Retired Space Force General Samuel Cartwright advised the One Earth Council:

  “General, the aliens tell us they’re protecting their territory outside the solar system; they sound quite reasonable to us,” said a council representative.

  “If they’re reasonable, why the armada of warships?”

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  “We’ve learned, General, that negotiation is always doomed to failure without actual repercussions,” said the alien ambassador over the holo-comm.

  “If it walks like a duck …”

  “General, a duck?” asked a council member.

  “Apologies, a bird that existed before The Great Extinction. Alright, I’ll be unequivocally blunt; this looks like the prelude to an invasion … ”