Page 188 of Commander’s Mate

I reread the reconstruction numbers.

Waysatu.

Hospitals.

Food.

Children surviving winter.

The offer had been designed by someone who understood exactly how to hurt us.

Degatu knew what I was thinking.

“We could separate the terms.”

“They will not,” Tivid said. “This is bundled deliberately.”

Harper looked at me.

Not accusing.

That was worse.

“What if we take it?”

Everyone turned.

Pyrr stared.

Harper did not.

She answered.

“Then you save people on Farseek.”

“Yes.”

“And maybe lose people here.”

“Maybe.”

“No.” Her voice sharpened. “Not maybe. You hand names back to the same system that called them property disputes.”

I looked at the proposal.

“What if we redact the manifest?”

“They require full compliance before releasing the second reconstruction tranche.”

Tivid had already thought of it.

Of course.

Degatu said quietly, “They are offering us our world in exchange for behaving.”

“No,” Harper said. “They’re offering you part of your world in exchange for becoming useful again.”

The words struck hard.