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“Excuse me what?!” The Chancellor blurted out.

“Andromeda.” Kel repeated calmly, as though what he’d just said didn’t change absolutely everything.

Had anyone been drinking, the contents of their mouths would’ve spewed out in unison. As it was, several individuals—myself among them—choked on our own spittle.

Admiral Preyl took them moment to chime in. “The documentation provided by Colonel Kelby and his compatriots indicated that The Hegemony has not only relocated to the Andromeda galaxy, but they have amassed a Warfleet on a scale we’ve never before seen.

This, in conjunction with the advancements we’ve seen in their gravity manipulation weaponry, as well as strategic implications of their Jump-Drive capability, is without precedent.

It is not hyperbole to say that in this moment, The Hegemony poses the greatest existential risk that all of our great races have ever faced.”

The collective shock on the faces of the Council-Members, and on all the masses gathered to observe these proceedings, was visible to all but the blind.

Far more masterful at public speaking than she would ever let on, the Admiral continued after a heavy pause.

“The Hegemony has us outclassed and outmaneuvered in every aspect save for one: they don’t know that we know their capabilities. They still think that their unbeatable force is unknown to us.

They still think they have time to coordinate their attack to the most optimal degree. If they stuck now, all at once, we would be doomed, but they don’t know this—not yet.

We can capitalize on this if we act quickly, in unison, and with complete devotion to the goal.

We have a small contingent in their Homespace that has been monitoring their activities, collecting intel, laying the groundwork for subterfuge and sabotage. To the best of our knowledge they do not know that this fleet of ours is there amongst them, but it is a small fleet, dwindling on supplies, and they are cut off from any and all support. If we hope to win this war, we will need to utilize this clandestine fleet as our vanguard, and to do that we must act now. We must begin immediate mobilization.”

“What you are suggesting, Admiral.” The Chancellor said deliberately. “Is the complete militarization of The Collective.”

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“That is correct, Chancellor.”

“And you truly believe there is no alternative?”

“None that see The Collective’s continued existence.”

There was a long pause as the Chancellor conferred with the rest of the Council. Finally, he spoke, his tone grave.

“Well, Admiral. While some of my esteemed colleges differ in opinion on which particular aspects of your earlier provided strategy proposal to emphasize, we all agree that it must be implemented.

So I hereby propose bestowing emergency powers upon Admiral Preyl and assigning you role of Supreme Commander of the offensive initiative, we will put it to vote now.”

The buzzes of the tablets came back almost immediately. All in favor of the motion. Even the public in attendance, whose Public-Opinion-Submissions didn’t count as votes perse, but which were nonetheless taken into account as a way of getting a feel for the pulse of the masses—those came back in the affirmative as well, all 6,000 of them.

“Well,” The Chancellor spoke again. “it has been decided. Admiral Preyl, I hereby pronounce you Supreme Commander of The Collective’s Defense Forces.

Unless anyone else has input, I call this meeting adjourned.”

“I have a query.” A Chluuryn representative in the back spoke up. “For Colonel Kelby.”

Kel turned to face the representative. “Yes?”

“Out of curiosity, Colonel, how much of this operation is motivated by revenge?”

Kel paused, eyes narrowing for a moment as I again saw his gaze transfixed on The Beyond, then he spoke.

“A lot.”

There were gasps and murmurs from the crowd

“I won’t mislead you Chancellor, Councel-Members, Citizens of The Collective.” he said, seeming to grow larger as he stood there. “My race, at least those of us that remain, are… how shall I say it… rather motivated by the idea of exterminating The Hegemony. I would gleefully stomp to a pulp an entire nest of eggs and newborn hatchlings, as would every other Human still alive. If given the opportunity, I would dismember their Emperor with my bare hands. I know this is shocking to many here, if not most, but I say all that to say this: I know the idea of preemptive strikes are rather abhorrent to the races of The Collective, as is war in general—and as it should be, since war is horrific and The Collective is a culture that has known an abundance of peace for so long. But in this moment now, we are confronted with an enemy so powerful and so committed to our destruction, that only through absolute savagery can we hope to prevail. And, to be frank, the only race in The Collective capable of the requisite savagery… is my own.”

The representative sighed. “As much as I wish to disagree, I don’t. I fear we are incapable of facing this threat without your assistance, without Humanity by our side.

But I fear we are asking too much of you and yours. Your race has now the smallest population of any in The Collective, Humanity is critically endangered. And this offensive against The Hegemony will only further endanger your species, and surely this will become evident to those you call brother and sister. I fear we will lose the support of your kind in time.

I ask you, Colonel, the commitment that you have professed to exterminating this threat, you believe it shared by all of your fellows? You believe that all of Humanity—not just you and your fleet—will support this offensive? Do you believe that all of your kind will want to take this path?”

“Well Councillor, if due to no other reason than that we don’t have a choice, I am confident all of Humanity will be behind this initiative 100%. And as far as the intimate, close-up killing of Hegemony combatants goes, I can’t speak for every member of my race—“

A small smile crept across Kel’s face before he continued.

“—but I know that I’m rather going to enjoy it.”