Please see any of the previous thirty pages for the disclaimer
End Act III Interlude: Hermes Returns
Extrapolated from low-bit code words:
Sent: May 25th, 2170
To: UNG, Terra
From: UNEF, Pandora
Mass-native assault impending in two days. Outlook grim.
Intend to fight to the last. Transferred all mined materials to orbit.
Will contact in one week. Pray for us.
Date: May 26th, 2170
Location: New York City, North American Union, Terra, Sol System
The room was once more shrouded in a deathly quiet.
"And that is how it is." the Secretary-General finished briefing the numerous representatives. There were no citizens in the viewing booths this time. No media. Not until they could decide what to do with the bomb-shell they had just been tossed.
Johnathan Bordeaux stared blankly at the front of the room. Again.. it has happened again. The natives on Pandora were once more massing to drive humanity away. He lowered his head, holding it in his hands.
The world was a powder-keg just waiting for the right moment to explode, with a dozen small resource and brush wars were just waiting for the slightest excuse to become multi-national affairs. World War III had devastated the world, left it a brown, rotting shell of its former self. World War IV... This information could be it, the spark that ended it all.
The representative of Great Britain rose, "We must tell the people."
Dozens of people rose to their feet and began to shout. Though it was a in a a multitude of languages, the meaning came across quite clear.
"Are you out of your mind!"
Managing to keep his control and remain in his seat, he clasped his hands to his ears and saw several other sitting representatives do the same. They knew what was coming.
The electronic fog horn blasted the room and the shouting died immediately.
"Order! We will have order dammit!" Their elderly leader shouted as best his throat could, "This is a gathering of the leaders of our species, not a conglomeration of teenagers, and I expect all of you to remember that! The esteemed representative of Great Britain is speaking, and you will give him your full attention until I call upon another speaker or I shall have you disbarred from this assembly!"
The standing members slowly took their seats, and the British man resumed speaking, "Yes. Telling people that the situation is grave has its dangers. I fully expect rioting to break out across the world. But what is our alternative? Allowing them to believe everything is fine? What do we say when the first shipments do not arrive, hm? 'Oh yes, we lied about that.' perhaps? Or maybe 'Sorry, we've known our world was doomed for years but thought you too stupid to know.'? We would face far worse then than if we admit the issue now, and if we act quickly, we can be prepared for the fallout of this information."
He sighed and rose, waited for the Secretary-General to give him permission to speak, and began, "As much as it pains me, I agree. Better to get it over with, get people used to the idea that it could be entirely upon the research into synthetically creating unobtanium that our species depends."
There was a general rumble of discontent in the room, and he continued, "All hope is not yet lost, perhaps Oberst Weigand and his veterans will be able to hold on Pandora, perhaps all of this worry will be for naught. But far better if people are angered by the situation, not angered at our failures to do all that we could."
The French ambassador rose and began to speak in his liquid language. "Perhaps. We should also be prepared to respond to this situation," his translator spoke, "A full military expedition should be prepared in case they cannot hold against the natives, and this time no holds should be barred. A full division perhaps, with heavy equipment as well as orbital support."
"But how would we get them there in any degree of time?" The South African representative rose, "We would not be able to send them until the main fleet returns in six more years. And it would take almost the entire fleet to transport that many men and that much equipment."
And so the debate began, raging throughout the day and into the night. The vote wasn't called until well after midnight, and that vote was very, very close.
Extrapolated from low bit code words
Sent: May 28th, 2170
To: UNEF Pandora
From: UNG, Terra
Preparing full military expedition in event of total loss.
Synthetic unobtanium research prioritized further.
Following open-trust policy with civilians.
Riots broken out on every continent.
Church attendance skyrocketed, all faiths.
May God be with you.
Begin Act IV: Heaven's Divide
Next up is Chapter 28: Morning Star
Another short interlude about the response on Terra to the news from Tartarus, next we're back to Tartarus and we'll see what's shaping up in the final moments before the fight begins.
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