"More Light!"*

by Corina Armstrong

In times of sickness and death we are each faced with our own darker secrets. We are forced to examine our own mortality in the light of day. Faced with the grim reality that each of us has a limited span of life, we should be asking ourselves what contribution have we made to the future? What mark have we left in this life that made our passage through it worthwhile? Have we left this a better place for our passing through it? If we have not, will our children curse us for our mistakes?

The current state of quarantine has caused me to ponder long and hard about the value of life on Regina, in both the collective and individual senses. From the collective aspect, what is it about this place that we all understand to be the essence of Regina? I believe that we are drawn to its freedom and insistence upon individual responsibility. Now many more "civilized" planets protect their citizens from their own rashness and stupidity by the imposition of draconian legal measures. On Regina, each citizen is held to a certain code of behavior, not just by the laws or by the government, but by all the citizens. Nothing in this place is more swift or sure than Regina "street justice". I agree that this should continue to be so. Regarding the value of life in an individual sense, I realized that I had to authorize the Navy and Systems Defense boats to use any force, including ship's weapons to ensure the integrity of my quarantine order; even if this meant taking some lives in order to save others.

My imposition of a planetary quarantine interferes with your individual rights to trade and travel freely. However, in this instance I did not believe that each person had enough information to accurately judge for themselves the potential consequences for themselves and the rest of the planet, should they not obey the quarantine order. I am not sure that with all of the information and resources I have at my disposal that my decision would preserve Regina as the society we know and love, unless I enacted the quarantine.

A full study of the disease is currently underway and treatments will be made available as they are developed. This ailment is something that we have not encountered before; it is not Jenghe Fever. We do know that it is not communicable from person to person. It is not fatal. A new vaccine is being developed to fight it. We will battle this health threat with all the resources of my government. Efforts are also underway to make Regina Station an inhospitable environment for the transmission of this disease in any form. Once this has been accomplished, the residents of Regina can rest assured that they are safer than they would be anywhere else. I have been and will continue to be vigilant in striving to protect your health and welfare against such a public health threat.

Regina is my home and the home of my family. You have all become my family. I wish that I could fully express the joy that I feel in relating this good news: Jack and I are expecting a baby. Another child of the Aledon family line will take their place at my side as I go about the work of Regina.

For those who might question whether they are safe on a quarantined planet, note that I am still here. I had the power to leave this planet once I learned of the disease, but chose to stay. Although I might have risked my own life to remain with you during a real deadly epidemic, I would not knowingly expose my unborn child to a fatal disease. I have remained here, to be with you, confident that there is no longer a risk to myself, the baby or any of my family, including you – now that the disease has been found and confined. This disease grew in the dark shadows on Regina’s Up Port, but we have found that one of the things that kill it is the light. So expect more light on the Up Port. A lot more light.

*The last words of J. Goethe, Terran Poet