"Hello, Lieutenant Kovacs. Sorry this is only a recording, but Evenfall has left us in a bad situation and there wasn't time to set up a link. The medical report says your sleeve can be repaired in about 10 days, so were not willing to go for a clone-bank option here. I want you back on the Northern Rim as soon as possible, but the truth is, we've been fought to a standstill there for the moment and can live without you for a couple of weeks. There's a status update appended to this recording, including the losses sustained in the last assault. I'd like you to look it over while you're in virtual, set that famous Envoy intuition of yours to work. God knows, we need some fresh ideas up there. In a general context, acquisition of the Rim territories will provide one of the nine major objectives...