“Senators and Representatives, I have the distinguished honor of presenting the President of the United States.”

A chamber full of bleary-eyed congressmen and women, aides, reporters, and observers stood and applauded as President Richards walked into the room. The applause was less enthusiastic than it might otherwise have been. The retired Navy officer had managed to navigate a rising tide of partisan hostility by ignoring it entirely, and had the distinction of being the only candidate in his election year to not be despised by any particular group. As such, while he held no camp of feverish support, he had largely been deemed, with some reluctance, as acceptable, even by his opposition.

The lack of enthusiasm was not due to any distaste or displeasure for the Republican President, but rather was due to the hour.

This special joint session of the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress had been called at just past eleven that night, with most of the Senators and Representatives arriving and the session formally starting a little over an hour later.

They would continue to wait for another hour, though that did allow time for most of the remaining Senators and Representatives to arrive. Only those few who had not been near the Capital when the session had been called were not in attendance.

President Richards ascended to the podium on the House floor, motioning for the Speaker to cut the listless applause short. She banged her gavel once as he turned to face the podium, and the applause fell to silence. Two more members of Congress slipped inside the chamber and quietly found seats in the back.

He placed a notepad on the podium before him with a frown. He closed his eyes for a moment with a heavy sigh, but when he opened them, his shoulders were square, his spine was as straight as a steel rod, and his expression was firm. “Mister Vice President, Madam Speaker, Members of the Senate, and the House of Representatives.” He glanced down at his notes, then set them aside.

“It is with great reluctance that I come before you this evening, but I am afraid that I must share with you grave news. Not twelve hours ago we sent a delegation through the San Diego portal to meet with the so-called Aesimnai Empire and discuss peace and neutrality between our two nations. They were directed to ensure the leaders of the Empire that we had no interest in becoming involved in their conflict with the Kingdom of Ganlin, that we bore no ill will toward the Elven people, and that we sought only peaceful relations with both of our new neighbors.”

The President glanced at his watch. He looked around the Chamber, at the elected officials before him. “It is with the deepest regret that I must inform you that four hours ago, our delegation was returned to us.” His gray eyes hardened, his expression turning to steel. “The twelve men and women that we had sent as emissaries of peace were returned to us cut into tiny pieces, their remains packed inside five, elaborately-decorated boxes.”

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He paused as a wave of shock rippled through the assembly. The Speaker banged her gavel once more, and he continued once the commotion had died down.

“With those boxes was delivered a message.” He placed his note pad in front of him again, reading from it. “It translates as follows: ‘We do not hold relations with animals. The inferior will be expunged to their proper place, or expunged from existence.’”

President Richards set his note pad aside again as silence reigned in the Chamber. “Senators and Representatives, I must further inform you that less than an hour ago, I was given a report from reconnaissance assets we have sent through the portal. Not only have they confirmed the size and numbers of both armies that we were given by the Ganlin delegation, they have also observed signs of a large Elven force moving to reinforce their existing army, which has begun to mobilize towards the Ganlin army and the portal.”

He looked about the Chamber. “At this time, an army that numbers upwards of forty thousand troops is marching in the direction of San Diego, with tens of thousands more moving to reinforce them. From the Ganlin accounts of their respective capabilities, the nearly fifty thousand Ganlin troops that stand between the elves and the portal will not be able to hold back the reinforced elven army.

“Senators and Representatives, we are faced with an implacable enemy, unlike any we have faced in recent memory. An enemy who has made their desires and intentions unequivocally clear. We have not faced such an assemblage against us since the Korean War. We have not faced such a malevolent enemy since the Second World War. We have not faced such a direct threat to American soil from a foreign adversary since the War of Eighteen Twelve.

“As the Commander-in-Chief of the American military, I have directed every measure be taken to ensure our defense. As we speak, the men and women of our armed forces are moving to defend our soil, to protect our citizens, and to stand against this threat. I have full faith and confidence in the courage, determination, and capability of our armed forces to confront this evil, and to carry us through to victory.”

He paused as a wave of applause rippled through the chamber.

“Make no mistake,” he said when the applause quieted. “It is evil that we face. An evil that threatens not our treasure, nor our livelihoods, but that would see us reduced to animals, or wiped from existence.” He looked around in the silence that once more reigned. “There are few who are alive today who remember, but we have faced such evil before. Those who were called to defend the world against that evil are considered our Greatest Generation. Today, we are called again. A new evil has arisen, and it is now our generation’s turn to stand against it, and to show the unyielding and righteous character of the American People.”

Another wave of applause erupted across the Chamber. There was nothing tepid or lackluster about it this time.

He waited until it had subsided. “I ask that Congress declare that, in light of these unmistakable acts of hostility and aggression, a State of War now exists between the United States and the Elven Empire.”

Applause thundered through the Chamber as he yielded the floor and allowed Congress to carry out its proceedings.

The matter was quickly brought to a vote. It passed the Senate 84-0. When the Roll Call was complete, it passed the House 392-2 with one abstention, and at 01:33 on the 9th of June in the year 2020, the United States of America declared War on the Aesimnai Empire.