What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2018-12-31

The safest route would be total biological isolation. No terran life gets near your planet. Robots built in sterile facilities only.

Suppose I wanted to send something, like a copy of my amazing adventures among the humans, to an eager audience back home?

Radio.

My kind doesn't have radio yet. I was thinking along the lines of a memory stick. And a player for the memory stick to go in. And a comfy couch surrounded by a spaceship for them to watch it on.

Color by George Peterson

What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2019-01-02

My question is this. If I were to send this ship back home, would a thousand years in the cold vacuum of space be enough to disinfect it?

Nothing multicellular would survive. Why would you want to lose this ship?

Here's what I was looking at before you came in.

Basic accounting.

It turns out you CAN be a dashing rogue space captain hauling cargo around the solar system, as long as you don't mind losing money every trip.

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What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2019-01-04

I didn't know you read books like this.

Normally, I don't. Mine is a life of adventure, doing great deeds and acquiring great stuff!

A whole planet is being planned for my species. I need to know how to keep track of things. Nothing more, nothing less.

My feet walk the steps of the hero's journey. No one takes that path with the goal of becoming an accountant.

Color by George Peterson

What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2019-01-07

In my opinion, it would be too dangerous. Spores could survive the trip. Why would you want to send this ship to your home planet anyway?

Florence talks about redundancy. People change. A new planet for my people might never come to pass. If things go wrong, this could be the technology that gets my people into space.

And if things go right, the robots will show you in the best possible light. You may also look very different by the time you officially contact my species. I want lots of videos to show the sqids that at one point, you were just as human we are.

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What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2019-01-09

If a thousand years isn't enough, how long can Earth bacteria live without food or air?

Bacillus strain 2-9-3 was trapped in salt for 250 million years. Once it had air and nutrients, it started growing again.

250 million years?!

Afraid so.

There are times when I'm not sure if the planet you came from is real or something from a horror story.

Color by George Peterson

What not to do while terraforming
[!0.987]2019-01-11

Thanks. You've given me a lot to think about.

Terrans live with effectively immortal pathogens that get everywhere and could take out my entire planet. That's one heck of an anti-theft mechanism.

Which means getting the stuff I steal from them back home will be a challenge worthy of my skills.

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Extra passengers
[!0.987]2019-01-14

Hey. I hear you're headed out to the P/N junction.

Hi, Niomi. Word travels fast.

And you're taking this old clunker out to spend a few weeks in the cold lifeless void of space.

It's not that bad.

I know. That's why I'm seeing if you have room for one more.

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Extra passengers
[!0.987]2019-01-16

You want to come with us?

The P/N junction is in a prime position relative to us and their pay for techs is really good.

Besides, I've been planetside a long time. I've fixed up the house and taken family trips with the hubby and kids.

Quite simply, I need a vacation.

Color by George Peterson

Extra passengers
[!0.987]2019-01-18

That's why you need me along. This ship still has a single point of failure.

Two reactors. Two isolated electrical systems. Two separate life support systems. In space, the name of the game is redundancy.

Where?

Right there. You. You don't have a back up.

Color by George Peterson

Extra passengers
[!0.987]2019-01-21

Not only can I help with the ship, I know what will sell on the station. Local hydroponics harvested another crop of wasabi and peppers. We could make hot sauce out of that.

I've had a good sniff of wasabi. I spent the next half hour in the bathroom trying to breathe enough water to put out the fire in my nose.

You're not the target audience. For humans in space, hot sauce is worth its weight in gold. Well, if metal wasn't so common here that gold isn't worth its weight in gold. You know what I mean.

Color by George Peterson