[ WP ] `` To explore the universe , we had to sacrifice our humanity . And we did . ''

“ To explore the universe, we had to sacrifice our humanity. And we did. ” 
 
 The council meetings always began with the chair reciting the last paragraph of the Inter-galactic Writ. Depressing. I hated being reminded of what we had to sacrifice to make this happen. Upon completion of the message, a barrage of discussion flooded the room. Each of the other one-thousand twenty three council members spewed forth statistics, opinions, and the occasional insult. I executed my telemetry output script to appear interested in the meeting; my contribution flickered by, drowned by the output of the more prolific council members. 
 
 We had gathered to discuss the discovery of, yet another, habitable world for our species to colonize. Technically, it was habitable. Council member twenty-three noted that a wide variety of pre-intelligent species were eeking out a slow evolution on the planet. With work and a few generations of struggle, the planet could be terraformed enough to sustain a proper civilization. That is, once the colonists arrived in a few thousand years from the nearest star. 
 
 They couldn ’ t jump like us. They, being flesh and blood organics. Organic matter, travelling through a jump gate becomes disorganized and ultimately turns to a grey goo. Our advantage, that of faster-than-light travel, was purchased by becoming machines. Losing our bodies and merging our minds into circuitry. 
 
 A motion was initiated and passed. Colonization was to proceed. I disabled my telemetry output and engaged the requested procedure. I monitored in silence through external sensors as a small pod detached and floated to the planet. Inside the pod sat a tiny pinch of nanobots to inoculate the atmosphere. 
 
 By the time the colonists arrive, greens, blues, and browns would have been turned grey. All life removed, mountains and oceans reduced to basal elements. Another tendril of our civilization, ready for construction.
