73.      Collection

Jacques continues his mission to preserve Delta Pavonis civilization before the Others arrive, establishing a genetic vault and recording Pav society, culture, and languages. He selects two small towns—Mheijrkva and Aizzilkva—as sources for the twenty thousand Pav he plans to abduct, and begins surveillance on the Los family household in Mheijrkva to understand their grass-roots society.

Jacques has upgraded his data storage systems to accommodate the massive recording project he is undertaking at Delta Pavonis 4. Beyond cataloging genetic material from every species on the planet in hastily constructed stasis chambers, he is also documenting Pav societies, cultures, and languages. He operates as a passive observer, having rejected Bill's advice against making personal contact with the Pav population. Despite his caution, sightings of his drones have led to conspiracy theories among the Pav themselves. Jacques then shifts focus to identifying targets for the planned abduction of twenty thousand Pav. Rather than randomly selecting individuals, he conducts a census of small towns and identifies Mheijrkva and Aizzilkva, each with populations just under ten thousand, as his primary targets. He chooses these towns because they represent typical small-town life—rural, family-oriented, and stable—allowing him to study Pav society at the grass-roots level. Aware that the Bobs share a weakness for attachment to individuals, Jacques resolves to maintain emotional distance. He then selects the Los family household in Mheijrkva at random and installs hidden surveillance cameras and microphones to observe their daily life. The Los family comprises six adults and nine children of various ages. Jacques notes that Pav domestic life is chaotic and informal, with furniture constantly rearranged and little apparent social organization. The family matriarch, Da Hazjiar Los, serves on the town council and impresses Jacques as intelligent and level-headed; he mentally flags her for special handling during the eventual abductions.