Rendezvous with Rama

The Endeavour’s crew spots the missile by using its long-range telescope. Fearing that Rama’s destruction is imminent, Norton orders his crew to evacuate and return to the Endeavour. The missile stops to perform reconnaissance on Rama. In three hours, the Hermian ambassador is scheduled to deliver an address to the UP General Assembly, in which he’s expected to explain the missile’s purpose.

Norton receives a message from his commander-in-chief, Admiral Hendrix, who confirms the missile’s destructive power. He cautions Norton to get away before the missile makes contact since explosive fragments may reach the Endeavour.

The seven representatives of the UP, representing Mercury, Earth, Luna, Mars, Ganymede, Titan, and Triton, convene for the General Assembly. The UP’s dynamics are fraught because of the tensions between bona fide planets and their satellites. Settlements on other satellites and orbiting asteroids are likewise vying for membership in the UP. This has implications for the theory that Rama wants to join the solar system.

The Hermian ambassador begins his speech by summarizing the developments around Rama. After positing the theory that Rama will lodge itself in the sun’s orbit, the ambassador suggests that the Ramans need something from the solar system.