The large preliminary Reformation dome was constructed over what Ecologist Rovenery Mordmann considered to be a suitable site for an ecological jumpstart. When both human and `Dini airborne investigations returned from the borders of the continental mass, he could be heard bewailing the fact that no lifeforms, not so much as ground-burrowing insects, beetles or worms, however insignificant, could be found. His wails took on the form of constant cursings of the Hivers for the murder of this world.
`All right, so the land’s dead, but what about the seas?’ Captain Soligen asked during an evening session which had consisted of too many Mordmann dirges and nothing of a positive nature whatsoever.
`The seas?’ Mordmann regarded her with utter astonishment. `It’s the land that the Hivers infest, ma am.
`And it’s the seas they never bother with,’ Zara reminded him.
`Nor any water. We’re drinking river water although there’s a rather noxious sulphuric aftertaste `The seas – – . the waters ` Without a single backward glance at the meeting he was precipitously leaving, Mordmann departed and very shortly all heard an airsled taking off `I kept trying to tell him,’ the xeno, Yakamasura, said sorrowfully, `but he said it was the land that mattered.’ `It is so possible to miss the obvious,’ Flavia said soothingly.
Hope for the revivification of Talavera improved considerably when it was found that the waters – seas, rivers, lakes, streams – were by no means as ecologically reduced as the land, though poor in quantity and quality. Mordmann pronounced that the planet’s balance could be restored and they would immediately initiate several combinations that might suit. Whatever creatures had lived here before had had different requirements for there were significant basic elements lacking in the soil: chitin, selenium, most of the rare earths, and a paucity of calcium, though quantities of that would have been available from sea creatures. Lack of chitin alone would have been a problem for Hivers since the captive queen ate substances rich with that compound.
Mordmann delayed departure from Talavera as long as he could, to be sure at least one of the – domes showed some signs that seeds were prospering in the revived soil.
`One undeniable fact we have learned,’ Mordmann said at his most pontifical as his group settled into the shuttle, carrying them back to the ship.
`And what is that?’ Captain Vestapia asked, knowing what she might be letting them all in for.
`That the Hiver policy of fumigation of all lifeforms -from the planets they wish to colonize often results in more short-term benefits than they anticipate. I suspect they lose half the planets they find to just such a pyrrhic programme.’ Then, looking excessively pleased with himself he folded his hands on his incipient paunch and said nothing more on the short voyage back to the
Columbia.
The installations on the second former colony, Marengo, were more numerous, extending in all directions towards the mountain ranges. The fields had been assiduously cultivated for a substantial number of decades. Analysis of the dirt once again showed the lack of certain rare earths, minerals: chitin, Vitamin A and E, most of the rare earths and selenium, although sulphur was present in quantity. Whatever indigenous lifeforms had lived on Marengo had disappeared without trace, though its vegetation, lush and vigorous on the highlands the Hivers had not yet tamed, suggested that perhaps no land creatures had as yet evolved in this almost pleistocene era.
Rhodri reported to Captain Soligen that the Mrdini ship was unlikely tamely to follow the rest of the squadron to the next M-5.
`There’s a Hive ship orbiting Waterloo and I shan’t want it attacking ours,’ Vestapia said, frowning.
`Ma’am?’ and when she gestured for Flavia to continue, `I think we might be able to pull the same trick here as we did with Xh-33.’ `Trick? Blow the orbiting ship up?’ The captain snorted.
`No, steal it,’ Flavia said. `We don’t, of course, know if the ship is occupied. The one at Xh-33 certainly wasn’t. If it is, we can also use Hiver tactics and gas the maintenance crew.
`As I remember the report,’ Vestapia said in what Rhodri now privately termed her `captain’s tone’, `the gas was so corrosive, it took the entire voyage back to Phobos Moon Base to clear the stuff.’ `There are other gases available `You know that Kimi’s out for Hiver blood -` `What would be on the ship would be the specialist types, maintaining cables and conduits and such like.