In case my edit gets overlooked by the QM and other players
Why stay Earthbound when prosperity awaits you in the stars? Come to Halcyon, the only colony on the edge of the frontier owned and operated by corporations! A trip of ten short years will feel like minutes, thanks to the comfort and safety of your very own hibernation chamber. You'll wake up in a perfect society designed to maximize your productivity, with guaranteed full employment! With only a minor term of service you will become the master of your own destiny when you go out of this world... To the Halcyon Colony!
My understanding is that the Prime Directive is largely to allow pre-contact species to develop without outside interference. When you're leaving your home system, contact is likely going to become inevitable, but it's rare that people leave their home system without developing warp
Are there actual canon examples of non FTL spacefaring species in StarTrek? And I don't just mean warp, just FTL in general. I know an example from To Boldy Go, but as much as I wish otherwise it's a fanwork.
There's that one species in the Delta Quadrant that ran their civilization on Omega molecules though as some have pointed out them not having Warp appears to have been little more than a way to force the Prime Directive issue and not even that well at that.
So, looking at the message and assuming it's correct, we're going to be dealing with a corporate world, though at least the message implies the entire society itself isn't corporate-run. We should be careful, then, because even the cleanest corps mainly have profit at the forefront of their minds, and while the Hestia provides a profitable trade opportunity (even if they don't believe were extragalactic travelers, were still a first contact), its just as likely that a corp might try and just steal our ship from us, or worse.
So, looking at the message and assuming it's correct, we're going to be dealing with a corporate world, though at least the message implies the entire society itself isn't corporate-run.
It appears to be Outer Worlds.
Humans left Earth on a decade long journey to a new solar system to pioneer a frontier life, but when they got there 10 corporations basically took over everything. And now everything costs. They'd even lease you an apology.
They are distinctly seperate from their homeworld system by sheer distance, but they should still be able to communicate from time to time.
Likely will be a proxy race for humanity though, unless they came from Earth thousands of years ago in the Milky Way and ended up here.
It appears to be Outer Worlds.
Humans left Earth on a decade long journey to a new solar system to pioneer a frontier life, but when they got there 10 corporations basically took over everything. And now everything costs. They'd even lease you an apology.
They are distinctly seperate from their homeworld system by sheer distance, but they should still be able to communicate from time to time.
Likely will be a proxy race for humanity though, unless they came from Earth thousands of years ago in the Milky Way and ended up here.
Them being humans seems incredibly unlikely, even more so than usual, so I imagine they're either a species that physically resembles a human or a rubber-forehead alien. Seeing as we just found a Quarian/Citadel station around a dozen or so lightyears away, they may just be a Terminus/Attican world that's heavily inspired by the Outer Worlds setting. Though the mention of ten years coldsleep indicates that they might be an original species that still haven't really figured out proper warp or mass effect travel yet.
There's that one species in the Delta Quadrant that ran their civilization on Omega molecules though as some have pointed out them not having Warp appears to have been little more than a way to force the Prime Directive issue and not even that well at that.
Actually, if we're getting the advertisement for the colony, would this not be the homeworld or at least a different planet instead of the place the single is advertising for? Especially if it takes ten years to get there.
Well, if this really is an Outer Worlds type corporation, I'm guessing the main thing keeping people stuck there is the fact that it's a 10-year trip back to civilization, and the corporations won't let anyone buy a ticket home until they've paid off the debt they already accepted for being delivered TO this slave colony singular opportunity.
I'm guessing that The Fastest Ship in Two Galaxies who neither owes nor fears the corporations is going to get a lot of attempted refugees.
Them being humans seems incredibly unlikely, even more so than usual, so I imagine they're either a species that physically resembles a human or a rubber-forehead alien. Seeing as we just found a Quarian/Citadel station around a dozen or so lightyears away, they may just be a Terminus/Attican world that's heavily inspired by the Outer Worlds setting. Though the mention of ten years coldsleep indicates that they might be an original species that still haven't really figured out proper warp or mass effect travel yet.
You say that but that whole aliens abducting humans to use as slave labor and taking them far from Earth has happened twice in the franchise in both Enterprise and Voyager. Enterprise did it with the episode "North Star" where the humans had overthrown their oppressors and turned their descendants into second-class citizens in a recreation of the American West and Voyager did it in "The 37's" where a bunch of aliens decided it was a good idea to kidnap humans all the way over in the Alpha Quadrant and bring them back with them to the Delta Quadrant after which the humans revolted and then created a brand new society which was fairly advanced by the time of Voyager's own arrival.
It could have happened here as well, not that it wouldn't be nonsensical if it did.
It wasn't, utilizing Omega was a relatively recent thing on the locals' parts and if Warp wasn't feasible Voyager wouldn't have been able to arrive in the system to steal and destroy what molecules the locals had.
Edit:
I wrote Gamma Quadrant by mistake in place of Delta Quadrant. This is oddly enough the second time I've mixed up the two today though last time it was the other way around.
Oh I know, there are at least half a dozen different human societies scattered about the milky way galaxy, but there's a difference between finding a human society in the Delta Quadrant, which is far away but still reachable in sensible time with a variety of methods, and the Andromeda galaxy, which as far as we know there is only one way to reach, that being the transwarp gate. Unless, say, some Q-like entity brought them there, but that seems extremely unlikely.
and the Andromeda galaxy, which as far as we know there is only one way to reach, that being the transwarp gate. Unless, say, some Q-like entity brought them there, but that seems extremely unlikely.
You know what would be stupid funny? If Andromeda was a carbon copy at larger scale of the Milky Way, and well, a Q alike popped their Earth from another dimension to this one in Andromeda. Technically making them humans from the Milky Way, just... relocated into Andromeda, with little to no knowledge of the differences. Making this a Star Trek/Mass Effect/Outworlds crossover.
[X][System] Check the two systems that are along the way for anything interesting
[X][Sci] Transporter 'Cypher' to get through the unknown interference
System 2 == d50 = 12
Anomaly System 2 == d35 = 7
Given the sheer size and scope of the Red Hypergiant star, even when traveling at three quarters of a Warp, it still takes over three hours for the Hestia to make a single lap around the star, all the while scanning it's surface for anything that might explain the changes that have happened to the star.
Unfortunately, there is only a single thing about the massive star that stands out... Which is the fact that it has a bit more mass than is average for a star of this size, but...
Well, it definitely makes sense that the extra mass may be related to what happened to the star, but that almost leaves more questions than answers. Where did all that mass come where? How did it get there? Most interesting of all, how did the star balloon out so massively in just four years. It takes millions of years for stars to shift from one phase of their life to the next, and it just doesn't make sense that the star managed to change so drastically in so short a frame of time. Unfortunately, there really just isn't anything that the ship can do about this.
a report is written, and a beacon dropped, both marking the location of the star, as well as sending out a pulsing subspace signal that repeats a warning about the star's bloated state that cannot be seen from a distance.
It isn't much, but it should go a decent way to protect any species intelligent enough to discover subspace communications.... And with that, the Hestia continues on its journey through space.
Aboard the ship the hours slowly pass, eventually the 'Night' shift comes to an end, and the 'Day' shift takes their place. You and your bridge crew come up one by one in order to take your positions, watching as the stars go soaring by. Hours more pass, until it is just over halfway through your own shift, as a bright point appears in the center of the viewscreen. With each passing moment it flows closer and closer, and with a flash of light the ship drops down out of the Warp at the edge of this unexplored system.
"And... Mark." you idly note, tapping the timer that Commander Kyyrecht had set upon leaving the last system. Ten hours and twenty minutes. Slightly more than the ten hours and three minutes from the station with the system to the Hypergiant, but this is a good benchmark for the real difference in how long it is going to move from system to system. Information that your first officer is going to need for setting the duty rosters in the future.
"System is clear." Commander Delon says, frowning at the screen in front of him as his hands dance away at his console. "...Other than the deluge of signals coming down the pipe from the next system over. Chatty folk. System seems rather... rote, honestly." For a moment you could almost wear that the older Romulan sounded... petulantly annoyed?
The only reason that you could think for him to be like that would be... Is he jealous that the Night Shift got to be the first ones to categorize an anomaly in the Andromeda Galaxy?
That's crazy talk. There's no way that he is that upset over it.
From over your shoulder, Halcyon gives a whistle of amusement, before explaining more of what your Comms officer means. "Center of the system is a beautiful and healthy Class A star." The Dolphin explains. "Of course, with such a bright star, the first two planets are sterile D class planetoids, not an atmosphere to be found on those solar blasted rocks." As the dolphin says there, there is a flash of green, as an indicating circle appears around each of those two planets. "Following that is a planet out in the Goldilocks Zone. Class..." The lieutenant commander pauses as the same indicator lights up the planet. "Possible M Class planet." The commander announces, bringing up everyone's attention at the mention of a possible federation standard life sustaining planet.
3d12 == 8, 11 , 3
22
[There is something...]
"However," the dolphin all but growls out, "I can't be certain. Scans are throwing back all sorts of erratic junk numbers. Same kinds of nonsense data that prevented us from getting a transporter lock on the station yesterday."
Well now... isn't than an interesting thing to hear?
From there, the indicator jumps to nearly the opposite side of the screen, zooming in in order to show off the next planet. "Past the possible M-class, we have a Class I supergiant." This planet is a massive golden brown gas giant, and surrounding it is one of the larger rings that you have seen over your years in Starfleet. "Wait..." Halcyon grumbles, his hologram rolling in place over towards one of the other consoles. "Again?" He asks, more to himself than anyone else. Then, the lieutenant gives a complex series of whistles and clicks over towards one of the other cetacean crew members down in the bowels of the ship. "It's the same phenomenon." He complains, clearly irritated. "Scanners are picking up massive amounts of junk data off of the ring."
Curiouser and Curiouser.
If nothing else, it is interesting to see that Halcyon doesn't seem to react well to having a problem that he hasn't managed to solve shoved into his snout again and again. "Thankfully, that leaves up with the last planet." The dolphin says. "Scans up it out on the other side of the star, so we can't see it from here, but it looks to be your average Class J gas giant." With a motion that you've learned to read as a shrug from the other cetacean crew members you have had over the years, he continues. "Higher than average amounts of methane, and there are trace amounts of the lighter metals you don't often see in gas giants, but other than that it is as normal as can be."
"We've done the scans." The dolphin whistles out, "and there is nothing interesting here. Can we go?"
Okay, you may be willing to give your crew a degree of freedom when it comes to how they handle themselves when on duty, but that.
That was stepping over a line. "Lieutenant Commander Halcyon." You say simply, and all at once the dolphin goes still. "Could you meet me in the ready room?"
"...Yes Captain." The dolphin says, as the hologram fizzles out of existence.
Standing up to go and speak with your chief science officer, you glance over towards T'Lainia. The Vulcan woman gives you the slightest of nods, and you give her a soft smile. The bridge will be in good hands while you go and give a dressing down to your science officer.
"Helm," T'Lainia says taking control of the bridge. "Take up around over close to the rings. Keep a Five Hundred K distance. Commander Delon, if you'd man the Science station while the Science Officer is busy, I'd like you to do a Full spectrum scan of the rings, get as much junk data back as you can. There might be a pattern in all of it."
"On it Commander." Delon says as you make your way out off the bridge.
Stepping into the ready room, you see that Halcyon is already there, and he looks contrite. There is a long moment where you stand there, watching him. He waits, and he waits. It is clear that he wants to speak, but he keeps his cool. Finally, after long enough, you give a tilt of your head, nodding to him.
"I... I'm sorry Captain. I let my temper get the better of me." He says. Honestly, you weren't entirely expecting him to apologize, but you do your best to keep that off your face. Something that is easier for you than others, given your fur. "I ended up staying up the whole of the last two shifts, trying to figure something out, anything out about the damned data."
Ah, that makes sense. Dolphins are known to become particularly tempermental if they haven't gotten the sleep that they need. "And did you?" You ask.
With a huff, the Halcyon shakes his head. "No... It just... Every time I decided to put it away, to get some sleep, I glance across it one more time, and for a moment there's something there. Each time it was nothing. Just my mind getting ahead of me."
"Every time there is something there?" You ask, intrigued.
With a huff that sends a flurry of bubbles up from the Lieutenant Commander's blowhole, Halcyon just shakes his head again. "It was nothing. I kept thinking I was seeing patterns in the waveform, but the numbers aren't right for it. It was the most irritating thing, feeling like I am right there, on the edge of understanding something, only for it slip past my teeth."
"Well, as it is just a first offense, I am going to give you a warning." You say, crossing your arms. "Now, go get some rest. I'll be checking with Cetacean in an hour, and if you aren't asleep I'll get Doc W after you."
Halcyon gives a grimace at that statement, but nods. Given the difference in how the Cetacean members of the crew are from the rest of the crew, they have their own doctor. Doc W is... Well, to put it in the simplest of terms. The Beluga has the bedside manner of a nest of hornets shaken firmly before being dropped into your lap.
Not pleasant, but the man is the good at what he does.
With that, you make your way back to the bridge.
There, filling the view screen in front of you is the third planet of the system. The potential M class...
And already you can see that things have just gotten a little bit more complicated. The planet has a very... interesting look about it.
So there is the most obvious thing. The planet is purple. The seas has a purple tint to them, and the grasses or lichens of moss or whatever it is are also purple, but a different tint of purple.
That is a bit odd, but nothing compared to the other aspect of the planet. The planet is... flat, or lack of a better term. Not... Not like, you know, conspiracy theorist flat, but instead the whole of the planet seems to have no major changes in elevation. Most of the planet seems to be flooded, with hundreds of thousands of small, crescent shaped islands poking out of the water.
There are countless of these crescents. The edges of these countless, countless impact craters.
This planet is flat. It was made flat, at a distance, kinetically.
Technically, having scanned the planet and checking this much out is enough to prove that no. This planet does not qualify as an M-class anymore. The fact that there is grasses or lichens or mosses. Plant life on the land does mean that eventually it will develop into an M-class, but at the moment it is not.
And, technically, having scanned the planet you have done everything that you need to for the planet. You can mark it's location and there are going to be follow up ships passing behind you, eventually. They could be the ones to examine and explore the planet. There doesn't seem to be anything here. You could just keep on going.
...Except, for the fact that the planet is covered in a purple haze, and the junk data being thrown back at your systems.
[ ][NotM] Send an Away team down by shuttle
[ ][NotM] Stick around the system and keep working at the Transporter issue, then send a team down by transporter
[ ][NotM] There is enough about this planet to make it too potentially dangerous to send an away team. Leave it for now. I had another scene planned out for arriving in the next system, but I have a killer headache, so I am gonna post this then go to bed.
I'll handle arriving at the new system in the next update.
Huh. If I recall correctly, irl dolphins can do the cool thing where they sleep with half their brain at a time. Am I wrong, or did something else change?
I can't shake the feeling that there is a bit more to Halcyon than just chronically undersleeping. Also purple haze the planet sounds like a death world in recovery and with that level of damage odds are there would be nothing of note to fine beyond like unique adaptations to whatever the local conditions are.
Huh. If I recall correctly, irl dolphins can do the cool thing where they sleep with half their brain at a time. Am I wrong, or did something else change?
Huh. If I recall correctly, irl dolphins can do the cool thing where they sleep with half their brain at a time. Am I wrong, or did something else change?
