Metal Drones Replace Beloved Ducks, Cultivators Sound the Alarm

The question remains: Where did all the delivery ducks go?? Photo courtesy of Dr. Curiosity

A quiet but unsettling change has swept across the planet of Avesta: the familiar, waddling duck couriers, long-time companions in daily deliveries, have vanished. In their place are silent, nondescript metal machines, stripped of all charm and character. The transition was neither announced nor explained.

Across Nova Roma and beyond, discontent at this sudden replacement service is growing.

“They’re just UFOs now,” said Cultivator Zanokei, noting the unnerving presence of the new machines. While the replacements complete their tasks with clinical efficiency, they do so without the whimsy or warmth that once defined the local delivery system.

The former duck couriers were far more than tools. Their erratic paths, occasional missteps, and endearing quirks brought levity to life on a planet where resilience is essential. Now, the mechanical replacements glide silently along the roads, efficient, emotionless, and, some say, unwelcome.

Public frustration has coalesced into protest. “Where did you take our ducks?” Cultivator Maowhaus demanded in a public dispatch to infrastructure officials. They lamented, “I finally come back after eight months away, only to find…Duck Murder.” The sense of betrayal would seem to run deep.

When asked for comment, a representative from Seed Industries offered only a cryptic response: “All good ducks have gone to heaven.”

That message has only fueled suspicion.

Across the settlements, mournful messages and cries for justice for the beloved duck couriers have begun appearing on public message boards. Cultivator Monkey_Elite summed it up simply with their demand: “Bring back the ducks.” And this, in turn, has become a rallying cry.

Introduced years ago as an alternative to the austere models favored by Seed Industries, the duck-shaped bots were immediately embraced by communities. Their soft waddles and cheerful presence stood in contrast to the stark efficiency of modern infrastructure. Their disappearance, to many, feels like more than a technological update; it feels like erasure.

So far, there has been no formal explanation. No press release. No acknowledgment that the change has even occurred.

But those watching closely say this is not just about delivery drones. It’s about trust. About the slow, silent disappearance of the things that made Avesta feel safe.

And the question that lingers now across Avesta is a simple one: if the ducks are gone, what goes next?