“What do you mean ‘empty’?”
“Not occupied.”
“But… it’s Trident. They’re nuclear weapons. You don’t lose nuclear weapons!”
Sir Reginald, cabinet secretary to the new Prime Minister, sighed. “We didn’t lose them. We never had them.”
“But they’re our deterrent!”
“No, people thinking we have them is our deterrent. The deterrence is merely the threat of nuclear weapons, and threats… well, they’re easy enough. Actually owning them is far more trouble than it’s worth.”
“But… I thought…”
“What? Spend billions on a compromisable mass-destruction system, instead of just saying the right words? Honestly, Prime Minister, that would just be stupid.”
0 comments… add one