Blainer: It's happened my friend, what you said. The first steps are in motion. They're turning against us. They've moved to send us away.

Danton: Shit. Shit… Shit!

Blainer: What do we do? There are two space barges left; we could take one to Mars. No, not Mars, I didn't like the last reports from Mars. What about Io or Europa?

Danton: Slow down. Slow down.

Blainer: What do you mean slow down? Our kind is about to be systematically removed from the face of this earth. I'd rather choose where we get to go rather than it be chosen for us. We could just go to Venus, try to reconnect with the Silent Pilgrims.

Danton: No, I think Aphrodite is right. We should give them more time to settle. If it was just a few people to go and make sure they're okay that's one thing, but a million Evos. That might throw off the great design. Anyway, we're not going anywhere.

Blainer: …

Danton: …

Blainer: I'm sorry, what did you say? Not going anywhere? Did you hear what I said? If we don't go they will kill us!

Danton: We could fight. Why not? We sacrificed ourselves for the well-being of this Earth by building a utopia on Venus and now it's blowing up in our faces. History wouldn't blame us for fighting back, defending ourselves. When we win we could make this Earth worth living on.

Blainer: I can't believe I'm hearing this. Take control? You know how that sounds. Not to mention the catastrophic death toll on both sides. We would risk losing all of the world's Evos. You can't be serious. Jesus Christ, Brock. They're probably listening in right now. You can't say things like this. Strong as we may be, we have not been tested against the entire force of the world's militaries combined. We'd lose.

Danton: Old friend, we've done so much for humanity. Think of all we've given them. We saved them. Not just you and me, countless others. Many still see themselves as a part of humanity and have given so much to them. Now the ungrateful bastards throw us out like… like garbage. Like shit. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Run? You're sounding a coward.

Blainer: If coward is a title I must bear to save the hundreds of thousands that will die if we don't leave of our own volition, then I will bear it proudly. Please, you must see reason. You and I have enough influence that we could make the displacement and deportation an exciting and joyous act of evolution and discovery instead of an executioner's block. We could spin it. Some would still resist, but we would lose far less that way.

Danton: And lie to our people? Trick them into thinking this was our idea and they'd be better off leaving their jobs, families, and homes just to go into space? How will that play out when we are trying to build a society on a new planet?

Blainer: No that's not what I—

Danton: Enough. I won't make the first move, but when they do, I'm calling our people to arms. And they'll regret trying to push us off our home.

Blainer: …

Danton: William?

Blainer: I'm sorry my friend. I can't meet you there. I'm going to do everything in my power to convince our kind that the best option is to meet me in New Babel and leave this world willingly to build a new life in the stars. Io seems beautiful. Seems easy to settle. Please, reconsider.

Danton: click