[DCE] System FGC-J79

[Planet of Hats]

SUBMITTED: Stardate: 99530.5

FILED BY: CAPT Jadrys Itana

SECURITY: Level 1 - Open

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LOCATION: System FGC-J79
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MISSION: Continuing Deep Copernicus Expedition initiative. ​
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OUTCOME: The Copernicus encounters a brown dwarf with an orbital ring consisting entirely of millions of bodies.
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KEY PERSONNEL:

USS Copernicus crew in general

​NARRATIVE: This serves to update Command on our recent discovery in the Jindal 79 (FGC-J79) system.

Our initial survey of the system revealed a relatively ordinary star system consisting of a red dwarf primary and an outlying T-type brown dwarf, with a C-class planet on the outer edge of the habitable zone and a super-Neptune in the outer system, along with several minor bodies and asteroids. We detected no sign of life. However, sensors detected an unusual concentration of organic matter forming a ring around the brown giant. Further review revealed no sign of rocky material.

We quickly discovered that this ring was composed entirely of the corpses of no less than 47 species of aliens. Our current estimates note more than 100 million bodies orbiting the star, many of them having been present for at least three decades. We consider this figure to be an immense underestimate; it does not account for bodies broken down with time by radiation from the star, pulled into its gravity well or otherwise lost to spatial figures. The number is nevertheless sufficient that the bodies and exuded biofluids have formed a loose ring around the brown dwarf.

No natural phenomena on record would be capable of causing this. We proceeded to gather as much data as possible, including bringing several bodies aboard for analysis. Medical scans revealed that those we retrieved died from a combination of vacuum exposure and irradiation, suggesting they had been simply transported or dumped into space alive.

This was confirmed within six hours of our arrival in the system. While gathering readings, sensors observed a large craft drop out of warp at the farthest edge of the brown dwarf's gravity well. The vessel appeared configured as a cargo barge and did not respond to hails, and subsequent scans would confirm that it was in fact an automated vessel. Before we could move closer, the transport entered orbit and opened its cargo bays, depositing no fewer than 3,000 live individuals into stellar orbit before veering away and re-entering warp.

I ordered the recovery of as many people as the Copernicus could muster, including bringing all shuttles and flyers online to try and increase transporter capacity as quickly as possible. However, the ranges and volumes involved made it impossible to rescue more than a small number. We anticipated a window of perhaps 90 seconds before the individuals would die of asphyxiation, based on typical humanoid physiology. I regret to report that of those we beamed aboard, we have just fifteen survivors, the majority of them with serious decompression injuries and various stages of inoperable brain and physical injuries.

Of the survivors, we have hopes that three individuals will make a full recovery, two of them adult men and one a female child. They are of humanoid species we have not encountered, but are broadly consistent with the most frequently-encountered species among the ring bodies. This species makes up approximately 70% of all orbiting bodies.

We are continuing to treat the survivors. In addition, though the drone transport rapidly re-entered warp and attempted to engage a scattering field to mask its ion trail, we have isolated its trajectory and detected a faint energy trail that has allowed us to triangulate a course to a nearby red dwarf system. I have ordered a course set for this system to further investigate.

It appears that we are dealing with a genocide of immense scale. We are cognizant of the Prime Directive and Starfleet policies concerning non-interference in the internal affairs of other species; however, as we are clearly dealing with a warp-capable species, we feel it pertinent to investigate why living beings are being dumped around a star in such horrifying volumes. To date, our only conclusion is that this does not appear related to either the Ustavan or Garshaan civilizations: The drone ship we identified was of significantly different metallurgical and power-signature configuration than either we have encountered, and we detected neither species among the ring dead.
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RECOMMENDATION: Continue to monitor the situation and await further report on the cause of the ring deaths.
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OOC: