Primal Estate: The Candidate Species Read Online Free Page B

Union. They demand an organic product.”
“Still, the wheat grain should be cleared of these effects, much as the rice candidate is. I don’t believe the Algorithm can account for all the factors involved. You have added uncertainty, not efficiency. I don’t think they will ever reach a level of advancement that could threaten our eventual harvest.”

“But the Algorithm suggested these effects, it was not my decision.” Synster responded, looking at her and waiting. “And the unexplained energy readings, the spectral scan? What is your opinion there?”
Vwannan suddenly became thoughtful. “We really have no idea what these energy readings are. We’ve never seen them in living beings and that alone brings me caution. We have known ferocity in beings from other systems but never seen an energy reading for it. In my reasoning then, ferocity can only be associated with it, but is not its source.” She stopped her pacing, moved toward him looking more serious and lowered her tone. “We do not see all that it entails. The reading’s root source may be from something very different. We have reason to believe that there are other traits that this energy influences. The spectral reading is foreign to us.” Vwannan glared at him for a moment. “Synster, we have the Algorithm. Nothing is foreign to us. Doesn’t that concern you?”

“It does.”
“It should,” Vwannan insisted. “Of all the life forms we’ve encountered, this is the only planet where the spectral readings exist. There’s got to be something important we’re missing.”

“I agree,” replied Synster, “but until we figure it out, we need to move forward.”
“On top of all this, you are going to remove a moon from a planet. Certainly we’ve done this before but never with a living planet.”

“I’ve looked at all variables through the Algorithm and relatively little life will be destroyed. And that which would be is not in any area critical to our objec...”
“You are killing the moon of a living planet! What if life important to our requirements uses this moon for something… biological cycles, navigation, anything?” Vwannan raised her voice at him. “What if the spectral scan readings have a relationship to this moon?”

“There is no other option,” Synster could tell that her opinion was final but knew he could not change what had already been presented. “The plan has been approved. You know that.”
“And why didn’t you tell me the cloak on the front threshold wasn’t working? I couldn’t tell from the inside and I’ve been home all day with pedestrians walking by. We can’t let Provenger think we’ve opened our home to anyone who would like to wander in.”

“I meant to but I got distracted with Beyn. Vwannan, I need to go through with this plan. It’s a matter of protocol. The issues that have been decided cannot be changed.”

The project proceeded as planned with great hope through the Provenger Nation that their harvest would prove productive and profitable. Once the ground teams were established as gods among the carnate, the Provenger ship began its phase sequence to depart. As Provenger time incrementally slowed due to accelerated gravitational time dilation, time on the planet surface began to speed by.
After decades had passed on the planet and only minutes onboard ship, there were some problems on the planet surface. This was to be expected. The Provenger made their agricultural introductions in numerous locations, knowing that some could fail. But this particular failure was very unusual.

One location was lost due to a rebellion of the carnate. This possibility had not been anticipated by the Algorithm. It led to significant apprehension among the Provenger. At the expense of much energy and at great individual risk, a rescue team was sent. Nothing could be done to save the ground team, and there were no survivors. All was lost.
In the confusion that followed, all Provenger technology that had been