by Caltern
Assignment: This mission is intended for the USS Artemis, USS Lotus, or to a lesser extent the USS Spectre. It is designed for ships with exploration facilities.
Summary: Strange new worlds exist beyond the Horizon, and Lotus Fleet is poised to be the first fleet to explore them. The planet, currently unnamed (Starfleet Database #883RS-III) , is a brown, rocky, barren-seeming M-class planet. However, deep down past the crust of the planet is a sprawling, labyrinthine complex of tunnels and caverns supporting a vastly diverse collection of flora and fauna. Without the sun (and thus, photosynthesis), the flora here have developed via chemosynthesis, with some examples being carnivorous as well. Omnivores, herbavores, and carnivores roam the caverns.
Example fauna:
Choroons - light green furred (not feathered), avian-based creatures that can fly only short distances. Their long, powerful legs and short wingspans are well adapted to maneuvering through long, rocky vertical tunnels. Their spade-like beaks enable them to unearth prey and to carve new handholds for their claws to grip onto.
Etedas - blue primate-based creatures built for speed, contrary to their soft, chubby looks. Eteda evolved to naturally prefer locomotion on all four limbs. Their arms and legs are considerably well muscled, with hardened nails perfect for widening tunnels. They appear to be omnivores with emphasis on flora.
Example Flora:
Gyndew - This spinach-like plant has a subdued purple and red coloration. It has high medicinal value, being rich in sulfonylureas and biguanides, and is edible, with a taste similar to red lettuce mixed with green beans. It thrives via chemosynthesis, near sources of underground water.
Omphaus - A fungus with strong bioluminescent properties radiating mostly from its gills. There are several subspecies of this plant, each with its own bioluminescent signature. However, these colors do not stray from the green, blue, and red spectrums of light. Red Omphaus are basically carnivorous, cultivating a pool of acid laced with flesh-eating bacteria within each mushroom top. Upon prey detection (Red Omphaus can "see" red), the mushroom will squirt the concoction towards its prey. Contact is instantly debilitating, often causing prey animals to become immobilized within range of the Omphaus, allowing the plant to slowly, externally digest the creature.
Starfleet Mission Objectives (Strongly Science and Medical)
- Investigate the third planet of star #883RS.
- Determine possible research station sites on-planet, and set up two.
- Evaluate, catalog, and name the star, planet, and inhabitants. (names for plants and animals are for ease of communication only)
Secondary Mission Objectives
- Downed Redshirt (Med/Sec) - The capabilities of the Red Omphaus do not become immediately clear until a red shirted officer or crewman has wandered afoul of them. Extract crew and heal.
- Shifting Ground (Eng/Ops) - several of the best research station sites have what appear to be ideal terrain until tested:
- The area is found to be an Etedas mating ground, and they have chosen just now for it to be mating season. The Etedas are burrowing up from the ground.
- (+Sci) A benign microorganism found throughout the soil in the area becomes voracious when introduced to Starfleet building materials. Apparently they love the stuff, severely weakening structural supports and eating through EPS conduits.
- (+Sec) The hum of Starfleet computers draws the attention of a pack of large predators.
- Due to techtonic plate shifting, the research station requires additional structural integrity field emitters and inertial dampners.
