22. Bill – September 2150 – Epsilon Eridani

Bob engages in a space battle with Major Medeiros of the Brazilian Empire ship Serra do Mar near Epsilon Eridani. Using decoy reactors and ship-busters (kinetic weapons), Bob defeats and destroys the Brazilian vessel, sustaining damage to his reactor cooling system in the process.

Bob prepares for an anticipated attack from the Brazilian ship Serra do Mar, which arrives two months earlier than predicted, indicating strategic planning by his adversaries. Recognizing his lack of military training, Bob activates his endocrine control system to maintain calm focus. When Medeiros hails him, Bob attempts to negotiate, but Medeiros refuses, citing the Brazilian Empire's commitment and an earlier incident in the Solar System where Bob destroyed a Brazilian vessel. Bob accelerates toward his decoy fusion reactors to draw Medeiros's attention forward. Medeiros launches missiles earlier than expected, forcing Bob to deploy his four ship-busters—simple kinetic weapons consisting of reactors, SURGE drives, AMI pilots, and thousand-pound metal balls. The initial exchange destroys two of Bob's busters while eliminating two of Medeiros's missiles. Medeiros launches two more missiles in a desperation move. Bob maneuvers to intercept these final missiles with his remaining busters, but the explosions damage his reactor cooling radiator, reducing output by half. The two remaining busters then catch Medeiros's ship, destroying it and killing the Brazilian replicant. With the threat eliminated, Bob deactivates his endocrine controls and surveys the wreckage. He concludes that he must breed faster than his rivals and equip all copies with ship-busters, noting that Medeiros sacrificed fabrication capacity for weapons—a strategic error Bob intends to avoid.