The panic was back. Not just back, but it had raised an army, built siege equipment and was assaulting the gates of Dave's resolve. Ten years. That wasn't even the least of the items that comprised the Republic of Panics army. Aliens were real. There was life outside of Earth. Interstellar travel was a thing. Earth has been visited by aliens and have apparently been acquiring weapons. Ship intelligences. Four eyes and gray skin. Dave's brain was spinning through so much information that the following minute or so made the Captain wonder if Dave was having a medical emergency.

"Are you with us Dave?" Strint asked. This broke Dave out of his internal machinations. "Yes, I'm just a little confused as to why it will be so long until your next visit to Earth?" Strint leaned forward slightly and spoke frankly, "Our current contract for the GAU-8 weapons has come to an end. We provided your planet with information and basic layouts of reducing the size of information storage and processing hardware and the weapons we have on board represent the last of the two thousand guns we were promised as payment." Dave placed his hand on his chin in thought. "Reducing the size. You mean like cd's and floppy disks. Things like that?" Dave asked. "Exactly that. Although it took a few years for your scientists to completely figure out what we gave them. Our first visit to your planet was in 1976 according to your Earth calendar." Strint replied

"So you have been visiting Earth for over 50 years now just to fulfill 1 order?" Dave inquired. Strint gave Dave an odd look and said, "Space travel, even fold drive travel, requires a careful monitoring of mass. Those weapons are big and heavy, we couldn't take them all at once even if that many were manufactured all at the same time. Manufacturing time plus time for our fuel to be refined leaves us with several trips." Dave narrowed his eyes suspiciously "Something doesn't quite add up here Captain. You were willing to make multiple, highly expensive, trips to Earth just for a couple thousand guns? Almost sounds like you were fleeced." Strint suddenly started laughing uproariously. Dave wasn't sure what the joke he missed was, but was fairly certain that it must have been a doozy.

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After a few minutes of laughter Strint finally calmed down enough to look Dave in the eye. "Dave, there are no weapons in the galaxy like human weapons. For most of the known planets and species warfare and defense were never a driving force of their evolution. It was only within the last century that a couple of species were discovered whose inclination was to prey on others. All the weapons developed by planets trying to defend themselves were less than adequate, until we found Earth. Your human weapons turned the tide against those preying on peaceful planets, and now anyone who knows anything pays a premium for Earth firepower. Just one of those guns can pay for the material and manufacture of enough fuel for a hundred expeditions to Earth. The only problem is that you can't rush the fuel making process."

Dave sat stunned for a minute. He was well aware that humanity had, on some level, an innate relationship with violence. But to hear that not only were we not alone in the galaxy, but were lauded for our ability to develop powerful and efficient ways to kill people made him feel a bit queasy. Strint picked up on this as Dave assumed that he must be turning some shade of green. "Don't worry Dave. We have two months before we arrive at Fornolo. Once we do we will begin to get things figured out."

Dave had just about had enough of gut punches, silently in his head he uttered a "Damn you Murphy" before addressing Strint again. "Two Months? Why so long, didn't we just fold or whatever?" Strint nodded, "yes we did, but we can not perform a space fold within a star system. We must fold in interstellar space and then make our way in under more conventional propulsion."

Perhaps it was the unwise cursing of Murphy, or just pure bad luck, but just as Dave was about to speak again the room lights switched from the calming blue to an angry red. A loud boom was heard and the ship suddenly shook violently. "Computer, Report!" Strint demanded. Cams monotone voice responded with "We are under attack Captain. Sensors did not detect anything prior to impact. They must have been waiting at our fold point and traveled in our engines emissions shadow. Engines are currently down to 50 percent and falling." Dave sighed deeply and thought about how cool this would all be, if only he wasn't about to die.