USS Veracruz Science Log

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Kinney Randt
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*This thread is for official USS Veracruz Science Reports*
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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
SS 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 111008
Location: Docked at Cascadia Shipyards

Log entry:

Predominantly a quiet night for science. We left aboard the Hoover to travel to the Cascadia Shipyards so as to board the USS Veracruz. I reviewed the space weather report, and it was fairly quiet in our area. There were a few incidents on board. One of our prisoners, Lt Cmdr Kevin Wallace incidentally, complained of being ill. At first, I assumed it was just a ploy to get out of the situation he was in, the ancient 'sick prisoner' routine. Granted, he wouldn't have much reason to pull that, but people have done stranger things.

It turns out that he was not faking. It was established that it was the same "poison" as last time. This was getting serious and it was about time that this toxin was narrowed and identified.

Eventually, I was called in to run a scan of the quarters. I narrowed down the source of the toxin to the replicator. Analysis of the substance is as follows in the individual report.

We eventually docked, and we're working on "moving in" to our new ship. This would include our "guests" in the brig.

Individual Reports:

Space weather report showed no unusual activity outside the errant radiation concentration and occasional solar wind. All in all, easy to navigate and travel through. Should not cause any issues.

Substance rigged into the replicator-

It turns out that what caused the Lt Cmdr to fall ill was in fact a poison. A toxin is generally held as a substance that is produced by some sort of biological function, and a venom is generally injected through a bite or sting. However, a poison is considered a toxic substance that enters the humanoid body through an epithelial lining (such as the skin, or the lining of one's stomache).
In this instance, it was carbon neurolite. This is a liquid chemical extracted from a plant that generally grows on a Y-Class planet, which is then combined with an agent to prevent its vaporization. When not prevented from becoming vapor, it affects whoever is making the substance, and also lessens the poison's effectiveness. It commonly causes intoxication through being ingested.
Carbon neurolite under normal circumstances can be lethal, but the poison was triggered to deploy into a carbonated beverage. As such, the carbon would start to vaporize, but not as fully as it would without the anti-vaporizing agent. Ergo, the toxicity was reduced, and yet did not pose a threat to the other members of the ship.


Conclusion:
We were actually fortunate that the would be poisoner didn't fully understand the behavior of this substance, as it would have either killed Wallace, or have affected the entire vessel. It seems that whoever was threatening him has decided to quiet him. However, we caught the problem in time. Also, the actions of Dr. Highwater and Czavicevic most likely saved Wallace, as further ingestion would eventually have caused his death.
=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant ScottyBrit
Asst Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
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120316.1552

=============================================
To: Captain Randt
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Science Log =A=

Recording by Cmdr Garethya Mongrain, CSO
=============================================

Stardate: 120316

Location: Science Console on Bridge

Results of the scans made in Sector 004B:

Quick scans of the planet indicate Class M, with 35 separate mining areas across the surface. We were only able to perform one deep scan of one mine, and there was a rich supply of raw dilithium crystals.

First results of scans on ORB currently in Science Lab:

The ORB is dome shaped, with a solid base, and milky dome covering. The milky substance is a constant swirling gas, changing from pale yellow to dark green. There is a second ORB in the middle, and am unable to scan the inside. There is a definite energy emitting from the center.

Dimensions: Outer Dome has a diameter of 70 cm (approx. 30”). The inside ORB is 25 cm (approx. 10”).

Base of Dome consists of a mineral base:

Sodium 11.21%
Aluminum 11.84%
Iron 2.72%
Silicon 274%
Oxygen 46.82%

This is the same make-up of earth mineral Jadelite.

Unable to ascertain the make-up of the internal ORB containing the consciousness of the entity which invaded Captain Randt.

=============================================

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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 110504 - 120128
Location: Surface of Menlo Prime

Log entry:

A small team of NPC scientists were sent to a "duck blind" on the surface of Menlo Prime, the geographical region of Usk, to observe and study a population of prewarp humanoids. Though there had been a danger of cultural contamination with some raiders that had been taking people from the surface, it seems that contamination did not happen. Logical and technology appropriate explanations had been provided, which were accepted. A series of reports have been completed, which are the research from the team, compiled and analyzed by myself.


Individual Reports:

Cultural Summary
----


Timeline Study took place contemporarily in 2386-2387 on stardates 110504 - 110128
---

Culture - similar to Earth Welsh feudal system of the 14th century.
----

Technology - Pre-warp, pre-industrial, metalurgic capable. Agricultural.
----

Sources: Research conducted by the SS Tranquility and later USS Veracruz science teams concealed on the planet's surface.
----



General Data
Home System: Menlo System
Home Planet: Menlo Prime
First contact: An escaped slave, who was originally from the planet, named Kanzi
First Contact By: n/a
Faction: Villiage people of Usk
Government: Feudal
Violence: Marginal
Primary Langauge: Uskara

Biological Information
Scientific Name: Humanus Menlus-erectus
Scientific Family Humanus Menlae
Scientific Super-family: Humanoidae
Scientific Order: Mamallian
Skin: Varies from pale to dark in coloring that of Earth Humans and other similar humanoids.
Hair: Predominately Brown with occurrences of black, blond, and gingers. Turns shades of greys or silvers in advanced age.
Eyes: Varying shades of brown, blue, green and grey, including those shades that are a combination of the two.
Auditive: Yes
Emphatic: No
Telepathic: No
Intelligence: Comparable to Human
Sexes: 2 Male and Female

Conclusion:
The portions of the reports not conducted by the NPC officers were based upon the experience of the crew of the USS Veracruz on various away missions. They too should be given a degree of credit for their professional behavior and exceptional patience for their cooperation with this project.

=============================================

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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 120224
Location: Research done at Menlo Prime

Log entry:

Several different factions had been observed passing through the region. This includes Knights, civilians, bandits, gypsies, and travellers. Travellers of course cannot really be generalized as many were from different areas. However, these other groups that have interaction with the villiage and it's populous each have their own unique impact on Usk. Having reviewed and compiled the various reports, data, and accounts, these are the findings reguarding such factions.


Individual Reports:

Knights - Apart from the police type force that maintains order in the villiage, There are some who travel for competition in the increasingly reknown sporting event which can be called a "joust". A seperate report analyzes the significance of this event, however it is noteworthy that each knight who travels to the villiage to compete is viewed as a guest of honor. At least, they are until after they've proven whether they are worthy or not. If they lose, they are not totally cast aside, but are not given the honor of the victor. A competitor from a neighboring villiage may already have some amount of fame depending on their level. Ones from farther away however can become viewed as a local if they win numerous times. In fact a champion from another villiage may be viewed as having a higher position than a local who is not as great a warrior.

Gypsies - Often viewed as "heathens" these nomadic tribes, whom the team has dubbed gypsies due to their resemblance culturally to a people of Earth with that name, these people have a high family loyalty. They are not xenophobic, but reguard those who are not of their own as outsiders. Likewise the villiagers have a similar view. They tolerate the gypsies, but are not as welcoming. They have a common interest of protecting themselves from the various tribes of thieves and bandits that roam the area. Some in the villiage see Gypsies as being the same as these outlaws however. This is not the case, as they are rather peaceful people. Religious differences seem to be a common division among the people of Usk and the gypsies that share their roads.

Bandits and Thieves - Some groups of bandits are quite organized, consisting of 5-20 people. They plan ahead on local roads to ambush merchants delivering goods. Organized groups tend to gravitate to the more luxurious items, forgoing goods such as staples and clothing and instead aiming for gold, precious materials, and decorative items. The smaller ones concentrate on ambushing lone wealthy travellers, usually identifiable from a distance based on their coaches. The larger ones are more likely to attack either large groups or large deliveries.

Other groups are quite disorganized. They are seldom prepared, and seem to simply "wing it" as the expression goes. They are typically younger in age than the more organized groups. They seldom plan much further than "Tomorrow we shall cause a ruccous".


Conclusion:

Some of these factions are able to coexist, others not so much. As is often the case when different cultures combine, the melting pot has a few bubbles that come forth. All in all, there is an amount of turbulence, but also a basic understanding that all are required and dependant on eachother. As long as they find a way to coexist, then perhaps they will not repeat the history of so many other planets, namely civil war, prejudice, and ethnic strife.

Also, it will be nice if this culture ever makes it to warp capability, if they will also have the thieve and bandit problems resolved. This might be possible. Only time will tell.


=============================================

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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Science Log =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 120224
Location: Research done on Menlo Prime

Log entry: We were able to see a small glimpse into one of the families on Menlo. Their house was conveniently located not too far from the duckblind. While we do respect their privacy, we would observe their activities when moving about the villiage, as well as interactions with eachother around the outside of the house. For the purposes of this study, we will call them the Researchee family.


Individual Reports:
The Researchees comprise of 5 members. Like most of the family units we've seen, at the head of the household were two members, which just happened to be male and female in this case.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Researchee seemed to hold equal say in the goings on of the family. When one of them was absent, the other would step into the leadership role without hesitation, but when both were present, there seemed to be a joint working together. In fact, there was a distinct harmony in their cooperation. While a few disputes were picked up on audio sensors, they usually culminated in a mutual agreement, which we were able to observe being put into effect by the next morning.

While there are cases of same sex couplings and families in this society, they are not faces with the same stigma that some other cultures seem to manifest. They work with their families with the same harmony. While we weren't able to observe this directly, anecdotal evidence by way of typical villiage gossip was quite consistent in this reguard. As for how these same sex couples were able to have offspring, we never fully discovered. One of Mrs. Researchee's friends was part of a same sex marriage, and she appeared to be pregnant toward the end of our study, too late for us to pursue this query further.

The children, One, Two, and Three, had a similar unison in structure. No one child was put into a position of responsibility moreso than another. In fact, none were left to "tend" to their siblings until the reached a certain age, typically 17. In this case, One Researchee, a teenage female, was not yet that age, and would often lament at how they wished that they would be soon, so as to finally be able to "boss" their siblings around. So long as they were still considered children, they were to behave as children, and not be given responsibilities for eachother. In an emergency, this is waived, but the Researchees for the most part adhered to this structure.

Children Two and Three were said to be twins, but they did not appear alike at all. One was male, and the other female even. This was not often addressed, and so whether monozygotic pregnancies and births occur is unknown. No case was found either in the villiage or in records and stories. We would not have known that Two and Three were twins at all if not for a passing comment from a neighbor. "I hope it is simply the one, and not a doubling like (Mrs. Researchee)" was stated by one of the females that resided in the house to the east of the Researchee residence.

Extended families were not very commonplace, but the whole villiage acted as its own family. The adults would watch and care for any child within their immediate area, even if they did not have express verbal permission. This never caused a problem. Ergo, they idea of no child being left to care for another was capable of happenning, as there was always some adult able to be around. Crimes against children were not observed at all in the society, apart from perhaps outside the walls. It was overheard that high punishments would occur for such an infraction.

The Researchees placed a high value on teaching the children cooperation and looking out for one another. Both genders were taught the basics of hygeine and even a bit of jousting. While they were not encouraged to set their sights on such an activity, as they would never be qualified to compete, they were often brought to tournaments, and allowed to do a play version within the confines of their land allotment. They did not devote a large amount of time to achademics and studies, unless a child expressed a distinct interest in doing so. Then this was highly encouraged so long as the child still maintained their joy from it. One Researchee enjoyed creating works of art. Two and Three Researchee spent a lot of time looking at plants and animals. Perhaps on another planet they would have been put on a fast track of zoology studies, but they seemed to get much satisfaction from a self lead research.

Once a week, they would all go to church as a unit, even the children. Afterwards, they would return to their homes, look at the sky and it's sparse clouds, waiting for a bird to pass overhead. They would discuss, many aspects of their religious system as a family, and ask what each member took from their service. Often One would not have much to say, calling it "boring". Eventually, One would get caught up in the enthusiasm of Two and Three, and then catch herself and revert to her put on apathy.

They never had an extended family member visit. This seems slightly typical, but not strictly forbidden. Most likely, their extended family is either too far away to travel, or have died. They often speak of Pumai (grandmother) as being with the elders. Whether this is literal or merely an explanation of death was never revealed in the whole time of our presence.

Conclusion:
The people of Menlo, when it comes to their families, highly enforce internal harmony. Within their own villiage, this same attitude fo cooperation is shared. Still, their tolerance for outsiders is not always the greatest.

There is also a rather "enlightened" attitude of equality. All adults are equal. All children are equal. This contrasts with the belief of a nobility class. Somehow their society reconcilliates this seeming contradiction of ideals with the explanation that within each class all are equal. This is taught from childhood in that all children are equal, until you are an adult. Until then all share equal authority.

The two household heads work as a unit within themselves. While not overly affectionate, they are certainly efficient. While not sharing "sweet nothings" they also have less disagreements. Their main duties are to provide for their children, to teach them, and to contribute to the overall harmony of the villiage as a whole.

=============================================

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Asst Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
Last edited by ScottyBrit Resident on 120512.0815, edited 1 time in total.
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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Science Log =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 120224
Location: Research done at Menlo Prime

Log entry:
The people of Menlo have a fascinating religious history. Some members of the team, at my personal request, were asked to gather specific types of data for me to piece together a mythological progression of the people.


Individual Reports:

Their religious system appears to be stable at the moment. According to some ancient carvings that one of our scientists... er... quite literally stumbled upon... the god that they worship currently has not always been their accepted diety. Combined with some relics the people hold dear, and a temple that has been burried under a landslide for millenia, along with some residual legends and folklore, one can piece together a basic mythos.

The carvings depict an immense lupine creature. The er... rabbit... terrorizes the people, showing small humanoids huddled together. The homes burned in the wrath of the creature.
As the depiction continues, a humanoid stands out from the others. He carries a large branch, and summons an aquiline like bird, resembling an eagle. The eagle lands on the branch, and lowers its head to the humanoid. After a large beam of light shines from the heavens, the man combines with the eagle, creating a great eagle many stories tall.

This image shows the next portion of the carvings. This image is seen repeatedly on caves, urns, temple walls, and even on a few windows of the existing churches.

Image

This is the kainearggh, or "Flight of Salvation." The story is fairly easy to interpret from these drawing, but essentially the newly created macroavian swoops down, removing the lupine menace from the people.

Although the original language has been lost, this same expression is a recurring theme among all factions of these people. Another theme is the belief that this bird will return and bring the menloans to be among the stars.

Carbon dating, compensating for the planetary difference, dates these carvings found in the caves to about 2,500 years ago.

Now this myth has evolved over time. It has become less fantastical, apart from the gypsies and a few purists, and turned to a more "reasonable" version. Every midsummer, they celebrate "Kai Day" which is actually three days, not one. The feastival consists of hanging a replica of a lupine from a large tree, and hitting it with sticks. This is surely reminiscent of the original myth concerning the defeat of the rabbit, and even the symbolism of the branches and trees.

Much of the mythology has been lost in the temples and ruins buried beneath the land. Still, subplanetary scans were able to piece together a few images that filled in the gaps on this particular myth.

They justify this celebration by calling it Kai Day, but saying that it is for Ruthus Kai-forn. This religious figure is more centric to what the new religion is about. The holy books, which no one is permitted to go near apart from a select few, allegedly tells of a man who had the ability to talk to birds. The birds told him of a perilous storm that would destroy the land and kill all of the people. The birds then instructed Ruthus to lead the people up the tallest mountain, which the people of Usk believe to be Grayshawk Mountain, visible from the area. The belief goes that the people who followed Ruthus to the mountain were saved, and the heathens who doubted his word stayed in their unholy temples, and were buried by the gods to end their lawless ways.

Interestingly, this may refer to an actual event. There are temples buried underneath the ground, most likely from a great landslide. This event would have taken place long before Ruthus Kai-forn walked the planet, but it is unclear whether it was this natural event, or confusion with one later, that spawned essentially an entire religion.

There is another god that gets some attention in a few churches, which was covered in a previous report. viewtopic.php?f=178&t=19827 ((at least, until it is moved into the archive. thread name is 110504: View into the Past)) and here http://www.ufstarfleet.org/wiki/index.p ... o_The_Past

Conclusion:

These people to this day have a great reverence to birds, and clearly there was something long ago that contributed to this. It is interesting to note that there is a distinct absense of any lupine or lupine-like creature anywhere on the planet. Perhaps this was a prehistoric creature with a disposition more like a tiger than a rabbit. After all, someone who had only ever seen the felis domesticus of earth would have great trouble believing anything about a LeMatya of Vulcan.

There have been a few bones dug from around the temple site, very carefully so as not to disturb any artifacts. These bones might verify the existance of lupine creatures on the planet at some time. These are available to the paelaentology department for study.

The myth evolved from a supernatural story of a man combining with a bird to defeat a giant rabbit, into the slightly more believable (but still unlikely) tale of a man, blessed by the gods, who conversed with the holy birds and save their people. No one outwardly doubts this version of the story. Those that hold to the older tale of immense animals and morphotransubstantiation are considered unholy. There are a few that practice some rituals in secret, but they're so secret that our research came up empty apart from rumor and whispers.


=============================================

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Asst Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
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120610.1742

Science report submitted by Lt. Arauyla Coronet:

=============================================
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz- Lt. Araulya Coronet
=A= Science Log =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 120606
Log entry: Veracruz

Scientific Report:

Speciman named Emmet has been receiving injections now for a week and his adaptability is astounding. subject has begun to display rudamentary Telepathic skills and is able to initiate communication with me as long as we are within range of each other. I can read him and initiate anywhere within the ship however I have found it most interesting that my own dna has increased his adaptation to ship life.

Emmet has begun to display basic teleportation skills and I have been taking daily samples to monitor the genetic changes to the spider. The Subject is unable to teleport through walls at this time and we have come up with a little game within my quarters to strenthen this skill however I wish it to remain rather muted from my own abilities.

Emmet's own ocular abilities have in turn made my current genetic changes within myself far more tolerable and the creature has become a dear companion. Emmet displays an increased Intellectual capacity including a bit of spacial awareness that his mundane counterparts do not display. I need permission to further keep Emmet in my company and I have sent the Chief a request for this. followed by requests by every experiment I am working on up to and including every plant in Hydroponics.

It is my wish and hope that this times Emmet will be available to aquire for unaltered further samples of his dna and to test whether these changes will breed true to further generations. I find it odd that amongst all of my aquaintances on the ship I have made a friend who isn't even humanoid. it does however remain untested if he will begin to display shape shifting capabilities, I am going to begin locking or capping off which of my own abilities he can begin to display so they will not pass to children. the last thing I need to hear is the Chief screaming bloody murder as she's caught in a web of tribbles. I have made one consession in light of the Chief's irrational fear, I have made a small cage for Emmet not that it'll keep him if he Really wants out however it is reminicient of the old earth cricket cages. I am looking forwards to aquiring Emmet two. Emmet one is reminding me that it is time to feed him and practice his skills via play before I turn in.

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121004.1554

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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Science Log =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 121004

Log entry:

I have started an experiment with the concept of sentience, specifically the idea of sentience as a result of evolution. This is one of the series of reports concerning simple-cellular organism sentience.

Individual Reports:

We started off with a simple yogurt culture. There was nothing remarkable about L. Paradiallophilis ((OOC, yeah I made that up, but there could be undiscovered cultures by then/now)). It was a typical bacterium, that at first didn't seem to have any noteworthy characteristics.

I had tried in the past to expose some cultures to things like radiation or types of atypical energy, but to no avail. However this particular sample of yogurt did something different. When I fired a mild beam of Plasma particles, I was sure that I saw the substance flinch. Repeated attempts did not illicit any further response.

To preserve the specimen, I kept it in my minifridge, with a note attatched that said "DO NOT INGEST!" I found the note slightly to the left on 120201, but that may have simply been an officer picking it up, reading it, and putting it back.

On 120220, I was losing hope of finding any signs of sentience in what I had now dubbed "Gary." I had Gary hooked up to a few monitors (which were totally flatlinned I might add). I turned to grab something, and foolishly dubbed my toe on something or other. I said something in Greek, mostly because I was watching a lecture on the pantheon, when I heard a beep. When I turned around, there was a blip on the monitor. Curious, I started saying a few other words. Again, a blip. It seems that sentience had occurred, but the reason why my results were coming in negative was because Gary doesn't speak english. I should have known,. considering this was Greek Yogurt...

Since that time I've been spending time with Gary, but so far only on a lab basis. Thus far it hasn't progressed farther than blips on the monitors when exposed to Greek. However these blips are getting stronger. This is except the time when I forgot to put Gary back in the fridge on 120812. For a week, Gary made no response, no matter how much Greek was spoken to him... er I mean "it". For a week there wasn't a single response. I know it couldn't have been because Gary was damaged by a temperature change, as it was only for 15 minutes. But it was the end of the day, and I was the last one in the lab. I forgot that Gary was there, and I simply left the lab and turned the lights off. I realized my mistake however, and came back and put him back in the fridge. So, amazingly, I think this may actually have been a form of "silent treatment."

Other than that, nothing superbly remarkable to note. I have an idea for the next phase of the experiment, because I feel that a few blips on a spreadsheet is hardly enough evidence to conclusively say that this yogurt has achieved sentience.


Conclusion:

While I think some of the officers have placed a bit of imagination concerning the scope of Gary's sentience, there is no denying that there is some sort of activity, which can be repeated over and over again.

So far I am pleased with the results, but more work is needed before I go declaring any findings.

=============================================

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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Science Log =A=
=============================================

Stardate: 130504

Log entry:

In the science lab, I have started my analysis of the plant we have there, which for the moment I am designating Carnivorous Plant 1, or CP1. CP1 had a reproduction event in the past few weeks, which led to a great many changes in its physiology. CP1 had several offspring, but only three survive, which am designating Carnivorous Plants 2-4, or CP2, CP3, and CP4. CP4 seems a bit smaller than its "siblings".

The problem posed by this plant is that its excretions can have deleterious effects on crew members. This plant should be classified as highly dangerous in certain parts of its life cycle, such as reproduction. The latest incident involved the plant essentially "spitting" on a couple of Vulcan crew members. The two Vulcans then seemed to experience symptoms similar to the Vulcan "plak tow", or blood fever. CP1's secretions seem to include an enzyme that breaks down serotonin, inducing the plak tow-like state.

CP1's secretions seem to have been a response to the reproductive cycle. The secretions seem to be some sort of natural weapon that CP1 seems to deploy as part of what is likely a parenting instinct. It would seem that CP1 and offspring may be not only a highly motive plant, but also a semi-sentient one.

Based on readings taken of CP1's lifesigns in the period leading up to the reproductive event and after, I have developed a warning protocol for the next time this plant becomes dangerous. For now, CP1 must be regarded as potentially hazardous for Vulcans as long as its offspring are in a juvenile state (at a minimum). It is unknown how long this "parenthood" stage will last with CP1.

This defense mechanism would seem to indicate that whatever natural predators CP1 may have in its native environment, they must respond deleteriously (and immediately) to disrupted serotonin levels. It may induce fear, or lethargy, or some other feeling which makes the plant seems either dangerous or not worth harvesting.

The plant seems uninterested in me. Maybe I'm small enough that CP1 doesn't consider me a threat. My next steps will be to attempt to isolate the offending enzyme from samples of CP1's excretions we still have in the lab. CP2-4 seem to be growing well. CP4 is actually cute. I wonder why CP1 ate its other offspring.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Science Officer, USS Veracruz
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United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate:
Location: deep space

Log entry:

Science Officer's log, Stardate 130529.1908.

I was in the botany lab studying the carnivorous plants that we have nicknamed "the Cratchits" when the pirates attacked. The damage to Deck 8 caused the emergency containment force fields to activate around the botany lab, effectively trapping me in the small room, along with the Cratchits, for the duration of the space battle. The damage also shorted the control systems, which meant that when Deck 8 was evacuated, the force fields around the botany lab could not be turned off, and the crew was forced to leave me (and the Cratchits) in the lab.

Unfortunately, the disruption in systems also dropped the force field around the Cratchits. Without any protective equipment available, I spent time with the Cratchits at very close quarters, and had a unique opportunity to study what seems to be their behavior under extreme duress.

During the firefight, the lab was repeatedly rocked by weapons fire, especially when the hull was breached. The smaller plants were thrown from the containment area, onto the floor. The "Mother" plant did something pretty extraordinary -- the color of her red structure changed to a more purplish hue. She spat one of her excretions, but not at me -- instead, repeatedly, in the direction of the loudest of the sounds. It was almost as if she were trying to return fire to those knock-off Klingon ships. I managed to collect samples of all of the excretions.

Tiny Tim, which is more formally known as CP4, or Carnivorous Plant 4, was thrown from the containment area. When he landed on the floor, his pot broke open, requiring an emergency re-potting. He actually writhed quite a bit, as if in pain, during the procedure, but seemed to settle into his new pot well. I fear his growth may be further stunted compared to CP2 and CP3, his "siblings", as a result of this incident. During the period that Tiny Tim was out of his pot, CP1's (Mama Cratchit's) color was at the darkest purple I saw during this ordeal. CP2-4 were also similarly purple-colored during this period.

Conclusions: it would seem that the Cratchits are sensitive to noise, and can isolate its source direction, quite independent of there being a close-by predator or prey animal. Furthermore, they seem to experience emotion! Surely, a great deal more study will be needed, since there is nothing even remotely like a neuron in these plants, but perhaps there is some sort of chemical equivalent to a synapse in these plants. The transformation to purple is accompanied by a tremendous movement of trimethyltryptamine, a serotonin-like pscyhotropic drug found naturally in some plants in the Delta Quadrant. A possibility exists that trimethyltryptamine is used by the Cratchits as a neurotransmitter to mediate an emotional response to external stimuli. This conclusion will rightly be regarded as highly speculative, but the existence of emotion in these plants would explain a great deal of the observed behavior, for which other models have yet to yield satisfactory results.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Science Officer, USS Veracruz
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=============================================
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate:
Location: Seat of the Unmaker system

Log entry:

Science Officer's log, Stardate 130717.2017.

The shift started with the loss of signal from the probe we had orbiting the compact object called the "Seat of the Unmaker", a five solar mass black hole. While engineers and others dealt with various system issues, we made our way to the Seat of the Unmaker system, where we discovered a neutron star orbiting the black hole, as well as a G-type star, a single M-class planet, and an odd metallic moon.

Compact objects: a primer

Generally, the end products of a star's life cycle of stars are called compact objects. They come in three flavors: White dwarf stars, Neutron stars, and Black holes. A star will spend most of its life in what is called its "main sequence" phase. During this time, the star will be converting its hydrogen fuel into helium through fusion. When it runs out of hydrogen, it will enter its giant phase, where other sorts of fuels will be burned, such as helium, carbon, nitrogen, and so on. The reason the star goes into a giant phase is because of increased stellar winds emanating from the outer limit of the burning zone. If the star is massive enough, the giant outer layers will be blasted off entirely, and what is left over is called a Wolf-Rayet star. When all the fuels have run out, the star's core will collapse, causing either a nova or a supernova, depending on mass.

1. White dwarf stars

Most stars will end their days at white dwarf stars. Only extremely massive stars will develop into other objects. A white dwarf is a luminous object, but not because it's still undergoing fusion. Instead, it is merely very hot, and very massive. This causes the object to emit light just like hot heating element. Eventually, a white dwarf will cool, and become a black dwarf. White dwarf stars are incredibly dense, and are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. They are kept from further collapse by degeneracy pressure, where the probability clouds of the protons and electrons effectively bounce up against each other.

2. Neutron stars

White dwarf stars can only be so massive. As the star's mass goes up, so does the gravitational pressure. At a high enough mass (1.4 solar masses, the "Chandrasekhar limit", gravity will overcome degeneracy pressure, and the protons and electrons will inverse beta decay to form neutrons. At this point, one has a neutron star. Neutron stars are incredibly dense, between 1.4 and 1.7 solar masses, and are only about the size of the planet Earth. Neutron stars are kept from further collapse by a new degeneracy pressure -- here, the probability clouds of the neutrons are bouncing up against each other.

3. Black holes

Above 1.7 solar masses, gravitational pressure is high enough to overcome neutron degeneracy pressure, and the object will collapse into a black hole. It is important to note that a black hole is a garden-variety object, just like a star. Planets and other objects can orbit a black hole stably outside a certain distance (related to the mass of the black hole and the orbiting object). Black holes are probably the most misleadingly named objects in all of astronomy, as they are neither black nor are they holes in any sense except that light cannot escape from within the event horizon. As to what their structure is, there were various notions in 20th century physics. Early models were of a singularity, without dimension. Of course, the collapsing black hole would be barred from ever becoming a true singularity due to relativistic effects -- time dilation would, in effect, slow down the collapse from the point of view of an observer in a flat spacetime (that is, outside the black hole's immediate sphere of influence). Later models envisioned the black hole as a vibrating N-dimensional cosmic string.

The Seat of the Unmaker system: physical description

The Seat of the Unmaker system contains only five known objects. The most massive object in the system is a five solar mass black hole, but the system also includes a neutron star, a G-type star, an M-class planet, and an odd, seemingly metallic moon. No other objects have been noted in the system except

The black hole

The Seat of the Unmaker is a five solar mass black hole. That is, it is a compact dead star that has the same mass as five of Earth's suns. It was the first object discovered by the Veracruz. This object has no angular momentum whatsoever, which strongly suggests it is artificial. Furthermore, there is no accretion disk orbiting the black hole. It is a bare singularity. There is no magnetic field associated with the black hole, probably owing to its lack of angular motion.

The neutron star

The largest companion object in the system is a neutron star of almost precisely 1.4 solar masses, just above the Chandrasekhar limit. Like the black hole, it also has absolutely no angular momentum, leading again to the speculation that it too is artificial. It orbits the black hole with a period of 67 Earth days. Unlike all known natural neutron stars, there is no strong magnetic field associated with the neutron star, probably owing to its lack of angular motion.

The star

The G-type star in the Seat of the Unmaker system is a 0.7 solar mass main sequence star. It is quite unremarkable. Its surface temperature is 5100 Kelvins, which is somewhat cooler than Earth's star (5778 K). The star seems to be a population I star, which is to say, it has mostly hydrogen, and very little in the way of heavier elements.

The planet

The planet appears to be class M, with a breathable atmosphere. Preliminary scans are inconclusive at this time -- we need to get closer.

The moon

The fifth object in the system is what appears to be a metallic moon. That is, its spectral class seems to indicate a metallic surface. However, its density, given its diameter, is far too low (approximately 2.5 grams per cm^3, comparable to any silicate object) for it to be solid. This suggests a high porosity. Exploration of the moon should be a high priority.

Appearance of the system

Graviton measurements suggest that this entire system was once bottled up in a "pocket universe". That is, a separate, though co-located reality. It would appear that the wormhole produced by the Hobus event intersected the pocket universe, tearing it open, dumping the objects out into normal space. Tatters of the pocket universe still exist, though it is collapsing. The first object to exit the pocket universe was the black hole. It seems to have been joined recently by the other objects in the system. In our previous encounter in the system, only the black hole had emerged.

Fate of the probe

Model calculations and sensor readings from the probe prior to its demise indicate that it encountered the neutron star shortly after its exit from the pocket universe. The close pass slingshotted the probe directly into the black hole, destroying the probe.

Origin of the Seat of the Unmaker system

This entire system appears to be artificial, including the pocket universe. Who would be able to accomplish this kind of "feat of cosmic engineering", as Gron called it, and what their motivations might be for this kind of artifact, remain unknown. It seems logical to speculate that the Hobus event represents an unanticipated complication not contemplated by the designers of this artifact. The entire system, including the M-class planet, seem to have been hidden away in their pocket universe. The Hobus wormhole could well have inadvertently pulled the system (and any inhabitants it might have) out of hiding.

Conclusions and recommendations

It is premature to make conclusions as to the builders of the Seat of the Unmaker system, except to say that it seems an inescapable conclusion that the system is artificial. Their motivations and plans are unknown; it is unclear what kind of technology would even be able to produce an artifact like this. We might find more answers on the M-class planet or its odd metallic moon, potentially even the builders of the artifact themselves. We must proceed to the planet with all caution and haste.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
___________________________________________________________________
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=============================================
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate:
Location: Deep in the Beta Quadrant

Log entry:

Science Officer's log, Stardate 130724.2017.

The shift started orbiting the Seat of the Unmaker system (described in a previous report). An energy beam of indeterminate properties impinged on the ship, penetrating our shields. I went to the lab to conduct a triolic scan using experimental equipment we have only in the lab; alas, the scan, though time-consuming, proved fruitless. In the meantime, a projection of some sort, a kind of hologram, interacted with the bridge crew. The projection, which called itself "the Guardian", seemed at first to be glitched, but seems to have unglitched itself later. It allowed the Veracruz to explore the system and scan the M-class planet, then through some sort of device which must share similarities with Iconian portals or similar technologies, sent the ship deep into the Beta quadrant, beyond Romulan space. The Guardian explained that it was "storing" us here until it awoke a "Watcher" to decide what to do with us.

The Seat of the Unmaker system -- Updates

The M-class planet seems abundant in life, but it is all in a strange state of stasis, as if the entire planet has been frozen in time. Large energy readings were detected from the metallic moon; in fact, the Guardian's carrier beam originated there. There must be some sort of facility on the moon. The Guardian referred to the unraveling pocket universe as the "Veil" -- apparently the Watchers made no provision for such an unlikely event as their hiding spot being disrupted by a passing wormhole. The principal components of the system -- the black hole, the neutron star -- remain mysterious. Why include them in this system?

The Watchers

The Guardian stated that the Watchers were "Preserver Project 1A-1" -- that is to say, they were created by the Preservers, an ancient humanoid race thought to be progenitors of all intelligent species in the galaxy. This makes them quite old, of course. The Guardian did not elaborate much further on them apart from saying that they slept, and must now be awoken.

Current status

We are currently in the Beta Quadrant, far from Earth, far from Pinastri, with the entirety of the Romulan Empire between us and home. And apparently subject to recall to the Seat of the Unmaker whenever these "Watcher" people wake up from their beauty nap. We're a starship put on a cosmic shelf.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
___________________________________________________________________
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131009.1946

=============================================
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate:
Location: Khitomer Wormhole, Delta Quadrant

Log entry:

Science Officer's log, Stardate 130821.2003.

The Veracruz, upon exiting the Khitomer Wormhole back into Delta Quadrant space, encountered a debris field. Spectral scans revealed components of two Federation ships, the Banshee and the Discovery by their isotopic compositions, but further revealed that only minor debris from the ships was present. The ships themselves seem not to have been destroyed in a battle with Dominion and Romulan forces, whose debris were also in the field.

Components recovered from the Banshee seem to have been sheared off from the ship. Whether this was done by a grappler, or gravitic shear, potentially from passing through a collapsing wormhole, or some more exotic cause remains unknown. Further scans and a complete inventory of the debris field should be able to answer those questions.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
___________________________________________________________________
Rear Admiral Nora Gerhadsen
Chief of UF Starfleet Operations
User avatar
Nora Gerhadsen
Command - Rear Admiral
Command - Rear Admiral
Posts: 1350
Joined: 120908.1707
Duty Post: Chief, UF Starfleet Operations
Ship/Station Posted:
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Location: ME
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Contact:

131009.1946

=============================================
United Federation Starfleet
USS Veracruz
NCC - 200808
=A= Mission Log from Science =A=
=============================================

Stardate:
Location: Khitomer Wormhole, Delta Quadrant

Log entry:

Science Officer's log, Stardate 130918.1943.

The shift was quiet up until Commander Brit received a transmission from the main science lab that there had been some sort of explosion. Internal sensors showed EM discharges, subspace distortions, and other indications of outbursts of energy consistent with explosions. Commander Brit and Gron went to the lab, but found no damage. Gron returned to the bridge, but then Commander Brit reported a visual indication of a radiation discharge.

I went to the science lab with Ensign Dancer-Lemon, where we found no apparent damage to the room or environs. However, the carnivorous plants known as the "Cratchits" seem to have been affected by the radiation bursts, having grown significantly. I witnessed the energy flashes; intense sonic waves were associated with the flashes as well. We determined that the flashes were associated with a warp bubble experiment in the warp dynamics lab.

The warp bubbles were being produced at very high frequencies in the experiment, resulting in small bubbles, almost a warp bubble froth. However, there seems to have been some sort of quantum phase mismatch in the experiment. The bubbles are intersecting a parallel universe that seems to be in its early period. It is still optically very thick, and has a very high energy density. The experiment seems to be acting as a conduit between the two universes: energy builds up at the bubble interface, until they then release it all at once -- what Ensign Dancer-Lemon referred to as a "warp burp".

I had the Ensign set up a standing warp wave in the experiment chamber, at low frequency, but high amplitude. This had the effect of normalizing the interdimensional conduit, allowing for a constant energy transmission instead of bursts that were growing in intensity. This is a stopgap measure until we figure out how to break the conduit permanently. It seems unlikely that just cutting the power to the experiment would work -- it is possible that the bubbles might be self-maintaining at this point, and simply ending the experiment could result in a catastrophic energy release.

The energy releases were not causing damage to the ship. It seems that the energy has a slightly different quantum phase from our universe. Analysis of internal sensor information indicates that the energy releases were growing in intensity before the fix; it seems likely that at some point, regardless of quantum phase, damage will start if the conduit is not shut down. For now, the standing wave is drawing extra power as well.

=============================================

In Service
Lieutenant Nora Gerhadsen, Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Veracruz
___________________________________________________________________
Rear Admiral Nora Gerhadsen
Chief of UF Starfleet Operations
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