Warren Hoffmeister, Federation Exo-Technologist Level III

In 2364, outside the Lyrus Expanse the Federation starship, the USS Drake (NCC-32381) disappeared while completing a geological and bio-sciences survey of the M-class planet Minos, in the Kamchatkol system. While there were no humanoid species on the planet during the survey, unusual readings indicated that there was a large number of artifacts of an advanced and presumably warp capable civilization during near ancient times that was no longer in existence.

Our records and historical surveys developed information that the Minosians were a warlike and highly advanced warrior society, similar to the Klingon society today. Further, in a conflict called the Erselope Wars, the Minosians became designers purveyors of advanced arms throughout the region at that time (in excess of two millennia ago). 

Subsequent searches for the USS Drake revealed that the ship had been attacked by relatively small, unknown robotic vehicles with both cloaking and particle beam capabilities, advanced shielding, in addition to sensor and intelligence gathering capabilities. In fact, after a few of these devices were captured, we managed to download some limited visual data of the moments before the Drake’s complete destruction. [footage requires sigma 9 clearance]

Upon examination we determined that the Minosians had developed this device as a revenue source for their essentially self-centered capitalistic driven society. During the Erselope Wars, the Misonsians obviously traded with any group involved in the conflict regardless of affiliations in the conflict. Apparently, the Minosians would sell the technology to the highest bidder. The Minosians felt that the Echo Papa represented the ultimate in small weapons systems technology. 

Obviously, large tracts of the planet’s surface were dedicated to advancing the sales of these weapons systems to potential buyers. Live demonstration of the systems obviously took place on a regular basis, although a recent document uncovered by the Federation exo-historian Dr. Linda Braverman indicates that the Minosians might also have enjoyed subjecting humanoids to attacks and annihilation as a form of entertainment and/or sport. Obviously, the Minosians had very little respect for other humanoids, including some lower social strata of their own species. .

In any case, the particular weapons system that attacked and destroyed the Drake (with a loss of all 1218 crewmembers) was later identified and several examples captured after other Star Fleet vehicles were dispatched to search for the Drake. In fact, the Galaxy class starship Enterprise (NCC-1701D) was almost another casualty of these powerful weapons systems.

The Minosians labeled this device in it’s weapons database as the Echo Papa 607, such designation officially adopted by Star Fleet Command for Federation classification.

The Echo Papa is an elongated, semi-elliptical device with an impressive range of features in one very compact and energetic system. We have to date identified and reverse engineered the following internal systems:

SUBMINIATURE ANTI-MATTER POWER SUPPLY

The device is powered by an incredibly compact and effective anti-matter energy source, using about 3.6 grams of anti-matter and matter distillate plasma which provides an estimated 2500 years of power for the system. Further, small equivalents of Bussard collectors are mounted on the exterior of the device to facilitate the replenishment of the antimatter fuel supply by collecting deep space particles as the craft soars through deep space missions.

FULL FUNCTION SENSOR PALETTE

Not unlike the Borg drone the device contains a fully functional muti-modality, multi-spectrum sensor palette with the ability to define both tactical and biological targets, including multi-target and tandem targeting ability. There is also what appears to be an IFF transponder system connector on the devices, although none of the captured Echo Papa 607 units had one on board. This clearly shows the Minosian concept of making the devices they manufactured applicable to any side of the local conflicts without regard to the goals of the fighting forces involved.

In addition, the sensor palette indicates a remarkable degree of sensitivity and intelligence gathering capabilities.

ENERGY PROJECTOR

The primary effects weapon on the Echo Papa 607 is a plasma enhanced disrupter based technology, although the amount of power in this small device goes beyond the capabilities of any small space system we’ve seen to date. Utilizing data provided by the sensor palette and the internal iso-linear information processor, the energy weapon can be targeted and fired at up to six targets in a ten second time frame. This remarkable hunting and targeting feature of the weapons system, as well as the neural type isolinear circuitry, obviously made the Echo Papa a highly sought after technology for the time.

Testing indicates that the weapon is effective at ranges up to about 45,000 kilometers, due to plasma dispersal issues. However, within that range, the maximum output in excess of 1500 terrawatts makes a single Echo Papa 607 a highly formidable adversary in a ship-to-ship firefight. When attacking ground troops, the device is a devastatingly accurate and quick adversary.

CLOAKING DEVICE

Although we credit the Romulan Empire for the development of the spacecraft cloaking device, it’s obvious that the Minosians had developed or exploited the technology over a millennia ago. Although it is considerably smaller than the equivalent Romulan system, the device apparently utilizes the same technology as the Romulan system.

SHIELDING

The Echo Papa uses shielding technology very similar to that used by the Federation currently. The shielding is not multi-phase, but nonetheless, for a vehicle of this small size, the degree of protective shielding is quite impressive, at nearly 300 gigawatts per cubic meter.

 LOW-WARP CAPABILITY

Although we have not completed our studies of the drive systems, we see a small envelope phase-shift based warp drive, allowing the device to attain speeds of up to warp 2.7.

ATMOSPHERIC AND DEEP SPACE CAPABLE

Our sensor studies have shown that the devise is capable of full functionality in a wide range of environments. Once the devices learned that the Drake was in orbit, they simply went to warp for about .5  milliseconds and attacked the Drake en masse, some systems even beaming themselves into the interior of the Drake using short range transporter technology.

TRANSPORTER CAPABILITY

The device represents some incredible new technology that allows a device to not only use transporter technology to move people and things, but to transport itself into a certain area of space. Even more interestingly, the device is so accurate in terms of transporter targeting that it can transport itself into corridors and access ports of a typical Federation Starship. This is done from time-to-time with Federation technologies, but the targeting issues are so delicate that it is only reserved for the most severe emergencies.

 SUMMARY