Chapter 115: P: Confirmation

Brendan's mind was racing as he calculated everything that would need to be done in order to turn a hare-brained voyage to the nearest inhabited solar system into an official expedition to create a workable treaty. It was crazy, but it was logical. It was what he needed to do, and what he wanted to do, and it was that last bit that surprised him.

Rafaela was looking at him like she wondered if he were crazy, and after a moment she asked, "What are your goals?"

"My goals…" It took him a moment to shift gears, and he switched back to the list he'd created before telling her that they needed to talk. "I want to maintain Eks Corp, although not at the cost of my family's happiness. I want to develop more cost effective high speed intersystem travel and integrate more of the outer sectors with Central. And now," he added the goal he hadn't even realized existed a few minutes ago, "I want to keep our neighbors from being tempted to make our sun go nova or collapse."