Away Team One: mining your own business

Posted on Mon Jul 13th, 2020 @ 11:26am by Lieutenant Commander William Rogers & Lieutenant JG Stephanie McMillan & Lieutenant JG Haru Hernandez & Captain Abigail Laurens & Lieutenant Commander Calvin Morgan & Lieutenant Bianca Lee & Lieutenant Valenna & Warrant Officer Koh Ottasu

Mission: Into The Delta Triangle
Location: Kessik IV

Team One:
Lieutenant Commander Rogers - team leader
Lieutnant Commander Morgan
Lieutenant Lee
Lieutenant McMillan
Lieutanant Valenna
Lieutenant Junior Grade Haru Hernandez

The clock dominated the centre of the Kessik IV shuttleport's arrivals lounge. If it was accurate the away team had beamed down mid afternoon, local time. The colony could be seen stretching out towards the large mountain range which dominated the horizon. Identical prefabricated structures given customisation by their local role lent a very frontier feel to the place.

Buck glanced around and seeing the room to be empty slipped a hand into the pocket of his dark leather jacket. He tapped the communicator therein. "Ghost; Rogers." He said quietly. "Comm check. How do you read?"

"Solid copy." came the response, equally as quiet. Though, it wasn't the equipment, it was Ghost keeping his voice down. "Ears up. Standing by."

"Copy that." Buck nodded, not that Ghost could see him. "Rogers out." He took a few steps towards the large window which flanked the lounge exit. "Let's mosey on into town."

Bianca modded with a small smile, one appropriate for a crew member of a small trading ship to have upon entering a smaller trading outpost. For times like this, she could count on her acting skills from school to get a bit of a workout, “Come on, Doc, while we check out what all they have, we can stock up your super-duper medkit and I can find something to send home to Georgia.” She used her little sister’s nickname, but if anyone native to the planet overheard her, it wouldn’t be out of the norm for a medical specialist to want to make sure his kit was ready to go and well, everywhere might have something resembling souvenirs.

Stephanie shifted the small pack she wore over her left shoulder around as she walked, looking around for what passed as a repair center. She was trying very hard to keep a neutral expression, not looking like she was nervous as all could be. Instead, she was just trying to look like this was yet another trip for parts and tools for something that shouldn't have broken or broke for the 100th time.

"You think they're going to have those polarization coils? Or am I going to have to jury rig something together like last time?" Stephanie asked with an accent that wouldn't have passed muster as an Irish accent to anyone who knew it, but out here, no one would be able to tell the difference.

Haru shrugged. Role playing was not his best feature. "Perhaps they will have the coils but they will not work and you will have to fix them," he said knowing it would probably earn her ire.

Calvin nodded to Bianca. “Hopefully this place has better medications than the snake oil of the last market we checked,” He responded walking over to her, having appeared on opposite sides of the group.

"Okay gang, gimme a holler if you find anything interesting. If you need me I'll be in the bar." The doors to the shuttle port lounge hisses open as Buck approached. Stepping onto the planet proper he felt a change in the air. It lacked the filtered quality present in the more controlled environs. The pollutants from the mine weren't present in anyway which Buck could detect without tricorder, but never the less, the air felt more real to him. More like home.

"Of course the boss is going to the bar." Bianca gave Calvin a little shove towards the market, "That's all he does is go drink, drink drink." She glanced back at Buck and winked at him.

“He’s just got to get the bar warmed up before I join him,” Calvin replied, starting in the direction of the market with Bianca. “I’ve closed down a few bars, and the combination of the two of us, well lets say it’s a night too good to remember,” Calvin finished, with a grin.

Valenna raised an eyebrow as she stepped out of the shuttle. "Commander," she said to Rogers, "may I join you with your trip to the bar?"

"Sure." Buck turned to science officer and lowered his voice. "Don't forget we're supposed to be keeping a low profile; no rank stuff."

Haru had been wandering exploring while his partner went to get parts. He then stopped as something out of the ordinary, someone out of the ordinary, caught his eye. Being an investigator he saw things in motions and manners that were vital. He tapped his badge after finding a quite place. "Hernandez to Rogers."

In the bar Buck brought his drink up to his mouth as he slipped a hand into his pocket. Holding the mug there to shield his speaking he tapped the comm badge. "What do you have for me?" It must be important for the Lieutenant to risk comms.

"I reviewed some files before leaving. I see someone that could be an issue...pick up order issued by Admiral Adri Hopkins. Permission to investigate further?"

Buck put his glass down while he listened. Picking it up again to feign drinking in order to reply. "Think he's linked to Tejar?"

"I do not know. I wish to investigate it....I have a gut feeling something is off."

It wasn't their stated mission but, Buck reasoned, it might help point things in the direction of the colony's criminal element where any real information on Tejar would be located. "Alright." He informed Hernandez. "Just remember: we're only here for Tejar; if this person can't do that, cut 'em loose."

"Aye sir." He turned the coms off and headed towards the mines. He stood off to the side watching for a while as the subject talked with a few people and then headed into the mines. Haru would follow.

Buck shook his head slightly and turned to Valenna. "I need you to check on McMillan. We gotta shuffle things up."

The market bustled with activity. Various covered stalls crammed shoulder to shoulder under Kessik IV's purple sky. Stall owners shouted their wares to the milling crowd boasting about the freshness of their produce, the rarity of the imported goods or the quality of the local craftsmanship.

Bianca wove her way through the crowd with Calvin in tow, eyes lingering on things here and there, an occasional small smile crossing her face as she saw something interesting. She made sure that nothing she was doing would make cause for attention grabbing, "Not seeing that much for you, Doc, but some of the stuff Ahm seeing does have a sort of charm to it, dontcha think?"

Calvin shook his head. “Only two things at that one shop for me. Seems like you haven’t found much of interest either.” He continued with Bianca, glancing around as the trinket or person caught his occasional interest. “You have anywhere in particular you intend on going?”

“Nope.” Bianca answered as she flashed a quick smile at someone who’d made eye contact with her for a moment, “But Ah’d like to mosey towards the mines a bit, see if Ah can get a look from the outside at least, Ah suppose it’d be too much to ask to see what’s going on down there, just to make sure it’s all on the up and up.”

Calvin shrugged, “I don’t see why not, we haven’t struck any gold here, maybe there will be some there.” He replied with a smile. The two altered direction to weave their way through the crowds, which thinned steadily as they made it outside of town and on the road to the mine.

"Dayum, not much out this direction.." Bianca stopped several meters out of town, "Looks like the town really is the life of the party here." The chirp of her comm caught her attention just then

"Rogers to Lee. You copy?"

"Yeah boss, Ah'm here." Bianca rolled her eyes towards Calvin, keeping up the cover story as best she could, with informal response to Rogers, "Whatcha need? G-man didn't break the shuttle again, did he?"

"Nah. Got a job for you." Rogers replied. "Hernandez thinks he's found something of interest; can you go lend him your expertise?"

"You got it." Bianca agreed, "Tell him Ah'll be to him in a couple minutes, Lee out." She glanced up at Calvin, "You'll be fine on your own, Cal? Ah'd say go catch up with Stephanie, keep her company while I go see what Haru wants."

Calvin shrugged. “Works for me,” He replied with a smile, truly indifferent, just trying to think of where he last saw her. “Don’t get yourself in too much trouble,” He finished with a wink.

Haru had a moment of unsettled emotion. Was this a check up on him? He hadn't asked for back up but then his training kicked in. He sighed. He watched the target move into the mine after speaking with a few shady characters. "Hernandez to Lee and Rogers. Subject going into mine. I'm following. Going dark." He hoped Lee would find him. He slowly entered the mine at a distance. To everyone else he just seemed like a newbie so pretty soon he had several work related items thrust into his hand. They were still close to the entrance. His mind was struggling to place the face and then...it hit him. "Walker!" He sighed. MIA, Admiral's kid.

"Walker? Which one?" Bianca said quietly from just behind him, eyes looking around for what Haru had been looking at, but seeing no one, also holding a respirator, some sort of tool, a helmet among other things. "Jeez, what do they expect us to do, mine?"

He turned. "Over there. Francis Walker aka Dallas Walker. Middle name. Son of Admiral Walker MIA listed." He pointed to a tall man who was masked and wearing a helmet. "He just suited up. The Admiral put out a retrieve and return order on him." He sighed as he looked at their equipment. "Shall we fake it till we can make it?" He put on a helmet and respirator. "Do you want to call Rogers tell him what's going on...we still need his permission to pick Walker up."

“Wait and fake it, but Ah want to see where he goes.” Bianca emulated hun and masked up with her helmet, she definitely looked like the smallest miner ever, “Ah know we’ll need to get permission, but Ah don’t want to put this on a commune until we know a bit more.”

"Yes ma'am." He said. "Not my idea of fun. Running after an Admiral' kid."

In the saloon, Buck leaned against the bar. "No lie." He told the barkeep. "That Orion swore up and down that all Romulans were just Vulcans that got laid regularly and didn't want to tell anyone about it."

The barman shook his head, laughing. He turned his head as the saloon doors hissed open. "I don't want no trouble in my place." He greeted the new entrant.

Buck held up his glass. "Doc, glad you could make it."

“I changed my middle name from trouble to disturbance for that exact reason, no reason to worry sir,” Calvin replied with a slick smile and a wink. “He’s the troubling one,” He continued pointing at Buck. He took up a spot next to the fellow crew member.

Those in the mine felt it first - a tumultuous upheaval of the tunnels they occupied. A dull roar followed by the cacophonous clatter of collapsing rock and then an empty ringing silence. Safety measure and back up equipment failed quickly. The survivors, if there were any, alone now in the dark.

The shock-waves rippled out from the mine. The ground rang like a bell struck by a gigantic hammer. As the shaking subsided the wailing of emergency sirens began....

The shaking threw Haru clear against he gave. He let out all the air from his lungs as he slammed against the wall. Darkness crept in from the side of his vision and his body went slack.

Bianca folded in on herself, the only thing she could do as she was knocked off her feet and straight into Haru, curled up in a fetal position, and then unfolded across the bigger man and muttered, "Not fair." She squeezed her eyes shut and waited until the shaking stopped.