Entry: August 12, 654 A.E.

Morning

The New World

Everything changed after the trial. The Zarathustra Company's charter was voided. The colonial government was restructured. Nick Emmert and his cronies were shipped back to Terra to face corruption charges. Commodore Napier of the Space Navy took temporary control.

Ben Rainsford became Governor General. Gus Brannhard became Attorney General. And me? They made me Commissioner of Native Affairs, with a budget to establish a Native Protection Force.

The whole region between the Cordilleras and the West Coast Range became Fuzzy Reservation—millions of acres of protected wilderness. But Fuzzies were also being found all over Beta Continent. We'd need to protect them, regulate adoption, prevent exploitation. It was going to be a massive job.

George Lunt and his constabulary team agreed to form the core of the Protection Force. Gerd van Riebeek signed on as chief xeno-naturalist. Ruth Ortheris would head the adoption bureau—every Fuzzy would need to be placed carefully, and there would be thousands of applications.

I sold some sunstones to finance the operation. Funny thing—I'd spent years digging for those glowing stones, and now I was walking away from my claim to take care of Fuzzies. But what's money compared to making sure a whole sapient race has a chance to survive and thrive?