Solo Education

Posted on Tue Dec 17th, 2019 @ 9:35pm by Lieutenant Commander Magnus Grey

653 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Mission 7 - Aenerth for an Earth
Location: XO Office
Timeline: 2296/02/20 - 1500

The computer screen in Lieutenant Commander Magnus Grey's office displayed everything known about the planet Aenerth and its inhabitants. Several documents had been prepared by the Federation Foreign Ministry. Everything the crew of the America needed to know for a successful mission.

The Captain wasn't enthused by their upcoming visit to Aenerth, but he was, and he'd show his enthusiasm through extensive preparation.

Aenerthan scientists with access to ample resources managed to break the warp barrier 53 years earlier. Years earlier they had detected undeniable proof of alien intelligence outside their solar system, in the form of intercepted radio communications. This prompted them to funnel significant resources into their space program and enabled them to develop a modest FTL engine. The Ranger-class USS Decatur visited the planet in 2247, by which point Aenerth had already made contact with and entered into a trading relationship with the Chrysalians. These new business dealings was very profitable for the Aenerthan people, both their governments and private industry. Starships proliferated throughout the system as Aenerthan corporations and private citizens began buying more and more ships.

And of course, Magnus thought, not everyone who can afford a starship can also afford to keep it in working order. We saw that when we rescued the Kaliya. Maybe there's a wealth gap? Unfortunately, his documents were weak on Aenerthan economics.

Biologically, the Aenerthans closely resembled humans. The gravity of their planet was 1.1G, as Captain O'Connor had told them, and their bodies were built for it. Shorter than average (for once Magnus might be tall!) and generally built like linebackers. Their ears had strange ridges, which made it look like someone had kneaded them from dough and left grooves with their fingers. Skin colour had the typical human range. Their age range was similar to that of humans, too.

The next profile was on linguistics. The Aenerthan tongue and vocal apparatus were similar to those of humans. Their language -- there were multiple local languages across the planet, but only one official one, which they'd called Aenerthan -- contained no phonemes that Magnus hadn't used before. In a lot of ways, it seemed similar in a lot of ways to Hungarian, or Betazoid. The document included some key words and phrases that he would find useful, and linked to an Aenerthan language lesson and a dictionary. Magnus found all of these useful. He made a point to learn key words useful in diplomatic contexts, but also words to avoid, like swears, references to cultural taboos, and anything others might find offensive. One bad word might be phonetically similar to something he'd use normally, and wouldn't want to cause problems.

The next bit of briefing material was about Aenerthan politics, including their customs and laws. Thankfully, none seemed out of the ordinary. There were no reports of any laws on the Aenerthan books that prohibited something unusual to Federation standards. Punishments seemed to fit the crimes, not too harsh, but not too steep either. They still had the death penalty, but only for the most extreme and violent crimes, of the sort where guilt was certain and rehabilitation impossible.

Aenerth was ruled by Chancellor Kende Rorax, who had been elected seven years earlier. The various nations of their planet had united near the time warp drive had been invented, a precondition for Federation membership.

The final chapter on Aenerth's political system was more technical than Magnus could handle. He expected the use of jargon in a briefing note, but there were numerous references to political systems he knew nothing about. He needed additional reference material.

He sent a quick message to the ship's resident librarian, who assured him that numerous volumes on political science were available, which had answers to all of his questions. He locked his station and made way to the library, thankful that he served on a ship with a reliable collection of books.

 

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