Science Officer's Log.

[tess]

Begin Recording.

Starbase 332 Chief Science Officer Commander T'Pau continuing tests on the unidentified spheroids recovered from the derelict Romulan ship.

The spheroids appear to be constructed from some sort of reflective black polymer, similar in appearance to black marble. The material which the spheres are made of does not match any known polymer in the Starfleet database. They are roughly 28cm in diameter. There are markings present on the exterior of the spheres which bare indications of being a written language. It does not match any known language in the Starfleet database. Our attempts to date the spheroids places their age at roughly 10,000 years old.

During our last experimentation Commander Kingston scanned the spheroids for chroniton radiation and veteron particles. Neither were present. This indicates that the spheroids are neither temporally displaced, nor did they come from a wormhole. Investigative scans determined that the spheroids are hollow. Our attempts to open one up with a laser cutter were interrupted however, when Tain Herlak awoke and took the medical staff hostage. Commander Kingston and myself attempted to aid the situation and were unfortunately incapacitated.

*quiet coughing*

One of the spheres was broken during the Romulan's escape attempt. It was taken back to the science lab and placed under a quarantine field. I am beginning tests on the interior of the spheroid.

Radiation scans negative. Analysis of the spheroid's material have still proved inconclusive. We have discovered a thin lipidic membrane around the inside of the spheroid. The lipids themselves contain incomplete ribosomal peptides, not entirely dissimilar to mRNA, but lacking the phosphorylation and disulfide formation of "true" RNA. Further tests are required. Given the discovery of the spheroids on the icy moon of Eurydice, I am running a comparison between the lipidic membrane and the microbial life we discovered there previously. The samples will take at least a few days to mature. In the mean time I have been invited by security chief Harrison to attend drills to ensure that the attack by Herlak and his men remains an isolated incident.

*quiet coughing*

Computer, end recording.

[tess]

Begin Recording.

Starbase 332 Chief Science Officer Commander T'Pau reporting.

We are still working to determine the origin and nature of the spheroids. I am currently running a cipher program in an attempt to translate the markings present on the exterior of the spheroids. Without contextual clues, it may take weeks, or even be a futile attempt, but I am still running the symbols against all known pictographic and phonetic languages in the Starfleet database in an attempt to discover the nature of the markings. They may be instructions, or perhaps a warning.

I have developed a few theories regarding the nature of the lipidic membrane inside the spheroids. The presence of a thin layer of fatty material suggests that the spheroids contained something else at one point. Commander Kingston mentioned that lipidic membranes are often used to encase medication. While this is accurate, my personal theory for the use of lipids as opposed to some other form of organic barrier is the nutrition it provides. Not unlike the albumin which is contained within eggs to provide the embryo the necessary protein for development and growth. However I am curious as to why the orb itself was empty when it was broken open. Perhaps whatever organic material that was contained within the spheroid had decayed after 10,000 years.

*quiet coughing*

The second quandary is what exactly was contained within the spheroids themselves and why they would need a source of nutrition. My current working theory, going off of the basis of the pseudo-RNA found within the lipids, is that perhaps they serve as some sort of "genetic record". After all, it stands to reason that a sufficiently advanced life form would want to create a record of their existence. DNA and RNA provide a decidedly long lasting and high fidelity method of storing data. Perhaps these orbs were left as a way to inform future generations of the existence of intelligent life? Afterall it takes some degree of development to be able to decode a genome. This may be an "intelligence test". This is of course a wishful hypothesis, and has no actual basis in logic. Perhaps my time spent around the less logical species, especially the Romulans, has turned me into an illogical optimist.

Preliminary results from the comparison tests of the microbes found on Eurydice's moon and the lipids have proven unfruitful. There are no similarities between the bacterial sRNA we sampled from the microbes and the incomplete mRNA of the lipids. I must admit I am not surprised. It seemed like what humans would call a "long shot"

While Starfleet scientists are expected to be omnidisciplinary, I must admit that xenobiology is not my strongest subject. I am hoping that perhaps Dr. D'Sayrn will be able to decipher this mystery.

*quiet coughing, prolonged*

Computer, end recording.