Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nothing discovered: nothing learned.

"Have a nice trip!"

The AI's last words echo in the air as the leader's communicator crackles, then dies. The airbus overhead turns and zips away with a faintly lasting whirr, disappearing quickly over the mass of trees now that its cargo is deposited. The group is left standing at the base of a tall metal beacon; it stretches upward into the air, reaching over the trees to transmit data back to the central Labs. All around, alien trees twist and stretch toward the sky, their curling branches and frond-like leaves soaking in the planet's pure sunlight.

It is a small clearing, big enough to hold the crew and the beacon, but the wildlife is already encroaching upon it eagerly. Vines can be seen trying to creep over the pole's base, and the rough-hacked path leading back to the Labs is already overgrown. It is easy for the explorers to see why airlifting to these outward spots was a better idea than trying to hack through the woods.

The communicator crackles to life again, and CaTDOS's voice splits the air, his words stringing together in a sing-song manner.

"Alright, adventurers~ It's time to begin~ Everyone, remember to keep your data transmitters active at all time~ It will constantly analyze and stream information back to us, so make sure you don't lose it, no matter what~" A face flickers onto the communicator's screen, a very distinct, pixelated '+ w+' expression. "Take a moment to introduce yourselves, but then please begin~ You are to enter the jungle away from the previously cut path~ Your goal is to find anything of interest that you can, particularly new species~ Please remember, be very careful~ Who knows what's lurking out there~? CaTDOS out~!"

A singer.

Gerardo frowned, which was his usual expression, and wondered why Somebody Labs had to be located amidst all this infernal heat. He was wearing a pinstriped three-piece suit, and there was absolutely no way that it'd get through this silly expedition in one - er, in three pieces. "I'm Vice-President Huff of Excalibur Records; it's..."

Well, it wasn't a pleasure. "An experience," he said instead. "Meeting you is certainly an experience."

The little bird tekimi could certainly carry a tune, he would admit. But it was also a little...freaky. Ugh. Why couldn't their leader be an ordinary human? Doctor Somebody would have made a perfectly adequate expedition leader. He wasn't sure he liked seeing all of these hybrids around.

Arms crossed over her substantial chest, eyelids drooping so low that her eyes were mere lavender slits, Magdalena Barrera was the very picture of disdainful ennui. Even Xenophon's enthusiastic greeting left her impassive but for a faint, skeptical lift of a brow. She did, however, join in the introductions. "I am Magdalena," she drawled out as she gave a languorous stretch. "Anyone who tries to give me a cute little nickname will find themselves regretting it, understood?" With that, she subsided back into silence.