Battle Report: ReHistory - 004
#4 of Zoids Battle Report: ReHistory
The captain's log of the Mary Celeste pertaining to the discovery of Zoidians as written by Captain Andrew Heller.
Captain's Log Entry #0138.2-A
I am making this log as a historical record to events that have recently come to light.
It is two-hundred twelve years into our three hundred year journey to the outer limits of the Sagittarius Arm. Our flight has been uneventful, but informative. The crew has adapted remarkably well to the one-year rotation schedule; our passengers are in good health. We have gathered data on several interesting phenomena. Two new species of space whales have been documented. Additionally, seven new worlds have been discovered. Six are uninhabitable, but possess a wealth of minable natural resources. The seventh planet has proven to be habitable, but has also proven to a bit more challenging than initial reports lead us to believe.
The seventh planet, which our astronomers have designated "Zi", is located in the inner-limits of the Sagittarius Arm of our galaxy that .It is the second planet in a thirteen planet system. It orbits a single F-class yellow-dwarf star, and is itself orbited by three rocky moons. Its atmosphere is nearly identical to Earth's, with only a slightly higher oxygen level. About sixty-five percent of its surface is covered with liquid water, with the remaining thirty-five present consisting of six major continents and a verity of islands. The planet itself is an almost perfect candidate for colonization. However, we have encountered a few problems. The planet possesses a rather high metal content. While it would be safe for short-term exposure, long-term colonist would be forced to undergo genetic treatments to withstand possible metal poisoning. Moreover, the planet has shown to support a wide variety of life. This normally would not be a problem, as many worlds have been settled that already have rudimentary life on them. The problem presented by this planet is that some of the life identified by the probes indicates it is intelligent, if not outright sentient. This poses a several significant moral problems. To date we have only encountered sentient intelligences that have managed to establish themselves as a space-faring species; never before have we encountered a civilization that has yet to leave its own planet.
For the first time in my career as a ship's captain I am suddenly unsure as to the course of action I should take. Should I fulfill my directive to colonize habitable worlds? Should I report the findings back to headquarters, and let them handle it? Or should I let the inhabitants of Zi alone, and allow them to develop on their evolutionary course? Either way, this problem is beyond me. As such, I have scheduled a general council for latter tonight to discuss our options. Hopefully there will be a general consensus on what course of action we should take. Whatever is decided, I pray that god forgives us for our actions...
Andrew Heller, Captain of the Mary Celeste, signing off...