A1-06 Refusing the Mission

You put the dossier back on the desk.

"I can't do this."

Your superior — the PDC liaison officer — looks up. "What?"

"I can't go persuade him. He's my classmate, he —" you pause, "he trusts me. If I go, he'll agree because he trusts me. That's not consent. That's manipulation."

The liaison officer sighs. "Cheng Xin, it's not manipulation. We just need someone he knows to explain the plan. The final decision is in his hands."

"It's not the same." You say, "Send a stranger, and he might refuse. Send me, and he almost certainly won't. That's precisely why you chose me. It's not fair."

The liaison officer is silent for a moment, then nods. "All right. We'll send someone else."

Three days later.

The military sends a senior medical officer to see Yun Tianming. The conversation is calm, professional, entirely based on facts.

The result: Yun Tianming refuses.

"He said he needs time to think," the report reads, "but his inclination is toward refusal. He expressed strong unease at the concept of 'extracting the brain from the body.'"

The Staircase Project faces the danger of being shelved. This is the only candidate who meets all the criteria — terminal illness, young enough, intellectually qualified, no family ties.

You sit in your office, torn.

On one hand, you feel relief — you didn't exploit his feelings. On the other, you know the Staircase Project may fail because of this. And the Staircase Project may be humanity's only chance to learn about the Trisolaran Fleet.

Your mentor comes to find you. "Cheng Xin," he says, "I understand your concerns. But I need you to think about this: if the Staircase Project fails because of your refusal, and humanity suffers catastrophic losses in a future war due to lack of intelligence — can you bear that responsibility?"

You say nothing.

"You don't need to manipulate him. You just need to go see him, talk with him. As a friend. Maybe he's just afraid — maybe what he needs isn't a military doctor's cold, clinical statement, but the company of a friend."