[O-E01] Through the Looking Glass: A Lesson in Chirality

[Dannylonglegs]

Note: I like Science in my Science Fiction.

"How would you like to live in Looking-glass House, Kitty? I wonder if they'd give you milk in there? Perhaps Looking-glass milk isn't good to drink..."

~Lewis Carroll

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//"this is Dr. Danielle Long, Requesting files related to the incident involving Captain Roan Oak's failed attempt to create an outpost on Donwarr."//

**Access granted**

**initializing summary of report**

--Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 5, 3812. My crew and I experienced a rough landing on Donwarr. The crew is still alive, but a lot of our equipment has been damaged, including the Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System. We tried fixing it with instructions from our CLAPPIE, but the damn thing keeps insisting we are trying to report an Unknown Artifact. Perhaps it was damaged in the landing as well. Fortunately, the radio still works, and we've called for help. Octan says they'll get here to extract us or at least fix the Hydroponics module in 8 to 10 business weeks. We have enough food stores to last 3 people a week. Thankfully initial probe readings detected this planet provides Biomass suitable for human consumption.--

--Captain's Log : the date is Marzn 6, 3812. We have discovered a clearing in the forest where we will place our communications module. The site is located in close proximity to a fruit bearing tree. Ensign Christi Huygans, always the adventurer, scanned it with our molecule analyzer and found that it contained glucose and amino acids, and lacked any obvious toxins. She ate it, and found it to be delicious. The fruits from this tree are so sweet and wonderful! They really fill the stomach! I have no doubt that this planet will be one of Octan's bread basket worlds.--

--Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 7, 3812. We all had the runs last night. Maybe eating Alien plants isn't the smartest idea. Ha. Well, we're sticking to the ship's food for now. Com Module has been moved into position. Hopefully Octan gets here with help soon. If worst comes to worst, we'll just have to put up with a little diarrhea for a few weeks before they get here with earth food. Shame, though, really. Those fruits were delicious. Perhaps we can catch some of the local game to eat.--

** skipping ahead **

--Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 20. Supplimenting our diets with the local plant and animal life, we managed to stretch our food stores longer than anticipated... but now we're out. Good thing this planet is bountiful in both plants and animals to eat. The other day we caught a tripedal goat-like thing, and you know what? It tasted exactly like goat! And not that synthetic crap they serve in the Octan Cafeteria, I'm talking honest to goodness lamb meat. Mmmm. As far as places to get marooned on go, I'm glad we landed in this paradise.

**skipping ahead**

--Captain's Log: the date is Marzn 30. We've all lost a lot of weight and feel groggy. I can't tell why. We've all been eating plenty. The fruits hang low and are filled with sugar and nutrients. The animals are unaccustomed to us and do not run away, making them as easy to capture as the fruits and leafy greens (or reds as they so often are on this planet.) Ensign Huygans could not walk this morning. A bruise she suffered a week ago has yet to heal, and it looks infected. Ensign Burkhold has gotten paranoid. He won't stop talking about food, and he doesn't look too hot. Could we have caught an alien disease? I certainly hope our immune system can take care of it...--

**Skipping ahead**

--Burkhold is missing. He was mumbling like "Food no good. Must survive." It was very worrying. And now he's gone. Christi is still asleep. She hasn't woken up very much. We're all very weak. Still losing weight. It's like we eat and eat and waste away...--

**skipping ahead**

--Burkhold showed up at the Com Module, where I've been tending to Christi early in the morning, and ran away when I saw him. I couldn't chase him down, as I can barely stand, myself. What the hell is happening...--

**Skipping ahead**

--He ate her... oh God! Why!? Why?--

--I... I feel so weak... I look like a skeleton now... I'm sure... Burkhold is out there still.... I have no doubts I will be next.... a it seems obvious to me now that for whatever reason.... we derive no sustenance from the food on this planet. We have been eating ash that tastes of sweet fruit. We will starve to death on this planet even while gorging our mouths with food. Oh... what I would not give... for food. I can stave off the hunger with these fruits... but I will not survive.--

**End of recovered logs**

**reading report**

--Octan Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System Maintenance crew has landed on E01. Found Communications module. There are two Graves on the hill, and no sign of the third crew member. Hydroponic Vegitable Growth System has been fixed.... but... uh... there's no one to tend to it.--

**End report**

//"Ok, good. Computer, record the following:

Log date 349, this is Dr. Danielle Long, recording from the O.C.S. Axle. Specimens of biomass from E01 gathered by pilot Guy k. Wynd have been analyzed in reference to stereoisomerism, and it has been discovered that what we previously reported as biomass consumable by humans infact contains L-glucose and R-Amino Acids. Biomass on E01 is not suitable for sustained Human consumption. Potential marketability as diet products. E01 should be used solely for its potable water supplies. This is Dr. Long, signing off. End recording."

"Now to examine the "Cactus creature" from G03. It would help if everyone stopped shooting up my specimens! Particularly that darned 'Pombe' and his new assistant. How frustrating."//

Ok this build is mostly for the story, but I should have better pics up later along with edits to improve story and such. Enjoy!

~Insectoid Aristocrat

Edited June 21, 2015 by Dannylonglegs

[LittleJohn]

Nice work! I really like the trees and rockwork

[kabel]

Wow, great story, great build! I actually like the grainy pic to the log, it really goes along well with the idea of a lost log! *** signing off to kitchen, gotta grab some food ***

[EpsilonEta]

Nice trees.

Even if AG is very soft sci-fi it doesn't hurt to be a little realistic sometimes. It also explain why the planet doesn't reward biomass.

(It would probably work to process the organic molecules to make the amino acids and carbohydrates we need but it might not be wort the effort)

Diet products, you Octans always find ways of making money

[Jody Meyer]

What no scorpions? Like the 1x2 build of the trees. great work there and of course the awesome block of cheese..err rock side , Great little build, I knew you had tormented with this one a little.

[LucasLaughing]

Cool tree technique, and a very ... unsettling story. I love your use of CLAPPIE and the hydroponic growth system - I'm sure we'll get those bugs worked out soon!

[aeralure]

Love the tree technique... and the story! Nice to have a hard sci-fi take for contrast.

[Dannylonglegs]

Updated with more pictures!

Nice work! I really like the trees and rockwork

Thanks! amusingly, my favorite tree of the bunch wasn't even visible in the pic.

Wow, great story, great build! I actually like the grainy pic to the log, it really goes along well with the idea of a lost log! *** signing off to kitchen, gotta grab some food ***

Thanks. Well, the graininess was actually kind of intentional and achieved by a filter and enhancing the sharpness of the picture. Didn't do it to the rest of them, because I wanted some clear pictures of the scenes.

Yeah... I got pretty hungry writing this!

Nice trees.

Even if AG is very soft sci-fi it doesn't hurt to be a little realistic sometimes. It also explain why the planet doesn't reward biomass.

(It would probably work to process the organic molecules to make the amino acids and carbohydrates we need but it might not be wort the effort)

Diet products, you Octans always find ways of making money

I love little dashes of realism, even in soft sci-fi like this. I initially thought of this story in relation to Livgorn, but realized early on that I would not be building on Livgorn again for a very long time. In my opinion, it could have worked for any forest having planet that did not offer Biomass.

Yes, the enantiomers can be converted through very costly efforts.... but it would serve no purpose if there's access to actual food. Better to use them as diet products! It's like Coke Zero, but "Food Zero" instead! Octan will make millions from exploiting this planet yet! unfortunately, you can't make an omlette without cracking a few eggs. The crew of Roan Oak's mission will be missed... by someone... I'm sure.

What no scorpions? Like the 1x2 build of the trees. great work there and of course the awesome block of cheese..err rock side , Great little build, I knew you had tormented with this one a little.

Don't you worry... There will be scorpions in future builds...

It's almost statistically unavoidable. I just found a dozen more of them in an old box!

Thanks!

Cool tree technique, and a very ... unsettling story. I love your use of CLAPPIE and the hydroponic growth system - I'm sure we'll get those bugs worked out soon!

Glad you thought so. With so many people going the comedy route, I think a splash of dark and unsettling here and there does the group wonders!

Thanks, I hoped you would! CLAPPIE is such a great thematic invention for our uncaring and needlessly bureaucratic corporation! I'm sure they could get the bugs worked out if they tried.

Love the tree technique... and the story! Nice to have a hard sci-fi take for contrast.

Thanks! One day I want to get a bunch of brown clip parts so that I can do the trees in normal tree colours. At the moment, I'm limited in my use of this technique to trees with Red, White, or black trunks. Maybe greys too.

~Insectoid Aristocrat

[shmails]

I think the habitat turned out great, the antenna looks much better this way. Love the yellow rocks as well, very retro!

[rodiziorobs]

The build is great, but my favorite part is the use of minifig expressions to tell the story.

[mrcp6d]

Those trees are really fun!

[TheUtilityBelt]

Very depressing story. I like it! Yes, we will need to conduct more experiments on EO1 until we know what went wrong.

[Big Sal]

Great idea for a story, and I like the idea of using enantiomers as diet products!

Nice use of clips for the trees too!

[Andromedas Gates]

The judges awarded you 5 points.