50. Bob – June 2166 – Delta Eridani

This chapter is primarily a Riker scene from September 2164 showing the construction progress of two massive colony ships at Sol. Riker inspects the ships' ongoing assembly, then convenes an all-Bobs meeting to discuss Earth's deteriorating climate and the impossibility of evacuating the projected fifteen million people, exploring and rejecting various alternatives.

Riker observes the two colony ships under construction at Sol, noting they are impressive despite being half-built and will feature drive rings, cooling sections, and massive shielding to transport ten thousand humans in stasis each. The third ship will be completed four months after the first two. Manufacturing is proceeding smoothly with AMI assistance, though diplomatic negotiations on Earth continue regarding population allocation. Homer's crew has been extracting metal from Earth's surface to support production, though the calculations for optimal resource allocation between drones, printers, and colony ships creation prove frustrating due to competing demands. Riker conducts a routine inspection of one colony ship via drone, confirming construction crews are meeting production targets. Later, Riker, Homer, and Charles convene an all-Bobs meeting to address Earth's accelerating climate deterioration and the reality that fifteen million people cannot be evacuated. They discuss and reject multiple alternatives: Charles proposes equatorial relocation but infrastructure remains the limiting factor; Homer suggests kilometer-scale space mirrors but acknowledges unknown engineering challenges and their inability to address radioactivity or ecosystem damage; Charles mentions space stations and moon colonies but notes these would set colony ship construction back decades without sufficient population impact. Arthur observes that even following the current plan, the Bobs probably cannot save everyone. The meeting concludes with grim resignation that no viable alternative exists beyond continuing the current trajectory.