Episode 1: The Return

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:31 pm

~~[quote="mordraine"]~~Sslarr stood by while the humans performed their scans. He slowly breathed out his nostrils and unconciously flicked his tongue a few times, a sign of impatience in the Gorn species.[/quote]
~~[i]~~I hope he's not getting hungry.[/i] Dixon thinks. He takes a step towards the cavern leading down and shines his light into the darkness, concentrating on any sounds or smells that come up.

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:13 pm

~~[quote="BlanchPrez"]~~Doc, your scan reveals nothing.

Chris[/quote]
~~[i]~~Story of my life[/i], Doc thinks. He puts the tricorder away and draws his phaser, thinks better of it, puts the phaser away, takes the tricorder back out and tries to keep one eye on it and one on his surroundings. (Luckily he sees the pebble and avoids tripping on it)

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 5:44 pm

Commander Dra says "I've got a faint energy reading below us but the interference is worse than what I picked up on the bridge. I think..." *Dra trips on a pebble* "...Mother F...!"

Commander Dra thinks "This is not good. I wonder if we can relay our signal so the ship can still pick us up in case it goes bad in here...*Trips on pebble*...Mother Fucker! Damn piece of Klingon crap getting in my way."

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 6:00 pm

"Well, everything seems to point downward. I would not mind knowing what is in those other passages before we descend below them though. A quick recconoiter perhaps... Do you agree Captain Sslarr?"

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 8:54 am

((I'm waiting for Sslarr's reply and a decision on which tunnel to take before I describe anything further.))

Chris

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 9:13 am

Sslarr looked at the downward passage. He saw little point in checking the other passages.

"I believe our path is down. I think we should waste no time."

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:21 am

"Very well, I suppose we can skip it then."

Wraith turns around and says:

"Just make sure to keep an eye on the rear, those of you in the back."

[... and down the tunnel we go BlanchPrez ;)]

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 2:45 pm

You decend into the tunnel, which get's darker the further you get in, and it even seems that the lights from Sslar and Dixon are dimmed somewhat by the crusing weight of the cave. After traveling for a few minuites, you start to heard the slow drip of water at the edges of your sight.

Suddenly, Sslar's communicator crackles to life, startling everyone.

"Captain!" Comes Korff's voice through much stattic, "... losing contact... further down... you read..."

Chris

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:22 pm

~~[quote="BlanchPrez"]~~"Captain!" Comes Korff's voice through much stattic, "... losing contact... further down... you read..."
[/quote]

Sslarr grabbed his communicator and opened the channel.

"Lieutenant, I can read you but you're breaking up. I am entering some tunnels into the interior of the planet. Maintain position and await my next communication. Until then, I'll be out of contact. Do you read?"

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 7:37 pm

Damn, thought the Doc, lizards really have control issues dfon't they? Hell, I've been out of contact with the med bay for a good 5 seconds and I don't feel the need to bark out orders. Damn, where'd that pebble come from?

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:46 am

~~[quote="mordraine"]~~Sslarr grabbed his communicator and opened the channel.

"Lieutenant, I can read you but you're breaking up. I am entering some tunnels into the interior of the planet. Maintain position and await my next communication. Until then, I'll be out of contact. Do you read?"[/quote]

"Under... wait furth... ers."

The static gets worse the further down you travel, until eventually, you lose the signal all together. (Any Starfleet officers who check notice this is true for them as well).

As you decend fruther, some of you notice that the dripping of water has stopped, and the groud of the cave gets smoother. Up ahead, you can see a small light, growing bigger the closer you get.

Dixon, Sslar and Doc all hear some kind of michanical sound up ahead, as if two peices of metal were grinding up against each other.

Chris

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 9:23 am

Dixon signals for everyone to stop and wait, while he sneaks up and sees what he can see.

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:00 am

Sslarr's first response was to scout ahead with Dixon. However, he acknowledged that his bulk was not as stealthy as the Challenger's security officer. So he held back with the rest.

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:16 am

Doc sidles up next to the Captain and whispers, "Did you hear that?"
(if Cap asks, "What?" Doc will tell him of the mechanical sound that Dixon seems to be investigating)

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:41 am

~~[quote="opwunder"]~~Doc sidles up next to the Captain and whispers, "Did you hear that?"

(if Cap asks, "What?" Doc will tell him of the mechanical sound that Dixon seems to be investigating)[/quote]

"No, I did not hear anything".

[insert explanation by the Doc]

"Ah, so that is what Dixon is up to. I assumed he was investigating that light there. Either you and he have better ears than me, or I need a checkup when we get back to the ship, eh?"

~~[i]~~Wraith smiles briefly, then turns his attention back to where Dixon is, ready for potential trouble...[/i]

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:10 pm

Join the Captain in seeing what comes of Mr. Dixon's investigation. (Usingall of his willpower to not draw his phaser and rush to join Dixon)

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:21 pm

[OOC - Oh yeah, Sslarr's blaster is drawn. Has been since they started the decline.]

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:21 pm

~~[quote="mordraine"]~~[OOC - Oh yeah, Sslarr's blaster is drawn. Has been since they started the decline.][/quote]

((Noted))

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 2:05 pm

Dixon returns to the crew and relates what he saw.

"As I rounded the bend, where the light was brighter, I saw what appears to be a metal, flat door, not too dissimilar to that found onboard any Federation starship. The wall around the door is also flat and metal, and there is a control panel next to it. It's like the cave leads right up to the side of a spaceship or a building.

"The grinding noise we heard earlier comes from the door attempting to close, but it is either being blocked by something I couldnâ€™t see, or was malfunctioning, and keeps going back and fourth. It gets about 3/4 closed before being forced to turn back and start again.

"As I closed on the door, I could see little blue sparks along the edges when it attempts to close. It appears that some sort of force field is keeping it from closing.

"Through the force field, however, I saw a large chamber, about the size of the Challenger shuttle bay. It is well lit, and built of the same smooth metal that the door and wall is made of. It seems to be mostly empty, though I could see several control panels along one wall. At the far end of the chamber I saw see a collection of people. Probably the missing scientists! They appear to be trapped behind a force field like the one blocking the door. Most are sitting or lying down, so it is difficult to tell how badly hurt they are.

"Opposite the door I was looking through I saw four large robots, roughly about 5 feet in height, with a stocky square build. They have no legs and appear to move through some sort of anti-grav. They have triangular heads with a transparent top, inside of which are numerous devices. Each has two arms, one of which ends in what appears to be a beam weapon that they are currently using against the wall, cutting through the steel to the stone on the other side. At least one more robot can be seen next to the force field the scientists are in.

"Although the robots would appear to be hostile, I would guess that itâ€™s possible they are some kind of mining robots, and they could be trying to free the hostages by cutting into the wall in an attempt to go around the force-field. I mean, if these robots were indigenous to the ship, or whatever it is, why would they need to cut into the walls? Just a guess, Captain."

((OOC-Howzat, Chris? Even fixed your spelling errors.

))

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 2:10 pm

~~[quote="Gotetsu"]~~((OOC-Howzat, Chris? Even fixed your spelling errors. :lol: ))[/quote]

Cheater. :wink:

Chris

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 2:58 pm

Captain Wraith mulls the information for a moment, then addresses the company in a somewhat hushed but frank tone.

"Did we get any information on what sort of comm equipment those scientists were carrying (if any)? If so, maybe we can get a signal to them now that we are closer - that way we don't give our position away in case the robots are hostile."

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:15 pm

Doc (weaving back and forth ever so slightly) draws his blaster...err, phaser and waits for someone with decent communication equipment to attempt to contact the scientists. Doc wonders to himself if robots have the same body weak points as biological bipeds...

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:08 pm

Sslarr listened to the security officer's report, and mulled it over for a few seconds. While he did, Capt. Wraith asked:

~~[quote="&quot"]~~"Did we get any information on what sort of comm equipment those scientists were carrying (if any)? If so, maybe we can get a signal to them now that we are closer - that way we don't give our position away in case the robots are hostile."[/quote]

The Gorn captain nodded, thinking it a good idea to attempt contact before barging into the room. Then he asked, "Did you see the Gorn scientists?"

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 4:33 pm

~~[quote="mordraine"]~~The Gorn captain nodded, thinking it a good idea to attempt contact before barging into the room. Then he asked, "Did you see the Gorn scientists?"[/quote]
((Did I?))

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:03 pm

~~[quote="Gotetsu"]~~((Did I?))[/quote]

((You saw at least one. You didn't get a head count, however, so you can't say if all of the missing scientests were in there.))

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 10:47 pm

Commander Dra looks around to everyone and suggests "I think we should be careful here. There is obvious forcefields being used here and possibly signal dampeners. Captain I'm going to run another scan and check the area. I would also suggest we not separate too much because our com link capability is not trust worthy down here. If something happened to Dixon while he was out of our sight we could have been one man less and not know it. If no one wishes to volunteer, After the scan, I'm going to make my way back up and contact the ship about our location. If Captain Sslarr would like I could inform his ship as well and head on back?"

Commander Dra thinks to herself "I suspect those robots being mindless miners with safety protocals. Possibly those scientist tripped them and created a forcefield....but then this could be a lot more malignant. Either way I smell a trap, intentional or unintentional, and I don't want my Captain walking straight into it."

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:21 am

"That's fine commander. It's not a bad idea to inform the ship of our status, but take someone with you. I'd rather you didn't wander these tunnels alone at the moment. Volunteers?

How are we coming on getting a signal through? Does it appear feasible?"

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 9:57 am

~~[quote="Skyman"]~~Commander Dra looks around to everyone and suggests "I think we should be careful here. There is obvious forcefields being used here and possibly signal dampeners. Captain I'm going to run another scan and check the area. I would also suggest we not separate too much because our com link capability is not trust worthy down here. If something happened to Dixon while he was out of our sight we could have been one man less and not know it. If no one wishes to volunteer, After the scan, I'm going to make my way back up and contact the ship about our location. If Captain Sslarr would like I could inform his ship as well and head on back?"

Commander Dra thinks to herself "I suspect those robots being mindless miners with safety protocals. Possibly those scientist tripped them and created a forcefield....but then this could be a lot more malignant. Either way I smell a trap, intentional or unintentional, and I don't want my Captain walking straight into it."[/quote]

((Send me another Scan roll, same as you did last time))

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:11 pm

Doc feels certain that any force fields would obscure any life force readings but moves forward and attempts to see how many life forces are in the room with his tricorder.

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:32 am

~~[quote="opwunder"]~~Doc feels certain that any force fields would obscure any life force readings but moves forward and attempts to see how many life forces are in the room with his tricorder.[/quote]

((Go ahead and give me a scanner roll too. Just to refresh everyone's memory on how this works, that's 2d6, and in this case it's plus your computer use skill.))

Chri

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:24 am

After taking readings, Doc returns and reports, "Captain, I was able to get some bio readings through the interference althougn it was difficault. There appears to be 8 life signs: 3 human, 1 vulcan, and 4 gorn. All but one individual seem to be in good health. The one exception is a gorn and my readings, if they are correct, indicate that the gorn has been wounded. We need to get in there."

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:35 pm

Commander Dra says with a raised eyebrow "Doc try the settings...(shows tri corder)...Captain from the looks of my reading, the force field seems to be used to protect the people. Possibly from the robots. The force field is down to 70% and at the rate it's deteriorating, it should be depleted in 2 days by my ionic regression analysis. The robots do not appear to be mining models and are armed with laser weapons, not drills. Possibly military grade models. The faint signal we're getting is from a communicator that one of the folks Doc has a reading on is carrying. I suggest we try to contact and then I'll shimmy on back up with Dix or whoever and report our progress to the ships. By the way, the robots appear to be malfunctioning...Did you copy all this Captain Sslarr? So Captain Wraith what is your command?"

Commander Dra thinks "Those must be the scientist and they're trapped by crazed robots. We better get them out quick or they're screwed!"

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:12 pm

Dixon thinks a moment. "Captain, may I reccomend a small squad of security officers be sent down as back up? If what Dra says is true, and those are military grade robots, it wouldn't hurt to have a posse of deputies of our own."

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 4:19 pm

"Good work on the scans, at least we know a little more about what we are dealing with. Any information on the robot types? If we can get details on their capabilities, we may be able to trick or bypass them somehow and get our people out sooner..

Dix - go ahead and bring down a few security personnel, that's a good idea. Commander Dra can relay when she goes to contact the ship.

Umarin - by all means do try to contact the scientists if you can. They may be able to assist or inform us better on their situation. At the least they would know someone is here to help.

Captain Sslarr - what's your take on the situation? It seems caution may still be in order, but I won't protest if you think we should get in there now, given the circumstances.."

Wraith's hand slides down to his phaser as he speaks, and he taps it absentmindedly - obviously as eager to resolve the situation as anyone.

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:21 pm

Sslarr thought about the situation.

"I would rather go in now. Especially seeing as one of my own kind is injured. But I have always been one to take quick action."

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 1:44 pm

Commander Dra say's "Hold on to that thought Captain Sslarr. Let me see what I get with the communicator." Whips out communicator and speaks in "Hello this is Commander Dra of Star Fleet. Can anyone hear me? Please respond. Once again this is commander Dra of Star Fleet, please respond. I'm with the Captain Sslarr of the Gorn and Captain Wraith of Star Fleet."

Commander Dra thinks to herself "Whoa, this Gorn captain has good impulse control. I hope someone responds. I still feel a trap but that's just my paranoia getting the best of me. Gotta get a grip..."

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 2:37 pm

~~[quote="Skyman"]~~Commander Dra say's "Hold on to that thought Captain Sslarr. Let me see what I get with the communicator." Whips out communicator and speaks in "Hello this is Commander Dra of Star Fleet. Can anyone hear me? Please respond. Once again this is commander Dra of Star Fleet, please respond. I'm with the Captain Sslarr of the Gorn and Captain Wraith of Star Fleet."
[/quote]

The communicater crackles slightly, as if someone were draging it across stone on the other end. Then, a shakey female voice, in a hushed tone, comes arcoss.

"Starfleet? Oh, thank God! You've got to get us out of here! These robots are malfunctioning. They've already killed two of us. Get us out of here, please!"

Chris

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:02 pm

"That settles it! We've got to go now! Dra - ask them if they know of another way in or a way to bypass the forcefields."

Wraith unholsters his phaser and gets ready for action.

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 3:25 pm

Doc trades his tricorder for his phaser and tries to hide his excitement.

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Tue Mar 28, 2006 5:11 pm

Commander Dra says "Roger Captain Wraith!"
She Speaks back into the communicator while unholstering phaser, "Listen to me clearly. Is there another way into your location or a way for us to bypass the force field? How many robots are there and is there a central control area that is commanding the robots or giving them energy? We need to know what we are walking into."

Commander Dra thinks to herself "Ok time to rock and roll. Now is my time to redeem myself under pressure... Cold as the Cavellian moons, my blood shall run in my veins, and my fury will be like the flames of a Torilean sun burst, now is my time to seize victory... Now is my time to show the mettle of Dra!"

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:46 am

Another whispered reply comes back over the communicator.

"I don't know how to turn off the force fields... the robots turned them on with a control panel.

There were originally 6 robots, but one left the cave after they activated, so there's just the five here now."

Chris

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:19 am

Doc says, "Captain? Whay setting do you want our phasers on? Obviously 'stun' isn't going to be of much use."

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:18 am

"Looks like we'll have to try cutting our way in with phasers if we can't get the forcefields taken care of. A few phasers on their highest setting together may be enough.. but we can't be sure until we try.

I'll be damned if those scientists are going to get hurt on my watch, so unless anyone else has a better idea, we'll be trying to cut our way in. Commander Dra? Sslarr? Any alternate ideas?"

mordraine · Post by **mordraine** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:34 am

In answer, Sslarr set his blaster to the highest setting and growled deep in his throat. He looked ready to go in regardless of whether anyone else following.

[OOC - are we right outside the doorway?]

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:44 am

((I believe we are around the corner. Chris, what's the word on my security detail?))

BlanchPrez · Post by **BlanchPrez** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:53 am

~~[quote="Gotetsu"]~~((I believe we are around the corner. Chris, what's the word on my security detail?))[/quote]

Right around the corner is correct.

You have not had the chance to leave the cave yet to get one.

Chris

opwunder · Post by **opwunder** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:06 pm

Doc says, "Highest setting it is! Ready when you are Caprtain!" (Doc is trying his best to not weave from foot to foot.)

SpaceMonkey · Post by **SpaceMonkey** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:32 pm

"All right, let's get going then. Everyone, set your weapons to their proper setting. Let's split into 2 teams and come in from different sides if possible, drawing the robots into a crossfire.

Commander Dra - let the scientists know that we are coming in, and to get on the floor. We don't want them injured in the crossfire."

[OOC - BlanchPrez: let me know if Wraith would think it feasible to cut through with only a couplel people on each hole. I've seen them do it on the TV show, but I'm sure it depends on the rock we're dealing with, etc..etc.. If Wraith would think we would have a better shot with everyone on one hole, we'll go with that instead I guess.. If Wraith wouldn't know, then we'll do the above and see what happens ;)]

Skyman · Post by **Skyman** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:39 pm

Commander Dra says "Well I would suggest we locate the control panel and that loose robot. Best to send Dix and me to get a detail in the mean time and inform the ships. Those scientist are ok as long as that force field is up. Rushing in could endanger them more if we don't have an idea what we're doing. Doc scan the area and I'll scan along with the ship, the surface area for the robot or possible control panel. Aside from that logcal train of thought... I'm ready to recycle some metal, how about you guys?"

Commander Dra thinks "I have the need to eviscerate!"

Gotetsu · Post by **Gotetsu** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 12:53 pm

Dix peeks around the corner to see if he sees the robots reacting in any way. Like if they have detected the communicator signals.