The Living Roast
The Living Roast
Overview
Nestled deep within the Sæhrímnir Program, The Living Roast is one of the Federation’s most audacious agricultural experiments — and one of its most beloved successes.
A nearby barren moon, designated Theta-7, has been partially terraformed into a wild boar reservation spanning over 2 million square kilometers — roughly the size of a small terrestrial moon or a modest continental plate. Here, millions of pigs — descendants of hybrid Terran breeds and genetically-restored Eurasian wild boar stock — roam free across a landscape designed to mimic ancient Earth biomes.
Their presence sustains both a living tradition and the hungry souls of Starbase 471.
Physical Setup
- Location: Moon Theta-7, orbiting Gas Giant "Bragur" (Sector Designation: 471-Theta-7)
- Area: ~2,000,000 km² (Approximately half the surface area of Earth's Asia continent)
- Environment: Vast rolling plains, dense boreal forests, wild grain fields, freshwater rivers and glacial-fed lakes
- Division:
- Half the land seeded for grain production (primarily barley, wild wheat, tubers)
- Half left as untamed rangeland for boar roaming
- Seasonal rotational grazing: Every standard year, the pigs and the crops switch sides — allowing natural fertilization via manure cycles and sustaining soil health without artificial intervention.
- Fencing:
No visible walls or barriers.
Instead, graviton field lattices gently guide and contain the herd without disrupting natural movement or local microclimates. - Predators:
None.
The boars themselves dominate the ecosystem, with no external threats.
A few protected micro-predators (raptors, small carnivores) exist only to maintain minor pest balance. - Shelters:
Disguised, camouflaged structures serve as emergency storm shelters and birthing dens — integrated into the natural landscape to prevent stress.
Tech Support Systems
Bio-telemetry Implants (standardized for all livestock):
- Track real-time health, weight, reproductive cycles, movement patterns.
- Early detection for disease, stress overload, or injury — immediately flagged to station Ops or local Roastmasters.
Drone Shepherds:
- Silent gliding patrols above the canopy.
- Conduct population checks, nudge wanderers back into safe grazing zones, and respond to emergency events.
Water & Food Infrastructure:
- Naturalized water catchment systems.
- Strategic deployment of hydro-recyclers and zero-energy troughs for supplemental feeding during drought seasons.
Selective Beaming:
- When an order is placed at The Roast Hearth, a prime specimen is flagged.
Beam-out fields, tuned via biometric authentication, extract the correct animal — beaming it aboard for humane and immediate preparation.
Operational Command
- Overseen by:
A Starfleet Agricultural Corps Subdetachment permanently assigned to Starbase 471. - Staffed by:
- Agricultural officers ("Ag-Offs")
- Civilian contractors ("Roastmasters")
- Xenobotanists and environmental engineers for ecosystem management.
- Station Culture:
Roastmasters are half rancher, half folk hero among station denizens — respected, slightly feared, and famous for their "Boar Songs" sung during harvest festivals.
Notes on Approach and Arrival
Incoming ships, whether in orbit or atmospheric descent, often report:
- Massive biosignature readings from Theta-7.
- Millions of life signs registered.
- A surprisingly small humanoid population (barely 200 administrators and field specialists).
- Planet divided into halves: One teeming with grain, the other with boar, yet constantly rotating to maximize ecological health.
No physical pens.
No barbed wire.
Just endless fields...
and the low, thunderous rumble of a thousand snouts rooting through wild barley.
Cultural Impact
- Station 471's identity is inseparable from Theta-7.
To eat at The Roast Hearth is to taste a living ecosystem, not a replicator file. - Klingons especially revere the ranch: A living herd, freely roaming, embodying the spirit of the hunt.
- New arrivals often mistake Theta-7 for a primitive colony — until they realize the entire operation runs on the bleeding edge of Federation agricultural science.
- Among locals, there's a simple wisdom:
"We owe our bacon and our breath to Sæhrímnir."
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