"Or just not enough, anyway." He's glad it's not his turn anymore, because he is kicking himself about even suggesting they talk about this. But Jim is a stubborn son of a bitch, so he keeps going, as steady as he can. "There's this famous case from several years back. Agricultural colony got hit with a fungus, wiped out all the crops. There was food, but not enough for everyone before relief ships could get there. Half the colonists were killed to... make the math work."

He takes a moment to make sure his voice doesn't shake, that his grip on the cue stick isn't as white-knuckled as it feels. "People still talk about it, but all of it's about debating if killing four thousand people was justified instead of the part where it never should've been an option." Of all the things that came out of Tarsus IV, that's the part that sickens him the most.