Primal Estate: The Candidate Species (3 page)
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Authors: Samuel Franklin
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As the scanning was being completed, it became clear there was something wrong with the existing plan. On his screen Synster reviewed some variables that were marked as problems. It seemed the weather patterns were a little too volatile to enable significant sedentary use of coastline by the Subject Species. Early permanent settlements would not be established in many productive coastal areas due both to this weather and the erratic tides in these locations. Weather or tides individually would not be a problem, but every half dozen years or so, seasonal weather trends and tidal patterns would conspire to develop into especially violent floods at certain coastal areas.
The Algorithm showed that this would periodically result in the near, or complete destruction of any early settlements at critical locations. The result would be no permanent settlements. These locations were vital to the Perpetuant Cycle’s success. Coastal trade was vital to the development, exploration, and propagation of the carnate to new productive areas. Something would need to be done and the answer was right in front of Synster. The Algorithm never identified a problem without providing an answer. The smaller of the two moons would have to be removed.
The Algorithm showed that this would periodically result in the near, or complete destruction of any early settlements at critical locations. The result would be no permanent settlements. These locations were vital to the Perpetuant Cycle’s success. Coastal trade was vital to the development, exploration, and propagation of the carnate to new productive areas. Something would need to be done and the answer was right in front of Synster. The Algorithm never identified a problem without providing an answer. The smaller of the two moons would have to be removed.
Synster couldn’t believe it. They’d never attempted anything this big to influence a biological system. How could the initial survey team have missed this, he wondered? For something this big, he’d need the specific approval of the Committee as well as assistance from the Tactical Director of the ship. Normally this authority would not be his, but fortunately the Union was wise enough to put the Tactical Director under Synster’s authority only for decisions being made for the purposes of the Project.
Streyn was first at the meeting, well before Synster arrived. It was his job to get a feel for the members’ mood and give Synster warning if anything had changed. The meeting needed to go well otherwise Ryvil might have an inroad to taking over the Project. If Natural Proliferation was not going to work, to meet their quotas in the time required, Ryvil would take over. Nobody really wanted Managed Collectivization, but it was required by their mandate. The planet surface would be completely molded to the will of the project requirements, and nothing would exist but that which furthered the project; an extremely intensive, expensive, and invasive prospect.
Streyn spoke to the major players in the courtyard to get their feel for the coming vote, then spoke with some of those most resistant to Synster’s plans. There weren’t many, and they were the ones who didn’t understand most of the science. He was well versed on Synster’s reasons and logic for what he had planned, and knew that no arguments against it could prevail.
Streyn spoke to the major players in the courtyard to get their feel for the coming vote, then spoke with some of those most resistant to Synster’s plans. There weren’t many, and they were the ones who didn’t understand most of the science. He was well versed on Synster’s reasons and logic for what he had planned, and knew that no arguments against it could prevail.
Later that evening, after the Planning Committee vote…
Vwannan stepped into Synster’s office, impatient to discover the course of the project and, therefore, the course of their lives.
“My proposals were approved. The transcript from the meeting is there on the desk,” Synster pointed. “It’s the typical dry pitch you’ve been hearing all along, so you don’t really need to read it all unless, of course, you’re interested in the details about the deleterious effects on the subject species.”
Vwannan glared at him critically, head cocked to one side. “I want to know about everything that effects my life.” And she began to read.
Vwannan glared at him critically, head cocked to one side. “I want to know about everything that effects my life.” And she began to read.
*******************************
Preparations for Contact
TRANSCRIBED RECORD
TRANSCRIBED RECORD
Meeting of the
3-237 Perpetuant Cycle Project
Planning Committee-
Planning Committee-
Vote for the Approval
Candidate Species: Yngorn
Candidate Species: Yngorn
Subject Species: Carnate
Project Minister:
Listen and be heard, this twenty-fourth meeting of the 3-237 Perpetuant Cycle Project Planning Committee, all who have Interest be here withheld of all selfish undoing, and maintain the good of the Nation for all and forever.
Listen and be heard, this twenty-fourth meeting of the 3-237 Perpetuant Cycle Project Planning Committee, all who have Interest be here withheld of all selfish undoing, and maintain the good of the Nation for all and forever.
Science Director Synster:
As you've already been informed of in your brief, our objective of populating this planet through the advancement of their agricultural technology has been fully vetted by the Algorithm. A delicate balance of both the subject species population growth and technological impairment must be maintained to provide us with a maximum population increase over time without their posing a technological threat upon our return. As has been well established, any intelligent organism, provided with the efficiencies of agriculture, will have the time and the incentive to develop and accumulate technology. A hunting-gathering society, on the other hand, has the time but not necessarily the incentive or means to do the same.
If we merely provide the carnate with a wholesome, reliable, and nutrient rich source of food to generate the population numbers we need, the Algorithm has calculated that they will reach a technological advancement comparable to ours within a period of approximately five thousand years. We will be absent from this planet well beyond this time as the Union schedule demands. There is every indicator that we would return to a superior society technologically capable of defending itself. This would obviously be counterproductive. We are therefore compelled to include various progressive deleterious effects to our agricultural product introduction. These qualities are designed to obstruct health and productivity in their post-harvest years.
If we merely provide the carnate with a wholesome, reliable, and nutrient rich source of food to generate the population numbers we need, the Algorithm has calculated that they will reach a technological advancement comparable to ours within a period of approximately five thousand years. We will be absent from this planet well beyond this time as the Union schedule demands. There is every indicator that we would return to a superior society technologically capable of defending itself. This would obviously be counterproductive. We are therefore compelled to include various progressive deleterious effects to our agricultural product introduction. These qualities are designed to obstruct health and productivity in their post-harvest years.
Our goal is that they be reasonably healthy and of proper carcass mass index during harvest age, without being advanced enough to defend themselves against us. Our return to this planet is scheduled for nine years, eight months, our time. Allowing for Accelerated Gravitational Time Dilation, we will return in approximately twelve thousand, eight hundred and ninety-three years planet time. We have the charter to proceed as necessary to generate a viable product. We must be aggressive. Let’s just say, any enemies we make now, won't be around to trouble us later.
General Reaction:
Laughter, Agreement, scale 6.5 out of 10
Laughter, Agreement, scale 6.5 out of 10
Synster:
Prior experience has shown that it is imprudent to rely on a single mechanism to achieve our ends, and we are best rewarded by implementing multiple strategies. We are fortunate in regard to this planet as we have a grass that grows throughout a great variety of regions that is highly receptive to genetic modification. We can amend its qualities to suit our needs. This enables us to implement not a single, but a multi-pronged approach with this one species to achieve our goals. There is other vegetation that offers potential, and will also be made available for agricultural development. But it is only this one grass that produces a grain, largely poisonous, and unpalatable to the carnate population, which we will modify to enhance its beneficial properties for the purposes of achieving production goals.
This grain, Yngorn, a subgroup of the broader wheat group, and named after the Provenger that discovered it, is currently of minor use to the subject species population, particularly in its non-germinated form, due to a great variety of deleterious effects it inflicts on carnate physiology. When these populations do find it in quantities that allow for its collection, they are only able to make use of its limited nourishment through soaking it long enough to sprout or have it ferment. In its un-sprouted grain form, it is hard on their teeth, dry in their mouths and almost void of flavor. It requires significant effort to access and collect, and considerable processing to be consumed. It is the last thing the subject species would perceive as food.
This grain, Yngorn, a subgroup of the broader wheat group, and named after the Provenger that discovered it, is currently of minor use to the subject species population, particularly in its non-germinated form, due to a great variety of deleterious effects it inflicts on carnate physiology. When these populations do find it in quantities that allow for its collection, they are only able to make use of its limited nourishment through soaking it long enough to sprout or have it ferment. In its un-sprouted grain form, it is hard on their teeth, dry in their mouths and almost void of flavor. It requires significant effort to access and collect, and considerable processing to be consumed. It is the last thing the subject species would perceive as food.
Despite these efforts, it is still detrimental as food, as it is small and course, imbued with toxins and proteins damaging to their digestive systems, and relatively deficient in nutrients even when processed. We will introduce strains that will eliminate the high degree of these negative aspects. The resulting plant will retain certain elements of its poisonous characteristics. These effects are by design. They bring us numerous benefits to help meet our goals. These benefits involve the deterioration of subject species health at a measured rate, with the majority of degenerative effects occurring after the subject species’ reproductive and harvest age. This will reduce individuals’ contributions to their society later in life when they are most knowledgeable and experienced, ensuring slow technological progress while simultaneously maintaining the level of civilization necessary for perpetuated population growth. We can count on this grain to provide general nutrient scarcity, impaired nutrient absorption, innate and adaptive immune system responses, and addictive tendencies.
PAUSE
PAUSE
Let me elaborate...
*******************************
“Where’s the rest of it?” Vwannan asked.
“You’ll have to link to the appendix. The rest is there, in its entirety. I explain all of the deleterious effects in detail,” Synster replied quickly, eager for her input. “It’s quite thorough and…”
“Please stop. I can’t go on right now,” Vwannan said impatiently. “You are the herald of recombinant coma!”
“Please stop. I can’t go on right now,” Vwannan said impatiently. “You are the herald of recombinant coma!”
“I try to give complete information.”
“I’ll read the rest later when I’m trying to fall asleep. Why don’t you just say that they’ll tolerate it until they don’t tolerate it anymore? Then they’ll get sick and die early, like we want them to.”
“I’ll read the rest later when I’m trying to fall asleep. Why don’t you just say that they’ll tolerate it until they don’t tolerate it anymore? Then they’ll get sick and die early, like we want them to.”
“I said that eventually, in so many words.”
“In too many words. Because this would have put me to sleep. You really need to engage your audience more,” Vwannan continued.
“In too many words. Because this would have put me to sleep. You really need to engage your audience more,” Vwannan continued.
“Well, it was a vote on the issues. That’s all. It wasn’t like we needed to discuss anything. We had a question and answer period,” Synster explained.
“Sure, for those who were still awake,” Vwannan criticized.
“Sure, for those who were still awake,” Vwannan criticized.
“I had very little time to prepare. I had to make the decision about elimination of the moon. But they accepted my judgment. It is best this way, less wasted time, lower costs. I chose not to mention that the Algorithm predicted the removal was likely to cause various immediate but temporary extreme weather issues, possible minor earthquakes, and a polar ice sheet to break in half, flooding, extended global cooling and a drying period of the atmosphere for many centuries after the fact!” Synster sucked in a deep breath after his long and significant list as he rolled his eyes at the magnitude of it all.
“But I wasn’t required to divulge this, and no one asked. Besides, they are mostly fools on that committee. If I bring something new to the Project, it is their job to ask. It’s my job to make things work, to act, to get the job done. That’s why the charter is written as it is. I will not be delayed. Delay is right next to failure on these projects, and that is one of my main responsibilities.” Three days to the Contact Protocol, he was getting impatient; he had much work to do. “Do you think everything looks right?”
“But I wasn’t required to divulge this, and no one asked. Besides, they are mostly fools on that committee. If I bring something new to the Project, it is their job to ask. It’s my job to make things work, to act, to get the job done. That’s why the charter is written as it is. I will not be delayed. Delay is right next to failure on these projects, and that is one of my main responsibilities.” Three days to the Contact Protocol, he was getting impatient; he had much work to do. “Do you think everything looks right?”
“I’m unsure.” She moved to take a step and after almost a century of marriage, he knew pacing meant she was about to get critical. “I think the deleterious effects are too aggressive, and this new spectral energy reading we have yet to fully qualify is disconcerting.”
Streyn arrived at his office cloak and entered. He immediately saw that Vwannan was in the room and extended his greeting. “Peace between us,” he said while moving toward her. She walked in front of him and as he leaned forward, extended her palms where he momentarily laid his right cheek, in the standard formal greeting of a married woman of her rank in the presence of her husband.
Streyn arrived at his office cloak and entered. He immediately saw that Vwannan was in the room and extended his greeting. “Peace between us,” he said while moving toward her. She walked in front of him and as he leaned forward, extended her palms where he momentarily laid his right cheek, in the standard formal greeting of a married woman of her rank in the presence of her husband.
Streyn looked up as her hands retracted and she stepped back. “Ryvil was the one who moved up the meeting. Claimed he had a scheduling conflict and convinced the Project Minister that we already knew all the issues, so there was no reason to delay.”
“Did you check to see if he really had a conflict?” Synster asked.
“Did you check to see if he really had a conflict?” Synster asked.
“Yes, he did,” Streyn replied.
“He’s participating in preparations for the Contact. I hope he doesn’t have any more scheduling conflicts. Is there anything else?”
“He’s participating in preparations for the Contact. I hope he doesn’t have any more scheduling conflicts. Is there anything else?”
“No Synster.”
“Leave.” Synster responded.
“Leave.” Synster responded.
Streyn did so quickly. Vwannan always made him nervous.
Looking at Vwannan, Synster inquired, “Please explain.”
Looking at Vwannan, Synster inquired, “Please explain.”
“The deleterious effects are too greedy.” Vwannan resumed her pacing. “You’re trying to get everything you want with maximum efficiency. We know, regardless of what the Algorithm says, nature has its secrets. It has its ways of making this more difficult, or more efficient. It operates on its own agenda and circumvents our motives in ways that we cannot see. It is mystery. Providing a grain that gives them easy energy should be enough. We should determine another way to slow their technological growth. You don’t have to leave in proteins that force their genetics to express themselves in grotesque ways.
“For instance we could use the lead poisoning option. The deleterious effects are very nearly the same. The lead substitutes itself for vital minerals and creates aberrant genetic expression and immune system problems, almost exactly like the symptoms of wheat phytates sequestering minerals. We can easily put the end product through the biofilter before marketing, and it’s something they are likely to discover and correct for themselves just prior to our arrival, assuming their technology is properly tuned.”
“For instance we could use the lead poisoning option. The deleterious effects are very nearly the same. The lead substitutes itself for vital minerals and creates aberrant genetic expression and immune system problems, almost exactly like the symptoms of wheat phytates sequestering minerals. We can easily put the end product through the biofilter before marketing, and it’s something they are likely to discover and correct for themselves just prior to our arrival, assuming their technology is properly tuned.”
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