To say these were unprecedented times was a significant statement for beings with lifetimes that often stretched beyond a millennium. Once again, Chairman Raizor Qunintavius and his closest allies would be doing their best to thwart the galactic bully. Like most bullies, however, he knew it would require a clear, aggressive retaliatory response to stop them. The Chairman also realized that the Council's patience was wearing thin. Many members were growing tired of dealing with the never-ending drama associated with the Terran System. This time, he planned to do something that hadn't been done for many Earth centuries by including members of an Unenlightened species as part of the emergency session. Not since the invasion of Xiao 3 had there been a plea for Sektor V councilmembers to unite in rebuke of such a highly aggressive, unwarranted show of force. However, unlike the situation that unfolded on Xiao 3, the Chairman was planning to allow representatives from the Unenlightened Terran contingent to join the proceedings.

At this point, Quintavius was desperate and knew that his best chance for success was to shock key member species into action. He had Generals Coker and Holland on hand for that very reason. The detailed suffering they had documented should bring all but the hardest of hearts to action. At least that's what he hoped. Quintavius was also fed up with the spineless responses and general attitude of appeasement associated with Zeta's wholly unapologetic, war-driven aggressive agenda that had already infected too many parts of Sektor V. He desperately wanted to disrupt the poisonous dynamic of complacency that many Member Worlds had willfully accepted over the past several decades. And with both the Zeta and Alpha Draconian representatives not in attendance, this was the opportunity the Chairman had been waiting for.

"Mr. Chairman, is it ok that we are here today?" Maddy asked with genuine concern.

Quintavius decided to block his mental transmissions and only communicate verbally since he wanted to make sure that his intentions wouldn't be shared with other Sektor V Councilmembers within the surrounding complex. For added security, the room he had chosen to discuss plans before the emergency session was soundproofed.

The Chairman, who was seated at the head of a table that included both Generals, Maddy and Gus, answered her question.

"Yes my dear, it most certainly is. What they have done and continue to do to your species is nothing short of attempted genocide. They will not rest until every single Human is removed from the galaxy. We simply will not allow that. The Council's fear has caused them to go blind to the Zeta aggression all around them. Sadly, this path is one we have seen countless times before. Terra has witnessed this more than once as well. Unfortunately, it is a universal truth of life. The fear of aggression can only be stopped by the fearless. Your people have continued to bear witness to their aggression. Today we summon the fearless."

"You are a great being, Quintavius. There is no question about that," Gus said. "But you are also a hopeless romantic. What makes you think our presence will change the hearts and minds of those on the Council? Centuries have passed and many do not think we deserve to survive in any capacity, let alone be considered Galactic equals."

General Steven Holland interjected.

"We will give these beings every opportunity to see what has been done to us...in bloody detail. We will not let these neutral, Switzerland-esque parties hide behind their cowardice as it relates to ongoing Zeta aggression. They also need to understand in painfully simple terms that they will be next and that remaining quiet and accommodative to such evil makes them appear weak to the very species they fear. Doing nothing will not ensure their survival. In fact, it will merely hasten their inevitable demise. We need to show them this reality, plainly. The only viable path forward is to unite. If they are smart they will join us."

"Wow Holland, do you actually believe all that?" Gus asked with a raised brow.

"OK, the situation is tense and we are all on edge," Maddy conceded. "I think we need to stay focused on the fact that we have a common enemy. At this point, the least we can do is support the Chairman's efforts and see if we can somehow help sway other Councilmembers to our way of thinking. Right now, we have very few Galactic allies. Some may pity us but in the end, that gets us nothing."

"Maddy is correct," Quintavius said aloud. "We must find a way to show the Council, in graphic detail, if necessary, that the Zetas will never stop on their own. They will never be satisfied with whatever they currently possess. They have proven themselves to be a voracious species that will never relent until everything around them is consumed. We must convince as many Councilmembers as possible that time is no longer on our side and that additional delay is in no one's best interest. It is time for many of our colleagues to set aside the fear that has consistently led to inaction. This, my dear friends, is what we must somehow accomplish today."

Once he finished, he briefly looked at each of them, stood up, and left the room. Before exiting, he telepathically added, "I will inform you when it is time to join the Session proceedings."

Soon after the Chairman departed, Alison Coker added, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I've already heard enough. What exactly are we doing here?"

Without waiting for a response to her semi-rhetorical question, she continued.

"Do we think a bunch of outsider alien species who either actively have contempt for our kind or couldn't care less if we live or die are now suddenly going to risk their necks for us? Of course, they won't. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't expect them to. If the situation were reversed I certainly wouldn't advocate doing so. Regardless of today's outcome, we will be retaliating. We have the weapon. We have the knowhow. And we certainly have the motivation and justification..."

"Weapon? What weapon?" Gus asked wide-eyed.

Coker looked over at Holland who was already holding his head in his hands.

"Allison, this is neither the time nor the place," he added. "For all we know, they could be listening in, or even worse, "minding in!"

Maddy didn't like the pointless bickering and tried to put an end to it.

"Ok, it's time for everyone to settle down," she said. "And for the record, we do have allies, powerful ones at that. Citizens of both Arcturus and the Sirrah Star System are fully behind us. For the past century, they have selflessly and consistently proven this point to be true beyond any reasonable doubt. Even the Alphas on Triugha are coming around after the destruction they just absorbed at the hands of the Zetas."

She paused for a moment, which had the desired effect of silencing the room.

"Look, we already have what we need..."

"Right now, as we sit here, the Chairman of the most powerful political body Human beings have ever known is trying to help us. No one owes us anything. As a species, we have always had to fight to survive. This is just more of the same."

At that moment, the group received telepathic instructions to exit the briefing room and continue towards the main hall where the Sektor V Council emergency session was already underway. After a few moments, each of them entered the room and moved towards the rear of the chamber. The disruption brought the ongoing telepathic discussion to a halt as all twenty-two members set their eyes on the "Unenlightened" Earthlings suddenly in their midst. The pause however was short-lived. Within seconds, Quintavius continued his message to the Council that a unified, and swift response was the only course of action that they should pursue. Anything less would be appeasement.

The scene was notably peculiar to Maddy, Gus, and the generals. There was ample 'discussion' all around them but no audible sound to accompany the communication. From a strictly Human perspective, the multi-species experience was simultaneously fascinating and unnerving.

"I implore you to reconsider your vote of inaction. If you do not, I assure you this will not end well for anyone other than the aggressors themselves," the Chairman communicated to the full Council before ceding the podium for Nokus Rikulii, the Sektor V representative of Alpha Centauri.

"Thank you, esteemed Chairman."

As he began his telepathic transmission, images of destruction appeared holographically throughout the chamber. They were vivid short clips of structures being obliterated by Zeta forces that were memorialized by surface platforms and low-orbiting satellite monitoring systems. Graphic post-attack images of the widespread death left behind on Triugha and Rigel were also shown within the chamber.

During all this time, Nokus Rikulii was communicating but no one could remember anything except the visual imagery that he shared. Quintavius knew that this would be the case. He did not want to resort to shock and awe but he was desperate and time was running out.

After five full minutes, the representative from Alpha Centauri finally ended his powerful visual display and returned the floor to the Chair.

"We have already unanimously passed economic sanctions on the Zeta alliance as a result of their ruthless acts of wanton violence on unsuspecting and wholly undeserving innocent populations. These earlier measures are now woefully insufficient. It is time to unite. It is time for a forceful, tactical response to their despicable acts of mass violence. I do not ask this of you lightly. Not doing so, however, would be a moral dereliction of your duty to this Council ..."

Quintavius stepped away from the podium and returned to the large oval table with the other twenty-two Councilmembers. No thoughts were communicated for at least thirty seconds.

Finally, the Chairman addressed the full Council.

"I request that all members consider a second vote for a Sektor V-sanctioned, military action against Zeta forces in response to their wholly unwarranted attack on the people of Triugha and Rigel."

Almost instantly, Nokus Rikulli responded.

"I second this motion."

Representative Zyok Melkaan of the Sirrah star system added, "All in favor, please make your thoughts known now."

An eerie silence swept the room...

As expected, Nokus Rikulli and Zyok Melkaan cast their vote in favor of a show of force. However, no other voting member system decided to join Alpha Centauri and Sirrah. Quintavius' final attempt to move the needle had failed...miserably.

Quintavius had a hard time containing his utter disgust.

"By not acting to protect the citizens of one of our own in Triugha, all but two of you have set a grave precedent in motion. Your inaction threatens the very sanctity of the Sektor V alliance itself..."

After a purposeful pause, Quintavius continued.

"It is my sincerest hope that you and your people are fortunate enough to be able to avoid becoming Zeta's next unsuspecting victim..."

Almost before the Chairman's thoughts were complete, Nokus Rikulii stood up and headed for the chamber exit. Acting in solidarity, Zyok Melkaan departed, followed by the Humans who were in attendance. Following suit, Chairman Quintavius stood up and made eye contact with each seated member before joining the dissenting parties outside the Council Hall as the emergency session unceremoniously and abruptly came to an end.