In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 7):

The moon looks much like the one from Earth. Regardless, it is mapped, and the next destination is laid in.

The system known as Krypton is where you expect to spend quite some time looking for an object that will enable you to travel to Vilani space. You enter Hyperspace without incident.

In reply to Fate (msg # 8):

The Jaques Cartier drops out of hyperspace after 170 hours, 2 hours longer than anticipated.

Krypton is a large pre-garden planet. Stifling hot due to excessive CO2 in the air, there are numerous simple plant and bacteria life forms on the planet.

The captain wants to send the two ships boats to the planet to conduct extensive research, assisted by the fuel skimmers for aerial surveys and mapping, while the vessel itself not only creates a full map of the system, but also looks for other bodies to act as jump targets within 2 parsecs of the system. The Fuel skimmer will take a week to to the mapping survey, while the landing team will take about 2 weeks each for the biological and geographical surveys. They estimate.

The system has 4 Gas Giants, in addition to the Planet.

He asks you which team you would prefer to be on.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:56, Fri 08 Jan 2016.

In reply to Fate (msg # 9):

If it's all the same with you, Captain, I'd prefer to remain aboard the Cartier.

[Private to Fate: As much as planet-side would be clearly more fun, Carrick is not fond of away missions to planets. Perhaps Mnwa?]

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 10):

"Pity. You would be well suited to commanding the mission there. And You Sam? Mnwa would be best suited to the planetside mission."

[Private to Carrick Teague: Will see what Sam wants to do first. But shipside will just be a few Electronics Ops (Sensors) rolls...you really need a few levels in rank to command, but temporary rank would be appropriate due to Charisma.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:23, Fri 08 Jan 2016.

Sam looks at the Captain "Yes, that would be interesting. I could do some research there. I will need to take some scanners to make sure what is edible and is not"

In reply to Samantha Fox (msg # 12):

"Naturally, that would be the first thing to check. A Biology kit is already onboard the ships boat where you will be living for a month. Now if I can find someone to Captain the away team, you can be off."

"Captain, if you need someone to command the away mission, I offer to do so."

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 14):

"That would be very helpful. Most of my officers are ex-military, and I need someone with civilian experience for that task. Have your things ready, and I will send you with two base boats and a refueller. I suggest you get the refueller mapping immediately..."

In reply to Cartiers Captain Pikard (msg # 15):

Carrick departs from the Jaques Cartier with the refuelling boat and the two base boats to investigate the planet, while the mothership moves off to investigate objects in space.

The planet is not exactly hospitable, with numerous and powerful lightning storms through the atmosphere.

"Captain, there appear to be a number of options. There is an island we can see, and a plain beside the volcano, or another rather mountainous section."
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:36, Tue 12 Jan 2016.

In reply to Fate (msg # 16):

Who's speaking? And what's meant by "options"? Are we talking about locations where a station or colony could be set up?

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 17):

The speaker is the junior officer operating the sensors, and yes, looking for suitable places for a base camp.

"Well, for the island, how big is it and what is there? I mean is it more then just a sand bar?"

In reply to Samantha Fox (msg # 19):

"Oh, yes. It is about 400 miles long by 250 miles wide. Sensors cant pick up much detail at this range though."

How high are the mountainous regions? I only ask because I wonder if there appears to be any relief from the storms at high altitude.

Are there any lightning storms in the area of the island now?

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 21):

There are more lightning storms effecting the upper atmosphere than the lower atmosphere. This may be the result of denser CO2 forcing the lighter gasses up, or something else. At the moment, all the locations described are clear, however. That is why they could be seen prior to doing a full orbital survey, which would be needed to get an accurate estimate of mountain height above sea level.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:54, Wed 13 Jan 2016.

I'll instruct the skimmer to follow the Captain's orders to begin the rigorous mapping task.

Let's take a closer look at the island. It's pretty sizable with easy access to water. To that end, let's try to find an area near to the coast with apparent fresh water streams or lakes nearby. If the landing looks safe, let's do a quick survey of the local biome.

I'm assuming the two ships boats are working together -> going to the same locations and doing the ecological surveys together.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:49, Wed 13 Jan 2016.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 23):

The fuel skimmer begins the task of mapping the planet. It will take them about 4 days, so they get started.

You find a small creek leading down from a mountain range to begin your biological survey. There is no significant plant life to speak of, though a thin film of green on the rocks suggests that there is considerable bacterial life. The area looks very flat and safe for landing.

Carrick will need to co-ordinate the 8 Biologists, 4 chemists, 2 Geologists, 3 engineers/techs, 2 Security personnel/pilots and himself. Tasks needed are:

Collecting samples (Biologists)
Analyzing Biochemistry (Chemists/Biologists)
Analyzing water content (Chemists)
Checking for harmful bacteria/virii (Biologists)
Checking any plant life for edibility (Biologist/Chemist)
Analyzing rocks and planet structure/minerals (Geologists)
Looking for signs of animal life.

That last seems highly unlikely given the state of evolution apparent to the naked eye.

However, we will land and begin.

Obviously sample collection is first. Not just for the biologists, but for the chemists and geologists, as well. Extreme caution is stressed as we've no idea what level of toxicity or underlying dangers exist here. At first, all work should be conducted in pairs, at a minimum, and the security personnel will be pretty much just idle keeping watchful eyes everywhere possible. Hopefully, the green film will turn out to be some form of algae or photosynthetic mold? That would certainly take us up the evolutionary ladder from simple bacteria.

The pilots' job will be to keep an eye on sensors and weather. Ready to go at a moments notice as the volatility of the atmosphere is still a bit of an unknown.

Everyone is suited, as befits a toxic environment, I assume. With the CO2 as high as it is, I assume that the air is basically not breathable. Additionally, with life present, we need to ensure body integrity in the face of possible pathogens.

My personal goal will be to assist with the biologists when possible, but primarily just quality control--keeping an eye out for opportunities to help ensure accuracy.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:59, Wed 13 Jan 2016.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 25):

As the air is not breathable, you all don Biosuits and breathing gear. For the first day, everyone except the pilots (one of which is Mnwa) who monitor the weather situation.

The biologists manage to find a wide variety of slimes, algae and even a small sluglike creature. Chemists initial conclusion is that the slime is not toxic, and apart from the lack of oxygen the environment appears safe.

OOC Sam, can I have a chemistry roll please.

The geologistsmanage to find quite a bit of iron ore, but come to the conclusion that the planet is not very rich in minerals.

Samantha goes down and starts to check out the area, checking everyone vital at times to make sure nothing it affecting them.

A slug! Complex organisms, indeed. What a find. High CO2 means plant life could really burgeon here, as well. I wonder what the slug metabolizes, if not oxygen; what's the final electron receptor in respiration?

Also, what's the current temperature? Are we equatorial?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:49, Thu 14 Jan 2016.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 28):

Surprisingly, Oxygen is the electron receptor. The slug seems to take oxygen directly from the slimes, and whilst a complex organism, it is probably the simplest 'complex organism' any of the biologists have seen. Still, it seems to represent the first stage in the evolution of complex organisms on this planet.

The average temperature seems to be about 315 degrees Kelvin, making the climate rather tropical, despite you being some distance from both the poles and the equator.

Samantha is relieved to find that no-ones body is behaving at all errantly.

Well, once we've collected samples from fresh and not-fresh water (are the oceans salty? I guess I just assumed), soil and/or mineral samples, air samples (it would be nice to collect these latter samples at different elevations, too), and biological samples from the slimes/algae, collected the slug, and everything is on ice, we'll take off and look for another site. Much of the actual detailed analysis that's not done on site can take place aboard the Cartier during travel/jumps. The main goal, of course, is to get a good survey across the planet.

When we're aloft, I'd like to find a spot on the opposite coast of this island, before moving to another global location entirely. Might help give a sense of local variation in data.

In reply to Carrick Teague (msg # 30):

Data is collected from samples at many elevations. It is noted that samples do not keep in the oxygen-rich environment of your ships.

On moving to the next site, you find 2 more species of algae, more slugs and a rich vein of ore. The third site has a different type of slime living on a platinum deposit in a mountain. You spent 5 days at rhe initial location, three at the second and six at the third, as the geological samples are not immediately apparent.

Understood. My assumption was that the samples would be kept in gas-impassable test tubes and frozen. How much time do we have left before rendezvousing with the Cartier?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:53, Thu 14 Jan 2016.