Earth Unaware (First Formic War)

maybe.”
    “No offense,” said Dreo, “but that’s not our problem. We did our part. We destroyed the pod. We saved nine people. We sent Victor to Luna. We lost Toron and Alejandra and Faron. We’ve made our sacrifices. We’ve done our duty. What you’re suggesting will get us all killed. This is out of our hands now. It’s too big for us to solve.”
    “I agree with Concepción,” said Edimar. “If we can make an attempt to stop it, we should.”
    “Of course you agree,” said Dreo. “You lost half your family. You’re angry. I, for one, would like to live. Besides, did we not just establish that they have a weapon that can destroy everything around it? How could we even get close enough to attack it?”
    “Don’t think of it as a weapon,” said Segundo. “Think of it as exhaust.”
    “What difference does it make?” said Dreo. “If it fires it, we’re just as dead.”
    “It does make a difference,” said Segundo. “Because if it just unleashed a massive amount of exhaust, then it stands to reason that it won’t release more exhaust for some time. If we’re going to strike it, now is the time.”
    “You can’t be serious,” said Dreo. He looked at those around him. “Am I the only one who thinks this is insane? What about our children? Are we willing to risk them, too?”
    “We don’t have to do this alone,” said Concepción. “There are other ships ahead of us. If we can contact them, we can enlist help. Maybe we could load the children onto another ship and keep that ship out of the fray.”
    “We’re not a warship,” said Dreo. “This isn’t our fight.”
    “It is our fight,” said Concepción. “It is most definitely our fight. That ship is a threat to every human alive. Now, if all of you tell me I’m wrong, if all of you disagree, then I’ll stop the ship. Otherwise, we’re attacking that ship.”
    “How can we enlist help with all this interference?” asked Rena.
    “The radio will work for up to a few hundred kilometers,” said Segundo. “It’s the long-distance messages that can’t get through. If we get close enough to another ship, we can get a high-bandwidth message through. Holo to holo.”
    “Who would help us?” said Bahzím.
    “We’d have to be selective,” said Concepción. “The only mining ships that could likely intercept the hormigas are ones that are already moving in this direction at a high velocity. There isn’t time for other ships to change their course and accelerate up to our speed. Selmo, what ships ahead of us qualify?”
    Selmo wiped his hand through the holospace and busied himself with the data from the Eye. “I’ve got ten ships in front of us, but only two of them are matching our speed and moving in our direction.”
    “Two ships?” said Bahzím. “That’s not much of an assault, especially if one of them is going to take the women and children.”
    “What are the two ships?” asked Concepción.
    “One’s a WU-HU ship,” said Selmo. “D-class. A drill digger. About half the size of us. Not much of a fighter, really.”
    WU-HU was a Chinese mining corporation, a direct competitor of Juke Limited, though they were small potatoes in comparison. Concepción liked WU-HU. They stayed to themselves and didn’t resort to claim jumps or clan bullying. If anything, they respected free miners. Whoever the captain was, Concepción was almost certain he or she would help.
    “What about the other ship?” asked Concepción.
    Selmo looked at the data and frowned. “It’s certainly a fighter. Well defended. Plenty of guns. Strong hull. But I’ll be damned if we want his help.”
    Concepción knew at once whose ship it must be.
    “It’s Lem Jukes,” said Selmo.
    *   *   *
    Lem grabbed a meal box and found Benyawe already eating at one of the dining counters. “I have an idea that I’d like you to pursue, Dr. Benyawe. Something to keep you busy on the flight home.”
    “We’re not exactly twiddling our thumbs in the lab, Lem. We do work.”
    Lem smiled. “Naturally this would be in addition to your current duties with the glaser.”
    “And if I refuse? Will you abandon me at the next stop like you did Podolski?”
    “Podolski had a special assignment and will be well taken care of,” said Lem. “He has passage to Luna. We didn’t abandon him. The whole thing was his idea.”
    “He must’ve forgotten that when we left him behind. He didn’t seem too eager to stay.”
    “Going to the weigh station