24.      Visiting Marvin

Bob investigates a devastating attack on the Deltans by invisible flying predators called hippogriffs. After identifying their island rookery and losing multiple combat drones in failed interception attempts, Bob destroys the entire island with a ship-buster, but the resulting explosion, ground shock, and debris traumatize the Deltans. The tribal council, led by Hoffa, demands that Bob leave their territory, believing his interventions cause more harm than good.

Bob observes Archimedes teaching his cub knots and experiences conflicting emotions about family before switching focus to weapons development at a Lagrange autofactory. Marvin alerts him to an attack: a large invisible creature has taken a Deltan. Through investigation, Bob realizes the creature is a large hippogriff—a camouflaged predatory animal similar to the smaller variants he discovered earlier on Eden. Marvin locates a volcanic island rookery kilometers offshore that houses dozens of hippogriffs that normally hunt seal-like creatures. Bob theorizes the hippogriffs drove the Deltans from their original territory, forcing them into gorilloid lands, and that his own guidance bringing them back to the flint site has made them prey again. A tribal council meets and splits on whether Bob is malicious or incompetent; Archimedes' social standing suffers by association. When another hippogriff attacks, Bob deploys busters but they prove ineffective at close range; the Deltans ultimately kill it with spears and Arnold's direct throw. A third hippogriff kills one Deltan before being eliminated. At a second tribal council, Hoffa challenges Bob's strategy, and Bob loses his temper, shouting at the chief and threatening violence. Bob then decides to destroy the hippogriff island entirely. Marvin cautions him against overkill, warning of tsunamis and ground shocks. Bob fires a ship-buster at the island, which detonates far more dramatically than expected, obliterating it entirely. The explosion creates a mushroom cloud, triggers ground shocks that terrify the Deltans, and rains debris on Camelot, though the damage is ultimately minor. A final tribal council convenes, and Hoffa informs Bob that while they understand his intentions, his solutions keep bringing larger costs. They ask him to leave permanently. Bob, emotionally devastated at losing a second family, departs.