Morning all I hope you have had a splendid week. We had some illness in the house but thankfully everyone tested negative for covid and it was just the winter whiplash weather causing head colds. While not fun and the cause of mass tissue purchasing, it is much better than the alternative. So let’s blow the nose and set the timers for fifteen minutes and see what the brain is capable of creating.
Not quite where I thought this would go.I like the possibilities. A place dependent on expensive fuel deliveries suddenly finding a home grown alternative is ripe for economic jenga. Especially if they have to make the fuel to keep from being overrun by the critters. Could be fun to play with.
Friday, February 21st: How can you tell?
“How can you tell?” Luke peered into the basket. If there was a difference between any of the small things in the basket, he couldn’t tell. They were each about the size of a rice grain although slightly plumper and rounded as well as blue.
‘Rice also doesn’t wiggle like that.’ Despite the wiggle and the size, the shape of him made him think less of rice and other food items. In fact he only thought rice because he was given that as a measurement when he entered. He frowned, thinking the size was about right but that there really out to be some sort of non-food related size comparison they could make so that when he next ate rice he wouldn’t be thinking of this small basket of wiggly bits.
“We put them under a microscope,” Dr. Hanson replied. And then we analyzed their chemical make up separately.
Luke tried to picture the doctor drawing a blood sample from the tiny little wiggly things.He couldn’;t imagine it.
“How?” He asked.
The doctor flushed and looked down at his clipboard. “We but some in a blender,” he admitted.
“Oh,” Luke replied. “Blue rice maggot smoothie,” he said. When the doctor looked at him he realized he said it out loud. “Sorry.” He apologized.
The doctor cleared his throat but Luke saw one of the younger researchers smirk. He winked at the man and turned back to the doctor in charge. “I suppose one could say that,” Dr. Hanson replied. “However in looking at a larger sample we were able to analyze the compounds more accurately.”
“Of course,” Luke said. He kept all further thoughts about smoothies and rice to himself. “And you think this will work?”
“I do,” Hanson replied. “We can easily separate out the chemical we need. These insects, or insect like things may be exactly what we need.”
“Good thing too,” Luke said. “Because they are causing an unholy mess above. The breed fast and they cause problems. Clogging pipes and over running systems. If they can be put to use it will at least be something. If they solve an actual problem even better. I was told you had a system set up?”
Luke listened to the doctor outline his plan. It was simple when they got down to it. It was, when Luke thought about it nothing more than scooping up larger amounts of the small blue bugs and putting them into what amounted to a giant blender. He glanced to the basket and saw the level rose substantiallt in the time they were talking. The amount of the things nearly doubled.
That was of course the problem. They were everywhere and they were replicating so fast as to be out of control. If they could turn the things into fuel it would be not only useful out here on the far edge of settled space but it would keep their numbers in check.
‘If it bails us out and manages to keep us from having to import as much fuel in the future I will compose a ballad to the things,’ he decided. While his singing was off key long stretches in the middle of nowhere made him quite handy with a harmonica. But odes could come later, for now, they had a giant smoothie to blend.
Ten til Midnight 