in that time, that ancient empire sent a ship to the Moon to honor the goddess Artemis, hoping to receive her wisdom, hoping she would avert her eyes from the senseless slaughter and atrocities it was committing at the same time on Earth. it perfectly mimics the pattern of the earlier grand rites of Apollo performed while the empire was in the midst of another such war.

the Earth can do nothing to threaten the Moon into compliance, but the Moon can drown the warships of Earth, give light or darkness to the eyes of its enemies.