Carpathia IV: Episode 179 - Bunny Tails
Landing Site, P3X-2
The runabout descended easily through the planet's atmosphere and blazed to its landing destination. After making a circle around the location, Ramei set the shuttle down in a clearing, where the forest thinned just before cutting off to a vast, grassy meadow full of stubby grass and a seemingly infinite amount of colorful flowers.
As the shuttle engines powered down, the outer door opened, allowing the occupants of the runabout to spill out and immediately start scanning the vicinity. Teren emerged last, simply observing the crew as they went about their business. About a half hour later, give or take, Ramei returned with a report.
Ramei: Vicinity clear, Commander. We're almost finished setting up the data relay grid.
Teren: Very good. Listen up, everyone! Spread out and start with your assigned tasks! Make sure you stay in pairs at minimum! Nobody goes anywhere alone! Nalma with Quenya. Ameanru with Kit. Ramei with Sylvar. All of you will spread out and scan the ground for the most suitable foundation. The rest of you will unload the runabout for now.
With a string of nods and a chorus of "Yes, Commander!" the crew started fanning out to do their jobs. With that finished, he turned to the two cadets.
Teren: You two, stay within 2km of the shuttle. Scan everything you find. Remember, if it's something not in the database, you can try to name it if you want. It's still up to the biology teams to accept or reject, though.
Darius couldn't help but manifest a glorious grin on his face as he stood up straight and saluted. An unintentionally preposterous salute, but preposterous nonetheless.
Darius: Yes, sir Commander, sir!
Teren's eyes narrowed and he leaned in close to Darius's face.
Teren: Just "Commander" will suffice.
Darius's eyes widened as his ears simultaneously flattened out on the sides of his head.
Darius: Um... yes, Commander.
Teren: Very good, Cadet. Now get going!
Mikado: Yes, Commander!
Near the Treeline, P3X-2
Nalma and Quenya strolled the field along the treeline together, each with their scanners pointed resolutely at the ground, alternating their eyes between studying the readings and checking the direction they were going.
Nalma: How are your studies going so far?
Quenya answered without looking up from her scanner.
Quenya: It was really hard at first, managing studies and duties, but I think I'm getting the hang of it now.
Nalma: How are your professors?
Quenya: Pretty good, all things considered. To be honest, I had a little trouble getting used to the idea of having Ensign Leingod as a professor. I've known him since I was born.
Nalma: I suppose that would be a little awkward.
Quenya: At first, but once I realized he's harder on me than anyone else, it sort of started working out. He sort of has a "professor mode" that he goes into while studying. It keeps things compartmentalized.
Nalma: If anyone can compartmentalize, it's Phobos.
Quenya: Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing out not being on the academy campus, but I'm happy here, doing real things.
Nalma: If you're happy doing what you're doing, I wouldn't sweat it.
Both returned to studying their scanners, taking a zigzag pattern through the field, parting, and coming together again periodically. After several zigzags, Nalma looked up and noticed that they were coming close to Tuomas, gazing out into the distance with his sketchbook in hand. Nalma and Quenya stayed on course.
Nalma: So far, this is looking pretty good. Bedrock is consistently only a couple meters down. Should provide a solid, easy foundation.
Quenya: Possibly, but we need to do deeper scans. There is a massive water table down there too. It could complicate things. I'm surprised there's not a marsh here, but that just means the water is coming out somewhere else.
Nalma: Oh? I'm not seeing anything on scans. How do you know that?
Quenya looked up and shrugged her shoulders.
Quenya: I don't know. I just know.
Nalma: So, part of that thing you do is also water sensing.
Nalma: Could be a useful ability. Why don't we stop for a bit to rest and compare notes?
Quenya: Sounds good.
Nalma and Quenya traded scanners for study.
Quenya: I guess so. It's all still a bit new to me.
Open Field, P3X-2
Even after two hours of non-stop scanning, Darius and Mikado were still within sight of the main camp. It was a tiny little chiclet in the distance, but within view and if he squinted, he could make out other crew milling about the area, even if he couldn't tell who was who. If the light was just right and the person in the distance stood just so, Darius could squint and make out the department color.
Not that he prioritized any of that. There was scanning to do and a bunny butt to avoid looking at. The former was easy. The latter, not so much. Scanning, at least, wasn't dull, which did help keep his mind off other things. Hardly a minute passed without a bling and something new. A plant. A bug. Something burrowing deep underground. Teren said he could name things if he wanted, but there was so much, it was all he could do to just focus on filing each new thing into its proper category.
Darius found himself on the edge of a small marsh. That, or a very shallow pond. This is what his scans showed him, for he could hardly see anything himself so thick with tall grass and other plants that it was, some of which towered over his head. One plant in particular caught his attention, a cluster of brittle stalks that reached over his head with puffs of fiber on the end. It was the fiber that caught his attention, spade-shaped, white on one side, and brown on the other, curving together in a little point at the top. His scanner helpfully informed him that this plant was not in the database and then a new pop-up appeared, as it always does. "Would you like to name this?"
Before he even knew what he was doing, Darius raised a shaky claw and tapped "Yes." The screen immediately transitioned to a blank field and a virtual keyboard. Barely able to compose himself and hitting some of the letters multiple times, he sort of completed the name, even if he knew he'd have to erase it and try again.
Mikado: Find something good, Darius?
Darius: Yipe!
Darius jumped and fumbled his scanner, bouncing it from paw to paw until it finally bounced away, fortunately, into Mikado's hands.
Mikado: Oh! You named something!
Mikado looked at the screen with eager anticipation. Immediately after, his expression turned to confusion.
Mikado: "Bbbbbunnnnnnyyy tttaillllsssss?" Is there something wrong with your virtual keyboard?
Darius snatched his scanner back and cradled it tightly in his paws.
Darius: Ha ha! I suppose it is! I suppose I should have that looked at.
Both heard a shrill noise, a combination of a buzz and a beep, emanating from Darius's communicator. After tossing his scanner back to Mikado, Darius took out his communicator and read the message.
Darius: Medical emergency! Let's go!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
