Traveller Scout Campaign Ep11 - Into 'The Cube'
The Intrepid was holding position a few meters from the opening on the cube. Bob moved the drone further away from the cube to be able to monitor the entire Cube. So far there was no reaction from the cube after the initial widening of the access port with the approach of the Intrepid.
Bob reported "still no changes in the Cube after our stop. Based on the size of the portal we could either enter via EVA or attach a docking tunnel." The Cube so far had exhibited no offensive or even defensive reaction to the approach of the drone or the ship Carol thought. Actually, it had done just the opposite and provided access to the interior. She made her decision.
"We will be entering the Cube via EVA Suits. Sonny, you will stay behind and keep an eye on the ship and Cube while we stay in constant comms. Any comments or questions?" "Should we be armed?", Bob asked. "Yes, side arms not rifles. Also full load of survey equipment. And based on our previous experience, do a full operational check of the suits."
Sonny took his position on the bridge and arranged his displays to watch ship systems, the drones feed, and finally, the suit cams for the rest of the crew. Also, before Carol had a chance to mention it, he checked the seals on the ship's entry ports/airlock in preparation for the crew EVA. It took a few minutes but Bob and Mary reported their suits were fully operational and they were ready for the EVA. They all moved to the entry port area and Carol gave Sonny the command to close and seal the inner port. He then evacuated the area of atmosphere to allow the team to do a last check of their suits. The suits all checked out, and Carol gave Sonny the order to open the outer port…
Using the ship's maneuvering thrusters Sonny had positioned the ship's entry port directly opposite the Cube's entry port. Using their suit thrusters they were able to easily move into the Cube's entry port. As the drone had reported, it was a dimly lit corridor apparently leading to a much larger opening at the end. While there appeared to be no gravity, their magnetic boots were keeping them steady on the 'floor'.
Carol led, illuminating the corridor ahead while Bob and Mary flanked behind her with their survey gear recording. She called back to the ship, "Sonny, are you getting our transmissions?" He replied, "Everything looks good, video, comms, and sensor feeds. No external changes of the Cube from the drone." It was good having Sonny covering their back, just like the old days she thought. "We are proceeding to the interior," she replied.
As they moved down the corridor, the light was getting a bit brighter. Finally, the corridor opened up into a large space. After they adjusted to the lighting change, it appeared most of the walls were honeycombed with varying-sized compartments covered by semitransparent fronts. As they moved towards the nearest wall Carol started shining her light into the compartments. Some contained what appeared to be plant-based specimens. Other, larger ones, appeared to have different types of animals in stasis. "Don't disturb any of these but record as much as possible" she ordered.
Could this be some sort of 'ark,' she thought, remembering a very ancient child's story? Are the specimens here somehow related to the life on the planet? Also, how did the Cube get here? Does it have a propulsion system? Does it have a control room somewhere? Is it manned? Again, more questions than answers…
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