Galactic Gazetta: Omicron Theta
Located in sector 913 on the coreward side of Federation space, Omicron Theta initially looked unappealing as a colony site. Though officially classified as M Class, it was disadvantaged by a marginally higher than usual carbon dioxide and sulphur level in the atmosphere, making it necessary to wear breathing equipment at all times when outdoors. Despite the supposedly rugged outdoors nature of the people who look to colonise new planets, many Federation colonists would baulk at the imposition that this represented.
With this outlook of wanting to start a new life on a new world, but be comfortable at the same time, the Federation Colonisation Planning Division had to think hard about how it would proceed. Genetic engineering to allow the colonists to breathe the air freely was considered, however the long-term effects of this made it unworkable. Cybernetics were similarly considered, and declared unworkable in the long term.
Eventually a plan was settled on: rather than deploying a regular colony (10,000 colonists with supplies and equipment to become self sufficient within five years), they would instead deploy a smaller colony focused primarily on the terraforming effort. Once the effort had proved itself to be successful and the air was breathable without artificial aids, they would move in additional colonists. To open up the scope somewhat they ensured a healthy budget was available for personal space and belongings, and then opened it up further by announcing that a further allowance would be made for personal scientific equipment. Invitations were then sent out, specifically targetting the science and research communities, selling the colony as a "community of intellectual excellence and development."
Three hundred colonists were initially selected (not counting six dependants). Of these nearly a hundred were involved in the terraforming project intended to bring the world into being fully M Class. A further hundred were technical and civil, running the administration and keeping the colony itself running. The remainder were scientists and researchers who had taken up the offer of starting on a new world.
The one concession that was made to genetic engineering was in the choice of horses used in the initial colony package; the Renshrew hill breed were selected for the greater atmospheric range that they already had built into them from their predecessors on Long Look (for a complete pedigree of the colonial breeds of horses see Equine Outwards: charting colonial progress by breeds of horse, by Hussingtree and R'Nel). The newly created Omicron breed was, given the smaller size of the colony, deemed to be unnecessary by many of the colonists, however was implemented as a long-term venture for when the colony would be enlarged to support a population where horses would be required (see Reinventing the Horse by Samuel Palmer for a complete breakdown of the uses of uses of animals in colonial efforts).
Of the hundred scientists a number were, unfortunately, on the crackpot fringe or habitual loners, which may, the Planning Division later admitted, have affected later recruitment efforts when the identities of those already present was leaked to the public. Individuals such as Guy Longmire, who was investigating methods of enhancing Human psychic abilities, and Judarn (more commonly identified as "the Andorian Ripper") who was studying the stresses that biological entities were able to handle, had associations with Omicron Theta and almost earned the colony a (largely undue) reputation as a scientific mad-house. Details about the trials of these two individuals, along with the other three who were later charged with abuse or malpractise in relation to work done during or following their time on Omicron Theta is available from the Federal Judiciary office.
Success stories about the colony, though overshadowed somewhat, did exist. The warp field specialist Dana Kingsley credited some of her early research successes to the colony's policies of free information exchange, and the positronics expert Noonien Soong produced some of his best (and most famous) work while on the colony. The colony demonstrated that a community of scientists was able to achieve great results when it was set up to provide a free exchange of information and ideas, as well as to foster an air of friendly competition.
In the twenty three years that the colony existed it was the site of major developments and breakthroughs. The population rose from the initial three hundred and six (including dependants) up to four hundred and sixteen (including dependants but not including the Soong androids). The colony spread from the initial colony dome into twelve smaller communities and farming environments, with the main dome being more or less relegated to administration, fabrication and production, while the terraforming work began to move outwards.
Almost from the start the inhabitants were able to have individual or family homes. These were spacious and airtight, but were designed so that once the air became breathable they could be converted with minimal effort into more conventional accomodations. Each one included independent power generation as well as facilities for producing food to a limited degree, and extra space deliberately set aside for the owner's use; the specifics of this use varied from home to home, but with an average IQ of 153 amongst the initial colonists, the need for intellectual stimulation was paramount.
Terraforming stations were set up at sixteen points around the main dome, roughly ten kilometres out from it. They were intended to provide a combination of observation post and biochemical plant. Synthetic bacteria were being used to adjust the atmospheric content in the short-term while plantations were producing plants which would be able to make the change more permanent. After twenty three years of work they estimated that they had actually accelerated the terraforming process slightly, shaving nearly five years off the hundred and fifty year project.
Relationships with nearby worlds were excellent; the two Pyrian colonies in the neighbouring Byzan system provided a source of refined exotic metals, while the nearest Federation colony on Marspike was equally happy to trade necessary resources in exchange for being able to borrow the attention of the resident geniuses on Omicron Theta. Their SD network, which began at subsistence levels when the colony was founded, was improved to provide additional coverage, and there was talk of adding in a cloudmining station around the system's largest gas giant.
The eventual fate of Omicron Theta, though well known, is still shrouded in mystery. Marspike received word of an unknown subspace disruption appearing in the system, before all contact was lost. Investigation by the USS Wayland two months later when the colony still had not regained contact showed that the surface had been cleared of all life and reduced to a radioactive wasteland. The radiation was intense enough to prevent any landing by the Wayland's crew, and even examination of the surface from orbit was limited. The only artefacts recovered were a handful of geophysical sensors from the mountains (which recorded nothing anomalous) and one Soong android (later identified as Data Soong, currently serving in Starfleet) found to be almost entirely amnesic and retrieved from a relatively barren wasteland area fifteen kilometres from the main dome.
The radiation levels have persisted, and it is unclear when they will drop to a low enough level for further investigation to be made on the surface. In the meantime, no one has accepted or admitted responsibility for this act, and every government (including the Romulans and Pyrians) have universally denounced the attack as monstrous.