replied as it appeared to be searching for fleas. The avatar looked like a groundhog, except it was six feet tall and had fangs.
“I’m going to need you to arm the Grub to the maximum possible. I plan on taking a trip to League of Planets space, and we are going alone—so you will need to have another AI take up the responsibilities you have been handling.” Dan waited, remembering when he first met Grub, He knew that Grub was resistant to anything having to do with war or weapons, and now he was going to arm the Grub.
“That will not be a problem. I am anticipating that it will be a diplomatic mission and that the weapons are for last resort. By the time the exits are completed, I should have a dozen batteries of beamers installed.”
“Grub, do you have any terraforming abilities as part of your original design for colonizing planets?” Dan asked as he tried to figure out how it would assist in his plans.
“I have limited abilities and assets for a project like that. That was part of the reasoning behind the Flem wanting to find a new home that would be underground.”
“I would like to turn the planet Glory from being mainly semi-arid wastelands into a land that can support a larger population. I think if I could bring that to the bargaining table it would help my fight. Are you familiar with the problems there?” Dan asked half-expectedly.
“The Flem had evaluated the problems the Jacka had, and they’d come up with ideas to solve those problems. They didn’t follow through because they were concerned that the population would become too large and would need to expand, especially since the Jacka are so militant. There are plants and grasses that could be transplanted to their world that would thrive in their deserts and make it possible for other crops to grow afterward. There are also areas that have large deposits of bentonite clay that could be mixed into the sand with microbes that would promote growth and water retention. These areas would also need to be irrigated. It would only take a year for the planet to be noticeably greener, and every year larger tracts of desert could be reclaimed for farming or even growing forests and improving the ecosystem.”
“Looks like a lot of things can be done there. I want you to examine all of the different options and their pros and cons. The increase in population is not to be considered a negative factor the way the Flem viewed it,” Dan made a point of reiterating.
Outside New Mississippi, planet Dixie
1 November 2128
Scotty once again climbed up to the top of the hill to monitor the main thoroughfare into New Mississippi. The ground was cool and a little damp as he lay down on his stomach, bringing his binoculars up to his eyes.
The streetlights of the city were still on, so he could easily see where he had been earlier. He forced himself to see if they were feeding on the scouts still or if they had moved on. The bodies of the scouts were gone. Scanning the rest of the wobblers, he finally saw what seemed to be one of the scouts. One of the wobblers was in the unique camouflage uniform worn by the scouts. Enhancing the magnification of the binocular made it appear as though the wobbler were only a few yards away. The front of his uniform shirt was black from where it had been drenched in his own blood. His face and neck, while spotted black with dried blood, showed no injuries or damage.
Scotty put down the binoculars for a second to confirm with his naked eyes that it was one of the scouts. Putting the binoculars back to his eyes, he zoomed in again on the wobbler scout. It was the same young scout who had not been able to fire on his wife. The scout’s eyes were white, with no sign of color in his irides.
“Damn! Lieutenant Semmes, you’ll want to see this,” Scotty called softly. The lieutenant popped up from his sleeping bag, and the rest of the scouts followed.
Scotty pointed to the wobbler scout and handed his binoculars to the
“I’m going to need you to arm the Grub to the maximum possible. I plan on taking a trip to League of Planets space, and we are going alone—so you will need to have another AI take up the responsibilities you have been handling.” Dan waited, remembering when he first met Grub, He knew that Grub was resistant to anything having to do with war or weapons, and now he was going to arm the Grub.
“That will not be a problem. I am anticipating that it will be a diplomatic mission and that the weapons are for last resort. By the time the exits are completed, I should have a dozen batteries of beamers installed.”
“Grub, do you have any terraforming abilities as part of your original design for colonizing planets?” Dan asked as he tried to figure out how it would assist in his plans.
“I have limited abilities and assets for a project like that. That was part of the reasoning behind the Flem wanting to find a new home that would be underground.”
“I would like to turn the planet Glory from being mainly semi-arid wastelands into a land that can support a larger population. I think if I could bring that to the bargaining table it would help my fight. Are you familiar with the problems there?” Dan asked half-expectedly.
“The Flem had evaluated the problems the Jacka had, and they’d come up with ideas to solve those problems. They didn’t follow through because they were concerned that the population would become too large and would need to expand, especially since the Jacka are so militant. There are plants and grasses that could be transplanted to their world that would thrive in their deserts and make it possible for other crops to grow afterward. There are also areas that have large deposits of bentonite clay that could be mixed into the sand with microbes that would promote growth and water retention. These areas would also need to be irrigated. It would only take a year for the planet to be noticeably greener, and every year larger tracts of desert could be reclaimed for farming or even growing forests and improving the ecosystem.”
“Looks like a lot of things can be done there. I want you to examine all of the different options and their pros and cons. The increase in population is not to be considered a negative factor the way the Flem viewed it,” Dan made a point of reiterating.
Outside New Mississippi, planet Dixie
1 November 2128
Scotty once again climbed up to the top of the hill to monitor the main thoroughfare into New Mississippi. The ground was cool and a little damp as he lay down on his stomach, bringing his binoculars up to his eyes.
The streetlights of the city were still on, so he could easily see where he had been earlier. He forced himself to see if they were feeding on the scouts still or if they had moved on. The bodies of the scouts were gone. Scanning the rest of the wobblers, he finally saw what seemed to be one of the scouts. One of the wobblers was in the unique camouflage uniform worn by the scouts. Enhancing the magnification of the binocular made it appear as though the wobbler were only a few yards away. The front of his uniform shirt was black from where it had been drenched in his own blood. His face and neck, while spotted black with dried blood, showed no injuries or damage.
Scotty put down the binoculars for a second to confirm with his naked eyes that it was one of the scouts. Putting the binoculars back to his eyes, he zoomed in again on the wobbler scout. It was the same young scout who had not been able to fire on his wife. The scout’s eyes were white, with no sign of color in his irides.
“Damn! Lieutenant Semmes, you’ll want to see this,” Scotty called softly. The lieutenant popped up from his sleeping bag, and the rest of the scouts followed.
Scotty pointed to the wobbler scout and handed his binoculars to the
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