World Re-visioned

Chapter 10: Expansion

Chapter 10: Expansion
Copyright 2021 by John Wells. All Rights Reserved.

While the AI investigation was ongoing, the human AI continued sending new invisible mini-ships into the surrounding star systems. Since the Earth is closer to the galactic center than its edge, the sphere of the influence continued to grow. Gloria updated the mini-ship design to include an alien computer running the human AI with the needed broadcast technology to set up communications between multiple ships proved in a scenario. These are currently off waiting for the right time to take effect. All existing mini-ships got upgraded to include this capability.

The AI implemented Gloria’s suggestion to use magic to force the dissenters to join the society. They all appeared to become happy productive members of the empire, before their five years were up.

The alien AI made the same assumptions that those lead by Quwan made. Away from the center was safer than towards it. They seemed to spread in a cone towards the edge, while our explorations found the galactic center harmless. Too many collisions and black holes to support life long enough to create intelligence.

When first found, we stubbled on two star systems. As time moved forward, we see a kind of line pointing to the edge and point closer to the center. Time travel shows the line moving towards us, suggesting a cone becoming wider. They do not exterminate the species they come across. Instead, it appears they integrate them.

There were no technology improvements with these aliens besides their AI. They have matter energy conversion and similar weapons to the humans. Their spaceships are much slower, similar to the Humocroc in speed.

Eventually, we find the starting planet and the width of the cone covers most of the opposite side of the galaxy. They are a newer species with only a millennium beyond our civilization. There appears to be no reaction to the light shift by the aliens. The AI finally cloned a member of the aliens so Ethan could learn their language. Gloria and Steve learned the languages of some of the other species in that empire.

Together, they created a timeline for a takeover. The aliens appeared and demanded obedience. They already knew the native languages. In return for obedience, the natives got food and shelter better than previously possible. The aliens took over extensive areas of the planet, moving the natives into smaller sections surrounded by aliens. However, given the better shelter and food, the natives gladly accepted their fate.

The flaw in the plan was no interaction between the separated natives, so they lost genetic diversity. As the planet approaches its maximum population, the natives no longer produce children and die off. The aliens on the planet also seem to stop having kids, except for the higher class, so the population stabilizes. No proof as yet that the aliens cause it. But, the odds are the food contains birth control for most of the planet.

The aliens bred like rabbits, so expand outwards to limit any one planet’s population. Each birth has four to six siblings and parents give birth seventeen or more times over their lifespan with whatever partner they find. A year later, the litter is on its own. Five years old and they become parents for the first time. They are dead between twenty-one and thirty.

The male’s sperm has a one male to nine female ratio, so most, if not all, birthed are females. Though occasionally multiple males result because the fastest sperm fertilizes the egg. Two to four eggs are fertile once a year and they can split to form identical twins. Once six attach to the womb, the others can not so die. The gestation period is thirty days, so the female starts ignoring or avoiding the last litter to prepare for the next, once her heat is done.

Aliens only traveled to new star systems from their home world, taking years. When two aliens leave for a new planet, their thousands of grandchildren will arrive there. Definitely, no issues getting close relatives pregnant, since the males do not keep track of them. Every sexually active male that smells her does any female in heat. The food will contain birth control to limit the numbers.