"Very well, Jacob. If you have formed such an erroneous attitude, it will be necessary for me to correct you immediately. Observe the red boulder on yonder hill."
"I see it."
he cylindrical base of the Weapon swung to point briefly at the boulder, which quietly crumbled to dust.
"I be dog!" yelped Jacob. He looked at the Weapon with respect. "You sure pulverized it! How do you work?"
"You could not understand the processes involved. Suffice it to say I have the means to collect energy in general and retransmit it in specific forms and directions. But enough of this. You are here to answer questions, not ask them. First, tell me what you did in an average day on Terra."
"That what you call the world I live on?"
"Yes."
"I'm a farmer, you know. I got a place in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. First thing in the mornin', I'd go feed the livestock while Suzy cooked breakfast." A faraway look came into Jacob's eyes. "Guess she took the kids and went to live with her mammy when these here animals grabbed me...."