"How many different species are we going to be transporting?" Eroga asked, sitting up straight in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Unfortunately for Old Kentar," R'Nelle replied, a melancholic droop settling over her feline Ferasan ears, "thousands of native species did not survive the Great Exodus to Lukar generations ago. But," she added, tapping the console to update the conference room monitor, "that means, fortunately for us, the upper food web is far more streamlined."
The screen lit up with topographical scans of Lukar.
"Lukar is an M-class moon, roughly the size of Earth's Moon," R'Nelle explained, "giving it a total landmass roughly equivalent to Africa and Australia combined. Because of its constrained geography and limited biomes, only twelve apex predator species currently exist on Lukar. All twelve will be joining the exodus back to Old Kentar: eight monogamous species and four polygamous, harem-based species."
Anzyl rubbed his chin, mentally running through the sheer scale of the operation. "So if we need an Effective Population Size of 50 genetic founder individuals for each of the twelve species... what's our final headcount? How many animals total are we taking aboard the Nexus?"
R'Nelle turned her sharp eyes to Zorkuk. "You calculate the monogamous species, and I'll handle the harem math?"
Zorkuk nodded his Benzite head, adjusting his respiration apparatus as both xenobiologists immediately pulled out their styluses.
R'Nelle tapped the digital mission board, writing out the mathematical sequence for a 1:4 harem ratio where Nf = 4 * Nm
50 = 4*Nm*(4*Nf) / Nm + (4*Nf) => 50 = 16* Nm / 5 * Nm => 50 = 3.2 * Nm => Nm = 50/3.2 = 15.6
Males = 16, Females = 64. Per Harem Species = 80 Total = 80 * 4 = 320.
"I have 320 animals total for the four harem species," R'Nelle announced, drawing a bold red circle around the final figure.
Zorkuk looked up from his datapad, tapping a claw against his screen. "And for the eight monogamous species, requiring an exact 1:1 ratio of 25 males and 25 females per group to reach Ne = 50, my calculation comes out to exactly 400 animals."
Anzyl stared at the two numbers, his hand coming to rest on his chin. "720."
"Yes, Captain," R'Nelle said, returning her stylus to the board. "Seven hundred and twenty of Lukar's biggest, baddest, and most lethal carnivores."
Tey'un shook his head, his skin draining of color until his face turned a pale sky blue. "If our primary containment fields fluctuate by even half a percent during transit, we aren't running an Ark..." He swallowed hard. "We're running an all-you-can-eat buffet."
A heavy silence fell over the briefing room as the gravity of the mission set in.
"Well then, let's make damn sure it doesn't come to that!" Anzyl slapped both hands onto the table, shattering the gloom and bringing his staff back to reality. "Engineering and Security," he said, looking sharply at Tey'un and Gaimmack, "I want structural plans for cargo bay retrofitting and force field redundancy on my desk by the end of the shift."
Zorkuk adjusted his collar gazing at his datapad, muttering softly, "Lethargy of satiety..."
Anzyl blinked, confused. "I'm sorry, Zorkuk... lethargy of what?"
"Lethargy of Satiety," R'Nelle clarified smoothly. "In plain Standard, Captain: a full and sated apex predator is a passive, sleepy passenger. I highly suggest we feed them amply during the trip. Keep them fat, happy, and most importantly, asleep."
Anzyl nodded, turning to his Operations officer. "Eroga, coordinate with the Lukari environmental biologists. Find out what our passengers eat, how much energy it will take our replicators to produce it, and—more importantly—how much... cleanup... is going to be required afterward. I do NOT want hungry, irritable apex predators on this ship. I want fed, fat, happy, and, above all, sleepy passengers."
He looked around the table at his senior staff. "Any questions?"
He received nothing but firm, decisive nods.
"Good. Dismissed!" Then he perked up, tapping his forehead as he remembered a administrative detail. "Oh! One more thing! Be sure to complete your Universal Temperament and Logic Index exams and submit them to Medical as soon as you're able! Okay, now you're dismissed!"
Over the next several days, Tey'un, Gaimmack, and their respective Engineering and Security teams worked around the clock alongside the science division. Together, they transformed the Nexus's massive lower decks into a high-tech planetary zoo.
Standard cargo was consolidated into smaller auxiliary holds, clearing out the main bays one by one. The crew installed triple-reinforced bulkhead plating, high-output level-ten force field grids, and automated stun-turrets at every entrance, exit, and maintenance access conduit.
Meanwhile, Eroga worked closely with the ship's biologists to program the replicators for species-appropriate bedding, feeding troughs, automated waterers, and sensory enrichment items designed to prevent territorial restlessness. The Captain's directive—"keep them fed, fat, and happy"—became the unofficial mantra echoing through the corridors as technicians calibrated meat-replicators to pump out metric tons of synthetic biomass.
For the largest species—the giant, highly territorial apex beasts that couldn't be comfortably housed in standard bays—the Nexus's six primary holodecks were reprogrammed. High-resolution environmental grids mimicked the natural biomes of Lukar, while structural force fields and inner bulkheads were doubled to handle any accidental charges. Specialized environmental scrubbers were spliced into the life support systems to ensure scent markers from one holodeck didn't drift into another, preventing cross-species territorial frenzies.
"Wow..." Captain Praxas breathed, standing at the observation rail in Cargo Bay 3.
The four-story cargo hold had been completely transformed. Floor-to-ceiling force field emitters shimmered with containment energy, water troughs gurgled with recirculating streams, and automated meat-dispensing rigs hung from overhead tracks like high-tech altars.
"I have to admit, I'm impressed," Anzyl said to Commander Niel.
Tey'un, Gaimmack, Eroga, and a contingent of biologists followed close behind as the Captain conducted his final walk-through inspection.
"Are all the paddocks reinforced to these specs?" Anzyl asked.
"Yes, Captain," Tey'un replied in his typical blunt, measured tone, typing away on his datapad as he walked. "I personally reviewed all engineering schematics provided by Security and corrected several structural oversights that were blatantly inadequate for creatures of this scale and muscle density. I ensured no enclosure had a tolerance threshold below what would be required to hold a Thanator."
Anzyl raised an eyebrow, genuinely impressed. "Ah, Pandorvis's legendary six-legged apex stalker! I completely forgot about your familiarity with the deadly fauna of your homeworld, Tey'un. I wonder how your tribe would feel about having a high-grade force field emitter like this back home?"
"They would reject it," Tey'un answered without missing a beat, not looking up from his screen. "They would choose to let the Thanator roam free. Which would then promptly bite their faces off." He paused, looking up with a completely blank expression. "I, for one, strongly endorse using modern Starfleet technology to keep razor-sharp fangs away from my face."
Anzyl gave a slow nod—partly amused, partly intimidated, and entirely accustomed to Tey'un's deadpan delivery. "Well then, if it has the seal of approval from my resident tribal runaway and Chief Engineer, I approve as well."
He turned to Eroga and the xenobiologists. "If you are all satisfied, notify Lieutenant Heluna to signal the Lukari Concordium. Let them know the TGC Nexus is ready to receive its passengers. Once they're aboard, let's feed them, get them fat, happy, and sleepy, and get underway."
"Aye, Captain," the officers chorused before departing to perform their pre-embarkation checks.
Anzyl stood at the railing with his hands on his hips alongside Neil, taking in the gleaming, reinforced bay.
"Any last thoughts before we turn our flagship into a floating Noah's Ark for an entire world's deadliest monsters, Number One?"
Neil crossed his arms, letting out a long, heavy sigh. "Only one, sir. I'd suggest getting your floating nouliths powered up and ready. I won't relax until the last of these beasts is safely offloaded onto Old Kentar. Until then? I'm sleeping with one eye open and my hand on my phaser."
"Oh, come on, O'Reilly!" Anzyl chuckled heartily, clapping a hand onto the burly First Officer's back. "This is the TGC Nexus! What could possibly go wrong?"