Let's Not Lose Our Heads

Planet XI - Nomad Ground Crew
JP with Omni, Jaxx, Liltroll2, Kudzu, and Kronos

Niko tried to follow their old winding path back dodging the large cracks in the tundra.

The HTV started to rumble and shift oddly even on smooth terrain. As the ground team pushed eastward toward the Nomad, they watched as the storm swept closer. They could hear Captain Yoshida’s voice crackle over the comms, breaking up amidst the interference of the storm.

tzzt Ground…ew… tzzt …aptain Yosh…tzzt tzzt …eismic… tzzt …alating... tzzt Nomad tzzt …off t… tzzt …sink... tzzt …ange co… tzzt …eek... tzzt …epeat… tzzt …shel… tzzt …ediately… tzzt

The message dissolved into static, leaving only bits and pieces behind.

The crackling of the garbled message from barely registered before Sestero’s voice cut in over the comms. He was ahead on his ATV, the snow and wind already battering him as the storm closed in.

tzzt This ain't good, man! That storm’s movin’ in fast, we’re gonna get buried out here! tzzt Sestero’s voice crackled, panic remaining in his usually laid-back tone.

Elisabet held her chest, she could feel her anxiety pulsing inside her. She looked around at the rest of the ground crew as the HTV rattled in the storm's winds. "Shit," she quietly said to herself. The wheels loudly scraped against the top layer of ice as Niko tried to move them out of a dip.

Rita's heart raced as did the HTV towards the Nomad. When they lost sight of it Rita clenched her hand into a tight ball and she tried to suppress a panic that rose with in her.

The ship was gone.

They were stranded.

NO. If the ship was gone, the small voice told her. The voice of reason tried to break through, though stress pushed it back to the corner of her mind as she heard the captain over the com and a worried glance was given to her crew mates.

Maddox tried to get ahead of any panic, “Let’s not lose our heads here people. We need to slowly make our way towards the ship, otherwise we need to keep our eyes peeled for any suitable place to wait out this storm.” One hand was on the inner frame of the vehicle while the other held his gun. He knew he may not be able to use it on nature's forces but it makes him feel more stable holding it at the ready.

Adama ran the possible scenarios in his head and then said, "If the ship took off we would have heard the engines and picked it up on the scanners, so that means its buried under the snow or it fell in a sink hole. That means we need to find a safe place to park and ride out the storm. Then we can search for the others when the weather calms down. And I know this is a dumb thing to say but try to keep calm since we have a limit on oxygen tanks." Adama was doing his breathing exercises to use less O2.

Blaire told himself to remain calm...to not panic...but the ways in which his imagination filled the static gaps in the Captain's broken message did not make this easier. He knew the mission was dangerous, but this seemed ridiculously extreme...their first attempt at gathering samples threatening to wipe them out? His blood chilled as he thought about how easily they could all be scrubbed from existence. He glanced at the crew around him as the HTV raced toward the oncoming storm. He hoped this would be a story he lived to tell about later.

Sestero squinted against the swirling snow as the storm closed in fast. The Nomad had vanished, swallowed by the blizzard, and his ATV felt like little more than a tin can tossed in the wind. He glanced back toward the HTV. There was no way he’d make it to the Nomad...not like this.

“Damn it...” he muttered.

Snow whipped past in blinding sheets, and the visibility was rapidly dropping. The wind buffeted him, threatening to knock him off course.

tzzt “Yo! I’m no good out here in this thing. Comin’ back around. Pick me up.” tzzt

Yanking the wheel, Sestero veered toward the HTV. The ATV groaned in protest, its tires struggling to grip the icy tundra.

Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. A hidden crevasse, dark and jagged, swallowed the ATV’s front wheels. Sestero swore loudly as the vehicle lurched, flinging him sideways. His hands slipped from the wheel, and he was thrown clear of the ATV.

He tumbled across the frozen ground, finally skidding to a halt. “Shit...” Sestero groaned, pushing himself up just as the wind hit him full force. The storm wall slammed into him, lifting him off his feet and hurling him into the swirling abyss.

Back at the HTV, the crew had barely enough time to react. The blizzard struck them like a sledgehammer, slamming into the vehicle with brutal force. Snow and ice pelted the windows, reducing visibility to zero. Inside, Niko cursed as the HTV rocked violently, the world outside vanishing into a wall of white.

“Chyort!” Niko shouted over the noise, squinting through the windshield as the storm engulfed them.

Then came the rumble. A deep, reverberating roar shook the HTV. The ground trembled beneath them, and the crew was unsure whether it was the storm, seismic activity, or something else entirely.

“Is that Nomad... or quake?” Niko asked. No one could tell. Either way, they were on their own.

Adama replied, "I hope its the Nomad. It would make sense to escape to save the ship from the storm. We can confirm it if we can get a signal after the storm. If you feel betrayed just remember we need that ship to get home."