Earth Afire (The First Formic War)

We used to run from these ships in the K Belt, Rena. And now you want to join one of them? Have you lost your senses? We know nothing about this man. He could take us back to his ship and have his way with us.”
    “He has a family. They’re a lot like us.”
    “How would you know?” asked Abbi. “He’ll tell you anything to get us on his ship.”
    “I know because I met his family,” said Rena.
    The women stared at her. “What do you mean you met them?”
    “I made him take me back to his ship on his shuttle. I insisted on inspecting the vessel and meeting his family.”
    “You went on his ship?” said Julexi. “Alone?”
    “I wasn’t going to rush us all over there without knowing what we’d be getting ourselves into. They’ll put us in the cargo bay. It’s slightly bigger than the storage room here. I saw it. It’s clean. There are hammocks in there. And there’s food as well. I saw their supplies. There’s enough for all of us. If we work hard, we’ll be fine.”
    “There’s food here,” said Abbi. “We’re safer here.”
    “I don’t think we are,” said Rena. “Sooner or later we will make all the needed repairs. It’s only a matter of time before they ask us to leave. I’ve heard things.”
    “Gossip and the whisperings of a handful of people,” said Julexi. “Magashi likes us. We do more work than most of her crew.”
    “Magashi may not have the say for much longer,” said Rena. “This is more than idle chatter I’m hearing. It’s not safe. I worry for the children.”
    “And throwing them to a flock of vultures doesn’t worry you?” said Abbi.
    “They’re not your children anyway,” said Julexi. “They’re ours .”
    Yes, thought Rena. They’re not mine. I gave up my only child. I sent Victor to Luna to warn the world. I have lost him just as I have lost Segundo.
    Aloud she said, “ Somos familia. We are family. These children may not have come from my womb, but I love them like my own. Arjuna’s family is like that as well. I could sense it. They’re familia .”
    “You expect us to trust these people with our lives after one visit?” said Abbi.
    “We’ve been putting our lives in other people’s hands from the moment we left El Cavador , ” said Rena.
    “That’s different,” said Julexi. “That was WU-HU. These are scavengers.”
    “He has offered to give any one of you a tour of his ship to meet his family. But we need to move quickly if we’re going to do that. He grows impatient.”
    “Impatient?” said Julexi. “And what other emotions of his should we fear? His rage? His lust?”
    “Will you shut up?” said Edimar. The fifteen-year-old popped out of the shadows. Rena hadn’t even noticed that Edimar had been listening. “I am so sick of you cutting everyone down. Everyone’s wrong but you. Everyone’s to blame. Well you know what? If you actually said something positive every once in a while, you might not be so miserable and people might actually find you tolerable.”
    Lola, Edimar’s mother, looked aghast. “Edimar! You will apologize to Julexi this instant!”
    “No,” said Edimar. “I won’t. Because every one of you knows it’s true, and you’re all too polite to say so. Well I’m not. If you want to stay here and wait for the Chinese to kick us out, Julexi, fine, but I’m going with Rena.”
    Julexi narrowed her eyes. “You spoiled little child. You’re worse than your dogging sister.”
    Lola slapped Julexi so fast and so hard, that it spun Julexi into the wall. Several women gasped. Julexi steadied herself, a hand to her cheek, shocked.
    Edimar’s sister had been Alejandra, whom the family had sent away when they feared that Alejandra and Victor might fall in love. Dogging, or marrying within the clan, was taboo, and even though Alejandra and Victor had done nothing wrong, the family had taken precautions. To accuse Alejandra of any impropriety was cruel and heartless. Rena was tempted to slap Julexi too.
    Lola’s voice was like ice. “You will never speak of my daughter again. Do you understand me? If you had a drop of Alejandra’s goodness and decency, it would be double what you have now.”
    Edimar stared, mouth agape. Rena was no less shocked. Lola was always so mild-mannered. She had never lashed out at anyone.
    Lola turned to Rena. “Edimar and I will do whatever the council decides. I trust your judgment. If you think it’s best to leave with this crow, if this is how we can get back on our