Biodiversity

Posted on Sun Jun 9th, 2024 @ 12:48pm by Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Inara Senn

Mission: Man & Machine
Location: Planet

Seeing the ruins of the Skynet complex had been something Deanna had to do. She had learned what had caused the chronometric particles and determined that the device was on a buildup to be activated but they had destroyed the power systems before activation could be achieved. That was a dangerous situation, and Deanna had placed the device under complete lockdown. Equipment designed to mess with time was not something she wanted anyone messing around with. She had an engineering team pulling it apart for transfer up to the Washington. She'd study it in more detail in a safe environment. She figured Inara would get a kick out of it as well.

She approached the shuttle with Kate Connor. Inara was outside the shuttle talking with a few of her people, obviously still studying the local flora and fauna. "Ready to do the biodiversity study on the Tengu Forest?" Deanna asked as she came within a normal talking distance.

"Sure..." Inara responded. "Let's get it over with." She flipped open her tricorder.

"Are you feeling alright?" Deanna asked.

"I'm a fool...." Inara noted. "A foolish petulant child!!!!" She noted as she scanned.

"If you are waiting for me to disagree, we will be here a while" Deanna quipped. "I assume you have been giving thought to your various past actions of note and have come to see what many of us have been telling you. I wouldn't call you a fool Inara. You have acted human. Nothing wrong with being angry, upset, disappointed, but you have to be able to be happy and function in the here and now and with those around you as well. Take a look around Inara. A M-class planet with observable lifeforms of all shapes and sizes for us to study. Humans made at the very least resistant to radiation that should be lethal. AI that became sentient and lethal against its creators, all with technology that doesn't surpass the early 21st century on Earth. From a scientific perspective, it is a smorgasbord of scientific treats, and we are the leads to study it until the brass shows up. Smile Inara, we are about to catalog an unknown number of new biological species never before seen by anyone in the Federation or known worlds." Deanna boarded the shuttle and took a look back, "You coming?"

Sam strode forward, fatigue evident on her features but the excitement of exploring a new ecosystem fueled her mind and body. Could there be more cures for incredible disease and illness where they were going? The possibilities of study were almost endless.

Deanna looked to Sam, "I sense you are as excited and intrigued with what we may find as I am."

"Indeed I am. The discoveries that we have made already will help many once we decode them, this new ecosystem could provide a plethora of new treatments once we have time to properly study the samples" Sam beamed with possibility.

The shuttle ride to the Tengu Forest was interesting in itself. Deanna scanned every millimeter of terrain, taking note that the closer to the forest they got the lower the radiation was, to the point that it was practically nonexistent as they arrived at the large grassy field just outside the forest. She looked at Sam, "I think you'll agree, we won't need EV suits here. It doesn't even look like we'll need any additional medicine based on these readings."

"Keep the radiation suits at hand just in case." Inara scanned the plants. "Amazing, these plants and some of these molds have adapted themselves to removing radioactive elements from the water and the atmosphere. This is unprecedented."

"This could revolutionize our treatment of radiation and could assist in preventing absorption in the first place. Could we get some samples?" Sam asked hopefully.

"If we give this planet a hand with removing the aerosols, it could sort itself out in less than a decade. We don't have to remove the radiation. Then we can defend it." Inara noted. "As there is plenty here some lunatic could use as a weapon."

"Feel free to take whatever samples you wish" Kate Connor replied.

As Kate finished her brief reply, Deanna took notice to a yellow mass she saw moving from the tree line into the tall grass. She began scanning the area as she approached, her tricorder detecting the lifeform. She waded into the tall grass slowly, beginning to look around. Suddenly, the yellow creature popped up, standing up right on its hind legs and squeaked. Deanna looked at it in amazement, looking at while scanning the creature at the same time. The creature had a hide that was primarily yellow, with a few black stripes. Deanna took note that the creature looked like a large mouse or other rodent, perhaps a bit like an Earth beaver as it appeared to be of similar size. According to her readings, it stood at 1'4 and weighed 13 lbs. She noted further that the creature had red circles on its face in the cheek areas, and its tail was shaped a bit like a lightning bolt symbol.

Kate Connor walked up slowly and smiled. "Your first local creature find" she said softly. "It is fairly safe, but you might not wish to grab it without protection. It is an electromouse. They don't normally attack, but when threatened, they can generate a powerful electrical blast. They also attract lightning during storms, though it doesn't harm them. Despite the potential hazards, you'll find them to be extremely friendly. They don't fear humans."

"Might I take this one back to our ship for further study" Deanna asked.

"Of course, if it allows you to capture it. They don't typically take issue, but some do" Kate replied.

Inara gave Deanna a look. "Be careful Commander. We have never seen anything like this before." She shook her head. 'Sweet mercy, can't she get a Terran cat?' She thought to herself.

Deanna offered a soft laugh. "I'm not looking for a pet cat" she said as she looked back at Inara.

Kate Connor looked confused. "Pet cat? I didn't her say anything about a cat."

"I believe I neglected to tell you earlier. I'm not human, I'm Betazoid. We are telepaths. And no, I don't typically read everyone's mind, but surface thoughts, especially those attached to strong emotions are difficult not to hear."

"A telepath? That is extraordinary" Kate replied in amazement.

"Perhaps from your perspective. Perfectly natural from my perspective. We'll teach you quite a bit before we go. Several races have various telepathic abilities, though few like Betazoids" Deanna replied with a cheerful grin on her face.

Sam continued scanning and making notes of the particular flora she wanted samples of. The biodiversity was amazing for this level of radiation.

Deanna carefully captured the electromouse. As she did, she took note of something that she found interesting. "Sam, Inara take a look at this. This creature has psionic capability. This is the second creature native to this world I have encountered with psionic capabilities. I am wondering if the native creatures of the planet all have psionic abilities."

"Whoaaaa" Sam breathed in awe, her jaw hanging slack at the spectacle.

"We haven't even seen some of the wonders of the forest yet. Wait until we get inside and you can see the other animals that live here. I'm hoping we can give you a chance to see all of my favorites, such as the Rowlet, Loonduck, Torkol, Fluffbear, and the Kitsune" Kate said with glee.

"Kitsune?" questioned Deanna aloud. "Are you referring to the ancient Japanese mythical fox creature?"

"I don't know about it being mythical, but we did name it after an animal that resembled a creature from Japanese lore because of its appearance. I really hope we see one now. They are the most majestic creatures you will find here. I can't say they rule the forest though. The fluffbear is powerful and fears nothing" Kate replied.

"Sounds like a koala" Sam replied with a laugh, making notes on a padd. " I can't wait to see all of them."

"We have koalas here if you'd like to see them" Kate Connor noted. "Located in a different part of the planet, but we do have them."

"Let's start this investigation of the forest" Deanna noted as she made her way towards a natural opening in the forest tree line. Nearly 100 yards in Deanna stopped as she eyed a small, somewhat oval shaped creature perched on the branch of a large oak. She pulled out her binoculars and took a closer look. It looked like an owl of some sort, primarily a light brown with white circular streaks around is eyes, a small burnt orange beak, and an unusual leafy green feature on its breast that looked almost like a leafy bowtie.

Kate walked up next to her and looked up in the direction Deanna was looked. "A juvenile rowlet. They are a special native owl species. They sleep 14 hours daily and are rarely awake more than 2 hours at any given time. They are fascinating creatures. They are completely silent when they fly, a sort of stealth you could say. If you are willing to feed it, it'll happily go with you."

"It appears to be quite tiny, only about 11.5 inches. A native avian species would be worth further study, just as that electromouse was" Deanna replied.

"Just handle it with care. Its feathers, especially those along the wings are razor sharp" Kate Connor warned.

Deanna moved slowly towards the creature. As she approached the tree the rowlet opened its eyes, looked at her intently for a moment, and then glided down and landed before her. Deanna offered it a small piece of a meal bar and was surprised when it happily took it and devoured it. After placing it in a specimen cage and sliding in a larger piece of the meal bar, she looked back at Sam and Inara as they approached, Sam continuing to gather flora and fauna samples. "This one also has psionic capability. Nothing excessive, very basic thought, but it is becoming more and more evident that all the native creatures here are psionic to some degree. It would be fascinating to determine how such an evolutionary trait occurred amongst animal life."

"We gonna run into dogs that will bark telepathically out here, Commander?" She asked Deanna.

"Unlikely. I think these animals use their psionic abilities to communicate with each other. They don't have the intelligence to communicate with us. I need to study them further though" Deanna replied.

We can always scan them and call it a day. Inara sent telepathically.

Suddenly you have lost that scientific curiosity Inara? Do you not see how remarkable this all is? Deanna replied telepathically, then returned to her work.

They continued to walk deeper into the forest until the came a picturesque glade, filled with lush green grass, and a large lake that seemed to have a mist hanging just above it in the distance. Creatures roamed about which all interested Deanna, but she wished to take a closer look at the water. She approached it and began scanning it and the area with her tricorder. She noted the water was quite clear and a brilliant shade of aqua. Her tricorder beeped and she looked around and then spotted the rock formation in the distance. "A hot spring lake, and I am detecting a geyser in the distance. This reminds me of hot springs on Earth, specifically those found in Japan."

Suddenly Deanna felt a soft tug on the leg of her uniform. She looked down saw what appeared to be some sort of duck tugging at her. "How cute. Tell me, what sort of duck is this?"

"That is another native species we call a loonduck. They get the name because they do seem to act somewhat loony" Kate Connor answered.

Deanna scanned it with her tricorder and then to sense the psionic ability. "I can understand why it is so loony. This creature may have the most open psionic presence of any creature I have encountered here. It is being bombarded by the thoughts of all the other psionic signals of creatures nearby. Poor creature. It must be so taxing having to deal with all of that. I must take this one back for additional analysis, perhaps to see if I can find a way to help it block all the psionic energy. Once I gather this little guy up, I'd like to take a look at the geyser. It seems to have an interesting geological makeup. Sam, do you have a sedative we can use on this creature?"

"Ahhh, lemme look at something that may be compatible" Sam took a tricorder reading of the creature and then began to cross reference the DNA against the chemical make-up of the sedative. "I'll try a 2cc dose of this, I'd rather go under than over. We can always top it up" she raised the hypospray.

"Much appreciated Sam" Deanna offered as Sam injected the duck. She scanned the creature, and once she was certain that everything was in good order she placed the creature in a safe container as she had the others. She then walked over towards the geyser to study the geology of the feature.

"This is the Tengu geyser. It erupts every 95 minutes like clockwork" Kate said to Deanna. "I believe it to be perhaps the most exact geyser you will ever encounter."

"If it is as exact with its eruption time as you suggest, then you may be right. Typically geysers erupt within a time frame with regularity, not an exact time. The most noteworthy geysers are those on Earth, particularly those in Yellowstone. The captain might refer you to the great geyser plumes of Andoria, but he is partial to his homeworld."

Deanna scanned and took samples and then noted by nearby steam vent, what looked to be large piles of coal stacked and perhaps burning like embers. As she moved closer some of the coal piles began to move and she watched as the moving piles suddenly sprouted legs and then heads, and she recognized them as some sort of giant tortoises. "This planet just keeps providing new marvels to behold" Deanna said as she slowly approached the creatures.

"These are certainly one of the more unique creatures native to this world. They are called torkol. They are friendly, but I have to warn you, they are naturally quite warm, even hot to the touch" Kate informed.

"Simply fascinating" Deanna commented. She studied the torkol as best she could. "Not to worry Inara, I won't be bringing this one up to the ship. Far too large for us to bring up to the ship."

As she continued to study and marvel at the torkol, she noted as they both began to get are deep dark red and began to blow steam. Kate quietly spoke to Deanna, "Slowly back up Deanna. The fluffbear I mentioned is roaming near, and the torkol may try to protect itself if it feels threatened."

Deanna slowly backed away, scanning the area. She quickly spotted the fluffbear, climbing up a nearby tree, obviously going after the large beehive. Deanna scanned and studied the fluffbear from a distance. The bear looked quite unique, as much as the other native creatures she had seen.

Deanna studied the creatures from a distance, along with Sam and Inara. It was the most amazing experience Deanna had experienced in a very long time, made all the more amazing considering all this planet had gone through. All that she had seen her only made Deanna want to do all she could to help the people of this planet.