First they orbit and scan all commutation signals. After doing this for four Earth days, they met to go over final plans. The meeting includes all officers. The meeting is short and all are in agreement. The minutes are read by a computer, “It is a unanimous decision the plan to destroy Earth will not go forward. The earthlings are doing a very good job on their own.”

Jon is hiding in a barn with other civilians. As soldiers break in Jon transforms into a pile of hay bales. Soldiers gather the civilians and escort them to camps. Julie, still in the barn, escapes detection because she‘s covered in hay bales. Jon saved her life. Jon changes back to human form.

Radar shows a habitable planet nearby. After scanning the surface they decide to land in a town called Roswell. They wait until late at night, create a thick fog, and then land the spacecraft. They scan the Internet and soon have the information they need. As the fog clears one of the aliens puts a sign on the front hatch that reads “Opening Soon.”

“Yes, that was nothing compared to this. At least we knew what we were mining for there.”

“Tell the base to abort in 2 years, in case we don’t find anything.”

Tox spoke into the wireless to his superintendent. He remembered that moment clearly, years later.

“We are not here for mining, Tox. We are here to terraform and colonize.”

Now that it’s reality, it’s the smell that dominates. The overpowering
reek of rotten sauerkraut mixed with fecal notes that sticks to you
for weeks.

Harold always dreads an assignment on a new planet, but when you work
in galactic trade you go where the company sends you.

Disappointingly, it had received no new pictures to broadcast. Following its programming it began to repeat the last stream. Again.

Meanwhile, self-diagnosis routines reported its batteries were finally about to fail. It felt something like regret. Still, it had done well. Designed to operate for a hundred years it had functioned unattended for nearly a thousand. The last satellite in orbit.

“In profile, a container ship, fully loaded.”

“Notice anything unusual? Take my magnifying glass. Let me help you. There are wires connecting every container.”

“Every container’s armed?”

“Triggered at the same time, and the ship can be anywhere in the world, we can blow the planet asunder.”

“What is it?’

“One of ours.”

“Yes, I understand but what is it?”

Based on the theory telescopes will see pollution in the atmosphere of planets which have, or had, industrial life as we might know it, MOAL is analysing photographic images of planetary atmospheres.

Initially we agreed upon three levels of pollution, Minimal, Moderate, High, which are yet to be calibrated into sub-levels.

“We’ve found the very first planet with measurable readings and in the High zone,” calls the Manager to me excitedly. “We need you to verify.”

“Wow! Fantastic! How many light years away?”

Emergency rations were the worst. None of the marines had ever tasted them, but they knew the stories. They all knew a guy who knew a guy who had eaten them once in academy.