https://Voice.club - Commander Fallon peered at the screen as the craft approached the moon’s orbit.
'What are we going to do?" asked his captain, an anxious strain on his face. “We can’t take any more refugees from the planet. We are not big enough, and our water supplies will not cope.”
Fallen grimaced. “It’s not just that. The existing settlers are fed up. The last few shipments of “illegals” have put a strain on all our resources. Things could get ugly if we do nothing.”
“But how do we stop them?” asked the captain, a deep frown on his face. “The mother planet is dying, and they see our moon as their only survival. There are plenty of space traffickers out there who will take their money for a one-way trip.”
Fallen took a deep breath. "We need a decisive response. Some of our more extreme citizens would advocate blasting them out of the sky before they get here, but that is immoral. We shouldn’t forget that we were all pioneers and settlers once. You can’t blame the refugees for wanting a better life, and they are desperate. Many will have sold everything they have to pay for the fare.”
The captain nodded. “So, what can we do? There must be a deterrent, or they won’t stop coming.”
Fallon walked over to a table screen. “The traffickers can only land in these three areas where we will be waiting for them. I’ve already sent armoured troops to those locations. They will try to land, release their passengers, and then take off immediately. If we can capture them, they will be arrested, their ship destroyed, and they will be sent to the penal colony on Anderru. There, they will be put to work as criminals. The refugees will be taken into temporary custody and then given the choice of a return trip, or they too can go to Anderru. I have assurances that they will not be treated as criminals.” The commander looked stony-faced as he went on. “If the smugglers evade capture, they will be shot down.”