REC://15-08-24-UPC-3-SAYITAINTSO.mp7

USER: GJIMENEZ4@FRMI.MIL

TIME: 21:02 UTC 15/08/2524

SUBJECTS: JONAS MCINTYRE (STATE DEPT, UPC); EDWARD CAVENDISH (FOREIGN SERVICE, INDIA)

J: Eddie. I take it you’ve seen the news.

E: Of course I have.

J: ...

E: And- look, this-

J: Is it true?

E: We’re still verifying the facts—

J: Because if she said it on live TV, it has to be true, right? If it wasn’t, you guys wouldn’t be scrambling around to hide it. From your own people and ours.

E: Did you come here just to gloat, or is there something I can do for you?

J: What you can do is tell me, to my face, in no uncertain terms, that what your SecGen just said isn’t true. Because my superiors need to know. Right now.

E: Like I said. We’re still verifying everything. I get that you don’t believe that but it’s true. You need to tell your people to give us a little more time-

J: No. Not this time. You’re gonna tell me right now that it isn’t true, because if it is then in all likelihood a state of war exists between us.

E: Come on. Now is not the time for you guys to be making rash decisions—

J: You just don’t get it, do you? I trusted you! And it turns out that was a very fucking rash decision. I’ve held them off for years now - probably at the cost of my own career - because you said you needed more time.

E: And I wasn’t lying. We do need more time to evaluate the situation.

J: It doesn’t matter. I’ve run out of road here. The FRO already want me gone after I made this ‘Northern Security Zone’ fiasco go away. You’re lucky I was even able to. It won’t happen again.

E: How can you be so sure?

J: Everyone agrees with them now, and why wouldn’t they? You told us that was the Minervans, but thousands of people— OUR people—

E: I think this conversation is about over. You aren’t going to declare war on us. We both know it just isn’t going to happen.

J: There are a lot of things I thought I knew until today.

E: ...

J: I’ll ask again. Is it true?

E: ...

E: You know I can't say.

J: You know what, Eddie? There’s a special place for people like you. We’re done here.