From: Vasu Soon-kit

To: Vasu Hui-lan

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Subject: I have finally convinced them!

Date: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000

Date-Local: 22 Sep 2421 03:19:22 +0000

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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.