“I’ve already thought of that,” the major said, resting one hand on her own rifle. It was larger than the one he carried, just as her armor was larger, thicker. “We’ll shoot the ones that try to follow us. I know some of them can fly—and they’ll find their bodies, and know it’s hopeless. They’re primitives, translator. Diplomacy with them is really just a matter of making ourselves feel better. If keeping a few of them captive for a while will save our lives, then that’s the price they’ll have to pay. I wish Dr. Born had told me this sooner.”