Fera


WARANING! EXTREME NAVIGATIONAL AND EXPLORATION HAZARD! AVOID ALL CONTACT!
WARANING! EXTREME NAVIGATIONAL AND EXPLORATION HAZARD! AVOID ALL CONTACT!
WARANING! EXTREME NAVIGATIONAL AND EXPLORATION HAZARD! AVOID ALL CONTACT!

FeraWorld.jpg
Fera
Survey Data
Star System:

Feras

Region:

Delta Quadrant

Quadrant:

Delta

Classification:

Class L - No Animal Life

Political Information
Affiliation:

Survival Threat

Capital:

None

Political System:

Terraforming Agent

Population:

Non-Applicable

Biological Information
Type:

Conventional Plant / Fungal Hybrid

Atmosphere type:

High Mix Oxygen / Nitrogen

Development Stage:

Pre-Warp

Typical Lifespan:

Typical Lifespan - Effectively Ageless

Empathic species:

No

Telepathic species:

No

[ Source ]


Another planet marked as lost to the slowest planet killer

Physiology

The Fera is the name given to the species of planetary terraforming spores. A symbiosis of plant and fungal matter, the Fera co-opt entire biomes and exist only to spread and cover, to grow and prosper. To that end, the Fera colony can grow in any environment except for frigid ice caps or underwater.

The Fera organism spreads throughout space via seed launches. These seedpods are grown in the uppermost reaches of the atmosphere and inflated with a compressed mixture of hyper-rich oxygen and other explosive gasses. When the pod ripens it detonates, flinging the seed contained within off into deep space. Though nowhere near warp speed, the seed is dormant the entire trip so velocity is not an issue. When it encounters another planet it strikes it violently, tearing open the crust and planting the seed. Heat activates the dormant seeds and spores, allowing Fera to begin to grow on a new world. Since Fera’s seed pods strike the planet as a meteor would, reaching the site of initial impact to cleanse the growth is difficult, though a concerted effort by any terrestrial race can end the threat of Fera before it truly begins.

Merits and Flaws

  • Fera is an immobile, ever spreading navigational and exploration hazard. It is durable, resistant, and immune to most conventional and semi-conventional herbicides or fungicides.
  • Empathic species: No
  • Telepathic species: No

Government

The Fera organism has no government.

Society

Fera is an unintelligent, self sufficient organism that has no society unto itself.

Economy

Fera is an unintelligent organism that has no concept of currency.

Family

Every new world Fera seeds can be considered its family, though it has no connection or communication with these offspring.

Religion

Being a non-sentient terraforming agent, Fera has no concept of religion, and having devoured its creators, has no concept of the notion of a higher creative power. In essence, it ate its gods. Doomsday cults around the quadrant have emerged and venerate Fera, looking to aid it in getting to planets that either ‘need a revolution’ or ‘are so incapable of supporting life that only Fera can help them’. Fera does not have the capacity to pay these cults any mind. The cultist that willingly exposes themselves to Fera spores will die in the same timeframe as any other organism.

Language

Fera is unintelligent and is naturally mute and not sentient.

Classified files talk of a project in the attempt to contact Fera. Telepaths that specialize in communicating with plant life have found conversations with Fera to be difficult and confusing. The plant/fungal hybrid's sole thoughts (If you can use that term) are to grow and spread, without rhyme or reason beyond simply existing. A specialized group of telepaths was brought to the orbit of Feras once, and the telepath attempting to make contact with a 100% converted world was struck mad. Whether by the sheer power of a mind the size of a planet, or the sheer scope of nothingness they encountered, no one knows. Upon this realization, the project was considered an utter failure and sealed. Future attempts were considered a risk to the participants.

Further examination continues to confirm that Fera is unintelligent and is, merely, a plant.

Food and Entertainment

Fera is a terraforming agent, and as such, considers most of the biomes it encounters as ‘food’. It doesn’t have a concept of entertainment.

Science and Technology

Fera started off as a collection of advanced scientific projects. Initially, it was designed to be a universal food crop. Then it was designed to be an environmental aid in repairing damaged biomes due to pollution or disaster. Then it was designed to be a terraforming agent to convert barren worlds to lush paradise planets. Part plant, part fungus, the organism was so much more than the sum of its parts. What the project didn’t know was that its true nature was more of a weapon than a ecological boon. An accident at the lab released every known iteration of Fera, and the spores and seeds began to mingle and thrive. Upon consuming the scientific staff that designed it, the last known minds capable of fighting Fera were lost.

Military

Fera has no military.

Threat

As of this notice, Federation biofilters and transporter systems are being remodulated to filter out the spores and seeds of the Fera super-organism. Be advised that not all Federation systems currently operating in the Delta Quadrant have been updated as of this missive. Contact your Operations officer to see if the latest firmware is available and speak with Engineering about hardware compliance.

Fera is lethal to any standard humanoid lifeform in five to seven days without treatment.