Annihilation (Star Force Series) by B. V. Larson

I’d been in the wrong to give that order.
    No matter how irritating our intended victims were, genocide was the business of the machines, not Star Force. I urged myself to remember that in the future.

-8-

    We spent another fruitless day watching their oceans drain away while the water that was left heated up steadily. It was dismal and sad.
    On the morning of the second day, I ordered Marvin to board a Nano ship and fly down to the surface. I wanted him to observe the phenomenon from within the atmosphere of the planet itself.
    We could measure the phenomenon with radar and sonar, but the surface was now obscured. The entire world was wrapped in thick clouds. Really, this was steam, rising up from the warming oceans.
    I didn’t need to ask Hoon how things were going for his civilian population. The young must have all perished by now. Only the thicker-shelled adults could survive the warm waters and migrate to areas that were cooler. They were clustering around the poles at both ends of the moon, grimly clinging to life.
    There wasn’t much we could do for them. With hundreds of billions of individuals, any evacuation effort would only save a handful. Probably, the panic created by our efforts would kill more than it would save. If I lowered a ship into the atmosphere with an open hold, thousands would try to board. The results might even capsize the ship. Worse, the aliens were aquatic and would require water aboard the rescue ships in order to breathe for an extended period of time. The weight would be tremendous.
    No, rescue and evacuation was out of the question. We had to use what we had to save them in another way.
    When he returned from the surface, I summoned Marvin. He was in a state of agitation when we met in the conference room. His tentacles were slashing the chairs and cracking like whips on the walls. Fortunately, smart metal furnishings were self-repairing.
    “What have you got for me, Marvin?” I asked.
    “I’ve completed my preliminary study on the situation. The ocean is draining at a slightly decelerating rate as the pressure drops, but the rate of change is not significant.”
    “How long until the oceans drain all the way down to where this spot is exposed and the process stops?”
    “Approximately thirteen days.”
    “Hmm,” I said. “That gives us a little time, then. And it’s good to know the oceans won’t go all the way down.”
    “No, they won’t.”
    “So, the situation isn’t entirely dire.”
    “That depends upon our goals.”
    I frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
    “If Star Force wants to colonize this world one day, then the situation is beneficial. If our real mission is as stated, however, this is very bad news.”
    I stared at him. “Our mission is clear. We’re here to help out the Crustaceans. We’re here to turn them into allies, one more powerful biotic species to stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the machines.”
    “Then my report is very dire. The population of this world will be completely annihilated before the thirteen days are up, or shortly thereafter.”
    I thought about it. “The heat. You’re saying it’s going to get worse.”
    “Yes. Every day the hot ice at the bottom of the oceans is further exposed. This world has very deep oceans, but it would be primarily coated in surface ice if it weren’t for internal heat from geological sources and the compressed hot ice. Now that the oceans are receding, the cool water in the middle depths of the ocean is being drained away. It is true that the ocean will eventually cool again, but it will take some time. Thirteen days is not long enough.”
    “Exactly what temperature will the oceans reach by the thirteenth day?”
    “The oceans will be near the boiling point by then.”
    “Two hundred degrees Fahrenheit?” I asked, incredulous.
    “Higher than that. This is saltwater, after all. The boiling point is slightly higher.”
    I massaged my temples. I realized dully that a thousand billion