AAR: Kelterre II Assignment

Subspace Network Reports
1
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95840.7
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
LOCATION: Kelterre II, Kelterre Sector
​
MISSION: Continued survey of the development of the oribots.

OUTCOME: Oribot development shifted from manufacture of more oribots to the manufacturing of hexagonal "rafts"
​
KEY PERSONNEL:
​
CMDR S. al Firawn
​
NARRATIVE: Following orders to conduct surveys of Kelterre II, the USS al-Haytham began to conduct several orbital scans. Alongside this, the al-Haytham deployed sensor probes onto the planet coupled with several officers monitioring the oribots first hand from submarine adapted shuttlecraft. The bots, named Origami Bots, or simply oribots, have continued to mutliply to a number of over 3,000. Some of these bots, dubbed "scout bots" were seen to scan the shuttlecraft when they submurged below the water.

As detailed in the previous AARs, the oribots seemed to take resources from the planet to create more oribots. This process has now stopped, with the assembly line now producing building materials such as bolts, ropes, and flexible plastics. These are then taken by the oribots to create what appears to be a structure on the surface of the ocean.

This structure seems to be composed of floating hexagonal raft units, which are joined together by syntheic cording. The underside of these rafts have attachments dangling into the water, with the raw materials needed for their construction hanging beneath. The manufacturing assembly lines are housed under one of these raft lines.

The oribots are using these rafts to create an unknown object. Estimations state that these rafts may eventually become a dome above the water.

Spoiler: Image of the hexagonal rafts, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
8ve2CnE.png

A survey into the sustainability of the resources used by the oribots has been inconclusive; in this locality, the heavy mining and harvesting by the bots is not sustainable in the next ten years. However, if the operations stayed at the same size and pace, the oribots would not be able to destroy the planet, as once they began to move from location to location, the area that the oribots were harvesting previously would have a chance to regrow before the resources from the new location could be depleted.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Further study highly recommended, as well as continued observations and recording of the oribots. It would be helpful to receive data about the oribot that was taken to DS13 for study.

The USS al Haytham will remain in orbit to undertake such a study until recalled by Command.​
​

OOC: Thanks Kat for the intel!
2 Likes
2
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95869.7
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: Continuing with our survey of the oribots, a number of observations can be made.

Spoiler: Image of the hexagonal rafts, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
https://i.imgur.com/yWTZSFh.jpg

First of all, as shown above, the structure has increased substantially, forming a hollow rectangular area on the surface of the water. There were a number of studies done, the results of which are summarised here.

The hexagonal rafts themselves have an area of 1,000 square meters, per hex, with each hex having sides of 19.62 m, and an internal angle of 120 degrees. This precision shows near-perfect engineering. The hexes are also 0.5 meters thick. They are highly buoyant, with the image on this report and the above report all floating on the surface of the water and are stationary save from a few inches of bobbing movement due to the movement of the water. On the construction of the hexes, they are very sturdy and difficult to penetrate, as well as not being flammable.

As for the construction itself, it is still estimated that the hexes are creating domes, but instead of being one large dome over the whole construction, this now looks like it will be a number of smaller domes. It is important to note that despite this, there is no skyward construction at this stage, with all construction remaining at sea level.
​
RECOMMENDATION: Continued observation of the oribots.
4 Likes
3
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95890.7
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: As part of the survey, this officer authorised the capture of three oribots for testing. We placed the bots in an aquarium, with a simulated environment of the surroundings in order to try to better understand their programming. The bots swam around the aquarium, scanning their environment and testing the limits of the tank, before linking up together and repeating this process. Eventually, they remained floating in the middle, doing nothing.

With this test done, we moved the bots into a holodeck simulation of Kelterre II so that the bots would not be constrained by the limits of the tank. Once again, the bots swam around and scanned around though it is to be noted that they do this at close proximity to each other, linking together at regular intervals before continuing to explore. They do not build or harvest.
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RECOMMENDATION: The steps moving forward, other than the continued observation of the oribots, would be to try to dismantle the bots themselves in order to get an idea of their makeup and programming. I have asked DS13 science to begin a material analysis to this end.

It would also be worth checking if these bots exhibit sentience. To date, no programming has been found, and there is a possibility that they do have some form of sentience, in which case, any testing should be done with due consideration of this fact.
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4
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95890.9
FILED BY:
LCDR T. Fozka
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
LOCATION: Lab 102, Deep Space 13.
​
MISSION: Continued analysis of origami bots.
​
OUTCOME: Material analysed and an oribot prototype created.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:
​
LCDR T. Fozka.
​
NARRATIVE: This officer led a team to try to replicate the material used by the oribots in order to answer three questions:

  1. Are we able to replicate this material?
  2. Are we able to ascertain the origin and function of this material?
  3. Can these oribots be considered sentient?

1. After three attempts, we were able to successfully replicate the mesh material. The molecular structure had not been registered before in any Federation databases and thus it took a couple of attempts and experimentation but since the structure was not overly complicated, this was eventually completed. The node material was also able to be replicated, this time on our first attempt, given that it was simply a densely packed sphere of circuitry. Eventually, with these two materials, we were able to create a simulated origami bot prototype, though, without programming, there is nothing more than a shell here. If it was wanted, we could pass on this simulation and the plans to engineering to create these bots.

2. The material itself has no historical data, and thus, we were unable to find the origin of the material. However, due to the chemical makeup, the material appears to be synthesised using the components of common seaweeds, and this certainly seems to be consistent with the observations on the construction of these bots. The material is lightweight and durable. It is capable of resisting tearing, but it is not pierce-proof. The material can carry an electrical charge, and it absorbs light. Given these two facts, along with the known components of seaweeds, it is hypothesised that the material is able to convert light into energy.

3. Initial findings seem to show that these oribots are NOT SENTIENT. This is based upon the acknowledgement that these bots, although exhibiting characteristics of observation and interaction with their environment, it is still unknown if there is a program behind this. It is also highly improbable for sentience to come in such a small object; with the exceptions of exocomps, any artificial sentience that we have records of require substantial memory banks to function and evolve.

However, the team warns that given the lack of information thus far, this classification may be changed as more information about these oribots comes to light and is reviewed.

RECOMMENDATION: Since we are able to recreate these bots, it may be feasible to modify and program these bots for use in our own development. Furthermore, continued study will help us to understand their function better. I would concur with Commander al Firawn's previous recommendations about further observation.

I would like recommend that we dismantle an oribot in order to learn about their programming further. Given our successful replication of the material and are able to create bots in the lab, I am certain that we would be able to dismantle a bot safely. Given that the team has concluded for now that these bots are not sentient, there are no moral qualms that this officer can see on this matter.
1 Like
5
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95915.2
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: There has been a development in the oribot production. The hollow rectangle structure has increased in size, and now measures roughly 1,209 m by 780 m. There is the development of a new structure to the right of the rectangle which seems to be a ciruclar shape.

The oribots have once again started to resume an expansion, and are now producing oribots and construction materials, at a rate of 15 bots an hour. There is still a focus on the development of construction materials, with 75% of resources going towards the construction of new materials, whilst 25% is devoted to building new bots.

Spoiler: Image of the oribots' construction, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
u0BkKNf.jpg
​
RECOMMENDATION: Continue to observe the oribots.


OOC: If someone wants to double-check my numbers for the dimensions of the structure, feel free to and let me know if it's wildly off; I might be useless at counting but Sulayman wouldn't be, so I'll fix the report if there is.

A reminder on the dimensions: "area of 1,000 square meters, per hex, with each hex having sides of 19.62 m, and an internal angle of 120 degrees". I counted 31 hexes across, and 20 up.
2 Likes
6
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95944.4
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: There have been a number of developments between this and the last report. Firstly, the raft construction:

Spoiler: Image of the oribots' construction, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
GcGOyjy.jpg
​
As the image shows, the raft constrution has continued, though at a slower rate. Instead, most of the oribots have turned to creating smaller structures for the two large raft structures, such as rooms and buildings, as well as power sources and furniture. There is still one production line dedicated to making oribots, but the main focus of the bots are these structures.

The smaller structure on the top left of the image, next to the lines of rafts, is what seems to be a launch pad. This is where the second development has taken place; the oribots seemed to have formed a fusion reactor and linked up to create a small rocket around the reactor. This rocket then lanched itself into space, where it achieved orbit. The oribots then dismantled themselves, allocated a group of bots to surround the reactor, and sent it back down to the rafts.

The other oribots that came up with the rocket have now begun to construct something in space. They are currently ignoring the U.S.S. al-Haytham.

RECOMMENDATION: The oribots seem to be preparing for something to "live" in the raft structures, as the structures seem to resemble habitation places. We have no projections for the space structure yet, but from the behaviour of the oribots witnessed on the ground, we predict that it will be big.


OOC: We're all going to die. All hail our oribot overlords.
5 Likes
7
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 95974.3
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: The construction in space has continued; two images are attached, with the first image being a head on view, whilst the second image being an angled one. The rocket continues to make trips from the surface bringing up more materials for construction.

Spoiler: Image of the oribots' construction, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
unknown.png
​
3 Likes
8
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 96005.8
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: The construction on the planet surface has now slowed to a crawl. Estimations indicate that the habitation section on the right hand island could hold between 200 and 1000 inhabitants.

Spoiler: Image of the oribots' construction, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
UOFDh7f.jpg
​
9
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 96025.2
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
LOCATION: Kelterre II, Kelterre Sector
​
MISSION: Prelimanary survey of structure to prepare for a potential away team.

OUTCOME: Survey successful; an away team can be sent down, but should take the precautions listed below.
​
KEY PERSONNEL:
​
CMDR S. al Firawn
​
NARRATIVE: Following recommendations from an open meeting hosted by Rear Admiral Konieczko, a probe was outfitted with an imaging device and sent down to the structure on the planet's surface to analyse the area to determine if it was safe to put a team on the surface.

Starting at the "habitation area" on the easternmost island, there appeared to be several medium-sized, white-coloured structures built on top of the rafts. These were rounded apartments. Progressing to analyse the habitations themselves, we noticed that there were several room "templates" that were replicated around the area. These looked like idealised versions of rooms; like a showroom or a model. Comparisons with the style of rooms bring up weak matches in the Federation database, but these are mostly down to the limited number of ways to construct physical structures rather than a firm cultural match, and thus it can be said that these rooms are not culturally identifiable to any known entities.

In terms of potential security hazards, the probe could not identify any security measures in place, with the exception of fifteen (15) robots floating around. These appear to be half the size of exocomps, and they patrol the structure, finishing construction details. After careful observation, these robots do appear to follow a set route, contrary to what is seen at first glance; due to the extreme length of these patrol routes, their routes could be mistaken for a random pattern. A further observation indicated that these routes were not precise; they were mapped travelling through and around buildings instead of having mapped specific routes inside the structures. A number of these robots made visual contact with the probe, and proceeded to scan it before returning to their patrol routes and ignoring the probe for the remainder of the time. As a further test, the probe pushed two chairs. One chair was moved by 0.83 centimetres, the other by 30.3 centimetres. There is no indication that the robots noticed the movement of the first chair, whilst the other chair, which had been moved into the path of the robot, was traversed around. There was no indication of the robot moving the objects back into place.

The probe then moved towards the rocket engine. There was no hanger for the engine; it was stored directly on the launch pad (which was the small circular island located north-west of the central island and to the east of the lines of rafts). The oribots were witnessed performing routine maintenance and upkeep on the engine directly on the launchpad in between launches, as well as performing loading and refuelling. The fuel itself was a combination of hydrogen and boron, given the fusion reactor.

This concludes the probe's analysis.

The construction in space has also continued; the structure is continuing to form a circular shape, and is approximately 30% complete. Size estimations from earlier observations (estimated to be between 100 to 300 square meters) seem to be accurate.

RECOMMENDATION: From the analysis of the probe, this officer deems it safe for a small away team to be beamed onto the surface for more detailed observations. However, there are a number of precautions that this officer recommends should be taken.

  • All members on the away team should wear environmental suits. This is not because of a hostile environment, but to limit biological contaminations of the structure.
  • The transporter used should be modified to perform a deeper biological filter sweep, and to decontaminate the environmental suits. To achieve this, officers will beam from the transporter pad on the U.S.S. al Haytham directly into a shuttle that has been decontaminated and placed in orbit of Kelterre. This shuttle will then take the away team to the surface. This is, once again, to limit external contamination of the structure.
  • All members of the away team are instructed to observe using visual and tricorder scans. Handling and movement of objects should be kept to a minimum, with care taken to return objects to their original position.
  • All members of the away team should be briefed to take extreme precaution when exploring; whilst there were no security measures sighted, this does not eliminate the possibility of defence mechanisms.
  • All members of the away team should be reminded to treat the structure with the utmost respect. This officer has been privileged to witness the construction of the structure over a number of weeks. To cause any undue damage would be grossly disrespectful, as well as being ethically and morally unjust.
​

OOC: Going to throw another thanks to Kat for putting up with my interrogations questions!

Also, when can we put down a deposit for one of the rooms? I think Sam would like a room with a balcony, with access to water...
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10
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 96065.6
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: The construct in space has been completed, please view the image below. As of the date of submission, the structure remains unpowered. However, the bots on the surface of the planet have started construction of fusion engines, which, if theories about the structure being a warp gate, would require a number of to power it.

Spoiler: Image of the space structure, taken from the USS al HaythamShow
unknown.png
​
RECOMMENDATION: Continue to observe the oribots and the space structure. When this structure has received power, there is a fairly large chance of First Contact being made with whichever species programmed the oribots to construct it. We should be prepared for this moment if, or when, it happens.


OOC: Where's sandwich board guy when you need him to predict doomsday?
3 Likes
11
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 96093.0
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 1 - Open
​
NARRATIVE: The space gate has been completed. A total of eight (8) fusion engines have been attached to the structure at equal points along the outer ring. The gate is now powered, although it has not been activated currently. A small probe sent through the gate went nowhere. Various scans were taken of the probe. There are no particles or energy build-up that tends to be associated with warp and transwarp gates. This is most likely due to the fact the gate itself is not activated yet. There is a large data port on the side of the gate itself, which is similar in design to the data points we found on the surface, though obviously, at a much larger scale.

Two of the eight engines appear to be redundancy engines, which means to disable the gate, when it is in operation, would require at least three engines to be disrupted or destroyed.

The First Contact team have finished constructing their observation base. There are eight crew stationed on the base.
​
RECOMMENDATION: The observation base is open for view if officers want to do so, by prior appointment. The crew on the base are starting to plan where they would be placing surveillance equipment and they would like advice from members of the 38th where to best place this equipment. This is of utmost importance since if any object travelled through the gate, the U.S.S. al Haytham would be detected, so our time in the system is limited. If there are no further orders, the U.S.S. al Haytham will complete her survey and depart the system by the end of the week (stardate 96104.0).


OOC: Watch, the first thing that comes out of this will be a chair.
4 Likes
12
SUBMITTED:
Stardate 96129.9
FILED BY:
CMDR S. al Firawn
SECURITY:
Level 2 - Confidential
​
NARRATIVE: Shortly after the start of Gamma Shift, the gate powered up, for a total of 180 seconds. Roughly 105 seconds in, a large, unknown, alien vessel came through the gate. This vessel orbited Kelterre II for approximately fifteen minutes, before descending towards the surface of the planet. As the U.S.S. al-Haytham was on the system's edge and thus outside of sensor range, we could only approximate the size of this ship, which looked like it matched the central hole of the construction on the surface of the planet.

Following orders from command, we remained on the system's edge, not making contact. At thirteen minutes before Delta Shift, the U.S.S. al-Haytham detected a Starfleet probe coming from the planet, sent by the observers on the planet, with data and images.

Spoiler: Unknown Ship ImageShow
unknown.png

Sensors detected that there were very low subspace emissions that accompanied the ship, a fraction of the emissions needed to create a warp field around Starfleet ships. Despite this, the gate was functional, showing that these aliens are capable of space travel, but it is vastly different from how the Federation travels. Accompanying this were large amounts of graviton and plasma particles; the closest phenomenon we have on record are those of astral eddies. Because of this, we are unsure of how exactly these gates work, and would require more ships to go through to gain a more accurate reading.

The probe also contained images of the alien species, dubbed so far as Kelterre Dolphin Aliens. The images are attached. These aliens seem to have disembarked their vessel and are currently looking around. They are capable of breathing air, but they are also adept at swimming, propelling themselves in the water by dolphin kicking with their feet (both feet together underwater and movement through the moving up and down of the legs). They are bipedal and humanoid, with human-like hands instead of flippers or fins, though they have webbed feet. It is unknown as yet if they are capable of breathing underwater, or if they must come to the surface to breathe, though due to the construction of the habitation being on the surface of the water, I would assume it is the latter.

Spoiler: Kelterre Dolphin AliensShow
ben-mauro-aquatic-alien-3dsketch-bm.png

RECOMMENDATION: These aliens are the ones that we have been expecting for some time. The U.S.S. al-Haytham will remain on the system edge and continue to pick up data packets sent by the observation team on the surface. Continued monitoring is recommended before we decide whether First Contact is warranted.


OOC: To quote "Imagine Dragons"; this is it, the apocalpse. Did Dolph Inman call home?
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