Later that day, Lucas stood in the east wing of the administrative palace, outside a quiet, glass-walled office marked Office of Social Policy Reform. The name sounded neutral enough. It didn't reflect what it really was, a cleanup unit for systemic cruelty, red tape, and legacy abuse hidden behind decades of legal formality.
He keyed in his biometric code.
The door unlocked with a soft click, lights warming as he entered. The space had been prepared in advance with a polished desk, chilled water, and a docking port already synced to his identity. A sleek tablet blinked awake the moment he approached.
The first document waited on the screen. Title:
PRIVATE CONTRACTS: RIGHTS-BASED CLAUSES INVOLVING CITIZENS OF OMEGA STATUS.
A secondary note: An Expanded review was requested after the Kilmer Case.
Lucas didn't sit down. He just stood there for a moment, one hand resting lightly on the edge of the desk, as if grounding himself before pushing a boulder off a cliff.
