"This cannot be true. The Galactic Union would… This cannot be true." Earth friend seemed to be having a hard time accepting the implications of what he had just learned. Disbelief, fear. Disbelief.
FEAR.
"I am the cause of this." FEAR
"I can offer you a protection pact, Earth Friend." My duplicate said. Yikes, I thought, that's really twisting the knife.
"Earth Friend," the other me continued, "Will the Galactic Union still allow you to explore new worlds?"
"Explore? No. I will be finished."
"Earth has many new worlds that must be contacted and taught how to avoid the traps of the established empires and to be formally placed under Earth Protection. We have need of explorers like you. We will offer you full protection as a citizen of Earth, and a position as Explorer. We have mapped all the inhabited and inhabitable worlds of the universe. They remain only to be visited and contracted."
Curiosity, impassive.
"What are your terms?" Impassive.
