Souvenirs From Dead Worlds | ✓

Chapter 22

The Marshal and the Chancellor must have known what he meant, because after exchanging a look between the two of them they both nodded for Diego to continue.

"Thank you," Diego said. "As we have almost completed the security systems to protect a new world and will, once a suitable world has been selected, begin installing said security system on said world and eventually inhabit it, it seems to me that the overpopulation of our world is set to become substantially less of an issue. Not, in my opinion, that a single individual here and there would make any significant impact regardless."

Sam's eyes had widened at the revelation that they were soon to colonise a new world. And safely! He hoped he would be allowed to go there one day. Perhaps Kias would prefer it to this world? It would be less technologically advanced. It would likely be very similar to where Sam had grown up...

"You said 'here and there,'" the Chancellor said to Diego, cutting through Sam's thoughts. "Are you suggesting this be more than just a one time thing?"

"Yes," Diego said firmly. "Though I would suggest it be done infrequently and that it be required to go through some kind of system of approval for each individual. While we certainly can't start shipping people through the portals en masse, preserving the lives of an occasional carefully selected individual would likely be beneficial. Relocating to a new world so different from one's own is sure to be disruptive for anyone, but just think how many exceptional individuals we're currently not even giving a chance."

"Well, we have already done this once," the Marshal said, turning to Sam. "Would you consider bringing Kias back a success?"

Sam thought for a moment over all of their challenges and all of their triumphs. It hadn't been easy and it still wasn't, but things that were worth it generally weren't. "I certainly couldn't bare to regret it for long. At first I was just glad I hadn't let him die because he's a sweet guy. That's an emotional reason, though. Once we got out on the assignment, I found him to be a great asset. Having grown up in a similar culture to the one we were assigned, he was able to offer me insight into these worlds that I had previously lacked."

"Individuals we bring back could potentially serve many purposes," Diego added. "They could be trained to do our jobs and go out on assignments. They could also be of use in training since, as Sam has pointed out, there are some things it can be difficult to pick up on unless you were born on one of these worlds. There are also many different lines of research they could assist with. And of course these individuals would be selected due to their intelligence and other useful traits, so they would likely to be an asset to many other fields. Just think of all of the incredible people who are part of our own world's history. Even transported forward in time, I'm sure most of them would have shone just as bright."

"Kias was an emotional choice, too," Sam put in. "I brought him back for no other reason but that he was there at the right time, and he's still more asset than hardship. I imagine someone like Seba, who is highly adaptable, intelligent, and eager to learn, would do far better."

The Marshal and the Chancellor communicated in subtle facial expressions between the two of them for a few moments before the Marshal spoke. "This is quite compelling, and we do think it's worth discussing amongst the Council. It will take a few days, though, and I cannot guarantee what their response will be or that it will come soon enough. I know that we can never quite know how long we have with these things."

Sam nodded grimly. It was impossible to tell how long it would be before the drones came to destroy a world, and the gap between when they arrived on a world and when the drones came seemed to be shrinking.

It looked like the meeting was about to come to an end when Sam remembered something. He reached out his hand in the direction of the Marshal's tablet sitting on his desk. "May I borrow this?"