We Are Legion (We Are Bob)

Book 3: Chapter 42: Results Negative

Book 3: Chapter 42: Results Negative

Bill

February 2228

82 Eridani

I’d received a report from Mack, so I popped into his VR to discuss it.

“Hey, Bill. Pull up a rock.” Mack waved a hand at a very comfortable-looking overstuffed easy chair, and I took the invitation.

“I read your report, Mack. Not very encouraging.”

“Nor could he have hauled all those busters, missiles, and roamers all the way from Alpha Centauri.” I stared into space, considering. “Mind you, he couldn’t have brought them in from a nearby system, either, at least not in one trip.”

Mack sighed and sat back in his chair. He looked up at the ceiling, not speaking, for almost a half-second. “On the other hand, I could be invoking imaginary dangers, here. We are completely in the dark on this one.”

“You’re up to strength, now, right?”

“More or less.” Mack waved a hand dismissively. “We’ve got printers, we’ve got resources, I’m building a new cohort, I have busters to spare... But it looks like I’m going to have to mobilize a system-wide defense.”

“There’s a lot of that going around, these days, Mack. Look, once you have your cohort up and running, start on more surveillance drones. Give them both long-range and focused scanning capability. I know the chance of hitting something at random with a focused scan is low, but it’s not zero.”

Mack nodded. I stood, gave him a wave, and popped out.

Between the Others and Medeiros, life was just way too interesting.