Earth Afire (The First Formic War)

to inform illegal entrants of their rights and to prepare the necessary documentation for their deportation.”
    “You’re deporting me?” said Victor.
    “You’re an illegal entrant, Mr. Delgado. And a lawbreaker. I have decided not to give your case to the prosecutor, but I cannot allow you to remain on Luna. You will stay in the recovery hospital until the next ship leaves for the Asteroid Belt in four days. If STASA wants to contact you or request a stay before then, they may do so. Otherwise, you’re on that ship. Once you reach the Asteroid Belt you’ll have to find your own passage back to your family. I don’t have a vessel going that far. As for the vids you uploaded onto the nets, I’m having them removed immediately.”
    “What!” said Victor.
    “You can’t,” said Imala.
    “I can and will,” said Mungwai. “This department will not be held responsible for inducing a worldwide panic. You helped upload those vids, Imala, which makes us partly responsible for any adverse effect they may have on the citizenry. That showed extremely poor judgment on your part.”
    “People need to know,” said Imala.
    “There are protocols for this, Imala.”
    “Are you sure?” said Imala. “Because I don’t recall reading ‘How to Warn Earth of an Alien Invasion’ in the employee handbook.”
    Mungwai stiffened. “You are dismissed, Imala. And you’re lucky I don’t have you fired outright. That is still a possibility. In which case, you would be on the first ship back to Earth. I suggest you don’t push the matter.”
    Imala said nothing, jaw clenched tight.
    “You saw the vids,” Victor said to Mungwai. “How can you do this?”
    “What I am doing, Mr. Delgado, is keeping the peace and maintaining order, what should have been done in the first place. Screaming ‘fire’ in a crowded theater will only get people killed, even if there is a fire. Informing STASA is the best course of action. Isn’t that what you wanted? They’re the best people to handle this.”
    “Unless they dismiss it,” said Victor. “Unless they blow it off like everyone else.”
    “You are excused, Imala,” said Mungwai. “I will see to it that Mr. Delgado is escorted back to the hospital.”
    She was dismissing them. The conversation was over.
    Imala stood still a moment, then nodded, coming to a decision. “See you around, Victor.”
    Victor watched her walk out and close the door behind her. Was she really abandoning him like this? Didn’t she realize what was at stake here? What if STASA didn’t take it seriously? They needed to fight this. They needed to see it through.
    Mungwai spoke a command into her holofield, but Victor barely noticed. He was staring at the door, willing it to open. Without Imala he had nothing.
    The door opened.
    It wasn’t Imala. It was two men in security uniforms. They took Victor outside to a car and put him in the back. One of the men climbed in after him, and the two of them rode in silence back to the hospital. The man then led Victor back to his room and made sure the door was locked before leaving Victor alone.
    Victor sat on the side of his bed. They were sending him back. He had come all this way, risked everything, and they were tossing him out like space junk.
    He thought of Janda, his cousin. If she were here, she would know what to do—or at least she would have Victor laughing and feeling confident again. He thought of Mother and Father and of Concepción and of the money they had left him to start his education on Earth. Now even school was impossible.
    Later that evening an orderly brought dinner. As the man locked the tray down onto Victor’s bedside table, Victor considered trying to subdue him and taking his key cards. It would be a pointless attempt, though, he knew. Victor was still getting his strength back, and the orderly looked strong enough to restrain four people at once. Besides, where would Victor go? His data cube held all the evidence and vids, and that was locked up at the nurses’ station. He was useless without it.
    When the door opened a half hour later, Victor was lying on his bed with his eyes closed. It would be the orderly, come to recover the untouched food.
    “So you’re giving up?” said Imala.
    Victor opened his eyes. Imala stood before him, holding a small duffel bag. She tossed it onto the bed beside him. “I wasn’t sure about your size. The clothes you came in didn’t have tags on them.”
    Victor opened the bag. Pants, a