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So... Due to a mission that may or may not have happened -depending on how privy you are to confidential Dataphile and Acquisitives material- I have come into possession of a... Thing.
This "thing" is nothing I have seen before. Scouring the Infosphere and digital libraries on topics of catalogued life forms and life science has turned up nothing. I have come to the conclusion this creature is as of yet in catalogued by the Pact Worlds. Given it's physiology I have decided to call the species "Sharktopus" until such a time that a better name is presented. I have named my Sharktopus House Guest for obvious reasons, which I will now abbreviate to HG for simplicity's sake.
My dilemma is that I am an Android who lives in Aballon's industrial district, and this is an organic life form. I already had to pay an alarming sum to have atmosphere scrubbers and oxygen generators installed in my residence for HG's comfort. Local foods don't seem to appease it. Worse still, it exhibits an exhuberant personality that is damaging precious technology of our now shared home, but I don't wish to discourage this behavior lest doing so stunts HG's social development. I worry about HG's safety. Missions are dangerous affairs and exposure to other agents and hostile environments both bring up awkward questions and put HG's safety at risk, but I don't think leaving him at home alone would be good for his health or safety either. Androids don't have children, but if this is what it's like for human parents I don't envy them this experience.
I cannot bring this discovery to Fitch or other Society leadership without begging the question as to where I found it, and so I bring this to you, my fellow agents. HG's species seems to have the ability to self replicate, and so I am hoping there are other Sharktopus owners out there who can give a new Sharktopus owner some advice. Of course, even advice from other pet owners on how to juggle the job and the responsibility would also be appreciated.
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I recently adopted a "rescue" as well (purebreds are so expensive these days!)
I named them "Spec", shorthand for "Specimen", and I immediately procured a habitat box for them. Spec turned out to be incredibly intelligent, and adjusted the environmental settings on their own.
I have the uncanny ability to speak with all manner of animals, and Spec seems to understand me, although sometimes they don't seem to listen.
I should start vlogging our time together...
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I recently adopted a "rescue" as well (purebreds are so expensive these days!)
I named them "Spec", shorthand for "Specimen", and I immediately procured a habitat box for them. Spec turned out to be incredibly intelligent, and adjusted the environmental settings on their own.
I have the uncanny ability to speak with all manner of animals, and Spec seems to understand me, although sometimes they don't seem to listen.
I should start vlogging our time together...
The Habitat Box is a good idea, I should acquire one for HG as soon as I am able. Should help keep him safe on missions.
Do you use Wildwise to speak with your Sharktopus, or some other ability? Has it communicated to you it's preferred form of sustenance yet? HG is still barely touching the R2Es that come out of the food processor.
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Greetings OV-416,
A fellow android, I also came into possession / guardianship of a sharktopus under very similar circumstances. When initially encountered the thing that came to be called "Puck" showed extreme interest in the barrel of my rifle. Only my superior android reflexes prevented catastrophe.
Unfortunately, Puck's suicidal exuberance caused it to have a nearly fatal interaction with a recycler unit in my living quarters. I have since fabricated several artificial, replacement tentacles and Puck does not appear to have slowed down in any way.
I confess (with a degree of embarrassment) that I am now more emotionally attached to this thing than to many of my supposedly intelligent Starfinder associates and bring it along on all missions.
Puck has since scampered happily through vacuums, fireballs, lightning traps and firefights without taking another scratch. It is almost as if it is blessed by some higher power. I believe that your HG is likely similarly protected and will be a fine and safe addition to any adventuring endeavor.
Thorsten
I am not sure if I should be relieved or concerned by this revelation, as the Sharktopus species is largely an unknown, but I suspect these are infants. Should I prove to be correct, an adult creature, with this physiology, and a near invulnerability to all damage, is a disconcerting mental image. Particularly given how quickly and easily they reproduce...
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I am not sure if I should be relieved or concerned by this revelation, as the Sharktopus species is largely an unknown, but I suspect these are infants. Should I prove to be correct, an adult creature, with this physiology, and a near invulnerability to all damage, is a disconcerting mental image. Particularly given how quickly and easily they reproduce...
Do we have any evidence they are actually reproducing? Is the second sharktopus a descendant of the original, or does the original divide, like an amoeba? If they’re not reproducing, where does the second sharktopus come from and what prompts it to appear? Is the original calling or summoning it? Does it require energy? So many questions, and I’m not sure I want to know the answers.
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Do we have any evidence they are actually reproducing? Is the second sharktopus a descendant of the original, or does the original divide, like an amoeba? If they’re not reproducing, where does the second sharktopus come from and what prompts it to appear? Is the original calling or summoning it? Does it require energy? So many questions, and I’m not sure I want to know the answers.I am not sure if I should be relieved or concerned by this revelation, as the Sharktopus species is largely an unknown, but I suspect these are infants. Should I prove to be correct, an adult creature, with this physiology, and a near invulnerability to all damage, is a disconcerting mental image. Particularly given how quickly and easily they reproduce...
Observations indicate it as a form of rapid self cloning, similar to budding, and would technically be considered a form of asexual reproduction. Where the Sharktopus finds the energy for this cloning I do not know. Considering that HG seems to be remaining healthy in spite of it eating little has me postulating that it may be receiving the bulk of it's energy not by digestion but absorption, perhaps osmosis or photosynthesis. This would also explain where it finds the energy to clone of the energy source of this absorption is inherently plentiful. This requires further study, though admittedly falls outside my specialization as I am a Computer Scientist, not a Biologist.
Though if it survives primarily by absorption, then it begs the question as to why the Sharktopuses possess predatory physiology.
Given that the race which previously claimed possession of HG was highly militaristic, I can only assume they had him for military purposes. When considering all of the facts I currently possess, I have come to one operating theory...
Sharktopuses are actually infant Besmaran Welps.
Granted this is just a theory, and the physiology between the Sharktopus and a Besmaran Welp are not a perfect match, but then we have seen other species such as Skittermanders undergo physiological changes from infancy to adulthood, so it's within the realm of possibility.
Granted I still don't know for sure, and it seems unfair to judge him based on something he may or may not be, but HG still fills me with apprehension. I can only hope that if indeed the Sharktopuses are infant Besmaran Welps, that hand rearing HG as I have been will result in a loyal living spaceship who will allow his master (me) a rather intimidating form of transportation.
Instead of... You know.... Destroying the city where I live as he gets older.
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Given that the race which previously claimed possession of HG was highly militaristic, I can only assume they had him for military purposes.
I disagree with this, sort of. They definitely had the original sharktopus specimen for militaristic purposes, but I’m not sure it was specifically nefarious (i.e., that they wanted to use the sharktopus as some sort of “attack creature”. The other (deceased) specimens of various animals found in that lab were all physiologically similar to creatures found within the Pact Worlds or were actually from the Pact Worlds. To me, that indicates that the jinsuls were testing their new CBRNE(which one???) weapon on creatures they thought would react most similarly to those in the PW.
I’d also point out that the “rapid-self cloning” is an observation – what we can see with our eyes. Has this been studied in a lab to confirm? Have DNA studies (do they even have DNA???) be done to confirm that they’re clones? Has DNA testing been done on adult Besmarans to see if they are clones?
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I must admit, I find the fact that no-one here handed over a self replicating alien species used as a bio-weapon test subject by an opposing military empire, for medical study in order to determine it's danger to the pact worlds very irresponsible. My recommendation would be to destroy as many as possible before their self replicating nature causes an ecological problem in any area of the pact worlds. I understand some of you have formed emotional affinities to these creatures, though this may simply be a form of self defense mechanism caused by pheromones or empathic fields.
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Atlas-1, you’re clearly a jinsul trying to masquerade as a reasonable person. But I see through your disguise, I see the chitinous leg blades tapping away at the keyboard! What are you worried about? Are you worried the sharktopodes will reveal something about your Master Plan?! Will they lead us mystical wonders? Do they have mystical powers to hurt the jinsuls? Are jinsuls secretly the good guys trying to protect our universe from an all-out invasion by the sharktopus race? TOO MANY KNOWN UNKNOWNS AND UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS!
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I must admit, I find the fact that no-one here handed over a self replicating alien species used as a bio-weapon test subject by an opposing military empire, for medical study in order to determine it's danger to the pact worlds very irresponsible. My recommendation would be to destroy as many as possible before their self replicating nature causes an ecological problem in any area of the pact worlds. I understand some of you have formed emotional affinities to these creatures, though this may simply be a form of self defense mechanism caused by pheromones or empathic fields.
Don't worry, I've been keeping mine under close observation - as much self-preservation as anything else. Upon examination there didn't appear to be any biological hazards beyond the normal "teeth/tentacles," and it responded with animal intelligence at first contact. It seemed to respond to Tim (as much as it responded to anything), so we began calling it that.
We actually had ours clone itself at some point during the Drift flight back from the mission we found it on, so my colleague and I weren't sure which one of us adopted Tim - so I volunteered to call mine Tim-II. Tim has learned to use some of my mechanics tools, though given the state he leaves the shop in afterwards I believe that it is mimicry instead of a sign of actual tool-using intelligence. He still shows no talent for abstract thought - the attempt to see if he could learn basic computer skills was an unmitigated disaster.
In lieu of a habitat box, I simply made sure that my tool bag had suitable environmental protections for Tim. This allows him free rein to play with the tools I leave in there - mostly wrenches too big for him to accidentally swallow - and means that I don't need to try to find a sitter during expeditions. The last time I left him at Absalom Station he hid for three days on the poor kid I'd hired, only to ambush the kid from the vents as I was having it tearfully explained to me that he'd lost my pet.
So yes, definitely safer to keep under direct observation. I've found it helpful to train Tim on some ground rules: He is not to come out of the tool bag during mission briefings any more, and I am not to pick him up while he is sleeping.
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I must admit, I find the fact that no-one here handed over a self replicating alien species used as a bio-weapon test subject by an opposing military empire, for medical study in order to determine it's danger to the pact worlds very irresponsible. My recommendation would be to destroy as many as possible before their self replicating nature causes an ecological problem in any area of the pact worlds. I understand some of you have formed emotional affinities to these creatures, though this may simply be a form of self defense mechanism caused by pheromones or empathic fields.
I had thought about termination, but it seemed cruel to kill something that had a clear dependence on me for survival. I thought that Fitch would also disapprove, Radazam would likely put a hit on me, and should I instead turn HG over for scientific study Historia-7, who is my current faction lead, would disapprove for... Reasons.
Given that the race which previously claimed possession of HG was highly militaristic, I can only assume they had him for military purposes.
I disagree with this, sort of. They definitely had the original sharktopus specimen for militaristic purposes, but I’m not sure it was specifically nefarious (i.e., that they wanted to use the sharktopus as some sort of “attack creature”. The other (deceased) specimens of various animals found in that lab were all physiologically similar to creatures found within the Pact Worlds or were actually from the Pact Worlds. To me, that indicates that the jinsuls were testing their new CBRNE(which one???) weapon on creatures they thought would react most similarly to those in the PW.
I’d also point out that the “rapid-self cloning” is an observation – what we can see with our eyes. Has this been studied in a lab to confirm? Have DNA studies (do they even have DNA???) be done to confirm that they’re clones? Has DNA testing been done on adult Besmarans to see if they are clones?
As I admitted earlier, while I have done some studies in life science, computer science and engineering is my field of study and area of expertise. As a resident of Aballon and a lab tech in the Anacite Foundries, computer labs are readily available to me. Instruments to catalogue and study genetic material, not so much. I fo encourage those with such access to test my theory, but caution that most labs by my reckoning may resist such testing, and I don't know of any place that would have a sample of adult Besmaran Welp DNA catalogued short of perhaps the Qabarat University of Xenobiology. Even that is a Longshot, and even if they have it I don't imagine it's readily accessible, even by students and Alumni. We could try to put in a formal request, but then the problem is -
Oh Triune, HG just piddled on my shoes. Excuse me a moment.
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Venture-Agent, Netherlands
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We actually had ours clone itself at some point during the Drift flight back from the mission we found it on, so my colleague and I weren't sure which one of us adopted Tim - so I volunteered to call mine Tim-II. Tim has learned to use some of my mechanics tools, though given the state he leaves the shop in afterwards I believe that it is mimicry instead of a sign of actual tool-using intelligence. He still shows no talent for abstract thought - the attempt to see if he could learn basic computer skills was an unmitigated disaster.
So you haven't got Tim the Two-lman Taylor as a pet? Disappointing...
