The End of a Civilization

I can now confirm, with relative certainty, that the global culture of Earth 2 (the duplicate Earth we are orbiting) came to an end in the mid-1960s. While paper and other written records have disintegrated in the last 400 years, we have found artifacts of plastic and engraved metal. These artifacts contain cultural references, dates, and readable data that collectively place the end-culture in the 1960s. A more thorough study of headstones (like those found in the NYC Central Park cemetery) have dates that end in that decade as well. We have found nothing that suggests continued habitation into the 1970s.

In addition to these artifacts, we have also recovered a variety of bones. These bones have been collected from around the planet, and, through carbon-testing, date back to the 1960s. They are mostly Human, with 100% Human DNA. The bones that are not Human, match animal species that still exist on our Earth (i.e., dogs, horses, birds, etc). It is also worth noting that the Human bones show evidence of viral contamination. This now-dead virus does not, however, match anything in our medical records, and appears to be missing in all animal bones. This suggests that the Human individuals, from which these bones came, died of a disease they could not cure.

This global pandemic scenario takes on an even greater likelihood when you pair the bones and artifacts with the discovery of medical plastics in non-hospital locations, disintegrating medical equipment in city subway chambers, quarantine warnings engraved into stone walls, ruins of multiple refugee settlements, and, what appear to be hastily dug cemeteries and mass graves.

Whatever happened to these Humans on 1960s Earth 2, it came on fast, it overwhelmed civilization, and it left no survivors. Those alive at the time, put up a desperate fight, struggling to save as many lives as possible. In the end, they were unsuccessful, the planet was abandoned, and nature took over within a century. The remains of this mirror-Earth civilization were left for us to find 400 years later.

We may never know the specific details of what ended civilization on Earth 2. Maybe a laboratory was experimenting with viral samples, and one of those samples was released into the population (much like the Pandemic of the early 2020s on our Earth). Or, perhaps a government, lab or entity was developing a life-prolongation project that went bad, and wiped out civilization. Maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever the case, in the here and now, a beautiful, wild, unpopulated planet rotates below us.

This place has a tragic past, but it also has a strong archaeological present. Starfleet is aware of this planet by now, and science vessels are likely to arrive here in the next week or two. When they do, our mission here will end, and we will move on to other discoveries. Far more specialized personnel will take up the reigns of what we started, and Earth 2 – Miri, as some are calling this planet – will likely become a Federation science outpost. At some point, colonists may even be granted charters here. For now, there are two Earths in our galaxy. Two identical solar systems – one, the developed headquarters of the UFP, the other, a memorial to a civilization that didn’t make into the 21st century.

We still have no idea why this duplicate solar system exists, or where it came from. Perhaps some mysteries will never truly be solved.

-Lieutenant Sam Archer

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June 7, 2365 -- (Original Devron Timeline)