Gabatrix: the Batrice Crisis
Copyright© 2025 by CMed TheUniverseofCMed
Chapter 1: Schism
Science Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 1: Schism - Set after the events of Gabatrix: The Last Tank, resentment in the UWA grows in the colony of Batrice, one of the most essential worlds of the human race. Anger, confusion, and misinformation have reached an all-time high. A 24th-century Civil War is all but inevitable. It will be up to Shira, Javier, Stone, and the countless characters of past stories to find a solution before the UWA falls apart. Story Includes: Human/Anthro, M/F, M/FF, War, Sex, Action, Drama, Pregnant, Birth, Scalie, Alien
Caution: This Science Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Romantic Fiction Science Fiction Aliens Robot Space Furry Lactation Oral Sex Pregnancy Size
Sometime in 2295 AD...
Forty light-years from Earth lies one of humanity’s greatest colonies. From the dark vacuum of space, we return to look upon the brown surface of Trappist-1e. The planet is one that we all know too well. From the wave of small purple lakes and reddish glowing surface is that of New Phnom Penh, the Capital of Batrice. Being the first city, it would serve as the center of administration for the colony’s government for years to come.
The only difference is that we must look into the past to understand the present.
We are immediately moved to witness the interior of the vast mobile mining dome of New Phnom Penh. Inside, we see the partially transparent dome ceiling that lies above. Many of the building structures on the surface seem to be new in construction. Stores, apartments, and other facilities have been built, with room to expand the available habitable land space. We zoom through the many streets towards the central capital building. Shaped similarly to the great Angkor Wat, the structure consists of five multi-colored domes that rise towards the overhead dome ceiling. Statues of famous individuals line the concrete stairs that lead to the central structure. Various reporters and civilians stand near the stairs as we proceed further up.
The sounds of talking can be heard in the distance. Stair speakers process and spill into the interior chambers like a never-ending wave. Onlookers listen in as another great speech resonates through the entrance. Deeper inside the marble columns, through the grand entrance, lies a narrow hallway filled with crowded individuals. The humans carry features similar to those of former Southeast Asia and Australia. Past the door is a set of guards, dressed in formal royal attire, rifles, and body armor.
Further past that entrance is the great red, green, and blue amphitheater. It has at least two hundred seats and countless chairs that line its half-elliptical curved walls. Hundreds of individuals, politicians, spouses and wives of those politicians, kids, and more fill this great chamber. A large podium stands to the rear, accompanied by sets of hovering cameras, microphones, and lavish tables nearby. From the podium is a single short man. Dressed in a formal red and blue retired pilot jumpsuit and a sash that lines over the shoulder of his uniform, he has a mostly pale complexion and facial features reminiscent of someone of former Italian descent. His white beret sits over his gray hair. The signs of aging, most likely a man in his 80s, stands next to the podium. Despite his age, the individual appears relatively healthy, full of energy, spry, and jovial during the speech. Many of the individuals seem enamored with the man because of how he spoke, along with the hint of his aged, yet dashing appearance.
“It’s why I believe that Batrice and Gillian will be the future of the UWA,” the man said with much spirit. “It’s why I believe that your achievements will outshine even that of Mars ... or Cebravis...”
The man relaxed as the countless individuals began to applaud together. From one of the walls was a statue of a man pointing to the sky, holding one finger in the air. Surprisingly, the very statue was reminiscent of the man behind the podium, albeit a younger rendition of him. He continued letting the audience of politicians applaud in unison, seemingly enjoying the moment. The figure turned to his left to see the other close figures that sat not far from the podium. One was an elderly lady, a woman who appeared to be much older than even the man himself. She was dressed in a red and blue officer’s uniform. Her dress attire was adorned with medals, golden sashes, and a metal silver flower that sat atop the old woman’s gray, stricken hair. Numerous wrinkles on her skin marred her pale complexion, but one that was softened by the firm lisp and hardened look on her face.
Sitting beside the woman was a younger man and woman with facial features reminiscent of individuals born in former Cambodia. The man appeared to be in his 50s, dressed in a white formal tuxedo and pants, while the woman, who seemed to be in her 30s, sat beside him. Her silk dress was extravagant. All the individuals continued to clap before the applause in the room finally died down.
“I’m sure that many of you have questions,” the older man happily said to the audience. “I’m here for your pleasure. Ask away...”
“Mr. Gabatrix!” One of the politicians called out from the crowd.
“Ciro Gabatrix,” the man sitting at the table introduced the politician. “Prime Minister recognizes Representative Oakley from the CBA Party...”
“The Batrice Conservative Party, right?” Gabatrix asked.
“Yes,” Oakley answered.
“Go ahead...,” Gabatrix replied to the standing Representative.
Oakley seemed pleased to ask. “Are you going to be making annual visits to Batrice now that we’ve narrowly finished completing our shipyards?” He questioned him.
“Well,” Gabatrix happily remarked, placing his hands on his hips. “That wasn’t my reason for showing up here, but I won’t lie that seeing your colony build Fort Darwin did play a role in me making a visit. The rate things are going, I might end up ordering a yacht from you guys in no time...”
Laughter could be heard primarily from the right side of the room. Some of the politicians appeared to enjoy the joke. However, Gabatrix could sense the mild hint of agitation. The other side of the room didn’t appear to enjoy the joke. Instead, the old man pointed at the next politician, someone on the right side. Another man, a person with a mixed complexion in his 50s, stood up.
“Prime Minister recognizes Representative Zakaria, CEO of Cancri Mining Corporation,” the man from the table introduced him.
“Cancri Mining Corporation, huh?” Gabatrix smirked and nodded. “I heard a little bit about the companies getting started on Batrice. What is it, Zakaria?”
“Gabatrix,” Zakaria said with a hard Chinese accent. “How do you feel about Batrice expanding its mining outside of Batrice and Gillian?”
“I’m all for it! I suppose you want me to give a little bit of an endorsement for you, right? CMC, if it’s got diamonds, we’ll tap first!” He pointed both his fingers at him. “My name is Ciro Gabatrix, and this is my favorite mining corporation in the sector...”
Zakaria smiled and nodded. “CMC will take your slogan under advisement. We have the first set of mining ships ready to leave the system in less than a year.”
“Heh...,” Gabatrix looked at the others. “Everyone looks like they’re having to ask permission for me, like I’m your father or something. Just because I discovered folding space doesn’t mean that I’m your overseer. Besides, I know you got Auntie Samantha sitting not far from me. I’m sure she would probably kick my ass if I got carried away...”
The old woman sitting at the table shifted with a hint of agitation. More laughter could be heard on the right side of the room. Gabatrix could continue to see that the left side of the auditorium wasn’t laughing or finding his comments entertaining. If anything, their stares grew more intense in each passing second.
“ ... If looks could kill...,” Gabatrix said. “I thought at first my speeches were boring, but the other half of the room looks like they’re ready to throw my ass out of here.”
“It’s the IRONLADY!” one of the female politicians called out on the left side of the room, trying to correct Gabatrix aggressively. She gave a smirk and an angered look at the man.
“Prime Minister recognizes Representative Socheata of the SBA,” the man at the table added.
“SBA?” Gabatrix questioned. “The Batrice Socialist Party, right?”
“Yes,” the female politician stood up. “You have no right to make fun of our great founder. YOU MOCK HER!”
“Mock her? Heh,” Gabatrix looked over at the old lady sitting by the table. “I can promise you that if we’re both covered in wrinkles, I have all the right in the galaxy to make fun of her. Besides,” Gabatrix wiped the gray hair from his jaw. “If I were mocking her, you would absolutely know it. It’s your goal in life to look like me at my age. Eventually, before you know it, they’ll turn you into a statue as you’re trying to bust out of the copper paint...”
There was more laughter on the other side of the room. Gabatrix could see that the left side of the room was hopeless to please. He briefly looked over to the table to see that the Prime Minister was being muddy and neutral. Samantha Batrice remained cold and annoyed. It seemed to transfer over to the people on the left, which Gabatrix took note of. Ciro remained confident and unfazed before looking over to the crowd. The female representative sat down.
“Ladies and Gentlemen...,” Gabatrix said, getting serious. “I don’t care what party you represent. I’m not affiliated with any of your political movements. I make goodwill tours for the UWA. Me and the... ‘Ironlady’ of Batrice, and your Prime Minister, all stand together. Your colony has made incredible achievements over the course of 20 years. I’m standing in it. Your people built this, not me...”
“And why is that?” A man stood up on the left side of the room. The anger could be seen on his pale face. “Why does it matter to you, Ciro?”
“Prime Minister recognizes Representative Tasman of the SBA,” the Prime Minister continued.
“What matters to me, what, Tasman?” Gabatrix continued.
“Our feelings...” Tasman berated him. “You actually care? You barely show up at Batrice in the last twenty years ... suddenly, it becomes important, and you show up at our parliament for the first time ever. Funny that you did this when Fort Darwin is nearing completion. You even admitted it...”
“Alright...” Gabatrix showed his serious face. “I’ll bite ... What is that you’re getting at?”
“UWA ... Goodwill tour. Admit it, you’re afraid of Batrice. We’re going to surpass Mars, aren’t we? ... And they know it...”
“You’re the first operational shipyard since Deimos.” Gabatrix tapped his fingers on the podium. “What do you want me to say, representative? All that dirt went into your head? You think I did my experiment just to sit in a retirement home? I may have slowed down due to my age, but that doesn’t mean I’m out of the fight, yet. Batrice and Gillian represent the future of the UWA. You’ve become the leading exporter of raw materials. That was your doing, not mine.”
“You’re a puppet!” Socheta stood up and condemned Gabatrix. “You’ve become little more than a figurehead for Martian Chairman.”
The parliament room began to break out in conversation. Whispers were being exchanged between representatives.
“Order!” the Prime Minister stood up and silenced everyone. “Socheta, sit down. That’s enough!...”
Socheta sat back down. Gabatrix resumed his conversation with Tasman.
“I’m curious,” Gabatrix questioned the man. “Why the hostility?”
“Do you think we’re fools, Gabatrix?” Tasman replied. “You know nothing about our hardships, mock our glorious founder before all of us, and belittle all of us at the same time. Don’t think we haven’t noticed your comments about us back on Earth?”
“And what was it?” Gabatrix asked.
“That Communism was dead ... it had no future at all ... Nor did you want to see it come back...”
Gabatrix narrowed his eyes at him as he thought back. “Communism ... That was back in the ICDA conference at New Beijing, on Earth. Yes, I do remember saying that ... The Imperial Chinese Dome Alliance has been recovering ever since Communist China left it behind. Why does that matter to you?”
The anger grew on the left side of the room. Gabatrix continued to briefly look at Samantha Batrice.
“Because you know nothing about what those corporate groups will do to us,” Tasman continued. “They don’t care about the miners that dig for your precious raw materials.”
“And you believe your ideology will save the people of Batrice?”
“Yes..., I do, Gabatrix.”
“Funny...” Gabatrix grabbed his beard. “I recall someone on Mars telling me that ... a member of the Martian Communist Party who ended up telling me that I couldn’t launch my ship, ... the very experiment that put you all on this planet ... before he lost his popularity and ultimately resigned years later ... But, I suppose you’re going to tell me that I’m wrong, aren’t you?”
On the right side of the room, individuals nodded and grunted, seemingly happy to see that Tasman had been put in his place. Tasman didn’t want to say anymore before he sat down again. However, Gabatrix noted that there were fewer members of the supposed CBA than the opposing party. It appeared that the members of the SBA and other supporting groups held the superior numbers. The words seemed to weigh heavily upon the old man before he braced his hands against the podium.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Gabatrix explained, looking at everyone. “My purpose is to learn more about you, not judge you. I don’t know about the hardships that the population goes through. Besides, I’ve already seen some of it as it was with Oshun. We all have our demons. I believe in peace and prosperity between the colonies. I haven’t forgotten about Mars. I haven’t forgotten about Cebravis. I haven’t forgotten about Earth. And, I haven’t forgotten about you. I plan on staying for a few days, touring your facilities ... your mining tunnels, the workers, all of it. If something seems wrong, then I’ll point it out. If there’s a human rights violation, I bring it up to the UWA. If those changes aren’t made, then I’ll toss the politicians in my aircraft and fly somersaults over and over again until the guy pukes or makes those changes. My point is that we stand at a turning point for humanity. We all have our part to play. The UWA ... the UHN is the beginning of our unity. It serves as the hope for all of us. Together, we are stronger. I may be up there in age, but even I see the wisdom of our great alliance. Let’s journey to the stars together...”
There was a pause. The Prime Minister finally began to clap from his desk, followed by more representatives who also broke out in applause. Even the ones on the left side of the room finally began to clap, although their clapping seemed more like forced applause, as if they were not enjoying the process. Gabatrix smiled and held his hands out, seemingly happy to receive the praise. When he looked over to Samantha, the old woman gave an annoyed clap...
It had been ten minutes later. Gabatrix, Samantha Batrice, the Prime Minister, and his wife entered into a large lobby. The luxurious room was filled with extravagant furniture fit for kings. The flags of Batrice lined the walls, along with various artifacts from Southeast Asia and Australia, all from former Earth. A large display and computer console lined another side of the room. Gabatrix was the first to storm into the room. The hint of the harpsichord music could be heard in the distance. The press and other media officials were trying to hover around the four individuals before the doors closed, separating them from the group. The guards would further push any media officials from entering or even trying to force their way into the room. Seeing that he was alone with the other three, Gabatrix turned and looked at the others behind him.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Gabatrix asked, giving a stern, angry look at the Prime Minister. “I come here and this is their response?”
“Relax, Gabatrix,” the man replied. “A few politicians are just upset and voicing their opinion. It’s not like you haven’t faced opposition before.”
“Opposition? Heh...,” Gabatrix shook his head and gave the hint of a chuckle. “Chanvatey, you’re SBA. Those are your own party members! Your own supporters were ready to crucify me! At this rate, I’m going to be touring your mines and debating if I’m going to have a bullet in my head before I finish my tour...”
Samantha Batrice coughed and hacked some before she recomposed herself. She seemed sternly preoccupied with her thoughts, ignoring the exchange of words. The prime minister held his hands up to dismiss Gabatrix’s accusation.
“Gabatrix, I understand your frustration...”
“Frustration?” Gabatrix shook his head again. “I’ve seen my share of frustrations. I can read a room pretty well. I can understand one side. Your Conservative Party at least pretends to like me, and I can pretend to like them, but the SBA is like looking at some of the Martian politicians. Their attitude isn’t going to get them far.”
“I know you better than they do,” Chanvatey explained. “I may have helped forge the SBA, but I’m a moderate at heart. Sometimes you just have to speak softly and let the historians decide. Once they get to know you, I’m sure they’ll open up. I’m pretty sure they’ll even apologize. Besides, you know they’re only trying to appease their voters.”
“I’m not here to stir the muck, Prime Minister,” Gabatrix countered. “But, I know that something is off. The tension in there was enough to outdo a laser drill. I know I’m not the world class entertainer, but they would at least look at every statue of me on this building and know it was me standing up there. Some of the Batrice people look at me like I’m a murderer.”
“Does that matter to you?” Samantha finally asked Gabatrix.
“Wow, she finally speaks...,” Gabatrix said, briefly looking at her. “And here I was, standing out there as your own politicians are ready to berate me. Excuse me that I didn’t address you as the Royal Highness, The Ironlady of Godhood. You got other names that I don’t know about? Huh? Both of you did almost nothing. You did nothing in prepping your own people for my arrival.”
“Prepping...” Samantha seemed to scuff at the man.
“Yeah ... Prepping ... as in have them swallow their own pride and show just a tiny little more respect, especially to the person that many see as the father of the UWA. Just because I may have opinions in one place doesn’t mean that it’s going to be the same exact in another, or that I’m here to gut your society’s ideals either. It’s about knowing your audience a little bit and not overstepping on them. I’m not expecting to be showered in roses, but just enough that the press isn’t going to take our discussions and dissect them for the talking heads to objectify us.”
“Sometimes it’s good that the politicians are honest,” the Prime Minister replied. “I didn’t want to flex too much ... let them vent and ask the serious questions.”
Gabatrix shook his head. “And what’s that going to accomplish, Prime Minister? Your press is going to show all of that to the UWA. I might be no politician, but I know what’s going to happen. The other colonies are going to be seeing the Batrice people berate and belittle the man who founded Gate Folding Technology. It’s going to start vilifying Batrice when I know that isn’t your colony’s intentions ... right?”
Chanvatey waved his hands. “I’ll have a word with them, Gabatrix. Even I know that Socheta and Tasman stepped a little bit overboard in being verbose. I’m sure they didn’t truly mean it. Besides, it’s an honor to have the man who pushed us to the great beyond.”
“You’ll get over it,” Samantha remarked.
Gabatrix gave a mean look at the old woman. Chanvatey seemed to sense the frustrations from both Gabatrix and Samantha. He took a deep breath before looking at the door.
“I suppose you two need to have a moment to discuss,” Chanvatey said. “I’ll leave you two to talk. Come and see us at the Angkor Festival when you two are done. We have the best foods ready and plenty to share.”
Gabatrix and Samantha both gave a faint nod. Chanvatey and his wife were in the process of walking out the door.
“Planning on having children?” Gabatrix asked Chanvatey’s wife.
“Yes...,” the woman stopped and replied to him, patting her stomach. “I want to be forty before having a kid. I was thinking, Heng, if it’s a boy or Kahna for a girl.”
“Ah, you’re one of those space boomers where 40 is the new 30. Well, don’t wait too long. Your husband is going to be as gray and wrinkly as I am before you get your wish...”
“You like kids, Mr. Gabatrix?” Chanvatey asked.
“My brother did. My wife and I tried to have kids a while back. Unfortunately, she couldn’t conceive. I blame the Orange Muck for that one. Of course...” Gabatrix looked at Samantha. “One look at the ... Ironlady and she would be enough to sterilize any man she looked at.”
Samantha seemed to ignore the mocking joke before Chanvatey and his wife left the room. The door opened as the two left. The brief sign of a sinister smile could be seen on the Prime Minister’s face, while Gabatrix remained focused on the older woman. Once the door closed, Gabatrix gave a firm look at Samantha Batrice. She also gave an annoyed look at him before Gabatrix straightened his suit.
“You seem to have made quite an impression on your own people,” Gabatrix remarked.
“I would say the same with you,” Samantha replied, making several restrained coughs.
“Still didn’t get an answer from you, though.” The man walked up and looked at the retired female officer. “Trying to make me look bad?”
“Can’t take a little criticism?”
“I don’t give a damn about the criticism. It’s the purpose behind it, though. You know damn well that isn’t my goal to derail your colony, but I can definitely sense that something ain’t right. The politicians here almost seem like ... I’m an outright stranger, an outsider asked to leave before the festivities even began. Then, there’s you ... Miss Ironlady. Is every street corner named after you now?”
“Almost...,” she gave an angered look at Gabatrix. “You want to know why they call me the ‘Ironlady?’”
“Because you like to stand and...”
Before Gabatrix had a chance to say anything, Samantha Batrice stood next to the man, quickly raised her hand, and swung hard into his face, delivering a hard slap onto his cheek.
SLAP! The strike rattled Gabatrix, causing him to recoil a bit backwards. Despite her age and seeming frailty, she managed to deliver a rather hefty strike. It wasn’t enough to take down the man in any way, but it caused Ciro to re-shift himself.
“You Son of a Bitch!” Gabatrix reacted at the hint of pain. Angered, he took his hand, raised it back, and backhanded Samantha, hitting her in the cheek. The woman also recoiled back. Despite the blow, she lost her footing, but quickly regained it, standing back up and looking at Gabatrix.
“Ugh...,” Gabatrix grunted. “Just because a man doesn’t have the right to strike a woman, doesn’t give the woman the right in return.”
Blood dripped from the old woman’s lip, a small cut inflicted by Gabatrix’s wedding ring. An insidious smile could be seen on her face as she wiped the blood away. She almost seemed unfazed, even for a woman of her age. Gabatrix gave an even angrier look at her.
“Heh ... heh,” Samantha reacted. “Such ... soft hands ... the hands of a man who works behind a console and keyboard in the last twenty years.”
“It’s called retirement, Samantha,” Gabatrix replied.
“Exactly,” she said. “You can learn a lot from a man’s hands. On my planet, there’s no such thing as retirement. You work ... you dig until you drop dead...”
Gabatrix could see that she was testing him when she slapped him. Samantha seemed partially impressed by him hitting her back. The man pressed forward.
“Sounds a little like ... slave labor,” Gabatrix replied.
“Hard labor,” Samantha replied. “Batrice was founded on digging ... we dig and we dig. You know why? Because we’re the first colony that realized what humanity needed the most: raw materials. Mars won’t be able to keep up with it. The day I came to Trappist 1, we had numerous worlds at our fingertips. Earth had been tapped, Luna had been tapped, Mars had been tapped. Here, it’s a treasure trove ... nothing but expansion. I came here because in the end, humanity would have to face the reality ... without ore, without those rare metals and materials, the UHN, the UWA, everything, will dry up. So, I decided to put our feet down onto this barren rock and make this civilization a reality. Good leadership and a firm hand, and your colony will rise from its roots...”
“You almost make it sound like you’re a dictator, one that sits by as your people drop from sheer exhaustion.”
“Of course not, you idiot. You think that I’m merciless? I made sure to work down those mining tunnels myself ... alongside those workers. I dig, they dig. I stop, they stop. If they stop before I do ... then there’s consequences...”
“Not everyone can work at your own pace.”
“And what choice is there? What is it that you do? You push the other colonies to build. We agree ... a strong foundation is the beginning of any civilization. You may have your golden paradise of Cebravis, but how are you going to build your structures? Are you going to dig the Cebravin soil that you so generously try to protect ... ensuring that Cebravis doesn’t fall into the same fate as Earth’s environment?”
“It’s not a matter of disagreeing with you,” Gabatrix said. “Cebravis and Oshun are the breadbaskets. Mars is the Administration and Industry. However, it’s becoming obvious that there is one enormous difference between us. Just because you work hard doesn’t mean they have to.”
“Unfortunately, as I reach 102, it’s becoming all but true,” she held back a cough. “But, experience is wisdom ... I made sure to have sweeping reforms and improve the working conditions after finishing up Fort Darwin. The political parties will balance those ideologies...”
“That might not excuse what you did.”
“Who’s the villain in this, Gabatrix? ‘Reach to the stars together?’ Said so well ... sung in every kid’s book. You have statues everywhere, wild orgies on your golden planet of paradise, an audience that looks at you like some prophet...”
“There’s statues of you as well, Samantha. But, I think it’s pretty well obvious that the people who put up the statues of me do it because they actually like me. In your case, they put up the statues of you because they don’t really have much of a choice.”
“Respect works in many ways, Gabatrix. However, here, my colony, my world, the people do worship me, and know that hard work pays off. Meanwhile, they’ll see you as the man who sits back and watches the old woman who never quits.”
“Ah, I knew it,” Gabatrix countered, narrowing her eyes at her. “This is the part where you ask, ‘Gabatrix is great, but what has he done for me lately?’ Nah,” Gabatrix pointed at her. “In some instances, I can have a little bit of respect in living by example. You’re not some petty CEO corporate exec that orders his workers around and sits on his fat ass watching TV, but there’s such a thing as being a ruthless egomaniac as well. You give the elderly like me a bad name. You may have coerced and pushed the people to idolize you somehow, but that doesn’t excuse what you did. You’re guilty of the same thing Oshun did. They jumped into a world and didn’t think about the landscape, the limited space available. Its environment became their undoing. You jumped the gun, Samantha. What do you think I’ve been doing? I encouraged the UHN to start building as many ships as possible, find worlds, find other future worlds like Cebravis. Cebravis doesn’t have to be the end-all eco green hippie world where environmentalism fills its every lawbook. The only reason why it happened is because it’s our only truly habitable world, a place where we can kick back, and say ‘God I’m proud to be naked and alive!’”
“And where has that gotten us?” the old woman replied. “It still gets back to the same question. How did those cities sprout up, Gabatrix? Those colony ships made good building materials, but in the end, you needed raw materials somewhere, fast. The people grew desperate, eager to leave Mars because they wanted to live that same dream. However, we saw the reports ... basic building materials ... gone. Mars would be mined into a hollow husk to get every city built as the population exploded. You may have done a great deed for us, Gabatrix. You may have saved the human race, but you would have only delayed it. Economic collapse would have been inevitable. The Cebravin population would have clawed the dirt to put up mud huts as they ripped their environment, starving to put roofs over their heads.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And it won’t matter anyway ... I gave humanity its next step, one way or another. I wasn’t going to make Batrice like Oshun. Planets ... planets everywhere ... too many places to mine. Jobs for everyone. The UWA needs ships, then you have it, but don’t question my practices in how you got it.”
Gabatrix didn’t seem wholly impressed. “A hint of truth, but an excuse to commit to other actions using that excuse as leverage. I imagine that after I get done touring those mines and questioning the workers, somebody is going to admit to what you did. The UWA may hold you for possible violations against humanity. My only mistake is not learning about this sooner. Perhaps retirement has been a flaw in me after all...”