Frenzy & Torch

Chapter 27: Full Steam Ahead

The President of the United Systems, a bald eagle named Donald Wingspanner, had been advised to deliver a televised address ahead of the New Year's celebrations. The newly declared war between Shrikta and Gladexus stirred fears of another galaxy-wide conflict. Protests escalated into riots when news of Keeyorbie and the Alliance's bumbling response had reached phones and television sets across the cosmos.

The location of the address would be at a massive New Year's Festival in Washington D.C. on Earth Four. The president's intent was to assuage the worries of not only Americans but all citizens across the galaxy, with words of assurance and hope for a peaceful future. He was being flown in on Space Force One while on the phone with PPF Chief Robinson.

"Look, Jack, I know you're tired of me breaking your balls," Donald said, "but I need results, not excuses! We already have a death toll in the millions after only a few days, civilians included! The Gladexians and Shriktans are making asses out of us! No ... no, I can't declare a state of emergency, do you know how bad it would be if I did that during the holidays? No, I can't augment any more military personnel to you! Not unless Congress formally declares war!"

Robinson was fuming in an office in the central Peacekeeper station, which orbited a nearby gas giant. He was overseeing the detachment that would provide security for the president and his team. He popped a couple capsules for his blood pressure and downed it with bourbon. "Mr. President, this is beyond a peacekeeping effort at this point. We are in a state of total war and both parties have seen to that! Everything we do from this point forward must be done with the intent of ending this thing, political considerations will only hold us back!"

"What about the Ruskvan women you told me about? The ones you guaranteed could get the job done?"

"Their commanding officers and commissar were held hostage by somebody, we don't know who yet. They had no choice but to comply with their demands, they would've been executed back home for allowing their CO and his staff to be killed."

"Oh, my God— what about the goddamned mission?!"

"I spoke with them. Their military protocol prioritizes officers. They say continuing in the absence of authority is frowned upon because it encourages disregard for the chain of command. Those disciplined little bastards stood by what they said."

"Are you fucking serious right now? A couple of Lieutenant Nobodies get tied up and stopping these lunatics suddenly becomes a Sisyphean task?! Motherfucker, I hate working with apparatchiks, don't they realize how close we are to losing everything— you know what, we'll continue this discussion later, I gotta calm these people down."

Robinson tuned into the news a short while later. The president took the stage in front of a mass gathering.

"My fellow Americans," he began, "this war between the Gladexians and Shriktans has got us all on edge. I know you want nothing more than to put war behind us, not bask in it further. I assure you we will put an end to this egregious bloodbath and start off this new decade with a large step toward peace. As you're already aware, we're in the midst of an election year. Vote for me instead of that communist twinkle-toed cocksucker George Mills, and I promise you, I will yield results! Now, let's have a nice New Year's Festival— "

A cloaked ship passed overhead and dropped mysterious canisters that detonated right above the crowd. Screams followed moments later as people developed sores on their skin and started bleeding from every orifice. The end-stage of whatever sickness they had set in quickly as they vomited blood, lost hair, and their flesh slid off their bones. In less than a minute, people were collapsing into bloody heaps. The president was whisked away by the Secret Service as the pandemonium unfolded.