Earth Afire (The First Formic War)

reputation. I won’t stand for that. Have we at least made an initial payment, to show our good faith, to keep the LTD from taking this public?”
    “I told you. No one’s going public with this. Trust me.”
    Because you’ve silenced them with threats and bribes and that pig-ugly grimace of yours. “Information has a way of getting out,” said Lem. “I’m told these discrepancies were uncovered by a no-name, low-ranking junior auditor at the LTD. If someone that insignificant can dig up this dirt, anyone can. Sooner or later this is going to leak. We need to prepare for it.”
    “How?”
    “We go on record that we as a company are doing all we can to meet this obligation. If we wait until the leaks do that, we’ll look like unrepentant snakes trying to cover our own asses.”
    Ramdakan’s teeth were near chattering. “Fine. I’ll look into it.”
    “How much will you give?”
    “I said I’ll look into it. We haven’t allocated funds for this, Lem. It will need some examination. This has been a rough quarter, in case you haven’t noticed. We don’t have vaults of liquidity that we can dip into whenever we want. This has to be budgeted and approved. I’ll have to consult with the Board. They’re the ones who will decide.” The emphasis was an attempt to remind Lem that Lem had no authority in the matter, that he was a minor-league scrub throwing pitches in the big leagues, but Lem pretended to have taken a different meaning.
    “You’re right,” he said. “We don’t have time for delays. The last thing we need is boardroom bureaucracy miring this in indecision.” Lem thought for a moment, or rather acted as if he were thinking and then pretended to reach a decision. “You may think me a great fool, Norja, but I don’t think we can wait for the Board. I want to make a good-faith payment from my own personal fortune on behalf of the company.”
    Ramdakan chuckled. “You can’t be serious.”
    “I am serious. I’ll have my people do it immediately. A tenth of what we owe should be enough to keep the LTD content for now.”
    Ramdakan’s eyes widened and he nearly choked on the word. “A tenth? But that’s … an enormous amount. You can’t possibly—”
    “—have that much money? I do, Norja. You forget, I’ve managed a few companies myself. I’ve done very well. No one seems to remember because Father’s shadow is quite long, which is fine by me. But that’s how committed I am to this company and to my father.”
    “Yes, but … a tenth ?”
    “Anything less would backfire in the press. It wouldn’t be a show of good faith. We’ll call it a loan. The company can pay me back over time once the funds have been budgeted.”
    “Your father won’t approve of you doing this, Lem.”
    “He doesn’t have to know. I fear he’d be embarrassed by it. And no one else on the Board must know either. I don’t want to do anything to diminish Father’s standing among them. It would shame him if the Board and investors knew his own son had to bail him out. Promise me you’ll keep this quiet, Norja. My father has spent his entire adult life building this company from nothing. I’m not going to allow a few cheapskates or crooks to tarnish his reputation. He’s already poised to take a hit with this drone nonsense.”
    That gave Ramdakan pause. “Drone nonsense?”
    “This business about loading the drones with the glaser. You have to talk to him, Norja. He won’t listen to me. The glasers will fail. I’ve seen the Formic ship in action. Our drones will be decimated. The Vanguard project will tank after the war as a result. The idea of us producing and using drones will be dead. Father’s intentions are good, but that will be an ax blow to the company. It could very well cost him his position and all of us our jobs.” He stepped closer and put a hand on Ramdakan’s shoulder. “You have to help me prevent that from happening. We must protect Father. He has always trusted you. Do I have your word that you are still his man?”
    “Of course, Lem.”
    Lem visibly relaxed. “Good. I’m sorry to make you endure this cold, but Father’s precarious position right now can’t be heard by those who might try and take advantage of it.”
    “Yes. Of course.”
    Lem gestured back toward the corridor. “You go on ahead. We shouldn’t both be seen coming out of the shaft at once.”
    “Smart. Good luck, Lem.” He pushed his way through the sheets of plastic hanging from the