The Outer Moon (A Sapphic Sci Fi Adventure)

Chapter 34

               "Are we ready?" Pepper asked Vanessa, who was typing away on the computer. They were currently in orbit around Earth with almost their entire fleet in a major show of force three months after the attack. The only ships back home were the Antuhsas with their new ships. The little furry pilots were thrilled to be taking over the defense of their world and considering that they'd seen several instances in their history where they'd sacrificed themselves for others, it wasn't shocking. They had some of the Antuhsas with them now on the bridge of the Aspis because they were about to broadcast a video, and then go live, to the entire planet.

Nessa finished typing, and then grinned. "Okay, you're now transmitting to anyone with an internet connection or Wi-Fi."

"Okay, play the video."

The video was simple. It overlayed Pepper's description of what was left of the planet that the prophets said was their birthright with video shot in several of the destroyed cities there before cutting to the space battle against the invaders. It was odd for Pepper to listen to her own voice, it never sounded the same as it did in her head, but it served the purpose.

"This is what is left of the planet Iluyanka, the home planet of the original voyagers on the Atlantis. Their greed and aggression led to their entire population being wiped out other than the few who may have made it to Earth. The planet isn't habitable, and if the people claiming to be prophets were truly so wise, they would have known this. Their legacy is that of a dead planet that can't support life. Why would anyone want to follow someone like that? The attack that they sent failed as soon as it started. Does the Earth really want the same result as their forebearers? Those of us who left don't want war. We want peace and the chance to live our lives the way we want. But we will not hesitate to defend ourselves against any attack that presents itself. The false prophets are leading you in a direction that is doomed to failure. We could be working together, providing help and resources, but instead their greed is inviting more war and bloodshed for no purpose other than satisfying the egos of people that don't know the first thing about the truth. If you're a follower of theirs, ask yourself why they never said anything about the trip to Uranus, or the ship there, until it was revealed that an escape pod may have made it to Earth? They're all taking advantage of innocent people for personal gain. If they keep it up, more people are going to die whenever you attack us. But if you're willing to work with us, then we can provide the means to explore this solar system, and gain access to valuable resources. The choice is yours, peace, or pointless war."

When the video ended, Pepper went live surrounded by Vanessa, Emily, Xavier, Lena and Miles, the whole original crew, as well as half a dozen of the Antuhsas, including Kajna, his new wife Radali, and Ohavi. They were all smiling, just trying to show how well they could all get along. On the other ships, most pilots had brought their families as they didn't want to be apart from each other for over two months, and they watched proudly as Pepper gave her speech.

"People of Earth, we never wanted this conflict. We desire peace, to the point where we never even brought weapons to our new home. But we will defend ourselves and our friends if you persist in this foolhardy war. We brought people from all walks of life and were able to live together happily. We have made friends with the Antuhsas who have become wonderful neighbors and live side by side with us, and we would like to be your neighbors. We'll be making this same offer to the Mars colony and will be giving them a ship that they can use to explore this galaxy and beyond if they wish. We have technology that we can trade to help improve the lives of millions, and make lives better, or we can continue to be in a war that costs you lives until the universe passes you by. As I said in the video, the choice is yours. You get to decide if you're going to continue to squabble among yourself, or if you're going to work together." They ended the transmission at that point, hoping that there would be good news from the surface soon.