This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#Deck4 – April 7, 2016
After about an hour of waiting, there's a stir in the camp as Harmonia announces that the eastbound probe has found a suitable drilling location. Preparations to leave start immediately. The packing is done, and so there is little that needs to be done but to pile in to the vehicles. Most of the research team is in the passenger compartment of the snowcrawler that is pulling the drill, but not all. Pablo is driving the cargo hauler, and Yan Sun and Nalota are on
their way towards the M35B rover. Harmonia approaches Jason. "The M29 will be piloted by one of yours. Most of your people should fit in there, but we'll take a few in the rover as well. I'll be driving that."
Jason looks over the scene, giving a quick nod. "Sounds good." he says, passing a glance back over at his team which he has assembled near him. "Uvena. Artullin. Jessica." he says, glancing at each in turn, "You'll be going with Harmonia's team." He gestures towards the rover, "Nathan. Jasper. You'll be piloting the Grizzly." he says before looking back to Harmonia, "Anything else that needs
Jasper gives a silent fist pump before nodding over to Nathan and giving him a wink through his visor. "You an' me, Ten."
Jessica nods and follows Uvena towards the rover. She breaks into a short jog to intersect with Yan Sun, purposely nudging her in the shoulder from behind. "Looks like you're stuck with me for a little while longer." she says, "I'm coming with."
Yan Sun stumbles slightly as she's nudged, almost tripping over herself. She lets out a small chuckle. "Sounds like a plan." she says before climbing into the Mako through the open hatch on the vehicle's side, taking a seat in the cramped passenger compartment.
Jasper slogs through the snow behind Ten, his awkward suit slowing him down a bit. "Ya ever been in one a' these suckers?"
Harmonia shakes her head. "No, not right now. I'll be going first with the rover, and you can follow up with the Grizzly. We won't be able to move all that fast since the cargo hauler needs to keep pace."
Jessica follows Yan Sun inside and plops down in an available seat. "So do we know how long this trip will be?" she asks.
Jason glances around at the others scrambling about. "Alright. We'll get situated and be right behind you." he says, fully turning to the remaining Redrock employees. "Make sure you've got everything you need, it might be a while before we're able to get back here, and mount up."
Nathan nods. "A few times. Though I was either a passenger or the gunner. Never the driver," he says as he makes for the hatch leading into the driving compartment.
There is a ladder that allows access to the roof of the Grizzly, and the access hatch is open. The compartment itself has two seats - driver and gunner, both with various tactical displays.
Jasper follows right behind Nathan, giving a short chuckle. "Well, I ain't tryin' a' smear a dog turd on yer' hopes n' dreams, Ten, but you ain't gon' be drivin' today either. Not unless I get a serious case of indigestion an' need to take a breather."
Nathan chuckles, scrambling up the ladder. "I know, I know. I don't mind being the gunner. The weapon on this beautiful bastard is enough to keep me happy." He slides through the hatch and takes position in the gunner's seat. He cracks his neck and buckles in, his hands already darting over the tactical screens.
Korio wastes no time entering the passenger's compartment of the Grizzly and taking a seat with Tarkus in tow.
Jasper isn't quite as nimble as Nathan, and it takes him a few minutes to maneuver across the Grizzly before he's settling into the driver's seat. "Whatcha think, Ten?" he hollers back, " 'Nuff firepower to put down any snowmen that might get outta line?"
Nathan glances over to Jasper, snorting as he attempts a link up with the visual feed of the Grizzly and his HUD. "And then some. I'm just running a systems check on the weapons and the Grizzly itself. Also doing an ammo count."
Nalota is seated in one of the innermost seats of the rover. She looks over the entering mercenaries, a bit curious about which are assigned to this vehicle.
Jasper begins his standard check as well, just making sure everything is in order and operational. "Hope we can get the basecamp set up 'fore it gets too late. This suit is beginnin' ta' chafe. And not in the good way, either!"
Jason glances to his side, placing a gauntleted hand on the asari's shoulder. "Everything alright, Ilyna?" he asks in response to her continued silence, giving her a slight, playful shake. He smirks at her through his visor, pushing the uneasey feeling in his gut down at the thought of putting so much distance between themselves and their only lifeline, the Saint Lucia.
Ilyna nods. "I'm fine," she says, though she doesn't sound very convincing. "I'm just waiting for you."
Jason glances back at the Saint Lucia, a long sigh escaping him before he looks back to Ilyna. "Well, our chariot awaits us." he says with a gesture towards the Grizzly, "Suppose we should get this show on the road." He starts towards the vehicle.
Jessica returns Nalota's glance. "Mmm?" she hums, nodding her chin towards the asari. An unspoken 'What are you looking at?'
Nathan nods once he has linked to the camera. He tests the feed by rotating the turret slightly. An ammo-counter is present in the corner of his vision. "Alright, green across the board," he announces, deciding not to go into Jasper's chafing. "How we looking on your end, Jasper?"
Jasper nods to himself as he studies his own readouts. "Everything's comin' up daisies!" he says before activating his comms, "We're ready to move out on yer' command, Jay."
Ilyna follows beside him. "I don't like this," she says, keeping her voice low. "We'll have no chance to get back if an attacker cuts off our path back to the ship."
Harmonia heads over to the Mako once everyone else is in, climbing through the hatch and passing the others to the driver's seat and settling in. She starts swiping fingers across the haptic interface, activating systems and closing the hatch of the rover with a clank. She flips on the vehicle comms, checking in with the truck and the snowcrawler to make sure they're all ready, and then waiting for the Grizzly crew.
Nathan chimes into the comm system of the tank, linking it to his helm. "Check, Grizzly tank reading green. Rover, Crawler, Hauler, comms check. You read?"
Jason gives a nod, stopping just before the hatch. "I know. I don't feel any better about it than you do, Ilyna." he admits, "But there's not much we can do. This is the way it works. We can't land the ship in the area they need to drill, they can't drill where they landed the ship. Just keep your eyes peeled. First sign of danger, we'll tell the research team to turn back."
Ilyna sighs. "There's a limit of how fast they can pack up, though," she says before stepping inside, looking for any two adjacent vacant seats.
Jason follows right behind Ilyna, taking the seat beside her. "If it comes down to their work or their lives, we just won't give them a choice. Bottom line. We were hired to protect them. If they can't pack up, we move without their gear. We can always come back for it later." he says. He activates comms, "Jasper, Ten, we're all loaded up."
Jasper pokes and swipes at the holographic interface a few times, causing the hatch to seal up. "Gotchya covered, Jay." he responds over comms, "Ready an' waitin' Rover. Jus' give us the word!"
I don't really give a shit whether they do or they don't. Like I said, we won't give them a choice. Our priority is their safety. Not their research.
Jessica cocks an eyebrow on Nalota, allowing her glare to linger for a little longer before turning her gaze to the wall across from her.
Harmonia 's voice comes in over the comms. "Roger that, let's get moving." A moment later the rover starts moving, turning east and driving off at a fairly slow pace, so as to allow the other vehicles to keep up.
Jasper reaches up, swiping at the interface a few more times as he activates comms. "Alright, folks. Keep all hands an' feet inside the ride at all times an' hold onto yer' butt, this might be a bumpy one." he announces as the Grizzly rolls up to a steady pace a good distance behind the rover.
Nathan gives the turret a full rotation. "I'm getting a good feed from the externals, Jasper," he announces. "Damn, I've missed being in a tank."
Nalota raises an eyebrow, as well, but she doesn't say anything. She returns her gaze to whatever is infront of her as she gets into the harness.
Yan Sun lowers her hand again with a "Hey." of her own in return to Uvena, shooting a glance and a friendly smile at Artullin as well. "Don't think we've met? Yan Sun, here to help with the tech."
Uvena returns the smile, although the helmet hides that. "Uvena Atana," she introduces herself. "I'm with the security team, although that's probably obvious by now."
Artullin nods to Yan. "We met briefly, actually. First day aboard, in the canteen. Artuillin, tech for Redrock."
Jasper maintains focus on the terrain in front of him. "Well, you keep an eye out. Ain't s'posed ta' be nothin' out here. You see movement, you let the rest a' us know, Ten."
Yan Sun blinks. "Oh! Right. Of course. Sorry." She offers an apologetic smile before turning her gaze away.
Nathan nods. "Roger that," he replies before chiming in to the passengers of the Grizzly. "You four comfortable back there? The in-transit service will be out shortly. Sandwiches and drinks will be provided."
Jason activates his comms to respond to Nathan. "About as comfortable as can be expected. And don't you dare joke about food right now. There's no telling how long it might be until we have our next meal. Which reminds me. If we break down and get stuck in the middle of nowhere, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're the odd man out." he says with a chuckle. "I've known Ilyna and
Tarkus for far too long to eat them. Jasper would be like chewing on a piece of leather. Pretty sure drell are toxic. So you drew the short stick."
Jasper frowns. "I'd be downright delicious! Lil' bit of pepper. Some seasonin'. Roast me jus' right. Mm-mm-mm. I'm good eatin'!" he argues, but immediately rethinks his position, "Wait, no! Ya'll ain't eatin' me! I'm the only one who could fix this bucket if we broke down!"
Ilyna buckles in with exaggerated movements after he asked. She gets slightly uncomfortable at Jason's joke, now also worried about the possibility of being stuck out there should this thing break down.
Nathan laughs quite rapturously. "Nahhhh, you wouldn't want to eat me. I'm all tough and chewy. You on the other- AHA! Jasper, you've volunteered! Pour some lemon over you and BAM! Roasted Jasper."
Jasper seems to get genuinely uncomfortable for a moment. "Ya'll ain't funny-..." he begins to spout as Nathan's words register, "Where do you think yer' gonna get the lemon from, ya jackwagon!? Huh!? Think a lemons just gon' sprout up outta the ice? See? You don't even know how lemons work. This is why yer' gon' be the one we eat."
Nathan chuckles. "Maybe I came prepared? Maybe I have a Jasper roasting kit just lying about? Did you think about that? Huh, huh?"
Jason gives another chuckle as the conversation continues, shaking his head to himself. "Alright, alright. Knock off the comms chatter. Eyes on the horizon." he instructs, returning his attention to Ilyna. "We've got a bit of time. Should probably come up with a checklist so we know exactly what we're doing once we get to our site."
Jasper mutters to himself. "Jasper roastin' kit..." he repeats, "...What kinda bullhockey is that!?"
Nathan chuckles again. "Understood, boss. Radio silent," he says before switching off comms to Jason. "Hey, Jasp, only kidding. I couldn't eat you! Who else will help me turn the Kodiak into a fucking death machine?!"
Jasper glares at him, but his jovial grin soon returns. "Oh, I know, Ten. I was jus' havin' a bit a' fun." he says, continuing to follow in the rover's wake, "We get stuck out here an' I'm seriously gon' eat ya, though. I get pretty cranky if I don't get my breakfast." he deadpans.
Ilyna hums thoughtfully. "We should always keep at least two people by the vehicles, most of our team if possible," she says. "That's a position we cannot afford to leave unprotected, in case we need to evacuate."
Jason nods in turn. "Well, depends on the size of the site, I suppose. I figure we'll keep a rotating guard shift going. Patrol the immediate perimeter with one person remaining with the vehicles. People have to sleep. We've got nine people, eight if you don't count Jasper. If we keep people set up on 8 hour shifts, that's three per shift which means, if we're not putting Jasper on guard
duty, someone will need to pull a double every day." He gives a shrug and sits back in his seat with a sigh, "Too many issues... I guess we can just sort it all out when we have a better idea of what we're dealing with."
Nathan sighs in an overly defeated fashion. "Fine, fine. But if you burn me and ruin me, I will haunt the shit out of you, old man."
Nalota remains silent, keeping her gaze on the opposite wall. At least there's nobody sitting there, nobody to be grumpy about being looked at.
Ilyna frowns. "The researchers may want to leave the site, though," she says. "Which means we all may end up working outside our shifts."
Yan Sun leans back in her seat, and then immediately shifts around a bit, still not all that comfortable in the suit. Her gaze falls as the ride goes on in silence, but after a little bit she looks up at Artullin and Uvena. "Sooo... you guys have a lot of experience? Been on any missions like this before?"
Artullin shrugs. "A few with the military," he says. "Some freelance. So, yes, I'm quite experienced with all this."
Jasper gives Nathan an offended look. "Me!? Mess up a perfectly good roast!? Not gon' happen, Ten. You'll be a delicious meal. That's my promise to you." he says before another round of laughter escapes him. He gives a nod in the man's direction, "So how's it lookin' from yer' end? Anything worth notin' out there?"
To no one's surprise there is snow. And more snow. And the fading footprints of the eastgoing scout team.
Jason nods once again. "I have no doubt that they're going to want to leave the site. We may just have to suck it up and run two longer shifts. Suppose for now, our priority is to set up a perimeter so they can put the basecamp together. Once that's done we'll hold a meeting and run over our options. Sound like a plan?"
Nathan chuckles, but shakes his head. "Snow, snow and, oh look, more snow." He pauses and gasps dramatically. "Wait! I see... palm trees! A beach! My God, Jasper, it's beautiful!"
Uvena opens her eyes and realizes she's addressed. "I haven't had anything like this before, no," she says. "So far walking through snow has been the only new experience here, and I'm certain we all hope it stays that way."
Ilyna nods. "Yeah," she says. "We'll have time to rest when we're back on the ship. This won't last more than a few days, right?"
Yan Sun shrugs. "Yeah, I guess. Doubt there's anything dangerous out here... I mean, why would the geth care about this snowball? Hope there's something interesting out here though..."
Jason blinks, looking towards Ilyna apologetically. "Well... The expedition was planned for two weeks. So far we've been on track. Four days here. Four days home. That leaves us planetside for six."
Jessica glances about the rover. "Maybe it isn't the planet they care about. Maybe they'll just come for us." she says idly, having removed her pistol from its holstered location on her thigh. She's turning it about in her hands, looking over the emblem emblazoned on it.
Artullin hums. "It is possible they have set-up some sort of observation post on this planet. If that is the case, then then Kaya could be right. They will attack us simply because we are here."
Uvena sighs. "From what I've heard, they're very territorial," she says, "but they should have attacked us already if that was the case, right?"
Artullin True. Though they are perhaps merely observing us. If they aim to strike, they would do it whilst the bulk of the security is away from the ship. Then, they can either wipe us out, or merely let the environment do it for them.
Yan Sun looks a bit uneasy, shifting in her seat again, glancing around the passenger compartmen as if she's expecting a geth to cut through the ceiling at any moment.
Jessica folds her pistol back up and reholsters it. "Makes sense, right? Wait until everyone separates? Pick us apart when we're at our weakest? It's what I would do."
Ilyna frowns. "That could have been a generous estimate," she says. "I got the impression the researchers had very limited information to go on when I spoke with their leader."
Uvena shrugs. "Don't look at me," she says. "I may have been around before they became the monsters they are today, but I've never ran into them personally."