Xenobotanist

RESEARCH STAFF
Xenobotanist	Access: Research, Xenobiology, Xenobotany Qualifications: At least 30 years of age; PhD in Xenobontany or Botany. Employers: Not defined Supervisors: Research Director Duties: Splice plants and research their genes. Guides: This is the guide, Guide to Piloting, Guide to Away Missions

Arguably one of the most dangerous places on the ship, Xenobotany deals with the growth, maintenance, study, and splicing of plants. The Xenobotany laboratory consists of these rooms: the main laboratory, where you will modify plants; the storage room, where you will find two xenobotanist's lockers; the containment area, where you will grow plants; and the Hazardous Specimens room, for dangerous plants.

Your Equipment

Here is a list of machines in your laboratory, and a brief description of their function.

• All-in-one Grinder: Reduces produce to its chemical ingredients. To use, insert produce, grind, and remove beaker.
• Bioballistic Delivery System: Transfers a gene from a disk into a seed; the traits that the gene coded for will now be expressed in the new seed. For instance, isolating the gene that allows berries to grow in bushes, and injecting it into a wheat seed, would yield a bush that grows wheat and can be harvested repeatedly like a berry bush. A single seed can only take so much alteration; too much, and it would be rendered sterile. The machine will prevent this from happening by refusing to alter a seed when doing so would kill it. However, fresh seeds, extracted from fresh fruit, are fully stable regardless of how much you modified the parent seed; so it is possible to completely change a plant through an iterative process of modification and growth.
• Biogenerator: Generates all sorts of items from plant matter. Feed it your unwanted produce and generate food, fertilizer, construction materials, medicine, and more.
• Chemical Dispenser: Dispenses chemicals into containers. Yours starts out empty, but if you order reagent cartridges, it becomes useful for making mutagen and fertilizer. Use a screwdriver to remove cartridges.
• ChemMaster 3000: Isolates and bottles chemicals; makes pills. Insert a beaker of chemicals to use.
• Flora Data Disk: Holds the genetic blueprint of a plant. Alone, it is not very useful. However, when used with the two machines below, it becomes a tool for splicing plants together to create a new species. Gene data stored on a disk is perfectly preserved and never decays, regardless of how many time it is spliced into a plant. To erase a disk for re-use, activate it.
• Atmospherics Control System: Pipes laid along the floor of the Hazardous Specimens room and Containment area, used for dealing with plants that produce gases or have special temperature requirements. Use the gas heater or cooler to change temperature. See Atmospherics for more details.
• Hydroponics Trays: Grow plants in 'em. See Guide to Hydroponics for more details.
• Lysis-isolation Centrifuge: Isolates a gene from a seed. Insert a data disk and a seed or spore, open the machine's interface, and select "Process Genome" to see the plant's genome. This destroys the seed and lets you load one of the plant's twelve genes onto the disk. A genetic sample stored in the centrifuge is not stable; the more you extract from it, the more integrity it will lose, to the point where it will not be viable. Most plant genomes can survive two or three extractions before a fresh sample is needed.
• NutriMax: Contains the chemicals that you will use to help manage your plants. Doing so is essentially identical to Hydroponics; but your NutriMax also carries Unstable Mutagen, which you can use to modify plants.
• Seed Dispenser: Dispenses the base seeds needed for your job. Beware, however - it has limited stores, so if you want to avoid running out, you should generate new ones by extracting seeds from fruit or taking clippings from plants.
• Seed Extractor: Insert produce and get a few packets of seeds.
• SmartFridge: Store your fruit here. Your seeds too, if you're lazy and don't care about seeing seed stats.

The Tools

Name	Uses	Source
Backpack Water Tank	Watering your plants. Wear on your back, right-click to toggle mister. Refill at a sink or water tank.	Storage; Hydroponics Locker (x2)
Bio Suit & Bio Hood	Protects from dangerous chemicals in the air.	Containment; Level-3 Biohazard Locker (x2)
Chemical Dispenser Cartridges	Holds chemicals; can be filled and inserted into your chemical dispenser, or delivered to other departments for their use.	Laboratory.
Gas Mask; Face Mask	Protects you from toxic gases and chemicals in the air. The gas mask protects your eyes as well.	Storage (Hydroponics Locker)
Hatchet	Killing plants; chopping tower cap mushrooms into planks.	Storage (Hydroponics Locker); Containment
Leather Gloves	Protecting your hands from spines	Storage (Hydroponics Locker)
Mini-Hoe	Removing weeds from the trays	Storage (Hydroponics Locker); Containment
Pill Bottles	For storing pills you may create with your ChemMaster 3000.	Laboratory
Plant-B-Gone	Kills plants; also kills wallrot fungus.	Storage (Hydroponics Locker); Containment
Plant Analyzer	Provides information on the current plant and it's contents. Works on plants in trays, fruit and seeds.	Storage (Hydroponics Locker); Containment
Plant Bag	Collects all plant items (produce, seeds/spores). Can be used on certain other machines (SmartFridge, Seed Dispenser, Biogenerator) to transfer parts of/all of the contents of the bag into them.	Storage (Hydroponics locker); Containment (NutriMax)
Shears	Allows you to take a sample of plant, creating a seed or spore. This reduces the plant's health, and may kill it.	Storage (Hydroponics locker)
Sink & Shower	For decontamination. The sink can serve as a water source.	Storage
Spray Bottles	For filling with cleaner, weed killer, or whatever your heart desires.	Laboratory
Syringe	Extracting chemicals from plants; injecting chemicals into plants.	Laboratory; Containment (NutriMax)

Getting Started

First, follow Guide to Hydroponics to get your plants growing.

Once that's done, there are three paths you may follow:

Splice

Difficulty: Easy
Potential: Low

Using the plants available to you, combine the genes to create a custom plant. The process is simple: Extract a gene from one plant using the Centrifuge and splice the gene into a second plant with the injection machine. Use the plant analyzer to figure out what changes you have made.

Mutate

Difficulty: Medium
Potential: Medium

Add a mutagen to a plant's hydroponics tray or soil and watch its genes change randomly. Some plants have the potential to change subspecies, as well. Mutagens include radium and the Unstable Mutagen from your NutriMax. Mutagens can kill your plants, and some mutations are dangerous.

Design

Difficulty: High
Potential: Extreme

Splicing + Mutation. Using mutation, you access the full range of possible plant genes; using splicing, create a customized plant.

Mutants & Rare Plants

Most of the plants available to you are the common plants also available in Hydroponics. These are the exceptions:

Plant Chart

Mouse over any white-box text to view that trait's corresponding gene for Xenobotany.
Yi = Yield. Determines how many products per harvest.
Ma = Maturation time. A lower number means faster maturation time.
Pr = Produce time. A lower number means faster product growth.
'Po = Potency. Determines the amount of reagents, and strength of special effects.'

Name	Yi.	Ma.	Pr.	Po.	Reagents	Temp	Light	Harvest	Traits	Source	Mutations
Ambrosia Deus	6	6	6	5	1u Nutriment, 4u Ambrosia Extract, 1u Synaptizine, 1u Bicaridine	303	7	Multiple		Mutation
Apple (Poison)	5	6	6	10	3u Cyanide	293	5	Multiple		Mutation
Blood Tomato	3	8	6	10	2u Nutriment, 3u Blood	293	5	Multiple	JUICY	Mutation	Killer Tomato
Blue Tomato	2	8	6	10	1u Nutriment, 3u Space Lube	293	5	Multiple	JUICY	Mutation	Bluespace Tomato
Bluespace Tomato	2	8	6	10	1u Nutriment, 12u Singulo	293	5	Multiple	BIOLUM, JUICY, TELEPORTING	Mutation
Death Berry	3	5	5	50	1u Nutriment, 19u Toxin, 11u Lexorin, 15u Death Berry Juice	293	5	Multiple	JUICY	Mutation
Death Nettle	2	8	6	10	1u Nutriment, 10u Polytrinic Acid	293	5	Multiple	STINGS	Mutation
Destroying Angel	2	12	5	35	1u Nutriment, 24u Amatoxin, 2u Psilocybin	283	5	Single		Mutation
Fine Tobacco	4	6	6	1	1u Earth Tobacco	303	7	Single		Mutation
Ghost Mushroom	2	5	4	8	5u Spectrocybin	283	5	Single	BIOLUM	Mutation
Glowberry	2	5	5	10	2u Nutriment, 11u Glow Berry Juice, 5u Uranium	293	5	Multiple Harvests	BIOLUM, JUICY, SPREAD	Mutation
Golden Apple	3	10	10	10	3u Gold, 2u Apple Juice	293	5	Multiple		Mutation
Green Grapes	4	3	5	10	2u Nutriment, 5u Kelotane, 11u White Grape Juice	303	7	Multiple		Mutation
Huge Eggplant	1	4	5	40		298	7	Multiple		Mutation
Ice Pepper	4	5	4	20	1u Nutriment, 7u Frost Oil	303	7	Multiple		Mutation
Killer Tomato	2	8	6	10		293	5	Multiple		Mutation
Low-grade Tobacco	5	6	6	0	1u Cheap Tobacco	303	7	Single		Mutation	Tobacco
Panocellium Mushrooms	4	12	5	20	1u Nutriment, 16u Panotoxin, 1u Psilocybin	283	5	Single		Mutation
Poison Berry	2	5	5	10	1u Nutriment, 12u Poison Berry Juice, 5u Toxin	293	5	Multiple Harvests	JUICY	Mutation	Deathberries
Succulent Tobacco	3	6	6	1	1u Nicotine	303	7	Single	JUICY	Mutation
Vedamor Oracle	6	6	6	5	2u Nutriment, 4u Vedamor Oracle	303	7	Multiple		Mutation
Kudzu	4	6	6	10	1u Nutriment, 1u Dylovene	293	5	Single	SPREAD 2	Ops
Coca Leaf	3	3	3	2		293	7	Single		Vendor (Xenoflora Only)
Fly Amanita	4	10	5	10	1u Nutriment, 6u Amatoxin, 1u Psilocybin	283	5	Single		Vendor (Xenoflora Only)	Destroying Angel, Panocelium, Plastellium
Harebell	2	7	1	1	1u Nutriment	293	5	Single		Weed
Weeds	0	5	1	0		293	5	Single		Weed
Black K'ois	3	5	1	80	Black K'ois	293	5	Single	BIOLUM, SPREAD, SPOROUS
Brown Mold	0	10	1	1		283	5	Single	SPREAD
Rich Coffee Beans	4	3	3	2	2u Rich Coffee Grounds	303	7	Multiple
Sencha Leaves	3	3	3	2	4u Sencha Leaves	293	7	Single
Walking Mushroom	1	5	1	0		283	5	Single

Plant Genes

Plants have twelve genes. Each gene contains several traits. When you transfer a gene, you transfer all the traits it contains.

Gene	Trait	Effect
Biochemistry	Chems	Which chemicals the plant produces.
	Gas Output	Gas produced by the plant.
	Potency	Amount of reagents contained in produce, strength of explosions, strength of splashes
Output	Power Production	Can be wired up to create a battery.
	Bioluminescent	Produces light.
	Bioluminescent and Power Production	Produces light, and can be wired up to create a battery.
Atmosphere	Heat Tolerance	How far outside the plant's preferred temperature it will stay healthy.
	Low Pressure Tolerance	How far below the plant's preferred pressure level it will stay healthy.
	High Pressure Tolerance	How far above the plant's preferred pressure level it will stay healthy.
Hardiness	Toxin Tolerance	How badly toxins affect the plant's health.
	Pest Tolerance	How quickly pests affect the plant's health.
	Weed Tolerance	How quickly weeds affect the plant's health.
	Endurance	How much health the plant starts with.
Metabolism	Requires Nutrients	Whether the plant needs to be fertilized.
	Requires Water	Whether the plant needs to be watered.
	Alters Ambient Temperature	Whether the plant cools or heats the air around it.
Vigor	Production	How fast the plant grows produce.
	Maturation	How fast the plant grows to maturity.
	Yield	Number of produce collected per harvest.
	Spread	Whether a plant can spread out of its tray.
Diet	Consumes Gases	Whether the plant takes gases from the atmosphere.
	Carnivorous	Whether the plant will try to eat meat.
	Pest Eater	Whether the plant will feed itself with pests in the tray.
	Nutrient Consumption	How much fertilizer the plant uses, if it uses fertilizer.
	Water Consumption	How much water the plant uses, if it uses water.
Environment	Preferred Temperature	The plant's ideal atmospheric temperature.
	Preferred Light Level	The plant's ideal light level.
	Light Level Tolerance	How far outside the plant's ideal light level it will stay healthy.
Pigment	Plant Color	Color of the plant.
	Product Color	Color of the produce.
	Bioluminescence color	Color of light output, if the plant is bioluminescent.
Structure	Plant Shape	Shape of the plant.
	Produce Shape	Shape of the produce.
	Multiple Harvests	Whether the plant can be harvested multiple times.
	Spore Producer	Whether the plant creates spores that carry its reagents into the air.
Fruit	Spines	Whether the produce has spines that will inject its reagents into anyone who picks it up with bare hands.
	Explosive	Whether the produce explodes when thrown.
	Flesh Color	The color of spores and splatters.
	Juicy	Whether the produce splashes when thrown, coating the area with its reagents.
Special	Teleporting	The produce creates a portal when thrown; the portal teleports anyone or anything that steps into it.
[No Gene]	Immutable	Any plant with this trait will never mutate and cannot be modified.

Hazards

Gas Production

Some mutant plants create gases, some of which can poison or suffocate you. Protect yourself with a gas mask and an oxygen supply, and flip the lid on a hydroponics basin to isolate a plant. Grow gas-producing plants in the Hazardous Specimens room.

K'ois

K'ois is a Vaurca delicacy which is highly poisonous because it contains phoron. When it matures, it spreads spores in a gaseous cloud that will poison anyone who inhales it. If you inhale it, call for Medical immediately. Protect yourself with a gas mask or face mask. K'ois will also inject K'ois into any nearby containers or produce. Best grown in the Hazardous Specimens room.

K'ois Mycosis is a disease caused by breathing, swallowing, or injecting large amounts of K'ois. In its early stages, symptoms include lung damage, hypoxia, and liver damage. The last stage of K'ois mycosis is highly contagious. Infected individuals will cough large clouds of spores identical to those spread by the plant itself, seeding new growth of k'ois adjacent to the infected individual and administering k'ois via inhalation to those nearby. This spore distribution stops when the individual dies. K'ois mycosis can only be cured with surgery to remove k'ois from the lungs.

Spines, Explosions, and Juiciness

Plants that mutate spines can apply the chemicals they contain to anyone who touches them. Protect yourself with thick gardening gloves. Plants that explode, or are very juicy, will also spread their contents when thrown.

Vines

Plants with the "Vine" trait will spread out of their tray and onto the ground. If they're harmless plants, they're merely annoying. But beware of modifications: If they have spines, they will inject you with whatever chemical they hold.

Expeditions

While much of a Xenobotanist's work can be performed on the Horizon alone, there exist numerous xenoflora across away sites that can be studied. This involves joining an expedition, cataloging environmental data, and clipping flora trimmings for seeds to plant on the Horizon. Upon return, all of the data and plants you have collected allow for replication for further lab studying. You should coordinate with the Xenoarcheologist and Xenobiologist when planning an expedition.

Preparing the Quark

See also: Guide to Piloting The Quark is the science department's shuttle, and as such is equipped with anything you might need to have a safe, productive expedition. Sometimes the Quark might not be the best option or is out of action for a variety of reasons. In these cases, you may also use the Intrepid.

Naturally, your equipment is going to need to go on the Quark in its cargo bay, before anything else. Thankfully, a hallway leads from your storage space by EVA right to the hangars. Some extra equipment may be in the Intrepid Hangar as well, so always make sure you double check you have everything!

After everything is stowed in the cargo bay, head into the main compartment and turn on the yellow-marked pump by the large, red-striped tank. Set the pressure to 5,000 kPa (you can max the pump out, but you don't need more than 5,000kPa). Now, set the pump leading from the CO2 canister nearby to the same value. Congrats, you're filling the Quark's thrusters! It's recommended, if you're going on a long voyage, to fill up the CO2 canister a bit more at Fuel Storage, next to the Intrepid Hangar, so you don't randomly run out of thrust. You can always ask for a Hangar Technician to do this if you're busy with other preparations.

When you're taking off, make sure to turn on your thrusters at the engine console. A good value for the thruster limiters is 50-60%. You can also boost your acceleration limiter at the helm control console, which allows you to move faster than the speed of nothing.

If you lack confidence in your ability to drive, you can also ask a Bridge Crewman to pilot the Quark for you. Chances are they'll be happy to help!

Where do I go again?

Sometimes, Command or Engineering is lazy and either doesn't move the Horizon, or doesn't set up thrusters. In either case, it's your job to head to the away site of your choice and start spelunking!

By default, the Quark doesn't come equipped with the coordinates for every away site in the sector. However, at the start of every round, a sensors readout will be printed at every command console on the Horizon. This sensor readout tells you the bearing, in angular degrees, of where the away sites are from the original location of the Horizon. If a mysterious asteroid is bearing 90 degrees, the Horizon moving to the right means the bearing will be different. Make sure to mark down the location of the Horizon at the start of the shift!

You can get a sensor readout from the Pilot Room, which is to the right of the Intrepid Hangar. Walk right in and pick up the paper. If you are lazy, the Bridge Crewman can also fax you one.

Research Department
Head of department	Research Director
Personnel	Scientist - Xenobiologist - Xenoarcheologist - Roboticist
Useful guides	Guide to Research and Development - Guide to Xenobiology - Guide to Xenobotany - Guide to Xenoarchaeology - Integrated Electronics - Guide to Telescience - Guide to Modular Weaponry