@Gankom:
As you scan the planet a blurb of text appears on your screen. It appears to be from an Explorator vessel that stopped here over a century ago. You relay the info to your friends.
"This star is now catalogued by the abbreviated astrographical reference Quppa-Psi. The world is the twelfth of twenty-one major stellar bodies orbiting the star, and is therefore referred to as Quppa-Psi-12."
Quppa-Psi-12 appears to be a verdant, green planet from orbit, its surface dotted by innumerable large lakes and small, what seem to be, inland seas. Obviously sufficient water is to be found in the subsoil to support the verdant plant life that covers the majority of the planet’s surface, although the equatorial regions seem noticeably dryer scrublands and the poles have small ice caps. The remainder of the planet’s liquid reserve may very well be found in a light cloud layer, which is concentrated in gentle belts around each of the tropics. Lacking as it does any major surface water features, Quppa-Psi-12’s weather system seems remarkably stable, with only slight variations in weather patterns across its surface.
The vegetated areas of the surface are most dense at the tropics, and consist of sub-tropical forests. These are largely dominated by a range of tall, fern-like trees, many of which reach heights in excess of twenty metres. Where these are especially thick, the forest floor is devoid of other plant life, it should make the going easy beneath the shade of the thick canopy above."
***
@Everyone:
"So that's it's geography eh?" Hasarian remarks "Certainly seems like we have the wrong place"
He glances at Jace
Jace shrugs "Don't look at me"
***
@Gankom:
You press on with the Explorator's report
"Quppa-Psi-12 teems with fauna, the vast majority of it insectoid. A high proportion of oxygen in the atmosphere has allowed many of these species to attain an impressive size, with the largest of their kind, a sinuous, wasp-like creature with three separate sets of wings along its thorax, so large it could pose a threat to a lightly armed shuttle. Although broadly classifiable as insects, such creatures exhibit a wide range of features; multiple sets of wings, hundreds of legs, and even more than one head.
A staggering variety of amphibious life can be found near the lakes and seas, most of which eats the insects. These range from tiny, blood-sucking frogs to gargantuan, newt-like beasts with prehensile tongues used to capture the largest flying insects. The most common forms of animal life the we have encountered are described in the following column. Note, that none of these beasts have been given proper names, only handy nicknames, because none of us has ever been in a position to catalogue them up close:
Crimson Stingers: A swarm of bright red, flying insects, each about the size of a clenched fist, with a vicious proboscis. These creatures are encountered beneath the fern canopy, and are attracted to their prey by scent.
Dragon Hornet: A single, almost luminous, green flying insect the size of an Aquila shuttle. Although the beast is slow and cumbersome in its flight patterns, it has sufficient bulk to crush an Explorer caught in the open or to inflict damage on a vehicle.
Whippers: Packs of fast, ground-based insects, with a dozen legs, twice as many eyes, and barbed stingers at the ends of their whip like tails. They are well-camouflaged amidst the dried leaf litter of the forest floor and will lie in wait for their prey, leaping from their hiding places in a well-coordinated ambush.
These creatures pose a threat to any who step foot on the planet. Any future exploration undertaken by this vessel shall be done with servitors only from this point on.
There is nothing further to report.
-Magos Fenk 821 M41"
***
@Everyone:
Hasarian gets up and walks over the the view port to get a better look and the planet with his own eyes.
A smile splits the his massive black beard
"So virgin territory?" Hasarian seem to be bursting with excitement, almost like an overcharged Las Pack "Please tell me that we can go down there Desmond. Please tell me we can find a landing site?"
You all realize at this moment, that this, the exploration of the unknown, may be Hasarian's purpose in life.
***
@Gankom:
Going over the scans you do find a sparse patch of land that you could land an shuttle.
Player prompt: Role Int.