K'Luth Primer

Part 3

Technology

<<<The following set of memos was liberated from UGTO Fleet Intelligence archives, and posted on the SysNet nodes for public viewing.  While the OIS was able to find and purge the listings no more than 21.437 minutes after posting, the damage had been done.  These are now some of the hottest docs to posses, and will also get you executed if you are found with them.  Read at your own risk.  Share with your friends.>>>

<<<Viva la Revolution!>>>

From:  Captain Jeremy Karland, Office:  Fleet Intelligence, Bureau:  Deconstruction
To:  Admiral Nagura Sakatori, Office:  Fleet Technologies, Bureau:  Games
Subject:  Analysis of captured K'Luth vessel and attached technologies.
Encode:  7E32;  Add9323kdui
Decode:  Yysoy936gw

Hello Admiral Sakatori, head of Games department<<<And overall FREAKY person!>>>;

First, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to work on this project.  The ability to analyze and deconstruct alien technology is an unprecedented event.  My team and I have spent over 8000 man-hours to bring you this information.  Additionally, you will be pleased to know that the loss of equipment was below the expected quotas.  This is including the dead researchers from tests 117s and 118e.

<<<You label the loss of Human life as a loss of EQUIPMENT?!?  You cold hearted slime...>>>

Overall analysis:

The overall construction of a K'Luth vessel is a curious thing.  The entire vessel, and every component that makes it up, seem to be cybernetic organisms.  Each component seems to function in a symbiotic relationship with every other component on board to form a whole.  K'Luth cybernetics shows a much higher level of mechanical/biological integration.  So much so, that at certain points it becomes difficult to discern where the machine and the organism are different.  I would like to draw your attention to Dr. Wisebaum's analysis of the construction process for K'Luth ships and equipment.

<<<Included later, for your reading pleasure.>>>

Power systems:

While their vessels are partly biological, they use very similar power production methods as us.  We have noticed one interesting anomaly here, however.  Most of their systems seem to be lacking key components.  For instance, the communications equipment that they carry seems to be lacking any second stage power systems or signal generation equipment.  While I would normally presume that they sabotaged key components of their equipment, we have seen no evidence of that.  No locations where equipment is missing, no evidence of tampering, nothing.  I must therefore assume that we either have incomplete equipment to deconstruct, or that we don't understand the process by which much of their technology functions.

<<<Blah, blah, blah...>>>

Support systems:

While we have had a lot of luck analyzing their support systems, I regret to report that we are unable to fully understand two of their key systems.  First is the system we have dubbed the "Automated Hull Repair"  system, or AHR for short.  Rather than a single component, this seems to be a comprehensive series of components distributed throughout the entire vessel.  The bio-mechanical systems on board a K'Luth vessel seem to register damage much the same way that a living being does.  When this damage is created, an automated immune system is activated.  This system releases programmed bio-mechanical nanites that flood to the damage location and begin to rebuild the vessel on the molecular level.  This process is remarkably efficient, and displays a regenerative speed beyond any repair systems we currently posses.  It seems that this repair system can even reconstruct individual components on board the vessel in parallel, though the extent of component damage that can be repaired seems to be in question, still.  Somehow the AHR stores a complete schematic of the entire vessel at its optimum functioning levels.  We hope to find a way to access this information, as it would prove invaluable to any boarding parties we may dispatch in the future.  We assume that the AHR system needs a cache of raw materials that are consumed by the nanites in order to repair the ship and it's systems, but thus far we have been unable to locate it.<<<Rumor is that UGTO fleet development is experimenting with something like this on a dreadnought.>>>

The second system that we have had trouble with is the Cloaking Device.  This device is much more centralized than the AHR, but we cannot seem to get it to function separate from the originating vessel.  We suspect that this device is constructed integrally with the vessel, and is attuned to specific power and form harmonics present within the original ship.  What we do know is that it appears to function by way of selective space warping.  While their sensor systems are still and enigma, we can assume that the Cloaking Device does not impede their functioning.<<<Gee, ya THINK?!?>>>

For crew support, we noted one very interesting anomaly.  The K'Luth actually grow their food on board their ships.  They transport with them and entire mini-eco system.  While most of the eco system was dead by they time we got to it, it does seem to culminate with the support of a strange little creature.  As we know the K'Luth are primarily carnivores, it stands to reason that these little beasts are what the crew's meals consist of.<<<YUMMY!>>>  I have routed all available samples and relevant documents to Bio-Analysis for review.

Control systems:

 Many of their interface systems utilize recognizable control panels and stations, thought their chairs are fairly uncomfortable.  Of greatest interest here, however, is the command interfaces and computer systems.  By computer system, I use the loosest of terms.  Their computer systems seem to be very distributed, and highly biological in nature.  Additionally, they seem to be very underpowered to control and monitor a vessel of the complexity of a starship.  Our theory is that the K'Luth use some of the processing power of the command crew to augment the computer systems onboard their ship.  This is in fitting with the configuration we have discovered for their control systems.  The bridge, and any major control station, seems to consist of a number of pods arranged on the walls.  These pods are large enough for one Human or K'Luth occupant.  It is our theory that once inside, the K'Luth becomes mentally integrated with the ship.  In essence, they become one with their ships, allowing unprecedented control and response times, particularly in their fighters.  We are currently unable to test this theory, as the control systems seem calibrated somehow to K'Luth biology, and we don't want to risk any of our K'Luth prisoners seizing control of an enemy ship under analysis.

<<<Ha, wouldn't THAT be a security coup!  I would love to see Nagura's face when THAT report arrives!>>>

--Document addendum, Auth:  Kirkland A32434DDer23t544--

The oddities:

Recently, we have been able to salvage three very interesting components from some combat wreckage.  A fourth device has had it's description moved here, as while it was present on the vessel you had us analyze, it shares the same enigmas as these other three devices.  The devices I am referring are the Anti-Matter Torpedoes, Anti-Matter Jump Drives, Anti-Matter Engines, and Anti-Matter Mines.  As you can already tell, these all share the common theme of Anti-Matter.  The enigma is in their construction and the knowledge the K'Luth have of their functioning.  Firstly, unlike every other piece of K'Luth technology, these are entirely mechanical in nature.  While it interfaces with the biomechanical systems the same as any other system, it contains no biological components itself.  Secondly, and most important, is the complete lack of understanding the K'Luth have of anti-matter.  In several interviews <<<torture sessions>>> some of our guests <<<prisoners of war>>> have been rather forthcoming <<<broken completely>>> on this issue.  It seems that while they can build install and repair these devices, they do not understand the physics behind them.  This has lead us to two possible conclusions.  One, that they have received this technology from an allied source that is unknown to us, or two, that they have reverse engineered these devices from an unknown source that is hostile to them.  <<<I'm not sure which of the two is worse...>>>  Because of the entirely mechanical nature of these components, I am optimistic that we should be able to develop our own version with relatively little difficulty.  <<And we'll liberate that information as soon as you develop it!>>>

In closing:

This is the end of the narrative section of my report.  I hope the above information, along with the attached technical schematics, proves an aid to you in your important work in Games.

Sincerely,
Captain Jeremy Karland, Office:  Fleet Intelligence, Bureau:  Deconstruction

!Warning!  Attached file(s) not found.  Data corruption possible.  Please report error to ComHead on duty, and ask originator to resend.

<<<So, that will give you an idea as to what our people are facing in the deep, dark, void of space.  Very interesting, though somewhat long winded, to say the least.  Next up we have some information on how these things get put together.  This is an abridged version, as much of the techno-babble wouldn't be relevant to readers anyways.  However, if you want the extended information, it can be found at !Warning! Link corrupt.  Destination location not found.  Please report error to destination manager.. Have fun!>>>

From:  Dr. Elion Wisebaum, Office:  Industrial Analysis, Bureau:  Sabotage
To:  Admiral Nagura Sakatori, Office:  Fleet Technologies, Bureau:  Games
Subject:  Breakdown of specifics involved with K'Luth industry.
Encode:  6E30; MiZ5117powq
Decode:  sERhg4612

...and as you can see, the recursive flux system is aligned properly for this kind of viewing.  What we discovered, coupled with intensive data deconstruction and first had account analysis, is quite surprising.  Take, for instance, the construction of their heavy war material.  This construction seems to be a dual endeavor, involving two separate, but interlinked sciences.  The first is known as the Shapers, who, through a not wholly understood process, literally shape and mold the basic DNA structure of a life form that is being grown for the structure of the device they are creating.  The second science is a process of engineering that involves the construction of mechanical systems on a molecular scale using biomechanical nano technology.  These two construction processes occur simultaneously, resulting in a hull that perfectly blends the mechanical and biological schools.  This process seems to be very efficient, as you can see by...  

...meaning that while there is next to no waste material, it actually takes the K'Luth considerably longer to construct a ship than it does us.  This same construction technique seems to be applied to all of their industry, as you can see by the molecular analysis of this chair, which shows...

...While many of the components for a more complicated system are constructed off site, when they are brought to the construction area for final integration the same bio-mechanical nanaites that were mentioned earlier fuse these components into the host system.  This allows for a completed structure that is totally integrated with itself.  Now, if I may draw your attention to resource data analysis number...

<<<Trust me people, you are not being spared any riviting conversation here.  I have it on good authority that Admiral Sakatori fell asleep TWICE while reading this report!>>>

<<<Last up, we have a very special person's analysis.  Winner of the Human Rights Violations Award for three years running!  Let's welcome the one and only Dr. Lesly Carmine!>>>

From:  Dr. Lesly Carmine
To:  Admiral Nagura <<<Man, she gets a lot of mail.>>>Sakatori, Office:  Fleet Technologies, Bureau:  Games
Subject:  Analysis of K'Luth technological interface.
Encode:  8E31; rWU2057jDov
Decode:  aS545dDd

Admiral Sakatori;

I must first apologize for the lack of sophisticated data in this analysis.  Perhaps if I was able to do my experiments in a proper laboratory, rather than in secret in this hellhole of a prison, I might have more to give you.  Though the food here isn't all that bad.<<<Rot there, you sick witch.>>>

Regardless, whomever you had doing your pre analysis of this component interface was a complete idiot.  There aren't any pieces missing from the devices you sent at all.  What was missing was components in the subjects you were using for your trials.  Humans cannot manipulate these devices.  I did find, however, that using some K'Luth volunteers <<<Yeah, volunteers my eye.>>>we were able to get several of the devices working.

It seems, on further analysis, that the majority of K'Luth technology functions off of amplifying psionic abilities that the K'Luth already posses.  Their sensor devices seem to work as a sort of ESP booster, their weapons amplify psycho-kinesis abilities that are latent in the K'Luth mind, and their communications devices seem to amplify the power of the telepathic broadcasts that K'Luth use to communicate with.

As my extensive studies of human anatomy <<<Live autopsies...>>>have indicated, Humans lack the cranial structures to manifest any psionic abilities.  Most interesting is the communications that they use.  It seems that the telepathic transmissions that they use travel at an infinite speed.  Either that, or they are so fast that I cannot measure them.  Once again, a full laboratory would be helpful.

I have been working on a device that I believe Humans could use to generate energy in the waveforms that the K'Luth use for psionics.  While my test subjects have not been injured physically, many of them seem to have suffered a sort of neurological breakdown.  Still, those are the sacrifices that are made for science.<<<Yeah, well, let's sacrifice you next...>>>  If you would be so kind as to send more volunteers <<<Convenient prisoners of war.>>>with your next shipment of material supplies, I could continue this work.  Once again, I must remind you that a full laboratory would yield much more satisfactory results.<<<I know!  Let's give her a lab, on the Sun!>>>

Sincerely,
Dr. Lesly Carmine MD PHD Xenobiology, Theoretical Physics, Genetics <<<And evil, weird, witch.>>>

<<<So, gentle (and not so gentle) readers, there you have it.  Spread the truth.  Knowledge is power.  Power to the people.  Don't trust the government's lies. - HaZeRipper>>>