Alraune forest back up

 The Great Alraune forest:

    Prospective Colonization Planet: Goldilocks 17
   (Common name *not chosen yet*)

    Atmospheric composite: 75% Nitrogen, 25% Oxygen, trace amounts of carbon dioxide, argon, neon, helium, and other gases. Near match to Earth; breathable.

    Oceanic Coverage: 80%-90% of planet's surface, millions of small islands, three continents measuring 24,000 miles (estimate) in length; with two 10,000 miles estimate in width (north to south), and one 40,000 miles (estimate) north to south.
    (Making the three largest land masses roughly the size of Australia and North America)
     30 islands measuring an estimated 2,000 miles north to south or east to west with varying shorter widths from only a few miles to a few hundred, making them comparible to Earth land masses such as Japan, Cuba, and the Philippines as the average larger land masses.

   Land Mass conditions: The land masses are primarily barren, rocky, with areas of loose sand and various minerals. Soil conditions are surprisingly high in organic compounds where samples were taken. Ready for terraforming.

  Water Conditions: Abundance of freshwater rivers and lakes, oceans are salt water same as the Earth.

  Organic Presence: Preliminary probes found only simple organisms; the oceans are teaming with simple organisms and an abundance of photosynthesizing life forms producing the oxygen in the atmosphere.
  Organic presence probes are still in on-going searches at this time; abundance of organic compounds and fossil evidence suggests this planet in its not too distant past experienced a massive extinction event, exterminating any life forms larger than 8 inches *laregst life form found to date, a fish like orgnaism in a fresh water body on one of the two southern hemisphere continents. Nothing larger than 3 inches has been found in the oceans so far; initial probes believed the planet to be in a state similar to early Cambrian conditions; however further probes have found fossils and compounds suggesting much larger organisms used to be common. Cause of the extinction event unknown, however conditions of fossils and possible organic remains do not point to anything short of forces equivalent to complete nuclear annihilation. However no remnants of technology have been found or lethal levels of radiation.


Conclussion: The above conditions should indicate the planet ready for colonization, heavy farming required, no atmospheric adjustments required. Available organic sustenance however is below needs, introduction of possible food sources would be required for any colonists including for use as a GMO habitat in part or whole should the council declare as a world to be set aside for them.

  Observation however has only been on-going for 3 months in orbit, no surface observations undergone yet. The continents are still experience the projected seasons for their placements given the planet's distance and tilt. While significant changes are not expected, recommend a full year observation and probes to be sent to the strangely centric loose soil areas for suspicion of extinction level event ground zeroes to ascertain cause for preventative purposes. Unknown if local event or extra terrestrial in nature.


  ******

   "You really sending it like that?" asks the man in the lab coat leaning over the screen.

  "Yeah," says the woman clearly exhausted, "I've sent one every month, they want the specifics they can just bring up the actual records. I don't know why they want a monthly report; there is nothing to report; its a mostly dead rock."

  "They're impatient," says the man, "I think they want to send some of those GMO Double M's here, the last three goldilocks planets were for them after all; and they have a whole bunch of colony ships and reserves full of them waiting for a new home."

  "Well, the normal rule is a ten year observation period, reducing it to one year was bad enough; now they just want to wait a month; unless they want another Paradisia they need to be patient."

   The man looks around a moment, "Uh; yeah, what happened with that again, sorry, I was on Goldilocks 14, 15, and 16...the Mermaid, Anthro-morphs, and uh...right they sent the bird Double Ms to 16; whole planets just for them; heh, not that we don't have a dozen just for ourselves and...sorry, rambling..."

   "Paradisia, Goldilocks 13, was just like this, just with a little more terrestrial organisms, plant like, larger animal like life forms, descent sized oceanic ones; they sent the reptilian Double Ms there; including the military models...they started to send them secretly, even before official observation began..."

   Her voice takes a darker tone, "the planet was already inhabited, the native intelligent life forms were small, only a foot long, squishy tumor like bodies, short tendrils; but they were tool users, built small stone structures, even simple machines like catapults; lived in shallow waters...the reptilian Double Ms were predatory..."

  "Oh shit,"

  "Oh shit indeed, they didn't recognize them as human or their own kind, so instincts took over. We ended up introducing dragons to a stone age world."
   "How...was that resolved."
   "It wasn't, by the time it was noticed there were already populations set up, colony ships were in route. The public was just never informed of the screw up and they washed their hands of it, threw the science team to the wolves on it, claiming an earlier team had already cleared the planet for colonization."

  "Oh shit, again, but wait...if they want this planet for a colony...what's left, if its Andros we can just give it a go ahead."

   "Probably the slimes," says a thinner built man walking into the room eating a protein bar, "The...sorry, Polymorphica been asking for a planet for themselves. So we've most likely been checking out a potential colony for sentient goo. Heh, small organisms, nothing intelligent, 3 months and a thousand probes later; no wander they'd want a rush; not like the slime girls need a complex ecosystem to thrive. Hell, if the council wants it cleared so badly."

   "Do we know that's who its for?" she asked making the man stumble, "If we say, its safe, and turns out some jack ass wants to put up an amusement park or some farm homestead; and it turns out these crater points are some subterreneon death traps waiting to happen; it will be on us. The last 3 planets were given to half animalistic sentients humanity made; we can't just assume the pattern will go on for one more that is fully sapient and works along side people already. If you can get something concrete or ya know what, see if we can find out who is next in line for a planet so we know if we should just keep watching this rock for another 9 months or not."


   ******

   -3 days later-