"Population decline is a good thing; maybe housing prices will drop as well. By the time we finish our service, perhaps we can afford a big house—I mean our own house."
Another colleague laughed, counting on his fingers: "According to you, if everyone dies, it's not just housing prices that'll drop. Food, supplies, chips... everything will be bloody begging us to buy them!"
But is that possible?
The European Space Agency personnel working at Tycho Colony aren't intellectually impaired; of course, it's impossible. With fewer people, the companies can limit production. Why should they sell it to you cheaply?
However, everyone knows that no matter how expensive things get, they can always afford them. But if the internal conflict continues, the companies could go insane with price hikes. If the ground launch silos are breached, they'll be firmly in the enemy's grasp.
So—killing one's own isn't exactly humane, but what humanitarianism can compete with personal gratification?
