Today, the PDC, the Planetary Defense Council, held another routine meeting in that shielded room.
The subject they discussed, of course, was none other than Annie: the little alien girl whose origins were unknown to the people of Earth, impossible to verify, and whose identity and allegiance they could not determine. They debated whether she was really who she claimed to be and how Earth ought to treat her.
Many days had passed, but the Trisolarans' past actions had left Earth with plenty of reason to be wary. Even though Annie had shown no hostility, had actively cooperated and shared a great deal of information, and had even offered to help, it was still difficult for the PDC to trust an alien completely and without reservation.
For that reason, they had spent more than half a month discussing, more than half a month arguing, and more than half a month thinking it over. Yet in the end, they still couldn't figure out what Earth could offer her—or what she might want from them that was worth anything!
That was right. In the eyes of the PDC's senior officials, even if an alien were willing to help them, the alien would have to want something from Earth or expect some kind of reward in return. But after days of arguments and discussion, they had discovered the situation was, to their dismay, that there was nothing?
Or was it simply that they couldn't think of anything?
In any case!
They simply couldn't figure out why she had come to Earth, or what she wanted to get from them.
And if she only wanted to use Earth as a colony, like the Trisolarans, then given the mass-effect engines and efficient faster-than-light travel she had described, her fleet should have arrived on Earth—or at