More drivel on the old Lorax theme :).

The Mission by Sue Blair
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"Do we really have to do this, Commander?"

The silver craft hovered above the planet, cloaked in its sensor
jammer.

"Crewman, why did you sign up for this mission, if you don't believe
in it?"

"It just seems like such a waste."

"Not really, since we're transporting the bodies to Nova for
fertilizer."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know", the Commander winked, then drew in a breath, bracing
himself for the conversation again. "You know that we've been over
this before with the Camaro system, the Gremlin planets..."

"Yes, yes, but I have the same feeling every time. These are
intelligent beings."

"Of course they are, but you know that isn't the issue. Don't you
feel for the other lifeforms on the planet? The other intelligent
forms that are being choked out?"

"Yes, but this form is most beautiful and interesting. 
Can't we save a few?"

"Clearly, you've forgotten the Gremlim II moon. We transported a
small diverse group of the form there. By the time of our next round,
they had eliminated three-fourths of the diversity of the group and
spawned the remaining subgroup to choke the moon. We barely made it
back in time. Can't you see that it's the same thing happening all
over again here? By the time of the next round, this planet will
be dead if we sit by and do nothing now. We don't have the men and
the ships to continuously keep this form in check. We barely made
it here with enough time to save this world." He paused. "I didn't
want to say this, but the form is on the brink of learning how to
colonize other worlds."

"Scary. So they have already learned space travel. Do they have
warp knowledge?"

"Just about. You know that warp knowledge and colonization 
are tied together. They always seem to happen at around the same
stage..."

"Still, I just don't feel like we have the right to make the
decision."

"I know, but we're carrying out the lesser of two evils for the
integrity of the universe. Remember the oath? To maintain the
diversity and balance of the universe. It isn't just a bunch of
inflated pedantic bullshit. It is our mission and our duty."

"Why did the Great Being create these creatures only for us to kill
them? It doesn't make sense."

"It does if you look at the design of the universe. 'Chance' is
added to the great design so that things can change, adapt, mutate,
and grow, so that all possible combinations of life can come into
being, even forms outside of the original design. The flip-side is
that all possible forms aren't good or viable. So it falls on us
to clean up. When you had the bug nest on your home, what did you
do with it?"

"I blasted it with a flamethrower. I was gone only a year and
it covered the entire surface and had eaten half the cellulose
away. It made me sick to look at it, a big blob of crawling things
writhing over live and dead bodies, using my beautiful wood designs
as food. Don't try to draw an analogy though. These are intelligent
beings, not bugs!"

"Look, I want you to see that intelligence is not the only factor
at play here. Everyone puts way too much emphasis on intelligence.
What is intelligence anyway? More importantly, what is intelligence
without feeling? What is reproduction without restraint?  What is
a lifeform without compassion?  The beautiful nexus of mathematics
cannot be implemented without logical thought. This form not only
defies logic, it defiles compassion! It continuously builds hives
without bounds, destroying everything in its path, including that
which it needs to survive!  There are other forms that also have a
right to live, and it's our duty to give them a chance. There aren't
that many class M3 planets, and this one is a virtual paradise. How
can we sit by and let it be annihilated?"

"I see your point." The Crewman also felt tears of frustration
coming on and held them back.

The Commander sensed it and felt pity. He said, "Take heart, there
is a similar form in the realization stage on Vega. They might be
able to adapt."

The Crewman felt joy and then doubt. "But why would they be any
different than the form here?"

"They invented the condom before they invented the wheel. Speaking of
cellulose, some cellulose tea sounds good, my noses sure are stuffy."

"Indeed, my feelers have been itching for some choco-bricks. I'll
break into my stash. Thanks, Commander, I do feel so much better."