Read Earth Awakens (The First Formic War) for Free Online

twenty minutes to discover that. There were no plans to establish supply routes that far out, no plans to build more mining vessels that could endure those conditions and distances, no plans for establishing an economic infrastructure whatsoever. If anything, there was deep-seated resistance to the idea, especially from the finance division.
    The final nail in the coffin came when Lem received a list of engineers assigned to his team: Benyawe, Dublin, everyone who had accompanied him to the Kuiper Belt, and not a soul more.
    No doubt Father would argue that this was smart management—everyone on the team already knew each other and could therefore get to work immediately.
    But Lem knew the truth of it. Father was clearly isolating him. He was keeping Lem as an employee as the media expected but not allowing Lem to interact with any executives and build any alliances. Even the warehouse Father had given him was isolated, far from the underground tunnels that were the bulk of corporate headquarters.
    Father’s true intentions were made particularly plain when Lem realized how low his security clearance was. Most of the doors in the company’s tunnels would not open when he approached. When he removed the proximity chip from his wristpad that the company had issued him and compared its code with others, he learned that his clearance level was no better than the lowliest of employees.
    Not very subtle, Father. You’re not even trying to conceal your contempt.
    Benyawe came out of the conference room, squinting at the overhead lights. She saw his humorless expression and said, “Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like what you have to say?”
    “You’re not,” said Lem. “I’ve been withholding something from you, and it’s time I told you. My father is preparing to launch an attack on the Formic ship.”
    She looked surprised. “When?”
    “In three days.”
    “With what, mining ships?”
    “With the new Vanguard drones.”
    Benyawe looked taken aback. “The drones? Those are still on the assembly line. They haven’t even been field-tested yet.”
    The prospecting drones were Father’s newest industry innovation, a way to evaluate the economic viability of asteroids without the need of an expensive crew. Father had announced them to the world just before learning of the Formics.
    “The drones have been rushed through production,” said Lem. “And that’s not the worst of it. My father is arming each of them with a glaser.”
    She stared at him, too shocked to speak. Lem didn’t blame her. The glaser—or gravity laser—made mining asteroids as easy as pulling a trigger. It shaped gravity in much the same way a laser shaped light, ripping apart asteroids using tidal forces.
    “My father’s under the impression that if a glaser can vaporize a giant asteroid, why not let it do the same to a giant alien ship.”
    “You have to stop him, Lem. The glaser is too unstable, too destructive. He can’t fire one this close to Earth.”
    “He’s not firing one, Benyawe. He intends to fire fifty.”
    “Fifty?”
    “That’s how many drones are scheduled to launch.”
    “How long have you known about this?”
    Lem sighed. “A few days.”
    “And you didn’t tell us immediately?”
    “I’m telling you now.”
    She narrowed her eyes. “Did you know about this before we sent off Victor and Imala?”
    “Yes,” he said without hesitation. He had decided that he wasn’t going to lie to her. “I found out right before they left.”
    Benyawe raised her voice. “And you let them go? You sent them on their way knowing your father was going to fire on the vessel? You put them in harm’s way.”
    Lem kept his voice calm. “They’re at the Formic ship, Benyawe. They went to harm’s way. They walked into danger. And anyway, before they left Victor assured me that they could leave Luna and get back here in four days time. That would have been a full day before my father plans to launch. I thought this was