>>>>>>>>>> Sent: 16 December 2095, 4:19 pm
>>>>>>>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: A Proposal from
>>>>>>>>>> Singapore Ministry of Aerospace Exploration
>>>>>>>>>> and Communication for your consideration
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Dear Mr Monteiro-Ng,
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Certainly. Please feel free to take a bit of time.
>>>>>>>>>> You can get back to me when you have a
>>>>>>>>>> decision. We are more interested in having the
>>>>>>>>>> best person for the job than in having the
>>>>>>>>>> programme kickstarted quickly. The most
>>>>>>>>>> important thing is that it be done with proper
>>>>>>>>>> thought and planning.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> In the meantime, if you think it helpful, we
>>>>>>>>>> would be happy to fly you to Singapore to meet
>>>>>>>>>> with me and the other relevant officials to
>>>>>>>>>> discuss any questions you might have. The PM
>>>>>>>>>> would be available as well.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>>>>> WB Xu
>>>>>>>>>> Minister of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>> Communication Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On 16 December 2095, “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> From: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>>>>>>>> [email protected]>
>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: 16 December 2095, 4:18 pm
>>>>>>>>>>> To: “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: A Proposal from
>>>>>>>>>>> Singapore Ministry of Aerospace Exploration
>>>>>>>>>>> and Communication for your consideration
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Ms Xu,
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> I am humbled by the faith you show in me,
>>>>>>>>>>> and by the PM’s. If you could give me a couple
>>>>>>>>>>> of weeks, I would like to think it over more
>>>>>>>>>>> carefully before I decide.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>>>>>> Felipe Monteiro-Ng
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> On 15 December 2095, “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>>> maec.gov.sg> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> From: “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: 15 December 2095, 6:22 pm
>>>>>>>>>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: Re: A Proposal from Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>>> Ministry of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication for your consideration
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Mr Monteiro-Ng,
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I certainly understand your dilemma, and
>>>>>>>>>>>> respect your need to be with your father in
>>>>>>>>>>>> his time of illness.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I wonder whether you would reconsider our
>>>>>>>>>>>> offer if we were able to arrange for you to
>>>>>>>>>>>> postpone the posting to the Moon until
>>>>>>>>>>>> such time as your family situation allows for
>>>>>>>>>>>> it? As I stated in my earlier email, we are
>>>>>>>>>>>> very convinced that you are the right
>>>>>>>>>>>> candidate for the post. So convinced, in fact,
>>>>>>>>>>>> that we would rather wait for your guidance
>>>>>>>>>>>> than proceed under the leadership of another
>>>>>>>>>>>> Programme Head who lacked your sensitivity
>>>>>>>>>>>> to the issues at hand.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> I said in my original email that you would
>>>>>>>>>>>> have a say in the development of the
>>>>>>>>>>>> programme. This would include the pace
>>>>>>>>>>>> at which it develops. I meant that, and will
>>>>>>>>>>>> stand by it. In fact, the PM authorised me
>>>>>>>>>>>> to make that offer in the first place, and
>>>>>>>>>>>> when she saw your rejection letter, she asked
>>>>>>>>>>>> me to reiterate the point to you and ask
>>>>>>>>>>>> whether you might reconsider, under these
>>>>>>>>>>>> circumstances.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> We do hope you will give it some thought. We
>>>>>>>>>>>> will do what we can to accommodate your
>>>>>>>>>>>> schedule. We are that convinced that you are
>>>>>>>>>>>> the ideal candidate for the post.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>> WB Xu
>>>>>>>>>>>> Minister of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 15 December 2095, “Filipe Monteiro
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ng”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> From: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: 15 December 2095, 1:18 pm
>>>>>>>>>>>>> To: “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: Re: A Proposal from Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ministry of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication for your consideration
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Ms Xu,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> I am very honoured that you have extended
>>>>>>>>>>>>> the offer of such a prestigious post and
>>>>>>>>>>>>> generous pay package. It is a very enticing
>>>>>>>>>>>>> offer, and I believe I would be well suited
>>>>>>>>>>>>> for the job outlined in the link you provided.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> However, I am not sure it is fair for me to
>>>>>>>>>>>>> accept the offer at this point in time. My
>>>>>>>>>>>>> father is in poor health and, though he is
>>>>>>>>>>>>> well cared for, I am not willing to commit
>>>>>>>>>>>>> to leave for a posting on the Moon while
>>>>>>>>>>>>> he remains in this condition. Under different
>>>>>>>>>>>>> circumstances, I would be happy to take up
>>>>>>>>>>>>> your offer. But, my father being in this
>>>>>>>>>>>>> condition, I think it best if I regretfully decline.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Thank you, though, for considering me for
>>>>>>>>>>>>> the post.
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Best,
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Felipe Monteiro-Ng
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> On 15 December 2095, “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> From: “WB Xu”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sent: 15 December 2095, 10:58 am
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> To: [email protected]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Subject: A Proposal from Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ministry of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication for your consideration
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Dear Mr Monteiro-Ng,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I have been fo
llowing your work at the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> university with great interest. Your recent
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> lecture on the 60S120E Platform to the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> staff of the Hubble Communications
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Centre was remarkable for the sheer scope
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of topics you covered. The fact that you
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> treated the various issues with such depth
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and insight demonstrates exactly why you
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> are considered one of the key names to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> watch in the aerospace industry.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> It was your lecture at the 60S120E
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Platform that prompted me to write to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> you now with a proposal. Singapore’s
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Ministry of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication’s SETI Centre is launching
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a new project in coordination with our
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Moon-based R&D and Communications
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Centre. We are looking for someone to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> head up the new division. Considering
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> your recent comments on the lack of
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> sensitivity reflected in the government
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> initiatives undertaken by some of the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> powerhouses in the region (you’ll forgive
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> me if I choose not to name names?), we
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> thought you would be the ideal candidate
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> for the job. The Singapore government is
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> committed to avoiding the mistakes made
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> by colonisation efforts on our own planet
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> throughout history. We hope that, with
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> your guidance, our agency might be able
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to take a more sensitive approach to the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> concentrated exploration of space beyond
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> our own solar system, which is slated to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> begin within the next decade. With the
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> right calibre of leadership, we believe we
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> can avoid the mistakes made on Earth
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> centuries ago, and even the lesser—but
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> still grievous—offences that have marred
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the colonisation of our own Moon in more
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> recent history.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> We hope that you will consider our offer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to serve as Programme Head in our new
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> initiative. The agency is still in embryonic
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> stage, so you would be given a great deal
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> of say in its formation from the earliest
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> stages, were you to take up the offer. In
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> future, the post would require you to
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> relocate to the Moon, and possibly beyond,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> but that would be some years from now.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> At present, we would like for you to be
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> based in Singapore, making frequent trips
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to our platforms and space stations during
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> the initial set-up period.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I have taken the liberty to include a link
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> below to a secure site that offers more
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> details on the package we are offering.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You can see that a Civil Servant Grade
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> has been assigned, and your remuneration
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> and benefits will be according to that
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Grade Scale, in the event that you accept
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> our offer.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Best regards,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> WB Xu
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Minister of Aerospace Exploration and
>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Communication Singapore
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On 13 January 2096 “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
From: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
Sent: 13 January 2096, 9:18 am
To: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
Thanks, Ani. I needed to hear that.
I’ll email Winnie now.
> On 13 January 2096, “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>
> From: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
> mnmmail.com>
> Sent: 13 January 2096, 9:12 am
> To: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
>
> Fil, this is exactly why you should take the job. You’re right when
> you say everyone at MAEC is just like me. Auntie Alyssa always
> says that too. You know how she and Pa were always quarrelling
> about this. I don’t want to be like them. I don’t really know that
> I understand it all—or, frankly, care. I don’t like to overthink
> things like you do.
>
> But you’re different. You think way too much, but that’s what
> makes you perfect for this job. You are not just a scientist
> collecting data (though you do that well), you’re a philosopher
> thinking about how all the data fits together, and what the
> implications of it might be.
>
> What you need to know about the scientists, though, is that
> they care too. They just don’t see it sometimes. You do. Show
> them, then, and you can make a difference in what they do.
> They can’t help it. They’re the ones who invented the wheel,
> and they’ll keep doing that over and over. You’re the one who
> sees the wheel and immediately recognises the need for brakes.
> You’re the one who can keep us from rolling recklessly forward,
> crushing everything in our path and destroying ourselves in
> the process.
>
> Take the job, Fil.
>
>
>
>> On 13 January 2096 “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> From: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>> gov.sg>
>> Sent: 13 January 2096, 8:59 am
>> To: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>> mnmmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
>>
>>
>> Not mad. But I think you’ve shown why I should take the job.
>> If not, it will be left to people who hold exactly that view. You
>> ask me who we were exploiting, then go on to answer it with
>> the conclusions you had already drawn before we started
>> discussing it—that there was nothing wrong with “exploiting”
>> rock, that there was nothing more than rock to the Moon…
>> All of it. The whole point, in my mind, is that we don’t know
>> the answers to those things. How can we know when we have
>> such limited information about those places? We justify our
>> right to exploit based on our own ignorance, then assert it’s the
>> inferiority of tho
se places “out there” that justify our actions.
>>
>> They want us to search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, for
>> other life forms. I’m not even sure we know what life is, unless
>> it happens to look just like us. That’s history repeating itself
>> all over again. Last time, it was skin colour that kept us from
>> seeing it. Now it might be…who knows what. It’s the same
>> mentality, either way.
>>
>>
>>
>>> On 13 January 2096, “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>> From: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>>> [email protected]>
>>> Sent: 13 January 2096, 8:57 am
>>> To: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
>>>
>>> Don’t be sarcastic. I’ve told you and Pa both a million times
>>> that we can’t get stuck fretting over the mistakes. We have to
>>> make them work to our advantage and learn from them.
>>>
>>> And it’s an unfair comparison. There weren’t people on the
>>> Moon when the Shaft was drilled. You can call it exploitation,
>>> but who were we exploiting? It was just a piece of rock
>>> floating around our planet.
>>>
>>> Okay, I guess I’ve said too much. Your turn to be mad now.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> On 13 January 2096 “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> From: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>> gov.sg>
>>>> Sent: 13 January 2096, 8:56 am
>>>> To: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>>>> mnmmail.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
>>>>
>>>> I’m sure future generations on the Moon will thank us for
>>>> that. Like railroads and schools the earlier colonisers built…
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 13 January 2096, “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> From: “Anna Marie Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>> [email protected]>
>>>>> Sent: 13 January 2096, 8:53 am
>>>>> To: “Filipe Monteiro-Ng”
>>>>> gov.sg>
>>>>> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What to do?
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