Is the situation hopeless for humanity? I think not. Although the Roughnecks series ended on a definitely "down" note, I remember the statement from the first installment - "Who knew that we were headed into our first interstellar war?" Someone's looking back from somewhere to make this statement, and in a war of extinction that means to me that humanity finally figured out the Ultimate Weapon.
OK, OK ... my guess for that Ultimate Weapon is an agent with multiple means of delivery that attacks the Arachnids at one of their most vulnerable points, which are several, for example:
Possibility A: Roughnecks, Tesca - "We're witnessing millions of years of evolution compressed into a few minutes." "Why terraform a world when you can mutate yourselves to fit that world?" Use of a drug agent that would screw up this ability to mutate by forcing a mutation that kills the creature. This was the scenario for a 40K novel about the 2nd Company of the Ultramarines fighting a Tyranid invasion on some planet (all propriety rights of all terms to all owners acknowledged!).
Possibility B: Use of a drug agent to fatally impede the creation of new generations (like DDT making bird shells too brittle and killing the birds before they hatched).
Possibility C: Use of a drug agent to impede the creation of higher level bugs from the common eggs (no brains. overseers or queens). This is the Curse of the Trollkin scenario from Runequest I & II.
Possibility D: Use of a drug agent to increase the metabolism of the bugs, thereby reducing their lifespan to days or shorter.
Possibility E: Use of a drug agent to break the linkage of the newly born to the communal mind, thereby creating either loose cannons in the system or creatures with at least enough independent thought to tend towards self-preservation (thereby creating a civil war).
Possibility F: Use of a drug agent to interfere with the digestive system, thereby starving the buggers to death.
Possibility G: The end product of Toxin B-3 (ref Roughnecks Zephr & Roughnecks Homefront), which is letal, cheap, and plentiful (Yes, available in one's corner drugstore, Commander!).
Possibility H: SICON discovers a planet that has an atmosphere that indeed kills off bugs (Skinnie response to the question of bugs on Roughnecks - Tophet: they could not adjust to our atmosphere and died). This is a War of the Worlds conclusion.
Possibility I: Day of the Triffids conclusion: Salt water melts the beasties.
Possibility J: The mule conclusion: A drug agent introduced makes all future generations sterile.
Possibility K: The Boric Acid Conclusion. Bugs, like roaches, cannot belch to release gas. Therefore, this agent creates gas bubbles which, in turn, causes internal explosions, other gastric distress, and death. It's kinda like the "Little Bang" theory!
Of course, more than one of these Bug extermination weapons will probably have to be developed, since the Arachnids counter our technology with evolutionary countermeasures. Any other cures for the Bug disease? :wink:
OK, OK ... my guess for that Ultimate Weapon is an agent with multiple means of delivery that attacks the Arachnids at one of their most vulnerable points, which are several, for example:
Possibility A: Roughnecks, Tesca - "We're witnessing millions of years of evolution compressed into a few minutes." "Why terraform a world when you can mutate yourselves to fit that world?" Use of a drug agent that would screw up this ability to mutate by forcing a mutation that kills the creature. This was the scenario for a 40K novel about the 2nd Company of the Ultramarines fighting a Tyranid invasion on some planet (all propriety rights of all terms to all owners acknowledged!).
Possibility B: Use of a drug agent to fatally impede the creation of new generations (like DDT making bird shells too brittle and killing the birds before they hatched).
Possibility C: Use of a drug agent to impede the creation of higher level bugs from the common eggs (no brains. overseers or queens). This is the Curse of the Trollkin scenario from Runequest I & II.
Possibility D: Use of a drug agent to increase the metabolism of the bugs, thereby reducing their lifespan to days or shorter.
Possibility E: Use of a drug agent to break the linkage of the newly born to the communal mind, thereby creating either loose cannons in the system or creatures with at least enough independent thought to tend towards self-preservation (thereby creating a civil war).
Possibility F: Use of a drug agent to interfere with the digestive system, thereby starving the buggers to death.
Possibility G: The end product of Toxin B-3 (ref Roughnecks Zephr & Roughnecks Homefront), which is letal, cheap, and plentiful (Yes, available in one's corner drugstore, Commander!).
Possibility H: SICON discovers a planet that has an atmosphere that indeed kills off bugs (Skinnie response to the question of bugs on Roughnecks - Tophet: they could not adjust to our atmosphere and died). This is a War of the Worlds conclusion.
Possibility I: Day of the Triffids conclusion: Salt water melts the beasties.
Possibility J: The mule conclusion: A drug agent introduced makes all future generations sterile.
Possibility K: The Boric Acid Conclusion. Bugs, like roaches, cannot belch to release gas. Therefore, this agent creates gas bubbles which, in turn, causes internal explosions, other gastric distress, and death. It's kinda like the "Little Bang" theory!
Of course, more than one of these Bug extermination weapons will probably have to be developed, since the Arachnids counter our technology with evolutionary countermeasures. Any other cures for the Bug disease? :wink:
