NationStates Jolt Archive

In a small office on a paraterraformed planetoid a man sat at a desk. He had black hair, a black velvet suit with a lacy Musean spidersilk scarf, and a black tricorner hat. He pondered quietly the contracts in front of him. Then he signed the contracts in a flourishing script, put his biometric thumb print and eye print on the document. A small hovering robot picked up the document the moment it hit the out tray sending it for processing.

He stood stretched and paced for a minute. They had contracts with Schwullunde to reclaim two planets, and a contract with Xiscapia to reclaim another world. This would be a huge project. He would need to subcontract it out to other worlds once he had fully assessed the situation.

First they sent out GIS mapping probes to the worlds. These would map the outline of any continents, islands, and other places. The first thing which happened is they mapped the junk floating around each planet for pickup by garbage and salvage ships. Then smaller probes shot out of the big probes falling like comets. These took atmospheric air samples sending readings to the larger probes. They would land and take basic soil and water samples then shut down. The GIS Mapping probes systematically took pictures using video and photography, dividing the worlds into photographic grids. These grids were sent to an AI for analysis for large or unusual structures.

After the photographic grids, radar was used to map heights and mountain formations as well as depths of seas. Then earth penetrating radar was used that went down to about 100 feet showing caverns and other formations. If they were on the ground it would have been about two miles deep. This had been developed during the ground war on Muse to find the tunneling bugs.

Scanners were used to detect high concentrations of metal in specific areas, where the most ship hulls or garbage were located.

The groups of probes flew around

Mercuria-- A planet with a giant mercury ocean.

Swamp-- A planet with a CO2 Methane atmosphere, and a giant sludgey swamp.

Korr-- A planet in Xiscapia's system where a huge war had been fought littered with derelict ships.

After a while, A science ship jumped into each system, they sent a straightforward message, "We are here to inspect the planet as per our contract to find out what steps need to be done to reclaim the salvage on each world and possibly make it habitable or useful for mining."

Shattered by war. Unfit for life. Battered. Broken. Wasteland. These are all words to describe Korrilia. Remains of tanks, capital ships, fighters, soldiers, weaponry, equipment and buildings lay scattered across the lonely landscape. Wind blows mournfully though the ruins, lameting the dead. A light acidic rain falls, slowly deterorating the buildings. The soil, water, and pretty much everything else was toxic. Air still remained on the surface. It was livable...to microorganisms. Raditation was a huge problem. No planets or animals still survived. To some, a hell. To others, the trahsmen, the scavengers, the world was a gold mine. Broken, unused, destroyed, or never used at all Korr technology lay everywhere. All kinds of weapons and tech. Plasma rifles, starship reactors, scanners, sensors, force field projectors, engines, ship hulls, rubber, glass, metals. The planet was covered in such, the size of most gas giants. In some area, pits miles deep and miles wide were common. In others, huge mountains or twisted remenants of building or starships poked the sky. It was a job that would take decades, even with help and advanced technology. Xiscapian System Control recieved the message:
Scientific team, you are green for go.

The scientific ships hailed Xiscapia. "We are all clear to go."

The scientists spotted the Trahsmen long trains of moving caravans collecting garbage.

They would go first to where even the Trahsmen could not go.

On a deserted island, a pod fell from the sky landing, the pod opened revealing a pad. Then there was a crackling noise as the transporter charged on the pad, teams of scientists, equipment, and mercenary protector landed.

First they took more soil samples, set up dome tents, and even a collapsible skyscraper headquarters. Rain was collected in basins and the chemicals were analyzed.

Even the scientists walked around in armored NBC exoskeleton suits. Things look bad.

There was a general command sent to the orbiting vessels, seed the planet. A special form of bacterium was released from gravplanes flying overhead. It spread over large areas of land. It was a form of extremophile designed to encapsulate nuclear waste and other toxic heavy metals, separating it from the soil forming a layer of brown sludge which could be cleaned away from the land. It would grow fast then die. The extremophile bacterium was not toxic, but the material it removed from the soil was. It was like a light green fog of rain falling from the sky.

Following the green rain was what looked like floating balloons with tendrils hanging from them, a strange plant/animal hybrid originally from the planet Muse. They would float through the air eating loose hydrocarbons, poisons, and other flotsam, slowly cleaning the air. They would change from green to black as they collected toxins. Then they would float to the ground.

In the worst areas where the tribesmen could not even land, automated silos were landed. They released snakelike robots designed to eat the sludge and spread seeds from a number of fast growing bioremediation plants as well as nanites designed to extract poison from the soils. The plants were genetically engineered for terraforming originally as well as bioremediation.

It was a mix of big sunflower like plants, mustard seed, duck weed, neon green and purple grass, small desert bushes, several varieties of strange looking trees. All with the specific purpose of extracting poison from the air and water. As the plants grew, the robotic snakes were harvest them bringing them back to the silos. The silos would fill with heavy metals, and other toxins. Then when they were full, giant energy shielded antigrav space blimps, designed to float to low earth orbit would lower from the sky hauling the entire filled silos into space.

This was to be done to make it safe for the collection crews that would come later.

Slowly patches where it was minimally safe to work without being poisoned were created. In orbit the harvested sludge was formed into dangerous industrial materials, pure mercury, uranium, cadmium, cobalt, organic acids, pure carbon, chlorine, and other substances.

As these were created, the silos were again lowered into strange landscapes with purple and green grass, black trees, chittering garbage eating insects, rust colored bushes, tall ropy sunflowers, clumps of dayglow yellow mustard seed, and other strange plants. With the silos were crews of garbagemen in armored NBC suits trained to handle heavy machinery. Mercenaries were there for protection against the tribesmen or to negotiate with them.

Initially, the silos released simple garbage collection robots designed to pick up loose scrap, iron steel, easily gotten at. They would bring this back to the silos and some of it would be stored and some of the material would be used to make more collection robots. The robots would also tag larger objects for the men to inspect and haul away for processing. The initial crews were there to identify important finds. There were not enough of them to handle the truly large hauls.

As the work progressed a message was sent to the system in Xiscapia, "We need experienced garbage haulers, heavy equipment operators, scrap pickers, recyclers, and security men. We will cover training, room, board, food, transportation, equipment, and give the standard pay which you will receive in a lump sum upon completion of a 3 month, 6 month, or 1 year contract."

* Standard pay would be average monthly salary for the profession plus 15%.

Schwullunde: Several probes overflew Swamp. First they mapped out the space garbage in the area of swamp to picked up. Then they started the process of mapping the world first with radar, then ground penetrating radar. The planet was broken into quadrants and video was taken, as well as topographic mapping.

They were looking for places to land ships in the horrible muck. They knew it would be hard to work in the mess below.

Even harder to manage was the lack of manpower. With the cleanup on Korr and the giant megastructure being built around Negev II, there was beginning to be a a serious lack of manpower.

The Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative had to make massive agreements with the Cruon Corporation which managed the prisons after the disaster with the Ming Corporation. Under the laws, it was voluntary to do public works projects for a reduced sentence so there was a serious lack of manpower.

They were not sure that the bacterium designed to eat sludge would work this time, they weren't even sure that the balloon plants would thrive in this atmosphere. They would be able to sweep the junk floating around the planet, but the world below presented them with a problem.

If they were to go on to Mercuria, they would need manpower and contractors to finish the job.

Malthus Cruonis, the NCEO, of the Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative sent a message to Schwullunde. they were looking for workers, garbage companies, recycling companies, heavy equipment corporations, bioremediation specialists, and hazardous materials specialists. They would train and pay for the workers, providing food, board, and equipment, but they needed manpower.

Advertisements for manpower and companies to work on Swamp were sent over subspace channels. Come work for the Commonalitarianism, we need good sophonts to help us with our projects.

after receiving the message from the Commonalitarianism, the president of schwullunde Sean Roberts III dispatched an order to the CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage Mika Gmünder. Upon Delivery of the message Mika Gmünder posts a Intersteller call to the Sol sector. immeadiately advertisements go out across the human settlements We at Schwullunde Intersector Salvage are looking for workers to perform salvage and reclamation duties on a planetary scale. All Applicants for these positions will receive Immeadiate citisenship in Schwullunde. Requirements for these positions are minimal, If accepted we will conduct Retroactive Genetic Therapy to complete your transition to our nation. We will also be Giving each new citisen a complete medical and complete re-education using advanced scientific methods. These procedures will be conducted by the Algol to assure complete safety to all applicants. If interested please contact the Schwullunde Embasy on Terra

Within one Galactic Month a Full Transport ship arrives from Gnome with the new workers. each of them looks a little confused, due to the extensive Medical procedures. trailing behind the ship is one Space Station similer in design to the one in orbit of Gnome. It will be used as a Training station by the Commonalitarianism Salvage Company to Train the new Workers.

A Message is sent to The Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative containing a complete profile for each new worker. a telemessage is also embeded within the communication from the President of Schwullunde, as well as the CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage.
We are sending you the workers that you requested. I personally wish to welcome your Company to Schwullunde Sector. The Workers have Been compensated for their work already by receiving citisenship in the Commonwealth as well as a full medical exam to detect and fix any medical problems. they have also undergone standered Gene Therapy and re-education to complete their transformation into citisens. Please take this into account when you decide upon any compensation above and beyond that already provided. If you have any further requests, please feel free to contact Schwullunde Intersector Salvage and they will attempt to provide you with whatever they can. Again welcome to Schwullunde Sector.

President of the Commonwealth of Schwullunde
Sean M Roberts III

Greatings I will make this as brief as possible as I understand that you are a busy Company. I have been authorized by the President to provide your Company with Manpower and Equipment to assist in your Reclamation of The two worlds listed in the contract. As such your company shall have full control of any assistance provided. As stipulated in the contract once you have completed the necessary steps to make the world designated as Swamp a research Vessel will search for the lost labs upon said world. Once found and investigated you shall have full discretion in how you wish to extract any and all materials that you need from the planet. you are authorized to completely strip the surface bare of all material, If you so wish. If any Valuable minerals are found we will take over mining operations to extract those minerals only. after which you are authorized to completely mine the planet to rubble if you so wish. Your Company is hereby immune to the Schwullunde Environmental Laws as these planets have been designated Dead and or Dangerious. Good luck in your efforts to Reclaim or Mine said planets.

CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage
Mika Gmünder

Complete Profiles of Workers--Complete Mineral List: Gold,Silver,Naquadah,Trinium,Naqahdriah,Neutronium with complete spectral signatures

From Malthus Cruons to Mike Gmunder,
Thank you so much for your hospitality and assistance in providing workers. We will begin their training immediately. We would like to ask permission to offer some of them an unusual procedure, biological wiring. This is a nervous system enhancement that allows direct interface with some of our heavy machinery that requires excessively fine manipulation. This would take about a week to perform and would add extra nerve fibers, some muscle grafts, as well as some wetware, and a wireless interface area around the neck. There would no be no outward physical difference in appearance, except for a slightly more muscular body.
We will begin training the workers immediately. We are going to start them with various multitool hands, cutting and welding torches, construction mecha operation, garbage collection, salvage collection, saftety procedures, command language for robots, operating antigrav containers, nanite programming, construction design, operating molecular and atomic reclamation forges, and other specialty reclamation techniques. We will also be training them in bioremediation techniques, soil and air remediation, and nanite hazardous waste removal.
Part of this training will include hypnotic sleep induction, intensive classroom training, holographic simulation, and virtual training. Once this is finished they will be given live training before they reach the planet below.

While the workers were being trained for working on swamp, a team of scientists was sent to the planet below. They were dressed in full NBC mechs. They set up camp on a small stony island. They were there to take samples of the sludge in various locations.

They spent many days collecting different types of sludge and trying nanites, and extremophile bacteria tailored to eating the material. Some of it worked partially, but there were different varieties of sludge. They had to make a variety of different bacteria and nanites to start the process of reclaiming the sludge, turning it into processable goo. They couldn't send the robots directly onto the swamp, so they spent time building floating hoverpods that sucked goo into tanks for reclamation. Most of the material they collected was extremely toxic. They still brought it in for breakdown.

They tried the balloon plants, but the CO2/ methane atmosphere was so toxic it killed the plants before they could do much. They pondered for a long time. Then someone designed an odd machine, a variation of the space blimp that sucked in CO2 from the atmosphere into pressurized carbon fiber containers. They also tried an airborne algae, it thrived so well that it went out of control, the air began to change a slightly greenish color as the algae ate the CO2. Large areas of the planet were now covered by a light green mist.

Part of their job was to locate the labs. They sent low flying robotic hoverpads with deep ground penetrating radar in passes over the swamps hoping to find something, specifically underground structures where labs might be located.

Also they tried to locate places where it would be safe to land people so they could start the work of collecting garbage.

In orbit, automated barges swept the sky of space garbage and hulls that were floating around the planet. Some of the students were trained on how to handle space garbage cleanup and salvage as part of their classes. They brought in old satellites, learned how to use magnetic grapples, operate space mecha, laser sweepers designed to destroy small garbage, catch mitts, sticky foam to encapsulate hazardous materials, and handle collection equipment for hulls and old metal.

Xiscapia, the arrivals of the workers around Swamp freed up some of the prisoners who volunteered for work duty to come back to Korr.

Korr: With the arrival of the prisoners who volunteered some of the heavier work could begin. They did not use robots to pick up heavier items like ship hulls. Workers with heavy equipment began to go to the places where the robots had taken pictures of interesting equipment. They were collecting medium sized items like engines, cars, tanks, and similar things. These things were lifted onto float pallets using construction mecha and other heavy equipment. They would be taken back to the base camp where they would be examined for their usefulness and if found interesting refurbished. If they were ordinary items like engines, or lasers they went right into the molecular and atomic forges for reclamation.

On Korr and Swamp, plasma converters were brought down to power the incoming equipment, these could take and convert almost anything into a combination of electricity and hydrogen, with some inert material left over stored as bricks*. Items that were not wanted or hazardous materials and unusable junk were put into the furnaces. On Swamp, it was found that quite a bit of the sludge made an excellent power source for the plasma converters.

The plasma converters, nanites, and bioremediation bacteria, began to clear small islands in the vast swamp. They became ready for planting bioremediation plants. Teams from Schwullunde were brought down to program and maintain the robots which would plant the bioremediation plants. The CO2 rich environment would make the plants grow faster than usual. They showed them snarly grass, purplish sunflowers, mustard seed plants, duck weed, coniferous ferns, black trees, and other plants which would suck up the poison from the soils. The machines were run through an initial run laying down the seeds, after a week the grass was harvested along with some of the smaller plants for the breakdown vats. The vats would reclaim some of the metals and poisons from the plants.

After the sites became clean enough for people to walk in NBC suits, the Schwullunde people were shown how to program collection bots designed for simple pickup of rubbish, loose iron, metal plates and garbage. These would pick up loose material for processing and tag larger objects for the mech crews and heavy equipment operators to help haul off.

OOC: A nice little article on plasma converters.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/the_startech_pl.php

The collection robots would go out and collect scrap, some of the scrap would be used to make more collection robots until they covered a very wide territory.

When the robots or teams of humans identified an interesting find, it would be marked and heavy equipment would be brought in. The Schwullunde citizens got to test out their new skills with tool hands, construction mech, float plates, diggers, and other heavy equipment. They would dig out and haul away medium sized things, tanks, engines, and other things to a central processing area, where they would be tagged for either refurbishment or reprocessing.

After a time a huge space blimp would come down to pick up cargo for the transport ships and atomic disassemblers.
http://www.newmars.com/wiki/images/thumb/6/6e/Transatmospheric.jpg/180px-Transatmospheric.jpg

In large patches the land cleared up. There were huge ships and hulls now clearly visible. This required a different kind of operation. Diggers, and cable machines, and other equipment were brought in to free the big ships from ground and sludge so they could be lifted to a central processing area. After they were dug up, they had to be tested to see if it was possible to lift them from the ground. If it was not possible, they had to be broken up into smaller pieces so they could be carried away.

Heavy construction mechs with fullerene cutting saws, plasma torches, cutting lasers, and other equipment went to work, breaking the ships apart so they could be disassembled. Sometimes they had to use explosives to blow things apart or clear land. It was hard skilled labor.

On Swamp, by now the air had taken on light green sheen from the floating algae, and vast tracts had been turned into a purple and green savannah with strange trees, and reddish bushes.

A construction project was underway to modify the atmosphere. Huge vacuums designed to capture CO2 and methane were built. The CO2 would be stored as a liquid, and the methane captured for fuel. Towers were being built to dot the landscape. The carbon would be used to make fullerenes, and the oxygen for emergency supplies on ships. http://sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?type=article&article_id=218392957

On Korr, a similar thing was happening to Swamp, they were turning the world into a livable place and removing large tracts of waste.

On both Korr and Swamp, the next step was taken. A special kind of algae was released into the water designed to suck up poisons. Waterborn UAVs were sent in to harvest the algae. The algae was then collected and turned into fuel for the machines to continue harvesting more algae.
http://www.aquaflowgroup.com/technology.html


After the water cleared more, huge rafts were laid down by workers these had various plants in them designed to take poison from the waters and restore them for human use. This would take a long time they had to break the acid rain cycle.
http://www.oceanarks.org/restorer/

Large areas were cleaned up enough to work, but not settle. Insects, bacteria, and worms were released into the soil to help replenish it.

As promised to Schwullunde on Swamp-- any Gold, Silver, Platinum, naquidah, neutronium, and trinium were handed over in their pure form to Schwullunde. This was an incredible wealth of minerals.

Schwullunde watches as what looks like deep mines are bored into the planet swamp. The earth from the mines is processed into its constituent minerals adding to Schwullundes wealth, however, they don't continue to break up the planet, they instead cap the holes with massive geothermal core tap energy collectors.

In a similar manner, the deep pits which almost go to the planets core on Korr are also tapped to speed up the planetary reclamation projects.

On Swamp, the air has become thick with floating algae shrouding the intensity of the too bright sun. It is now clean enough to once again try releasing balloon plants. The green plants float into the green sky creating a strange alien landscape. http://www.sciencenewsblog.com/pics/balloonplants.gif Bigger trees are being planted designed to have deep roots and house more species of insects and eventually small reptiles. Tunnels are being bored beneath the surface connecting the geothermal taps into a network spread across the landscape. The tunnels are once again sifted for useful metals to provide for Schwullunde.

OOC: I just like the image.

Eventually as the contracts are coming up for renewal, some of the sophonts can take their helmets off and breathe the air without getting sick.

On Swamp, the world has taken on a strange look with giant trees, huge leafy plants that block out the sun, floating balloon plants, lizards, insects, and now some mammals. The air is a faint green color, and bioluminescent insects seem to float on the breeze, for some reason fireflies breed very fast here, also several insect species have inexplicably become bioluminescent.

On Korr, the world is starting to change to a more normal place, the grass is now grass, and the trees are now trees, but the bioremediation plants have never completely gone, they seem to grow back too fast for the reclamation robots to get to them in time.

On Korr, the harnsmen tribesmen are bewildered, the world is changing before their eyes. They are getting an inkling that there are strangers in their midst changing things. The Commonalitarianism mostly were in the uninhabited places, but now the reclamation robots and plants are spreading.

Schwullunde
To: CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage
Mika Gmünder
From: Malthus Cruonis, NCEO of Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative

Re: Deep Labs

So far we have not uncovered any labs on Swamp. However, we have detected several deep structures using ground penetrating radar near the tallest mountainous area on Swamp. These structures have not been dug up. There are indications of lots of metal around these structures. We have found bonded concrete, titanium, and carbon fiber fragments, and a very strong alloy of steel, neutronium, and some other unknown substance. We are handing these fragments over to you for analysis. So far all is going excellently in the reclaiming of Swamp.

To: Xiscapia
From: Malthus Cruonis.
Re: Korr recovery.

We have recovered numerous Alversian and Xiscapian bodies for reburial. It bothers many of our workers. They think to leave the bodies of the dead unburied or uncremated to be sinful, or are afraid it will attract unusual luck. We wish to have priests or officials come to recover the bodies so they may be put to proper rest.

Also numerous katanas and personal weapons have been recovered with these bodies. We wish these to be properly honored as well and returned to their proper owners or buried with the dead. It is an eerie thing to recover material from an ancient battlefield.

Best Regards,

Malthus Cruonis.

Mika Gmünder overread all of the reports in interest, looks like the Commonalitarianism have decided to actually terraform the planets in question.
He wondered offhand what they were doing about the excessive heat and radiation from those perticular systems suns. He was also interested in the possible applications of the Commonalitarianisms bio-implants. Those could have some interesting military applications. replying to the message Mika Gmünder takes the time to ask for some basic information on the workings of the implants.

to: Malthus Cruonis, NCEO of Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative
From: CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage Mika Gmünder

To whom it may concern
Dear sirs
we at Schwullunde Intersector Salvage have taken the time to contact the President about your proposel to add "biological wiring"to the workers thatt we have sent to "swamp". After some discussion in the halls of Parliment, full permission has been given to allow your Company to perform said procedure.

Also I would like to ask if it would be possible for your company to transmit the base plans for said implants. Mainly the imput/output Freq requirements and the basic interpretation /emulation requasits. We wish to see if it would be possible to intergrate many of our technoligies into your system. If possible we may be interested in a partnership to bring the technoligy to our sector.

Best Wishes

CEO Schwullunde Intersector Salvage
Mika Gmünder

end trans--0110100111011011110111011011


later in the week Mr Gmünder set looking out his window when another comunication came in from swamp. after reading the comm he dispatched a few cargo vessels to transport the minerals to Schwullunde.

RE Labs

from: Mika Gmünder, CEO of Schwullunde Intersector Salvage
to: Malthus Cruonis, NCEO of Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative

dear sirs we have received the base analysis of the unknown substance. We have never seen this substance before. as such we have contacted the Science Directorate on Algol to request their assistance in the identafication.
They have dispatched a small Science Vessel to the planet to study the substance in detail. Also they have given a warning not to expose this substance to extreem concentrations on naquada as it is giving of an unknown radiation. They have assured me that the radiation is not harmful to either us or your peoples.

Best Wishes

CEO Schwullunde Intersector Salvage
Mika Gmünder

end trans--011101101010100110110000110010


In orbit of Swamp

A small hyperspatial window opens up near the planet and a small crystaline ship emerges. The ship itself Glows a low blueish-white. as the ship moves toward the planet a communication is sent to the station.

this is the Halgaa-Drek of the Algol Confederation. We request a meeting to assess the situation of "unknown Substance 01-aswr-16h4-ha31". We have been contacted by the Schwullunde to identify this substance, or assess its worth. we will send one of our Scientists to the station to await whomever is in charge of this mission.

To: Mika Gmunder
From: Malthus Cruonis
RE: Implants

Honorable Mika Gmunder,
The implants are not military in nature, they are implants designed to allow a person to access a normal personal computer or connection via thought. We have not thought too much about the amount of electrical power output because they are bioelectric in nature powered by the bodies own electrical charge, in essence the power comes from the extra nerves and cellular material integrated into the body. This does require a slightly more carbohydrate rich diet, the sugar is broken down to generate an electrical charge. It is hard to imagine this is as voltage ouptut. We did put in the wetware to increase capacity for control of machinery, they were originally designed for direct interface with plugs, but this proved impractical. Wireless does not require plugs or cables. It is also unsightly.
We are rather surprised ourselves that this turned into a terraforming project. Apparently what was to be a large scale bioremediation project became something more. A number of the prisoners who are doing work in lieu of prison have asked to stay as permanent citizens. Even some of your new citizens have taken a liking to this world for some odd reason. It is quite pretty to look at.

Regards,

Malthus Cruonis


OOC: We originally purchased the production rights from Those Weird People. Sometimes you have a thing that works, but don't know exactly how.

The ship arrives at the planet and the samples are handed over to the scientist for analysis. The location of the underground caverns is also given on a map.

What looks like several domed towns spring up next to the geothermal core taps. They are made of a dark stonelike material to protect against the sun and block out the radiation.

Underground more digging is done. Several caverns are built. Huge deep farms are built inside the cavern to supply food and biologicals for people. They are also powered by the geothermal core taps.

The dirt and rock from the underground caverns is brought up for processing. More gold and precious materials is sent to Schwullunde.

Schwullunde:

As was promised ten of each of the asteroid ship types are brought to Schwullunde for payment for the mining rights-- 10 beam platforms, 10 missile platforms, 10 carriers, 10 troop transports, 10 repair ships, and 10 ECM and Communications asteroid ships.

On Swamp, some of the mining tunnels are turned into underground light rail lines between the developing towns.

Also with too hot sun, it is realized that this makes for an excellent solar power source, the domes of the towns are covered with solar collectors as well as several open fields.

Underground, several manufacturing facilities are built to employ people as well. This is mostly to produce construction equipment for the next leg of their journey Mercuria.

Halga Drek is met by Malthus Cruonis who has come to inspect Swamp. "Sophont Drek we are very pleased to have you here. The containers of strange material are waiting for you." Malthus Cruonis leads him to several containers marked unknown substance. Malthus has several men and neo-canids with him as well as a giant intelligent worm.

A probe entered the Mercuria system, eventually, it reached Mercuria, an unusual world, a dumping ground of several races. The planet itself had an odd perpetual cloud cover. The probe circled the world taking pictures of the world, and various readings. It released a probe into the upper atmosphere, but it ceased functioning fairly quickly, crushed by the thrice normal gravity. The only readout that was gotten was -60 degrees fahrenheit.

Pictures underneath the cloud cover revealed a world covered by a mercury ocean, oddly not much flotsam was seen floating in the ocean, but it was hard to tell because of the chemical rain that fell from the sky.

There were patches of land, they appeared to be made of almost pure iron with silica deposits throughout. They were an almost uniform silvery gray. It was hard to make anything out on the world below because of the monotonous landscape.

There were ships and old garbage circling the world. These would be picked up first, until they figured out how to land people on the world below.

Several ships from Swamp entered the system and began to pick up the orbiting garbage for reclamation.

OOC: I apologize, I've been away.
IC: More and more workers were being shipped to Korrilia. Mostly Xiscapians, some Alversians and even a few Korr helped out.

To: Xiscapia
From: Malthus Cruonis.
Re: Korr recovery.

We have recovered numerous Alversian and Xiscapian bodies for reburial. It bothers many of our workers. They think to leave the bodies of the dead unburied or uncremated to be sinful, or are afraid it will attract unusual luck. We wish to have priests or officials come to recover the bodies so they may be put to proper rest.

Also numerous katanas and personal weapons have been recovered with these bodies. We wish these to be properly honored as well and returned to their proper owners or buried with the dead. It is an eerie thing to recover material from an ancient battlefield.

Best Regards,

Malthus Cruonis.
To: Malthus Cruonis
Re: Korr Recovery
Priests to anoit and cremate the bodies are on their way in the next shipload of workers. Officals from Alversia are claiming the Alversian bodies to be sent back to their families. We did our best, but by our records we had some 236 Xiscapians and 498 Alversians MIA. Some, of course, will never be found, but we appreaciate the help. Continue to put bodies and personal weapons to the side. Priests and officials will be on hand to take them.
May the Gods smile upon you,
Gunther

the Algol Scientist looks at Mr Crounis and smiles (if indeed that is what it was), I think you have mistaken the name of our ship for my name. I am Korr-da' In the common tongue. This material that you have located disturbs us greatly. We are not sure who produced it, but it was defenatly not produced by any of the younger races. Perhaps it would have been better if this world had never been reclaimed, unfortunately that is not the case. We shall indeed study this material for a good long time till we can deturmine if it poses a greater danger to the galaxy as a whole. That said we are defenately pleased with the fact that you have terraformed this planet instead of obliterating it totaly, while the Schwullunde are fairly ecological minded they can get just a bit excited with new technoligy to play with. We cannot always stop some of their exuberance in this. Its good to see though that they have made friends with their fellow races instaid of following the example of their ancesters. We will begin immeadiately with our studies of this material as well as this world in general.

in space the Halgaa-Drek moves rapidly toward the planet and bursts through the clouds silently. The ship slowly decends over the cave system and positions itself less then a meter over the surface. Several beams of blueish light stream across the surface and deposit several dozen Algol Scientists on the planet. They move into the cave system looking intently at every small detail and recording in minutia every last peace of information they come across. in a reather large cavern they set up a small device and activate it. once activated several large containers appear within the cavern as well as another dozen or so Algol Scientists. Each of them moves with a purpose as they set up several other devices including an odd crystal control panel in the direct center of the caverns.

on schwullunde Mr Gmünder looks over the communications from Swamp. Smiling to himself he wonders in amusement how Mr Cruonis figured out about his interest in possible military applications. Looking at the details given though he does seriously doubt if they would be feasible due to the fact that they are wireless. calling the President personally he informs him that it seems that most of the workers have taken a liking to swamp and decided that they would like to stay in light of the fact that it is being terraformed. It also seems that some of the Commonalitarianism workers have taken a similer liking to the world and have requested to immergrate to Schwullunde.

at the Capitol the president looks over at Jorr-Ucch and calmly asks his opinion. Jorr-Ucch ponders this revalation for several minutes and then informs the President that he beleaves that it would be a good idea as far as he can deturmine. He also mentions that as such it might not be such a bad idea to pay a visit to "swamp" to look around and decide for himself. the President agrees and contacts the Avery Coorperation to propose that they send at least one City Builder to excavate and build a more proper city on this world. After that he starts Planing for his trip to this planet as well as figering out just who he will have to set up as a temporary Governer until Elections can be held.

Mr Gmunder sends a communication to Mr Crounis once he has received word from the President about his decision.


To: Malthus Cruonis
From: Mika Gmünder
Subject: Colonization of Swamp

Mr Crounis I have informed the President of the request of the workers to set up a perminate home on Swamp. after diliberation he has agreed that this would be acceptable. He has also Informed me that he will be paying a visit to Swamp in the near future to overlook the Planet and Officially Welcome the colony. He will also be bringing with him A temporary Governor for the colony until such time as an Election can be held.
Avery Corperation Has received the Contract to build a proper underground City for the Colony. They have informed Me that they would like you to locate a sutable location Preferably in a granate or similer inclusion. The Idea that the workers have had of solar collectors if fairly ingenious. As such we shall continue that practice until such time as the labs can be located and it can be determined if indeed there is 0. Modules located there.
Now about the request of your own workers to immergrate to Swamp. The President has agreed to their request. They will be allowed to immergrate only after their contract with you has expired and they are through with any obligations that they have with your government. We shall also be opening up the future possibility of further immergration to any of your workers. we forsee that they shall have work upon that planet for a long time after you have completed the Project. In accordance with our agreement you shall have sole mineral rights to mine the planet of any required materials. So feel free to incorperate those mines into the Colonization project as necessary.
We have also begun receiving the Astroid Stations at Gnome. They shall be positioned around the sector in such a way as to appear to be small moons orbiting the primary worlds. Indeed be on the lookout for one to arrive at Swamp.
In regards to the planet designated as Mercuria. Due to the high toxicity of the planet We shall not even consider a colony their until such time as it can be assertained that it is even feasible. That said if your Corperation can make it survivable for periods of several months we shall also open the possibility of immergration to swamp to any workers who decide too. Until such time as their contracts and obligations to your government are met, and if any indeed survive their duties upon said planet. Indeed I would doubt that due to the high danger any will be quick to jump at that chance but you can never tell. also inform any possible Immergrants that like your government we have some fairly ingenious methods of dealing with criminal activity. some that in fact they would greatly prefer your system to ours in. as you know we do have an active black hole that we have no problem using if the need should arise, also we use that element in many of the Blood banks upon our worlds for years.

Warmest regards
Mika Gmünder

Schwullunde:

Malthus Cruonis speaks to Korr' Da, "We practice an active conservation ethic, many of our colonies are not planet bound, so we value planets that can house life. There are not so many in this galaxy. To manage a planet without destroying its ecology is a sign of civility. I am wondering if you would visit our Preservation Station a planetary xenobiology and xenoecology research center."

Many of the workers have finished their contracts and are willing to sign up for Schwullunde citizenship if necessary. Some think twice and decide to go back to the new Bishop Ring, they have heard something about a surgery that is part of citizenship.

They do do considerably more mining but it is of a different type than expected. They use the giant core taps to produce lots of geothermal energy. They also do something else, they build deep foundries using heat from the magma underneath the mantle to forge and purify alloys as well as capture noxious gases before they can escape the surface. Mined material is both processed into its constituent elements, then some of the elements are combined to make unique alloys. The deep foundries will be there even after the mining stops, available for making alloys and heat treating materials.

Over Mercuria:

Several scientists land on Mercuria using the bose einstein conduit transporter. They are wearing mecha designed to have a counter gravity field so they weigh considerably less and are less affected by the horrible gravity.

The landscape is both odd and uneasy. It is completely barren, at least some of the ships which fell on the planet should be here. It is like walking on pitted iron. Then they see they are being watched. It looks like a two foot rusted piece of iron with black patches on it in a roughly pancake shape. It would look like a rock if it hadn't moved a couple of feet forward.

One of the scientists points a scanner at it, silicate, mercury, toxic fluids, iron, strong chemical acids, trace amounts of other metals. There has been a theoretical possibility of a mercury life form. Then tens of thousands of them rush forward. They ignore the suited scientists. In a little over two minutes all of the equipment is torn apart, raw steel, titanium cases, including two heavy empty mecha, scanners and other materials and carried off into the mercury ocean.

Xiscapia:

The Interspace and Undersea Salvage and Recycling Cooperative offers training to the Xiscapian, Alversian, and Korr to handle heavy equipment and bioremediation technology.

More ships are recycled from the surface of Korr. Old buildings are turned into scrap and the landscape is cleaned of the remnants of dead cities. Military bases and underground bunkers are found which are dug out forming gaping pits which are filled in with earth moving machinery. The old equipment is dismantled for scrap.

Land is leveled so houses and structures can be sited and built. Arificial wetlands are created to handle the influx of workers water wastes. http://www.osmre.gov/photo/photo112.jpg . Also, bioshelter sewage treatment for is introduced, big greenhouses that reprocess solid waste into fertilizer.

The bioremediation plants are being replaced systematically with forests, savannah, parks, and farms. Wild spaces for jungle, deep forest, fishing, hiking, and hunting are created with wild animals like the Xiscapian version of deer, small lizards, and other innocuous forest creatures. In the oceans artificial coral reefs are started to for fish and sea plants.

The Commonalitarianism works with the Xiscapians, Alversians, and Korr to create the kind of landscape they would want to live in. They try to bring in native plants to this place, or search out remains of local farms, greenhouses, and similar places they might have found. They find a variety of seeds and dead plants in odd places as well as the sad remnants of a zoo. These are used to clone several local plants and animals and bring them back.

The world is beginning to look like a clean place to live in many places.

In some of the darker corners, entire areas need to be dredged down to the bedrock and treated with special radioactive and hazardous waste encapsulating nanites. Not even bioremediation extremophile bacteria will grow there. These places will take many years to cleanup even with advanced technology.

The priests perform the rituals and cremate the bodies. Several of the Commonii come to watch in silence, leaving knowing that the sophonts they found will not haunt them.

Schwullunde:

The scientists are stunned. Around them where their equipment was there is nothing.

One of the scientists looks out towards the mercury ocean, there is another smaller island in the distance. It looks kind of strange. Using the suit communicator, she asks them to take a look with scanners.

A picture of what looks like mound of metal comes back. Various metal structures seem to grow out of it, tubes, tree shaped things. It has different metallic shades, reddish rust, oxidized yellow, black, shiny silver. In an odd way it looks almost like coral.

One of the scientists notices that a large metal boulder is moving towards them slowly. They asked to be transported back.

On Swamp:

Something strange is happening. Small native plants--dna--silicate hybrids which were once part of swamp are starting to come back. They are multicolored flowers and vines with bits of crystal in silicon in them. Also some of the native bacteria are coming back, adding a purplish shade to the soil in places.

There are even rumors of strange creatures being about, appearing at night then disappearing, ghosts or ectoplasmic shimmering blobs. They don't seem to bother people. Sometimes people report strange reddish lights in the sky, or silvery round objects.

In several different areas there are rumors of haunted tunnels or mines which might be like the labs that were already found or something else.

Machines, humans, Xiscapians, Korr, and a few other various beings worked tirelessly, removing scrap, spreading chemicals, planting, growing, cultivating. The area was slowly turning into a livable place. However, in other places things were still as bad as before. A message was sent to the being in command of the operations:
To whom it may concern:
It has recently come to our attention that the area of Korrilia that is being worked upon is growing and flourishing nicely. It is breathable, even livable. However, most of the planet, over 90% of it, remains a barren, hostile wasteland. We'd like to fix that. We humbly ask that you spend more time, effort, money, and work in turning all of Korrilia, the whole planet, into what you've done in this little patch of paradise. In return you would, of course, continue to be able to keep most raw materials you find. If a secondary payment is required, please contact this adrress (coded). We are transporting more workers to assist you. Should you refuse this offer, please finish our contracted amount of land and leave. Please contact me with your answer.
May the gods smile upon you,
Gunther
Head of the Xiscapian Terraforming Committee

To the Korrilia Terraforming Committee.
We will consider doing this for you if you help us partially automate and systematize the process so it goes quicker and more efficiently. We would need you to help us do the following initially. Planetary reclamation takes huge amounts of resources. In addition to the collected resources, we need engineers and scientists to help us build two things with these resources, a military fleet, and a stellar university.

1) Program UAV-- Unmanned aerial vehicles to spread extermophile bacteria and waste encapsulation nanites over most of the planet that draw out poisons from the soil.
2) Also Program UAVs-- To release balloon plants in quantity in the upper atmosphere to help clean it of chemicals.
3) Build a series of automated collection bots-- von neuman machines that would make more collection bots from part of the scraps they collected. These bots would identify the most valuable garbage and carry off loose scrap.
4) Create robots that did a combination of sucking up the dead extremophile bacteria and waste encapsulation nanites and planting the simplest of bioremediation plants.
5) Create a master plan based on GIS mapping probes so that we have a timetable and can do the cleanup efficiently.
6) Help us build plasma converters that turn unusable garbage which we collect into.
7) Help us build atomic forges to convert the garbage into its constituent elements.
8) Arrange the workers into crews so they can work efficiently as teams to do plantings and collection of heavier garbage. We would like it if you could bring in some public works management engineers and military management engineers to do this.

On Swamp: the Algol Scientists begin a complete mapping program of the cave system. keeping detailed records of any of the unknown material that they find. they discover that the walls of this cave complex were at one time covered in the material almost like walls. This would defenately mean that there had been an advanced Civilization on this planet long before The Algol themselves had even reached their stone age. This would also Explain why they have no knowledge of this race of people in this sector.

In Space around Swamp: a heavy transport along with two heavy cruisers slowly enter the system. As they manouver into orbit the transport comms the station to inform them that they have come to pick up materials from the surface mining operations. Upon hearing word of the Strange lights and shadowy figures one of the Cruisers sends down about a dozen Hunter/Seeker drones to have a cursery look around to deturmine whether this is a threat or just workers imaginations running wild. Never can be too sure about that sort of thing.

hours later a reather large Vessel bearing the Avery logo on its side enters the system and contacts the Station. This is the Avery Construction Vessel Raal. We are here to build a city upon the surface of this planet for possible colonazation at a future date. We will remain in orbit until a suitable location can be discovered. We will Attempt to remain out of the way of any other operations on the surface.

Schwullunde:

Occassionally, the hunter seeker drones run into lights, but as they approach they seem to recede into the distance, the faster you approach them. It looks like ball lightning, or even possibly some kind of minor luminescent insect, you never seem to get close enough to get a clear picture of them.

The miners still see some strange sights, and even find big three toed footprints, but nothing to match them with.

To the Korrilia Terraforming Committee.
We will consider doing this for you if you help us partially automate and systematize the process so it goes quicker and more efficiently. We would need you to help us do the following initially. Planetary reclamation takes huge amounts of resources. In addition to the collected resources, we need engineers and scientists to help us build two things with these resources, a military fleet, and a stellar university.

1) Program UAV-- Unmanned aerial vehicles to spread extermophile bacteria and waste encapsulation nanites over most of the planet that draw out poisons from the soil.
2) Also Program UAVs-- To release balloon plants in quantity in the upper atmosphere to help clean it of chemicals.
3) Build a series of automated collection bots-- von neuman machines that would make more collection bots from part of the scraps they collected. These bots would identify the most valuable garbage and carry off loose scrap.
4) Create robots that did a combination of sucking up the dead extremophile bacteria and waste encapsulation nanites and planting the simplest of bioremediation plants.
5) Create a master plan based on GIS mapping probes so that we have a timetable and can do the cleanup efficiently.
6) Help us build plasma converters that turn unusable garbage which we collect into.
7) Help us build atomic forges to convert the garbage into its constituent elements.
8) Arrange the workers into crews so they can work efficiently as teams to do plantings and collection of heavier garbage. We would like it if you could bring in some public works management engineers and military management engineers to do this.

Operation 1: Robots were quickly built and manufactured specially able to hold bacteria of the type needed.
Operation 2: Multiple balloons were built and released.
Operation 3: The Collection bots started out as one. This robot built another. Those robots built two more. Those robots built four more. And so on until the robots built a factory which automatically built more robots, saving time, money, and using scrap more efficently. Even if the factories and all robots were destroyed, all it would take was one robot left to start the whole process over again...
Operation 4: Little roving vacumm/bio-enhancer robots were given thrusters and sent out to clean up bacteria and plant biological neccissary growth.
Operation 5: Hundreds of probes were sent into orbit to map Korrilia's surface in detail.
Operations 6 and 7: Plasma converters and atmoic forges were being built, albiet slowly and carefully, to break down waste and raw material into usable elements.
Operation 8: The workers were divided into specality groups: Bio experts, heavy lifters, scouts, machine operators, machine repair, ect. Several teams of civilian and military engineers were sent to Korrilia to assist in the building of more structures. A small space station, with the purpose of becoming a University to educate workers going on-planet, was being built. Lastly a military fleet appeared: 2 Cruisers, a destroyer, a battleship, 2 Command Mechs, 3 Supermechs, a Carrier, and two medical ships were put either in orbit or around Korrilia.

With the maps, it becomes easier to plan where the bioremediation process can begin, heavy concentrations of metals, places where old cities were, and the uncleanable areas are mapped out.

The robots free up the men so they can concentrate on more complex projects-- removing ships, digging out large objects, planting forests, building reefs to clean up rivers and lakes.

The army is asked to clean up ordinance like mines, bombs, plasma shells, and rockets as well as do heavy demolition work on old military bases and large structures. This makes it safe for regular workers to enter clean up areas and work more efficiently.

In the education centers workers are shown how to work more efficiently so it takes less time, as well as trained in how to use the tools so it is easier to do the jobs. The teams are structured so that first men go in and take care of the heavy objects after robots clear up the area, then bioremediation robots clean up heavy goop and lay down simple bioremediation plants, then men come back and do more complex bioremediation tasks like building carbon capture plants, planting trees, building structures.

A cycle is created where the robots and men bring in material to make more robots and equipment, turning a portion of the waste into energy from the plasma conversion units to power the men and machines, and using the atomic forges to process material for the Commonalitarianism to haul away.

The teams make the work easier by breaking up the work, resting, and working in shifts.

The process is faster, cleaner, and more efficient than before.

Also suggestions are taken from people doing the job on how to make the machines work better and the job easier to do. For excellent ideas, there is bonus pay of up to one month.

"Coming up on target system now." Timothy Romano leans forward in his command chair. "Activate cloaking and stealth systems." He activates the ship's COMM. "Atention Spartans! We are on planetary approach. Prepare for landing." The Blackbird drops from warp, under full cloak. She glides twards the planet known as Swamp at full impulse. "Sir! Detecting multiple contacts in orbit! Unknown classification!" "Hmmm, looks like this mudball is finally getting attention. Take us down!" The ship speeds past the unknown vessels, hoping to remain unnoticed. "Look at the sky," Romano mutters. "They must be terra-forming the planet. Can you contact CHALLENGER Base?" "Yes, sir. Handshake proticol established. We are cleared for entry." The Blackbird approches on the night-side, and heads for a massive mountain range. Anyone in the area might notice a strange, almost flickering appearence of a certain rock face for a moment, but then it passes. "Holo-shield is holding. Prepare for landing." After a slight jar, the ship sets down. "Power down all systems! Set the ship for Quick-launch mode." Romano stands from his chair, and heads below deck to the port-side loading bay. "Report!" A tall, armored figure steps forward. "All stations secure," John replies. "Ready to deploy." Multiple soldiers, wearing the same armor, move cargo boxes onto the elevator pad, then lower it to the hanger floor. "Alright. Lets check on the situation," Romano says. "Have teams 5-8 secure the base. 1-4 patrol the surounding area." "Yes, sir," John replies. As he relays the orders, Romano heads for the main contol center/lab. Upon entering, he activated the main COMM array, "Unit 1, report!" "New arrivals have been settling all over the planet," the COMM replied. "I have been keeping locals away from the Base, but they are increasing their activity." "Understood. Recall the Drones. I'm deploying the Spartans to take over patrols." "Copy. I'm all over it. Out." Romano pulled up a local map on the screen. It showed the positions of the surrounding settlements. "Hmmm. Looks like I have some competition..."

OOC: Cartel, about the pirate attack on the excavation.
http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=538441
Please post an attack ASAP.

the captain of the cruiser looks over the preliminary information sent back by the Hunter/Seekers. Pfahh nothing more then ball lightning and "fireflies".Not that he expected to find anything more. Sending a few new commands to the drones he sends them off in search of the old base. Thats far more important then chaising ghosts through these swamps.

planetside: the Algol scientists take careful note of a reather large cache of the unknown material. other then this substance there appears to be nothing of interest on this planet. Personally they never beleaved in the idea that there had been any kind of scientific research facilities on this planet.

OOC: Sorry I'm late. If I need to change anything, like my location, etc, due to events that i missed, let me know. Also, the Blackbird is a modified Defiant- (http://www.trekmania.net/the_fleet/utopia/fleet/defiant01.jpg)class ship, with a flat-black hull covered in sensor-absorvng material.

oh and Xiscapia, sorry about that thread. I got excited about this one and kinda forgot. If you don't mind, I'll have my buddy, Daytona System take that one. We'll both be back tomorrow after work.

The drones are quietly followed by some of the lights, one of the lights darts in touching the drone. There is a brief spark, then the power cell slowly starts depleting. If examined very closely a white insubstantial film would be seen around the batteries and wiring.

Schwullunde:

After a while the power reads empty, the whole drone is covered with a white insubstantial gauze like material. Smaller lights start floating away from the drone. The drone hits the ground and starts to sink in a patch of muck until only half of it is sticking out of the muck. It is motionless.

The other lights seek out other drones to feed on. Darting at them furtively and circling around them.

Behind a large rock, a drone takes a picture of a caved in opening. The rocks need to be cleared to get in.

Surrounding the opening is swamp land with patches of quicksand, water, and clumps of dense shrubbery. A humanoid skeleton can be seen floating in the quicksand not far from the cave opening.

the captain of the cruiser curses loudly, he gives the command to lock onto the drones and transport them directly back to base. The damaged one is recalled to the cruiser for repairs.. The captain also has the images and locational information downloaded for later analisis. This information is relayed to planatery reclamation command so that they can check the area,perticulary that caved in cavern.

At the base, the repairmen notice the machines are starting to lose power. A thin white insubstantial film is starting to form around the inside of the machines. What looks like a series of static electricity sparks can be seen on the wires, they are growing stronger as the power diminishes. It is like looking at a torch beam surrounded by a nimbus of electricity.

The drone is brought aboard the cruiser. Small lights start coming out of the drone. When people approach them they dart away. The faster they are approached, the quicker they seem to move away. It is an odd effect. The lights try to get inside the ship. Some of them seem to be floating around.

They don't seem to be doing anything. Then the lights find a sleeping person. They dart and land all over his body. The person starts screaming, what looks like small bolts of static are coming out of his body. His skin is becoming sallow and his eyes sunken, he tries to stand but can't move.

Several lights on the ship also flicker and pop as the energy is sucked out of them.

One of the lights is seen floating around the engine room.

On Mercuria:

The scientists send down three robots to crawl around on the ground, collecting information. The pancakes quickly grab two of them tearing them apart, and a boulder runs over the other one, then consumes it.

A UAV is sent over the ocean. It is sent over the metallic island. The island seems to have patterns of crystal growth in neat rows on it as well as large deposits of gems and crystals in patches on the surface. There are pancake creatures all over the island scurrying around.

Radio bands are silent so are all communications bands when the planet is scanned for signals.

What is even more interesting is just below the surface of the mercury ocean, detectors spot tall thin objects like windmills under the mercury with multiple blades, they look like hydrokinetic turbines.

Korrilia:

The Commonalitarianism sends a number of workers, engineers, and scientists to the education center above Korrilia. They are there to cross train to learn the Xiscapian methods of construction, engineering, terraforming, biology, ecology, and environmental science to add it to their knowledge so they can use it on the world below.

The Commonalitarianism contacts the military with a specific request, they would like blueprints of Korr equipment which they will use to make it easier to dismantle the old machinery on the planet below.

The sophonts working below are getting used to the new teams.

A tightbeam communication comes to the Xiscapians:

We would like to observe the reclamation of Korr, "We are the Eggborn Union, as such it interests us to see what the Commonalitarianism is doing." There is a visual image sent with the message which sounds like a series of clicks, clacks, hisses, and ticks. A huge worm like creature is in the foreground, while a warrior bug is in the background...

Purple Worm
http://www.theorderofinitiative.co.uk/acatalog/21PurpleWorm.jpg

Warrior Bug
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/NEWS_0104_TIME_timeslipbug.jpg

"Alright, that's it," said John, as the Hog's tires sunk deeper into the mud. "Looks like we're on foot from here." "Great," replied Blue-3. "Just I need, more exercise." John surveyed the area while his team gathered their gear from the jeep. The swamp seamed endless, and grew thicker the farther they went down the mountainside. Without their motion trackers, they couldn't see more then a few meters in each direction. "Move out," he ordered. "Blue-2, take point. I'll cover the rear." They began to move, using the natural cover the swamp provided. I hope this remains a simple patrol, John thought...

Korrilia:

The Commonalitarianism sends a number of workers, engineers, and scientists to the education center above Korrilia. They are there to cross train to learn the Xiscapian methods of construction, engineering, terraforming, biology, ecology, and environmental science to add it to their knowledge so they can use it on the world below.

The Commonalitarianism contacts the military with a specific request, they would like blueprints of Korr equipment which they will use to make it easier to dismantle the old machinery on the planet below.

The sophonts working below are getting used to the new teams.

A tightbeam communication comes to the Xiscapians:

We would like to observe the reclamation of Korr, "We are the Eggborn Union, as such it interests us to see what the Commonalitarianism is doing." There is a visual image sent with the message which sounds like a series of clicks, clacks, hisses, and ticks. A huge worm like creature is in the foreground, while a warrior bug is in the background...

Purple Worm
http://www.theorderofinitiative.co.uk/acatalog/21PurpleWorm.jpg

Warrior Bug
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/NEWS_0104_TIME_timeslipbug.jpg

Blueprints and operation manuels are sent in a few cargo ships to the Commonalitarianism workers and scientists. On board the space station, named Floater, hundreds of workers and scientists learn about biology, botany, construction, engineering, terraforming, ecology, and environmental science.
The message is intercepted by space station Protector, which is a combat station over Xiscapia. "We are the Eggborn Union, as such it interests us to see what the Commonalitarianism is doing." Technicians frantacly tried to trace the message, but to no avail. On the screen to be viewed in the Commander of the space station, the pale-skinned, dark-haired Kartosh. "Indeed? And who exactly are you?"

"We are Tick-Tack-Tick-Clack (untranslatable), the Eggborn Union, and (Click-Click-Clik-Knick-- untranslatable), living in the neighboring system to the Commonalitarianism, we are interested in observing the terraforming of a planet. It sparks our double meaning (way of knowing of the supreme egg-- or science.)" "We have seen many more two leggeds coming into this (egg of space), claiming many new worlds." "There are old worlds in our space and if we learn of how you clean them, we can have more space of our own. The queens would see us grow."

The funny thing about it is that the message appears to be on your screen, but it doesn't register on your machinery.
Someone notices that his monitor is off and he can still see the message.

The techs silently study the message as Kartosh answers. "You would need to contact the Commonalitarianism scientists on this project if you are interested in aquiring their services. If you wish to watch the actual terraforming, then you are welcome to sent a ambassador or team of scientists to observe. I suggest you speak with the Commonalitarianisms." He finished curtly.

"Us, we of the egg are interested in observing the process, we will send an ambassador to watch the process. An old one, Clack-Clack-Click-Chirp-Tick-Tick-Knock-Knock will be coming to visit. We of the egg, thank, bless you."

A ship appears on the edge of the Xiscapian system it is not large. It looks like a blue beetle with tentacles flailing along its edges. There is a brief hail, we would like to send our ambassador. The ambassador appears on screen.
http://www.forteantimes.com/images/front_picture_library_UK/dir_0/fortean_times_443_8.jpg. Clack-Clack-Click-Chirp-Tick-Tick-Knock-Knock "I am here to watch."

"Us, we of the egg are interested in observing the process, we will send an ambassador to watch the process. An old one, Clack-Clack-Click-Chirp-Tick-Tick-Knock-Knock will be coming to visit. We of the egg, thank, bless you."

A ship appears on the edge of the Xiscapian system it is not large. It looks like a blue beetle with tentacles flailing along its edges. There is a brief hail, we would like to send our ambassador. The ambassador appears on screen.
http://www.forteantimes.com/images/front_picture_library_UK/dir_0/fortean_times_443_8.jpg. Clack-Clack-Click-Chirp-Tick-Tick-Knock-Knock "I am here to watch."
Good. Please land your ship on-planet at coordinates 0947852 and power down all weapons and shields. You are permited a guard of two, no more.
The coordinates 0947852 mark a grassy cortyard well within a huge scientific complex. The gray walls stretch high into the forget-me-not blue sky. Two Grunts (the most common kind of Xiscapian soldier, not Halo Grunts) stand at attention on either side of a fine wooden door. In front of them waits a scientist, intent on showing these strange, new beings around the slowly reforming Korrilia.

Clack-Clack-Click-Chirp-Tick-Tick-Knock-Knock comes out of the ship after it has powered down from the runway. He is not small, his rings are a good 2meters in radius, and 2 meters wide in depth, he is 20 meters in length. It looked much smaller on the screen. He comes forward to the scientist. "I, we are glad to meet you. The voice is coming from a purple starfish thing on its upper ring. "We are glad to come to your place of knowledge of the egg. You may name me Clack-Clack, how would we name you." There are reddish manipulator cilia coming out of the edges of each hard chitinous ring. Clack-Clack is a deep purple color, small bumps and spines cover many places on the ring, they look like hard compound eyes and sensory areas.

The scientist seemed not the least bit perturbed at seeing a giant, purple, talking worm come out of the ship and address him. He bowed. "Greetings, honorable Clack-Clack-San. I am Ginta, and bid you welcome to this planet. Please, follow me." He turns for the door.

Clack-Clack, "Thank you Ginta," He opens his mouth, there are numerous grinder like teeth, and exhudes a fresh smell like spring. He follows Ginta through the door.

Ginta leads Clack-Clack out of the complex into open air. They are alone there, watched only by a few guards in the complex and by a few distant workers off to start lunch. "This," Ginta said, spreading his arm over the sweet-smelling, green, vibrent landscape (http://www.virtualsciencefair.org/2006/sunt6t2/index.1.jpg), used to look like this." He shows Clack-Clack a datapad, not knowing if the worm had any apedeges to grasp it with. The image on the screen looked like this (http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi170.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fu253%2FRockSt1zzar%2Fwastelandoriginal.png&searchTerm=wasteland&pageOffset=10). "A terrible war was fought here. Initially, the war between us and the Korr caused less than 1% of the general destruction. It was the aftermath, in which there was a civil war and an ecenomical depression, which destroyed the planet and over half its people."

Clack Clack says,"Ginta, I smell the air here, and there are shaping plants in the air, some may have even come from our world, strange things, biological cleaners and changers. Your world is being rebuilt. It will come out new, but make sure that it is new in the way which you want. Yes, I smell the balloon plant, and the scream flower, but the scream flower it has no voice, changed it is. The Commonii, they are life shapers, but different from the shaping and the changing which we make. You must bring in more species and variation to make this world new. Can you bring me the seeds and flesh of your world so I may know them?" He stops, "The Commonii, they mean well, but do not know all of the old knowledge." He sighs picking up the datapad with the long tendrils sticking out between his segments. The ends split seeking the ports in the pad.

the repair techs scrambled towards the door escaping the repair bay. punching a button the crewman contacted the bridge. we have an unknown vecter in the repair bay please isolate the entire section and begin full trace scans to locate the vectors and transport them back to the planet. Blue static fields pop into view at every bulkhead in the section violet beams scan across every part of the section looking for the unknown vector any that are picked up are imeadiately transported back to the planet somewhere above the soutern pole.


OOC Xiscapia Check out VT's new post.

In the repair bays of the ship, the sleeping man wakes up screaming. He looks like he is starving and dehydrated with deep stress marks under his eyes.

The scanners pick up faint energy signatures, they register as very hot tiny points of plasma, then they are transferred to the north pole. The cold causes them to slowly wink out and die.

Some of the energy points are inside batteries in machines, or in small pests like space meeps, so quite a bit of miscellaneous small machines, flashlights, and other equipments has to be transported to the north pole.

Also large sections of wiring have been infested and have to be beamed down to the planet.

The repair bay looks like a patchwork with a lot of equipment missing.

The light in the engine room disappears into one of the fusion chambers. The ship starts losing power from one of its reactors.

Clack Clack says,"Ginta, I smell the air here, and there are shaping plants in the air, some may have even come from our world, strange things, biological cleaners and changers. Your world is being rebuilt. It will come out new, but make sure that it is new in the way which you want. Yes, I smell the balloon plant, and the scream flower, but the scream flower it has no voice, changed it is. The Commonii, they are life shapers, but different from the shaping and the changing which we make. You must bring in more species and variation to make this world new. Can you bring me the seeds and flesh of your world so I may know them?" He stops, "The Commonii, they mean well, but do not know all of the old knowledge." He sighs picking up the datapad with the long tendrils sticking out between his segments. The ends split seeking the ports in the pad.
Ginta nodded. "We have plans to begin bringing in Xiscapia flora and fauna to Korrilia, although this has been somewhat waylaid by the ennormous amount of work being done." He called on his comm for some samples. Roughly a minute later a cargo ship set down in front of them. Seeds, growing plants, fully matured plants, as well as numerious small animals, such as the Xufor, a brown woodland preditor which is fond of climbing trees and dropping rocks onto its prey's head, and the Qe, huge bird with a twelve food wingspan.

the captain of the cruiser orders the engine core to be ejected into space. imeadiately the core is bathed in cold blue light five transport beams grab onto randomly selected sections of the core seperating them and transporting them randomly across space. small pieces of the core appear like a cloud of mist around the system. Unfortunately this leaves the cruiser dead in space except for necessary functions. the other ships move into position and start transporting the crew and the computer core to the other ships or to the planet. then each ship moves away and blasts the cruiser into dust. the core will be held in transport stasis until it can be safely purged of the plasmatic entity.

ooc: well that was costly.

Schwullunde:

Every time people pass the contained plasma entity, there is an inexplicable longing to sit in the bright sun.

Xiscapia:

The worm approaches the fauna and flora. The animals seem to calm down in the presence of the giant worm. He can even reach out and touch them gently. He wanders among the flora taking samples of seeds and small bits of them placing them inside his stomach. He takes small bits of soil and places it inside his stomach. Ginta can hear gurgling and sloshing inside the worm and smell chemicals like would be in a biological laboratory or fermenter.

After a while the worm reaches inside his stomach, taking out seeds and small bits of flesh. Clack Clack's stomach gurgles some more and he removes a bowl made of clear chitin. He places the seeds and bits of flesh in the bowl.
Clack Clack says, "These seeds have been adjusted for Korrilia. Feel free to test them however you like. The flesh can be used for cloning if you wish, some minor improvements have been made. I detect some bacteria in the soil, this is what is removing the poisonous metals, we do not deal with metals much so this is interesting for us. Also tiny metallic machines which we do not understand."

Ginta smiled. "Your biological powers are extraordinary. The little robots are nanobots, which help keep the soil fresh and free of harmful germs. Obviously they are not as percise or effective as your stomach." He chuckled softly as he took the bowl. "Thank you for your modifications. We will certainly use these."

Clack-Clack, "Until humanoids came, we knew little of the art of working metal, and our physics were limited in many ways, we have always worked with life, and there was for a long time a taboo about working with things that did not live. We could send seeds on a slow journey between the stars, and sleeper ships, but did not have the hyperdrive or work complex alloys. You have brought change that is both good and fearful."

Ginta's brow furrowed and he frowned. "How have we affected your species? It is true that we have many advanced technological ways, but as far as we know we have never had any kind of contact with you."

Clack-Clack, "Ah, excuse me, we often confuse two leggeds, uh humanoids, you are the third two legged group we have come in contact with. Sometimes we think those not of the egg are very similar. Yes, now I see amazing, you have a tail and fur. You are not like the others."

Ginta chuckled again. "So, aside from the Commonalitarianisms and us, who was the other humaniod race you met? Or were they human?"

"We have met the Schwullunde, I think there is something slightly different about the people of Schwullunde than the Commonalitarianism people. I can't quite figure it out. The Commonalitarianism also have neo-canid people, very friendly, we like them."

"Hmm, we have met these too. Interestingly, the vast majority of sentient beings seem to be bipedial humaniods. They range from humans, who cover the galaxy, to stranger beings such as ourselves, the Korr, Coveniant, and many, many others."

back on swamp: The Algol Scientists come across a hidden panel while scanning through the tunnels. Imeadiately they contact both the Commonalitarianism as well as the Schwullunde. The panel looks like its made of solid rock, thouhg scans confirm that in fact its made up of a strange combination of Trinium veins running through Naquida, also there seems to be several thousand tiny pockets of the strange material interspursed throughout the panel in a fairly constant pattern. There appears to be no way to open the panel though. One of the Algol sets up a small transmitter/receaver device that transmits out signals at a slowly increasing frequancy and amplitude, and then picks up any minute reactions in the panel. This device can crack through almost any electronic system. As the device is probing the panel, a small control pane on the device lights up randomly. this pane looks like nothing so much as a slightly more complex checker board in which each square lights up with lights moving through the spectrum.

OOC: Nice commentary on the Schwullunde :D I always wonder what other races might think of my people. as a further joke though if no one has figured out whats different about the Schwullunde, they probibly never will
:rolleyes::p:D:cool:

The Commonalitarianism looks over the checkerboard. Then they decide the best thing to do is to bypass the checkerboard entirely. They try to scan directly through the board to see if there is a mechanism behind the board, and if so, how is it attached to the controls. They bring in a neutron beam scanner that will tell the composition of the material, an exact x-ray image, and the heat and radiologic properties of the device.

OOC: Small detail. the "checkerboard" is the controls for the Algol device, not the hidden door. its a 100354 X 100354 grid, in which each individual square lights up. each light can be any of the main color of the spectrum. really its just a complex electronic lock pick. it shows how a lock reacts to each specific command in the password sequance.

IC: X-ray scans reveal that the door is made up of one solid looking peace of material. the heat and radiologic scans reveal that complex electronic signals are being routed throughout the entire door. these signals look like nothing more then a three dimensional computer board. At one time the door either had a key, or like many alien devices it reacted to a specific genetic sequance in the aliens genetic makeup. Either way this key has been lost to time. deaper scans reveal some kind of large space behind the door

Schwullunde:

The Commonalitarianism scientists inspecting the door, spray it with a thin layer of spray on gel. This gel is designed to reveal wear patterns on the door to see where it was pressed against, or if there are any buttons or patterns which buttons were pressed most often. After this is done, the layer of gel is removed and analyzed for dna fragments, fingerprints, etc.

Xiscapia:

On Korrilia, a new mobile fabber is rolled out. It includes a small atom forge to break down materials in the vicinity to use in the fabber. Also there is a built in plasma converter to power the machinery from waste in the area.

The fabber is controlled by a smart A.I. manufacturing system designed to work closely with human designers. The human designers put on data control gloves which allow them to manipulate the objects to be fabricated in three dimensions. The data control gloves are integrated with a voice command systems. The A.I. acts as a support program.

The command system allows the users to custom build tools to fit exact manufacturing specifications. The fabber uses an nanite manufacturing, sheet cutting tools, extruders, layerers, and other tools to make specific items as needed.

This means that at most times the people working on Korrilia will have the exact toolset which they need.