Net Worth

As missionaries, fleeing and surviving Kruhn refugees jumped lightyears ahead of the Zuqnads—a savage, brutal, enslaving, exploitive, nomadic, and wholly destructive species that ravaged the Kruhn homeworld.

The Kruhn missionaries, through interstellar travel, strived to save pockets of other intelligent species before the Zuqnads arrived. One million of each planet's best inhabitants—along with samples of lower lifeforms—rescued and given a new fighting chance to restart their ecosystem and rebuild their civilization.

Kerg, a Kruhn investigative scout, who spent five years in disguise on a rescue mission for Earth, stood up while ready to give a report, before a ten-member selection committee.

"Kerg, have you a recommendation list for us?" Asked Chairperson of the Board Vots.

"Yes, Chairperson." Kerg digitally transferred a copy of the list to each member's tablet. "But ... they're, they're... " Kerg stuttered.

"Go on, Kerg ..."

"Chairpersons, I must warn you all, Earth's most intelligent species behaves much like the Zuqnads. Of course, less knowledgeable. With no interstellar travel capability. But I saw the same destructive traits."

The members of the committee sighed, whispered, and grumbled.

Vots shushed everyone with a gavel-like emitter—"Kerg, I understand your concern." Vots looked side to side. "And that of my fellow committee members. However, we promised our rescuers to pay it forward. We took an oath."

"Yes, chairperson. But they're a troubling species. The Earth people demonstrated creative intelligence far below our own, and they lack our innate moral qualities. No logic. Little variation. I couldn't rank one apart from another."

Director Zeta spoke up, "Kerg, you clearly made your recommendations. We have a million names here. How did you do it? A lottery? Or a randomized selection?"

"Oh, no, director, that would defy all of our moral principles and logic. Do you see the numbers next to the names?"

They all looked at their tablets.

"Ah, yes." Vots raised their tablet and pointed the section out to Zeta and the other board members. "Right here in this column." Vots glanced at Kerg. "You mean these descending values starting in the numerical range of billions?"

"Indeed." Kerg nodded. "I applied the Earth peoples' own value system to the rescue registry."

"And these numbers, what do they tell us, Kerg?" Asked Zeta.

"Well, they represent the highest and most important value the intelligent Earth species, humans, bestow upon their own kind, making the selection simple and acceptable to them. As you see, I labeled the numerical category as they themselves have called it—'net worth.'"