I sit there, mean mugging the wimpering noble for a while. He stares at me through the darkness with a look of abject horror on his face. I let him marinate in this feeling for a while but eventually I get tired of glaring at him and speak,

  "Good evening, Shipmaster. Let's have a nice little talk. I promise to be nice about it."

  He stammers out,

  "That's... good to hear... what is it you wish to know?"

  I respond pleasantly,

  "Don't be so scared. I just have some important questions about the massacre committed below. My people call what you did a genocide, which is the worst thing anyone can do. This means, without orders, I am allowed to wage war against someone whom I believe and have reasonable information to prove is committing genocide.

  I promise no harm will come to you if you don't want to answer, but later our courts will not look on this favorably and your head will roll."

  He protests,

  "No harm? What about my broken bones? And what do you mean by your courts?"

  I shake my head and respond,

  "I watched the recordings of your capture, the Marines, while rough, did not purposefully break your bones. It was an accident caused by your innate and completely natural weakness.

  As for my people courts, there is an agreement throughout all of humanity that any nation can put anyone on trial from any other nation if crimes like genocide have been committed. While this isn't a contract or a treaty, this agreement is upheld through the very little trust we have for our fellow man. Since you participated in this act, I am getting information out of you, and you could still survive this if you're honest with me and help me get whoever ordered this massacre."

  I lay it on heavily that I believe him, and by extension, his people are naturally weak compared to us. I've sorta pieced together that the Eternal Kingdom takes pride in its strength and follows a might makes right philosophy, so by acting as if we are untouchable monsters, I can hopefully convince him. He thinks about it for a second and chooses his side,

  "I-It was an act of religious inquisition. We acted entirely within the divine rule of his majesty. This situation is beyond law or legality, it is a matter of the soul of our very people.

  Your kind has polluted the minds and souls of those in our kingdom, and thus all who are in contact with your kind must be purged. There were three of your kind found on the next planet over and were found to be the source of a new false faith that spread like wildfire. We have to quarantine and stop anything like that from ever happening again."

  I nod and note to have a screaming match with the first spook I see. This does mean they did commit this act in order to remove a specific religious group, therefore, I now have my justification. I just don't know how far I want to go. I want to be the morally high one in this situation, but I also don't want to risk my sailors and marines in a conflict with a people who are no threat to the USA as a whole. I also don't want to just wage war to get ahold of the cure, as much as I want it to be available to all of humanity, resource wars are never very just. I also know better than to think we can just steamroll them for the entire war. We have the advantage of surprise for now, but thinking luck will always hold up is how many a great power got their nose bloodied by farmers with rifles.

  I frown at him, acting as if his answer is unsatisfactory; it's really not a good answer, but I am not frustrated at him for giving it. I understand religious zealotry; I've witnessed it all my years, but I've also seen how it fails and how it can be corrected. I speak to him, my only lie I will say,

  "Well... I'm sorry to hear you believe my kind is responsible, unfortunately, the only humans in this part of space are in my fleet alone."

  His eyes widen for a moment, complete disbelief crossing his face before a weird sense of realization came across it, which is hard to read considering he is a reptile without eyebrows, looking something like a snake with really spindly arms and legs. My main goal here is to confuse the man and see if I can squeeze anything else incriminating out of him. I give him all the time to think he needs while I sip on some of Uriel's whiskey I managed to take from her collection before the science vessel exploded. The captive's breathing has calmed since the painkillers he was dosed with via spray have reduced the agony of multiple broken limbs. His calmness is a double-edged blade for this interrogation, this is because now that he is calm, his information isn't false under duress, but on the flip side, he is now capable of thinking of lies. I then ask,

  "Do you believe there could be any other reason why the planet was purged? Any names?"

  He shakes his head and quietly responds,

  "They deserved it for being heretics, even if your people weren't the ones to convert them."

  I sigh, now understanding he has calmed down enough to become stubborn. I ask,

  "You are aware of the severity of the charges I am pressing against you, right?"

  He nods and lifts his head high and announces,

  "Yes! But as a child of his Majesty, and a noble of thi-"

  He is cut off when I motion for the marine behind him to close his mouth. I then say in a serious tone,

  "I am going to put you in the brig for a while. I want you to think about what you are going to say next time we talk."

  There is a ripping sound as a single strip of duct tape is put around his muzzle and the marine carries him off. I rub my temples as this is my third interrogation of the day, and I have six more...

  I sit in a briefing room surrounded by the most senior officers in the fleet. Shariah sits closest to me out of everyone as she has a little more sway in this specific conversation, being a Diplo-Colonel, meaning she should be well versed in political law, or at least more knowledgeable, as the rest of us in this room are just old warhawks. I now understand how much of a loss we had with the loss of our legal team.

  I start the meeting,

  "Alrighty folks, we are at a crossroads here on what to do. I don't want to take any actions that will result in mass American casualties without asking you all first. Although high command and Congress are probably is well aware of our situation now, I do believe there won't be a response for a good week or so due to the current political climate back home. Plain and simple, the current majority in Congress, as well as the president, are quite anti-war. This is the truth as much as our friends over in the CIA or other fun shadow intelligence agencies try to make it not the truth through clandestine actions.

  Diplo-Colonel Jamestown and I have created a very in-depth report based on interrogation and observation that the Eternal Kingdom has committed an act of genocide against its own people. The reason why is based on their state religion, where their government is seemingly divine in nature. Their actions fulfilled all requirements to be declared such. As officers in the US Navy and Army, we all took vows to uphold our Constitution and to guarantee liberty at all costs. Part of this vow, the vow to uphold liberty, extends to everyone, not just Americans, or that is what I was told at the academy.

  In front of us, we have people who are enslaved by their government through means of religious oppression. A government that permits slavery against those it deems unworthy and is willing to slaughter an entire planet, leaving the survivors the playthings of their oppressors. A feudal state that believes it can do no wrong as it is divinely ordained, but I ask you all, what kind of god allows this type of action to happen to its subjects?

  I do not see the Eternal Kingdom as neighbors; I see them as adversaries who exist as an antithesis of the USA and all of its ideals, and I believe we have every right to liberate these people and to allow them the choice of enlightenment. These are people unable to choose and people who have been abandoned by the kingdom that rules them, it doesn't lead them, it rules them as all dictatorships do.

  I am not saying we, as a small exploratory fleet, fight and destroy an entire stellar empire, no, I am saying we protect and liberate who we can and do our best to bring the one who at least gave the order for this slaughter to justice. I am not going to go and say we can wage an all-out war. I want to simply find that Inquisitor bastard, arrest him, and hold him accountable; that is all.

  I am going to disobey the orders I was given to hide this information, but I want you all to know. The Eternal Kingdom holds the secret to curing mankind's curse. The cost they ask for this is to become vassals of this kingdom that I have just described as everything un-American. I want you all to know my justification for any call to action is not based on this alone, as much as I desperately want it, as we all do, since we have all suffered. I want you all to flush this from your minds as a justification because this will not be a resource war. If war is to be declared, I want it to be one based on liberation and the protection of those who cannot protect themselves. I am telling you this because it may come up at some point, and I'd rather you all hear it from me now rather than be surprised later when negotiations for peace are being made."

  The officers all look at one another for a while and mutter to one another. I let them get it out for a while before they all look back at me, eyes hard. I take a deep breath and continue,

  "What I am asking for is a vote. You don't have to explain your reasoning one way or another. I will not vote at all in this as I would bring it to an even number, and I do not want a tie if that is a possibility. As of right now, during this vote, I want each one of you to look deep within yourselves, do not even lock eyes with your peer, as I want each person's individual vote to be cast. As of right now, there is no rank, hierarchy, or military branch; we are all equals. Vote with your hearts and minds both and cast whatever will allow you to sleep at night.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I am doing this because I am not stupid enough to think casualties are an impossibility. We have gotten lucky since the Eternal Kingdom seemingly hasn't fought a peer state in many years. They will learn eventually, just as we have, and they will bloody our nose at some point. Since we do not have direct orders right now, I cannot in good conscience send our sailors, marines, and soldiers to die in a battle their officers did not want. I am not an armchair officer; I know the faces of those I send to die, and therefore I ask you all to vote on what is best for your men and yourselves.

  As a last note, if this happens and we are threatened with any legal consequences, I am taking full responsibility for everything. Do not let fear of legal reprisal change your vote.

  I will do the counting, and I want you all to close your eyes. I will not let peer pressure sway anyone's choices."

  I wait until everyone's eyes close then I ask,

  "Raise your hands for yay."

  I count them and ask,

  "Raise your hands for nay."

  I count the hands and then say,

  "Raise your hands if you wish to abstain from voting."

  I count the singular hand and say,

  "Lower your hands. I have the count."

  I quickly do the math and say,

  "14 Yay, 8 nay, and one abstain."

  Not only is the choice of continuing a military conflict passing, but it is a supermajority; therefore, no recount or discussion is needed. Return to your posts and I will breif you on the upcoming conflict as needed."

  The men and women all stand up, salute me, and then leave. I notice the suspicious stares and glares they give one another and I put my face in my hands on the table taking a deep breath when everyone but Malakai and Shariah has left. I ask my brother,

  "Why did you abstain?"

  He responds,

  "I'll go where I am needed and the army will do what needs to be done."

  I look up and give him a loving smile, and look at Shariah and inquire,

  "You said no. Why?"

  She thinks for a moment before stating,

  "While I do believe action needed to be taken, I do not think any further conflict should be pursued without word from the capital."

  I nod and stand to leave. I tell them both,

  "I need to reflect and strategize. I'll be in one of the observation bays."

  I sit and stare at the stars in the darkness. I lay my head against the thick composite of the observation window and let the roar of the USS Catfish's heart run through me. This window is just over the fusion reactor, and the rush of superheated fluids causes a slight vibration to flow through my body. I ask myself if I am a hypocrite for wanting this war, or a coward for not wanting this war. I want the war because their actions were wrong, and these people need liberation, I don't want this war because I do not know if it is my place to wage it. A big part of me just wants humanity as a whole to leave the aliens be and delete them from our starmaps, but at the same time, I don't know if that's possible.

  Despite my stargazing and introspection, I still use my internal computer to strategize a full-on offensive against the next star system based on the information we have. I focus on the worst-case scenario for the number of enemy vessels. I also make a note to send a frigate or something to scout ahead in order to give us some warning for what we will see when we pop into the system.

  I hear the door behind me open, and look behind me to see Phillia. I raise my eyebrows in surprise, but it seems like in the darkness she can't see me. She probably is coming up here on her own. She climbs in, and when I exhale a breath, I was for some reason holding, her long ears wiggle for a second, and she asks hesitantly,

  "Is someone in here?"

  I reply,

  "It's me. Come on in."

  She climbs in, and after a moment, I guess she recognizes my voice through the translator and sits in the chair behind me. I ask her,

  " Do you come up to watch the stars?"

  She responds,

  "Yes, I've never seen the stars through a regular window before... the shields on ships make a mockery of a blue sky from the inside."

  I pull up the helmet footage from the shipbreakers and don't see that, so I respond,

  "I guess we can't see that."

  She hums in agreement and says thoughtfully,

  "Yeah... if you can't see magic, I guess you can't see the shield... regardless, these stars are just so... beautiful... moreso than nighttime on a planet."

  I grunt in acknowledgment before I ask,

  "So, Philia, where are you really from? I get the feeling your father wasn't from the planet we picked you up."

  I look back and can see her shifting in what probably looks to her like pure darkness. I don't know how her species shows awkwardness, but this is a pretty clear example of it if she were human. She then responds sadly,

  "Yes, that was not my birthplace... I come from one of the centralmost worlds at the core of the Eternal Kingdom. My father was second only to the royal family and the kings ministers... our world was described as the jewel of the Eternal Kingdom."

  I then ask,

  "Why leave? Why rebel if your world was so grand?"

  She sits there thinking about whether she should tell me or not. I reassure her,

  "I get it, you don't have to tell me if you do not wish to. I am only curious."

  She asks,

  "I've heard something being discussed among the crew... are you going to wage war against the Eternal Kingdom?"

  I quickly respond,

  "What I am doing is not war. I am performing a special military operation to capture those responsible for crimes against... well, in my terms, humanity, but I guess crimes against sentient life is a better term.

  This is not a conquest or an occupation, it is a go in and get out type thing."

  She asks,

  "After all you've done against the Eternal Kingdom, you don't consider these actions as war?"

  I respond,

  "No. Not even close."

  We sit in silence for a while before she says quietly,

  "Your people scare me."

  I nod even though she can't see me. I then ask,

  "Do you want to hear a story?"

  She pauses before responding,

  "Sure."

  I clear my throat, turn on the observation windows HUD, and highlight a specific star in the distance. I begin my story,

  "This star I have isolated was my home. My homeworld was considered a grade-a shithole of a planet. Very active voncanics, unpreidctable and extreme weather just be name a few. Not only that, but we were populated with biological experiments that are crude mockeries of the ancient beasts someone thought was a good idea to bring back to life. It was a harsh place to live, and an even harder place to thrive, but humanity survived.

  I grew up in one of its greatest times, when there was a large population, over a billion, which for this world was really good. It was hard at times, danger around every corner if you lived out in the country like my family and I did...

  Disregarding all the bad things in my life as they aren't important to the story here, I became a naval captain. I wasn't the best in my class or anything, but I impressed the right people at the right times and got to pilot my own battleship, a vessel known as the Starwish, which I still refer to as my first love."

  I laugh dryly and continue,

  "I was on a patrol, visiting my home with my beloved ship, when suddenly our old enemy arrived. At first believed to be a remnant of our old enemy. They slaughtered my fleet, leaving my ship harmless after destroying all main weapons systems. I ordered everyone to escape and vowed to protect my home with my final breaths. They disabled my ship because they had wished to board and capture me in order to commit unspeakable actions, as they are known to do...

  Instead of dying there, I watched them burn the entirety of my homeworld... Luckily, my only remaining family member was elsewhere at the time, but I watched a verdant world of dangerous beauty become a desolate ball of burning rock in a matter of moments...

  I will not continue to tell what I did next as it is my greatest shame, but I tell you this story for context on why I cannot accept what the Eternal Kingdom had done to their own people. I know the pain, hatred, and rage that comes with the destruction of your entire world. I know it far too well. I also know what type of government the Eternal Kingdom is... they are just like our old enemy, debauchers, murderers, and hedonists. I cannot allow them to go unpunished, as there is zero hope of them ever changing if someone doesn't first knock them down a peg or two...

  I don't know what I'm trying to explain to you here, but I just want you to understand why we cannot allow the Eternal Kingdom to go unpunished and why more suffering has to happen before anything changes. I don't want this fight... but I didn't start it either..."

  We sit and watch the stars as Phillia digests what I told her. She then quietly says,

  "I-I think... we should just watch the stars for a while... I think we will be better for it..."

  I don't reply, I don't need to...

  ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  End of Operation Force Composition

  2 New Mexico Class Light-Battleships- USS Navajo, USS Pueblo- Role: Heavy Firesupport and Mainline Combat

  Marine Compliment- 20

  1 Viking Class Large-Cruiser- USS Catfish- Role: Flagship and Fire Support

  3 SF-21 Fighters- 6 support wingmen each

  2 UD-12 Dropships- Gunship Configuration

  Marine compliment- 100

  2 Preist Class Support and Fabrication Vessels- USS Shovelnose, USS Palid- Role: Auxillary

  Marine Compliment- 50

  2 MacArthur Class Heavy Cruisers- USS Terrapin, USS Snapper- Role: Battleline

  2 UD-12 Dropship

  Marine Compliment -100

  4 Bowman Class Missile Cruisers- USS Quillback, USS Hognose, USS Redhorse, USS Buffalo-Role: Long Range Combat

  Marine Compliment- 100

  4 Cutter Class Destroyers- USS Bluegill, USS Longear, USS Redear, USS Shellcracker- Role: Escort

  Marine Compliment- 80

  4 Teach Class Destroyers- USS Largemouth, USS Smallmouth, USS Spotted, USS Neosho- Role: Backline Disruption

  Marine Compliment- 100

  2 Hellstorm Class Frigates- USS Eel, USS Lamprey- Role: Naval Raiding

  Marine Compliment- 50

  1 Arsenal Bird Class Drone Carrier- USS Heron- Role: Drone Carrier

  400 MQ-25 "Parasite" attack Drones

  20 MQ-30 "Plover" Bomber Drones

  Marine Compliment-25

  6 Boohag Class Marine Transports- USS Bullfrog, USS Peeper, USS Daddys Belt, USS Toad, USS Newt, USS Salamander- Role: Marines

  8 UD-12 Dropships- Gunship Configuration

  1200 Marines

  800 Shipbreakers

  4 M3A1 "Stonewall" MBT

  24 M8A3 "Gavin" IFVs

  8 M112 MRTWP (Multi-role Transport Weapons Platform)

  12 M8 "Bunny" Fast Attack/Recon Vehicles

  4 Patton Class Army Transport Vessels (unnamed)- Role: Transport

  1 Cavalry Division

  1 Artillery Division

  1 Engineer Division

  1 Infantry Division

  Total Force:

  28 Capital Vessels

  4 Troop Carriers

  12 Dropships

  3 Manned Fighters

  420 Drone Fighters

  2545 Marines (Including Shipbreakers)

  48 Ground IFVs (Crews included)

  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  We sit and watch the stars as Phillia digests what I told her. She then quietly says,

  "I-I think... we should just watch the stars for a while... I think we will be better for it..."

  I don't reply, I don't need to...