Free Harvester 7 by Andy Lang

will have recovered sufficiently, from that point
we should undertake selective harvesting on a regular basis to keep
the population under control and at manageable levels."
    "My thoughts
exactly." Maulik concurred, it was his duty as Harvester Master to
address any abnormalities on planets within his control, he wasn't
going to eradicate the species, simply remove it while the planets
natural systems returned to stability.
    "Have
engineering calibrate the drones and collectors to concentrate only
on the L6's, and find out which harvesters are closest to our
location," he glanced again at the raw data feed, "We will need
help with this."
    Over the
following twenty four hours 7 buzzed with activity as holds were
cleaned and prepared for the bounty about to arrive, Maulik and
Kressa performed surveillance of the planet sampling the atmosphere
and transmitting the data back to engineering, Hold 33 was being
prepared as a holding pen for the sample livestock so the planets
noxious atmosphere would have to be reproduced for the trip
home.
    "These
creatures would actually flourish in the wastelands of Terrillia,"
he concluded as they flashed over vast areas of corrosive water,
"The atmospheric mix is very similar, higher levels of methane are
being emitted here than home, but the difference is not
significant."
    "How does it
feel to play the role of the Gods?" teased Kressa, "One mind having
control over the fate of an entire species?"
    "I prefer not
to think of it that way," he grinned, "I like to think that I am
addressing a problem, I am allowing the planet to recover, and
anyway, they are only L6's."
    "And I'm only
an L4." she replied trying to mask the hurt she was feeling.
    "Now you're
talking crazy," he chuckled back, "You are beyond any level I know
of, you're on a level all of your own."
    Kressa dipped
lower over the wide expanse of water just moments from skimming the
surface. "Back to the land" she called as she tore over the
coastline, her wake tearing away the strange green vegetation and
driving a wide scorched furrow deep into the ground, moments later
she was out over open grassland. "This is the sort of place I would
call home... in my natural state," she added wistfully, "Open
country, plenty of space to run and hunt... and look at all the
prey." she growled as vast herds of strange bovine like creatures
scattered across the wide plains, "They almost make me feel
hungry." she laughed.
    "Are these the
L6's?"
    "No," she
replied, "There is nothing here above L4, these are prey
animals."
    "let's track
down the L6's," Maulik encouraged her, "I want to see what could
cause such devastation."
    Kressa
extended her scans, "There are not the concentrations in this
region, hold on," she laughed and shot away north, "There are high
concentrations a few minutes to the north."
    Maulik saw a
wide expanse of wasteland ahead, devoid even of the troublesome
pools that had developed at home.
    "I think this
is a perfect example of why we need to remove this species,"
    Kressa
scanned, "Life signs are very limited," she agreed, "Almost zero,
but just ahead you will be shocked, there are millions of
them."
    "We are above
one of the northern continents now," she declared and slowed down
until they were almost hovering silently over a very high
concentration, "My scans show that below is one of many colonies of
the creatures, they must have a social structure, the density is
incredible, they are almost like insects."
    "All L6?"
    "Almost," she
replied running complex calculations, "L1 levels are high, but that
is to be expected, Levels 2 to 4 are in evidence but not in any
significant numbers, mainly L6, I believe these creatures must live
mainly in colonies."
    "Well that
will be advantageous to the harvest," agreed Maulik, "I like
colonies, it makes my life much simpler."
    "They are
scattered everywhere, in small pockets as well as these main
concentrations."
    "That, is not
my problem," laughed Maulik, "I will capture a breeding herd