| abstract
| - Verdant Field The wavy blue-green grass grows to about knee-height on an average human adult in this field of gently sloping ground that angles down to the east, following the track of a rather well-worn path that leads toward a broad expanse of mist-shrouded jungle. Jagged black-purple mountains capped by ice and snow loom to the north and west. A roiling apple-green sea froths along a rocky shore to the south. Voliarin leaves the ramp of the Athena, glowing a green color. He carries a couple medkits with him. Sixmoon walks down the ramp from the Athena, PDA in hand as he gazes up at the sky, whose stars and dominant Palisade crescent are being blotted out gradually by roiling storm clouds that flash intermittently with what could be lightning. His brow furrows, and he steps off the ramp into the knee-high grass. "That's liable to hinder any exploration," he grumps mildly. Then he shrugs, ducks under the belly of the Athena and leans against one of the landing struts, tapping data into the PDA. Padpadpadpading down the ramp, Tryklynn vanishes for a moment beneath the tall dress. his black ears and long snout eventually resurface as he moves twards the aft. As he gets then he pauses, blinks and looks to the engine mounts. The almost lost engineer slowly straightens his whiskers, and then looks to the jungle treeline. "Did we ... guezzz notzz." he then looks to the bigget of the ship's crew. "Come comezz ... needzz to find three big zzztong logzzz, yzyezyez? maybe nine, ten meterzzz?" his nose wrinkles. "before it getzzz all wetzzz and zztuffzzz." "Tryklynn, I think we should do something else first," Noz says. "Do you have any metal scrap lying around?" He looks uneasily at the clouds. "I'd sleep easier tonight if we had a lightning rod." Rin looks over at Noz, "That storm doesn't look good." he shifts his gaze to Marlan, "It’s not a quick job Captain. We have to cut down the logs...hoist them, hoist the engine mount onto it...it's going to take some time. And working in that rain." Voliarin continues out. He eventually turns to look towards the ship, he glows a green aura still, but remains quiet. Sixmoon tilts his head as he studies the PDA display. He looks up, traces the hull with the fingers of his right hand, and walks toward the seaward side of the Athena, gazing out toward the approaching storm clouds. His eyes then return to the PDA display as he switches to another sensor mode. Urfkgar pops a single carrot into his mouth and takes his time eating it. Once he's done, he uses his arms to push himself up out of the grass to glower towards the jungle. That lasts about a minute before he lowers himself back to the ground. Tryklynn looks to Mazzonnoz and just blinks. "Thnkzzz thizzz izz ZZeecondzz Ringzzz? Athena izz very well groundedzzz, even in tallzzz grazz ... that an the treezz aroundzzz uzzz are much taller than zzzhipzz, yezyezyez." The Lotorian just rubs his muzzle. He then looks up to Rin. "Yezyez, come ownzzz, faztfaztfazt. Continue reinforzzzementzz of ribzzzz inzzzide zzhipz. Gimbalzzz going no wherezzz, and lotzz to do elzzewhere too." Marlan shifts her gaze towards Tryklynn and then back to Rin, "Alright..." she turns, once more tapping her comm-link, "Urf, Crelsk, report to the Rockrat, Security Detail B, replace them." she then turns towarsd Tryklynn, "Just called Urf and Crelsk to give you some help, Dr. Rin may be able to help in his own way as well, da. And Ren has already volunteered to work with the engineering crews." she looks up at the sky once more, "It doesn't look like we'll have good weather much longer, da. So whatever you need to get done...i highly suggest you plan accordingly, da and start directing us to where you need us." Crelsk re-slings his rifle, walking over towards Tryklynn. "Captain," Sixmoon calls from his position overlooking the sea, toward the approaching clouds. "That's no ordinary storm." Urfkgar tilts his head in the direction of his commlink. Then, he eyes the bag of carrots in front of him and his plasma rifle. He grumbles vaguely before collecting the stuff, standing, and moving towards the ship. He looks over his shoulder more than once as he goes. Voliarin looks down at Tryklynn as he speaks to him. The Vollistan shows a purple aura, "So... what did you want me to do?" The small lotorian bobs his muzzle once. "Finezzz ..." he then looks to those surrounding him. "Firzzzt for worzzt damage. Needzz to findzz three logzzz, between nine to tem meterzzzin lemgthzzz, probably half to three quarterzzz meterzz in diameter. Good zzolidzzz woodzz for loggingzzz, not green, not olt an rottedzzz. That needzzz to b brought to shipszzz." he then takes a step back and starts tromping down a circle in the small ship, near its back end. "neeedzzz to clear ccirclezzz, zzo we can rebuild cargo holdzzz where blazzter beam hitzzz." Marlan steps away from where Tryklynn is directign the movements of the others and towards Sixmoon, "What do you mean thats not a normal storm, Professor?" she looks up at the storm as if trying to ascertain just what it is he sees in it. Renkek Kashaan nods as he listens to Tryklynn and prepares to go find the logs needed to support whatever. He isn't the strongest nor claims to be but will help saw or whatever. Sixmoon shows Marlan the display screen of his PDA, which shows an image of the clouds that is throbbing evenly throughout with vibrant dots of violet. "Silicates, with tiny power sources. Microscopic, and contained within an organic monocellular shell." He lowers the PDA, then gazes back at the sky. "Living raindrops, engineered for some purpose that I have not yet divined." Crelsk nods his snout at Tryklynn, then pauses as Sixmoon speaks. "I would not like to find out firsthand," he hisses. Tryklynn rises to his tiptoes as Sixmoon speaks. His ears snap up, tall ... an he then runs asquick as his little paws can back into the ship. it is a few moments befor her returns, with a big metal bucket. This he sets out in a open space, pushing it down into the ground a bit to steady it. "Raindropzzz trapzzz! Marlan frowns, "Like the insects..apparently we're drawing a bit more attention then we originalyl planned." a pause and she turns towards Trklynn, "Rockrat, anything we can do to prevent further damage to the ship if these organisms are somehow programmed to damage it?" Voliarin watches Tryklynn as he gets the bucket. Then he looks up, the aura turns a blue color now. He watches on silently, however. "Urf go stupid shorty fuzzball thingy. Urf see." The Zangali snorts, turns, and lumbers off in the direction of the jungle. "I do not think damage is the intent," Sixmoon says, but shrugs. "Whoever can command this sort of technology could come up with something far more efficient to destroy us, I am certain. But, if the crew would feel safer aboard the Athena, I have no problem remaining out here, beneath the shelter of her hull, while the storm passes overhead." Mazzonnoz frowns. "I'm noticing a pattern," Noz mutters. "I wonder if they'd consider it rude if we generated an electromagnetic pulse? How long do we have before it hits?" Tryklynn looks to Crelsk and nods to Urfgar's start of work. "Betterzzz two thn onezzz, yezyezyez." he then snaps his head back to Marlan, considering. "Can getzzz fire hozzezz from fire zzuprezzion zzzytem, keep hull wazzhed down, yezyezyez. But other wizze, onezz with hozzezzz, going to get very wetzz." Crelsk flicks his tail, his headspines raising. Nontheless, the goes off to find a log as well. Marlan shifts her gaze to Sixmoon, "I've learned that the least likely sources of danger often turn out to be the biggest." she nods to Trklynn, "Do it." and then turns to Crelsk, "Go with Urf." she says motioning towards the jungle, "Stay together and don't let him go too far. Tell him we need him here, da. No use going for logs now." she turns to Noz, "Get all non-critical personnel back on board, da, then come help us getthe equipment back inside." she turns to Dr. Rin and Ren, "Help the engineering teams pack up the equipment." "It will be overhead within ten minutes," the professor replies to Noz. "But, keep in mind, if we intend to set off an electromagnetic pulse powerful enough to affect that cloud, it will likely affect the ship as well." Voliarin nods, "Okay." he says to Marlan. Then he begins to go towards some of the equipment, picking it up to carry. Renkek Kashaan nods "Of course captain." he goes to help pack up said engineering equipment, and carries what needs be in as big of loads as he can safely handle back inside. Marlan turns towards Noz and Sixmoon, "We're not setting up an electromagnetic pulse." she determines, "Whatever is here...it has so far not shown any hostile intent, I don't plan on being the first to do so. We'll collect specimens for examination, take whatever preventive measures we can to ensure that no damage is done to the ship and see just what happens. Sixmoon nods, then ducks back under the belly of the ship. "I'll wait out the storm here." Mazzonnoz nods to Marlan, turns to begin rounding people up and pushing them back aboard ship. Urfkgar keeps moving off towards the jungle, scanning for likely sized trees as he goes. Crelsk starts walking quickly after Urfkgar. "hrunth SHishhiSH hrunth sthacuff hrunth hishHssh hishHssh sssSSs hrunth SrreimM hrunth hrunth" Voliarin makes another trip out, going after more engineering equipment. He hurries now as the storm nears. The clouds are now looming overhead, rumbling a little with modest thunder. Tryklynn nods to marlan and then retreats back into the ship himself. When he returns its to haul out long lengths of hose, setting each line on either sid of the ship. On his third trip out he drags a long ladder .. arumpahrumpahrump ... so he can get access to the ship's top surfaces, preparing for the oncoming cleansing. "Mite be worldzzzz verzzizon of a decontaminantzzz prozzedure actuallyzzz ..." "What stupid shorty?" asks Urfkgar as he arrives at the jungle's edge. He scratches his shoulder and looks around some more. Marlan looks up at Tryklynn at the top of the ship, followed by the rainclouds above and then the jungle were Crelsk adn Urf dissapeared into. SHe taps her comm-link, speaking to all the others, "The storms closing in fast, everyone get back to the ship. We need a volunteer or two to hose down the ship, Rockrat you can stay outside but under the ship. Your not staying in the rain." she orders, heading for under the ship herself. "Captain Marlan wants us back at the ship," Crelsk repeats, in Standard, to Urf. "We don't need to look for logs." Voliarin makes another run in and out again. "I can do it if no one else does and you don't mind." he offers to Marlan. Marlan shifts her gaze to Rin, "Do it. If no one else volunteers, i'll be joining you. Lotorian anatomy just isn't suited for rain, da." Urfkgar looks at the trees and then back at the ship, pressing the charge button on the plasma rifle. He clacks his teeth together, "Stupid softskins. Say do. Say no do. Urf no care." "Yezyezyez ..." Tryklynn scrambles down the side of the ship. "Fewzzz thingzzz in worldzz worzze than wetzz furzzz. Ezzpecizzially when you hve orkingzzz nozzezz." The clouds overhead dump their burden, and the raindrops splash slickly on the blades of grass, into the bucket, on the gimbals, and on the hull of the Athena. Slower, seemingly more sluggish than normal raindrops, they ooze like tiny translucent slugs along the surface of the vessel. Within the tiny drops glow bright blue orbs. Caught outside, Noz ducks under the Athena. He reaches over to grab the dangling cuff of his leather jacket's left sleeve - the empty one - and curiously inspect the two or three raindrops which he was not quick enough to avoid. As soon as the raindrops start to fall and with no one else having volunteered Marlan steps out from under the hull and towards the hoses, "Everyone under the ship!" she orders into her comm-link. She grabs one of the hoses, "Rin, climb on board if you can, if not spray her from below." she climbs up the ramp trying to get as high an angle as possible on the ship, "Urf, Crelsk, where the hoop are you." she yells into the comm-link, "Find cover and get out of this rain." Crelsk points at the sky. "There's something in those raindrops," he says to Urf, "And frankly, I'd rather not find-" he pauses as the rain begins to fall. "I suggest we get back to the ship." He turns and starts jogging back to the Athena. Voliarin moves towards the other hose, taking it and moving upwards to climb. The Vollistan struggles somewhat though, not being the most adept climber, but he manages. "Stupid scaredy shorty. Stupid scaredy softskin girly doc boss. Stupid glowly place," growls Urfkgar. He fires the plasma rifle at a tree on the outskirts of the jungle that he judges to be about the right size. Some of the raindrops splash on Urfkgar. Like the ones on the Athena, they glow a cerulean blue and slowly trickle down his form. They cause no pain or discomfort. Marlan reaches the top of the ramp before turning the hose on. Carefully she climbs higher onto the ships wing before beginning to hose the ship down, removing as much of the blue rain as possible. Voliarin makes it to another wing, now covered in the blue rain himself, he turns the hose on, beginning at the top. Sixmoon checks his PDA display, intermittently watching it and then the dripping organisms from the sky. He grins a little as he studies the display screen a bit longer. "They're scanners, Captain. Organic scanners." He glances over at the captain with the hose. "The bugs handled recon work, but were limited to surface visuals. These organisms actually collect and transmit sensor scan data." The one-handed Timonae produces his own PDA. "They do, do they," Noz mutters, aiming his PDA at Sixmoon's. "How do you figure? Show me the data - do they have software?" "Hard-wired silicon nanotech," the professor replies, pressing the transmit button on his PDA after directing it toward Noz's machine. "They're basically amoebas programmed with a single-use nanite nucleus. They conduct a scan, transmit the data, and then die. Sort of like a honey bee stings and dies, except, well, it's harmless. The amount of radiation produced by the organic raindrops is negligible. We're exposed to higher levels just by being on a ship with a spindrive powered down." Tryklynn blonks and peers, looking out to the rain. The lotorian's whisker droop in the humidity, as he then glances back to marlan. "Not likezzz we have anythingzzz to hidezz." His eyes sparkle. "Like to knowzzzz, juzzt who are they collectingzzz informazzionszz *for*!" "Wonderful." Marlan replies into her comm-link, still working to wash the 'scanners' rfom the ship, "Perhaps they'd like to send worms that can communicate with us next, da." "So these things are just machine things?" Rin asks as he washes scanners near him. Mazzonnoz nods, grinning a little as he watches the schematics pass his face. "The question is, where do they transmit the data?" Noz presses a few buttons on his PDA. "There's a village of prefabricated buildings east of here, beyond that jungle, on a lake," the professor says matter-of-factly. Urfkgar grunts sourly as the plasma briefly catches the tree on fire without much result. Then, it starts to topple in his direction, and he amuses himself by diving out of the way. He sits up and growls, "Stupid glowly place." He shoots at a more distant tree. "Crelsk, Urf, report in, da. What's your locations." she reachs up to wipe her brow rather uselessly, "Noz, make sure a sample is collected so it can be passed on to the science department, as well as you taking a look at it." Mazzonnoz watches frequencies flicker past his eyes as his PDA searches for the frequency the nanites are using to transmit, and attempts to passively listen in. Sixmoon glances toward Voliarin. "They are organic mechanicals. Most likely, they begin existence as simple ameobas, but have their nuclei injected with the nanotech." Crelsk speaks into his commlink. "I am heading back towards the ship. Urf is being Urf." He continues on his way back towards the ship. Marlan continues to shoot water at the entities now covering the ship, though with much less interest then before, "Urf, report. Whats your position." she says into the comm-link. "Hmm, that sounds kind of weird, why'd someone want to hurt poor amoeba things..." Voliarin says in his commentary on the analysis. He keeps the spraying up though, glowing a purple aura still. "They're hacking us," Noz says. He blinks, then he laughs. "They're fucking *hackers*! Look." Noz shows Sixmoon the data passing over his screen. "Well. Let's see if this little probe works two ways." Using his PDA, Noz tries to trace the data stream back to its destination - looking for the computer system or other digital entity receiving all this information. "Urf Urf," says Urfkgar into his commlink once the second tree has fallen without endangering him. He shifts around as he searches out a third tree in the glowing rain. Sixmoon glances at the shared data dancing across his PDA display. A faint smile plays across his lips. "They can make organic raindrops and photo-snapping crickets. Hacking would seem to be child's play for their kind." "Then I'll try to let them know who they're playing with," Noz replies. Resting the PDA on his lap, Noz's fingers fly across its screen - apparently, five fingers are more than enough for this particular occupation. Six rain drops creep down the Athena's hull and then under it, continuing to cling to the vessel as they move into position above the PDA that's being worked by Mazzonnoz. The professor glances up, then down at the PDA. "You have their attention, it would seem." "Urf, we don't need the logs right now, get back to the ship now, da." Marlan says itno the comm-link and then yells down, "What's going on down there?" "How do you hurtzzz an ameaobazzz?" Tryklynn peers, as he inches out to see what the rain is doing to his engine mounts. "And hackerzzz? But to be eexxpected, if to be effectiv detail scanzzzz ... though would thinkzzz, if they are thizz zzophizzticated, notzzure if we have anytingzz they not alreadyzzz knowzz? And if that truezzz ... real quezztionzz izz ... who comezzz nezzt?" Mazzonnoz grins. "I do," he says, then calls, "Saying hello!" Which he attempts to do, using a standard text-based communications protocol, and forming words aimed via digital channels to the source of the raindrops: See anything you like? Voliarin continues spraying, the aura fluxuates now however as he begins to struggle with control for a moment. He begins to regain control quickly though. The six raindrops perched above the PDA drop onto it and begin sapping it of information at a rapid pace, overwhelming the relatively primitive logic circuitry and causing it to short out moments after the word Yes. flashes briefly on the display. Then it goes dark and the raindrops puddle uselessly. Crelsk jogs back to the Athena, trying to duck under the hull. "Zangali," he hisses. "What's happening?" Urfkgar aims and fires at the third tree once he's picked it out. It gets hit but fails to go down. He hits the charge button on the rifle, starting its cool down process. Then, he gets up and moves over to put a shoulder into the smouldering tree trunk. Sixmoon tilts his head. Looks at the small puddle on Noz's PDA. Then he looks over at Tryklynn. "Language. They're learning our languages." Mazzonnoz yelps a little and drops the PDA as it shorts, shaking his hand out. "Smartass!" he cusses, and turns the PDA over to look at its poor, oppressed surge protection system. "I don't think they meant to short it out," he adds. "But we're going east, and I'm going to score myself whatever hardware they're running on." "Negative Noz." comes the reply from above as the storm starts to die down, though still falls, "We regroup, analyze what we've got, come up with a strategy and then head East." As the storm dissipates, still drifting off toward the east, Sixmoon chuckles and looks back toward Mazzonnoz. "Yes. And you'll probably get choked to death by guard vines or impaled by javelin-sized spines from sentient cacti when you do, so I think it would be best if this ship is in spaceworthy condition for a quick dustoff before trying to acquire souvenirs from the natives." "I've yet to be convinced that their hardware outweighs my skill," Noz replies with a haughty sniff. The first officer pulls out his PDA's dilapidated fuse and pockets it, replacing it with a new one and closing up the small access panel. He mutters a quiet prayer to Lin and attempts to reboot his computer. "Although if I have to spend the rest of the day recovering scattered data, our nanometer-sized friends will officially be on my bad side." Tryklynn comes out from beneath the ship as the rain fades away. "Yezyezyez ... ezzpezzially if what they zzay izz true." The lotorian scrambles up his ladder, still chittering. "Obviouszzly they are curiouzzz folkzzz ... and obviouzzz they foundzz zzomethingzz interezzting. Quezztion izz not if there will be next vizzitzz ... but whenzzz.' The tree eventually falls after Urfkgar pushes, shoves, and otherwise manhandles it into the ground. Finished, he drags it over towards the first tree he shot. He does the same with the second tree. Then, he stares at the pile. Voliarin finishes spraying down the ship, the aura remains the purple color, but he remains quiet. Crelsk hisses. "I am tired of being spied on. I would rather meet these people face to face." Sixmoon glances toward Crelsk. "And what would you say to them, if they cannot speak your language?" "As would I," Noz agrees, stepping out from under the ship and giving his PDA one or two hard smacks in an attempt to get it started again. "But Sixmoon and the Captain are right. We need to be able to make a quick exit before we go poking our noses somewhere risky." Marlan turns off the hose and in one fell swoop jumps down towards the boarding ramp, knees tucked and hose in hand. Renkek Kashaan is about to head down the ramp again and looks around "need me out here, or should I go back in?" Voliarin makes his way down, but climbs rather than jumps down, slower than Marlan is at it. Urfkgar undoes the cable he wears and stuffs the knife into the waist of his pants. He shifts the burnt bases of the trees around until he can loop his belt around them. Then, he looks in the direction of the ship and scratches his shoulder. He looks back at the the ten meter plus tall trees. There is some more shoulder scratching. Marlan runs a hand through her sopping wet hair, "You can go on inside." she tells Ren. "We'll be joinin you shortly." Renkek Kashaan nods and turns to do so as he looks around once more. Tryklynn glances down from the top of the ship, at the crash of trees. he claps his paws together and then wraps his tail around an access rung, to drop and hang far enough to look to the others beneath the ship. His beady, upsidedown eyes find Renkek and he chitters. "Big lizzradzzz, got treezzz ... needzzz hindred feetzzz ropezzz, block an tacklezzz from backbay an the power hoizzzt from the tarboardzzz cargo holdzzz, pleazzezz?" Mazzonnoz nods. "I'll get you the rope," he calls to Tryk, "but I want to talk to you afterward. If they get to learn all they want about us ... I don't see why we can't give the reverse a try." Noz heads for the ramp. Marlan turns toward Sixmoon, Crelsk and Noz, all underneath the ship, "Noz..if you could handle matters out here...ensure the engineers have everything they need." she turns to Voliarin, "Doctor... I suggest you and I get changed, da. Before we both find ourselves under the weather."
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