"We'll be going...once the station reaches its artificial night," Par said; "that'll be enough time to eat and drink. We'll also be in constant communication; not that you don't already know the basics of covert operations. And, thanks for being concerned about me; glad to know it's not just because my father provides office space." Or was it? Nevertheless, that was unimportant to Par.

"You know," he would then say, "when the mayor of a single Spaceport-City, on one planet, and the trader of a single merchant fleet, however large, are recognized as leaders of an entire organization devoted to mutual interest and 'enlightened self-interest', I think we've already crossed the line to becoming a 'Government'. Yes, yes, I know, concentration of power causes bad things, but...it's complicated."

"All I know is, the Sphinx's recent activities require change, change in the way we do things."

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Ahnciel and Reuben would have a...challenging time trying to get the corrupted programming out, especially as it seems Ahnciel didn't get the memo that Reuben was a cyborg, not an AI. Nevertheless, after a few hours, they would succeed in purging the bad data from Reuben's head; hopefully, this would also lead to more...bonding between them. But, Reuben will at least, hopefully, feel the urge to get back to Par soon - didn't the boy mention an operation against a Pro-Sphinx faction in this very station?