At first, rumors that there was something strange going on deep inside the sun were ignored by all but the conspiracy theorists. But by the time reputable scientists began to publish their data, the change was obvious to anyone. The number of sunspots had increased by several orders of magnitude over a period of just a few months. Weather patterns started to shift in unpredictable ways, and people all around the world were frustrated at the inaction of their governments. A special Grand Session of the United Nations special assembly on external affairs was convened, but bomb threats by incorrigible Flatearthers caused it to be cancelled without notice. Meanwhile, the MegaCorp "Space Alphabet" began a rapid re-design of "Elon's Revenge," a cruiser-class research vessel, launching prefabricated sections, fuel, and workers into low earth orbit. "Elon's Revenge" and its sister ship "Cash Only" launched without notice or fanfare, burning hard for the inner system past Mercury. Just as it crossed beyond the small planet's nominal orbit, communications between the two ships began to degrade. The last message to reach "Cash Only," which trailed the "Revenge" by 3.2 million kilometers was relayed to Earth before all contact was lost. It read: "We Have A Problem."