The rest of the table waited on him to speak. Chairman Hu pushed his glasses up on his nose before he began speaking.

“The Baker Amendment allowed for the rump states to refrain from divulging certain knowledge given specific circumstances,” he began. “Given the nature of the process, my government was naturally hesitant to make known our…theoretical capabilities with regards to antimatter.”

“Why keep it secret?” Dahlquist prompted.

The grey-haired man stared at the dark glass table. “Its capabilities as a weapon. Something that can annihilate its own mass in normal matter is quite dangerous.”

“But no one’s been able to produce antimatter above trace quantities,” Maxwell objected. “And even then, the best return rate we got was one-tenth of one percent.”

“Our scientists achieved a peak rate of twenty-three point three, Mr. Chairman.” The rest of the chairs either stared quizzically or dropped their jaws; the spread was mostly split along lines of knowing the theory. “One simply needs ample solar power.”