STALL

So many dream of their moment in the spotlight, that day that they would prove their worth in the face of adversity. But now my moment has actually come, and that spotlight is almost blindingly bright. Will I shine? Or will I wither and die?

I neatened the little stack of index cards on the table. Not that I really needed them; I'm good at memorizing speeches, and plus, I've been using teleprompters ever since entering politics. But they've always given me a sense of security, almost like ancient good luck charms. 'The Cue Card Candidate', they used to call me. It was an oddity that the media found endearing, in a quaint sort of way.

Even though I was now alone in the room, the frenzied discussions with my Cabinet still swirled around in my head; fear was at the forefront of every desperate attempt to concoct another plan. Maybe we could recall our troops from Andromeda. Maybe the DoD have some secret prototype weapon in their lab. Maybe someone had figured out some obscure flaw in the enemy's security system.

Nobody wanted to do it, or even contemplate it; anything but that. Yet in the end, after countless hours of debate, that was our best chance of survival. 

I took a deep breath and tried to put aside the sense of fear and dread. Millions of Americans will depend on you in the days to come, I said to myself, Millions of lives. Families. Children. No, not just millions - the rest of the world is watching too. They will all look to you as an example of strength and perseverance, despite this terrible situation.

A knock at the door.

"Come in."

The nervous-looking young aide showed himself in. "Madam President? You're on."

"Thank you Bobby," I said, doing my best to put on a reassuring smile.

He gestured out towards my desk in the Oval Office. Straightening out my grey skirt as I stood up, I walked through the door. I was greeted with heavy eyes from my few remaining Cabinet members. They were kept on the couches out of a combination of weariness, and the threat of violence from the two K'thrxians standing behind them. The aliens glared at me through their many arachnid eyes, their dark, bristled bodies tensing like a cat on edge. They loomed over the humans in the room, venomous stingers ready to spring at any threat.

I stepped out past the secret agents, and into view of the holo-cameras - cue cards in hand, of course. I shook hands with the camera crew and thanked them for being here for such an important time for our nation and all that. The curtains were drawn, hiding the carnage and destruction that lay outside. I went to go sit at my desk in my black leather chair. This desk, the Resolute desk, with all its antique ornate carvings, has seen through many Presidents and many crises. I suddenly felt so dwarfed by its solemnity as I slid my legs underneath.

"President Rose-Lynn, you're on in 3... 2... 1..."

As I straightened out my cards, I looked up at the teleprompter.

STALL.

I was taken aback at first at the message, but did my best to hide my surprise. Instead, I turned my eyes down briefly towards my cards, then back up to the screen. To the casual viewer, it would appear to be one last look at my notes.

I took a deep breath. "Good evening, fellow Americans: my friends, my family, my neighbors..."

My countenance went stern. "...Vice President Doyle."

I smiled, more warmly this time, and performed the informal gesture known as 'The Obama Point' towards the camera. A round of tense chuckles went about the room, before they were all silenced by a sharp hissssss from one of the K'thrxians.

"Tony Doyle, if you were here, you would've given me your big cackle of a laugh. Wherever you are now... thank you. The few of us that still survive will owe you a great debt."

I bowed my head in silence for a moment.

"We have gone through some dark times. And there may be even darker times ahead. I won't lie to you - we will have to do some difficult things to survive.

"I am here to announce that we have been asked to formally surrender to the Empire of K'thrx."

I pictured millions of mothers at home, clutching young children to their chests. I pictured millions of pained gasps accompanied by tears and clenched fists. I pictured millions of worn-down marines, some sinking down in their seats in sullen silence, and others kicking chairs in frustration.

"While yes, they demand our surrender, please, my people - do not think of it as giving up. Please do not lose hope. Think of it as the end of the fight. Think of it as an end to a years-long conflict."

The K'thrxians turned to each other, chittering and clicking in confusion - this wasn't the speech that they made Bobby write for me. They turned accusingly to him, but he just cringed like an abused puppy and mouthed the words 'I don't know!' The two aliens shrugged in resignation (or what must amount to a shrug), probably because my words were sort-of-close anyways.

I continued: "Think of it not as the end. Think of it as the dawn of a new era. A new era where we can learn to move forward together, in brotherhood, and in courage.

"Think of it not as a hardship. Think of it as the potential beginning of peace. A time where we won't have to worry about our sons and daughters on the battlefield anymore.

"Think of it not as being reduced to slavery. Think of it as being called to serve your nation, your people. Think of it as being called forward as men and women of America."

By this point, some of my bleary-eyed Cabinet were blinking the tears away, confused. Others were keeping a wary eye on the K'thrxians. The aliens' mandibles were clicking away, the noise becoming sharper. The hairs on their backs trembled at a sharp pace. 

"Think of it not as losing, as failure. Think of it as a challenge to rise up and conquer. Think of it as victory we have yet to achieve.

"Yes, this is a lot that I ask of you. A monumental burden, it may seem like. But as we move forward from here, I ask of you to think of it this way because...

"...I refuse to bend the knee. I will not bow. And neither shall you. I'm asking you to fight for what's ours. Fight for your families. Fight to make these words a reality."

The curtains started flapping in a sudden gust, with a loud droning and whirring becoming louder. I threw open the curtains! The lights of a Valiant-class gunship flared on in the window behind me, blinding the two aliens in the back of the room, who threw up their forelimbs and shrieked. Good ol' Tony.

I stood up, threw my cue cards in the air, and looked the K'thrxians dead in the eye.

"God bless America."

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A/N: I am Canadian and was attempting to write a scene that plays like a big budget Hollywood movie, with a dash of Battlestar Galactica. This is not a commentary on American politics at all.