"There's no easy answer," said Benyawe.
"Option B gets my vote," said Dublin. "That puts us closer to Earth. That's our destination."
"I agree," said Benyawe. "There might be something else we can learn about the Formics, a weakness perhaps. That would be more valuable to Earth than anything. If we lose sight of the ship, we lose that chance."
"The Formics are leaving a wake of destruction," said Chubs. "People may need help. I say we stay the course."
Benyawe said, "An odd philosophy for you, considering you've left quite a wake of destruction yourself."
"Always to protect us," said Chubs, annoyed.
A navigator from the helm appeared on the wall-screen. "Sir, sensors indicate that the Formic ship has vented again."
"Decelerate immediately," said Lem. "I don't want us flying into the gamma plasma. Bring us to a full stop if necessary." It was the second time the ship had vented since the battle with El Cavador.
The navigator made a series of hand movements offscreen, then returned. "Deceleration commenced, sir."
"Were there any ships near the Formics that may have been affected by the plasma?"
"Don't know, sir. The only reason we can detect the Formic ship at this distance is because of its size. Anything smaller doesn't show up on the sensors."
"Keep scanning. Let me know if we find anything that might have been hit by the plasma."
"Yes, sir."
The navigator disappeared. Benyawe walked to the systems chart that stretched across one wall. A line representing the Formics' trajectory cut across space. Benyawe touched various points on the line, leaving blinking red dots. "The first venting happened here, near Weigh Station Four. The next venting was here, roughly six au later. Now we have a third venting that's approximately six au after that."
"So they vent every six au," said Dublin.
"Which means we can approximate where it will likely vent again," said Benyawe. She tapped her finger down the line every six au and left more dots. As she reached the inner Belt, she placed a dot near an asteroid.
"What asteroid is that?" asked Lem.
Benyawe enlarged it until it filled the screen. Lem thought it looked like a dog bone: thin shaft in the middle, with two knobby lobes at either end. "It's called Kleopatra," said Benyawe. "M-class. Measures two hundred and seventeen kilometers across. She moved her fingers on the screen and rotated the asteroid until the opposite side came into view. There, on the surface of one of the lobes, was a small cluster of lights.
"What is that?" asked Lem. "Zoom in."
Benyawe moved her fingers and zoomed in on the lights, revealing a massive mining complex at least five kilometers across. Buildings, smelting plants, diggers, barracks. A mini industrial city.
"It's a Juke facility," said Benyawe.
"One of ours? How come I've never heard of it?" asked Lem.
"Your father has over a hundred of these facilities throughout the Belt," said Chubs. "By building a facility, we're basically claiming the entire rock. We're sticking a flag in the ground and telling competitors to back off. Which is smart. That much iron is worth a fortune."
"If the Formics vent near Kleopatra, even if the plasma hits the opposite side of the asteroid, those people don't stand a chance," said Dublin.
"How many people work there?" asked Lem.
Benyawe tapped the complex with her finger, opened a window of data, and began reading. After a moment, she turned to them, troubled.
"How many?" asked Lem.
"Over seven thousand," said Benyawe.
CHAPTER 20
Solitude