Repossession

Commander, please sit down. The situation is dire and I regret that I must assign you a difficult task.

The alien intelligence's goals are now clear. Through some still-unclear means, a number of corporate and governmental agencies have acquired samples of alien equipment-- on its own, not tremendously useful, as our years of analysis of their technology have yielded no greater understanding of its workings. However, these recent acquisitions appear to have somehow come bundled with the knowledge to employ the technology.

We can conclude from the brutal and relentless scouring that has ensued that this outcome is not acceptable in the eyes of the Evolved Intelligence.

We have attempted over the past weeks to stand in the way of the enemy's forces as they hunted down and reclaimed their property, and by and large we have been completely ineffectual in this task. They have run roughshod over the planet, destroying and reclaiming whatever they desired in spite of the forces we arrayed against them.

ALEPH's recent discovery of the likely acquisition vector of the alien technology, as well as its trace of the recent incursion into Maya, has led it to the conclusion that the only remaining alien technology still in human hands is held by rogue elements of the PanOceanian planetary government. With the recent arrest of Governor Prescott for treason-- an unfortunate ruse for the public's benefit, especially tragic given that the governor himself appeared to have no involvement in the matter before he was compromised-- the Assault Subsection has taken control of all materials being hoarded by the true criminals within his administration following a relatively minor series of altercations.

As a result of these events, I am now in possession of all of the remaining contraband.

I intend to give it back.

I understand your shock, Commander, but it is the only option available to us. Six independant corporations from four nations could not hide from the Intelligence, and the combined forces of the Human Coalition presented little impediment to the incursions of its military. If the criminal agents had succeeded in dispersing the materials to other planets as ALEPH believes they were planning, it is likely that the Intelligence would have considered this adequate provocation to accelerate its plans for the conquest of the Human Sphere.

Humanity is not yet ready to escalate tensions with the Combined Army to that degree. However, it is also likely that simply handing the materials to the enemy would be seen as an even greater sign of weakness, yielding a similar outcome.

Our only choice is to engineer a show of resistance. I have arranged for the offending materials to be gathered within a fortified complex outside of Silvania where the impact on the civilian population will be minimized. The enemy will find the facility, and they will deploy their forces against it, and they will succeed at recovering their technology. This much is certain. The only uncertain factor is whether they will doubt the validity of their victory afterward.

And so we come to the unpleasant task I must assign to you. You and your fellow commanders know of the futility of our resistance, but the forces you command cannot. Their resistance must be convincing, and if any are compromised by the enemy, they must convey only earnest defiance.

I am sorry to put you in this position, commander, but this is the only path that remains to us. Many of your men and women will die today. We can only hope that their sacrifice might prevent a larger tragedy down the line.