3. Trouble

Bob arrives at Eta Leporis after a years-long journey through space to search for his missing clone Bender. After setting up infrastructure and discovering evidence of a technological civilization in the system—including an infrared signature suggesting a megastructure and encrypted communications—Bob presents his findings at a Bobiverse moot, where he faces unexpectedly hostile questioning from some Bobs concerned about interference with native civilizations. Back in contact with the Bobiverse, Bob learns of significant replicative drift among later-generation clones and growing ideological divisions. When his initial exploration drones are destroyed by mysterious attackers using beam weapons, Bob shifts to a cautious, defensive approach and designs stealth scouts to investigate further, eventually discovering wreckage from Bender's ship.

Bob arrives in the Eta Leporis system fifty AU from the star and begins the methodical process of establishing an autofactory and deploying exploration drones, taking a deliberate approach unlike his lost clone Bender. After a year of setup, his scouts successfully detect Bender's entry trajectory into the system. Bob waits for the interstellar relay station to come online before contacting the broader Bobiverse, discovering through astronomical observation six planets, a habitable-zone planet with no radio signatures, and an unexplained infrared signature consistent with a megastructure like a Dyson Swarm. He also detects encrypted, compressed communications suggesting an active civilization.

At a Bobiverse moot, Bob presents his findings but faces unexpected hostility from several Bobs, particularly one operating under private metadata who challenges his intentions using loaded language about Prime Directive and native interference. Bill later explains to Bob that the Bobiverse has evolved significantly during his decades of isolation—later-generation clones show pronounced replicative drift, some Bobs have adopted radical modifications (including Borg-like appearance), and ideological groups have formed around various projects, some of which Bill finds concerning. Bob also learns that Henry Roberts abandoned ocean sailing and Bridget has declined to clone.

Bob visits Will on Valhalla to gain perspective, learning more about replicative drift and that one antagonist from the moot goes by the name Morlock. As Bob processes this concerning trend, Guppy alerts him that his in-system scouts have been attacked with 100% casualties. Review of the telemetry reveals two sophisticated automated craft, roughly twenty feet long, using beam weapons (lasers) to destroy the scouts. The attackers use radar rather than advanced detection systems, indicating they lack subspace technology but possess impressive fusion reactor and weapons technology. Bill and Bob discuss defensive strategies, settling on radar-proofing and stealth designs using carbon-black exteriors and heat-sink technology to avoid detection as Bob's scouts approach.

Bob designs new ultra-low-power stealth scouts with ice cores for waste heat absorption and launches them via rail gun on ballistic trajectories. After months of searching, Guppy finally reports that the new scouts have located something: wreckage from a Version 2 Heaven vessel—confirming Bender's destruction in the system.