01-19-2026, 05:22 AM
Jonas nodded solemnly, pushing a strawberry with his fork.
“Something will have to be done, I agree. My partner and I understood the risks, but our children are innocent. I had hoped that President Khushku’s election would improve things, but the backlash from the crime families has been intense. They can sense that they’re losing power, so they’re drumming up isolationist sentiments just to hold on a little longer. The families have a lot of strings they can pull: they develop weapons for the government out in the open, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of the money from those contracts went to funding terrorists. They’ll scapegoat whoever it takes, as long as the finger keeps pointing away from themselves.”
The lounge was getting crowded now. Jonas’s eyes danced, resting on each group for a moment before moving on to the next. Finally, they settled back on Cindy.
“These past couple of days have really shown me how far we are from the future I envisioned. I wouldn’t have any hope at all right now, if it weren’t for the Aquila crew. I’m in no position to ask another favor, but it might be best for my family to take a vacation to a nearby starbase during the trial. I’ll have to convince Bogdain, but he’ll understand as long as it’s temporary.”
He ordered a shot of espresso from the replicator, looking sheepish.
“Something will have to be done, I agree. My partner and I understood the risks, but our children are innocent. I had hoped that President Khushku’s election would improve things, but the backlash from the crime families has been intense. They can sense that they’re losing power, so they’re drumming up isolationist sentiments just to hold on a little longer. The families have a lot of strings they can pull: they develop weapons for the government out in the open, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if some of the money from those contracts went to funding terrorists. They’ll scapegoat whoever it takes, as long as the finger keeps pointing away from themselves.”
The lounge was getting crowded now. Jonas’s eyes danced, resting on each group for a moment before moving on to the next. Finally, they settled back on Cindy.
“These past couple of days have really shown me how far we are from the future I envisioned. I wouldn’t have any hope at all right now, if it weren’t for the Aquila crew. I’m in no position to ask another favor, but it might be best for my family to take a vacation to a nearby starbase during the trial. I’ll have to convince Bogdain, but he’ll understand as long as it’s temporary.”
He ordered a shot of espresso from the replicator, looking sheepish.