Free The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma by Brian Herbert

as the amount of educated guesswork he’d had to do to produce it—conjecture that amounted to a quarter of one percent of the genetic mix—information that would trouble Rahma, and which he didn’t need to know. Even Artie’s assistants didn’t know about this genetic impurity (despite their electronic linkage with him), because he had the ability to conceal information from them, connecting with them only when he wanted to do so, and then transmitting only limited data.
    â€œDo the wings flap?” Rahma asked.
    â€œOnly a little, which seem more like adjustments for gliding. When the creature is airborne and its wings are extended, the tail lifts and becomes a rudder for steering. It’s quite an interesting life-form, very unique.”
    Obviously intrigued, Rahma asked, “Can I go inside for a closer look? It’s not dangerous, is it?”
    Opening the door, Artie said, “The glidewolf is not carnivorous, that we know for certain. But we’re experimenting with her diet, putting various plants inside for her to eat. She seems to have a preference for the leaves, bark, and branches of eucalyptus trees, rather than anything from palms or other plants that are native to Lord Howe Island. Perhaps eucalyptus trees once grew there in abundance and then died off from a blight of some sort, and the creature lost the food it preferred. One thing in its favor, though—this one doesn’t seem to be a fussy eater, a trait that has led to the demise of other species. The glidewolf seems to be highly adaptable, which bodes well for its survival.”
    â€œBut it still went extinct.”
    â€œThat it did.” Artie led the way inside, walking over a groundcover littered with leaves and sticks, crunching the debris underfoot. Rahma followed. When they reached the branch on which the marsupial lay, the creature hardly moved. It stared at the hubot, an inquisitive gleam in its pale eyes. Artie heard a low hum coming from the animal, and a series of barely audible clicks. His lab assistants had been studying the intriguing vocalizations, but had not yet established clear patterns.
    The marsupial’s wings were thin and tentlike, with lines of thick cartilage where they folded. In recent days Artie had been noticing that the creature shifted its wings around depending not only upon when it intended to glide, but upon its moods. Now the glidewolf was doing something it had done with him previously—leaning toward Rahma and extending a wing over him, using the appendage to draw the Chairman closer.
    â€œShe likes you,” Artie said, watching as Rahma nuzzled nervously and uncomfortably against the breast of the glidewolf, and the outside of its marsupial pouch.
    â€œIt does seem that way. I … I think I feel its heartbeat. Yes, I’m certain I do.” Finally the Chairman pulled free and stood a distance away, looking at the animal with a bemused expression on his bearded face.
    â€œMaster, I’d like your permission to release her into the wild for experiments, to see what else she might want to eat. She’s not carnivorous, so there’d be no danger to other animal species—and I’m confident she could elude any predators out there, or match them in a fight. Look at those claws and teeth.”
    â€œYou want to release her onto the game reserve?”
    The hubot nodded. “With an electronic tracker attached, of course, and a videocam to record everything she does.”
    â€œAnd if she causes trouble with the ecosystem?”
    â€œOne creature? How could she? If we see anything we don’t like, we just follow the tracking device, sedate the animal, and bring her back.”
    â€œYou make it sound so simple.”
    â€œWe need to do scientific research, and I get the feeling that the glidewolf requires a larger territory than we can provide down here.”
    â€œI didn’t notice any eucalyptus trees growing out