Earth Unaware (First Formic War)

ready to test this thing. Do you have a moment to come help us out?”
    “On my way,” said Marco.
    Victor thought it best if Marco was the one who installed the steam sensor. It was a simple procedure, and it would allow Marco to feel some ownership for the device. Besides, the miners would be the ones moving the steam sensor every time they moved the drill, so they needed to know how to install it at the blast site. It made sense for Marco, as team leader, to have the first go.
    Marco didn’t come alone. Word had spread, and every miner in the family now gathered around the mineshaft, ready to watch.
    “When ice melts it produces steam,” said Victor. “This sensor goes down in the shaft and detects steam. The moment the level of steam in the detritus goes up a certain amount, it tells the retros to ease off. Then, when the rock particulate goes up again and steam diminishes, the retros accelerate. Meanwhile, it’s sending adjustments to the drill, to keep it from waffling as the ship moves. So the beam always stays dead center on the blast site.”
    “Won’t the heat from the laser burn the steam sensor?” asked Marco.
    “That’s what the casing is for,” said Victor. “It’s pretty tough stuff. I’m thinking it will hold.”
    “So no more ice dips?” asked one of the miners.
    “It won’t rid the ship of all movement entirely,” said Victor. “There would still be some slight shifting since it will take a moment for the sensor to detect the steam, but the movement will be far more gentle, like slight waves instead of sudden, jarring jolts.”
    Marco flew down into the hole and drilled the steam sensor into the inner rock wall as Victor suggested. When he returned, he ushered everyone back to a safe distance and had them lower their blast shields over their visors.
    “It’s still a prototype,” Victor reminded them. “I can’t guarantee the beam won’t go off center. It’s bound to need some serious adjustments.”
    “Shut up and drill,” said Marco.
    Victor blinked the commands into his heads-up display, and the laser blasted down into the rock. Within seconds the laser hit ice, and the ship began to dip. The retros adjusted and the drill countered. It wasn’t perfect; the beam still wavered a bit.
    “Needs tweaking,” said Victor. He called up the commands on his display. His eyes moved quickly, and he gave the appropriate blink commands, making the needed adjustments. Twenty seconds later the laser hit another pocket of ice. Steam issued from the hole, but the retros responded quickly and smoothly this time. The drill responded perfectly as well, without the slightest waver from side to side.
    Everyone cheered. Mono was punching the sky, whistling.
    Marco was smiling. “She handles light. Sweet.”
    “So I’m on the right track,” said Victor. “Now I can get to work on the real version.”
    “Does Concepción know about this?” asked Marco
    “We didn’t want to tell anyone until we knew it worked. Now that it shows some promise, I’ll get my dad involved. He may have some improvements in mind.”
    “I’ll take two,” said Marco, smiling. “One for the new drill as well.” He gave Victor an affectionate knuckle tap on the helmet.
    When Victor and Mono finally returned to the ship, Mono was on an emotional high. “You’d be rich on Earth, Vico. Stinking rich. All these ideas of yours. They’d pay you millions of credits.”
    “I’m seventeen, Mono. I’d be lucky to get an assembly-line job. No one would take me seriously. Out here we can do whatever we want. On Earth it’s different. Besides, you and I did this together. The stabilizer was both of us.”
    “I helped with mindless welding and soldering in the workshop. The ideas were yours.”
    “Your hands are way steadier than mine. You do the micro work far better than I do. Even Father can’t solder like you.”
    Mono beamed.
    When they floated out of the decompression chamber and back into the cargo bay, Isabella was waiting for him. She was Chilean, zogged by the family when Victor was just a kid and married to Mother’s second cousin. More importantly, she was very close with Janda.
    “I need to speak with Vico in private, Mono,” said Isabella. “Would you give us a moment?”
    Mono shrugged. “I got circuits to rebuild in the workshop. See you around, Vico.”
    Isabella waited until Mono was gone, then turned to Victor. “I know you’re upset. And I don’t blame you.”
    Victor kept his