Minds Machines & Evolution by James P. Hogan

Author:James P. Hogan [Hogan, James P.]
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Science fiction, Adventure, General, Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fiction - Science Fiction, Space Opera, Short stories, Science Fiction - Adventure, Science Fiction - High Tech, High Tech, Science, Science Fiction - Short Stories, Life Sciences, Evolution
ISBN: 9780671578435
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2010-01-21T15:55:09+00:00

* * *

The Environmental Protection Angel was on the line later that afternoon. Her voice was shrill and piercing, grating on the GOD’s nerves. “Without any plants at all, the levels of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur compounds from volcanic activity would exceed the permitted limits. The proposal as it stands is quite unacceptable. We would not be able to issue operating licenses for the volcanoes.”

“But the limits were set to safeguard only living organisms!” the GOD thundered. “We’ve scrapped them—all of them. There aren’t any living organisms to be safeguarded.”

“There is no clause in the regulations which specifically exempts lifeless planets,” the EPA told him primly. It was too much.

“What kind of lunatics are you?” the GOD raged into the phone. “You don’t need a specific exemption. What do you need protective regulations for when there isn’t anything to be protected? How stupid can you get? Any idiot could see that it doesn’t apply here—any of it. You’re out of your mind.”

“I’m simply doing my job, and I don’t expect personal insults,” came the reply. “The standards are quite clear, and they must be met. Good day.” The line went dead.

The GOD conveyed the news to Design Engineering, who discussed it with Research. Without the volcanoes there wouldn’t be enough planetary outgassing to form the atmospheres and oceans. Okay, the atmospheres and oceans would have to go. But the volcanoes were also intended to play a role in relieving the structural stresses and thermal buildups in the planetary crusts. How could that be taken care of without any volcanoes? Only by having more earthquakes to make up the difference, the CDE declared. The GOD told him to revise the proposal by deleting the volcanoes and making the crustal formations more earthquake-prone. Everybody agreed that the problem appeared at last to have been solved.

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