Sutton and Bobbie Draper in “Unfinished Business”

I know that you and your team did a rotation on the Donnie. I knew people on that ship too. Captain Yao was a friend. But still, nobody knows what really happened.

We know those stealths were Earth-built.

So says Fred Johnson, mouthpiece for OPA terrorists. And now Earth is accusing him. We will not be led into war on anyone's leash. I was a private during the Vesta blockade. Half the Earth's fleet was headed to Mars, to annihilate its former colony. If they couldn't have what we built, they were going to pound it back into dust. We went to bed every night thinking that we would wake in nuclear fire. Luckily for everyone, cooler heads prevailed.

We all grew up with that story.

Because it was a warning. We've managed to avoid a shooting war with Earth up till now. That's our job. To make sure that that war never happens.

And because of Vesta, we pushed back the terraforming project. Fifty years and 50 more. All those resources to the military. Now, none of us will live to see an atmosphere over Mars.

That was the price.

But it's still worth fighting for.