No turning back...

“Look, this is the situation as I see it.” Ros moved down the corridor stopping to grab a small bag of tools.  He talked as he walked.  “You got nothing waitin’ for you on earth ‘cept more grief.  But a young fella like you?  Your destiny lays out there somewhere.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“That MISC is 25 years old and the engine is likely shot.  It may have sentimental value, but that is about all it’s worth.  It seems to me your father gave it to you in case things didn't work out.  Well, in case you hadn't noticed - things haven’t!”  Ros saw the confused look on Tak’s face and went on.  “The UEE underwrites all Lifetime policies; they had to after The Massacre of Garron II.”

Tak shrugged his shoulders. “What does Garron II have to do with any of this?  That was more than a hundred years ago. “

“150.  Didn't you say you studied history? The corporation responsible for Garron II was owned by the Imperator’s family - covered by a Lifetime policy, but the private underwriters refused to pay out a single credit.”

“On the surface, The Fair Chances Act, passed 3 years after, was to calm the public outcry by making terraforming illegal on inhabited planets, but it was really passed to silence the army of lawyers poised to shut down terraforming forever.  Well, there was a little known subsection of the Act that guarantees UEE payment for all Lifetime policy holders.  Public money was the only way to backstop the losses facing the Imperator and his cronies.  SynthWorld would never have happened without that little clause protecting the same corporate interests that killed your parents.

“Seems to me blowin up your ship starts to tip the balance back your way.  In one fell swoop you get back at SynthWorld Corporation and the UEE.  It may be your last chance to set things back into some kind of balance.” 

Tak struggled with the concept of blowing up his own ship and committing fraud.  But if Ros was right then the UEE were the only ones that would suffer. Tak had dedicated his skills to serving the people back home.  But he was starting to understand that the enemy was within, too.  He made up his mind.  “Can I get some stuff out?”

“Anything you can carry in one trip.”

“Why get involved?”  Tak saw the Captain’s face grow cold.

“There was a time when I should have got involved and didn’t.  This puts things in balance for me too.” 

Tak nodded and slipped on his helmet.  The hatch opened and both men made their way to Liberty.  There was no turning back.