25.      Rabbits

Howard deals with a dangerous parasitic insect species threatening the Vulcan colony while the FAITH and Spits colonies successfully establish settlements on Romulus. Howard connects with his relatives who have recently awoken from cryosleep, including his nephew Justin, before turning his attention to helping capture and analyze the adult parasite that has been plaguing the colonists.

Howard receives a troubling briefing from Colonel Butterworth about a parasitic insect on Vulcan that lays eggs in human hosts, with larvae that seek the heart if not surgically removed within a day, resulting in four human and two cattle deaths so far. The insects are hummingbird-sized with an itchy bite that becomes a swollen area before symptoms worsen. Howard agrees to manufacture surveillance drones and modify their sensors to detect insect movement and sound. Meanwhile, the FAITH and Spits colonies finish offloading cargo to Romulus and begin constructing settlements on separate continents, with adequate land mass available for territorial separation. Howard participates in a video conference with Riker to reconnect with their sister Julia Hendricks and her family, including young nephew Justin, who enthusiastically describes his experience aboard the colony ship. Over thirty Bobs attend the conference, sharing in the joy of contact with their human relatives. Later, Howard views footage of the captured adult parasite specimen—a creature resembling a hybrid of hornet and spider with two sets of wings and a retractable stinger capable of injecting eggs up to an inch deep into victims. Howard sends the necropsy data to Bill for analysis and deploys the new drones to scan the Vulcan area with updated programming.