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The Mist:
Background:
As an independent rogue planet, there has been no contact with the outer world in the thousands of years since Mission 429 left Earth. Their departure from Earth had been known, but its fate hade been unknown until the recent discovery of Nube Oscura by an Earth team searching for brown dwarf stars. When it was realized that this planet was not only not a brown dwarf but also inhabited, a shuttle was sent immediately to study this extraterrestrial life.
The living population of Nube Oscura had never known of another world beyond their oral stories, but were welcoming of the researchers in their ignorance. It is from their openness that the researchers were able to carefully analyze traditional texts and stories to determine that these were the descendants of the missing crew of Mission 429. Despite some initial challenges with the language, as discussed in detail in its respective spot in this study, the researchers were able to glean a wealth of information, as compiled in this study, which has given a greater understanding of human evolution and adaptation, as well as life on another planet.
The living population of Nube Oscura had never known of another world beyond their oral stories, but were welcoming of the researchers in their ignorance. It is from their openness that the researchers were able to carefully analyze traditional texts and stories to determine that these were the descendants of the missing crew of Mission 429. Despite some initial challenges with the language, as discussed in detail in its respective spot in this study, the researchers were able to glean a wealth of information, as compiled in this study, which has given a greater understanding of human evolution and adaptation, as well as life on another planet.
Initial Population and Crew:
The initial members of Mission 429 consisted of seven crew members and fifty passengers. The following are short biographies of what is known of the seven crew members.
Commander Dolores Aves:Commander Dolores Aves was a space commander for twenty years before Mission 429. This mission would have actually been her twelfth mission to the moon if the original plans had been successful. Eventually a member of the Spanish air force, Commander Aves had grown up in Madrid and had frequently visited the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial as a child. When leaving Earth, Commander Aves left behind both of her parents and several siblings who never knew whether or not their family member had survived.
Pilot Ivan Ortzi:Pilot Ivan Ortzi was also a member of the Spanish air force and a long time friend of Commander Dolores Aves. Pilot Ortzi had grown up on the southern Spanish countryside as the youngest child of twelve, and had always dreamed about flying and adventure. Mission 429 was Pilot Ortzi’s fourth mission to the moon, but he had been a pioneering pilot on Earth, breaking many speed and distance records.
Engineer Christoforos Argyris:Engineer Cristoforos Argyris grew up in the costal city of Agrinio in Western Greece, learning about the sea and always intrigued by its mystery. When he was around the age of twelve his family moved to Spain where he assisted his father in his mechanical repair shop. Eventually, he finished his schooling with a specialization in technical design and repair. He was chosen especially for this mission because of his technical knowledge of spacecraft as well as ocean craft. After landing on Nube Oscura, Engineer Argyris and Specialist Kapoor fell in love and married in form available and became the father of the first child born on Nube Oscura.
Mission Specalist Abah Kapoor:Specialist Abah Kapoor grew up in Amritsar, India in a family of exquisite cloth makers. As a child, Specialist Kapoor fell in love with the tales of adventure and found connection in this childhood wishes with Engineer Argyris. Specialist Kapoor home schooled herself through high school and enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America and this is where she specialized in space and exploration. Specialist Kapoor was selected for Mission 429 for her knowledge of the Moon and was going to be the lead in the mission to completely map the surface of the Moon. Specialist Kapoor and Engineer Argyris eventually did marry and she became the mother of the first baby born on Nube Oscura.
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General Physician Wallace Ramsay:Doctor Wallace Ramsay was a Scottish physician who specialized in rare infectious and bacterial infections. Doctor Ramsay had worked in developing nations and nations in conflict and specialized in the rarest of diseases. Mission 429 was to be his third Moon mission, being called upon this time to specialize in a rare, mutated form of cholera. Doctor Ramsay was known for his empathetic bedside manner and kindness. Doctor Ramsay is credited with saving the population of the Mist as the only doctor, training others to support in the future.
Giridhar Baral:Giridhar Baral was a traditional sherpa in Pokhara, Nepal before being called upon to be a member of the crew of Mission 429. Giridhar was known for his adventure and his knowledge of the limits of human beings. His birth name is unknown but when beginning his apprenticeship as a sherpa he took the name Giridhar which means “Holder of Mountains.” The father of Rochan, Giridhar is known for his importance influence on the survival of the initial Mist.
Rochan Baral:Rochan Baral is known among the Mist as the salvation of the initial human population of Nube Oscura. Rochan was only sixteen years old when Mission 429 left Earth and had spent his childhood in Pokhara, Nepal with his father, as an apprentice sherpa. His mother had died during childbirth, so all he knew was his father who tried to give him a life of adventure and taught him many important survival tools. As discussed earlier, it is unknown what his original name was for Rochan appears to be a name attached to him through history to signify his importance in “illuminating” the life of the mission. Rochan went on to marry one of the passengers and became an important elder figure within the Mist.
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Appearance and Genetics:
Adaptations:
The Mist have evolved divergently from their Earth born ancestors and have developed many environmentally specific adaptations. Two of the more obvious physical adaptations are a smaller overall body size than their Earth ancestors, to conserve energy and to be able to move with more agility to avoid predators and to hunt, and an overall darker pigmentation of the skin, on a grey scale, as a way to absorb more light and as a form of camouflage in the rocky terrain. The Mist have also developed a lower body temperature to conserve energy and a larger chest to compensate for the larger lungs and heart they have developed as a result of the need to process more oxygen more efficiently. In the way of senses, the Mist have developed highly acute senses of hearing and of smell to compensate for the depreciated sense of sight as a result of the lack of light. (Specifics in the way of adaptations of the eyes are discussed in the genetics portion of this page.)
All of these adaptations are a result of thousands of years of natural selection - those who were strong enough survived long enough to reproduce. For example, those of the Mist who had larger lungs were able to breathe better and were able to survive long enough to breed. Over many hundreds of generations, the Mist have developed into what they are today, and yet are still developing. Change is slow, but development is key to survival.
All of these adaptations are a result of thousands of years of natural selection - those who were strong enough survived long enough to reproduce. For example, those of the Mist who had larger lungs were able to breathe better and were able to survive long enough to breed. Over many hundreds of generations, the Mist have developed into what they are today, and yet are still developing. Change is slow, but development is key to survival.
Genetics:
One specific adaptation of the Mist pertains to their eyes. Within the Mist, two distinct, divergent groups of adaptations have developed, pertaining to the functioning of the eyes. One subset exhibits a lack of function of the eyes, and the other subset exhibits an acute function.
The dominant trait of the gene, as expressed here as the uppercase letter E, is that of the loss of function of the eyes. These people can have a genotype of EE or Ee. This group has developed an additional sense of echolocation to compensate and have become the hunters of Mist society.
The recessive gene of this trait, as expressed by the lowercase letter e, is expressed as a set of very acute, specialized eyes. This can be expressed through a genotype of ee, and both parents must be carriers of the gene to pass on the trait. This group of the Mist can detect the bioluminescence of the plants and are petter gathers. A specialized sect of this group is also able to see and track the movement of the stars and have become a sort of a prophet class.
This specialization, as a result of these genetic patterns, has created a quasi-caste system and has aided in the separation and specialization of the genotypes.
The following diagram expresses five common breeding pairs and the possible outcomes of their breeding in respect to this specific trait in the Mist. This is a highly simplified diagram for these traits are actually expressed through a variety of genes, just as many traits are in humans, but this does express a basic pattern and results.
The dominant trait of the gene, as expressed here as the uppercase letter E, is that of the loss of function of the eyes. These people can have a genotype of EE or Ee. This group has developed an additional sense of echolocation to compensate and have become the hunters of Mist society.
The recessive gene of this trait, as expressed by the lowercase letter e, is expressed as a set of very acute, specialized eyes. This can be expressed through a genotype of ee, and both parents must be carriers of the gene to pass on the trait. This group of the Mist can detect the bioluminescence of the plants and are petter gathers. A specialized sect of this group is also able to see and track the movement of the stars and have become a sort of a prophet class.
This specialization, as a result of these genetic patterns, has created a quasi-caste system and has aided in the separation and specialization of the genotypes.
The following diagram expresses five common breeding pairs and the possible outcomes of their breeding in respect to this specific trait in the Mist. This is a highly simplified diagram for these traits are actually expressed through a variety of genes, just as many traits are in humans, but this does express a basic pattern and results.
Language:
The language of the ancient Mist is a complicated mix of the Earth languages Spanish, Nepali, Hindi, English, and Greek, as a reflection of the international crew and passengers of Mission 429. While the mission was officially Spanish, as funded by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, the crew was a diverse group of specialists such as Spanish Commander Aves and Pilot Ortzi, Greek Engineer Argyris, Indian Specialist Kapoor, Scottish Physician Ramsay, and the Nepali Baral father and son - Gindhar and Rochan.
Initially, all sects of the crew and passengers were cordial and respectful, but separate, each language speaking group finding their own oasis and living separately until a major natural disaster brought them all together. Such irony is there that the volcanic activity which kept them alive and thriving could also destroy them all. There was a major shift in the tectonic plate of the surface, which resulted in worldwide panic as the ground began to move the entire landscape changed in mere moments. All of the separate factions had to bring all of their resources together to save as many of their people as they could. This is when all written texts from before this were lost. After the ground was stable again, the Mist realized that all previously inhabited caves and shelters had collapsed and all were left helpless in the harsh cold of Nube Oscura, away from the heat they had all run from. All had to work together to recreate the thriving infrastructure they once had.
In the process of reconstruction, friendships were made which lasted and developed into long term alliances. These alliances became rooted in society and as the people became mixed, so did the language. This mix of language, spoken by all, is now called the Common Tongue. There are still disconnected groups who speak solely the old languages, but for the majority of the population, language is another means which helps to bind the Mist together peacefully.
Initially, all sects of the crew and passengers were cordial and respectful, but separate, each language speaking group finding their own oasis and living separately until a major natural disaster brought them all together. Such irony is there that the volcanic activity which kept them alive and thriving could also destroy them all. There was a major shift in the tectonic plate of the surface, which resulted in worldwide panic as the ground began to move the entire landscape changed in mere moments. All of the separate factions had to bring all of their resources together to save as many of their people as they could. This is when all written texts from before this were lost. After the ground was stable again, the Mist realized that all previously inhabited caves and shelters had collapsed and all were left helpless in the harsh cold of Nube Oscura, away from the heat they had all run from. All had to work together to recreate the thriving infrastructure they once had.
In the process of reconstruction, friendships were made which lasted and developed into long term alliances. These alliances became rooted in society and as the people became mixed, so did the language. This mix of language, spoken by all, is now called the Common Tongue. There are still disconnected groups who speak solely the old languages, but for the majority of the population, language is another means which helps to bind the Mist together peacefully.