ten_fwd | [Planetside:] On Risa, gearing up to lead his team out

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[Planetside:] On Risa, gearing up to lead his team out

There are a lot of dirty jobs Geordi La Forge ends up doing for the good of the Enterprise. Luckily, this doesn't happen to be one of them. OK, the prospect of walking 32 kilometers over uneven terrain while leading a small team isn't exactly a vacation, but when Captain Picard asked him to beam down to Risa to check out some readings the Enterprise picked up on dilithium crystals, Geordi wasn't about to start complaining.

He's stationed outside one of the resorts, in uniform but with a more comfortable pair of boots on, waiting for his team to arrive. He has a small pack slung over his shoulder, along with his tricorder and phaser on his hip. He has instructed everyone to bring some food and water, and a bedroll in case the unexpected happens and they are forced to camp out for a night before heading back. Hopefully everyone comes prepared.

In the meantime, no one will blame him if he takes in some of the sights, right? And maybe even enjoy an island drink? Virgin, of course. He is on duty, after all.

[ooc: If you signed your character up to go on the Rescue mission (OOC Plotting Post here!), then this is the post for you! You should have hopefully received some instructions for tagging via your preferred means of contact. Geordi will be around to chat with other characters soon!]

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After many days of quiet--apart from a few strange incidents during the midwinter festivities--Samanosuke is eager to have a chance to make himself useful. To be part of a team. He arrived at the meeting point promptly, with a pack slung over his shoulders, looking for the officer in charge. Perhaps after this mission, the wandering samurai will not feel like such an archeological relic himself.

John leaps at the opportunity to get involved on a planet mission, it's what he'd be doing if he was back home on Atlantis. He had thought this pleasure planet was almost too good to be true and was curious to see it's dark side, even the Jedi had a dark side.

Shortly after he arrived on the ship, he had prepared an away bag just in case, and it's matter of snatching it up and coming down to join the team. He tosses Geordi a lazy salute. "Last time we went under ground things didn't go so well." He grins, even though there could be a potentially worrying trend. "It's very out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Jonas is one of the few people around who has much positive to say about the last planet they'd visited. It had been unpleasant, sure, being trapped for all that time, and the people who'd been underground and in the fighting had a hard time, but Jonas had been in his element. He'd had a puzzle to solve, a mystery to piece together, and he and Rose and the Doctor had done it based on logic and detail and analysis.

Jonas had been delighted when the call came for volunteers to help out on the planet. He'd been down there already, exploring, shopping, talking to the locals, so it hadn't been hard to gather the supplies. Jonas has a pack on his back and one of the notepads he'd been filling with observations about Risa tucked under his arm, and a cap tucked onto his head.

He's dressed in the clothes he'd been in when he'd arrived on the Enterprise: combat boots, loose cargo pants, and a t-shirt, just like he was ready to embark with SG-1.

"Reporting for duty, Lieutenant Commander," he tells Geordi, brightly, grinning.

Finally. Gaheris thought he was festering without something proper to do. He couldn't fathom a guess about the faith that Captain Picard was placing in his guests to allow them on this potentially volatile mission, as he'd gathered that Risa was a place of peace. He probably would have been more cautious of his choices. Nonetheless he appreciated the chance to hone his skills rather than languish aboard with mock scenarios.

He arrived with his own pack, back in uniform for the moment because it was suitable for the occasion, and his force lance present in his hip holster.

"Also reporting for duty. Current situation?" Volatile? Stable? He had to check because the last thing he wanted to do at this point was to make any brash decisions that would ruin this opportunity.

Sam nearly missed the call... because when it came, 'he' had already ventured into the wild. Really, that happened the moment they could get planetside. 'He's' been stuck on the ship, with its confined space too long already, and a whole alien planet with so much wilderness felt like a paradise... and this whole kidnapping thing finally didn't seem so bad.

That made it a lot easier to accept the clearly-anachronistic visitor, since 'he's' already been out there on the planet, and didn't need to pack a thing - and wanders back out of the wilds instead of from the resort to check in.

"All set. 'Fraid I didn't get to exactly the coordinates you're talking about, but I know how to get there, more or less, now."

A few minutes after Sam's arrival, and there's the sound of someone else beaming down into their general vicinity.

Once the sequence is complete, the form of Lt. Commander Terzen T'Karr walks forward. "I'm sorry if I kept you all waiting." He says, in a form of apology, noting that he's the last one here.

For those not familiar with Terzen's appearance, the man looks human, at a glance. Look closer, and you'll notice spots, in a tone close to his skin colour, begin at his temples, making their way down his body, disappearing into. Oh, and his eyes? Black. Perfectly black.

"Not at all," Geordi says, glad to have Terzen with them. After Alemar III, he's built trust in the Pathfinder officer.

He takes a moment to survey his team. It may be an unusual gathering when you consider how few of them are Starfleet, but each one has their place. He nods at Sam, with a friendly but professional expression. "Excellent. I'll be able to follow the tricorder's readings the rest of the way, but your knowledge of the terrain will come in very handy."

Geordi is a fan of Risa, but he's never really ventured away from the resorts.

"Listen up, everyone!" he calls. "The caves we're trying to get to are a few hours to the East of us. We shouldn't have to worry about inclement weather or wild animals, just be sure you have enough food and water for a day's journey. We'll set out immediately with the goal of getting there in the late afternoon. This is our full team; for those of you who don't know each other, we have Samanosuke," he begins, pointing at the first man to arrive (and hoping he pronounced his name correctly on the first try), and then moving on to each person in order. "Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, Jonas Quinn, Executive Officer Gaheris Rhade of the Andromeda Ascendant, Sam Bowe, and Lt. Commander Terzen T'Karr. T'Karr and I will be your Enterprise liaisons, do not wander too far away from either of us because, in the event of an emergency, we are the only ones who can beam you back to the ship."

He indicates the combadges pinned to the breast of their uniforms. In addition to letting them communicate with other officers, combadges work as a sort of tracking device so the Enterprise can lock onto their coordinates if needed.

Geordi smiles at Sheppard. "We're not going to have a repeat of Alemar III today. Risa is a geologically stable, friendly planet. This mission should be in and out, with no complications. Does anyone have any questions before we get started?"

Any science far enough advanced could seem like magic to the untrained eye, but Samanosuke was quickly growing accustomed to the technology of the era. It wasn't as important to him how it worked, as long as it did--and as long as he knew how to operate safely within those parameters. Not that he had any intention of going off on his own in a place like this. Best to follow the lead of those who knew the lay of the land.

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, may I ask what we might expect to encounter en route?"

"Nope, none from me," John is relaxed. As long as they stay sharp, they can handle anything that gets thrown at them. He looks around the group, it's certainly an interesting mix of people with the civilians and the military but that makes him feel at home.

Jonas may be a civilian, but he's used to working with the military from his time in the SGC. The combination of ranks doesn't faze him; he gives each of his new allies a curious look as they're introduced, though, because he can't help wondering about the range of people he'd been introduced to here. They all have their stories, their worlds, their histories.

Their reasons for being here, on this mission.

"None for me," Jonas says, almost an echo of Sheppard's words, shifting the straps on his pack.

He's still grinning.

"I've done this sort of thing before."

He's more excited about what they might be about to see.

Gaheris was a little concerned about the presence of civilians, as the era that he came from meant that only High Guard trained professionals could hold roles. But simultaneously he decided that they must have valuable attributes beyond rank that made them useful on this expedition.

"I am curious about the dilithium crystals here." Even as he was speaking he was preparing to follow Geordi. "The fact that it's a finite resource would lead one to believe that if they were naturally occurring they would have been searched for and located before." Of course, as usual, Gaheris's inclinations leaned towards suspicious but he was dedicated to working out the details before he pursued any of his conclusions.

"I take it that warp drives aren't the only machinery that operates with dilithium crystals as a fuel source." Heaven help them if they walked down with some sort of super-weapon under construction.

Sam pauses in looking over 'his' companions, eyes settling on Samanosuke for a moment, and some hint of recognition dawns. The era may not be quite right, but Sam seems to have dealt with old-style samurai before. 'He' bows formally, and when Sam speaks Japanese, to modern speakers, it would be archaic - to the 'relic', it might well speak volumes about someone coming from much closer to his own time.

"There's always unforseen circumstances, part of the fun of exploring."

'He' shifts back to English and the group in general.
"This is pretty much what I do. Drop me anywhere, and all that. 'Cept I know nothing about tricorders and dilithium. But I've gotten a pretty good feel for the terrain. The bigger animals are well out there - don't go near the resort. There's walking trails for a bit, then it gets rockier. If y'all with the gadgets want to keep an eye out for your whatevers, I should be able to get us to the coordinates quick and safe - well, safe from the terrain. If someone else is after your crystals, or someone brought them, can't speak to that just yet."

"Dilithium crystals are primarily used to handle matter-antimatter injections within a vessel's warp core. I don't think there's another use that's as efficient."

He looks over to Gaheris, offering the man a slight smile. "The appearance of the crystals here is strange, but that's why we're investigating." A pause. "And I wouldn't worry too much. Risa is a Federation world, one that promotes peace and well-being. I don't think we'll find anything to the contrary."

Geordi nods in agreement. He's a good-natured guy in general, but his current smile speaks volumes. If he wasn't confident in this crew before, he is now.

"Thanks Sam, T'Karr," he says, nodding to the two. "It is definitely strange to find dilithium all of a sudden, but that's why I've chosen this team. Everyone here has defense and survival skills, or has been on missions of exploration before. If these end up being false readings, or something else entirely, I'm confident we can handle it."

But there hadn't been anything wrong with the sensors. It's strange, very strange, but Geordi's hopeful they're going to find exactly what they're heading out to find. "With luck, Samanoskue, the only thing we'll have to worry about encountering is a beautiful sunset and a rocky trail ahead. If we're all ready, let's move out."

They've got a long journey ahead of them. Geordi leads the team on a well-beaten path away from the resort, keeping apace of Sam as he shows them the best way out. Given that the scenery is so ideal in this part of Risa, it starts out feeling like a pleasure hike, with plenty of opportunity for everyone to get to know each other.

Samanosuke smiles at the use of formal Japanese, once again a pleasant surprise in this world of vast diversity. Taking in the information shared by the others, he doubts that anyone present is truly a civilian, even if they did not all wear the same uniform. Their words speak of experience that trancends rank, and if fortune favored them, perhaps they would all have a chance to share their stories.

He bows, and falls into step behind their leaders, curious to see more of this new and peaceful world, but alert and ready for anything.

John drops to the back of the group to act as a rearguard with his hand on his gun and he gestures for Jonas to join him. "This is my bread and butter too," he comments to the other as his eyes track their surroundings. "How do you travel between planets at home?"

His voice carries so the rest of the group can join in or at least listen in.

Jonas is noting the details of the conversation, nodding occasionally, but primarily cataloging them for later. There's no telling what he'll need to remember, and Jonas has more interest in this than he otherwise might because of what dilithium does. He wants to learn more about how warp works, and is powered, and its potential to inform what he and Major Carter are working on back on Earth with naquadria hyperspace engines. He'll have to talk to Lt. Cdr. La Forge later.

So he listens, curious, to that part of the conversation before they set out. Jonas has his gun with him, though he's nowhere near as confident in carrying it as some of the others seem with theirs.

He's ... not fond of fighting.

Sheppard catches his eye and gestures towards him, where he's taking up the rear of the team, so Jonas slows his pace for a few steps until he's where Sheppard can talk to him, his expression one of mild interest.

Something about this Sheppard guy reminds Jonas a little of O'Neill. Maybe it's the ease with the weapon, or the way he'd so readily taken up a position where he could defend the group if he needed to. Maybe it's the easy way he walks.

The question makes Jonas pause. Technically, the answer to that question is classified, but in this world, where there is no such thing as a Stargate, it seems useless to try to hide it.

Sheppard might not even be from Jonas' version of reality, or this one. So he replies in a voice that, like Sheppard's, doesn't hide what he's saying from the group.

"We use a device, called a Stargate. It creates a stable wormhole linking it to a Stargate on another planet, and you can go through it. We're explorers."

"I hope you're correct, and believe me when I say I will school my behavior and you have no need to worry about rash action from me, but I still hope to proceed with utmost caution." Gaheris generally didn't want to take anything in this universe for granted yet- he was extremely grateful for things to do but also this is a strange new place.

Not long after his serious look ebbed to something more thoughtful, and the place reminded him of something. Risa was a beautiful world, much like another.

"It's nice here." Is all he said at the realization, just leaving the rest of it clattering around in his head. Perhaps it's where his paranoia came from, and it meant he would have to be more careful with it. Decide on jumping to less conclusions but be prepared for more ruthlessness if a furry faced Magog aggressor came running at them.

This pristine world reminded him much of Brandenburg-Tor.

Unlike Samanosuke, Sam hasn't shown any real signs of adapting to the era's technology. Absolutely no idea what a warp drive is outside of the very basic concept - which also means dilithium means very little, outside of obviously being vital.

There's also no guns involved. Sam doesn't carry one. Instead, 'he' has knives stashed all over, small of the back, in each boot, hip sheaths, a concealed side sheath under the vest - and one carried in the left hand, just in case - and occasionally for clearing the path just a little. Judging by facility and the occasional dextrous fidgeting, twirling the knife between 'his' fingers, Sam is either left-handed or ambidextrous. Also, clearly, trained in knife fighting.

Sam takes to the guide role readily, leading the way, and slipping through the trees with ease and speed, doubling back whenever necessary to make sure 'he' stays visible to the group.

Catching the question on one of those trips back, 'he' replies, "We don't. Airships were only invented in the 1770's, not that far back. Some guy had some theories about rockets, and maybe reaching the moon in fifty years - but they booted him out of Oxford and scrapped all his research when he got caught trying to teach girls medicine. I suspect maybe one or two of the folks I used to know might try and pick up the trail. Still... having more than one planet to explore - that I can get behind."

Terzen is matching steps with Gaheris, tricorder folded out so he can keep an active scan up for any changes as they walk.

"It didn't used to be." He remarks, glancing at the man, before back at his Tricorder. "Risa was rather dismal in the past. It always rained, always had earthquakes... Not exactly ideal. The Risans converted it, with all it's forests and jungles, into a pleasure planet by using a technologically advanced Weather Control Network to manage the rain, and seismic regulators to control the earthquakes."

Geordi, keeping a few steps behind Sam, chuckles lightly after he's done talking.

"I'm trying to imagine what our chief medical officer would say if she knew someone had been dismissed under those circumstances," he says, eyebrows arched. Beverly is the best doctor Geordi has ever known, and she takes her role as CMO very seriously. "You're taking to all of this pretty well for your first time off-planet. It must be a big change from what you're used to."

He listens in on the other conversations, glancing back with interest when Jonas starts talking about stable wormholes and Stargates. That's something he really wants to know more about, but he doesn't butt in on the conversation just yet. It's Gaheris and T'Karr who get intruded on.

"Caution is a good thing, my friend," he tells Gaheris. "I know we don't know each other that well yet, but I can promise you one thing: in this team, we've got your back. Hopefully after this is all through you'll have a chance to see more of the planet. 'Nice' is a good word for it."

Geordi doesn't get many vacations. He likes Risa.

"Sometimes change is for the better," Samanosuke mused, in light of how different the customs of this century were than those previous. He knew first hand that women were capable of a great deal more than the roles to which they had often been relegated in the past.

He was also enjoying the respite from the constant battle to which he had been previously accustomed. It was very nice indeed.

John's ears perk up at the mention of the Stargate. "The same Stargates the Ancients created?" he checks. The description sounds right, and John isn't aware of half of the other people working on various Stargate projects. The Atlantis expedition he is on, is far removed from earth and journeys backwards and forwards from the planet are few and far between.

He smiles, "I took the one way trip through the Stargate to Atlantis."

"On my planet, we didn't either, until I came to Earth," he says, raising his voice a little so Sam can hear. "But ... I wouldn't trade exploring for anything."

He'd joined the Stargate Program as a way of trying to help his own people not destroy themselves through ignorance of the world out there, but it turned into so much more. He'd had no idea of the potential that was out there until he saw it.

He grins at Sheppard.

"You're the first person I've met here who's even heard of them."

What Sheppard says next makes him frown, though. "We haven't sent anyone to anywhere called Atlantis. That's out of an Earth myth."

The conditions of Brandenburg Tor had been similarly modified as Risa's, so it was actually good that the conversation shifted to deviate some darker, more resentful thoughts.

"I've been to nice worlds. I've been to harsh ones, as well."

He knew the attachments to engineering in this universe, but he talked freely anyway. The Augments weren't something that should be allowed to compromise his pride. While similar, there were key points to their histories that were different. His people were their own. The didn't live as Khan's men.

"My people were engineered with the idea that we could settle harsh and distant worlds, to bring civilization with us. Many of our colonies are meant to be homely and comfortable, so this isn't completely foreign to me." Atlantis, though? He knew the Earth tale. "I'm named for a figure in Camelot. Many Earth myths have basis in some historic fact. Even when glorified they have value. 'You, whom I have always loved and never found, you whom I expected to see at the end of the rails beyond the horizon.'"

For a Nietzschean, he far favored Nietzsche and Dawkins over Rand but she still had her moments.

Sam glances back at Geordi, 'his' reactions showing signs that Sam is catching everything said, even those typically possibly difficult for human ears to pick up on, given the distance, terrain and noises of them all moving.

"Yeah, I've been reading some of your history logs. Lots of question marks. But according to what I read, women get the right to vote in 1919 on your Earth... I'm from 100 years before that. Midwives are about as close to learning medicine as women get. Far as I can tell, your world and mine ain't quite the same. No dirigibles in 1776 in your history, few other things... but lot of similarities."

And back to the differences and culture shock bits. "Earth was getting a little small. Time off the ship, anyway, I don't mind it. Wouldn't mind going on a lot more of these missions. Drop me just about anywhere. I'm thinking about trying out for your security or something anyway, so I can get my knives back as it is."

Mention of Atlantis gets a quirked brow. "We found some old notes and legends, spent a long time trying to figure out where it might have used to be. Never did find it.

"Atlas Shrugged." Terzen says, to Gaheris, and a smile. "Gaheris... Yes, Sir Gaheris of King Arthur's Round Table, if I remember correctly? Or a squire to his brother, Sir Gawain, depending on where you read."

He glances back at mention of Atlantis, that being a part of Earth Mythology he missed, before his attention goes back to Gaheris.

"Arthurian Legend was one of the pieces of literature I read at Starfleet Academy." He clarifies.

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[Planetside:] On Risa, gearing up to lead his team out

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Sorry for holding everyone up, it was a busy week!

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