"We're not going to have as easy a time taking Earth, are we?" Carrie asked as we left the quarters we'd put Snow in for his stay on the Phoenix.

"Most likely not," I said. "I don't want to hit the planet from orbit and destroy most of the cities and infrastructure, not to mention the civilian casualties that would cause, but I also don't want to just roll over and leave when they refuse to surrender or send people down to fight and die. That's like inviting everyone that works under me to rebel."

"So what's the plan then?" she asked. "We can't just leave Earth unwatched. They're going to build ships and crew them again eventually, and then we're probably going to have to destroy that fleet again. Are we going to leave someone here to watch them? Like some sort of siege?"

"A siege only works if one side can force the other to surrender through lack of resources," I told her. "We're able to send resources to whatever fleet we leave here, and the people in charge of Earth wised up a few decades ago and they've got hydroponics facilities and old-fashioned farms running constantly to make enough food for them. We won't be able to starve them out and we don't have the next several millennia to wait for them to slip into a less technologically advanced state. We're going to have to think of a way to force them to surrender or agree to a peace treaty. Assuming that we don't try to force them into ground fights. But, like I said, that's going to cause it's own issues."

"What if we leave a small group to watch over them and keep them from getting a new fleet built up while we turn our attention to the Wardens and the Alliance?" Carrie suggested. "With the Empire's fleet out of commission and Earth being guarded by some of our people, we can finish annexing what's left of the Wardens and take over the Alliance. From there we can look into taking one of the groups to Andromeda or another galaxy and send the other one to another galaxy too. They'll all have Nephilim presence to keep them safe from Scourge and we can focus more taking other galaxies back from them."

"Sound plan," I said, considering it. "The biggest problem I can think of with it is that some of the Alliance races and some of the Warden races come from the other galaxies. When they hear that we're officially opening movement into them because they're free of Scourge, they'll want to go home. Depending on how things pan out, that could cause another fight down the line."

"Then how about we divide them into the galaxies they belong in from the start?" Carrie said. "We'll be able to keep them from fighting over where they're supposed to be and we can help keep peaceful relations between them all."

"We might just have to do that," I said. "For now, let's focus on declawing Earth. I know this is going to be a real bitch and then some."

"With all due respect, Demigod James," the Chancellor of the Empire said, "you're out of your mind. Earth and her territories will not surrender to a man who was exiled over fifty years ago, just because he came back with a bigger fleet."

"I'm not asking you to surrender to the Nephilim Army and the Deva Collective," I said. "I'm asking you to lay down your weapons and stop this needless war that the Alliance of Galaxies started and then dragged all of you into. All territory and current prisoners that we've taken up to this point will be returned to you and your empire after the war's conclusion. Whether we return the territory we gave to the Alliance and the Wardens, is a different story given that most of them don't belong in the Milky Way from the start."

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"You're still asking the impossible," she said. "I cannot surrender to you and expect you to honor your word just because you said you would. That's the height of stupidity and in my profession that's what ends careers."

"And in my line of work, honoring your word and treating others with the respect they're due is just common sense, while death is what ends our careers." I said, my anger rising. "We're not a bunch of politicians that are too worried about meeting their bottom line on tax money siphoned from the people, we're soldiers and we have better things to do than stop children like you from fighting over the same toy."

"We will not leave our allies to suffer at the hands of a coalition of bullies," she snapped. "Our official agreement with the Alliance was one of trade and mutual defense. Had we refused to honor that agreement, your Deva Collective and the Wardens of Life would have come together and destroyed them. Knowing that we held an alliance with them would have painted a target on our backs and we would have been next."

"Your justification falls apart with one simple fact," I said. "The Collective is unable to engage in acts of war without the Chief Protector of the Collective, me, here to greenlight that aggression. They are only able to act to defend themselves and their territories. Additionally, the Wardens of Life sent no official request to the Collective to interfere with the ongoing war they were engaged in with the Alliance and the Empire. Instead many of them individually sought asylum with our public planets and they were granted that asylum.The entire time this war has gone on, you have ordered your military forces to engage in wanton slaughter of near helpless innocents while patting them on the back whenever they succeeded. I will ask one more time before I begin to use force."

I looked her holographic projection in the eyes and straightened my back before speaking.

"Will you surrender your arms and territory to the mercy of the Deva Collective and end your participation in the ongoing war that has been occuring?"

"I'll answer with an old American proverb they were fond of when the States were still kicking," the Chancellor said. "Come and take it."

"I was there when they started to use that," I told her. "I know what they meant it for and it's kind of poetic that it fits so well. I'll see you on the ground when the assualt has concluded."

The call ended and I slumped in exhaustion and more than a little shame. I was really going to have to force my people to fight on Earth and go against our cousin race. This isn't something I ever wanted to have happen.

"I can lead the assualts and coordinate them," Carrie said. "You don't have to be the one to do this."

"I do," I told her. "It has to be me, because I won't let the shame and weight of this rest on anyone else. Franks, open a communication with the entire fleet and all personnel, please."

"Done, sir," he said.

"Attention all Nephilim," I began. "I have just ended the call with the Chancellor of the Solar Empire. I asked her to surrender and I assured her that the territory and citizens of the Solar Empire would be safe and returned to their care unharmed. She refused to accept this offer and has left me with no choice. It pains me to ask any of you to do this, but I must. I am asking for those who would volunteer to land on Earth and work to conquer the planet to send word through your Cyber to the Phoenix. Refusal to do this is nothing to be ashamed of, neither is choosing to do this, and I understand all your concerns. I share many of them. However, to end this fight with as little blood spilled as possible, to keep as many people safe, no matter their race, and to allow us to return to our stated mission of ending the Scourge, I ask all of you to consider whether or not you will volunteer for this fight. Thank you all for making this choice with me, and I hope that we can keep as many people safe in this troubling time. I'm sorry to ask this of you all."

I ended the communication there and sat back in my chair heavily.

"Carrie," I said quietly, "please tell me if I'm doing the wrong thing."

"Of course I will," she swore. "I have this whole time, right?"