A Little Camping Trip

[Kallah Ramson 0]

The loose dust and rocks shifted oddly under her footsteps. Her lite frame bore even less weight in the weak gravity but likewise the thin layer of moonsoil had little will to remain in place. With each bounding stride she left a small cloud of dust and a bootprint behind for the ages to record her passage. The stars above shown bright, nebulas radiated their energy, distant galaxies spun, and this far distant arm of the Milky Way stretched from one horizon to the next. This rouge asteroid field, removed from any solar system gave such an astounding vantage to view the heavens above yet also left those nearer objects masked in blackness. She was aware of the ominous asteroids not by their sight but by the voids they created as the blocked the stars beyond.

 

"Commander Ramson?" chirped in her helmet comm.

 

"Go ahead."

 

"We're receiving the probe telemetry."

 

"Good, I'll be there shortly."

 

 

 

With a last large step Kallah arrived at the mouth of the vast cave in which Alpha Squad had set up base. She felt the buzz of the forcefield against her flightsuit as she stepped into the pressurized section of the cavern and saw her pilots gathered beside a small heater and a mobile hologram display that made up their temporary campsite. Lt. S'Sagra turned as Ramson stepped over, removing her helmet. "Have a nice walk?"

 

Smiling, "Yes, a very nice one indeed." Turning her attention to the holodisplay, "What do we have so far?"

 

The Phylosian officer layed it's vine like arm over the display controls and pulled up the incoming probe signals. "Probes have confirmed some of the initial steller maps we've obtained. As of yet charts are within 98.543% of expected arrangements corrected for stellar drift. Remaining irregularities are within feasible expectations for natural cosmic growth. No signs of habitation or stellar craft as of yet. No subspace signals or transit wakes detected."

 

"And all that translates to, we're set to move out." Lt. Shadara interjected with a twitch of her Andorian antenna.

 

"Then let's proceed as planed. S'Sagra's flight is equipped with sensor pods so they will take point. Flight's 1 and 3 will form up, pattern Delta 1. Let's break camp and launch in... 5 minutes. Dismissed."

 

Lt. Shadara stepped next to Lt.Commander Ramson. "You know we could have done all that in the cockpits."

 

"You object to having a chance to stretch for a moment?" Smiling, "Or are you still upset your flight got cargo duty with the survival pods?"

 

With a frown,"They were an unneeded burden."

 

"Unless we detect a Dominion Fleet, Cultist starbase, or other nasty surprises and then we'd be laying low in this hole for quite a while. And, while it's nice having Excal to lug us around from one point to another I want this Wing ready to move out and deploy anywhere at anytime. Be it a starship, planet, moon, or cosmic spec we should be ready to make use of it as a base of operations for a day, month, or years. Understand?"

 

"Yes Sir," snapping to attention.

 

"That and I like seeing you lug those bulk containers around. You look so cute trying to stay up with the rest of us."

 

Shadara's antenna scrunched low in annoyance. She thought as Ramson turned away with a smile, One day I might get use to this Minaran's quirks, one day...maybe.