From: Vasu Soon-kit To: Vasu Hui-lan Delivered-To: Vasu Hui-lan Received: from relay7.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov by in-mta7.luna.gov for vasu.huilan@luna.gov with ESMTPSA id fkmzpwc10iqqzbg Received: from qec.titan.org by relay4.qec9.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov Subject: I have finally convinced them! Date: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000 Date-Local: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8" Embassy of the Luna Free State on Titan Arrakeen Tower, Arrakis Planitia Wednesday, 22 September, 2421 Dear Sister— Greetings from Arrakeen Tower! I trust you continue well, and that our home remains more or less as I left it. As regards the joint endeavor whose possibility you and I discussed at length last week, it pleases me at last to report success in convincing what passes for a government here on Titan to participate. Accordingly, we depart later today aboard their "And Yet It Moves" - an absurd name for a ship, especially such an impressively capable one. Sadly, I was not consulted in the matter. To be sure, I attribute this success in greatest measure to the excellent work of our intelligence services, and in particular Laporte's team debriefing the defector here. Had he failed to recognize the import of her information and convey it directly to me in person, I doubt I would have prevailed upon Branislav and her government to consider our current project. As the matter stood, I needed do little more than share with them the engineering drawings and documents to demonstrate Earth's possession of a prototype FTL capability. Blinkered as I've found their perception of interplanetary affairs to be, even they found such a frightening development impossible to ignore. You'll forgive me, dear sister, if I say that I have found my time here somewhat trying. For all their impressive technological acumen, and despite even their past recognition and exploitation of the potentialities inherent in a moment of crisis, they are still so utterly naïve! As if their wonderful machines were alone enough to insulate them from the realities of the present crisis. There are those among them not so susceptible to such wishful thinking, and such voices seem to be achieving the ascendant in recent weeks. But there are still so many of them who wish simply to hide behind the methane mists of this rather unpleasant planet of theirs, ignoring the worlds and by the worlds ignored. Had I known I would face such a trying task in convincing them that Earth will not permit their comfortable isolation to continue, dear sister...of course you know me too well to imagine that I'd have sought to evade the assignment, for who else, after all, could you have sent and hoped would do so well? But these people have taxed my patience almost beyond imagination! But, dear sister, I can see your face as if I stood before you now, and I know too well that expression of yours which tells me I tax your own patience. You will of course wish to know the details of our project and the reasoning behind my decision, and I will of course provide them. You'll have received the same reports I have from our source on Ganymede, regarding increased tempo of work in their experimental systems yard. Combining that with the new information from the Earth defector, my intelligence staff here believe with high confidence that Earth intends an assault of some kind, within the next twenty to forty days, on their own Ross 128 b colony. I concur in this assessment, despite the lack of further corroboration from our Ganymede source, from whom ForInt confirms we have received nothing in the last several days. In light of such a provocative development, Ross 128 b has decisively eclipsed Gliese 581 g in my estimation of potential intervention sites. Recent word from Ganymede has been that the scope of Gliese's supply and medical problems has been considerably overestimated, and while I remain confident in the success of an eventual diplomatic mission to Gliese 581, the Ross 128 colony's highly precarious situation, and apparent disfavor in the eyes of its own sponsors and home government, argues conclusively in favor of its selection for our pilot project. Success in this endeavor requires, of course, that we outpace or at least match Earth's own mission, lest we arrive to find a marine division already in possession of the planet. From a purely military perspective, this problem would be hardly insoluble, even with the relatively small ground force we're bringing along; every estimate agrees that Titan's ship is vastly better armed than Earth's. However, I doubt our allies would face such action with our own sangfroid. And even did I desire so to test our young alliance, dear sister, you and I are of one mind in the criticality of Earth not only initiating the coming war, but being seen by all to have done so. Thus our hasty departure; though we may risk leaving behind some person or element vital to the success of our mission, I judge the risk of certain failure through delay far greater. Despite my earlier complaints about the Titans' isolationist ways and adorable foolishness regarding interplanetary concerns, I must admit I have found my opposite number refreshingly open to the idea that we must act, and act now. Indeed, despite the ambassador's apparent lack of enthusiasm for this enterprise - even she, even now, not grasping the desperate importance to both our worlds of developing a substantial position beyond Earth's direct influence - her actions since our most recent conversation have been such as to justify my considerable respect for her initiative and dispatch. Draha may not yet fully understand the urgency of the actions we now take, but she does understand the mutual benefit and sheer necessity of our alliance, and she has acted with commendable celerity to implement our decision to intervene. I have some hopes that, by the time of our return, both the situation and I may have succeeded in improving her grasp on the realities of interplanetary affairs. Dear sister, I am bringing almost my entire mission with me, leaving only my third attaché, Olivia Arzel, and her assistant to continue our local mission and address any matters which may arise. Given Titan's relative isolation and the multiple necessities currently dividing Earth's fleet, I doubt there will be much for her to do, even if the war does begin while I am out-system. In any case, I expect at no time save during FTL travel, which I understand interrupts the signal somehow, to be unreachable via QEC, and Olivia has the good sense to consult me should she find herself in need. Our interests will be well represented in my absence. Of the Titans, in addition to their own diplomatic contingent under Draha, we bring as full a medical and scientific establishment as they are able to assemble in something less than a day, as well as a few ground forces to supplement our diplomatic security staffs. We have the reports of some sort of disease, native to the planet, having somehow affected the colonists; I am assured that, at minimum, we will be able to avoid either becoming ourselves infected, or carrying some alien contagion back to Sol with us. As I mentioned in opening, we depart Titan later today aboard And Yet It Moves. The uncertainties of FTL travel, I am told, prohibit too precise a determination of our arrival date, but I gather the various projections suggest we can expect to arrive on or about October 15. I will communicate with you as I can, dear sister, and certainly no later than upon our date of arrival. In the meantime - oh, you already know everything I'd say to you now! I won't waste your time with flowery professions of philiary love, or in imploring you to look after our people, as I know you will. With love, and for Luna, I remain, your dear brother— Soon-kit.