

Once she got back, she went to the field station and made sure the sensors were trained on the beach where the fire was burning merrily.

[Katheryn Brighton]

[Copernicus Landing Site]

NPC - Ensign Laura Baker

Laura was stood at the edge of the Alpha Team's camp following the Chief's orders of watching the perimeter quietly taking in their new surroundings when she spotted movement in the distance. Her hand quickly covering her phaser that was still secure in the holster attached to her uniform, she decided to investigate.

Without making a sound she began to move just like her training had always taught her but the closer she got it stopped as though she had been imagining things. Shaking her head slightly to clear her head she looked once more to make sure and everything was still and silent as it was before. Even though the experience had left her doubting herself and unsure as to how she was going to report it, Laura knew she would have to mention it as soon as she saw the Chief especially if it turned out to be some kind of animal.

For now she returned to her original position and awaited the next team who were due to leave camp to collect samples.

[Jaron Man'dak]

[Beach]

Carter looked over the waters for a moment before coming back up to a stand to address his crew. "Right. With any luck the fire will draw out life. All we have to do is withdraw and observe." The captain commanded as he dusted off his uniform. "Let's head back to the shuttle. We need to make sure the beach is monitored carefully as well." His voice was somewhat absent as he began making his way back to the landing site.

Jaron herd the captain, and nodded.

"Yes Captain." Clearing his throat. "The sensors are up and running. We will be able to see, hear, and read anything that comes within range." Jaron said

Jaron took another look around, again thinking how nice it would be to live here. It still surprises him that they are reading no life at all. I guess that will have to do for now though.

"These sensors are top of the line for short to medium range planet sensors. If anything shows up, down to the smallest insect we will know about it." Jaron Said

He then stood up and followed the rest of the crew back to the Zeus.

[Ezac]

[Unknown Planet - Beach]

As Ezac strode along the beach, he watched as the wet sand beneath his boots released liquid with each step he took. He found it curious that it seemed to be taking much longer to return to the landing site than it took to wander away.

He made his way around a bend, watching as a windswept sand dune no longer obscured his view of the landing site. Most of the crew were gathered around a fire.

[Beach]

Carter looked over the waters for a moment before coming back up to a stand to address his crew. "Right. With any luck the fire will draw out life. All we have to do is withdraw and observe." The captain commanded as he dusted off his uniform. "Let's head back to the shuttle. We need to make sure the beach is monitored carefully as well." His voice was somewhat absent as he began making his way back to the landing site.

Noticing that some of the crew were moving with purpose toward the Zeus, Ezac adopted a much quicker gait.