God knew they needed the extra income. Luis used to earn the bulk of his money from context-tagging gigs, marking up visual media with labels that made sense to AIs, but those opportunities had dropped in recent years as WAIs became better at interpreting human body language. He took any other work he could find, and he still got decent tips from rocket launches, especially after Eko-Yi Station declared independence from India and China’s joint governance. With five sovereign space stations and half a dozen others, the population in space had grown to several thousand. They needed supplies, trash removal, and passenger transports. Private rocketry clubs like Luis’s could provide those, but the tips didn’t amount to much, certainly not enough to save up for Carma’s gear.

What a world they lived in, where good schooling required networked jewels for children. On top of all that, Nithya’s period was two days late. Probably due to stress, but it fed her anxiety. They couldn’t afford for her to be pill-free and out of work for a year, not now.

“There are multiple reports of attacks by a new protest group,” Sita announced. “Casualties include flagged family member Olga Ramírez.”

It took Nithya a second to recall that Olga was Welga. Luis had mispronounced his elder sister’s name as a toddler, and the ridiculous nickname had stuck. Nithya shifted her focus from her visual to her husband, who sat by the balcony, a disassembled bot at his side. His jaw had gone slack, his gaze blanked to his visual. No doubt his agent had alerted him already.

She stood and peered around the soundproof wall that separated her work alcove from her daughter’s. An assortment of colorful blox sat on Carma’s desk next to something that looked like a pyramid built by Gaudi. Carma pointed her haptic-feedback gloves at the structure as her lips formed silent words. Virtuality goggles covered half her face.

Nithya used parental controls to check Carma’s feeds: all school related. Thank God they hadn’t interrupted the children with the news. She expanded some live feeds from the site of Welga’s injury and watched a medical team break through the floor of a hotel room.

Are you seeing this, Luis sent via silent text.

Yes, Nithya replied.

They usually avoided speaking to each other or Carma during the school day except for breaks, but Nithya felt extra grateful for the discretion now. She couldn’t suppress her gasp as a new microdrone feed showed the extent of the explosion and Welga’s burned body.