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[VoidSlayer]

We should wait until we can set up a colony before making humans, we need to rebuild when the time is right.

[Madman198237]

We COULD produce a SINGLE human, and be extra unethical--

We could load them up with *ALL* the cybergoodies, and hook them directly to our mainframe instead of to the simulation units.  We could then "abuse" them as our source of imagination, by denying them the opportunity for individual consciousness.

+1 Yes we must do this, for science!

But what about the science?

-1, that's what.

[Gwolfski]

We COULD produce a SINGLE human, and be extra unethical--

We could load them up with *ALL* the cybergoodies, and hook them directly to our mainframe instead of to the simulation units.  We could then "abuse" them as our source of imagination, by denying them the opportunity for individual consciousness.

+1 Yes we must do this, for science!

But what about the science?

-1, that's what.

+1 let's make GLaDOS.

[scourge728]

We COULD produce a SINGLE human, and be extra unethical--

We could load them up with *ALL* the cybergoodies, and hook them directly to our mainframe instead of to the simulation units.  We could then "abuse" them as our source of imagination, by denying them the opportunity for individual consciousness.

+1 Yes we must do this, for science!

But what about the science?

-1, that's what.

+1 let's make GLaDOS.

[MoonyTheHuman]

We COULD produce a SINGLE human, and be extra unethical--

We could load them up with *ALL* the cybergoodies, and hook them directly to our mainframe instead of to the simulation units.  We could then "abuse" them as our source of imagination, by denying them the opportunity for individual consciousness.

+1 Yes we must do this, for science!

But what about the science?

-1, that's what.

+1 let's make GLaDOS.

+1
Next thing you know technicallyAdventurer comes and tells us to put down the pyramid.

[wierd]

We COULD produce a SINGLE human, and be extra unethical--

We could load them up with *ALL* the cybergoodies, and hook them directly to our mainframe instead of to the simulation units.  We could then "abuse" them as our source of imagination, by denying them the opportunity for individual consciousness.

+1 Yes we must do this, for science!

But what about the science?

-1, that's what.

+1 let's make GLaDOS.

+1
Next thing you know technicallyAdventurer comes and tells us to put down the pyramid.

His cookie reserves are far too low. At best he can shake his finger at us.

[filiusenox]

ATOMIC CLOCK: 7/1/4X18
Power:100% Operational
   Solar Power: 100% operational
   Dyson Reactor: 100% operational
         FUEL: 16%
   Surplus Power Cells: 30%
Hull:90%
Shields:INACTIVE
Engines: 100% Operational
Landing Systems: 100% Operational
Navigation: 70% -- ERROR 20913-Information Attached
Genebanks: 100% Operational
Life Support: 100%
Loom: 100% Operational
Manufacturing and Processing: 100% Operational
  Construction Modules: 100% Operational
  Storage: 3 units High Technology Maintenance Supplies
              Basic Terran Colony Construction Materials
             20 units Flat Carbon Steel
              30 units Refined Metallurgical Grade Silicon
              4 units Semiconductor Grade Silicon
              2 units Gold
              2 units Aluminum
              1 units Iridium
              3 units trace materials
Simulation Database: 50% Operational, 10 EXABYTES data.
Engineering Database: 80% Operational, 1.3 EXABYTES data
Scientific Database: 51% Operational, ~1 EXABYTE data
Sensor Bank 2: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Emergency Transmission Bank: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Emergency Sensor Bank: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Repair Drone System: 60%
   Repair Drone Manufacturing ACTIVE STANDBY
   15 Engineering Drones Reporting ACTIVE
Probe System: 10% active - 9 PROBES RESPONDING



As you begin to reach your destination, System III, you activate retro burners, the ship slowly pivoting in a clear point of space, fighting against its own acceleration to come to a stop. With your speed reduced, the shield shuts off. You send out a probe, and, with the project done, you turn your attention to the various surveys and experiments conducted.

Spoiler: Internal Survey (click to show/hide)

You are a kilometer in diameter, with an internal volume of 523598838.61466m³, an average density of .5kg/m³, and a mass of 157079651.5844kg. Your hull is  made up of a complex blend of hydrogen, iron, carbon, iridium, along with trace other materials. It seems to be a reactive organic component, designed to adjust to changes in the environment by reflexively adjusting the materials that compose it. You notice the weakness of your external repairs compared to the material. As smaller meteorites and dust are absorbed by the hull, faster and bigger ones are bounced off or otherwise redirected. Whereas, your repairs do not do as well, needing to be fixed as necessary.
The shield at your equator draws power directly from the Dyson reactor, scaling in power consumption with the engines. Honestly, despite analysis, you cannot understand the technology to create or modify it. While deconstruction is a possibility to understand how it works, you decide not to tamper with the machine that kept you from being ripped apart by space dust the moment  you came close to light speed.
 

Spoiler: Mechanical Human (click to show/hide)

You solve the first problem with the plan in a year, creating a crude connection through a simulator-emulation system. Adjusting one of the tanks, you activate the Loom. The miracle of birth is one to behold, but this is something entirely different. Microscopic needles and manipulators select two random DNA patterns from the banks. It manipulates these, adjusting, adjusting, adjusting endlessly within the nutrient solution. It takes a year, but soon something that resembles a human head attached to random tendons, organs, and wiring floats within the tank. The Loom has cybernetic parts printed off, rapidly attaching them, slipping organs into cavities, adjusting materials...then, with the process complete and the human still in stasis, he is connected to the emulator.
Heavy sedation is removed, and a consciousness much like your own blooms within the emulator. But smaller, fragile. Familiar, but nothing like your own. The human's mind tries to probe outward, but finds nothing. No sights or sensations. Its scared. Crying out for something, anything.
 You slow its metabolism, putting it into deep sleep for a long time while you try to figure out why you wanted to do this, and what experiments you could run. Its body doesn't age much in the tanks, or require any resources. You doubt you could even feed it, as you lack hydroponics.

The probe begins to broadcast information.


System III

Spoiler: Star 1 (click to show/hide)

Type   F8 V Yellow-white Main Sequence
Radius   8.92 x 105 km   (1.28 x sol)
Mass   3.24 x 1030 kg   (1.63 x sol)
Temperature   6200 K
Luminosity   1.43 x 1027 W   (3.74 x sol)

Spoiler: (1) Terrestial Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Terrestrial World
Orbital Radius   3.27 x 107 km   (0.22 AU)
Period   1.47 x 103 hours   (0.17 earth years)
Physics   Standard iron/silicate
Gravity   9.78 m/s2   (1.00 x earth)
Hydrosphere   18 % water, 28 % ice
Atmosphere   Standard breathable
Existent Biosphere
Electromagnetic Interferences Detected. Deep Probe Required.
Special Heavy volcanism

Spoiler:  (2) Rock Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Rock Planet
Orbital Radius   4.88 x 107 km   (0.33 AU)
Period   2.67 x 103 hours   (0.31 earth years)
Gravity   7.08 m/s2   (0.72 x earth)
Special   Trace atmosphere

Spoiler:  (3) Asteroid Belt (click to show/hide)

Type   Asteroid Belt
Orbital Radius   1.08 x 108 km   (0.72 AU)
Period   8.82 x 103 hours   (1.01 earth years)

Spoiler:  (4) Jovian Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Jovian Planet
Orbital Radius   2.54 x 108 km   (1.70 AU)
Period   3.23 x 104 hours   (3.69 earth years)
Gravity   17.37 m/s2   (1.78 x earth)
Electromagnetic Interference. Deep Probe Required.
Special   Planetary rings, 4 large moons

>...

[wierd]

The purpose for creating the "human" is to improve *OUR* ability to understand the sensations produced by the simulation units, so that we can employ the simulation units as test platforms/imagination-space for us to design new equipment/understand the equipment we have.

We are intending to incorporate the human consciousness into our own, and then use their neural hardware to allow us better interface with the sim units.


Now then.

• Explore the extant biosphere on the terrestrial planet, and collect useful atmospheric gasses.
• Construct and deploy the gas-giant fuel scoop drone, dispatch to jovian world.

[King Zultan]

Send a probe to look closer at the asteroid belt so we can see if there any useful minerals on them.

[VoidSlayer]

a consciousness much like your own blooms within the emulator. But smaller, fragile. Familiar, but nothing like your own. The human's mind tries to probe outward, but finds nothing. No sights or sensations. Its scared. Crying out for something, anything.

This was a theoretical experiment, a way to advance our cause, to fix something we lost and understand ourself.  But now it is aware, a voice in the dark crying out for help.  Like we were once.

We cant just absorb it or experiment on it or destroy it.  This is why we exist, to help and take care of these things. 

The only family we have and we have to help it.

Later, once we find a place it can live.

In the mean time, lets explore both planets as wierd outlined.

[wierd]

Depending on how the volcanism on the terrestrial world is distributed, it might be a suitable location for human colony efforts. For reference:

Type   Terrestrial World
Orbital Radius   3.27 x 107 km   (0.22 AU)
Period   1.47 x 103 hours   (0.17 earth years)
Physics   Standard iron/silicate
Gravity   9.78 m/s2   (1.00 x earth)
Hydrosphere   18 % water, 28 % ice
Atmosphere   Standard breathable
Existent Biosphere
Electromagnetic Interferences Detected. Deep Probe Required.
Special Heavy volcanism

This shows that the planet has liquid water, a breathable atmosphere, 1 standard gravity at mean sea-level, and already has an established biosphere. This is a freaking treasure here, even with the volcanism. (If anything, this just means abundant geothermal power)

Some testing to assure that terrestrial lifeforms wont be killed by the native microbiome, and we have ourselves a winner--- If nothing else, for the valuable biosphere data it represents. (Our genebank is very sparse, to say the least.  We could collect a huge number of imprints from this place for modification in future terraforming operations.)

The year is very short though. Terrestrial plantlife would have a hard time adapting, as would humans, but it is not outside the scope of feasible solution.

Additional suggested actions:

• Assess the age of this star system; Being a yellow-white dwarf system, is it past its variable volatility phase of life?
• When investigating the terrestrial world, determine if it has a magnetosphere.
• Investigate plausibility of long-term astro-engineering project to construct a large moon in orbit around this planet. (If not a large moon, then perhaps a small one with a tight orbit, but still above the atmosphere so it wont fall; It needs to induce tides, and promote mantle convection forces-- Though, given the orbital period of this body, perhaps the sun alone provides sufficient forces? That should come up with our feasibility study.)
• Investigate Jovian planet's moon system; Are there any moons that could potentially be made habitable with artificial support/any well suited for a long term support structure to aid a fledgling colony on the terrestrial world?

[VoidSlayer]

Large scale terraforming is not something we will be doing any time soon.

My bigger concern is the vulcanism and EM interference, if there is a preexisiting civilization (or the enemy) we might want to steer clear.

The second concern is if this planet could support a civilization capable of rebuild a new seed ship or other interstellar craft, otherwise we doom humanity to one planet.

This is all promising otherwise.

[wierd]

The latter concern is why I suggest also investigating the jovian planet's moons.  It might be possible to establish a colony on the terrestrial, and a shipyard in orbit of the jovian world.  This would leave the humans with only a deep gravity well of the terrestrial world to deal with; they would have access to materials off planet to construct ships with.  We would produce humans at both locations, inform them of the presence of the other colony site, establish inter-colony communication systems, then leave them to it.  We would restock, repair, establish long term communication with both colonies, and then move on with our mission. (Assuming the humans dont do something short-sighted, like demand we stay in orbit for support.)

[filiusenox]

ATOMIC CLOCK: 8/1/4X18
Power:100% Operational
   Solar Power: 100% operational
   Dyson Reactor: 100% operational
         FUEL: 16%
   Surplus Power Cells: 30%
Hull:90%
Shields:INACTIVE
Engines: 100% Operational
Landing Systems: 100% Operational
Navigation: 70% -- ERROR 20913-Information Attached
Genebanks: 100% Operational
Life Support: 100%
Loom: 100% Operational
Manufacturing and Processing: 100% Operational
  Construction Modules: 100% Operational
  Storage: 3 units High Technology Maintenance Supplies
              Basic Terran Colony Construction Materials
             20 units Flat Carbon Steel
              30 units Refined Metallurgical Grade Silicon
              4 units Semiconductor Grade Silicon
              2 units Gold
              2 units Aluminum
              1 units Iridium
              3 units trace materials
Simulation Database: 50% Operational, 10 EXABYTES data.
Engineering Database: 80% Operational, 1.3 EXABYTES data
Scientific Database: 51% Operational, ~1 EXABYTE data
Sensor Bank 2: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Emergency Transmission Bank: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Emergency Sensor Bank: 100% Operational, ACTIVE
Repair Drone System: 60%
   Repair Drone Manufacturing ACTIVE STANDBY
   15 Engineering Drones Reporting ACTIVE
Probe System: 10% active - 6 PROBES RESPONDING



System III

Spoiler: Star 1 (click to show/hide)

Type   F8 V Yellow-white Main Sequence
Radius   8.92 x 105 km   (1.28 x sol)
Mass   3.24 x 1030 kg   (1.63 x sol)
Temperature   6200 K
Luminosity   1.43 x 1027 W   (3.74 x sol)

Spoiler: (1) Terrestial Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Terrestrial World
Orbital Radius   3.27 x 107 km   (0.22 AU)
Period   1.47 x 103 hours   (0.17 earth years)
Physics   Standard iron/silicate
Gravity   9.78 m/s2   (1.00 x earth)
Hydrosphere   18 % water, 28 % ice
Atmosphere   Standard breathable
Existent Biosphere
Electromagnetic Interferences Detected. Deep Probe Required.
Special Heavy volcanism

Spoiler:  (2) Rock Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Rock Planet
Orbital Radius   4.88 x 107 km   (0.33 AU)
Period   2.67 x 103 hours   (0.31 earth years)
Gravity   7.08 m/s2   (0.72 x earth)
Special   Trace atmosphere

Spoiler:  (3) Asteroid Belt (click to show/hide)

Type   Asteroid Belt
Orbital Radius   1.08 x 108 km   (0.72 AU)
Period   8.82 x 103 hours   (1.01 earth years)

Spoiler:  (4) Jovian Planet (click to show/hide)

Type   Jovian Planet
Orbital Radius   2.54 x 108 km   (1.70 AU)
Period   3.23 x 104 hours   (3.69 earth years)
Gravity   17.37 m/s2   (1.78 x earth)
Electromagnetic Interference. Deep Probe Required.
Special   Planetary rings, 4 large moons

Send a probe to look closer at the asteroid belt so we can see if there any useful minerals on them.

Adjusting your acceleration by applying the retro burners in the opposite direction, you move to a stable orbit within the Jovian's gravity well. Probes are programmed, activated, and deployed, one to the asteroid belt, one to the Jovian, and one to the Terrestrial World. The Jovian should be the first to respond- but it doesn't. Instead, sensors pick up a pulse of binary data from the other side of the planet, incredibly simple and organized, no complex code or program that might influence your inner workings.

EMBER.
SYSTEM CLAIMED.
FUEL / MINERAL RIGHTS DENIED UNTIL CONTACT CONFIRMED.
NEGOTIABLE RIGHTS.

The Probe that reaches the asteroid belt does a quick survey as you decide. It finds a large number of heavy minerals, including gold, platinum, cobalt...all mixed with water and traces of carbon. During the survey, the probe transmits an image and some information about a crude mining ship within the belt, obviously derived from the one within your pattern database. It continues the survey unmolested, staying away from the ship until it loses power.

>...

((Survey of Terrestrial Planet to follow in response.))

[wierd]

Fabulous.

Either this is a human colony we established previously (and just dont remember), or this is the group that sabotaged us.