Algae Investigations
Posted on Sun Feb 23rd, 2020 @ 5:23am by Lieutenant Sovar
Mission:
Mission 2 - Fallout
Location: Unknown Planet
Timeline: Following Planetfall
890 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure
Sovar knelt next to the algae-filled pool and collected another sample. He'd analyzed enough data to form a hypothesis, but he insisted on more data before drawing any definitive conclusion that might be reported to his superiors on the ship.
As he stood, he observed one of the Atlantis crewmen sitting down on top of a crate with the assistance of another individual. He was wheezing heavily and one of the medics was rushing over to attend to him. The situation seemed well in-hand so Sovar moved back to his field station with the algae sample. A few of the other people on the ground had been having similar reactions, which he knew was attributed to the L-class planet's atmosphere. It wasn't outright hostile to human physiology but any pulmonary deficiencies would be amplified by its thin atmosphere. It was one of the reasons that plant-life often thrived on these sorts of planets but complex fauna rarely developed.
Seeing their frail physiology in action led him down a line of thought he'd often traveled before: were humans actually suited to interplanetary exploration? They were inventive, charismatic, curious, driven... But did they possess the actual genetic fortitude to weather the dangers of the galaxy? At present, they were all suffering from a lack of nutrients and water. They could go three days without water at best; he could go a week. They could go three weeks without food; he could go weeks more. They could go a couple of days without sleep; he could go a couple of weeks without it. Was it wise to let them throw their lives away in never-ending struggles for basic survival just so they could travel among the stars?
"Lieutenant Sovar? I got the rest of those samples for ya."
He looked up and saw the fresh-faced young crewman who'd been eager to assist in his project. He wasn't a member of the science team; rather, he was an engineer with nothing to engineer. In the absence of something to keep him busy, he'd readily volunteered to assist the Vulcan in studying the algae pools. He'd been invaluable in doing the "heavy lifting" so to speak - running around the pools gathering up samples from various points for analysis.
Perhaps they did have a right to exploration.
"Thank you, crewman. Please arrange them by quadrant until I have time to analyze them."
The crewman set about fulfilling the task. It was a simple matter, so, naturally, he was given to idle chatter.
"You still thinkin' it's not natural?"
"The algae is as natural as anything else on this planet," Sovar replied flatly. His face was still stuck into the viewport of the analysis device he'd brought from the ship. "But I do still believe the algae have had some intervention in their natural reproductive cycle."
"How'd you figure that out?"
Sovar leaned back from the analysis device and looked blankly at the crewman. He was about to comment on the irrelevant nature of that line of questioning before he was interrupted.
"I minored in biology back at the academy," the crewman explained.
The Vulcan leaned back into the device and decided there wasn't much harm in indulging scientific curiosity, even if it was from an engineer. "There is so little genetic variation between the algae samples as to make it remarkable. They have been taken from different pools in different locations with significant enough variations in conditions to produce more genetic variation than we are observing. These algae reproduce through vegetative propagation, so they are already fairly homogenous. However..."
He stepped away from the device and gestured to it, allowing the crewman to take his place.
"This is a side-by-side comparison of algae samples taken from as disparate conditions as possible within this vicinity. As you can see, they are almost identical." The crewman made a convincing noise of comprehension, though it remained to be seen whether he actually understood. "Further, I believe they show signs of having been specifically cultivated with certain desirable characteristics in mind. It does not appear to be a coincidence that they are disease resistant, nutrient dense, fast-growing, and well-suited to survival in this environment."
The crewman continued to stare into the device for a long moment before finally easing back. Thought was evident on his face, and Sovar waited patiently for him to walk through the information.
"You're saying the characteristics it's displaying can't be explained by... I don't know. Natural selection?"
Sovar remained silent but lifted an eyebrow, as if to encourage him further down that line of investigation.
"No... No, it wouldn't be. It wouldn't be natural selection because some but not all of that contributes to propagation of the species. In fact, being nutrient dense makes it more likely to be consumed. And genetic drift isn't possible, either, right? It's statistically impossible for all of those positive traits to line up just so from the natural death of cells, even if it is a small population."
"Statistically unlikely," Sovar corrected.
"So, then... Okay, they're cultivated. I mean, they're being grown, harvested, and then regrown with the best cultivars. What's that mean?"
Sovar turned to look at the tree line behind them with what approximated suspicion.
"That we are not alone on this planet."
Lieutenant Sovar
Science Officer
NX Atlantis
