As she spoke, Lina turned toward Martha, her voice trembling.
"I was forced to do this," she cried desperately. "I didn't want to. I really didn't."
For a brief moment, sympathy flickered across the faces of a few onlookers. But before it could settle, someone scoffed aloud.
"What kind of force can even be applied to a base citizen?"
That single sentence shattered the fragile pity.
Another voice followed immediately, "We haven't seen thugs or mafias since the base was established. The rules here don't allow that."
People nodded one after another. They had all felt it. The base was strict, orderly, and safe. Coercion of that kind simply didn't exist here.
Martha, meanwhile, stared at Lina with eyes colder than ice. "You'll spend your time in the base jail," she declared calmly.
Several people nodded in agreement. It was the right decision.
Lina panicked. She pointed a shaking finger at Martha. "You're being ungrateful!"
