"...didn't have much of a choice, did I?"

Rho makes a gesture to the effect of "please elaborate."

"It was that or stay tied to a bed doing who knows what for who knows how long."

Nod. "You didn't anticipate a situation like this?"

"...like what?"

"Generally long term isolation or diminished contact with the rest of the galaxy."

"Yeah."

She frowns. "That... wasn't very well planned."

"I'm a propulsor not a captain, it's not my job to plan."

Rho reacts rather... noncommittally to this statement. "The prospect of people deserting this endeavor is concerning."

"...I guess."

"I mean there is the fact that we genuinely think we are a better alternative than the Federation. And the matter of losing various informational advantages. But there is also the matter of people not having enough confidence in our own capabilities"

He's silent.

"...Are you okay?"

"Um. Yeah. I'm just. I don't want to be part of a war."

"None of us want that. It is extremely unlikely to get to the point of open conflict, actually."

"They were torturing people!"

Grimace. "Yeah. They are terrible, but they are... secretively terrible, anything that can be framed as an open scale conflict between the Federation and us is harder and more complicated to keep under the table. I think one plan is to open contact with the rest of the galaxy to make it harder to keep the entire thing secret."

"...hm."

"I don't think they have a definite plan about that yet, or not one they told me," Rho clarifies.

"Okay... but I still wanna go home."

Rho pats his hand sympathetically. "I know, but... it would be a risk."

"But it's my risk."

"Yes, but we..." Rho waves, "want to advise you and possible reduce the risk to both yourself and others."

"Yes, I heard you."