Descending in a shuttle the away team remark at the sheer scale of the platform, it was truly a ‘flat’ earth. Scans showed that there was an artificial gravity field that kept the entire platform at a standard 1 gravity and kept an atmosphere in place. They witnessed weather patterns and differing biomes. According to their sensors, though, the entire platform appeared to be populated by fauna from Earth’s past, specifically from around 100 million years into the past. An era known as the Cretaceous period. It was a mystery as to why so many species were still very easily recognisable to the sensors and haven’t evolved into ‘new’ species. For now though the focus of their mission was to assess the Aurora and make contact with their crew.

They approached the crashed Nova class and started their short range scans. The ship had landed hard, a half mile long furrow stretched out behind the vessel. While the landing gear had been destroyed in the crash the Aurora was in remarkably good condition. But there were no life signs, all the life pods were in place and all three of the small ships’ shuttles were still in the shuttlebay, all-be-it damaged having come loose during the crash.

Due to the hazard of landing in a wild and unknown environment with extremely dangerous creatures the away team decides to conduct their scans from the safety of the runabout. Elli configures the runabouts sensors to get the best results and find that the nearby mountain is in fact an artificial structure masquerading as a hunk of rock!

With Elli piloting one runabout and Basan piloting the other they plot a course to the life sign readings, all of whom appear to be several hundred meters above sea level and within the structure. A ‘break’ in the mountainside hundreds of meters across and dozens high revealed a building beneath using materials that the sensors had problems identifying.

But…

It was also the source of the life sign readings which indicated the missing crew of the Aurora, so it was worth taking a closer look at.

With transporters still playing up, Basan brought the Waffles closer to the broken window so that the 70 strong crew could board the runabout. A strong gust of updraft forced him to compensate, he overdid it a little… The result was that the port nacelle was now a few centimeters thinner. But he was able to settle close enough and with enough stability to allow everyone aboard without any further problems.

It was tight but the Midnight Hunt wouldn’t have been able to pull off the same trick due to her ‘shape’

The two runabouts were heading back to the Sabi when they were attacked, a flurry of plasma bolts struck the two ships. Basin being a tactical officer reacted quickly and raised his ships shields, the plasma was harmless and splashed across the contoured shields with no effect.

Elli was a little later in responding and a lucky hit struck the port thruster assembly, cascade failures spread through the ships systems like a wildfire and forced the ship into a flat spin. Basan looked on in horror as the Midnight Hunt spun into the canopy of the thick forest. Knowing he had more than 80 people aboard, and his narrow escape already, he opted to return to the Sabi and return with a team. Sensors showed that while devoid of main power the Midnight Hunt was still intact and both life signs were strong.