Ground Control - Styx Base, Pluto 0627 GMT - Tuesday, August 9, 2112
Major Natalia Orlova led Lt. Hu Xiang, Private Sofia Torres, and Private George Bond down the straight corridor from the outer ring to the inner ring, where they ran into Captain Karin Bauer as she was leaving Ground Control and heading back to her lab and General Richard Pryce as he walked around the inner ring from Ground Control towards Communications. Lt. Colleen Rose was inside Ground Control, guiding the Persephone in and preparing to open the docking bay's dome.
"Sir!" said Major Orlova, snapping off a salute.
"Yes, Major?" said the general, returning her salute.
"I heard that the Persephone is about to land. We were on our way to examine the intruders' transport, but we should also check the Persephone over. I would like to do it."
General Pryce scratched his chin for a moment. "I think it would be better if Lt. Hu does that."
"He is more than capable of examining the capsule, sir."
"That is true, but he is better suited for what I have in mind with the Persephone, as he is a qualified pilot as well. Lt. Hu, go to the docking bay and suit up. When Captain Desjardins has landed, check the ship out thoroughly. Take Private Torres with you if you wish. She can help you with the computer systems. I'm especially interested in the ship's logs and the data recorded by the black boxes. When you are done, I want you and the captain to remain aboard Persephone. You will both be joined by a security officer so that you can retrieve the Demeter. The rest of you may proceed to Tertiary Storage. I need to go to Communications to record a message to transmit to Earth to inform them of these new developments."
"Sir, may I say that we have already have one un-analysed craft in the base, apparently, and you are preparing to bring in the Persephone which has possibly been sitting on the planet's surface since she was reported missing. I insist that both craft are thoroughly checked for biological contamination in a controlled environment and that crew are fully suited up before entering the Persephone. I would also like a debrief on the intruders, if that's what the security breach was. They will need a scan and assessment before being moved further into the base. I can collect my portable equipment and suit; where should I go first?"
Lt. Hu and Private Torres went counterclockwise around the inner ring, passing the first spoke on the right and heading down the second, which led to the tunnel to the docking module. Major Orlova and Private Bond headed clockwise around the inner ring, taking the second spoke on the left, which led to the tunnel to the storage module.
General Pryce returned Karin Bauer's salute. "The Persephone, when she docks, will not go beyond the docking bay, which is about as controlled an environment as we can get here, and of course the crew will suit up first. The intruders were already inside the base proper when they were caught, so examining them is a higher priority. They've been taken to the brig, so you'll find them there. Sergeant Kohl and his team apprehended them, so you'll be able to get the details from them."
"Thankyou Sir. I'll get my stuff and head down to the brig immediately." Karin salutes, about-turns and heads up the passageway leading to the lab. If nothing else occurs she'll pick up relevant equipment and then proceed down to the brig. She activates her comm-unit. "Sergeant Kohl, this is Captain Bauer at the lab. I'd like to examine the intruders with a medical scanner and am heading down to the brig now. Will there be someone to accompany me in the cells? Ove.r"
Colleen simply prepares to lower the protective dome, though she listens intently to the conversation and keeps an eye on the various read outs as she does so.
Colleen opened the dome since everything had checked out, and she saw the Persephone begin its descent into the docking bay. The conversation she had been listening to had stopped, however. General Pryce had already gone to Communications, and the door to the hall had closed behind him.
Sofia had already brought all of her equipment with her when she thought she was heading for the storage module. She and Xiang traversed the tunnel to the hall outside the docking bay. Here there were several lockers with vacuum suits. A red light above another airlock directly ahead indicated that the bay itself was open.
George Bond went with Major Orlova through the tunnel to the storage module.
Karin returned back up the tunnel to the lab module and into the medical lab, where she grabbed her black bag and passed her message to Heinrich Kohl.
OOC,I'll wait here for a reply from him. All crew members also have hands-free radios attached to their ears, so you do not need to be in your lab to send or receive a message.
Karin Bauer,"All three of us are down here at present, [b]Captain Bauer[/b]," said [b]Heinrich Kohl[/b] in response to the message. "We'll be awaiting your arrival."
Hu leans toward Sofia. "I wonder if they will pressurize the holding bay or if they'll leave it open in case the pressure will deteriorate the structural integrity of the Persephone after all this time in the Plutonian landscape."