M-113
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M-113 is a remote backwater planet in Federation space, hence its prosaic designation. It was once home to a race of humanoid beings that fed by sucking salt out of live prey, but an undetermined ecological catastrophe seems to have wiped out their food supply, and them along with it.
Planet M-113 was catalogued early in the Federation’s 23rd century explorations. The planet remained largely underused due to its lack of native resources. It is the third planet in the Alpha Kezar system in the Alpha Quadrant.
Climate
The atmosphere of M-113 is now much drier than it used to be. There is very little precipitation, so that what flora now survives on the planet is hardy indeed. Temperatures vary widely, ranging from —50 degrees Fahrenheit on a winter night to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.
Geography
M-113 has little surface water for a Class M planet, but by all appearances its oceans were once much more extensive than when the Federation first discovered the planet. One can now see the outlines of the coasts of what were once three large continents rising above vast flats of what was once ocean floor. The planet now has one large connected landmass punctuated by small seas of salt water.
Civilization
Very little is known about the intelligent species that once inhabited M-113. They are known as "salt vampires" because no one has ever figured out what they called themselves. In fact, it is not even certain that the race is extinct. The last known salt vampire died in 2266, but since then the Federation has conducted no survey extensive enough to determine conclusively whether or not individuals or even small pockets of population might still exist.
The salt vampires were humanoids whose unusual body chemistry bred in them an intense craving for salt. Without almost constant intake of sodium chloride their bodies withered and died. Their appearance was also quite distinctive; their bodies were covered with leathery green skin and stringy white hair. Their eyes were small and sunken into the head, and their round mouths resembled that of a Terran lamprey. They fed by attaching their sucker-like hands to their prey, drawing out the salt. Their most outstanding characteristic, however, was their uncanny ability to penetrate the mind of any creature and conceal its true appearance by hypnotizing its victim. In essence, it could change shape at will using psionics, by persuading a target creature that it was someone (or something) other than itself. This ability was documented most thoroughly by Doctor Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise, after that Starfleet vessel’s visit to M-113 in 2266; presumably, salt vampires used it to lull their prey into a false sense of security.
Judging by the ruins and artifacts that they left behind, salt vampire civilization never advanced past Tech Level 4. The exact reason for its collapse remains unclear. Fossil evidence discovered by Robert Crater, the only Federation scientist to have studied M-113 in depth, indicates that life was once more prevalent on the planet than it was when he arrived there in 2261, and that the climate was warmer, moister and more hospitable. Crater concluded that at some point in its not-too-distant past, an ecological catastrophe had befallen M-113, wiping out much life on the planet. The salt vampires fed by sucking sodium chloride from living creatures, so the mass extinction all but eliminated their food supply.
History
M-113 has always been a dusty backwater of Federation space. Initial surveys of the planet indicated that it did not harbor useful resources in any significant degree. They did, however, reveal the existence of what appeared to be large clusters of ruined buildings — that is to say, lost cities.
These apparent ruins made M-113 an object of interest to archaeologists as well as explorers, even though the planet’s remoteness and hostile environment made it a relatively undesirable subject for study. Why plunge into the middle of nowhere when you could explore perfectly interesting sites on Andor or Vulcan, and have a hot shower and a gourmet meal at the end of the day as well?
The one archaeologist who didn’t feel this way was Professor Robert Crater. Crater was a recluse by nature and he had a reputation among his colleagues for preferring digs in remote places. In 2261 he took an extended leave from his position at the University of Chicago’s Extraterrestrial Institute and departed for the far-off planet, accompanied only by his wife and assistant, Nancy. Crater set up camp just outside City Site 1, the largest and most accessible cluster of ruins identified by the preliminary surveys.
Crater discovered the salt vampires by a circumstance as unfortunate as any he could imagine. A lone salt vampire — the last of its kind, as far as Crater would ever know — ambushed Nancy Crater and fed upon her, killing her. For reasons he could never quite articulate, Robert Crater refused to kill it when he discovered this. Instead, he befriended it and fed it salt from his stores. In return the creature “replaced” Nancy Crater by using its psionic powers to convince him that it was her. In 2261 the Enterprise stopped at M-113 to replenish Crater’s supplies. Learning that the ship’s Chief Medical Officer, Doctor Leonard McCoy, had once been romantically involved with Nancy Crater, the salt vampire attempted to feed on him in her guise. Doctor McCoy killed it in self-defense.
Robert Crater did not remain on M-113 much longer after the last known salt vampire died. Later that year, he returned to Earth, broken in spirit. The Federation has not conducted any significant exploration of the planet since his departure.
Places of Interest
City Site 1 is the largest collection of ruins on M-113. It was once composed of buildings built from timber and crudely worked stone. By Robert Crater’s estimates, it once housed as many as 50,000 residents.
Reference(s)
- Burns, Eric, Kenneth A. Hite & Doug Sun. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 7: Worlds, Decipher, 2005. ISBN: 1582369097.