DAAKA, MARCHLANDS – As the crew of the USS Constitution (NCC-9012-B) finalised their preparations and their newly overhauled Aquashuttles descended into the waters of Daaka, they found themselves among an alien world like none on the ship that had ever seen before.
The crew—slathered in medicinal goo whipped up by Medical, protected by altered EVA suits turned deep sea ‘armours’ that Engineering designed and the ship’s enigmatic stylist Georgio—split into three shuttle teams, each with its own landing site to reduce environmental impact on a single site and facilitate exploration.
Cmdre. Jalana Rajel’s shuttle—also carrying her First Officer, Second Officer, Counselor and Security Officer—landed to meet with the bride, and the other two landed on the colony’s outskirts.
Reports indicate all shuttle teams are doing well on the surface so far. The Xindi-Aquatics are welcoming and encouraging of the Starfleet officers. It cannot be understated how important this mission is for not only diplomacy, but also for science. Anthropologists and sociologists are hanging on every word of every report.
Federation scientists and engineers alike eagerly await each report from the depths, hoping to understand the advanced bio-mimicry technologies employed by the Xindi-Aquatics. It even appears that some structures are grown, not built. It is a different way of life for the Xindi-Aquatics.
“To live in a place as a sentient species and to join with the non-sentient lifeforms as equals is almost unheard of, especially among warp-capable species,” said Fung Is, a bio-anthropologist fellow at the Andorian-Bolian University. “There are only a handful of other examples of this known to us in the galaxy, and all of them are on land and in harsher environments where harmony is needed for survival. Daaka is teeming with life.”
He continued, “Most Federation worlds are careful stewards of the natural resources of the planets they inhabit. However, a distinction is maintained between civilisation and the wild. That distinction is far less obvious on Daaka, it seems.”
Daaka represents not only a diplomatic event but a major scientific one that may be useful for improving the lives of countless people across the galaxy.
More as this story develops.
Written by Lazarus Davis
