Starquake.pdf

operation," said Power-Pack. "My seismic survey team has found a promising upwelling of energetic
magma forty centimeters to the Bright-west. We have moved the drilling rig there and are already down a
meter on the first hole, but we will need a power plant built."
"My crew has finished with the living quarters at base," said Metal-Bender. "We've also installed
magnetic barriers around the perimeter to keep out wild Swifts. We're now ready to build the power
plant. We have plenty of computer controlled robot welders, nibblers, and cutters for the precision parts,
but we need a forge for the larger components. We are ready to go as soon as we get enough metal."
"The mass separator has been generating plate for the last few turns," Delta-Mass told them. "But we
will have to shift back to liner pipe at the rate Power-Pack's crew is going. Perhaps the first thing you
should build is another mass separator."
"You're right," Metal-Bender replied. "I'll get my team busy on that."
"Anything else?" asked Crust-Crawler.
"Don't forget that I promised the nearby clan we would give them food once we had power," said
Otis-Elevator. "We have visited them a number of times in the past turns and know them pretty well now.
It is obvious that they are living at a subsistence level. We have taken them samples of various flavors of
meal-mush. They call it the 'food of the gods.' "
"Good," said Metal-Bender. "Let's trade them a mush-maker for a herd of food Slinks."
"They won't do that," said Otis-Elevator. "They let us have the ones we killed during the landing, but the
herd belongs to the Emperor. In fact, I think I notice an increased anxiety in the leader of the clan as the
time comes for the arrival of the Taker to take the herd."
"What did the leader say?" Crust-Crawler asked.
"She won't talk about it. But every time the subject comes up, I notice a strange twitch in her eye-wave
pattern. Of course, it could be my imagination. The clan leader, like a number of the clan elders, is
missing some eyes. The old injuries could be causing the twitch."
"We must certainly keep our promise," Crust-Crawler said. "Let's start off by inviting them here for next
turnfeast and turn it into a real feast."
"It will certainly be a pleasure feeding someone that appreciates my food," said Chef Pouch-Pleaser. "If
the engineers can arrange a power pack, I can give the clan one of our food generators and teach them
how to operate it."
"I'll give them a glider," said Power-Pack. "They can use it to transport the mush-maker back to their
compound, then use the power pack on the glider to run the food machine. When the power pack gets
low, they can just glide back here and recharge it."
"I've gotten to know the clan pretty well," said Otis-Elevator. "They are very proud and will insist on
bringing food to the feast."
"Good!" said Pouch-Pleaser. "I want to learn all about the native foods. Not only how to prepare them
for serving, but the best way to grow them. Anything to stop the groans at turnfeast."