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【Vision of an Alternate Future】

Arc 1: Ascendance

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【VAF】Chapter║: 18 ─ Generals or "Lords of War"

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At the Curmallion Communion Council Chambers on their Homeworld Curvani General Damira the Curmallion Communion Supreme Commander meets with Chancellors Giloni, Btzani and Kyino to report on defensive planning.

Gen-Damira : " Chancellors! Our forces have reached optimal strength, and our allies have arrived in Bruvani. The Vilnavi Federated Kingdom has sent 700 Destroyers, the Wantigua Republic has sent 700 Destroyers, the Elmachi Empire has sent 1000 Destroyers, the Seatim Empire has sent 500 Destroyers and 200 Frigates, the Kulnet Dominion has sent 1000 Destroyers and the Qua Federation has sent 800 Destroyers! Combined with our remaining 2321 Curmallion Destroyers and 2963 Curmallion Frigates our force strength amounts to 7021 Destroyers and 3163 Frigates."

Giloni : " So; We will make our last stand there?"

Btzani : " There are 1.8 billion people on Bruvani!"

Kyino : " We can't afford to lose it!"

Gen-Damira : " We won't! The humans are bringing in about 2509 Galaxy Class Warships, and their allies from the minor worlds are bringing in about 2000 Galaxy Class Warships. Consequently we outnumber them. Their Galaxy Class Destroyers will be matched by Kulnet Dominion and Qua Federation Destroyers in size and technology. This won't be like the Enthea campaign, we now know their capabilities, and we've made adequate preparations. However it must be understood that the 2509 Galaxy Class Warships from the humans represent about a third of their fleet, and even if we stop the 2509 Warships they would still have enough ships to start another campaign in a few months."

Giloni : " What are you saying General?"

Gen-Damira : " It won't be enough to defeat them in this coming battle; Eventually we will have to negotiate."

Kyino : " But on better terms!"

Gen-Damira : " I don't know about that? If they come back with 40% of their current force strength we may be forced to accept harsher terms. We don't know how their population will react to a military defeat."

Giloni : " They won't risk losing more ships for a war that was never theirs to begin with!"

Gen-Damira : " Let's look at what we know. They have advanced Azleck Republic and O'con Federation technology, equal in power to the Kulnet Dominion and Qua Federation, a willingness to fight for others, some sort of moral sense and a great capacity for compassion."

Kyino : " What are you trying to say General?"

Gen-Damira : " I think they will return with even greater strength. Every time they've faced a greater opponent their society became whipped up into action, they rise to meet the challenge. It's not in their nature to surrender, to despair! I think they'll come after us. I think they'll come after the Vilnavi Federated Kingdom, the Wantigua Republic, the Elmachi Empire and the Seatim Empire. But most terrifying of all, I think they'll go after the Kulnet Dominion and Qua Federation."

Giloni : " What?" with a surprised look "That would be insane!"

Gen-Damira : " Every life they loose in this war will make it harder for them to turn back, to stop themselves. It's a flaw in their design, something from their past; No retreat, No surrender."

Kyino : " How do you know this?"

Gen-Damira : " In the Ra system an African Federation Destroyer defeated 4 Elmachi Destroyers, and even though the African Federation could not afford to establish a colony in that sector its public demanded the establishment of the colony. Their public did not care that transit routes to the Ra system are complicated by the fact that there are no neighbouring systems to use as entry points, and the Ra solar system is surrounded by nebular systems. All officials who tried to stop the establishment of a colony in the Ra solar system were not re-elected to their parliament, and the Ra system was eventually colonised despite all the obstacles they faced. They don't flinch from challenges."

Btzani : " If what you say is true, then there’s little we can do, choices are limited!"

Giloni : " War is unavoidable!"

Gen-Damira : " There is still time to find a solution! Hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk on both sides. The humans are reasonable; they would be willing to negotiate if the request came from the right People."

Kyino : " You mean the Azlecks?"

Gen-Damira : " The Humans love the Azlecks, but more than that they trust the Azlecks. If we could get the Azlecks to mediate talks we could reach terms that we could both accept, terms that do not cripple our economy and allow them to withdraw with something to show for their efforts. When the African Federation destroyed the Elmachi Warships it was the Azlecks who convinced them that the African Federation should admit fault. This is unheard off! They didn't have to admit fault, and the Elmachi didn't have the power to force them to admit fault, but this shows that the humans understood something that we still don't understand. Might does not make right! The humans showed the entire region that they were different, and that they would not use force to trample on the rights of less powerful Nations. They showed all of us that we should respect each other, especially when we don't agree with each other."

Giloni : " Unfortunately events have overtaken us! War is imminent!"

Kyino : " We will be at war by the time the Azlecks respond. However we'll make contact with the Azlecks and set things in motion."

Btzani : " I hope you're right about the Humans General!"

Gen-Damira : " For all our sakes, I hope I’m right about them!"

Soon after the meeting the Curmallion Communion contacted the Azleck Republic informing them of their willingness to meet with the Human representatives in an attempt to work out a solution under Azleck mediation. The Azlecks for their part informed the Galactic Alliance about the Curmallion request, but the Humans thought it was a delaying tactic designed to give the Curmallion Communion time to prepare for all out war with the human allied forces.

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The Humans knew the numbers they faced, and they did not want to commit more numbers until they had a full assessment of the capabilities of Kulnet Dominion and Qua Federation Warships. The 5 Human Governments had hoped to avoid direct confrontation with Galactic Alliance members, but now they found themselves between a rock an a hard place with no way out, and the less advanced Civilisations of the region now looked to the human race to change the region for all of them.

For too long the Developing Interstellar Civilisations had been bullied by the Developed Interstellar Civilisation of the region, and now the Humans were changing all that. A new power was rising, they didn't behave like the old regional powers, they respected other races, cared for them even, and that was changing everything. As always change would be painful, and many would feel the pain of the birth of a new order.

Advanced technology accessible only to humans had allowed the Human race to rise beyond what would otherwise be normal, and this did not sit well with the other races. The Humans on the other hand knew that they owed their success to the access to the Lodians, the Hodians and the Crystalans. The components that powered the advanced robotics at the heart of the Advanced Technology were synthesized from the Metallic Crystals in Hodian blood and to a lesser extent in Lodian blood.

The Crystalans for their part built Advanced Technological systems using their unique ability to grow Crystals, and all this meant that humans had technology that other races could not duplicate. Even when other races acquired advanced Human designs they simply could not produce the components that were required. This gave the human race a strategic advantage, and it helped that the humans are very good at assimilating technology from other races.

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The Advance Forces of the 5 human fleets jumped into the Bruvani system as a prelude to the larger force of StarShips. The 5 fleet Commanders Admiral Brown of the United Atlantic Federation, Admiral Nkuna of the African Federation of City States, Admiral Suresh of the United Indian Federation, General Abdul of the Islamic Alliance and General Lao of the Asian Consortium would command the battle from the Atlantis Class BattleCruiser UAS Moscow B2239.

Joining the human Commanders onboard the UAS Moscow: Sky-Lord Jwinda of the Zlarfh Empire, General Zap of the Pretovus Federation, General Frali of the Zolak Kingdom, General Vran of the Cromed Republic, Commander Amil of the Antora Consortium and Guardian Naole of Crystalorb. Each Admiral/General/Commander would command their part of the Taskforce, but from onboard the BattleCruiser UAS Moscow B2239.

Analysis and jump locations were being relayed to the fleet from the Advance Scouting Force, and with that the fleet was ready to jump.

Admr-Brown : " Jump locations confirmed! Jump Coordinates locked in!" The Admiral then looks at the other Commanders "Is everyone ready?"

Admr-Suresh : " Ready when you are!"

Gen-Lao : " AC Contingent Ready!"

Gen-Abdul : " IA Contingent Ready!"

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Admr-Nkuna : " All AF elements good to Go!"

Admr-Brown : " Then lets do it!" after a brief pause "Hit it!"

Hundreds of wormholes open into the Bruvani system beyond visual range of the Curmallion allied fleet. The 2000 Corvettes and Frigates offered by the human allied Nations followed the human ships into the Bruvani system.

Admr-Suresh : " Are you seeing this?"

Gen-Lao : " Reading 7021 Destroyers and 3163 Frigates!"

Gen-Abdul : " We are heavily outnumbered"

Admr-Nkuna: " Numbers aren't everything!" Admiral Nkuna then opens a channel to all African Federation ships including Crystalorb ships "This is Admiral Nkuna broadcasting on channel 2156, Authorization 110 Mega Sigma Fruitra" the systems on the African Federation ships confirm Voice codes and source verifications "To all African Federation Elements; report RedCon One!" The African Federation ships confirm the change of status to RedCon One "Battle carry Thunder!"

The African Federation elements charge their Enhanced Weapons Array in preparation for attack.

Admr-Brown : " Let’s talk to them!"

Admr-Suresh : " Give both our peoples a final opportunity to avoid bloodshed!"

A Communications Channel is opened with the Curmallion allied fleet.

Admr-Brown: " This is the United Human Civilisation Security Council Expeditionary Taskforce in pursuit of Curmallion Communion war criminals for their crimes against the Enthori people."

Gen-Damira : " This is General Damira Supreme Commander of the Curmallion Communion Space Navy! You are in violation of Curmallion Communion territory, and you have no jurisdiction in this area!" after a brief pause "Leave now, or be destroyed!"

Admr-Brown: " General; Hand over all those responsible for ordering the bombing of Enthea, agree to compensate the Enthori for the distraction of their cities, and our Expeditionary Taskforce will have no reason to be in this area."

Gen-Damira : " What about your attack on our facilities? Is that not a crime? Aren't we entitled to compensation?"

Admr-Brown: " We are in pursuit of Criminals General; Mass murderers! Comply, or we will use force!"

Gen-Damira : " You are outnumbered; you can not hope to win.”

Admr-Brown: " Numbers aren't everything General; This is your final warning! There is still time to avoid destruction!"

Gen-Damira : " Your terms would destroy the Curmallion Communion anyway!"

Admr-Brown : " So unwise!"

Gen-Dapil : " This is General Dapil of the Kulnet Dominion!" Brief pause "The Curmallion Communion is under Kulnet protection" another brief pause "Please leave now, or we will have to remove you forcibly!"

Admr-Brown: " The United Human Civilisation has no quarrel with the Kulnet Dominion! However we do have a duty to the Enthori, and we will not allow the Kulnet Dominion to interfere with our ability to carry out the full extent of our responsibility to the Enthori people."

Gen-Dapil : " We both know that this is no longer about the Enthori! This is about the Human race spreading their ideology across the region. You want to spread your influence to our region, and your using this conflict with the Curmallion Communion over what used to be a Curmallion Garrison to spread human influence. The Curmallion are a proud people, and we've had good relations with them for generations; they would never accede to your terms. You know that! Why do you persist in a course of action that would lead to the death of millions of lives?"

Admr-Brown: " That would be their choice! We would prefer that they hand over all those responsible for ordering the bombing of Enthea, agree to compensate the Enthori for the distraction of their cities!" taking a moment to reflect "When the Curmallion bombed Enthea it was under our protection as evidenced by the cooperation agreement signed with crown Prince Kintora of the Enthori." Taking a deep breath "Despite what the Kulnet Dominion, the Qua Federation and all your other allies believe the Human race has no ambition to conquer the region, nor do we wish to go to war with the major powers of the region. We would rather focus our resources elsewhere!"

Gen-Dapil : "Yet for some strange reason an Armada of your Finest Warships is Here? Ready to destroy all Curmallion Communion Space infrastructure!"

Admr-Brown: " We can not fight evil from the other side of the Galaxy while ignoring the evil that is right next to us!" shaking his head "On some level you have to understand this!"

Gen-Dapil : " Is there no limit to Human arrogance?"

Admr-Brown: " This isn't about power! It's about Justice! Why can't you understand that?"

Gen-Dapil : " What we understand is that you know you’re outnumbered, outgunned and outclassed! So now you’re trying to use persuasion to weaken our resolve" The General laughs "It's not working! Try something else!"

Admr-Brown: " Okay! Understand this; If you insist on joining this fight we will have no choice but to focus our firepower on the Kulnet Dominion and the Qua Federation ships." Slight anger in Admiral Brown's tone "By that measure you are outnumbered. We will deal with the rest once the Kulnet Dominion and the Qua Federation ships are out of the way."

Gen-Dapil : " There is that Human arrogance! You think you can crawl out of the cave and make demands on the rest of us!" also now visibly angered "Where do you get the nerve?"

Admr-Brown: " This is unfortunate General! Truly unfortunate!" putting his head down "Hear this General; At the End this day we will all find out who has the superior technology, but what ever the result your people will be the first to Die."

Gen-Dapil : " At the End of this day the Human race will learn something about respect!"

Admr-Brown: " Brown Out!" the Communications Channel is terminated "Looks like its war!"

Admr-Nkuna : " And so it begins!"

Gen-Abdul : " Allah give us strength!"

Admr-Suresh : " May God be with us!"

Admr-Brown : " Mobilize!"

Gen-Lao : " Let's kill these fools and be done with it!"

The Commanders or perhaps "Lords of War" would determine the fate of thousands of lives under their command. The words of the Generals and Admirals would now become the words of the Gods; Is it Life? Or is it Death? Life for this one! Death for the other!

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War by its very nature is Death, it taints the soul, contaminates the heart, and no amount of good intentions can change this. As the saying goes; "The Road to hell is paved with good intensions". Unfortunately the Generals and Admirals are not the decision makers, and though they are the Lords of War they lack the power to make the truly meaningful decisions, such as the power to choose the road less travelled; the path of peace.

The Crystalans understood the dynamics of war, and even placed it in their Crystalorb Charter; Order and Chaos are Eternal Partners/Rivals, therefore the only way to secure lasting peace is to create a balance between Order and Chaos. The Crystalans believe that peace requires a little conflict, and that people must always be reminded about the horrors of war, otherwise people forget the pain of war and end up making choices that inevitably lead to war.

The Hodians hold the same belief, but the only problem is that the Hodians have an obsession with controlling their own Destiny, and that often meant that they would impose their will on others to further their aspirations. This limiting of the freedom of others is considered repugnant by the Crystalans and the Lodians, and it goes against the fundamental rights enshrined in the Crystalorb Charter which states; "Freedom is the right of every Sapient Being"

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As the Human allied fleet began to move in on the Curmallion allied fleet it became clear that the Humans were not intimidated by the size of the Curmallion allied fleet, and onboard the Kulnet Command ship many began to wonder why the humans were so confident.

Gen-Damira : " At current rate of movement we estimate they will reach firing range within ten minutes!"

Gen-Dapil : " This is madness! They have to know they can't win! What are they thinking?"

Gen-Damira : " Last time they decimated a large number of our force with just a few ships from the African Federation's Crystalorb Elite Guard! Should we bring in telepaths to determine their strategy?"

Gen-Dapil : " Telepaths are useless against the Humans! They've found a way to shield themselves from telepathic Scans! If you try it they will use some sort of Psionic wave to kill all your telepaths."

Gen-Damira : " What about Nanobot mines?"

Gen-Dapil : " Nanobots have proven completely ineffective against them; they can drain the Nanobots of their energy!"

Gen-Damira : " We are reading some 390 Casara Class Cruisers operating in a fleet defence formation"

Gen-Dapil : " So that's what they are planning!" General Dapil smiles "Colonel Ival; Concentrate fire on the Casara Class Cruisers!"

Col-Ival : " Sir! We are having trouble locking on!"

Gen-Dapil : " Use visual systems!"

Col-Ival : " We've just lost visual on the Casara Class Cruisers and the black ships Sir!"

Gen-Dapil : " Fire pulse Torpedo’s! Full dispersion pattern!"

Col-Ival : " Yes Sir!"

Gen-Damira : " At this range they will see the missiles coming?"

Gen-Dapil : " I'm not trying to hit them!" General Dapil looks at Colonel Ival "Detonate!"

When the pulse Torpedo’s detonate they generate an energy wake that interacts with the shields of the stealthy Casara Class Cruisers, Vanguard Class BattleCruisers, Nubia Class Destroyers and Valiant Class Corvettes

Col-Ival : " We got their locations sir"

Gen-Dapil : " It wont last, they're compensating even as we speak! Weapons prepare to fire! Standby to Fire pulse Torpedo’s!"

Col-Ival : " Energy spike! They're almost within their Firing range"

Gen-Dapil : “Launch all fighters on designated targets!" General Dapil turns to look at General Damira "Use them or lose them General!"

Gen-Damira : " All ships Fire long range missiles! I repeat Fire!"

Gen-Dapil : " Fire at will!"

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On the other side.

Admr-Suresh : " This is fleet command! Take out those missiles"

Gen-Lao : " All ships Fire long range Weapons"

Admr-Nkuna : " Target main warships with long range Thunder"

Admr-Brown : " Fusion Beams; Fire!"

Gen-Abdul : " Fire at will!"

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As the Human ships fired their own barrage of long range missiles it began to look like the battle was now truly under way, but then both parties detected 200 wormholes forming between the two fleets.

Admr-Suresh : " Wormholes forming at 9 O'clock"

Gen-Lao : " As I live and Breathe!"

Admr-Brown : " Ooh my God!"

Gen-Lao : " Sky Dragons!"

The 100 Electric Eel shaped ships and the100 Cephalopod shaped ships targeted and destroyed all the missiles from both sides.

Gen-Abdul : " Who are they?"

Admr-Nkuna : " How?"

Naole : " Electrophorus Electricus!" Naole then turns to Admiral Nkuna "I'm receiving a Psionic message!"

Admr-Nkuna : " What kind of message?"

Gen-Lao : " Who are they?"

Gen-Abdul : " Whose side are they on?"

Naole : " They’re telling us to stand down!"

Admr-Brown : " We’re in the middle of a battle here!"

Gen-Lao : " We can't stand down!"

Gen-Abdul : " That would be insane!"

Admr-Nkuna : " Are you sure Naole?"

Naole : " Yes Sir!"

Admr-Nkuna: " All African Federation Elements; This is fleet Command! All Stop! Halt your advance!"

Gen-Lao : " What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"

Gen-Abdul : " I don't believe this!"

Admr-Brown : " I suppose that we should also stand Down!"

Naole : " To All African Federation Crystalorb Elements, this is Guardian Naole! Prepare to surrender!"

The other Commanders react with shock at Naole's order to the Crystalorb Elements, however all the Human ships stood down and stopped their advance.

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Gen-Damira : " The Humans are pulling back!"

Gen-Dapil : " We should do the same! The Carmaks don't play around!"

Gen-Damira : " Those are the Carmaks?"

Gen-Dapil : " The Carmaks and the Hildrano!"

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Gen-Abdul : " But to surrender?"

Gen-Lao : " I never thought I'd see the day; a Crystal Guardian cowed!"

Naole : " Listen to me! The Electric Eel shaped Ships are called SkyGliders, and they are the main warships of the Hildrano Enclave. The Cephalopod shaped Ships are called SkyStriders, and they are the main warships of the Carmak Republic" Naole generates holographic images from his Guardian Armour "The Carmaks are one of the oldest races in the galaxy. The original Gods of War! Almost as powerful as the Andronians and the Migon."

Admr-Brown : " What do you mean by; Gods of War?"

Naole : " The older races use some kind of self regenerating molecular Armour. A kind of living metal. The main advantage of the Armour is that it regenerates faster than even our Refractive-Reflective Bio-genetic Organic Crystalline Armour, but because it’s metal it also helps to enhance their shields making it even more difficult to destroy. The O'con Federation received this advanced technology when they joined the Galactic Alliance, and the O'ltana are now implementing the technology on their ships. The advanced Armour requires exotic amounts of energy, the kind of energy we can't produce, and the minerals required are very rare."

Admr-Brown : " Yes, but what about the Gods of War thing?"

Naole : " You think it’s a coincidence that we all recognize the Hildrano Enclave SkyGliders as Sky Dragons? Why is it that we all think of Heaven as a palace in the Sky? Why is it that in all our myths the Gods always lived in the Sky?"

Gen-Abdul : " What are you trying to say?"

Naole : " Most of the human race isn't ready to hear the truth!"

Admr-Suresh : " What truth?"

Naole : " When I went to Andronus as part of an O'con Federation escort I met Vinach the Andronian Ambassador to the Galactic Alliance, and he indicated that the last time he saw a human was 100000 years ago."

Gen-Lao : " We've met them before?"

Naole : " In all likelihood, yes!" a brief pause "Everything points to this! We don't fully understand how contact with an extremely Advanced Civilisation affects a relatively primitive race. However we think our original concepts of the Gods come from our experience of contact with Advanced Civilisations."

Gen-Abdul : " Lies! Godless lies!"

Admr-Brown : " Just a theory!"

Admr-Suresh : " Our faith is not an Illusion or a figment of our imagination!"

Admr-Nkuna: " The African Federation has no religious objections because we don't subscribe to a fixed religious faith; we only seek the truth about ourselves."

Gen-Abdul : " Wow!" General Abdul looks Admiral Nkuna in the Eye "Are there any free thinkers left in the African Federation? Or are you all puppets of the Crystalans?"

Admr-Nkuna: " For generations Crystalorb has given us loyalty. Even now they send us their Oldest, and place him under my command. We trust them implicitly!"

Naole : " Like I said; Most of the human race isn't ready to hear the truth."

Coms-O : " We're picking up transmissions from the Carmak SkyStriders."

Admr-Brown : " Show me!"

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The Curmallion Allied ships also receive the same transmissions from the Carmak SkyStriders, and it's Crimola the Carmak Republic Ambassador to the Galactic Alliance.

Amb-Crimola: " Greetings! I'm Crimola; the Carmak Republic Ambassador to the Galactic Alliance!" after a brief pause "The Galactic Alliance has agreed to allow the Azleck Republic to mediate in this conflict, and we now wait for the Humans to reach consensus. There is no need for you to fight, not when there is a chance for a peaceful resolution to your problems." There is an extended pause as data is sent to the opposing Fleets. The Admirals and Generals Establish Communications with their respective Governments "When we created the Galactic Alliance we decided to make it a strictly Military Alliance and not a political Alliance because we did not want to compromise the rights of the Younger races. Freedom is your right! We did not want any of you substituting our Judgement for your own. We want all of you to be able to determine your own destiny!" after a brief pause "These wars are a failing of the Spirit. We've seen these kinds of wars before, and when two Advanced Powers collide the less Advanced Interstellar Civilisations always pay the price. The Kulnet used to be a lot like the Humans, and long ago you used to also fight for others, but war changes the soul of a Civilisation. Even an Advanced Interstellar Civilisation can become militaristic and obsessed with perceived power. The influence they wield can contaminate even their most cherished principles." after a brief pause "We for our part were not so different. There was a time when we also paddled influence, spreading our Ideology. In the end the result was war, death and destruction. Do not make the same mistakes we made! Do not make the same mistakes that countless others have made! Choose life!" after a brief pause "Many races have been consumed by war, leaving nothing left, whole Civilisations destroyed! Extinct! Lost forever! Death at the hands of other Civilisations, but mostly at their own hands in a mad attempt to destroy another with a biogenetic plague." after a brief pause "The Humans are a young Civilisation, and they don't understand that wars can take on a life of their own, they don’t understand that conflict with an equal power can result in endless war that could consume entire Civilisations, but the Kulnet should know better! As a Civilisation that's a little older than the human race you should guide the younger races, you should be an example for them." after a brief pause "For a Thousand years we have kept the Evil Ones at bay, held them within their Evil Realm. Worked to give all of you time to prepare for the inevitable. The Doom-Bringers watch you from their Evil fortresses, waiting for a opportunity to come here and destroy." after a brief pause "They are Very old, and Very Powerful! You waist your resources fighting each other, making us all weaker, creating opportunities for them to come here and destroy. Don't you understand that the only way any of us are going to survive the Doom-Bringers is if we work together? The alternative is death for all of you, and eventually even the Older Civilisations would have to run or die!" after a brief pause "Analysis indicated that the Migon have been rebuilding their Fleets, and soon they will mobilize. We must all be ready to meet their advance when they move, and if we can defeat their advancing fleets will have a brief opportunity to pursue them into their Evil Realm, an opportunity to end the war without end. We all need each other! Remember that! We stand together or we all fall!"

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