“Warm-bloods are notoriously short-lived,” interrupted Horc. “How will they survive the flight back to the colony ship?”
“This particular species is highly prolific,” answered Zome. “They should be able to produce new generations while on board the transport ship to replace those that die.”
“If they are so potentially effective,” interjected Zur, “why have they been unable to eliminate the Leapers on this planet?”
“The natural enemy for this species, a carnivorous plant, also abounds on this planet. It claims such a high percentage of the species’ population that only its high reproductive rate has allowed the species to survive at all. For this particular planet, we would raise a high population in the colony ships to offset the normal mortality rate. Then, including the carnivorous plants on the target list along with the adult Leapers, we would dump them back here to deal with the eggs. By the time the plants reestablished themselves from seeds, the warm-bloods’ work should be done.”
“What do they eat besides Leaper eggs?” asked Horc. “What would we feed them in transit, or on the colony ships for that matter?”
“We have induced them to accept a chemical substitute in the lab, one which we can easily produce, even on board ship. I should note that we were careful to test one thing. They will not eat Tzen eggs:”
“How hard are they to catch?” Zur inquired. “What will be involved in obtaining a breeding stock to take back with us?”
“There is a particular chirp they emit when ready to breed, a chirp they use to attract a mate. It is possible to reproduce this sound mechanically, and properly amplified by the Technicians, it should be easy to draw them to our fortification for capture and transport.