Down to the Planet (Take 2) (part 2)

Posted on Sun Mar 4th, 2012 @ 12:17pm by Lieutenant JG Ronnie Wolfe & Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Jackson & Ensign Leee-ee/Maddison Tyler & Ensign Robert Tyler & Major Leroy Mangalia & Lieutenant Sophia & Private 1st Class Trent Kushner & Lieutenant JG Patrick O'Dell
Edited on on Mon Mar 12th, 2012 @ 11:25am

1,238 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: The Race for the Lost Treasure
Location: Planetside

[CONTINUED}

The shuttle landed on a small island in the middle of an ocean. A small outcropping of rock and a copse of trees was all that could be seen from the sandy beach.

"Ride's over," the shuttle pilot said. "Everybody out. Don't forget where we parked!"

"Don't forget to set the alarm, chap." Robert noted. "Maddison, do you remember that time, on Velur IV?"

Maddison laughed. "When one of the priestesses against Federation membership tried to steal your shuttle, but the alarm went off, in super-sonics, and blew her eardrums out?"

Robert chuckled. "Good times. Good times."

The pilot shook his head. "No worries there, mate. I'll be here waiting for you to return."

Ronnie stepped off the shuttle and scanned the area. She'd done an aerial scan, but she always liked to double-check the readings. "Looks good. Temperature's a balmy 30 degrees Celsius. Wind is out of the South at 20 knots and there's a touch of sea salt in the air."

Leo stepped off the craft, looking around. He had his SCUBA gear already on his back, with the flippers on either side of his waist, a helmet under one arm and a rifle slung over the gear. "Well who's ready for their monthly bath?"

"Monthly? Aren't you over estimating this bunch of Apes?" Sophia said with a laugh.

"Hey, I bathe regularly," Lizzie assured them. "Every time it rains in the arboretum." She chuckled as she got ready to go swimming again. "Although, Captain Mangalia, wouldn't you have to be NAKED to bathe?"

"I take offense to the ape comment!" Maddison said with a scowl.

"Mamma always said the hit dogs barks the loudest." Sophia laughed.

"Ape or not," Trent chimed in "I can't wait to get 'feet wet.'" His gear was already linked up and slung over his shoulder as he walked past the group and into the water. Instead of putting it on while dry, he opted to do so while in the water. With a throw his entire kit crashed into the ocean and bobbed there due to the pre-inflated BCD. The only item he continued to carry was his custom piece headgear. Finished in matte black, the only notable marking on the helmet was a bright white decal of a rabbit foot on a keychain on both sids of the helm. "Water's great guys!"He called out as he slipped into the floating vest.

Throwing his helmet at Trent like a football, Leo ran for the water, diving through a wave and standing. "Really warm too," he said laughing. "Come on guys!"

Trent, with his own helmet in hand barely caught his superior's helmet before it crashed into the water beside him. He had to admit that he hadn't expected the throw. The Marine smiled broadly at the levity his Captain brought to the mission, it was refreshing to see that others were as excited as he was about going for a 'swim'.

"Water is bound to be colder down below" Patrick said, remembering backlogged sensor data from some shuttles that had diving capabilities. He wormed his way into the unfamiliar rubber-like suit, taking a short painful breath as he got his arms in. "You sure this thing is made for men as well as women? Can't be made for MUCH of a man." he grunted and danced a bit.

Ronnie chose to change on the shuttle. She walked out, flippers in hand, and headed towards the others. "According to the readings, we need to go down about 600 meters. If there's anything to this treasure, we'll find it there."

Lizzie nodded. "Fortunately, there's no sign of the plants from the last planet. Communications should be fine." She waded into the water and dove into a wave to acclimatize quickly.

Maddison dove in, and stayed under for a good minute before surfacing. "Salt water!" Maddison said, excitedly. "Tastes great."

"Doesn't it just?" Trent added. He knew her perspective was different, but he had a similar love for water, salt water in particular.

Trent's kit, now fitting snug and comfortably on his frame was completely assembled, save the helmet. With his air valve already turned on, he put the custom piece over his head and took in his first few grateful breaths of the cold pressurized gases from the tanks on his back. Satisfied that the helmet felt snug and tight, he sank under the water to test the seal. The second his head piece was submerged the HUD came alive displaying temperature, bar, air pressure, current bio signs of both him and the people around him in addition to a dozen other stats vital to a safe dive. Lifting himself out of the water he gave everyone the thumbs up before deflating his BCD and sinking back under the waves.

Ronnie and Lizzie were slower to follow, but before long they, too, were swimming with the others and making sure their gear was working properly.

Sophia tested her gear. The seals all appeared to be correct, but her HUD had an annoying flicker. She decided to just ignore it for now.

Robert Tyler scowled, as he settled, gently in to the water, with his scuba gear. His wife was clearly enjoying herself, which was good, but now she'd be complaining about the salt and ph levels of her environmental field generator for a good week.

Patrick had gotten into the water and managed to get down into the water. His padd was encased in a waterproof cover, safe to at least a click and a half under water. He ran the checks on his gear and made sure the straps on everything were secure. He knew the basics, but it was still going to take some getting used to.

One by one the comm links between the other divers blinked green on Trent's heads up display. "Test one, test two. We active ladies and gentlemen?" The marine asked the others.

"Loud and clear." Sophia replied.

"Affirmative." Maddison's voice came over the comms. The water had a brief melodic resonance to it, when she spoke.

"Hold your bloody h-" Robert's voice skipped in. "-ses. I've not got my helmet on straight yet."

"All green for me." said Patrick. He tapped a sequence into his PADD that made it master link with the other's tricorders, just to pull data and analyze it on the fly.

"Okay, let's split into two teams," Ronnie said. "Lieutenant O'Dell, will you take one team? I'll take the other. We'll keep within 200 meters of each other. I'd like the Taylors to be on one team and Captain Mangalia on the other."

"Sounds appropriate." Robert said, as a click resounded through his helmet. "There. Got it. About bloody time."

"Now you know how I bloody well feel all the time." Came the melodicly-toned, obviously translated voice, of Maddison Tyler.

"Feels a bit like zero-g training." Sophia said with a laugh.

"Got it, Lieutenant Lancaster." He looked at his PADD to judge the poles. "You can do the North, since you're already over that way, my team will take the South and we'll start circling clockwise?"

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant JG Ronnie Lancaster
Assistant Chief Science Officer

Lieutenant JG Elizabeth Jackson
Botanist

Ensign Leee-ee/Maddison Tyler
Security Officer

Ensign Robert Tyler
Security Investigations Officer

Captain Leroy Mangalia
Marine CO

Lieutenant Sophia
Chief Counselor

Private 1st Class Trent Kushner [Damon]
Marine

Lieutenant JG Patrick O'Dell
Chief Science Officer

 

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