Trouble in Paradise
Moving to a new planet is hard work
Kepler-186f turned out to be nearly identical to Earth: blue oceans, vast meadows, mountain ranges capped with snow. The planet was pristine because it lacked self-aware beings like those that just arrived.
A generation ship settled onto the ground, creating a giant crater. Settlers disembarked, excited and full of ideas. They soon forgot the destroyed home world that they left behind.
The flora was recognizable and fauna consisted of creatures very similar to the animals, birds and insects of Earth. It was not all paradise, however. Soon the industrious colonists encountered a dogged pest: wasp-like creatures that nested in the foliage. Their stings were painful, and there was nothing that could be done to eradicate them. As a result the insects impeded new construction.
Dr. Crick had been studying them. “I noticed the wasps sting anywhere on the body,” he informed the small crowd of community leaders. “Except here.” He raised his left arm and slid down the shirt sleeve to display his elbow. A large bandage covered its peak. “I developed a natural pesticide,” he said. With his free hand he lifted a heavy-gauge syringe filled with yellowish fluid.
“Elbow grease?” asked an engineer.
“It’s a little painful to extract,” Dr. Crick continued. “But if we collect 100 cc’s from everyone we should have enough to wipe them out.”
“What about the ecosystem?” asked the team’s environmentalist. “We don’t know what impact that will have.”
“We’ll deal with that later,” interrupted the mayor. “Progress comes first.”
Thanks to Bill Adler for the Centina Pentina prompt Elbow Grease.
