oyed by particle beams; attack times: Red Fox
212014; Blue Fox 215514.

"Beamers fired from unidentified batteries, source
Sectus Gorge, coordinates GT165, Planet Pluto. The
UIPS patrollers were on directed Tac Ops missions:
cite our messages to Red Fox and Blue Fox
past half-hour, info recorded in Tac Ops Actions
Register, your Headquarters. Regret to inform you
that no life signals emanate from Red Fox and Blue
Fox wreckage. Spacetrack Ceres will monitor for
survivors. Ship recovery and investigation teams
dispatched from Log Depot to both sites. Out."

##

"Flash To President, United Inner Planetary System
from Supreme Commander, Space Force. This
is my initial report of attacks on two of our
recon-patrollers while on UIPS-directed missions
in the Planet Pluto Special Zone. No survivors. I
conclude that Plutonian weapons destroyed both
ships. UIPS ships and support stations sunside
of Neptune hold on Defense Alert Level Two.
Defense Alert One remains in effect at Slingshot
construction site and throughout Plutonian Special
Zone. Details follow."

##

"To President, UIPS from Commander, Space Force.
Copy to each Senior Elder of the General Assembly,
to Ministers of Intelligence and Diplomatic
Protocols, and to Slingshot Director. This is
follow-on to my initial report of attacks on our
recon-patrollers in Planet Pluto Special Zone.
Recon-patroller Red Fox was destroyed while on
assigned mission to scout Special Zone to locate
launch and support sites for spacecraft that
present a clear and present danger to Slingshot.
Thirty-five seconds later, sister ship Blue Fox, on
directed survey of the Planet Pluto Special Zone
for unregistered space debris and contraband was
similarly attacked and destroyed.

"Transmissions from the patrollers Tac Ops systems,
and scansplays of their external observations ceased
instantly at time of attack. Note that Spacetrack
Ceres' reports of the events, confirmed by
Keeper, indicate conclusively that in the last few
milliseconds of functional stability before the
ships' defenses were breached their damage report
systems salvoed message bursts to spunnel boosters.
The signals confirm that each patroller had been the
target of long-range particle beamers.

"The missions of the two patrollers have not been
completed. Although the Red Fox scout mission can
be rescheduled, we must be prepared for an increase
in such attacks throughout the Special Zone. Blue
Fox was four