Journal Entry FO 8.8.3.5 - 14
Dusana, Clausius High Regent
I received a troubling petition from my old friend Titus today. Note: How do Mahdi write with two thumbs? I have deep respect for Titus and his Mahdi people, as I do for their spiritual claims upon Vespersa. But if I’m honest, I have more far-reaching concerns about his astrophysicists’ findings regarding the planet.
The entire Mahdi planetary system is situated near the Firmament point of origin. And Vespersa’s orbit takes it closer to that point than almost any other planet in the system. Its shard concentration would thus be extremely high, making it a sure target for brokers and agents looking for a potential shard windfall. Would that I could wipe the minds of all profiteers.
But barring such a scientific miracle, the indiscriminate removal of shards could destabilize Vespersa entirely. A nova-level event could follow, which in turn could cause a cascading effect that could spell doom for the rest of the Mahdi system, and quite likely ripple outward much more broadly through the Firmament.
The Ceballos Inquisitors show no real interest in practical government—nor has anyone elected them, anyways—which leaves it to me to find some kind of solution to this prickly situation.
Note: What would be the ethics of wiping peoples’ minds permanently?