So. I'm running a variant of Owen's "Relic" campaign with Star Fleet characters charting and exploring the inside of the Dyson Sphere. A situation has come up wherein I think the base commander would almost certainly want to contact Star Fleet for advice. I figured I'd open it up for discussion here.
Situation: While investigating an apparently malfunctioning remote sensor probe, the crew of a runabout discovered and contacted a strange subterranean species. (which, at first, was thought to be more technologically advanced than they really are).
This species, which calls itself the "Siluura", are gelationous fleshed humanoid beings who actually are a scavenger species that acquires characteristics from the beings they consume. Previously, as the "Unfed", they were savage and primitive. They've acquired higher degrees of sapience by consuming their "Food-Teachers". A previous, now extinct species that inhabited their zone in the sphere, enterred their dead in complex stasis tubes that have preserved the bodies for thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years. This older race also called themselves the "Siluura".
The Star Fleet crew has retrieved a handful of these stasis tubes for analysis, returning them to Dyson Base. Upon examination, the Medical officer present came to the surprising conclusion that he thinks these elder Siluura may, indeed, be revivable.
The situation is: IF the elder Siluura can be revived, Star Fleet stands to learn a great deal about conditions inside the Sphere from thousands of years ago, and could make contact with a graceful, artistic and peaceful species that otherwise is now extinct. But! Any revived Siluura would almost certainly want the rest of their stasis preserved brethren revived as well. There are thousands upon thousands of stasis tubes buried in their zone. Finding them is difficult, unless the scavenger "Siluura" help. BUT, the scavenger Siluura depend on the preserved bodies of the older species for their very sentience and culture.
Any Elder Siluura that are not revived will almost certainly be eaten by the scavengers, eventually. Not reviving them is condeming them to serve as fodder for a newer species. Reviving them would deprive a developing species of its means of progressing. Meanwhile! another species, the Mozoc, have sent exploration teams into the Siluura zone. They revere the long dead and have a cultural imperative toward preserving the sanctity of the dead. They view the scavengers as mere vermin who take on appearances to disguise their vile natures. They are systematically trying to exterminate the scavengers and preserve the remaining stasis tubes.
Contact with the Mozoc has already been made. The Mozoc have roughly late 21st century tech and have already explored about 10% of the Dyson Sphere interior. They travel by a system of concealed mag-lev train tubes beneath the surface. The Mozoc consider themselves the "Chosen" of the Builders and all other species are inherently inferior. (They are roughly analogous to, say, particularly arrogant 19th Century British explorers. ANy other culture, no matter how advanced or old, simply isn't as "special" or "civilized" as their own.)
So far, I have the base commander leaning toward strict non-involvement. The elder Siluura are "Dead" by their own cultural definitions. They preserved their dead for the future in the belief that some day, greater technology could revive them. The Federation does, in fact, have that technology (at least for a fair percentage of them). There is, so far, no real proof that the stasis preserved bodies can be restored. Only a strong opinion that it is possible. The base simply doesn't have the resources to start large scale revivication, and that is not the mission for which the base was established.
The opportunity to revive this ancient culture is fading every day, but won't be gone entirely for some time yet. Meanwhile, conflict between the Mozoc and the scavengers is unresolved.
I have Commander Samson basically saying that this is all an "internal" matter to be resolved among the native species and that Star Fleet should not get any more involved than it already is.
Opinions?
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