Fungi (Space War, Part 2)

Read Part 1

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Three years ago

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”And that stuff is edible?” With a doubtful expression, Rick poked the soft mushroom his guests had handed to him. ”It looks a lot like what we already have on earth. And most of that stuff is pretty toxic. I’m not sure if your space fungi are of much help to us.”

There was a pause in which the translation device did its work. Then his guest said something himself. The translator again took some time to process the language and then finally provided the answer.

”፨ We ፨ can ፨ guarantee ፨ that ፨ your ፨ organism ፨ can ፨ process ፨ this ፨ foodsource ፨ without ፨ complications”, the device said. ”Furthermore ፨ it ፨ will ፨ provide ፨ you ፨ with ፨ all ፨ necessary ፨ nutrients. ፨ No ፨ additional ፨ food ፨ will ፨ be ፨ required.፨”

”And that stuff grows everywhere?”

A pause.

”፨ Affirmative. ፨ Easy ፨ to ፨ grow ፨ easy ፨ to ፨ harvest. ፨ Your ፨ species ፨ will ፨ no ፨ longer ፨ struggle ፨ with ፨ food ፨ scarcity.፨”

Rick decided to take a leap of faith and took a bite out of the mushroom. It tasted like … absolutely nothing.

”Well that’s not very exciting”, he said. ”But I’ll guess we’ll be able to work with it. I’m authorized to accept your conditions for this trade.”

Another pause.

”፨ We ፨ are ፨ pleased ፨ to ፨ hear ፨ that. ፨ The ፨ Mystacinidans ፨ cannot ፨ be ፨ allowed ፨ to ፨ continue ፨ their ፨ reign ፨ over ፨ this ፨ galaxy.፨”

”We don’t really care about your squabbles with other species, you know?” Rick said. ”We just want that humanity persists.”

”፨ With ፨ that ፨ we ፨ can ፨ help”, the insectoid alien stated. Its wings vibrated, creating a high-pitched sound. ”An ፨ alliance ፨ between ፨ humanity ፨ and ፨ the ፨ Splerions ፨ will ፨ benefit ፨ both ፨ sides. ፨ The ፨ Mystacinidans ፨ are ፨ not ፨ interested ፨ in ፨ sharing ፨ their ፨ technology.፨”

”If you say so.” For a moment, Rick considered shaking the alien’s … hand … but then decided against it. Instead, he just nodded towards it. ”Glad we could come to an agreement. I’ll instruct our people to initiate the required procedures.”

”፨ Thank ፨ you ፨ human ፨ Rick.፨”

The Splerion turned around and left the room. A shiver ran down Rick’s spine. Insects should never grow to this size and never ever become sentient. That was just disgusting.

But the alliance with the Splerions was necessary. For decades now, millions of people on earth had been dying of hunger and no action that had been taken had solved the problem. And then, the Splerions had appeared with promises of technology and food.

Even on earth, certain insects like termites, ants, and beetles had been known to perform some kind of agriculture since long before humans even thought of that, some even said it was a good 60 million years before that. They domesticated fungi that then served as a safe food source.

The Splerions, it seemed, had experienced a similar evolution. The fungi they had offered humanity were very promising and Rick already suspected that the lab tests would only confirm the alien’s words.

Still, he wasn’t happy with the trade. The Splerions’ condition was the reason. From the first day on, they demanded that humanity would help them in their fight against the Mystacinidans, a bat-like alien species. And he had just agreed to that.

Rick could feel a headache developing, so he headed home. The drive wasn’t a long one, his house was located very close to his workplace, a secret government facility. The rest of the country, the rest of the world wasn’t supposed to know that they had made contact with extraterrestrial lifeforms. Humanity just wasn’t ready for that yet.

They weren’t ready for a war either, but he still hoped that he and his team would be able to keep the whole thing below the radar as long as possible.

He despised the idea that humanity was now compelled to take part in a fight that wasn’t theirs. Then again, what would have happened if they had said no? The Splerions were obviously a lot more advanced. Rick was almost certain that their new allies would come out on top in every major conflict. Would it be smart to refuse them their loyalty? _@suesa

Finally at home, he went into his garden. The sun had already set and the first stars were twinkling in the night sky. He headed towards the telescope standing next to his greenhouse. Sitting down on a small chair, he looked through the device.

Right next to the moon, he could recognize the shape of the Splerions’ ship. They had said that they would leave a small group behind to wait on the moon, in case the Mystacinidans appeared. What would happen then, he didn’t know.

He didn’t really want to know.

It would involve a lot of pain.

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References:

Fungus-farming insects: Multiple origins and diverse evolutionary histories

Marvelous Destroyers: The Fungus-Farming Beetles

Ants Are Experienced Fungus Farmers

The Evolution of Agriculture in Insects

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Picture taken from pixabay.com

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