[Nivirres: The Frozen World] (Main) Chapter Two - The Frozen World

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Chapter Two

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The Frozen World

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You do not seem to grasp the reality of the simple fact that here we are absolutely inconsequential; and in an environment where the threat is unknown, that is exactly what you want to be.


"Houlder makes a good point." said commander Tyder in reply. "Provided that we have landed undetected." He moved to the door the asari had opened and said to her: "Get back inside, Saday. This isn't the place to pitch camp. Our first objective," he turned to everyone else, "Is to acquire intel on local points of interest. From up there." he pointed outwards.


It was a snow-covered mountain chain on the very edge of the frozen plains, not particularly high or far off. They could get there before nighfall, which was Tyder's plan. "We'll take the high ground and camp up there. This damn blizzard's got to pass sometime so we should have a clear field of view. Combined with radar scans, I'm hoping we'll turn something up. As for Bravo team... If they made it, they're hopefully not far off." That said, he turned back to the asari outside. "So, unless anyone feels like walking ten clicks to climb a mountain, I suggest we rev the engine. Exterior temperature is just above -70 degrees Celsius, and it's not going to get any warmer than that. It's going to be a cold day in Hell, team. "

 

[Falchion]

"And I was excited to get out of this thing... And what do we do if we see any hostiles? I don't think we can just let them go, and with this thing we can't exactly hide..."


He unconsciously shifts his rifle in his hands, readjusting his grip.

 

[Contrition003]

Coryn had stepped out of the vehicle, stretching his legs, collecting his senses after the drop. He checked his gear, everything was locked, loaded, and secure.


"So, unless anyone feels like walking ten clicks to climb a mountain, I suggest we rev the engine. Exterior temperature is just above -70 degrees Celsius, and it's not going to get any warmer than that. It's going to be a cold day in Hell, team. " said Tyder.


"Not a chance Sir, these are my brand new ass kicking boots, wouldn't wanna wreck 'em on a 10 click hike." with that Coryn climbed back into the APV, and retook his seat.

 

[Petal]

"Yes, sir." she executed the order and waited, her face was serious. Aril wanted to get out of the wind, with cold she could deal with it it was not being made worse by it. I really hate wind. I hope that the view from our camp-to-be is good. Now that she was here her curiosity grew and she wanted to explore further. We'll be in trouble in no time, no need to hurry. She reminded herself.

 

[The World is Flat]

Stop had not left his seat; the extraneous expenditure of energy to step into the hostile exterior environment of Nivirres was pointless. He remained comfortably situated in his seat, watching the others step outside only to be called back in.


"...And what do we do if we see any hostiles? I don't think we can just let them go, and with this thing we can't exactly hide..."





Stop chuckled. He was not going to comment in reply, but the way these young-lings thought - it made Stop laugh. He situated his buckled and rummaged through his pack again - general supplies, some explosives, nothing fancy. He needed to imprint on his memory their exact location for easy access in pressure situations.


As he peered through the window he was disappointing by the sheer size of the mountain arrays. They would not be easy to traverse, even in the APV, and without it the trip would be nearly impossible, the snow was deep, the cold was intense, and the atmosphere was unyielding.


He waited for the crew to re-assemble inside the cramped hold, not speaking, only observing.

 

[Helix Nebula]

O'Neill glanced at Shawn, "That's what we brought these for, boy." He said grinning, and lifted his Tiger assault rifle a little.


Jack remained quiet for a while, as the others returned to the vehicle- Double checking their gear or whatever they did, preparing to head deeper into the frozen wastes of this rock of a planet. "If I may, sir-" He started, looking at Tyder, "I think we should get moving A-SAP. Because chances are, that if whoever- or whatever lives down here are powerful enough to bring down the finest of Alliance ships, then I'd bet they're not stupid enough not to notice our little infiltration." Jack scratched his neck, "I'm just saying, that if I was them- Our ship would've been a way too easy of a target. Especially considering, that by now - These people must've realized they have pissed the alliance off." He readjusted the neck-piece of his armor, shrugging. "Well, at least that's my opinion."

 

[Falchion]

"You think if they can knock our ships outta the air like they're nothin', that these rifles'd do much?

 

[The World is Flat]

"Finally, a serviceable notion out of one of you!" Stop said, a little frustrated. "Whatever set up a defense grid powerful enough to bring down alliance warships and anything else that decided to hang out in the planet's gravity well for more than a minute is going to have advanced technology - and i doubt our weapons are going to be as useful as some of you might predict. Unless the defense grid just so happens to be a prototype installation and it's the pinnacle of their technology."


Stop growling, he continued. "Now we need to take our steps carefully and with planning - war isn't waged on hunches, it's waged on the merit of numbers."

 

[Petal]

Aril just sat at her seat and followed the flow of the conversation looking from one speaker to another. She didn't know much about technology, it was never her favorite thing, so keeping to herself in this situations what she'd do. Quasai had some good leads. Well that would be expected from the creature who lived a long time. Much not myself, I still think and act like I've just passed 20 or so. She thought and felt the sting of shame, through her life she never hurried to grow out of the curious, naive, single-minded sort of thinking for it carried its charms and if she was to let it all go she feared she could never return to that kind of thinking even if she tried but then again for someone who long passed her second century she ought to had let it slide long time ago.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Commander Tyder closed the APV doors, leaning on them with his hands crossed out on his chest. "That's plenty of smart talk right there, but the smartest was that about wheels up." He turned to Coryn. "Nessad, since there's not much ass to kick around right now, why don't you take it out on the gas pedal and get us moving. Head for the mountain and try not to hit a rock. Houlder." He spoke to the Quasai. "Get on the radar and do some area sweeps. Anything moving out there besides us, I want to know about it. Could even be Bravo team." Finally, he turned his attention to the asari. "Saday, make periodical checks on the radio. See if you can get Bravo on the line. Let's not expect the worst just yet."


Just as he went to sit down himself, he said: "Everyone else, just be ready."


The area they had to traverse seemed like snow and more snow, with occasional rocks protruding out like sharp talons out of the frozen ground. The snow was deep, but the APV should have little trouble moving up. Visibility was reduced, but the mountain could still be seen through the blizzard, though faintly.

 

[Contrition003]

"Yessir, Commander" at Tyder's word Coryn moved into the driver's seat and strapped himself in. It had been awhile since he'd driven an APV, but he remembered just fine, he checked the instruments, made sure the vehicle was clear to roll, and eased into the accelerator, manoeuvring around the the sharp claw like rock formations strewn about the wastes. As he moved the vehicle clear of the worst of the protruding rocks, he began opening the throttle, keeping a close eye for any possible dangers ahead of them, and trying to keep the most direct route to the mountain that Tyder had indicated. Visibility was low, but not horrible, and the imposing mountain grew bigger by the second. That uneasy feeling was beginning to stir in Coryn's gut again, and Coryn wasn't one to just ignore those feelings, he had the APV's onboard computer run a quick diagnostic of the weapons and control systems. He continued to drive as he waited for the system to finish its checks.

 

[The World is Flat]

"Faden Var, commander." Stop answered at once. He immediately maneuvered over to the radar console, his thick long legs making the trip a two step affair. Stop was familiar with this APV, having taken the time pre-drop to analyze all the relevant technology at hand. He knew that from one emergency release door handle to another was at approximation 2.7 feet longer than his reach, which meant that to fully vent the crew area he would need to widen his stance insomuch as he could lean from one spot to the other, and that it would take him a maximum of 3 seconds to fully vent the crew area. He was also intimate with the radar and controls, having drilled himself repetitively on it's functionality many, many times, and could claim efficiency even with the interface.


His hands swiftly manipulated the physical control board, bringing up the only relevant sweep filters; anomalous gaseous pockets (or lack of gas), heat, sonar, and magnetic. The instrument gave a compliant *beeeeeeEEEP* as it activated. No anomalies were detected with the automatics, but stop had grown accustomed to ignoring the automatics, instead opting to switch to manual obs. Still, nothing looked suspicious, so he reported back;


"Radar report: clear."


Sitting back in the hard metal seat, Stops roved over the screen, not missing a beat, although his body would relax considerably.

 

[Petal]

Aril got to the radio.


"Team Bravo? This is Team Alpha, can you hear me? Over. " she spoke but got no answer. She repeated the message few moment later just in case and stayed near the radio.

 

[Helix Nebula]

As the engine of the APV whirred to life, Jack leaned back in his seat and let himself relax a little. "A cramped APV, an unknown planet, an unknown enemy.." A small, barely noticeable smile emerged on his face. "Gosh darn it, I love this job. You never quite know what you'll be running into." While reminiscing about previous operations Jack had been on, he reached into the left chest pocket of his armored vest and pulled out a pair of sunglasses, unfolded them and put them on. He didn't really need sunglasses, but he liked to wear them and hell- They made him look so much cooler!


"Much further Nessad?" He then asked, glancing towards the driver's seat through his black sunglasses. Jack was a patient man, but after spending so much time on the cramped ship and now in the APV, he was starting to get itchy for some action.

 

[Falchion]

Shawn was noticeably fidgeting in his seat- I hate small spaces... To calm himself he thought about buddies prior to today, many of them lost because of a mistake, though he refused to let his mind wander there.

 

[Contrition003]

"Much further Nessad?" came the question from O'Neill.


"Another little while yet sir, but if you would prefer to walk I can pullover just for you, I think I saw a sigh for rest stop just over the next snow drift." replied Coryn with a sarcastic laugh. The banter was good, too rigid a team never made for a good Op. Coryn needed to know he could trust his team, but he trusted more in the Commander. Coryn knew that no one would be on this team if they weren't up to it. So Coryn continued to drive, keeping a vigil on the snow squalled wastes ahead of them.


A low beep-beep, came from the APV's onboard computer. Coryn glanced down at the display, the diagnostics had completed; Systems Optimal, was flashed in green on the screen. Everything was normal and the vehicle was in proper order, for now at least. Frozen hostile environments had a way of creating snags you just never expect, but those were bridges to cross if, or when, they arose.

 

[Helix Nebula]

Jack chuckled at Nessad's reply, "Well, I reckon we oughta' keep moving. Wouldn't be fair for the others to give me any special treatment." Behind his sunglasses, Jack's eyes made their way through the cramped space of the APV as he glanced at the other team members, wondering what was going on in their heads at the moment. He had read most of their files, but even a whole book of words couldn't convince Jack any of them were trustworthy or 'the best of the best'. He wasn't itching for action just out of boredom, but also because he wanted to see how the rest of the team would do in a tight spot.


Crossing his arms over the Tiger assault rifle still hanging from a strap around his neck, Jack looked outside through the small windows on the wall opposite to him. "Just like Tollan.." He thought, "Only thing missing is Kowalski with his jokes about yetis.."

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

It was thanks to nothing but the vigil Nessad kept on the road, or perhaps he was just looking at the right place in the right time, that he managed to spot the crack in the snow just left ahead, as it formed. If he hadn't, he probably wouldn't be as prepared for that was coming, and no one else was in a position to see it.


The radio remained silent to Aril's attempts of communication, and Houlder's radar scans turned out nothing - until the deep ground scans. In that moment, a single seismic spike lit up on one of the secondary screens, not alarmingly large but worthy taking a note of.

 

[Contrition003]

Coryn felt it before he saw it, a rumble in the controls that was a little rougher than the rest of the terrain. Then he began to hear it as the crack appeared directly ahead of the APV, SHIT! was all he had time to think.


"Everyone brace!" Coryn yelled as he reacted.


Just then he heard the automated alert, but Coryn was already responding, the crack was widening fast, and Coryn didn't have much time to react. He slammed the forward breaks, and turned the wheel hard to the right. The momentum fish-tailed the ass end of the vehicle around 90 degrees. Coryn slammed the accelerator down to put as much distance between the APV and the splitting earth as he could. Drove straight, plowing through smaller talons of jagged rock, avoiding as best he could the larger ones. The crashing, crushing, scraping noises from the impacts reverberated through the cabin, and he just hoped he was able to keep his team alive.

 

[Petal]

A little happy-go-lucky they seem to be.


Aril looked at her teammates who exchanged words between each other. She smiled. Everything was under control for now, that was what Aril thought.


"Everyone brace!" Coryn yelled suddenly.


Aril tensed and caught hold of her seat for support. There seemed to be a change in terrain and the vehicle turned wildly.


Wonderful.


She locked her gaze toward Coryn, she saw him struggle but had faith that he will get them out of this mess.

 

[Helix Nebula]

As Nessad shouted, "Everyone brace!" Jack instinctively grasped a handle hanging from the APV's ceiling, above his seat. "Steady now, skipper!" He said, as the APV bumped and bounced over the rugged terrain. "I sure hope they spent more on the tires of this thing, than they did on the rust bucket that brought us here." Jack thought, remembering a few very annoying times that the tires of his vehicle had failed in rough terrain, due to poor maintenance or stingy Alliance budgets.

 

[Wolf Rawrrr]

Coryn's reaction was quick, and his experience allowed him to outmaneuver the cracks that were now quickly multiplying in number. The area that his fast turn avoided was not exactly splitting apart just yet, but the cracks that formed could have been just enough to trap the vehicle in place.


"Hell." sweared commander Tyder as he fought for balance. He went to the scanning screens where Houlder was. The Quasai didn't have the time to warn them about his findings. It all happened too fast. "This doesn't look good." said Tyder as he was studying the seismic display. "This entire area is swarming with seismic activity. Nothing unusual for Nivirres if you've read the info, but what were the chances we'd land right in the middle of things? Keep an eye on that screen," he said to Houlder, "Things are only going to get worse." Indeed, the seismic spikes were increasing in both frequency and intensity.


Tyder took a seat next to Nessad. "We need to get the hell out of here -" In that moment he was interrupted by a sudden burst of snow ahead of them, but to the left. The ground split apart and a geyser of water erupted upwards, immediately followed by two more on the right side. "Gun the engine!" Luckily the ground ahead was flat, with no rock formations blocking the only way to safety.

 

[The World is Flat]

"We should have gathered geological information about the planet's stability before we decided to make a crash landing here." Stop cursed. "We have displacing seismic activity on a rotating magnitude variance, trending upward. My immediate suggestion is that we leave the immediate area as immediately as possible. I'll take this opportunity-" The entire APV shook. "To imply that we need to head the OPPOSITE direction!"


Everything had happened in an instant. First the readings, then threat analysis, it was a little too slow to get them away from the immediate danger, but they still had enough time to get out of here if they made haste.

 

[Contrition003]

"We need to get the hell out of here - Gun the engine!"


"Aye, sir!" Coryn needed no other prompting, he slammed down the accelerator and drove in between the rising geysers, the path ahead was clear and Coryn wanted to get as far away from the 'seismic instability' as possible.


"My immediate suggestion is that we leave the immediate area as quickly as possible. I'll take this opportunity-" The entire APV shook. "To suggest that we head the OPPOSITE direction!"


"I would love to do that Stop, but if you havent noticed the way behind us is a little strewn with geysers and crevices that I'd rather not drive us into" Coryn gave his head a quick shake, this planet just keeps getting better.

 

[Falchion]

Shawn grabbed the side of his seat, gripping tightly enough to cause his knuckles to go white. Freakin' driver can't eve- His thought was cut off as the vehicle suddenly fish-tailed, where all comprehend able thought left his mind.