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?”

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“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 … ”