Starship Kingdom

[rikkaiemperor]

Stuff to go here later.

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[crimsonmoon]

Nature walk, ha. Akaya actually enjoys exploring new planets, though it’s usually from the vantage point of his cockpit. Trudging along terrain by foot feels much less informative, slower. Still, it’s what they’re tasked with, and he intends to come back with the best possible data so they can complete their mission and get off this rock in one piece. The painkiller is working well, thank you Dr. Yagyuu. He doesn’t mind pain, but it can be a distraction when it’s too intense.

Akaya straps his kit around his waist and pulls out his tricorder, which doubles as a flashlight. He orients himself and heads south, per orders.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us off this planet soon so no one will be deprived of your witty repartee for too long,” he says with a smirk as he heads into the woods.

[courtstrouble]

He might be devil-may-care humor on the surface, but as they exit the ship and begin exploring, Niou's senses are on hyper-alert. It's not that he's nervous, it's just what he does. It's also what he's paid for.

Right away, he can smell the slight ashy burn in the air that he assumes is what those air readings were warning about. Not enough to discolor the sky, it seems. The soil is soft and loose, about an inch of give under the feet. Vegetation is healthy minus signs that insects and larger creatures alike enjoy feeding off it. Rolling terrain. A few hills and valleys.

"Aren't you reliable," he drawls in a semi-dismissive way. "Try being quiet a little. There's life here."

And it might not all be friendly.

[crimsonmoon]

“No shit,” Akaya says sarcastically. He doesn’t like being shushed like a child, nor being told the obvious. Nevertheless, he does keep his voice down as they venture inward over the squishy grounds that form the perimeter of their crash site.

‘Life’ he has found, is mostly hostile on other planets. It’s really the level of annoyance that they have to measure and prepare for in these cases of unexpected contact. As far as he is aware, there is no advanced species on this planet, so at least he’s confident that their tech won’t be outmatched.

He scans the vicinity for chemical and biological agents. For now, the readings fall safely within acceptable ranges. Something moves suddenly in the bushes up ahead. Akaya glances at Niou and nods towards it.

[courtstrouble]

Offensive? Maybe, but it shut down Akaya's teasing right quick, which means it had also been effective. Anyway, being less disruptive is a good thing too. Frankly, he can't fault any wildlife its hostility towards them; they're the intruders, after all. They should disturb as little as possible.

He of course sees and hears the rustle among the foliage, but keeps his senses alert to the full 360 degrees around them. And he eyes the ground around the bushy area. No notable depressions.

"It's small and lightweight." Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean harmless. "Fast, probably."

[crimsonmoon]

And easily spooked too, it turns out. The moment Akaya takes a careful step towards it to investigate further, it flies out of there in a hurry, heading straight for them before launching itself upward. A flurry of leaves and debris follow quickly behind, and Akaya barely has time to shield his face with his arm.

He glances up to watch the creature’s silhouette against the sky. Something like a bat, maybe? Definitely not bird.

“Uh. Hopefully it’s running from us?”

[courtstrouble]

That's not a good sign.

"It wouldn't run towards us if we were the threat," Niou reasons, and focuses more heavily on the vicinity beyond the bush. "Be ready."

Just in case. There's a considerable size difference between them and that creature; if it's the flying creature's natural predator, that could be enough to scare it towards them without it necessarily spelling trouble for them. On the other hand, hunger can be a powerful motivator, and humans are remarkably lacking in natural defenses against the food chain.

He sees nothing. Hears nothing. It's the air that changes. A stench of decay.

"Smell that? Rotting flesh. It's coming."

[crimsonmoon]

That’s not a great sign. Akaya tucks his tricorder in his belt clip and arms himself with a phaser instead, pointing it toward the bushes. They part, and out comes a fleshy looking beast, almost like a hyena but taller, lankier. Its eyes seem to look glazed over, casting a pale yellow hue.

Akaya notices that its skin seems to be peeled back, exposing the rot that Niou so aptly described. He stays still, so as not to alarm the thing into attacking.

“You know,” he mutters under his breath, “I was really hoping it was your stinky breath in the air. Not some fucking zombie alien.”

[courtstrouble]

It looks diseased.

No assumptions for alien life is the rule-- this could be its natural state. Maybe. It's a sorry sight, though. Niou gets the impression it's not fully aware of its surroundings yet.

Staying still has its merits, but it's going to notice them sooner or later, and it's an open question how it will react. Niou shifts his hand to his utility belt and releases a small drone from it, activating it with his thumb. It rises in the sky with barely a sound.

He notes a couple of trees nearby that look scalable and tests a few slow steps back. It gets the animal's attention, but its body language communicates confusion and alertness more than danger. No fundamental change in its posture.

If they can remove themselves without engaging it, that's the best option. Calm, subtle movements to redirect course and cede the area to the being that actually belongs there.