88 lines
4.2 KiB
Plaintext
88 lines
4.2 KiB
Plaintext
From: Tasker William T W/GEN <wtasker@navy.mil.earthsys.gov>
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To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
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Delivered-To: Koenraad Gertodtenhaupt <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
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Received: from relay11.local.rs001.l4.earthsys.gov
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by inbound-1.exclusiveservices.net
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with ESMTPSA id 8Kgo6FmrviQgqAAA019
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for <kgertodtenhaupt@ross128-ventures.com>
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Received: from out.secure.ganymede.navy.mil.earthsys.gov
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by relay4.local.ganymede.earthsys.gov
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Date: 16 Sep 2421 19:21:44 +0000
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Date-Local: 16 Sep 2421 19:21:44 +0000
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Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf8"
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Subject: Re: I need you at Ross
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Koenraad:
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We have our new orders and are preparing with all dispatch to
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relieve the colony. As of 1700 today, ship's movement is set for
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0800, 1 October. On that basis and assuming least-time vectoring
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throughout, we expect to arrive in landing orbit at Ross 128 b
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approximately 1400, 17 October.
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There are two reasons for this apparent delay. First, we have some
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inconsistent ancillary results from initial trials, and the
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physicists are doing a ground-up rerun of their models to ensure we
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can account for possible navigational derangements. Second, we
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carried out initial trials with only two of our planned four
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generator plants, and that's not enough of a safety margin with
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segments as long as this mission requires. I'm giving my engineers
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and the yard an additional week to install Number 3 plant.
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I know you don't like it, Connie. I don't like it either. But
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without it, we're better off not risking the mission at all. We
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can't ask Titan for a tow if we find ourselves adrift halfway to
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Ross! We get there later this way, yes. But we can be certain we
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will get there this way, too. From where I sit that counts for
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more.
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And there's good news to counterweight the bad. We have nearly our
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full Marine complement aboard, thanks to an unusually low casualty
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rate in their recently concluded exercise on Io. That was a ground
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assault and pacification exercise, and it's got them ready for the
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job you've given us. Whatever those 27 people have been turned
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into, my Marines are going to solve that problem for you. Be ready
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to pay up on that Phoebe bonus.
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Due to the known biological threat, I've had no trouble
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requisitioning protective gear and a complete med/sci fitout. If
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you want to send along your own civilian personnel, that's fine, I
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can take up to sixty. Get them here by next Friday if you can. I
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know you won't send me soft people, but I still want enough time to
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make sure they're well integrated into the ship's command structure
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and that they won't cause any problems. Make sure they understand
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how that works, Koenraad. I'm exceeding my orders on this, and if
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that comes out, I'll be landside on half pay and of no more use to
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you.
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I know what you said about sample return, but I've also been given
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three names of formerly human colony personnel: Evelyn Gulamirian,
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Winifred Strossmayer, Christopher Maldonado. I'm "strongly
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encouraged" to capture them alive for detailed study in Sol, and I
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can see an opportunity in this for you. Considering Ventures'
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portfolio in bioscience, I'm sure you've got several labs that'd be
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able to get the most out of those three, and with what this
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infection has already done to them, the potential results of that
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kind of research could be world-changing. And you could be at the
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forefront.
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Understand me, Connie: I'm not crossing you on this. My intention
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at this time is for all three of them to die in the fighting. Given
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what you've said about Soloviev, he's going to have to do the same,
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along with anyone else out there who's likely to go off
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message. That's what you're sending me out there to do, and I'll do
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it. But it's possible that what's happened out there might not
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happen again, and men like us don't achieve what we do by avoiding
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risk and ignoring opportunity.
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To reiterate: we depart at 0800 on the first, and arrive about 1400
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on the 17th. Let me know when to expect your people - by the 24th
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if at all possible, or as soon after that as you can manage. And
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let me know if you want me to change my plans regarding those
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three.
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TASKER, William T., Wing General
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Experimental Systems Command, NSS Busiris
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