alien mermaid back up

Alien mermaid story.

  Planet: Current designation "Goldilocks 28" awaiting name change upon potential colonization.

  Preliminary satelite scans:
  Surface is over 93% ocean. Largest land mass is less than 100 square miles. Not unlike Espara and Paradisia. Planet is exhibiting unusual weather phenomonon and a near perfect verticle axis spin resulting in a near tropical climate over the entire planet. Large tropical storms however appear common, surface habitation would be challenging, sub-oceanic conditions however seem comfortable. Ocean salinity scanned at 20-32 PPT. Atmosphere: Oxygen 22%, Nitrogen 77%, trace elements less than 1%.

    Bio-mass scans had detected massive "Sea Tree" type organisms providing enclosed ecosystems; not unlike those found on Espara. Oceans with a depth of less than 100 feet are indicated on the scans to be home to "sea forests" not unlike those found on Homnes and Peres; only far more common.

  Author's note: After the unfortunate historic incidents involving the now re-named "Tardegradians" of Iropa, and the "Globulins" of Paradisia; thanks to the sapient mind wave tech it is standard practice to scan for any sapient life forms before making any direct contact. Sapient types 1-3 are declared while "sentient" lack higher brain functions and acceptible as treatment as animals and food; Earth examples being 50% of all mammals classify as type 2 and 3 due to cunning, planning, recognition, emotional bonding, and dreamining. While animals such as Chimpanzees and Elephants are type 4, Humans are type 6.

   -Scan of planet has indicated a fair number of type 1-4 as expected of oceanic ecosystems, however two bio-signatures are reading as type 5; both appear to be land based or else present in the higher areas of the sea trees; and;...type 6 or 7 detected. No advanced technological signatures are found to indicate a type 6 or 7 presence; may be in earlier stages of development; a unique oppertunity to observe technological progress. Scans indicate presence of 6-7 bio-mass located in shallow seas of 200 feet or less of water regions, particular in less than 50 feet of water near islands and sea forests. As a note two type 5s cannot be ignored of course; drones will be sent to land masses to determine how many species are giving off these signals as scan is detecting bio-mass areas and basic bio-signatures but not if they are related species, sub-species, or different organisms entirely.


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  Preliminary findings:

   Stealth drones were sent to three areas, one was one of the larger land masses, one a small island half engulfed by a sea tree; and the third an archipelago surrounded by sea forests.

   Species 1: Floramorph

   *Observation by stealth drone of the larger land mass has identified one of the sapient species. A plant like life form that seems to have a series of larval stages, observation has determined the life form starts off looking much like a coconut and is left adrift in water; a lake that appears to have been artificially dug out seems to be keeping only some of them safe while others have been observed set adrift into the open sea to fend for themselves. No heirarchy has been observed to be responsible for this behavior. The adult life forms appear to have a sexual dimorphism of four types, one resembling spider leges connected to a central round horizontal branch like structure. These are the most mobile of the four and appear to be the ones responsible for examining the "eggs" and deciding which go into the lake and which adrift. A second observerd looks like a snake covered in leaves with a rounded insectoid like head with large amber compound eyes and mouth parts resembling those of a crab. The third is humanoid, in that it has a central body that looks to be tear drop shaped and made of folded leaves, two long thin arms and two long thin legs ending in three short insectoid claw like digits, the upper limbs having two fingers and a thumb, the feet just wedge shaped toes. The head of this third one resembles that of a praying mantis crossed with a rabbit and four long feathery green leaf like antenna. The fourth looks like a tree with no leaves and slowly moves about with tentacles resembling roots. It has been observed that the tree produces the coconut like eggs that are then extracted via an act best described as sexual via the snake like one which swallows the eggs. The snake like one then appears to have sexual intercourse with a humanoid one before swallowing them; something our researchers initially took as predatory; possibly pheremone trickery as seen in some insects to draw in prey by pretending via some chemical trick to be a sexual partner. However this was quickly disproven as every observed case had the humanoid them exit without harm the other end of the snake like one, holding an "egg". The egg was then handed off to the spider like one where it appears to examine it among others who then seperate them into two piles, one to deposit in the lake, the others to set adrift. Observation of other islands with this species are needed.

Note: Genetic scan at this close range determined all four to be the same species

  Diet is unknown, only orifice structures observed have been on the tree, snake, and humanoid specimens. Despite the snake and humanoid one's appearing to have mouths, these mouths have been observed to only be used for sexual activity. Recreational sex has been observed with both the snake and humanoids stimulating the orifice on the tree and its tentacle like roots without producing an "egg". As well as the snake and humanoid's (vore) like interactions being done only for fun; as well as between members of the same potential genders; observed more with the snake and humanoid among themselves than the trees; although it has been observed via use of tentacles to strimulate one another. The spider like ones however have not been observed in this manner, in fact they have no visible orifices. As such it is curious how and what they consume even with prolonged observation. Their lives seem to be just existing and sex with and without procreation.

  Technology: No technology or manipulation of their environment has been observed other than maintaining the lake and signs they dug it out to begin with. They don't appear to have tools of any kind, alter any part of their environment for houseing or bedding, or even recreational changes such as art. This species seems to find all its pleasure either in its activity and each other. However it has been hypothesized this could be a special commune situation as observed with other species including humans; so observation of other islands housing this species will determine if this is common or not.

  *continued observation revealed new data*

   continuing observation of the "eggs" has shown them to hatch out hundreds if not thousands of tiny clear with spots of green inside them eel or worm like larva (those set adrift), the lake specimens have hatched out only one large green eel like larva. This would appear to be the cause for seperating them; those in the open sea are left to predation and fending for themselves among oceanic small predators and the lake ones carefully guarded. Observation of other islands will be conducted to determine if this is common or not.


   *Species 2: Dragon-Moth

    By comparison the Dragon Moths are considerably simpler than the Floramorphs, a far more recognizable insectoid species. They have a body structure resembling a seven foot long dragon fly, save for a humanoid shaped thorax, neck, and semi-humanoid face on an otherwise insectoid shaped head with a triangular chin, large solid blue almond shaped eyes sitting at wide at top to the outside to thin to the inside V-shaped angle. There is a slight ridge resulting from the eyes resembling a nose but no nasal cavity, the mouth is surprisingly small with very human like thick lips. The tail has a stinger on the tip and the thorax sports three pairs of limbs, two pairs of thin segmented legs with two thin grasping toes, the front pair of limbs resemble the graspers of a praying mantis. Observation has shown that the tips of these graspers come apart into small hand like structures with three long fingers and hooked inward "thumbs" on either side. This hand is normally kept folded under an armor like spear on the tip of these front limbs.

   Some sexual dimorphism has been seen, the sea tree colony of these flying organisms has shown numerous members with two pairs of damsel fly like wings that fold up when landing; they don't appear to ever walk, only grasping onto limbs or else flying. These ones described above are silvery in color or a dull blue; there is a second type that is a bit larger, about nine feet in length with a very fluffy thoraxe, snow white colorations with hints of pink on the thorax fluff and along the sides of the tail and edges of the front limbs. The eyes have bioluminescent properties and instead of damsel fly like wings have massive moth like wings with a smooth skin texture and many black stripes along a blue coloration or pink lines alone a white coloration; both versions with massive eye spots. What creature this immitates (if any) is currently unknown.

   It has been revealed that the smaller ones are the males and the larger more colorful one the female; this is distinctly different than seen in most Earth animals of similar apperance; being an alien world this shouldn't be surprising. However it has been observed that after fertilization the female then deposits the eggs via an ovipositor into the males who then fly off from the sea tree. Due to the short range observation of the stealth drone no information has been revealed of where they lay the eggs or any such care.

   Diet: they have been observed eating fruit from the sea tree and consuming small wild life from the surrounding ocean. Oddly enough the large female is seen more frequently traveling further away to feed on larger fish like organisms; it is hypothesized the eye spot pattern may scare off larger oceanic predators that could threaten the smaller males.

   Technology: careful observation has revealed a startling discovery; the land mass that was thought to be an island being consumed by the sea tree is instead suspended in its submerged limbs and being maintained via secretions from the males not unlike a wasp nest or bee hive. This is not an advanced form of environmental manipulation of course; however it is a mystery at this time how they gathered the dirt and rocks in the first place seen via scanning the land mass as it is based around rather massive stones and dead branches tied and glued together.

   *continued observation revealed data*

   The males have been observed able to submerge themselves to maintain the land mass, another life form has been seen underwater, resembling a cross between a shark and a lobster, these creatures have eight limbs along their underside, each with ten segments able to bend in any direction with crab claw like structures comprised of four pieces. At first thought to be a related species or another variant, continued observation revealed a molting; these are the larval forms of this species. Which makes it curious that the males seem to fly off so far from the sea tree when there are young of their species directly below. These young however have displayed more cooperative behavior with one another hunting larger oceanic prey and use of traps such as snares; where as the adults show no tool use.


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