This is Cynthia Johnson of SolarNet News, on day two of a special assignment to Providence Station. Today SolarNet News proudly brings you a first-of-its-kind news story: an interview with Kentaurus Prime's ambassador to the station, Nephryl. The lush setting you see around me is, in fact, the decoration of Nephryl's private quarters, where she has requested we hold this interview.
CJ: Ambassador, it's a pleasure to be able to talk to you, and to be able to relay this interview back to the viewers back on Earth.
N: It is my privilege and duty to pave the way for communication between our races. I thank you for your compliments nonetheless.
CJ: Ambassador, the atmosphere and decoration in these quarters is. . . overwhelming. I think I've seen agrostations with less plant life than you have here in your quarters. Is this. . . is all this what Kentaurus Prime is like?
N: To an extent. For your comfort, I have temporarily reduced my quarters' temperature from 37° to a more comfortable 28°. I regret that I could not reduce the humidity, however, many of the plants in this room require at least eighty-five percent humidity.
Everything you see in these quarters is, with minor exception, the way it was when I arrived. It surprised me to find that Captain Mackenzie as knowledgable as he is in Kentauran ecology.
CJ: A few weeks back, the Ceti fleet blitzkrieged and occupied the Kentaurus system. Can you share your feelings with us on this, Ambassador?
N: I am. . . saddened at the loss of contact with my homeworld. My quarters and my view of the Eyes are a reminder of a home that I cannot return to. However, my realization that I cannot return to the past is part of what gives me the courage and spirit to work for a better future.
CJ: What do your duties here at Providence Station consist of now that Kentaurus Prime has been occupied?
N: Kentauran refugees have flocked to Providence Station since our homeworld was occupied. My job the past three weeks has been to acclimate those Kentaurans as best I can to Terran culture and to the foreign environment. It is a difficult time for these refugees, especially when many of them are the only members of their clan who were able to escape. I have also worked with Captain Mackenzie to see to it that Providence Station has the necessary resources to handle the influx of refugees.
CJ: Do you have family or loved ones still trapped on Kentaurus Prime, Ambassador?
N: I do. I have not heard from my mother nor from many of my clan-kin since the occupation. My father was in Sol system briefly while the blitzkrieg was taking place--he headed back to Kentaurus Prime without knowing he would not be welcome, so it is he I worry for most.
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Proxima Centauri, the Eyes, and Orion shine through the window of Nephryl's quarters.
CJ: Is there anything you'd like to say to the people watching this broadcast back home, Ambassador?
N: There is. I would say to them, have faith. Your species is far more unique than you can begin to imagine--unique in ways your minds cannot yet comprehend. Trust in the Universe to protect you and the uniqueness you carry. . . and trust us to fight at your side in your darkest hour.
CJ: Thank you very much for this interview, Ambassador. Good luck to you and your people in this time of crisis.
N: And to you and yours.
Tomorrow, SolarNet News will bring you an interview with Alexander Mackenzie, Providence Station's Captain and commander of all forces in the Proxima System. Until then, I'm Cynthia Johnson, and this is SolarNet News.