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with ideas or technology; on the other, you are required to support Ambassador Richardson as she makes contact with Vesy factions and attempts to woo them into an alliance with Britain.”
     
    John frowned.  The only way to woo Vesy factions was to offer them more than anyone else, particularly to the factions which had little to no contact with humans prior to the arrival of Warspite .  And they would want weapons to defend themselves before anything else, no matter what other goodies the humans could offer.  Failing to give the Vesy weapons would practically throw them into the arms of other human powers, the ones less concerned with the long-term impact on the Vesy themselves.  They would have no choice, but to act in self-defence. 
     
    And yet, handing over weapons and other goodies would cause cultural contamination ...
     
    “I don’t see how we can balance the two requirements,” he said, slowly.  It seemed impossible to avoid it.  “Mere contact with us will cause cultural contamination.”
     
    “I don’t think you can either,” the First Space Lord admitted.  “Overall, we would prefer you to block the NGOs from setting up shop outside our direct control, Captain, but we concede that won’t be easy.  They think they have a mission and they won’t let you stand in their way.”
     
    “So let them set up where they can be supervised,” John mused.  “Maybe ensure that they know they can talk to the Vesy, but if they give offense they can be yanked out at any moment.”
     
    He groaned, inwardly.  The Vesy were aliens.  Who knew what would cause offense?  Hell, for all they knew, wearing pink shirts would be enough to trigger a declaration of war.
     
    “Precisely,” the First Space Lord said.  “They want contact; they can have it, under supervision.  That will make it harder for them to claim we’re blocking them from talking to the poor helpless aliens.”
     
    John shrugged.  “I saw them butchering one another with a fervour that would impress Genghis Khan,” he said, tartly.  “I don’t think they’re helpless.”
     
    “They might as well be, against orbital bombardment,” the First Space Lord said.  He sighed, meaningfully.  “NGOs and the media aren't the only parties interested in going, John.  The Vatican is sending a ship, as are a number of religious factions from America.  Hell, the Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to dispatch a ship too.  They hope to find new converts among the Vesy, it seems.”
     
    “Shit,” John said, remembering the religious war the Vesy had been waging.  Humans hadn't killed so many of their own kind in the name of religion since the Age of Unrest.  “That’s going to end badly, sir.”
     
    “Probably,” the First Space Lord agreed.  “The Vesy may take strong offense to being told they’re worshipping false gods.  And not all of the factions sending ships are trustworthy either, not now.  They may start dropping thunderbolts from high orbit if the human god isn't worshipped at once.”
     
    He paused.  “And the hell of it is that we have only limited authority to intervene,” he added, darkly.  “Try and get those factions to work from the base on the surface, Captain.  It would make it easier to pull them out if the shit hits the fan.”
     
    “Aye, sir,” John said.  He had a sneaking suspicion he should have asked for the court martial instead.  He’d escaped one session in front of the World Court, but he might not get so lucky the second time.  “The Vatican would presumably have diplomatic immunity ...”
     
    “Presumably, but you have authority to override it if they’re working from a British base,” the First Space Lord said.  “It will be a long time before anyone truly trusts the Vatican again.”
     
    John nodded, slowly.  It wasn't his area of expertise, but he knew just how badly the Vatican had squandered a considerable amount of goodwill just before the Age of Unrest.  There