Just a simple drop off part 2

Posted on Wed May 20th, 2015 @ 5:22pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & Commander Cor Cordale & Commander Bertrand Cuprum & Lieutenant & Ensign Moriloth & Lieutenant Valeria Mordin

Mission: Debts to be settled......
Location: Voletann System, Research Lab - Main Entrance
Timeline: Concurrently alongside Unexpected Company

Moriloth watched via external cameras as the landing party ventured away from the runabout. After sealing doors and setting ground shields, she transmitted, "Moriloth to Victory, enable return code set number 103-A." Maybe it was premature for her to do this, but she did not have a good feeling at all about this place or situation. Upon returning to the starship, they would be expecting her to give a code word signifying that all appeared to be well. If she didn't give it, or if instead she gave the distress code word, then they would know that something was wrong.

The Away Team had entered the Facility and it was clear that they were on Emergency or Auxiliary Power, there was barely a flicker of Lighting on in the Entrance Hallway. But it seemed as though the Power went off automatically and was not forced off by someone or something.

Bertrand's eyes were everywhere. He sniffed a couple of times with a deep frown on his face. Inside the entrance there were prints, but none were fresh.

"This is bad," he muttered. "I know Scientists can get caught up in their work, but 15 people don't decide just not to go to the mess hall."

"Depends on the discovery." Valeria commented as she joined in the search along the corridor.

He paused by a blackened mark on the wall and leaned in. He gave it a sniff and then touched it with his fingers, finally tasting a bit that brushed of.

"Charcoal," he mused. "Burn mark. Almost no spread means the cause was refined and close. Laser accident? I thought this lots were botanists and biologists."

"One shouldn't assume botany is all roses." Valeria said with a smirk. "Evidence of a firefight, plus the shorted panel outside. We could be walking into a tomb." as she retrieved her tricorder and began to sweep for signs that the basic senses would miss.

Cor gave the air a cursory sniff, though truth be told the Thux Sniffer wasn't as legendary as a canine's. "Bleh." whatever he smelled, he didn't like it.

"Is there anyway we can try and get the Lighting on?" Elijah asked as he used his light to scan in front of him.

"That all depends on how shorted out the system is." Cordale offered. "Let me take a look." and Cor padded to a wall console which, due to the state of the system, was barely responsive. "She's on emergency power, so best I can get is..." and after a few attempts to re-route power, the wall finally chimed something positive, and the emergency lights flickered to life.

"Best I can do. Unless you have a few hours for me to re-wire the place." he offered with humor.

"The wiring *could* use some attention." Valeria said with a smirk.

The Commander shook his head. "Just a simple drop off....Somebody is going to get their arse booted into the Andromeda Galaxy after this bullshit Intel." He said with a sigh.

"I'll hold, you kick." Cor offered with a smirk as he packed his engineering baggie back up after getting the emergency lighting back on.

"Main hall's ahead," Bertrand said pulling his phaser and checking the setting. Let's see what we've got. Try not to touch anything. Valeria, anything you can record, keep a log of. "

Valeria gave a nod, "Figuratively, Mister Bertrand, I'm three steps ahead of you."

"The day someone is three steps ahead of me, kid," Bertrand growled, "is the day I get shot."

The mess hall was, well, a mess. Tables had been knocked over scattering plates and cutlery. Bertrand talked his observations aloud so they were shared by the team.

"Tables are in a pattern knocked inwards, barricades against something in the room. More scorch marks, but no specific direction. Whatever they were shooting at was fast or they couldn't see it properly. Idiots were just as likely to hit each other in the cross fire, which means they were scared and willing to take that risk."

"No obvious weapon fire from the assailant. No blood, no bodies, and I am not sensing anyone close by. They either drove off the assailant or had to withdraw to a more defensible position. That may explain why they haven't returned here. They do not know if it is safe. Nor do we for that matter."

He glanced around at the team, "Great, the only one wearing a red shirt is the CO. Maybe we can ask SF to create a uniform with a giant target on it, just so people know who to shoot at."

Cor gave a chuckle, "You know, that's not exactly the sort of thing you announce." as he took a look at the scene before him, and turned around to see the scorch marks. "Though, with the way these guys were shooting..."

The Commander looked at his Team. "We should head to the Main Hall, that is where they monitor functions of the Facility." Elijah then took out his Tricorder. "Those Energy marks, I'm sure I have seen those before...."

Valeria took a move up from the near-rear once the coast was deemed clear, and gave those markings a closer scan. After a moment, she made a face. "These are peculiar readings indeed. Certainly not Starfleet standard." she confirmed, while adjusting the filters of her tricorder to narrow down the readings.

Bertrand's was itchy, which always happened when he was missing something; some clue.

"Command room is at the junction to the Science wing. Through this door."

"Moriloth how are things on your end?" The Commander asked checking his Comm quickly.

The pilot tuned sensor screens in frustrations. "Commander, something is wrong! My sensors are blurred, but it's not the kind of interference I would expect with the type of atmosphere we're in!"

If anything the command room was an even bigger mess; smashed monitors, ripped out ODS, scattered debris. Bertrand's eyes took it all in a glance.

"No bodies and no weapon fire. Whatever was attacking didn't want to risk damaging these systems in the initial assault. All of this was done afterwards. They were after something and then did this to hide their tracks."

"There's plenty of ways to try to get data off of smashed terminals." Cor offered as he started to approach one of the panels.

He moved to the communications terminal and nudged the exposed components which gave a big fat spark.

"Heh. Well, that explains why no one was answering. Heavy blow, square shape, width suggests a weapon butt. Again, interesting that they didn't shoot it. Strong though. Possibly Romulan, or a big Klingon..."

He spun on the spot, phaser out, pointing at the door to the Science wing, "Did any one else hear that?"

The rabbitess' ears perked, proof that they weren't there just to keep her hair under control. A quick motion of her science division tricorder revealed the culprit. "Waiting on a scan. Best guess, acoustics puts it around three or four meters in."

Whatever it was that had been detected it was still highly inconclusive to determine if posed a threat to the Away Team, it only seemed to make them more cautious.

The Thux was a little slower on the draw, but he did put himself in front of Valeria. His prosthetic arm in the lead, he gave her a little cover as she scanned. Maybe it was heroics, or maybe he was fishing for points. Who knew?

- I'm not sensing anything - Bertrand shot a telepathic message to Antos - You? -

~nothing that i can tell~ as he replied back to Bertrand quickly.

"Whatever it is we can't detect it effectively." Elijah said looking at his Tricorder. "Bertrand, take Valeria and Antos to check it out." He looked at Cor. "We need to get the Security logs back up Cor, you're with me."

Valeria gave a nod, "It's either a small creature like a local vermin, or a scattered signal from the ambient interference. I'd advise caution." and at Elijah's command, she nods then turns to Antos and Bertrand. "Mister Bertrand, we're with you." and she formed up on his flank while the Thux gave Elijah a nod, "I'll take point, chief." and Cor moved slightly ahead of the Commander.

Anto nodded his understanding as he slid in-between them both as they started to investigate. He did his best to scan with the tricorder which was rather useless in this environment. as he also tried to focus his mind to scan on what might be out there. he tried to do his best to multitasking his mental powers and trying to keep alert on everything else.

Bertrand understood the risk assessment. The CMO and CSO were the biggest liabilities, so it made sense to assign them to the CTO while the CO and CEO did repairs.

"Phaser's out, please, people. Stun setting. Tricorders in your off hands, if you don't mind."

A soft smirk played across Valeria's features as she drew her phaser after transferring her Tricorder to her left hand. "Not a problem at all." She said softly, in response to the semi-polite semi-request Bertrand made. She kept her Tricorder raised, so that the readings on it weren't rendered useless despite it being difficult to scan in this complex. She slid her thumb along the emission setting until the feedback engine within indicated a stun setting, and she gave a quick nod to Bertrand so that he knew that she was ready. Eyes focused, ears alert.

Antos was not going to argue with anyone about pulling weapons. He moved the tricorder to his left hand while he drew the Phaser with his right hand. "KO!" he said in the responce to the request to the phaser being pulled and on stun.

With the orders issued it was time to begin and it became clear that only time would tell as to what they would find in this Research Post.