“What the hell just happened? That’s our flag, Jack! That’s us!”
“Yes, sir, this is an unprecedented event- “
“How did we not know about this? Those bastards at ISEA were acting like they had this whole thing under control, and they left that part out!”
“Yes sir, it sure looks that way, uh, the OAI is working up a review of the intel over the last decade to see if they missed any signs from the Exodus about- “
“They missed the whole goddamn thing! The whole world just saw that! You know how the press is gonna play this, don’t you? Every news camera on the entire planet is pointed at us now to see how we react to Debdeb!”
“Oh, yes sir, we’re prepared to draft a statement for th- “
“We’re gonna have to act now, and decisively. The Solari are hot off the press, everyone in Korfu is ecstatic but they demand results. The whole world is watching to see if we make a mistake. We can’t let this slip up.”
“Oh, no, sir.”
“Set up something with Starfleet. This won’t get the best of me. Not Kasparov.”
First Consul Kasparov hung up the phone on his Chief of Staff, and groaned in frustration. He, like billions around the system, watched Starburst’s landing live, staring in shock as the Imperium’s flag unfurled. Adrenaline rushed through his body when Lithgow proclaimed it for the UIF. They knew it was a joint mission, and their arrival was the story of the hour, but that - not even the federal government saw that coming.
Another phone began to ring, his Gold Telephone, the hotline to the IU. Their royalty was as stunned as everyone else. From his office window and peering over the gates, he had not seen a larger crowd of journalists outside the Consular Estate since he first assumed office. Half the IBC is out there, he swore to nobody in particular.
He moved to pick up the Gold Telephone, but his secretary entered the office before he could do so.
“First Consul,” she said, “we’ve received a call from the Throne. The Empress has requested your appointment at the earliest possibility. It will be a joint session.”
Kasparov put the phone down, and placed his head in his hands.
“Fuck.”
In the courtyard of the Spring Palace, Magdalene Vikus-Ward contemplated the last days’ events under the shade of her cherry blossoms. The trees were brought as a gift from Crytil, and she grew fond of the designs of their zen gardens. She was asleep when it started, and woke up for the broadcast; she couldn’t believe her ears when the astronaut stepped off the ladder.
The first words from Debdeb, a proclamation of the mission in honor of God Emperor Vikus, her father. For a while, Magdalene could only say nothing. Then the astronaut planted her Imperium’s flag and saluted the camera in bold glory. Remarkable.
As the years passed, she kept her mind as sharp as she could, but her body continued to wither. What she observed last evening was the most monumental news so far in the twenty-third century. She was certain this was going to be pivotal - just as sure as she was that her years in this world were coming to an end. This may be her last decree.
She looked up at the sky, through the leaves of the cherry blossom. It was too bright out now to see any stars, but she knew where Debdeb was ought to be in the constellations.
“Your Majesty,” one of her servants approached, and bowed, flanked by uniformed men of the Imperial Guard. “First Consul Kasparov and the cabinet have arrived, we are ready to begin the session.”
She nodded, and refused his help for assistance getting up, before walking back to the Palace.
“Exodus departed the Outer Systems in 2099, with a crew roughly three-quarters Solari and one-quarter Aenian,” the Deputy of State explained, “and they achieved a top speed slightly over four percent the speed of light, arriving after 109 years. By now they are probably building the orbital infrastructure and first cities on Gurdamma, the most habitable exoplanet.
“It was a joint mission, but not necessarily a UIF one - Solaria organized it, resources from both Revenant and New Comberth made it happen, but all the colonists were dual citizens with the UIF when they departed, and the primary sentiment had clearly changed.”
“How did that happen?” Magdalene spoke for the first time in the session. EXCOMM, the Executive Commission, was a tradition from pre-Shattering Aenia, between the President and a hand-picked council. Vikus continued the precedent, and the sessions became an established doctrine for communication between the head of state and head of government.
“We don’t know. But the colonists are likely a cultural time capsule into the late-21st century. When they departed, we had just prevailed in the System War, and Kerbin was still suffering from the Shattering. Especially with Lithgow’s proclamation, and the Solari culture of space discipline, we are likely looking at a colony of neo-conservative hardliners, to which the UIF would be revered. The Militarists were in charge, and their direct democracy system could vote on UIF membership with a simple majority.”
The conference room was silent for a moment; both Magdalene and Kasparov nodded. They were all dual citizens, they all had the same voting rights. 2,500 Aenians, and 2,501 Militarist Solari, vote in favor of joining the UIF halfway through the coast phase, and the fate of Kerbal history is changed for a millenia.
“What are the full implications of this? How do we proceed?” Magdalene spoke up again.
Kasparov cleared his throat. “The Solari diaspora on Korfu, and the Consensus political party in the States-General, are both in ecstatic fervor. This mission has been the culmination of civilization and their pioneering spirit in their eyes. Furthermore, the friendship between us and the Solarians has never been stronger - they are fully in support of the Exodus’ alignment, as they themselves are already UIF citizens.
“Your Majesty…” Kasparov paused to draw his breath, “...we are looking at the United Imperial Federation having the first interstellar mandate in Kerbal history.”
The conference was quiet again, as the commission soaked in what might have been the most decisive revelation that Kerbal civilization had ever conceived.
The Deputy of the Energy Chamber was the first to break the silence, opening his briefcase to grab manila folders.
“We’re going to attempt a manned mission - ISEA already has schematics for the Fort Grace Interstellar Research Vehicle based on an engine we designed at the Applied Physics Laboratory three years ago. We believe we can get there in eight years.”
“What’s the fuel?”
“It’s antimatter,” he paused, "and mostly helium - we’re catalyzing a more efficient nuclear powerplant. It has ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ modes, which would be able to accelerate a small ship to relativistic speeds. The main constraint is the fuel itself.
“Our supercolliders on Moho have been harnessing the planet’s solar power to make matter reactions as efficiently as possible. The first batches arrived for testing in 2200. But our output has been limited to a few grams a year. A majority of the fuel will have to come from helium for fusion.”
When he came to power in the 2180s, the former First Consul Asimov was absolutely adamant that the UIF invested in as much space infrastructure as possible in his term. He allocated tens of millions to the construction of the solar panel swarm around Moho, the supercolliders that harnessed its energy, and the radio observatory on the Mun - the same station that re-established contact with the Exodus. All his work was set up for them to inherit this mission. Clearly, he knew something they didn’t.
The Energy Deputy continued, “we can harvest helium from the Munar regolith and the oceans of Eve, but by far, the most abundant source of the fuel is the atmosphere of Jool. That’s how the Exodus harvested its fuel for the mission, atmospheric scoopers.”
The commission looked in unison to Magdalene. “Your majesty, if we are to send a mission before the decade is out, we need Jool.” He waited for a response. Magdalene leaned forward in her chair.
“Well then, tell ISEA to move Heaven and Kerbin. We need to get to Debdeb - before anyone else.”
Magdalene pushed her chair out to get up. Kasparov fixed his shirt collar, it was starting to feel tight.
