October 2014: On the 12th, astronomical institutes around the world detect a flare that indicates nuclear fusion at the edge of the solar system. After a week of examination, SETI confirms that the flare is the result of a fusion drive, clear evidence of an alien intelligence entering the solar system. A broadcasted greeting undergoes preparation.

November 2014: Several hundred more fusion flames, far more powerful, are detected by SETI, which had been studying the other flare. It is estimated that the ships are 4 light years away from Earth, and will arrive in the solar system in 6 years. The United Nations begins an emergency meeting regarding the matter. In the meantime, the Thuktun Flishithy and Race Conquest Fleet draw nearer, unaware of each other.

December 2014: In an emergency meeting for the UN, it is decided to confirm the existence of the incoming spacecraft, as the fusion flames will become visible to the naked eye within the month, and thousands of amateur astronomers have already circulated images to the news and internet. The news is revealed on the 7th. Panic and mass speculation sweeps the globe, and the stock market fluctuates wildly. By Christmas, however, the panic dies down and the stock market returns to normalcy. The US government assures its people that the UN has prepared and sent greetings to both ships, and that it has plans regarding their arrival. Secret talks of increased military build-up continue, and several science fiction authors are recruited into think-tanks.

January 2015: In another UN summit, the US declares that the incoming fleet is too large to be a simple exploration or contact fleet, and urges the other nations to prepare for the worst. Research begins on ways to protect ground forces from orbital bombardment, and rumors of a "Project Archangel" are thrown about. China, Russia, and the US resume and increase research into ASAT weaponry. The YAL-1 project is revived, and the X-37 project receives increased funding.

Herdmaster Pastempeh-keph was perplexed.

He had just completed taking control from the Sleeper Herdmaster when he had received news that the Message Bearer had been contacted: by Winterhome. He wasn't too surprised that Winterhome had such technology, they had known intelligent fithp lived on it before they even left, but why did they contact the ship?

His advisor, and former Herdmaster, Fathisteh-tulk came to his side. Together they watched the broadcast once more. It consisted solely of images, showing Winterhome and the natives' lifestyle. One image, of an animal that greatly resembled a fi', caught the Herdmaster's interest.

The broadcast ended. The Herdmaster turned to his advisor. "What do you think of it?" he asked.

Fathisteh-tulk considered the question for a moment. "They obviously know we are coming. Yet they send us a broadcast. It is indeed strange. Perhaps they wish to talk before fighting?"

"Why? Why talk before fight? I'll have Breakers 1 and 2 examine the broadcast. Perhaps they can make sense of it." The Herdmaster dismissed his advisor, and once more examined the broadcast.

Talking before fighting. What a novel concept.

February 2015:

The Thuktun Flishithy enters Saturn's orbit to resupply and prepare. The probe Cassini captures several images of the ship, revealing a mile-long vessel armored like a battleship and armed to the teeth. Contact is lost with Cassini shortly thereafter.

In response to the Cassini images, the United States authorizes the secret "Project Archangel". Construction of an Orion battleship goes underway, and the Space Shuttles undergo recommisioning.

Russia finalizes its withdrawal of all forces from eastern Ukraine in preparation for the arrival of the aliens. Without Russian support, the rebels are defeated by March.

SALT is repealed, along with several other nuclear treaties as various countries prepare nuclear ASAT weapons.

March 2015:

The United States finalizes withdrawal of all forces from the Middle East, and reveals to the public War Plan Vanguard. War Plan Vanguard calls for conscription of all citizens aged 25-40, as well as a total war economy. In response to War Plan Vanguard, Russia and China reveal their own war plans, to be implemented by next year.

May 2015:

The United States continues research on its railgun project. So far, the tests have been promising, although the issue of power remains a problem. The YAL-1 is nearing completion of its test. Work has also begun on two new tank models, the M2 Abrams and M3 "Ike". The M2 sports the latest in armor technology and a 130mm main gun. The M3 "Ike", on the other hand, sacrifices firepower and armor for speed, range, and stealth. It is designed to decrease the effectiveness of orbital bombardment on armored divisions.

The EU and Russian Federation begin discussions of forming an united defense force, known as the Eurasian Defence Coalition. Should any of the nations in the coalition be attacked, the EDC will defend it. Similar talks begin amongst African and Southeast Asian countries.

The United States increases research and development of alternative fuel sources, as oil reserves are likely targets by invaders. Hydrogen engines are of particular interest, and solar energy proves to be very promising.

June 2015:

With production of the M2 and M3 under full swing, the United States begins lending and selling its older surplus equipment. 200 M1 Abrams are given to the EDC. Russia begins a similar program with its T-72s as it churns out the newer T-99 tanks. Many are given to China and countries in the EDC.

The F-35 is finally completed. It has been modified with an ablative and reflective coating based off of the Space Shuttle. Similar modifications begin on current fighters and long-range missiles.

The Iowa-class battleships begin re-commissioning.

The Thuktun Flishithy continues to resupply at Saturn. Due to their discovery, the Fithp decide to attack sooner than planned. As a result, they choose a much smaller asteroid as the Foot.

July-October 2015:

The United States finishes its railgun project. The final result is a weapon that fires 18-inch tungsten shells with a muzzle velocity of Mach 10. Each gun can fire 10 shots a minute, and hit targets over 100 nmi away.

The United States begins outfitting naval vessels with the weapons, including the recommisioned Iowa battleships. Railgun batteries are also placed throughout the country. The United States expects to finish placing the batteries by March of 2017.

China tests its new ASAT missiles, which can be outfitted with nuclear warheads. The missiles are capable of hitting targets in LEO.

In response to the United State's recent developments, Russia begins its own railgun and laser projects. The EDC aids in research and funding, hoping to aquire some defensive measures for Europe.

Herdmaster Pastempeh-keph once more found himself looking through one of the ship's portholes, watching as his fithp worked on the small moonlet they had mated the Message Bearer to. Progress was promising so far, it appeared that it would only take 3 more months to fully resupply the herd. Once that was done, they could begin the long process of pushing the moonlet's remains in a trajectory that would intersect with the path of Winterhome. Timing was key, the ringed planet had a longer orbit than Winterhome's.

His advisor appeared by his side. "Work goes smoothly, Herdmaster. The electrolysis stations are at 98.8% efficiency." There was a brief silence before the former Herdmaster spoke. "Have you considered my suggestion? We can live in space, like this. Mine the asteroids and comets, create large habitats to live in. There is no need to throw away the lives of your fithp in a war for a planet we don't need."

"You have made your opinion clear. Suppose we did what you suggested. Do you think the fithp on Winterhome will stand by idly as we take space from them?" the Herdmaster replied tersely. He turned away from the porthole and gestured to the video screen. The sole image on the screen showed hundreds of bright lights in the void that weren't there a year ago. "Do you think these travelers will? Whether they want Winterhome or space, we must fight them, make them part of the herd. Otherwise we'll find their feet on our chests."

The Herdmaster floated away from the porthole, leaving his advisor to ponder the view outside.

November 2015:

NASA launches a probe, called "Scout1". Scout1 will enter a gravity assisted trajectory and perform a flyby of the Race's Conquest Fleet in February of 2019. The probe will only have 15 minutes to observe the Fleet up close.

Various African nations enter talks of a possible military alliance in the future, similar to the EDC.

North Korea proudly proclaims that it will destroy any and all alien invaders that dare "Challenge the Eternal Leader."

Due to US withdrawal from the Middle East, various terrorist groups run rampant. Various countries consider intervention, but ultimately decide against it due to fears of compromised security against alien invaders.

The Message Bearer is resupplied. It now begins to push the remains of the moonlet into a trajectory that will intersect with Earth's orbit, a process that will take 3 years. Dissidents amongst the Fithp wish to leave behind a small group to set up colonies among Saturn's moons. The notion is dismissed, however.

March 2015:

The United States continues production of M2 and M3 "Ike" tanks, as well as F-35 fighters. The economy is in boom again, unemployment rates have dropped to 3% due to the increase of jobs.

Brazil begins its own conscription and war plan, hoping to improve its defenses and reduce unemployment rates.

Russia continues its railgun and laser projects. It has been experiencing problems, however. The United States considers outsourcing its own technology to its allies.

July 17th, 2018

Atvar, Fleetlord of the Conquest Fleet, was irritated, to say the least.

He had been woken out of coldsleep 2 years earlier than expected, the technician in charge explaining that there were "complications." Atvar spent the next hour fully waking up from coldsleep and going under the usual medical check ups. Once that was done, he made his way to the bridge of the Fleet's bannership, the 127th Emperor Hetto. Shiplord Kirel, Atvar's second in command, was waiting for him.

"What is the matter, Kirel? Has the Fleet arrived at Tosev?" he asked.

Kirel, Atvar realized, was very nervous. "We have recently passed the orbit of Tosev Four, Exalted Fleetlord. However, there is a problem. And it's not with the Conquest Fleet." Kirel gestured at one of the technicians. "Play the recording." he commanded in a halting voice.

A video began to play on the bridge's holoprojector. It consisted solely of images of Tosev Three, its wildlife, and Tosevites. But they weren't the Tosevites Atvar expected. He had to stifle a hiss of shock as he saw Tosevites living in sprawling metropolises, using vehicles, and flying in space. All things they shouldn't be doing for thousands of years.

The video ended. Numbly, Atvar turned to Kirel. "Are you certain that this transmission came from Tosev Three?"

"I am certain, Exalted Fleetlord. What's more, it appears that they directed this transmission to us. They knew we were coming." Kirel replied.

Atvar licked his needly teeth. "Are there any more transmissions?"

"No. Not even civilian chatter. After the message, Tosev Three went completely dark. It appears they want to hide their strengths from us."

"Or their weaknesses," a third voice said from behind Atvar. Atvar had to restrain himself from hissing at the source of the voice: Shiplord Straha, his third in command.

"It's entirely possible that the Tosevites lack atomics. We saw no evidence of an advanced military in the transmission. If so, we can batter them into submission, regardless of how far they've advanced in this time." Straha jeered at Atvar.

"And what, render the planet inhospitable for the Colonization Fleet? Your impulsiveness is why you are only a Shiplord, Straha." Atvar replied venomously.

"There is one more concern, Exalted Fleetlord," Kirel interjected. He gestured once more to the technician. A new image appeared on the holoprojector. It consisted of a dark object emanating a bright light. "There appears to be another spacecraft in the Tosev system. We found far past the orbit of Tosev Four. It appears to have come from Tosev Six. Perhaps a resupply stop."

"Another problem, and another reason to break out the atomics!" Straha hissed. "This ship is accelerating very slowly for something with a fusion flame. Why? I don't know, and I don't like it."

"Calm your temper, Straha." Atvar replied. He turned once more to Kirel. "We proceed as planned. Tosev Three will fall to the Race, regardless of its reckless developments. It will become a valuable asset for the Empire."

"But the alien ship-" Straha began.

"Is a single ship. It hardly poses a threat to us." Atvar turned away from Straha. "Start waking the males. We need to be ready to strike once we arrive at Tosev Three."

The Shiplords were dismissed. Atvar turned to the image of the alien ship, and felt an uneasy sensation in his liver.

April 2015-June 2018:

The United States completes placing railgun batteries across the country. The YAL-1 laser enters mass-production and is places in several dozen key locations across America, primarily around bases and cities. President Hilary Clinton announces that a few railgun batteries will be built in Canada and Mexico.

Russia also finishes its railgun and laser projects. The placement is not as heavy as in the US. Several EDC nations also manage to buy some railgun batteries, albeit at a high cost.

Several European nations enact conscription and ramp up production of weapons and vehicles. The surplus equipment bought from the US is particulary helpful.

After a few years of debate, over 20 African countries unite to form the United African Army. Tensions continue to run high, however.

After more than 3 years of militarization, people begin to chafe under the total war economy in the US. Talks begin of allowing non-military marketing, due to the high confidence the US has in its defensive capabilities.

The Message Bearer finishes pushing the Foot, and begins fine-tuning its trajectory. The Fithp begin to decide where to hit the Foot, mainly planning to use it as a message to the "Winterhome fithp."

The Conquest Fleet passes the orbit of Mars.

July 2018-February 2020:

The Conquest Fleet begins to wake from coldsleep. Despite shock and suprise at Tosev Three's developments, morale is high, and the Fleet is confident that it will successfully capture the planet for the Emperor. Some do become uneasy, however, when the Scout1 probe performs a flyby of the Fleet.

By now, all but 13 countries are in one military alliance or another. Fear begins to spread amongst the populace as the two alien races draw ever closer to Earth.

The US launches 12 modified X-37 spacecraft. Each spacecraft carries a 50 kt nuclear warhead. Work on Project Archangel reaches a feverish pitch.

The Message Bearer detaches from the Foot and begin accelerating towards Earth. It will arrive approximately 2 months after the Conquest Fleet. The Fithp begin to prepare themselves to fight in both space and on the planet. The dissidents take up a very small minority now, due to the discovery of the Race.

The Conquest Fleet takes up an orbit around Earth's moon and begins observing the planet. Panic on Earth is at an all-time high.

President Hilary Clinton was having a bad day.

She was in a stuffy room deep in NORAD, having to listen to various generals and science fiction authors as they discussed what course of action to take regarding the alien fleet in orbit. She was already exhausted with having to try and manage a country that was close to a full blown panic attack.

"I'm telling you, General, they might not be an invasion fleet!" one of the authors said. President Clinton believed his name was Weir or something.

"I don't care about any theories regarding their intent, Mr. Weir, I want to know how they might attack us if they do prove to be violent." replied the General.

President Clinton decided now was the time to speak. "Do you actually have any ideas about how they might attack?"

"Larry does." Weir replied, gesturing to the older man down the table. At this statement the author straightened noticeably.

"It is very possible the aliens might use kinetic bombardment on us." Larry said. "Basically, you deorbit a piece of metal so it hits the ground at supersonic speeds. You can use pieces the size and shape of telephone poles to hit big targets. Dams, bridges, military bases, that kind of stuff. You could also drop smaller ones in larger numbers, use them against armored divisions. A friend of mine actually proposed a system like this for the military to use."

"That's why we developed the M3." another general replied.

"I wasn't finished." Larry said. "They can also use infrared lasers to shoot down aircraft and missiles. We've also prepared for that. But they could do something we couldn't defend against."

The President's eyebrow arched. "Which is?"

"Asteroid impacts. They could go big with the kinetic bombardment. Pluck an asteroid out of its orbit, push it for a while, and let it hit. If it's big enough, you're looking at an extinction level event." Larry replied solemnly.

"What can we do to prepare against that?" the President asked.

"Nothing really. This is what leads to an old saying amongst us sci-fi writers: Control the orbitals, control the planet." Larry gestured to the television image of the fleet in orbit around the Moon. "That's why we should speed up Project Archangel. We need a way to gain control of the orbitals in case of war."

"The Scout1 probe didn't show any external weapons on the fleet's ships." the general said. "The Michael should be sufficient to handle the fleet."

"Do we know what they're doing?" the President asked.

"It's possible they're trying to listen to radio chatter, observing us." Weir replied. "We've been examining their own radio chatter in return. They have almost no encryption on their messages. As such, I believe we have managed to get a handle on their language. The chatter seems to deal with observations of the planet, not much else. Madam President, don't you think we should try to open a diplomatic channel with the aliens?"

The President considered the question. "Get the UN. Let's have a talk with our visitors."

February 6th, 2020, 127th Emperor Hetto

"Exalted Fleetlord, it appears that we are receiving radio signals directed to us by Tosev Three." Kirel said, a slight edge to his voice.

"What does it consist of? Have we managed to translate their language yet?" Atvar asked, swiveling an eye turret away from the Hetto's status reports.

"It's... in our language, Exalted Fleetlord." Kirel said nervously. "It appears that they want to speak with you."

Atvar looked at Kirel with both eye turrets. "They're smarter than we thought. Perhaps they'll be smart enough to surrender without a fight. Let me speak to them."

"It shall be done, Exalted Fleetlord." Kirel replied.

United Nations Building, New York City

"Greetings. We are the United Nations of Earth, speaking to the fleet orbiting our Moon. We wish to engage in diplomatic talks with your leader." the translator said, speaking in the Race's language. Surrounding him the the ambassadors and leaders of various countries around the globe. Together they nervously waited through the 2 second delay of messages to and from the Moon.

Hissing and snapping noises came over the radio. The translator did his job. "This is Fleetlord Atvar of the Race. Your wish for diplomatic talks will be granted. How do you wish to surrender to the Race?"

There was silence in the room. Then the Russian ambassador chuckled. "Arrogant bastard, isn't he?"

"What should I say back?" the translator asked.

"I can say that the United States will not surrender to these pompous invaders." the President declared.

Murmurs of approval rippled amongst the assembly. "I take it that I say we won't surrender?" the translator asked?

The answer was unanimous.

127th Emperor Hetto

Atvar was genuinely shocked. The Tosevites had no intention of surrendering? "You dare defy the Emperor's will?" he hissed.

A curt response came a few seconds later. "We do. We wish for peace, not war. The United Nations wishes to engage in trade with the Race."

"What can you even trade with us?" Atvar asked impatiently.

"Technology and culture. We have managed to decipher some of the data transmitted between ships. It appears that we are ahead of you in several ways regarding computer technology, agriculture, genetics, nanotechnology, and experimental physics. We would give the Race access to such technology in return for spaceflight technology and fusion power. We would also like to exchange cultural items, such as literature, sports, food, and art."

"We have no interest in Tosevite culture. There is only one true culture: the Race's." Atvar hissed. "I also do not believe your claims of having more advanced technology than the Race's. I have never even heard of nanotechnology, it is likely that you have made it up."

"We don't want war with the Race."

Atvar growled. "Then surrender. We found this planet 800 years ago. We have conquered 2 other worlds, and soon will have a third world. If you surrender now, I can ensure that you will retain most of your control over Tosev Three, second in power only to the Race. If not, then you shall face the mightiest civilization in creation."

A few seconds passed, and Atvar believed that he had gotten the message across.

"We have no intention of surrendering to the Emperor. We will, however, accept your surrender." came the reply from Tosev Three.

Atvar was so shocked that he cut the channel. "Foolish Tosevites." he muttered. He turned to Kirel. "Prepare the Fleet for action. We will attack in a week. Then we will crush these rebellious Tosevites into the ground, and remind them what is the ultimate power in creation is."

United Nations Building, New York City

The radio had gone silent.

"So much for diplomatic relations." said President Clinton.