51.      Wedding

Rudy arrives at Klown Kar Planet in the Epsilon Indi system and conducts preliminary surveys before Edwin and the Exodus-6 colonist ship arrive. Rudy shares his findings with Edwin via VR, describing the planet's extraordinarily competitive ecosystem filled with unusual and dangerous lifeforms, and recommends domed habitats for the colony's protection.

Rudy has traveled ahead of Edwin and the Exodus-6 to scout Klown Kar Planet (KKP). After his tau drops sufficiently to maintain a VR connection, he checks in with Riker at the stationary station and confirms Edwin is still en route, about eight days behind him. Rudy conducts drone surveys of KKP and finds it heavily biodiverse due to unusual day-night cycles created by the system's Jovian primary (nicknamed Big Top by Linus). The planet's ecosystem has undergone continuous evolutionary branching, resulting in an enormous variety of plant and animal phyla, each apparently optimized for different light spectra and ecological niches. The landscape itself is extremely colorful due to these varied organisms. Linus had left mining drones and an autofactory in orbit that have accumulated several hundred thousand tons of refined metals. When Edwin arrives in-system, Rudy describes the planet in terms of Harrison's Deathworld, noting the ecosystem is highly competitive and dangerous. He identifies a particular threat: Ickies, flying leeches with multiple suckers that Linus named. Rudy recommends domed habitats rather than simple fences to protect colonists from the hostile wildlife. Edwin expresses concern about colonist reactions but jokes that at least he'll return to Earth after unloading passengers, unlike Rudy.