The men chuckled. Victor didn't get it. Apparently prick had multiple meanings.
"What's the difference between a catfish and a lawyer?" asked Cocktail. "One is a bottom-dwelling, garbage-eating scavenger. The other is a fish."
The men laughed. They were not at all what Victor had expected. He had envisioned gruff men with steely eyes and serious dispositions, lethal killers ready to snap a neck at a moment's notice. But these men were like his uncles and his father: easygoing, relaxed, a family. To Victor's surprise, this didn't unsettle him. If anything it put his mind at ease. He had worried that soldiers would scoff at his direction and dismiss him as so many others had done. But these men, like the men of home, seemed like the type who would listen to any idea, regardless of where it came from.
"What happens after we appease the lawyers?" asked Wit.
The men fell silent. It was down to business now. All eyes were on Lem.
"We'll leave Luna for a cargo freighter called the Valas," said Lem. "It's positioned out in space just beyond Luna's gravity well. It's one of the largest vessels this company has ever built and it will serve as our base of operations. All of our equipment and support team are already there. We'll stay on the Valas for a few days as you learn to move in zero-G. Victor will be your teacher. You'll have very specific duties once you're inside the Formic ship, and you'll train for those as well."
"What duties?" said Wit. "We've chased your dangling carrot, Lem. We're here. Now tell us how we're going to destroy the ship."
"By being plumbers, Captain O'Toole."
"I beg your pardon."
Lem laughed. "Plumbers, Captain. You know, wrenches, elbow grease, exorbitantly high hourly rates. You need not show your butt crack when you bend over, however. Victor will explain everything shortly."
They docked at the warehouse. Ramdakan was waiting inside with a team of lawyers. Tables had been set up. Documents were presented and signed. It was all very quick and orderly, but it dampened the mood considerably. The MOPs never questioned anyone. They read their documents and signed. When it was done, Ramdakan thanked them, wished them luck, gathered his crew, and left.
"It's ironic," said Deen. "Usually lawyers pounce on you after you've destroyed something."
Lem then introduced the MOPs to the various warehouse workers who had come out to meet them and wish them well. The MOPs were kind and gracious. They went around the room thanking everyone for their hard work and contributions. The more Victor watched them, the more convinced he became that Lem had chosen well. They were obviously fine soldiers--their accomplishments in the field were evidence of that. Yet they were also decent human beings, which was just as important, if not more so.
Simona took vids of everything with her holopad.
"Are you recording that for PR or for you?" Lem asked her.
"For you," she said. "You'll want to show your grandkids someday."
Ukko Jukes arrived minutes later, surprising everyone. He went around the room, shaking hands like a politician up for reelection. Victor could tell Lem was annoyed, though Lem was doing his best not to show it. Simona continued with the vid recording.
Victor wanted to approach Ukko and put a boot between his legs. Hello, Mr. Jukes. This is for nearly killing Imala with the drones. Kapow! But he kept quiet and stayed in the back of the room as far from Ukko as possible.
When Ukko was done making the rounds, he spoke loud enough for all to hear. "When I learned that my son was planning this mission, I've never felt prouder as a parent." He paused as if overcome with emotion.
Victor rolled his eyes. Was anyone believing this for an instant? He looked around the room. Everyone was attentive except for Lem, who was picking a piece of invisible lint off his jacket.
"I'm proud that Juke Limited could help in some way," said Ukko. "If there is anything you men need, just say so, and I will see to it personally." He smiled warmly. Then he extended his hands to the side. "I know all of us come from different countries and cultures, but let us link hands for a moment. All of us. Don't be shy. That's it. Everyone take the hand of the person to your right and left. You too, son. You're the leader here. We need you most of all. That's it. Now I want each of you to look around this circle. Look at the faces before you. This is what Earth can be. All of us joined together in purpose, working as one against a common enemy. This is true strength. The talents and skills of all. United."
Ukko scanned the crowd, meeting their eyes. "Now, let us take a moment of silence. And in that silence, pray to whatever god you have. Pray that those who are about to embark on this dangerous effort will return to us whole and sound. Pray for our brothers and sisters in China, and for the soldiers there, too, and their families and loved ones. And most of all, pray that Earth will be ours again, a stronger Earth, a better Earth, an Earth that will never shake again at such evil."
Ukko bowed his head. Everyone in the circle did the same except for Lem, who stared straight ahead at his father, saying his own silent prayer, perhaps.
After a full minute, Ukko lifted his head and thanked them again. Then as quickly as he had come, he waved and departed.
Lem took control of the scene again, and ten minutes later he, Victor, and all the MOPs were loaded into the shuttle and lifting away from Luna.
They docked with the Valas, and everyone undid their harnesses and floated through the hatch. Imala and Dr. Benyawe were there to greet them, having come up earlier. More introductions were made; then they all moved to the helm where the holotable had been prepped. Lem instructed everyone to anchor their feet to the hooks in the floor around the table, and then he turned the time over to Victor.
The Formic ship appeared in the holofield. Victor used his stylus to rotate it 360 degrees so that everyone could see it from all angles. "This ship is still largely a mystery." He pointed to the crown of tubular rods encircling the point of the teardrop. "This apparatus here, for example. We have no idea what this is. Many suspect that it's field-generation equipment, and I tend to agree with them. But how the Formic shields work is still a giant unknown. They block tiny space particles as the ship moves through deep space, and they deflect any projectile fired at the ship. Yet I was able to approach and enter the ship without any resistance. Why? Does the shield require an enormous amount of energy to maintain and thus is only turned on when the Formics are in flight or when they detect a threat? We don't know. All we do know is that this type of tech is priceless." He zoomed in on the field generators. "Humans don't know how to do this. Yet field generation is critical if ever we want to attempt interstellar flight."
He zoomed in to the rear of the ship. "And this is the propulsion system. It's powerful enough to move a ship of this mass up to a significant fraction of the speed of light. We're nowhere close to tech like that."
He zoomed back out. "And what about Formic communications? How does one ship speak to another? We have no idea. I didn't find anything in the ship to answer that question, but the answer must be there somewhere. And whatever it is, it has the potential to revolutionize our own communication infrastructure, both out here in space and down on Earth. I could go on. My point is, there are likely hundreds, if not thousands of innovations inside this ship far beyond anything we've developed or ever could develop. It is a treasure trove of tech that could open new doors and possibilities for all of us. I'm not exaggerating when I say this ship could change the world."
"So this is about seizing tech?" said Shenzu. "I thought we were fighting a war here."