First Steps

Planet XI
JP with Omni, Jaxx, Lorem, and kysthelimit

Once he was ready, Dr Adama unbuckled and made his way to the suit locker to get suited up. He strapped his pistol to his hip and slung his back of tech gear over his shoulder.

Povel was probably the last person to get out of his chair’s straps after the landing finished. He was breathing rhythmically with his eyes closed, something one might do to try and calm themselves down. There was a slight bit of perspiration on his brow. He finally opened his eyes and methodically removed himself from the chair.

Moving on from the unpleasant raw sensations, Povel went back to work at the communication console. He set up a secure channel and frequency for those that would be adventuring off the ship, so that there would be a two way coms back with the Nomad. Then he began getting the gear they would need to take with them in order to access it; making sure it was working by running it through some setup tests.

Along with his gun in hand, Maddox had a stun baton on his belt and some grenades. The man’s build showed that he was no stranger to hand to hand combat along with the weapons that adorned his suit. Even in the articulate outfit, he was a very strong man.

“Want me to take point, Captain...or stay in the rear?” The tall man looked to Captain Yoshida, a ghost of a smile on his lips. A cheerful person by nature, Maddox rolled with the punches and kept the morale of his team up.

Dr Adama replied to Maddox, "Either way we need to stay close since I need to make sure we don't walk into a sink hole while taking samples. Once we get some core samples, I'll test them in the lab while the others explore for their samples." Dr. Adama was prioritizing his resource samples over the flora and fauna research since it guaranteed a fat paycheck.

Captain Yoshida glanced over at Maddox, appreciating the man’s readiness as they prepared to venture into the unknown.

“Well we know what’s behind us, so take point, Maddox. Garrett and myself can hold down the fort well enough I think,” Yoshida joked, his tone light but authoritative. “I don’t expect trouble, but I’m sure you can keep the ground team covered and alert to any threats. Everyone else…this is a recon mission first. We gather intel, assess the situation, and make sure everyone gets back in one piece.”

He paused, then added with a slight nod, “And Maddox…good to have you leading the charge.”

Maddox gave a nod to the captain. Then he took point to keep the others protected, it was in his job description as security.

“I’ll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open for anything that may be around here cap. First one in, last one out.” The last sentence was more a mutter to himself. A motto of the marines in his unit, something to remind him he was the protector here. He would take the brunt of the danger by taking the first step in and covering everyone’s backs on a retreat.

“Good to be leading the charge, sir.” He gave a smile to Yoshida, a relaxed smile that was just fully Maddox when not on the job. His face quickly melded into that of a marine. Tough and determined, ready for the shit that may come.

They ground team moved to the vehicle bay.

The Nomad ground crew moved with purpose and efficiency as they prepared for their first steps onto Planet XI. In the dim light of the Nomad’s vehicle bay, some of them finished suiting up in their BM-I Mk 7 EVA compression suits, the white and grey, streamlined armor designed to function both in space and withstand the harsh environments of planets. The suits hissed and sealed with a final pressurization check, the visors flickering to life with heads-up displays detailing vital signs, air supply, and environmental conditions. The air was breathable, but only for short periods and that was only if the air temp wasn’t deep in the negatives.

Once they were suited up, the pressure equalization sequence began. The vehicle bay's ambient hum shifted to a deep, resonant drone as the bay’s atmosphere adjusted to match the icy subzero temperature outside. The temperature plummeted, the walls of the bay crackling as they contracted slightly, the metal groaning under the strain. Despite the pressure correction, a brief clash of warmth and frigid air created a mist that curled around the edges of the ramp.

As the ramp began its slow descent, snow swept in with the wind, and it carried with it the chill of a world that had likely never known the warmth of something like earth. It was a good thing their compression suits had their own internal atmosphere. The

Captain joined the crew for initial touchdown, led by Maddox.

Maddox was the first one out, taking tentative steps to make sure it was safe for the group to follow. He'd been to plenty of places cold and hot alike, so he was not as taken by the freezing breeze of this planet. He began a steady pace for the group to follow him.

Dr. Adama shuddered at the cold temperature as they left the ship. He was focused on his scans as he made sure they were not heading to a dangerous sink hole or fault. He was all too aware of the dangers of an unstable environment. If he got a questionable response from his data pad he would let the others know what he found.

Povel felt like the air was forced out of him with an oh expression when the cold blew into him. It was much like wading into a cold pool and that initial shock when you dunked yourself for the first time. After the initial surprise, his body quickly acclimated. He could only imagine, if they didn’t have the suits on, what the environment would really have felt like.

He wasn’t going with the away team, but he was going to be working on the exterior of the Nomad; running diagnostic and mechanical checks on the antennae, projectors and receivers.

He also had a feed to the rest of the crew out in the environment, a link to comms and even video. Before they departed the ship he made sure all the comms and video worked in each suit. Now he wanted to test it one more time before they ventured out, live and interfacing with the actual user.

Povel opened a crew wide broadcast and spoke. tzzt Testing, testing …. If you are receiving this loud and clear then please respond. Also let me know if your video feed is operational and you can switch it to show the visual from person to person. Povel out. tzzt

tzzt Loud and clear Povel. Once we’re further in, I’ll check if it’s operational. Maddox over and out. tzzt responded the Gunnery Sargent.

tzzt Pickin’ you up clear as crystal, pal. tzzt, responded Sestero as he followed the others down the ramp. tzzt Turning on my video feed. tzzt

Next came the wildcatter, Nikolay, tzzt Affirmative. tzzt, he said in his Russian accent.

Ice and snow crunched under their boots as the crew stepped out onto the surface, the icy landscape before them illuminated dimly by the distant light of Astryllis 179.

Dr. Adama replied, tzzt Adama here, reading you loud and clear, Povel. tzzt Then he stayed close to the crew as he read the readings on his pad. He was taking his job seriously since his paycheck depended on it. He wanted to avoid any delays like injuries, broken equipment and detours on the expedition since time was money and they had little of both.

As the team was progressing forward, Dr Adama’s scans showed that about 1.5 - 2 km west of the landing zone was a good place for all of the crew to find potential samples. So he informed the team of the location and scan results so they would know what to expect.