"I'll be here," he promised.
"Very good. You must understand that these controls are constructed for manipulation by such limbs as your own and those of the Hovans. Thus, it is convenient for me to use you as a pilot instead of doing the drab, mechanical task with my ill-suited force-field manipulators. You will be wise to serve me well, Jacob."
Jacob nodded. "You got a point there."
"Operate the lock for me," the Weapon ordered.
Jacob did so and watched the colorful machine drift out of sight in the atmosphere below the cruiser.
Minutes ticked quietly by as Jacob gazed down at the purple planet and wondered why the Weapon had not chosen a trained Hovan pilot instead of him. Also, he wondered how soon the Weapon would take him home to Earth.
A great swath of the purple planet began turning black. The black dulled to the gray shade of ashes as the swath grew longer. Over the surface of Hova, the blackening moved like some colossal paint brush. Dense clouds of smoke rolled upward to the high reaches of the atmosphere.
Jacob realized why the Weapon had not selected a Hovan pilot.
When all of Hova was a lifeless ball in a fog of ash, the Weapon returned.
"Ah, good Jacob!" it boomed jovially. "Let us be up and doing! Thirty-six planets remain to be visited before my current assignment is concluded!"