[color=gray] Lt. Rorq with the Nyx team.[/color]
The lead geologist on site, Lt. Rorq, couldn't help but be annoyed by the tantrum and subsequent hovering of one of the members of the biology team. Such an ill mannered girl being near her precisely calibrated equipment nervous and she went to retrieve her Spectral Calorimetric-Seismometer. Since the order came down that no actual samples were to be retrieved she had to accept the next best thing: a digital recreation. 

While there was no typical version of such a device to compare to, a calorimeter, seismometer, and spectrograph would each individually fit comfortably in the palm of one's hand. This variant however was hefty as it was built into a rather large powercell. The power was necessary as it projected thermal energy into objects to induce a phase change. It also recorded the results as charge projections and a form of molecular vector analysis. Once back on the ship those results would be converted into a true-life holographic recreation with the appropriate properties logged.

Lt. Rorq had tested the device several times throughout her life on substances the human race had already been reasonably familiar with, to ensured it worked, and was quite happy to extend it to substances in the far unknowns. 

However, any geologist would quickly report there are few 'truely alien' geological phenomena in the universe. On a micro level everything is made out of about the same stuff, if not in slightly different configurations. She was interested to find some such configurations, but wasn't going to be disapointed if there wasn't any to be had.

[hr]
[color=gray]SFC Calhound in Main Engineering.[/color]
"Rodger, Cap'n" Xaith said as he bit into an apple. "We'll get right on analysing that signal." The followup came at the punch of a button forwarding the request through maintenence. If this 'ping' that had been observed were a matter of some faulty equipment then they'd be the ones that'd know. 

He breifly wondered whom was on shift to tackle it when his EEGARD answered his internal query by flashing a copy of the ASPECT schedule for the section. The information was dismissed with a thought as surveyed the scene to ensure Sasha hadn't gotten herself into trouble.

After the visual all-clear he returned to work. He still had a job to do after all, and those modular systems wouldn't build themselves. He was certain that R&D would have their own take on his proposal, but he wasn't prone to reading their responses as they so often included the words "reckless" and "insane". 

[hr]
[color=gray]Aria Summers in the Cathedral[/color]
After the ceremony of renewal came to an end the whole Geological Research Institute breathed a collective sigh of relief. There was some ongoing contention between those men and women of science whom did not share the religious affiliations of the witches, druids, and shamans that frequented their halls. 

The ceremony itself did much to revitalize the spirits through reaffirmation of their worldly roots. Roods that now were laid in iron and steel rather than dirt and grass. Having celebrated a togetherness with the world around her Aria now struck out to re-establish her individuality, as one exists both in tandem with the world they live in, as well as apart from it. 

Trusting in the living nature of vessel that surrounded her she simply again walked, but walked unattended. She walked with purpose but without direction, taking what ever path her gut told her to, and any elevator to its preschedualed destination.