"

He paused to let the words sink in. His voice
became crisp and forceful.

"I am now faced with this decision: Should the UIPS
retaliate against Planet Pluto and all other members
of INOR that interfere with innocent passage of our
transports to and from the Slingshot sites?

"That is one course open to us; it would bring
death and havoc all across this star system we
know as our home. We must look to alternatives. The
creators and wielders of weapons must demonstrate
reason along with valor. War, in any form and at
any level, is a blind evasion of the real problems
that confront humankind.

"When the old United Planetary System was replaced
by the UIPS and INOR, the relationships among
governments and peoples deteriorated. We drifted
apart. The few interregional agreements that did
evolve supported special interests. Once ingrained,
they became acceptable, even generally attractive,
practices. Now we each have our spheres of
influence, and we guard them jealously -- and often
with apprehension.

"There remains, to this day, a deep distrust and
fear that one nation or independent colony, or any
collective, will attempt to secure advantage over
another. Each of us, focused on our own interests,
sees the danger and seeks to avoid being its
victim. This infectious distrust and fear must be
cleansed from our system-wide community of nations
if we are ever to live in peace with each other.

"Misunderstandings have arisen over the centuries
concerning the intentions for Slingshot facilities
and personnel in place throughout what has now
become INOR territories or jurisdictions. We accept
our share of blame for these misconceptions.
Let us dispel them.

"The Collector Terminal, as you all know, will be
disengaged upon completion and take its position
on the system's rim. When the launch window
opens, and it will be open to us for only a very brief
time, the Extractor must depart -- there will be no
second chance for several centuries. The Extractor
must fly as fast and as true as the missile did
from the sling of David to the head of Goliath.
The Extractor is our missile, Alpha Centauri is
our target and, as David's leather sling was the
instrument to save an ancient civilization. The
orbit of Planet Pluto powers the sling that will
save our civilizations for the ages which extend
before us, but only if we act in unity.

"What happens afterward? When the Extractor
has departed, we will no longer need t