Earth Afire (The First Formic War 2)

Some of the scientists laughed. Others scoffed and stormed out. Victor didn't care. He preferred to be alone anyway.

On the fifth day it happened. Simona came to the apartment with Imala, who was so relieved to see Victor that she embraced him. "They've been drilling me for days," she said. "I can only assume you were getting the same." She smiled at him. "They found it, Victor. Prescott and Yanyu found it."

Simona set her holopad on the table and extended the bars in the corners. A live news broadcast projected in the field. Ukko stood at a lectern crested with the Juke corporate logo. Behind him, clustered together, was a crowd of people, most of whom had come to Victor's apartment in the past few days. Prescott was among them, as was Yanyu.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the press

," said Ukko. "Citizens of Earth and Luna. We are not alone in the universe."

Victor felt a weight lift. In that one sentence, his task was complete. The burden was someone else's now. He was free.

Cameras flashed as Ukko continued. "An intelligent and hostile alien species is at this moment approaching Earth in a ship unlike anything we've ever seen." He gestured to his left, where a holofield resided above a platform. The alien ship appeared, suspended in space. "This holo and others I supplied to STASA this morning leave no doubt in my mind that our planet is in grave danger." The alien ship minimized, and Yanyu's wreckage from the Belt appeared. "Dedicated members of my staff have discovered evidence that this alien vessel is responsible for the destruction of an unknown number of mining vessels in the Asteroid Belt and beyond. We fear the loss of human life may already be in the thousands. We can also prove definitively that this alien ship is the cause of the communications interference that has crippled space commerce for months. My team is tracking the ship as we speak, and if its current rate of deceleration continues, it will reach Earth in approximately eleven days."

There were murmurs from the media.

Ukko signaled them to quiet. "We must do all in our power to remain calm and prevent a worldwide panic. I call upon all governments of Earth to convene an emergency summit at the United Nations so that immediate precautionary measures can be taken. And I vow that Juke Limited will continue to do everything in its power to keep the world informed and to assist in whatever preparations will be made. I'll now turn the microphone over to members of my team who will take you through the evidence and answer all of your questions." He stepped away from the lectern, and gestured to Prescott, who came forward and introduced himself.

"It's running on every feed," said Simona, who was tapping at her wrist pad.

"Our investigation began," said Prescott, "when we initiated an analysis of purported evidence uploaded onto the nets concerning an alleged alien vessel. Much of this evidence was dismissed by members of the press, but our team of researchers continued to analyze it nonetheless."

It was a bold statement to make. Yet Victor saw the wisdom of it. The world would want to place blame; people would be angry. They'd demand to know why they hadn't been told sooner and why they had been given so little time to prepare. By subtly slapping the media on the wrist, Ukko was doing preemptive damage control and deflecting any blame from himself.

The press conference went on for an hour, with various members of Ukko's team taking the microphone to present evidence and answer questions. Victor and Imala watched the subsequent news coverage as anchors regurgitated Ukko's announcement. There were rumors that the director of STASA was preparing a statement. The president of the U.S. had called a press conference. The Politburo in Beijing was deliberating. The secretary-general of the United Nations would be making a statement shortly. Eventually Victor turned off the broadcast, and the room went silent.

"What's going to happen now?" he asked Simona.

"The U.N. will hold its summit. STASA will spring into action. Nations of the world will pledge their support, and every politician with a spark of intelligence and an eye on the next election will scramble to praise Mr. Jukes and his team."

"What about the ship?" Victor asked. "Will they ready a fleet to destroy it?"

Simona shrugged. "Too early to say. What matters is that it's not your problem anymore. You two are free to go. As of right now, your services with Juke Limited are no longer required. Mr. Jukes wishes to express his deep gratitude for your tireless assistance, and as a token of his thanks he is giving you the use of a Juke shuttle to fly you to Midway station. You'll return the shuttle there and secure your own passage out to the Kuiper Belt."

Victor couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're giving me a shuttle?"

"On loan. To get you to Midway. You said yourself you wanted to find your family."

"Yes but ... what's the catch?"

"No catch. Mr. Jukes recognizes the sacrifices you've made, and he is all too eager to return the favor and reunite you with your family. I'm to take you both to the dock immediately."

"Both of us?" said Victor.

"Imala will be accompanying you. She'll pilot the shuttle. It's not a ship you're familiar with."

Victor looked at Imala and saw at once from her expression that she had already agreed to this. "How can you possibly consider this?" he asked. "Your career. Your family. You don't want to come with me. It's a six-, seven-month trip to Midway."

"They asked me," said Imala. "It's the least I could do after everything you've done for us. You shouldn't be traveling alone."

"But I don't have to travel alone," said Victor. "A ship to myself is generous, but it's unnecessary. Surely there are still transports leaving for the Belt. And if not, there will be now. A lot of people will want to get as far away from Earth and Luna as possible until this is over. Why not put me on one of those ships and be done with it? Why give me a whole shuttle?"

"Mr. Jukes wants you riding in comfort," said Simona. "Money is no object."

Victor didn't know what to say. A shuttle. All the way to Midway. For free. It was more than he could have asked for. It was too good to be true.

And then he realized it was too good to be true.

"Ukko isn't doing this out of generosity," he said. "He's doing it to get rid of me. That's what this is. He keeps me here under house arrest and then he ships me out as soon as the announcement is made? On a shuttle with just Imala? Away from anyone I might relay my story to? This isn't a gift. It's a muzzle. He doesn't want me talking to anyone, especially the press. He doesn't want me telling them that his son is a murderer. He's protecting Lem by making me disappear. Tell me if I'm getting warm here."