Dakala

Dakala
Class:	Rogue planet
Native Species:	Eska
Location:	Beta Quadrant
Affiliation:	Unknown

Dakala is a small, rogue planet, thought to be broken out of its orbit and coursing through interstellar space.

• Due to this, the planet exists in a state of perpetual night.

When visited by a Federation starship in 2151, the crew detected a diverse animal population native to the planet. Upon investigation, it was discovered that though the planet's surface was expected to be frozen solid, hot gases were being vented from Dakala's interior. Most of Dakala's lifeforms were concentrated in the areas where these vents could be found. The ship's Chief Science Officer detected no evidence of humanoid life.

The primal volcanic vents on this planet are similar to Yellowstone National Park and the grottoes of Deneva Prime. This planet is covered by forest similar to the rain forests of New Zealand on Earth. Indigenous lifeforms included bore worms, drayjins, fire wolves, some species of large reptiles, and a species of bioluminescent "bug". The planet has no indigenous humanoid life, but had some higher primates which the Eska did not claim to hunt. Species that were hunted incldued several species such as drayjin and a shapeshifting intelligent species called the wraiths. The Eska did not think the wraiths were intelligent, though the Enterprise decided otherwise.

While investigating the planet, a detected power signature near the planet's equator indicated the presence of a vessel. When there was an attempt to contact the ship in question, there was no response. A landing party from the Federation starship traveled to Dakala in a shuttlepod, and subsequently experienced difficulty scanning the ship, due to the heat generated by the planet's thermal vents becoming too intense. Ultimately, it turned out that the planet hosted an Eska hunting party. The Eska had been using Dakala as a hunting reserve for nine generations. They were allowed to hunt there only four days a year.