March Plot Summary for the USS Vigilant

The Vigilant crew began the month recovering from the difficulties of their previous mission. With the ship still severely damaged and under repairs at the shipyards on Zakdorn IV, they took up residence in the Prak Zel Grand hotel and enjoyed a few weeks rest. Before long, Captain Diego Herrera called everyone together to announce that they would not be returning to their Intrepid-class but would instead be moving into a new Hephaestus-class ship, the USS Vigilant-A.
The crew immediately took possession of the new ship with orders to begin a general exploration mission. They located a beautiful Class-M world with readings of possible dilithium deposits and other unique minerals and plants. Two away teams were formed to investigate areas of the planet. Before long, though, the environment was impacted by violent storms.
The team led by Lt. Cmdr A’ern Zerxes that was investigating dilithium readings in a large cave network was soon dealing with flash floods through the caves and injuries to crewmates. Zerxes has finally been able to make contact with the crew back on the Vigilant bridge to try and facilitate an evacuation, but they are limited without use of transporters and a ticking clock on the wellfare of the injured.
The captain’s team, above ground and near the coast, recognized that a new lifeform was intermingled with the storms and worked to try and make communication. They have successfully made contact, but can they negotiate a peaceful solution?