"[i]Permission granted. As for your second request... At this time I can only provide minimal support. The Daughter of Gaia can spare a pair of marine platoons, two air wings, and the Nereid to get them to ground. I will not, however, halt preparations for landing. They will take time, time that I suggest you use fully.[/i]" 

There was more that Vilda wanted to discuss, and she wasn't fully satisfied with the Admiral's decision, but with a respectful nod, she saluted him. "Understood, sir. We will begin preparations immediately, and we'll have a team down there in 12 hours. This is the [i]Ljus[/i]. signing off." The comms link was terminated, and the captain turned to the others in the bridge. Moments prior to the change in command. Vilda had ordered all division leaders to assemble on the deck, bar Jakobsen excluded. His priority had been to form a quick think tank of scientific minds to discuss and debate on what should be done concerning the natives, and had been largely influential on Vilda's final decision to prepare a landing team.

."As you can see, time is short, and we're going to have to do this now. Doctor Eriiks, you will coordinate the investigation from up here. I want you to pick your best researchers for the task, and we'll ensure you have all the equipment you need. We know nothing of the types of fauna and flora down there, so I'll send a small security detachment to provide light fire support. But under no circumstances, are they to open fire on any natives unless I deem it absolutely necessary. Is that clear?"

Eriiks chimed in with his familiar peppy voice, and spoke directly to the captain. "I know we can't risk putting me on the ground, but still... Are you SURE I can't go with them? I'll be on my best behavior, Captain..."

"This is serious, Doctor. Don't worry, you'll be dodging alien wildlife and maybe even spears before you know it." Vilda and Eriiks had always been close, and these were the only times you'd hear the captain actually be informal towards any of her crew. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, The Xenobiological genius was very intelligent, and demanded a lot of respect from all the crew, Vilda included.

"Very well, Captain. Let's get to work, eh?"

----

[i]2044 Hours, May the 11th, 2296
The Ljus of the Fleet, orbiting Pavonis B[/i] 

Because of the time constraints imposed on the research party, they had decided upon sending down nearly all the equipment in one go, aboard a single OtS (Orbit to Surface) civilian shuttle. While this effectively meant they could get to the ground and almost start immediately setting up the outpost, the whole operation would be carried out by a skeleton crew of sorts, picked out by Eriiks (who also tried to elect himself several times, unsuccessfully). Most importantly, the lead scientist for the field operation was Kaska Rudnicka, a young woman of Polish origins who was an expert at theoretical language composition and syntax formulation (her official qualification is Linguistical Analytics). Assisting her was Sven, a microbiologist, and Bertil, specializing in medical biology and antaomy. 

Next, were what most of the crew referred to as 'The Twins': Walrad and Katrin Bering. While actually not even related, they were essentially the same person, right down to appearance and even sharing the last name. Both were from Dortmund, Germany, had both studied Engineering in university (Walrad had studied electrical, while Katrin was a mechanical systems engineer) and both were assigned to the [i]Ljus[/i], all while never even having met each other. They were inseparable, and got on really well. Finally, four security personnel were sent as back up forming a fire team of sorts, commanded by Security Vice Chief Gerrit-Jan Ossen, Gerit for short. All in all, it would make for a cramped trip to the surface.

The team boarded the craft, one by one, some chatting excitedly, while others simply walked on silent. Their gear (which included various scientific equipment, supplies, rations, sturdy tents and two assistant drones), had been loaded on prior, and some last minute flight checks were made, giving the green light for the mission. All that remained was confirmation from the Admiral.

"Admiral, this is the [i]Ljus[/i]. All preparations have been made, and we are ready to begin our descent. We are just waiting to be given a landing zone to proceed. But before we do, we would like to ask if there is anyone you would like to elect from the [i]Gaia[/i] to join us? We have one more seat available, and considering this is a momentous occasion in human history, it may be a good idea to have a representative from the flagship of the Fleet to join us."