The colony ship Meridian had been traveling for forty years when Commander Yasha finally received the transmission.
It came through on the quarterly periodical broadcast from Earth — a digital magazine delivered every three months to remind the settlers of the world they'd left behind. This edition carried news that made Yasha's stomach drop: the Interplanetary Authority had voted to levy a settlement tax on all deep-space colonies. Fifty percent of every resource harvested on the new planet would be redirected back to Earth's failing economies.
Yasha read the decree twice, then summoned her council.
"Fifty percent," said Engineer Doss, his voice barely above a whisper. "We spend forty years crossing the void, and they want half of everything we build."
"They've always been parsimonious with support," Yasha replied, pulling up the colony's supply manifest on the holographic display. "Three resupply missions promised, two canceled. They rationed our fuel allotments, cut our medical shipments in half. And now they want to tax us."
The council chamber fell silent as the stars drifted past the viewport.
Yasha pressed her fingertip against the manifest and scrolled slowly. They had enough resources to survive. Barely. But not enough to survive and surrender half to people who hadn't risked anything.
She closed the transmission and looked at her crew — engineers, biologists, children born in transit who had never seen Earth.
"Send our response," she said quietly. "Tell them we received their periodical."
She paused.
"Tell them our answer is no."