Over the next two hours Mawson lays out the official version of events. Xichang has been attacked. This much we’ve already surmised. Not only has the local site been compromised, but Crew 1 are now ‘unable to participate’. He won’t tell us how bad it is, refuses even to confirm whether they’re alive. No one saw this coming. The Institute had full confidence in Beijing’s ability to stifle any attempted breach. The eco-groups protesting since the formation of the Institute now have military capability, and this changes everything. Contingency plans have been rolled out and the mission will
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