Short story (scifi): Foie Gras [part eight]

One more parts to the Foie Gras story from my Nutridiluvian series of nutrition inspired short stories.
If you didn't read them already, below are links to the earlier chapters.

• Part one and two
• Part three and four
• Part five and six
• Part seven

If you like this story, also check out the other stories in this series:

• Room Of Concequences
• The Photocalypse
• Meat The Resistance
• Calves Of Destruction

part eight

"Crew, I had hoped this wouldn't be necessary this far into the mission, but it seems the primate technology isn't keeping up with their population growth. We are only 25 light years from our target start system, and if simulation projections are correct, the primates will have thrown themselves into a devastating planet wide skirmish that might cut deep into our harvest projections. Team, I need your thoughts!"

"Captain, sir, if I may be so bold to speak out, we have seen population boosts after all larger skirmishes between these primates, we've also seen a shift to a more liver fattening dietary pattern in response to war-time logistics, sir. As far as I can see, sir Captain, these skirmishes are helping us coming closer to target. War is our friend Captain, not our enemy!"

"Stupid Cook, no, war isn't our friend right now, remember they have industry now, war on an industrial scale could wipe them out before we get there, or worse, send them into a famine. There is no foie gras to be harvested from malnourished primates!"

"Captain, Sir, permission to speak, sir?"

"Yes, yes, historian Albo, speak up,"

"Sir, I believe if we were to launch a military grade AI to replace the current AI, it could keep the primates at the optimum level of war with the optimum intervals for recovery and population expansion to maximize our yield, sir."

"Hmm, I like what I'm hearing, Albo, please tell me more."

"Sir, Captain, sir, if we launch a new top of the line military grade AI at our target planet, at dot ninety-six c, it should be there in a little under twenty-eight years. It should have enough time left before we ourselves shall be arriving. In that time the upgraded AI could optimize war and peace, progress and recessions in a way that is fine-tuned for optimizing arrival time yield."

"Captain, sir, I must object to this, sir! Applying military tech for food procurement is unacceptably unethical. Isn't it bad enough that we are about to use a species with full civilization potential as a food source? If we are going to use military tech against a primitive species like this, there are animal rights to consider, sir!"

"Animal rights? Are you fucking kidding me, Blath? We didn't force these primates to give up their place in the food chain and start eating grass seeds, they did that all by themselves Blath. I will hear no more talk about animal rights and no more pacifist nonsense. Albo, your thoughts I like. I think we should go with it!"

"Sir, Captain, if I may?

"Yes Cook?"

"Captain, animal rights, I know you said you didn't want to hear anything about it anymore, so sorry for bringing it up again. I believe animal rights, in a way, could help with our targets, sir!"

"What are you on about? How could the silly notion of animal rights help us reach our harvesting target, Cook?"

"Sir, Captain, I believe, sir, that if we could plant the seeds of animal rights ethics into the primitive little brains of these primates, we might for one be able to have them change their dietary patterns even further towards a liver fattening pattern. Next to that, an animal rights inspired shift in dietary patterns might allow us to increase the capacity of the planet to twenty, maybe thirty billion grass-seed-eating primates. With a 70% to 80% success rate, I think not only could we reach our target harvest size, we might be able to double or even triple it."

"Cook, it seems there is more to that mushy brain of you than I gave you credit for. I like the way you are thinking Cook, unconventional. Not sure it will work, but hell, it is worth a try."

"Sir, Captain, please? I don't want to speak out of place, but this is such a twisted and unethical plan, sir. Corrupting the spirit of animal rights like this. Tricking these primates in ruining their own well being, so we can harvest their livers? How can you agree with Chief Cook Nazz on this horrible idea, sir? The ethical implications are off the scale ..."

"That's it Blath, full-mission stasis for you! And as you are so concerned with those precious primates of yours, I'll be doing you the favor of not getting you out of stasis for the foie-gras feast when we reach our target planet."

...

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