An Exercise in Science

"I've told you over and over, retarded fool, if we can't have the microceratus to breed properly on Graniva, we won't be able to properly feed the colonists!"

"Of course we can! All we need to do is let them reproduce normally until the third year, then we give them the hormone growth and BAM! A never-ending supply of meat for us!"

"Nonsense I say! Do you know how expensive one gallon of hormone growth for livestock is? Unless you want to change the animals we're about to transport..."

"Alright, that's enough you idiots! Didn't y'all hear what Professor Tuli announced on television? Graniva is a savanna world! The most suitable livestock are gallimimus and protoceratops, while microceratus herds are optional if not unnecessary. Got it memorized, boys?! Good, now get back to work!"

Farrell wiped his head, regretting his decision to bring with him two amateur assistants for his daily duties at the Institute. He should've picked more competent people rather than those two. There were not many people walking around in the building at a time like 7 in the morning, but still, the two's arguing could potentially draw in unwanted attention.

His hotheaded assistants, Varn and Brom, once again disrupted their mentor's concentration on his job. Truly, colony arrangement had been discussed seriously and fastidiously by all who pitched their hands on it, yet something always had to disrupt whatever plans they've meticulously crafted. Just recently, Farrell's impulsive assistants broke the morning serenity by arguing on whose opinion was correct. Now he ought to remind them what their job was supposed to be.

It was pretty much his morning daily routine.

"I say we import the dryosaurs to the colony, easier to breed and don't require us to feed them too often. Screw the microceratus, their meat is kind of tough to cook."

"Tell that to the servicemen. They love tough meat."

"I'm serious here! They can complain all they want about dryosaurus being like 'chickens' or whatever the hell humans called them little birds."

Varn and Brom were different from what he'd been promised many years ago. His Institute advisor told him in colorful words how the two young Indoraptors could present new insights in his line of work. What he had in his hands was far from the idealized promises the lady advisor claimed. Untidy work desks, disregard of the Institute's codes of conduct, nearly unreadable paperwork, and most annoying of all the unhealthy habit of bringing up loud arguments in the morning.

While those two were busy elsewhere, Farrell took a chance to slip out his PDA and type a message to his wife and son back home.

Dear Anna and Raizex,

My apologies for not being able to go home after four years of busy work. Working as a scientist in this Godforsaken Institute turns out to be far harder than I originally thought. My assistants here turned out to be featherbrained kids who constantly bicker with one another. Because of that, my job probably won't be done until many years later, and that's if I'm lucky. Again, I'm very sorry for the delays, but with work partners like these…

Tell Raizex I say hi, OK?

Yours truly, Dad.

As soon as he hit send, a new message appeared on the PDA. Farrell carefully read all the information in it; an invitation to serve at the Union's first colony planet, including a spaceship's name, ISV Illustrious, before bringing Varn and Brom up to speed.

"Boys, listen up!"

"What is it, sir?" Both of the hotheads paid attention.

"I should probably outline our primary schedules once we embark on our new assignment at the end of the summer season. I just got crucial info here, directed specifically for us hydroponics builders."

"One, our journey will likely take up to seventeen days before we set foot on Graniva, so use that time wisely to prepare yourself. By the time we land on the colony world, we are to head straight to a predesigned hydro farm to begin our work. Accommodations are already taken care of; we won't have to sleep in the open. Remember to keep your hands, workspace, and tools clean."

Varn and Brom glanced at each other while nodding.

"Two, we are to focus on planting necessary vegetables and fruits, no need to focus on livestock yet. Once the colony's head of administration gives the green light, we can start importing the selected cattle species from Earth. Be sure to have the stables set up by then."

"Three, be sure to judiciously ration the crops. While I know that the frontier colonists would have more than enough food supply to last them for one Earth year, I'd rather not taking chances with possible food shortages. Do not play around with this, or I'll make sure both the Prime Minister and the Institute ban you two from leaving Earth forever!"

At this threat, Varn and Brom nodded their heads quickly.

"Seventeen days, sir?"

"Yes. Be glad we aren't living in the 1150s. Back then, we'd be in space for thirty months. Nowadays, it's only seventeen days of travel before our destination is in sight."

Baring his fangs slightly, Farrell went back at his PDA, "Fourth and final, in the event of a first-contact scenario with an alien civilization, do not under any circumstances share the crops with any of the aliens, unless the Union Ministers and Admiralty Board give the permission. As far as our top biologists could determine, our cuisine might as well be poisonous for aliens, so refrain yourselves from going around offering our food to them."

"Understood, sir. We won't disappoint you," came the unison reply from the two Indoraptors.

"Good. Now get back to work, you two. That problem with your microceratus can come later."

As soon as the two assistants scuttled away, Farrell breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, the following peace would not be disturbed by another round of shouting.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Are there any more proposals to assess? Any other broadcasts I forgot to hear, or appointments to list?"

"No sir, that'll be all."

Nighttime was approaching fast, or so the disgruntled scientist thought. In five hours or less, late-night curfew hours would be active, and unless he had a dire need of emergency, the Union's soldiers would march him back home. No time to visit a good restaurant, then. The dreaded paperwork duty was waiting for him down his office, making Farrell sweat in anxiety.

Unfortunately, his advisor's high-pitched voice did nothing to ease the worry.

"Good. Go help the other guy collect his paperwork. He might've abandoned his memos in his office again."

"Affirmative. Have a nice day, sir!"

Farrell growled in discontent as he watched the female advisor strutted away suggestively. Holding back a desire to slap her with his tail, the scientist tapped his feet claws impatiently until the lady disappeared from view. He swore under his breath that he'd replace her with a more sensible advisor.

Stillness settled in the building as Farrell made his way into his office. He could possibly be the last employee left in the building.

The office was dimly lit when he entered it. At least night curfew hadn't started yet, therefore allowing him to turn on some lights. Farrell removed his work mantle and set it on the guest chair opposite of his own before sitting down. Getting himself comfortable, he flexed his paws as he set his gaze to the topmost document on the table; a summarized report from the Institute's Master on Graniva's colony growth. He reached it and gently unveiled the document.

"Let's see... Graniva's infrastructure development is well over 45 percent. Added with hydroponics, a frontier clinic, a working school district, and a power plant, and it'll be 55 or 63 percent, ready for large-scale urbanization. If the Master is correct, a total of 6712 Indoraptors are planning to migrate to this colony two months from now, further bolstering its population number."

The document didn't speak further in the next chapters, only a series of quick explanation for his future schedules on the planet.

Satisfied, he put it away before opening a new document.

"Shangri is still under 30 percent. Growth time is estimated to be seven to nine years before large-scale expansion could be done... still haven't built its own hydro farm... if I have the correct phone number, I'll have the R&D department make a report on the matter. Colonists still reliant on immigrant workers... might not survive for long without immediate intervention..."

Why did they choose an alpine planet to colonize if they couldn't even create a self-sustaining environment for themselves, he tiredly mused. What the astronomers told the public was that Shangri contained a large number of precious minerals like titanium, vanadium, and iron. They didn't say about the cold garden planet being a feasible spot for colonization. Yet foolhardy adventurers still volunteered to be the first to settle the snowy world hoping that they could terraform it somehow.

Unless the colony's Overseer requested swift assistance from the Prime Minister or the Admiralty Board, nothing could be done to accelerate the colony's progress. The scientist heaved a sigh.

Farrell chose to forget the report as he opened another document.

"Lemuria seems good, almost approaching 69 percent, with basic farms, basic power plants and mining networks gathering resources in large amounts. Colonists were willing to reproduce in large numbers... Urbanization should begin in six months or less. Once my schedule on Graniva is finished, preferably under four years, perhaps I can take Varn and Brom to Lemuria's mega farms, or build stables to breed bucardos and maiasaura. I better make a request to the Master..."

A tropical planet, Lemuria soon captivated the attention of the masses as the Union's space satellites captured more pictures of it. The planet's location might be quite far, but it didn't discourage people from trying to claim it, even the Prime Minister and the Chiefs gave them approval on that. This time, the hard work and long journey paid off; the planet was more fertile in many ways than Earth, allowing the dinosaurs to build and upgrade their public utilities more quickly. Since Indoraptors were already tuned to tropical and sub-tropical climates, it required only a few more years before Lemuria transformed into the beacon of the Union's future.

Surprisingly for the Union, the planet's biosphere was perfect for most of Earth's creatures. It was deemed safe to transport some of the Earth's most valuable livestock for the colonists to raise. There was also petition to have endangered species be relocated to Lemuria for safekeeping, lest they went extinct due to habitation conflicts.

The last report was enveloped in a bright red cover. Farrell froze his paws; in Indoraptor culture, if a person in power was sent a letter or report in red color, it indicated something highly important or confidential that the recipient must know immediately. What had happened that the Institute's Master's consideration was expected?

The answer unveiled itself in a series of detailed satellite pictures and bundles of papers.

"On the other hand, Shrike seems to be... hold on, is this report true? Am I reading... I don't understand... What is this news? 'Titanic life forms detected living on the vast continents of Shrike'... Could this be real? Umm... Regardless, colony establishment was going well, approaching 40 percent and still growing. No direct hazard to colony expansion despite the abundance of colossal entities on the planet. A dozen or so scientists, with permission from the Prime Minister, attempted to safely study the massive creatures to advance our scientific studies. Hmm, are they extending an open invitation to zoologists and environmental analysts? Pardon me, but my expertise is in farming and caring for livestock. I'm not a zoologist, so my aid here will be very limited."

For hundreds of years, the concept of colossal life forms bigger than the dinosaurs lay in science fiction territory, including the fairytales Farrell once read to his son Raizex. Sea creatures that biologists and paleontologists claimed to grow larger than dinosaurs were still bound by physical laws to some extent. But currently, they had proof of existence about massive biological creatures they once considered mythical. And they existed far away from their home planet...

A glance at the clock on his wall indicated that he had some three more hours until curfew. Might as well use the spare time to finish work, he tiredly mused.

-x-x-x-x-x-

EXTRACTING CODEX...

Planet Name: Graniva

Location: Ulysses system (10.1 light-years from Sol)

Primary Biomes: Savanna plains, sub-tropical grasslands, cold deciduous forests, tropical archipelagos

Rotation Time: 32 hours per day

Overview:

A semi-arid planet with vast open plains and grasslands on its surface, Graniva was the first habitable planet ever discovered by the Union's astronomers after 100 years of observing the stars with their telescopes.

While vegetation is irregularly common, the closer to the planetary poles, the denser the planet's forests would be. Precipitation lasted only during the world's four months of cold/wet seasons and vanished almost completely when the dry seasons rolled in. While the planet's crusts are rich in minerals, none of the minerals were deemed highly prized by the Union's geologists. Its topsoil, on the other hand, was fertile for agriculture.

-x-x-x-x-x-

EXTRACTING CODEX...

Planet Name: Shangri

Location: Wuxing system (12.6 light-years from Sol)

Primary Biomes: Alpine forests, snowy mountain regions, sub-tropical marshlands, giant mushroom forests

Rotation Time: 28.4 hours per day

Overview:

Originating from a forgotten human myth about a paradise-in-the-mountain called 'Shangri-La', the colony world Shangri was named as such due to its mainly cold and temperate surface, dotted with long mountain ranges with forests interspersed on them.

Its discovery was said to be accidental, with novice astronomers allegedly reporting a mysterious planet while surveying white dwarf stars. Four years to the future and Shangri was acknowledged as a real planet.

Despite the planet's capability of supporting complex life, colonists reported having difficulties in growing Earth crops on the ground, necessitating the need for hydroponic farms. This was very likely to be caused by the planet's lower-than-average exposure to UV light. Mining drones deployed on strategic places has gathered a substantial amount of rare metals and minerals, boosting interest in developing a full-fledged mining network on Shangri, as well as smelting factories.

-x-x-x-x-x-

EXTRACTING CODEX...

Planet Name: Lemuria

Location: Mu system (20 light-years from Sol)

Primary Biomes: Tropical rainforests, swamplands, temperate forests, arid grasslands

Rotation Time: 26 hours per day

Overview:

A tropical paradise believed to be a treasure-trove planet, Lemuria gathered massive public interest after planetary surveys sponsored by the Union Ministers revealed the existence of an ultra-fertile planet populated by untold numbers of organisms. Plans for colonization were swiftly approved in an attempt to claim it before anyone else could, and thousands upon thousands of colonists were given thorough demonstrations on how to efficiently establish a solid foothold once they landed on Lemuria.

The name itself came from a long-debunked human urban legend of a lost continent that was swallowed by the sea. Of course, there were many other stories of places that sank beneath the waves such as Atlantis, but since Lemuria was a lesser-known name, the astronomers voted to use it instead of Atlantis.

The vast forests on the surface gave rise to a wide array of organisms, both docile and dangerous, many of which were speculated to be 90 percent compatible with Indoraptors' digestive system. Its fertile grounds were the subject of the proposed mega-hydroponic farms, which were estimated to be able to feed its colonists and other planets' colonists for over a century. The Union's geologists highly anticipated the chance of discovering rare minerals from beneath Lemuria's tectonic crusts.

-x-x-x-x-x-

EXTRACTING CODEX...

Planet Name: Shrike

Location: Nabradia system (15.8 light-years from Sol)

Primary Biomes: Arid mountain ranges, tropical rainforests, tundra plains, savanna plains, desert wastelands

Rotation Time: 37.5 hours per day

Overview:

Unlike other colony planets, virtually little was known about Shrike other than its lower gravity (0.94 G as opposed to Earth's perfect 1 G) and large size (thrice larger than Earth), allowing the so-called 'titanic life forms' to roam the continental world.

The colony was largely ignored by the monstrosities, letting it to grow unhindered, although there were worries of the monsters suddenly turning hostile on the Indoraptor colonists.

The soil was less fertile than that of Lemuria or Graniva, but still good enough to grow Earth flora. The vast oceans also provided a source of energy for the colonists' makeshift water generator. Its mineral substances, however, appeared dissimilar to the ones known to the Union, and more proposals were forwarded to bring in more explorers to try and crack the secret of Shrike.