Wei Jian shut the file, shaking his head. “All done then?”

“Contained and secure.” The man opposite him responded. He was clean cut, dressed in a black suit befitting his position, a scarlet coloured tie and blue cuff-links which had the image of a crescent moon on them… or possibly a fancy C. He carried an air of authority which sat uneasy when it ought to have been Wei Jian with the power.

“And their families?”

“Notified,” the suited man answered. “Standard Terraforming story.”

Jian signed, “This is standard?”

“The less they know, the better.”

Jian shook his head. “So, we just bury it?”

“Already is buried,” the man answered. “The drones blew the thing, caved the tunnel. It’s filled in, done.”

“I don’t understand how you can be so cold, Eight men died, although there’s no mention of any bodies.” Jian said. “Your men.”

“They knew the risks,” the man answered plainly.

“Did they?” Jian asked. “So their loss is acceptable?”

“In cases like this, anyone is expendable, so long as it serves the greater good.”

“And this does?” Jian said. He couldn’t believe this was his life now, his role.

“This is an important world,” the suit said. “For the Alliance and their goals… their ultimate reach, and here you are at the centre of it, looking after it. A position like yours will be highly sought after.”

Jian felt a veiled threat in there but didn’t push it.

“You’re doing a good job,” the man said. “With respect, I’d take this as a win.”

Jian struggled to come to terms with it. “The whole point of this thing was to rectify the issues in that district, to stop the whole world from being labelled a black rock.”

“It’s a minor mark on a clean sheet, of no account. Business will carry on. Alliance ships will continue to be built. You’ll make your money.”

Jian tried to ignore that last part. He didn’t like the insinuation but he had no energy to argue. “And what if more problems show up in future?”

“What? Toxic fumes? The company will install air purifiers. Gravity issues, they’l