Mission Alpha Aborted [Back Post]
Posted on Mon Aug 14th, 2023 @ 4:11pm by Captain Lorut Vila & Lieutenant Commander Frasier Greene & Lieutenant JG Sairal Ardas Etes Yas
631 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
A Drastic Change
Location: Argo Trek Alpha
Lieutenant Commander Hawkins was the last in the vehicle. He wasn’t in the driver’s seat. Adjusted his seat belt, he adjusted his microphone, he explained, “Triton Seabase identified two positions for us to explore. We’re assigned to Position Alpha, a volcanic vent, where we’ve noticed activity.”
Closing the channel, he tapped the driver twice on the shoulder. The ARGO Trek launched forward, slipping a bit on the stony beach, before launching forward with gusto.
Glad his harness was snug Doctor Greene still lurched in his seat as the vehicle found traction and pulled away.
“Sorry, doc,” one of the security officers said. “It’ll take a while before we get the handle of running these things on different terrains.”
"It's fine," Greene replied having shifted his body weight slightly to find a more comfortable position. "Makes a change from swooping in and out via shuttle craft. How far till we reach our destination?"
“Shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes and the ride should smooth out once we hit the snow. That’ll slow us down a bit. We’re using this bit to cut the time to target down. Looks like the other Argo is doing the same…not that it’s a race, their destination is higher up the mountainside.”
"I trust both ARGO's have enough emergency winter gear to sustain the parties should something unexpected happen?" the Doctor inquired envisioning the potential injuries exposure could cause.
“Of course,” Hawkins answered. “We’ve also got the ability to turn her into a triage center accessible to the EMH if needed.”
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Frasier murmured and the vehicle bounced harshly again.
Hawkins scowled. “Message coming through for you, Doctor. Seems the Commander must have rocketed up the side of the mountain faster than us.”
"Maybe I spoke too soon," Frasier winced. "Alright, put it through."
=/\= Doctor Greene? Pull your team out. We have samples and a present for you. A dead Romulan. =/\= She paused for a moment. =/\= Be careful, a storm is coming through. Lorut out. =/\=
The CMO pouted at the message - it seemed Lorut had not only raced up the mountain she'd sourced what they'll target, making them surplus to requirement.
So much for a jaunt in the snow.
"It seems we can stand down," Greene called to Hawkins. "The second team has collected the samples we were looking for and arranged them to returned to the station."
Hawkins turned to the doctor. “You sound a little disappointed, doc. If I’m reading you right, you were looking forward to checking out those vents and seeing what we can get our hands on."
Greene remained tight lipped with a grimace, the prospect of crawling around hunting spiders may have been Hawkins' dream one he'd rather watch from afar.
“I just checked their current inventory. Everything they have is a baby. Maybe we should go after the big ones…I have the right to keep us going, doc, I have the same rank as her. I can override her stand down order.”
"They also reported an incoming storm," Greene added. "Lorut advised we returned before it rolled in."
“Dillon, word on the storm?” Hawkins barked.
The young ensign looked up, “Ops is reporting 45 minutes until the storm front arrives, Commander.”
Hawkins smiled. “You see, we have almost an hour to explore and bring home some of those dog-sized spiders.”
"I'm just here for the ride Commander," the Doctor sighed. "An adult specimen was always the target, but not worth risking ourselves to obtain. The juvenile would suffice especially if we allowed one to mature, safely of course."
“As you wish, Doctor,” Hawkins responded. Punching the drivers arm, he ordered, “Abort Mission Alpha. Who needs volcanic vents anyway? Take us home.”
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