Ghallas Scat-droppings
Journal entry #37: Today the crew of The Carroll and I visted Yttrois, a small Skaoi farming colony today to trade for food and supplies. We were introduced to the village elder as a formality, and they so graciously gifted us entire units of grain and fruits. Apparently, the colony has been thriving on a massive surplus of food for the past sixty years since the introduction of the Ghallas ratbird, an invasive, carnivorous rodent-avian hybrid species originating from its namesake planet. As the resident biologist aboard The Carroll, I further investigated this phenomena. Read on.
The feces of the Ghallas ratbird serve as a potent fertilizer to the native crops of the Yttrois denizens and surrounding colonies. The extremely chemically basic properties of the waste in combination with its semi-solid consistency are ideal for the environmental conditions of this region of Skaoi. Seasonal acid rain is typically devastating for life, but a thick ground covering of scat-guano protects and fertilizes the seedlings underneath.
Fresh scat-droppings are a translucent bright turquoise, its hue stemming from the primary prey of the ratbird, the blue-horned sabberjacket. It has the consistency of honey and emits a thick, musky scent akin to "sticking your nose up a bull's nether regions" - intern Keith. After neutralizing with soil, it turns an unappetizing dark mustard yellow. It is harvested during the Ghallas ratbird mating season when millions of these creatures mass-migrate to empty fields around the colony and, well, mate. The high population density at these areas makes it easy to collect after mating season is over. The collection process involves vacuum-pails and wading boots.
Because of the grand, positive impact of the Ghallas scat-droppings, the Yttrois denizens praised the Ghallas ratbird and held it to a high value. Artists would carve statues in admiration, musicians sung praises, and a select few would dedicate their lives to understanding the species, learning to communicate its choppy, rhythmic cries. These denizens are called Scatmen, and would eventually become the founders of an inevitable cult religion centered around the ratbird.
Dr. Rosalie F. Wyndenhart, Visiting Professor of Astrobiology and Ornithology