Andalite Capitol Plaza, Andalite Homeworld 24 Hours Later
Senator-Prince Rasgan-Durmadas-Curiva gazed out his window at the protestors that had gathered on the carefully landscaped gardens around the capitol building. He gave a snort; this was more taint from the humans. A hundred and fifty years ago, few Andalites would go against the rulings of the Senate or High Command. Now, there was a crowd of several thousand that filled the Capitol compound.
Some of the members of the throng had thought-speak amplifiers, leading groups in chants of NO WAR! NO WAR! Most had signs, though. Rasgan looked at the multitude of signs. Some were generic: No War with Earth! Some were suggestive: Cooperation for Z-reactor. And some were crazy: Peace in the name of Cinnabon!
Rasgan chuckled. He enjoyed an occasional cinnamon roll himself, but they were hardly a reason to overlook a threat to Andalite security. He grew serious. Everyone out in the plaza was a fool; there would be no war. The humans were weak and would soon cave in the face of the blockade and submit to the Andalites' demands.
He grinned an Andalite eye-grin. The humans would probably submit even faster than he had originally hoped, too, thanks to Senator Duria. The paranoid little girl had made an appeal to the High Command to not blockade Harvest, citing human strength, will, and belligerence. The High Command had somewhat listened, too. Duria had persuaded them to take the humans' strength seriously, but instead of refusing the blockade, they had tripled the size of the fleet that would enforce it. This measure had come as a welcome surprise to Rasgan, not that he took the humans' military strength seriously…
A thought-speak call interrupted Rasgan's thoughts. It was his aide. Pardon me, Senator, but there is a written message for you to see.
Bring it in Rasgan said, still gazing at the protestors.
The door to Rasgan's office opened and his aide, Filion, entered. Rasgan's was a large chamber, even by the standards of a claustrophobic race. It fitted someone with as high a rank as the senator's.
Senator, this is a transcript of a call made to the High Command a few minutes ago Filion said, handing a sheet of paper to the senator as he turned away from the window.
The large, muscular Andalite took the paper from Filion and started reading, all four eyes widening the more he read.
The people of the planet Earth and all her territories, invoking the Joint Defense Initiative and acting in the face of a threat to their security, hereby give the Andalite military twenty-four hours to remove its presence from the planet Harvest, upon threat of "extreme action."
We feel compelled to further define our threat of "extreme action." If the Andalite presence is not removed from Harvest, the nations of Earth will have no other choice than to declare war on the Andalites.
It was signed by almost every government foreign affairs official on Earth.
Rasgan looked up from the transcript at Filion. It is a bluff the senator said gruffly. It has to be. The humans have neither the power nor the courage to start a war with us!
I hope you're right, Senator said Filion quietly. I hope you're right.
Dome ship StellarBlade, In Orbit Around Harvest 22 Hours Later
We are approaching their deadline Captain Limidi-Finorass-Ideleem said on the bridge of his ship. Has there been any increased activity from the humans?
No, sir replied tactical officer Prince Maryorn. The only action we have seen from the humans remains the frequent fly-bys by Chinese fighters.
Any communication? From the capital ships or the fighters?
No, sir.
They're cutting this close, Limidi thought to himself. He was beginning to doubt the Command's assurances that the blockade would not come to war. Even after the ultimatum was received, the official word remained "the humans will back down." Limidi had seen no indication of the humans backing down. For goodness sake, the Chinese were practically daring the Andalites to take the first shot!
Limidi hoped with all of his hearts that there would be no war. It wasn't that he was afraid of the humans' strength; he was afraid of his own people's weakness. Peace for 150 years tended to make one soft. All Limidi himself had done as a captain was chase down some Skrit-Na raiders. He only hoped that the long peace had made the humans soft, also.
U.S.S.S. Ticonderoga, In Orbit Above Harvest Zero-Hour
Commander Benden couldn't believe it had come to this. A few minutes ago he, along with every other American commander on and around Harvest, had received an encrypted message from Washington. Now, he stood at the window to Ticonderoga's immense fighter bay, watching pilots run to their craft and fighter after fighter take off. Through the transparent bubble of gravitational and magnetic energy that kept air in the bay but allowed craft to pass through, Benden watched as the Ticonderoga's squadrons joined those of other U.S. ships.
The speaker in the wall whistled. "Commander Benden to the bridge, please."
With a sigh, Benden turned from the window and started toward the monorail that would take him to the bridge.
"At ease," Benden said to the personnel who stood at attention as he walked into the Ticonderoga's bridge. "Are we ready?" he asked his second in command, Lt. Commander Katelyn Harris.
"Yes, sir, the fighters have been scrambled, the weapon batteries are manned, and our prism cannon is charged. We're just waiting for the word from command."
No sooner had she finished speaking then the image of Admiral Bud Garfield, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Harvest Sector Fleet, appeared on the bridge's main screen. Garfield's face wore a grim expression. "The Andalites have refused to leave Harvest space, which, as you realize, leaves us only one option."
The admiral took a deep breath. "All installations, ships, and craft," he said slowly, "fire at will."