If the situation had been murky to start with, it didn’t become any clearer after the first unmanned probes were sent into Jerr’s orbit. Initially, they focused on mapping the planet and photographing it from orbit, providing visual counterparts to the stories the Sunguard had, until then, only been able to imagine from recorded radio transmissions.

But the probes weren’t just there for sightseeing. Alongside their visual recorders, they carried neutrino detectors specifically designed to locate any radioactive sources on the planet. And such sources, they found.

“So, what do we know, sir?” Admiral Ekberg asked from his position at the end of the conference table, its dark wood gleaming under the soft lights mounted in the ceiling. He directed his question to Special Agent Oliveira with an inquisitive expression.

“Mainly three things,” the Special Agent replied, eager to deliver the findings but dreading their implications. “First, when they fought their so-called Great Patriotic War, they used conventional weapons. Nowhere in their radio transmissions do they mention nuclear weapons being used.”

That should have been good news, O’Sullivan thought. But apparently, it wasn’t. She would soon learn why.

“Second,” Oliveira continued, “and this builds on the first point: no one talks about nuclear weapons at all. Not United Jerr, not their enemies. From what we can gather, the practical concept is either unknown on Jerr or, at the very least, not public knowledge. If their scientists are aware of how to weaponize nuclear theory, they’re keeping it secret. And I think we can assume they are.”

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“And the third point, sir?” Admiral Ekberg asked, curious to see where this reasoning would lead.

“It’s the most damning one,” Special Agent Oliveira said grimly. “We’ve identified three distinct sites inside the territory of United Jerr where significant antineutrino emissions have been detected. These sites are being kept secret by their government; they’re never talked about on the radio. Also, there’s no natural explanation for such a concentrated clustering of neutrino emissions, or for any large-scale neutrino emissions, to be honest. Since it’s not a natural phenomenon, we must conclude it’s industrial. And the only industrial process that releases significant antineutrinos prior to the discovery of fusion power—which they are nowhere near achieving—is beta decay of Uranium-239.”

Admiral Ekberg nodded, grasping the implication.

O’Sullivan tried to recall her physics. “That gets us… Neptunium-239, right?”

“Correct,” Oliveira confirmed. “Which then undergoes beta decay to become Plutonium-239. So, we’ve effectively proven that they’re running a covert nuclear weapons program. What we don’t know is how advanced it is. But at the very least, we know they’ve got fissile material ready.”

“If I may ask, sir,” Admiral Ekberg interjected, “why have we ruled out the possibility that they’re enriching plutonium for nuclear power instead?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll pursue that at some point,” Oliveira replied. “But here’s the thing: while no one mentions nuclear weapons, nuclear power is a frequent topic in their public discourse. And when they discuss it, they always frame it in terms of Uranium-235. That discussion is purely theoretical, though—they haven’t publicly built any reactors yet. It makes little sense to have a covert nuclear power program while talking openly about theoretical reactors, unless that covert program is actually producing material for nuclear weapons.”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to ask them when we meet them,” Captain O’Sullivan said, ending the briefing. “No matter what their reply is, it will be interesting.”