Level 87: Subsidiary DARPA Labs

Cheyenne Mountain Complex

Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2176 A.D.

Vice President Pierre Laurent stared around in wonder at the highly advanced research lab that stretched for kilometers in all directions. He finished his slow turn after taking it all in before addressing the lead researcher, Dr. Bryan Schaeffer, who was staring at him intently.

"So, this is what they have been calling Egghead Alley, Doctor?"

The researcher nodded vigorously as he smiled, obviously proud to embrace the somewhat derogatory term that was used by the select few within the government and the military that knew of its existence.

"Yes, sir. We are honored that you have chosen to come and see the hard work we have been doing to ensure the Republic maintains its technological edge. On a personal note, I just want to thank you for your continued support and the windfall funding you managed to secure for us; it has been instrumental in accelerating the progress of several critical programs we will need for the war."

The researcher held out his hand, and Laurent shook it, finding himself liking the researcher despite his initial reservations about the man after perusing through the interesting personal dossier he had read on the way here.

By all accounts, Dr. Bryan Schaeffer was the ultimate libertarian, or a "goddamn hippy," as his chief of staff had called him. He was known to partake in recreational psychedelics on a regular basis, something frowned upon by Republic society at large, though it has been used for many decades in clinical settings to cure PTSD, untreatable depression, and a host of other mental health disorders to great effect.

The government turned a blind eye to his proclivities and political beliefs mainly because of one reason: he was an absolute genius and an excellent lead researcher who had consistently produced results on time and under budget.

Some of his theories and projects were far out there, but the rest of his work was innovative and cutting edge. He was also instrumental in leading the continued advancement of Republic technology after the illegal uplifting of humanity by the Xenxin and the Eleani over four decades ago.

Like him, Dr. Schaeffer was a true believer in the renaissance faction of the isolationist party, believing that humanity needed to be reborn and leave behind the monolithic and militarized society that formed after the horrors of WWIII.

Though they had never met until now, Laurent had read the many letters Dr. Schaeffer wrote to the party newsletter over the last two decades, calling for a return to the western civilizational model of culture and governance before we forgot what it truly meant to be human.

Something the doctor wrote a few years ago had always stuck with him and was the basis for his desire to send out the ill-fated expedition led by Captain Navarra.

"You all know how I feel about the Republic; it saved humanity and protected us as we struggled to rebuild our world, and ourselves, after we lost our damn minds and almost reverted ourselves back to the Stone Age.

Under the Republic, there are no more wars. Under the Republic, all are free to say what they want, think what they think, and believe what they believe. This is good; this is as it should be. Do you feel as I do, though? Do you feel as if something is missing, something our ancestors once knew, but we no longer do?

I will tell you what we are missing: our uniqueness. In the western nations of old, the citizens were a melting pot of ideas, cultures, beliefs, and religions; all of them a single strand that, when woven together, created a tapestry of untold beauty and unmatched creativity.

This special ability they had to absorb, adapt, and modify allowed them to unleash the power of all these different strands and change the world. Through these unique qualities, humanity made a 5,000-year leap.

Think of it: up until the early 19th century, farmers were using the same implements as farmers from thousands of years ago. We were still using horses as the main mode of transportation. And then something changed. In the span of just two centuries, humanity went from still using horses and plows to landing on the moon.

A new nation had been formed in the last decades of the 18th century, one that promised a new beginning for mankind, based on the concept of individual liberty and inalienable rights. These ideas soon spread, returning to the mother countries of the immigrants that flocked to this new nation and taking root there.

The kings and emperors of old were pushed aside, and the stratified classes and castes that separated the nobles from the commoners were also destroyed. The old ways that had stagnated human development were replaced by a new way, and this led to a time of great progress and technological innovation that advanced mankind by thousands of years in the span of just ten generations.

After the war, we still have those same rights and ideals, but we have lost something precious along the way. The tapestry that is us now is made of not a wide variety of unique strands but of too many similar strands. What used to be a beautiful tapestry of many different colors is now a dull unicolor and, quite frankly, boring as hell.

We all hear of the distant Insectoid Empire beyond the Galactic Commonwealth, of this unknown Hive mind species that is monolithic in all aspects, and we do not even realize how similar we are to them. We think we are not like them, but I tell you, we have more in common with them now than we do with our ancestors in the western nations of the world before.

It is time for us to have another renaissance and rebirth of our society, our culture, but most importantly, of mind and spirit. I fear that if we do not do this before it is too late, one day we will find ourselves to be no different than the Insectoids. We will still be the same species, but we will no longer be human."

Though Laurent knew better now after seeing how things truly were in the galaxy, he still believed, just as the doctor surely still did, that humanity needed to reclaim its past before it could truly go into the future.

And just like Laurent, the doctor knew that the only way to see this new future was to ensure that humanity survived long enough to reach it. This was why Doctor Schaeffer was here, at the forefront of the top-secret Republic war effort despite his objections to the government and the heavily militarized nature of Republic society.

Like Laurent, he believed in humanity, and he would do his duty to save it.

"What would you like to see first, Mr. Vice President?" the doctor asked, snapping Laurent out of his musings. Seeing the doctor in a new light, Laurent gave him a rare smile before answering.

"Mr. Laurent is fine when it is just the two of us, Doctor. It gets tiresome hearing that title after a while, just as I am sure it is tiresome for you to say it repeatedly." As the doctor nodded and smiled in response to his statement, Laurent quickly looked around, expecting an already planned tour instead of being asked what he wanted to see.

One of the newest weapons platform concepts had intrigued him when he read about it a couple of months ago, and he wondered if they were able to bring it to fruition by this time.

"Now that you ask, Doctor, I was greatly intrigued by the automated stealth railgun platform concept I read about in a report a couple of months ago. Whatever happened with that?" The doctor smiled widely at his question, his eyes twinkling with excitement as he clapped his hands together with glee.

"Ah, yes! The stealthed platform for electromagnetic cannon targeting and responsive engagement. Designation: SPECTRE-X/11. Callsign: Ghost Gun. This was voted our favorite callsign among my staff, and I hope you will keep it. We have a 1/30th scale copy in this lab that you can see with your own eyes. This way, Mr. Laurent, if you please!"

The doctor used his hand to indicate which way they were to go, and Laurent found himself being infected by the doctor's obvious enthusiasm for the weapon system. This could only mean one thing: not only did the concept work, but they had also made a viable prototype and tested it already if they bothered to keep a 1/30th scale of the weapon for demonstration purposes.

As the doctor practically jogged ahead of him like a little kid, Laurent felt his own little boy waking up and he began to slightly jog himself. After months of grim scouting reports and the brutal paperwork he was buried under from the top-secret Ark Fleet project, now he will finally be able to take a break from it all and see some cool stuff.

* * *

Ten hours later, Laurent was back in the shuttle and heading towards Washington, D.C., the capital of the North American Province and the current capital of the Republic of Humanity, which operated on a peripatetic basis and rotated through the eight provinces every two years.

The Republic chose to follow this model of governance after World War Three for several reasons: it prevented favoritism toward any one city or province, symbolically reinforced shared ownership of governance, and helped distribute political influence more fairly.

The first President after the Global Accords of 2080 were signed said it succinctly: "No single city owns the government. It belongs to all." This tradition was maintained by every president since then, which prevented a dangerous concentration of political or military power in a single location.

Another benefit of this was the government infrastructure and bureaucratic experience already being laid in place within the eight provincial capitals. By doing this, the Republic was also denying any potential enemies the ability to launch a decapitation strike against the Republic government, a concept called the Hydra Protocol that ensured continuity of government during a war.

The senate also followed the same concept, creating a sense of unity and neutrality within the Republic of Humanity and taking the Hydra Protocol even further by holding sessions on the same rotating basis among the provincial capitals instead of whatever was the current Republic capital, which was both feasible and practical because of holo technology.

He flicked through the report Dr. Schaeffer had given him after making him promise to visit again, which he readily agreed to. The sheer variety of the new offensive and defensive technology being developed was incredible to behold, and Laurent felt a deep and meaningful pride for the efforts being made to prepare for the coming war.

What he had seen for himself made him think that they might just have a chance of defeating the Balrikans instead of having to flee in the Ark Fleet to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy with just 0.0257% of humanity. The remaining 10.3 billion would die, not all at once, but they would eventually be hunted down and exterminated, nevertheless.

Now he was heading to the capital to meet with President Sully Evers of the United Colonies of Nova America and Prime Minister Phileas Churchill VI of the Albion Colonial Commonwealth.

The two sister planets were a self-governing, autonomous freehold called the Tau Ceti Alliance and based in the Tau Ceti System, twelve light-years away from Earth, which had declared its independence from the Republic in the year 2124 A.D. They were the first two planets settled by large numbers of immigrants from the former alliance nations, and a series of political miscalculations by the still young Republic led to them breaking away after a short but bloody conflict.

He shook his head in disgust as he tried to put himself in the shoes of the Republic leaders of the time, wondering what the hell they were thinking as they lurched from one stupid blunder to the next, making a series of miscalculations that led to an entire solar system in the heart of Republic space not being under their control.

Though relations have normalized and the two powers have been engaging in free trade with an open border policy since the late 2140s, the Tau Ceti Alliance has rejected all diplomatic efforts to return them to the fold, preferring to maintain their independence and isolationist tendencies.

The population of the two planets was now 156 million, a staggering increase in fifty years from an initial population of just fifteen million when they declared their independence. Between the birthing creche technology and the heavy emphasis on large families, the Tau Ceti Alliance exploded, becoming an economic and technological powerhouse.

The majority of the initial fifteen million colonists were military veterans and their families, and they maintained a strong martial tradition to this very day. They were well known for their extremely advanced and powerful military forces, as well as their elite mercenary soldiers and paramilitary emergency services contractors that were available for hire through a complicated contract system between their governments and whoever wanted to hire them.

A technological powerhouse with an incredible military-industrial complex, the Tau Ceti Alliance was blessed with an abundance of natural resources, as well as large deposits of nenchite, and their scientists and military researchers were second to none.

They were fantastic shipbuilders, with many interstellar corporations and governments hiring them to build both civilian and military-grade vessels. Even the Republic military itself regularly placed orders with them to backfill shortfalls or meet accelerated deadlines.

They were initially more technologically advanced than the Republic until the Xenxin and the Eleani uplifting, and the Republic assumed they would finally be able to achieve technological superiority over the Tau Ceti Alliance and entice them to rejoin the Republic to gain access to the advanced alien tech.

That did not happen; the Alliance's damned good spies somehow managed to download copies of the entire repository provided by both species a year after the Republic received them, an intelligence heist that still rankled the Republic government and military to this day.

The sneaky bastards then underwent their own uplifting, and the Tau Ceti Alliance was now either in technological equilibrium with the Republic or still slightly more advanced in some fields, specifically in military technology.

Thankfully, they were perfectly content to remain within their system and be left alone, and the only time their large, powerful fleet ever left the Tau Ceti system was when they offered to help defend human space after most of the Republic Navy left to launch the counterstrike against the Commonwealth before diverting to the Eleania.

Now he had the unenviable task of trying to convince them to abandon their isolationist tendencies and join the Alliance the Republic was building to confront the Balrikan menace. The Ma'lit had made it clear they required "All the sons and daughters of the Magnati to fight, even your estranged cousin-kin of the American and Albion tribes."

The Tau Ceti Alliance would help defend human space against any invasion; that he knew already. What he needed was for them to agree to become an expeditionary fleet instead of a defensive force and join their forces with the others of the quadrant.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As the shuttle began its final descent, he accessed the most recent intelligence files the Republic had on the Tau Ceti Alliance forces. He silently stared at the holo images as multiple classes of advanced and extremely powerful warships appeared, their offensive and defensive specs highlighted with descriptions of capabilities listed underneath them.

Strike carriers, dreadnoughts, three different classes of battleships, battlecruisers, and other standard types of warships all the way down to small, fast attack torpedo boats appeared and then vanished, and he made it go back to one type of ship that greatly intrigued him.

The newest class of strike cruiser appeared, and he stared at it in wonder as the capabilities and armaments were listed underneath it, the holo images rotating and highlighting the exterior missile racks and dozens of torpedo tubes.

It was a heavily automated, long-range strike missile cruiser with a 2,000-anti-ship missile magazine and a 1,200-anti-ship torpedo inventory. Knowing they would always be outnumbered by the far larger Republic in the very unlikely event of war between them, the Tau Ceti Alliance Navy focused on a doctrine that heavily emphasized saturation attacks and battle space denial.

Their missiles were incredibly powerful, with just three properly targeted missile strikes capable of temporarily knocking a battleship out of the fight. The Alliance military researchers had figured out how to miniaturize null drives four years ago, something the Republic and its allies were only capable of achieving just a few months ago.

The missiles of these strike cruisers were capable of flashing into null space, bypassing the point defense systems of the targeted ships, and transitioning back into normal space at their top attack velocity just two hundred kilometers from enemy vessels. At this range and velocity, the targeted ships only had a very small chance of intercepting the missiles, if at all.

The torpedoes were an entirely different beast. They could also flash in and out of null space as well, and they had several types of warheads. One type was a nuclear-shaped charge enhancement warhead that could form multiple relativistic penetrators or generate plasma-laced kinetic spikes. These could make even a heavily armored battleship simply vaporize if hit by five torpedoes in the right locations.

Another type was the micro-nuclear NEFP warheads, with a variable 10- to 100-ton yield shape charge for use against smaller warships ranging from heavy cruisers down to frigates. The last type was the two-stage, delayed-detonation NEFP. The first explosive-formed projectile would penetrate the hull, and the small, second-stage nuclear payload would penetrate the breach left by the first before detonating inside the targeted vessel.

These were suspected of being built with shielded ships in mind, with the first projectile being magnetically tuned to disrupt certain EM field harmonics, creating an opening large enough for the second warhead to pass through shields.

The intelligence analysts felt that the Alliance was confident they would work against smaller shielded ships such as Ma'lit destroyers or the upgraded nullships, an exploit the Republic was already working on rectifying.

Both the missiles and torpedoes employed highly advanced stealth tech and warhead AIs, making them incredibly lethal and exactly what they needed to fight against the massive Balrikan fleets heading their way.

He closed out the files as the shuttle landed on the roof of the rebuilt and gorgeous White House, and he quickly injected himself with a stim before exiting. By the time he reached the diplomatic chambers where the two heads of state were waiting for him, his exhaustion was a distant memory, and he was ready to get down to business.

After the proper introductions and protocols were over with, he began to slowly pour the tea he had specifically requested into the delicate porcelain teacups, making sure that he properly performed the traditional tea ceremony of the Albion Colonial Commonwealth.

After taking a sip, Prime Minister Churchill VI nodded approvingly, a rare smile gracing his bulldoggish features before taking another sip and moaning slightly as he savored the most expensive tea in the world.

It took all of Laurent's self-control not to laugh out loud at the face President Evers made after taking his own sip, looking as if he just drank hot horse piss instead of tea that cost over 1,500 credits per gram.

After placing the delicate cup back on the saucer, the prime minister looked up at Laurent, his eyes shining with true appreciation. "Is this what I think it is, Mr. Vice President?"

"Yes, Prime Minister. This is authentic Da Hong Pao tea, sourced from the original Mother Tree on the Jiulong Zhai cliffs of Wuyi Mountain. My government has instructed me to gift you a pouch of it; I believe it is 376 grams in weight. We hope both you and the queen will enjoy this gift from the republic and appreciate the goodwill behind it."

The prime minister's eyes bugged out at his statement as President Evers picked up his teacup and forced himself to take another sip, now acutely aware of just how expensive it was and not wanting to be impolite by wasting it as the prime minister collected himself and spoke again.

"I believe I can speak for both myself and our queen when I say that we thank you for this rare gift, and we appreciate the intent behind it. I know for a fact that I have heard the queen speak of this tea several times and her regret in never having been able to experience it. We thought the Mother Tree was still in its long dormancy and considered to have died by now."

"We did too, Prime Minister, but to our surprise, a new crop of leaves appeared this spring, and I was able to secure a small batch for this occasion. If it continues to produce leaves, I am sure the Republic will see to it that small batches are reserved and sent to Albion.

Additionally, my government has secured the permission of the Ma'lit Domain to transfer the technical specs of the force field technology we received from the Ma'lit, as requested by your government. We understand this technology will be shared with your sister planet, and we accept this."

The prime minister nodded gratefully as he picked up his teacup and took another small sip, and Laurent turned his gaze to President Evers, who was looking at him with appraising eyes. After refilling both their cups, he placed the teapot on the table and straightened his shoulders before addressing the president.

"We have not forgotten about our good friends, the United Colonies of America, Mr. President. We know that many of your citizens were greatly affected by the Helix Myriadis retroviral chimera infections of your birthing creches, with hundreds of thousands of your children suffering from severe genetic defects still to this day.

My government has been making it a priority to find a cure for this terrible situation ever since it first came to our knowledge nine years ago. Unfortunately, we were unable to do so until now. We asked the Ma'lit Domain for assistance and provided them with all the data on the virus and the medical records of the afflicted that you sent to us."

The president's eyes became haunted as Laurent spoke, personally affected by the terrible virus that robbed two of his grandchildren of normal lives and afflicted them with genetic defects that stunted their physical and mental development.

The prime minister reached a hand over and lightly gripped the president's forearm; the two leaders had been very close friends since they met at the Tau Ceti Military Academy as teenagers, and Laurent could see the accusing look in the prime minister's now no longer friendly eyes that seemed to say, Why are you speaking of this?

"I am pleased to tell you that they have determined the source of the Helix Myriadis and gave us samples of antivirals to prevent future infections of your birthing creches. They have also graciously offered to send a hundred of their foremost geneticists to your world to begin the process of curing your children.

They are confident that they can reverse most, if not all, the genetic defects if you are willing to host them and provide medical facilities for them. They will require your government's assurances that none of their technology will be stolen or copied. If you agree, they can be in orbit of Nova America by tomorrow morning."

They both stared at him, scarcely believing what he had just said. The Ma'lit were promising not only to eradicate the pernicious retroviral infection in the American birthing creches but also to cure over six hundred thousand children suffering from debilitating genetic defects.

President Evers stood up slowly, his face a mixture of conflicting emotions as he stared at him. Before Laurent could react, he surged forward and grabbed him in a crushing bear hug that took his breath away, murmuring his thanks as Laurent struggled to breathe.

He could feel the coarse hairs of the president's beard on his ear, and he awkwardly returned the hug, patting the president gently on the back as the man continued to thank him. Not used to such strong emotional displays or physical affection, Laurent did his best to bear it gracefully as he locked eyes with the prime minister, who was still sitting in his seat and smiling widely.

The prime minister gave him a single nod before mouthing, "Thank you for this," as the president finally released him from the crushing hug and took a step back before grabbing Laurent with a hard grip on each upper arm.

The president was an impressive specimen of a man, tall, deeply tanned, and extremely well built. Laurent felt like a pale weakling in comparison, and it was difficult to maintain eye contact with the bear of a man as he began to speak earnestly in a trembling voice.

"I cannot properly convey how much this means to me and how much it will mean to our people to finally have their children and grandchildren back. As the president of my people, as a father, and as a grandfather, you have my thanks and my gratitude.

Laurent nodded silently, afraid of losing his own composure as he saw the raw emotions within the president's eyes. The president finally released the iron grip on his arms after the prime minister cleared his throat, and he returned to his seat and sat down.

The prime minister reached out again and patted him on the forearm, and the two friends looked at each other for a long moment, not needing any words to be said between them.

Laurent sat in his own seat for the first time, his upper arms still smarting from the hard grip of the president's hands, and breathed deeply to prepare himself for the next part of the conversation.

What he was offering came with a cost, and he felt like a scummy aircar salesman about to reel in his prey as they eyed him expectantly.

"What is this going to cost us, Mr. Vice President?" The president asked plainly before Laurent could begin, his eyes now back to their normally shrewd, calculating look. Laurent, not expecting it to be stated so obviously, stammered for a second as he found himself at a complete loss for words.

"We are Tau Cetans, Mr. Vice President. We know that nothing is free, even gifts given with the noblest of intentions." The prime minister added, making Laurent even more uncomfortable as he realized for the first time that he was not dealing with just two leaders representing their individual, powerful worlds.

He was also dealing with two no-nonsense soldiers and dealmakers with decades of political acumen and experience under their belts. The dynamic of the meeting shifted, and now Laurent felt the distinct aura of being a prey animal who suddenly found itself cornered by two predators.

"Um... I don't—" Laurent stopped, feeling his face flush with embarrassment as he found himself unable to speak clearly again. The prime minister held up a hand to stop President Evers, who was now leaning slightly forward with an amused smile, from speaking before clearing his throat again.

"If I may, Sully?" The President looked at him sharply, seeming surprised at the Prime Minister using his first name but recovering himself quickly as he gave a curt nod and leaned back against the chair. The prime minister eyed Laurent with a calculating look for a moment before speaking again.

"Perhaps the question is throwing you off because of it being improperly phrased, hmm? What does the Ma'lit Domain require of us in exchange for their generosity, Mr. Vice President?"

Oh, you are good, Laurent thought as he saw the out the prime minister was graciously offering him. By phrasing it as conditions being imposed by the Ma'lit Domain, the prime minister was removing the awkwardness of the conversation from Laurent and, by extension, the Republic.

He was also presenting an opportunity for the two leaders to agree to the conditions without giving their political opponents the opportunity of claiming they were giving in to the Republic's demands. This way, they can save face by framing it as a demand of the Ma'lit Domain, the indisputable masters of the quadrant and all who resided within it.

Laurent hoped his eyes were properly conveying his gratefulness as he seized the lifeline the prime minister just cast out to him. "Yes, Prime Minister; it is correct that the Republic is merely passing along the demands of the Ma'lit Domain."

President Evers barked a sharp laugh, fully aware of what just happened, before leaning forward again. "Now that this has been clarified, the question still remains: what do they require of the Tau Ceti Alliance, Mr. Vice President?"

"They would like for you to join the Alliance and commit your forces to the defense of the quadrant. Their generous offer is not conditional upon you agreeing to do so. They will still allow the force field technology to be transferred, and they will still help your children and eradicate the infection of your birthing creches even if you decline."

The two leaders of the Tau Ceti Alliance shared a look before the prime minister took the lead again. "If that is the case, then why would we bother to agree to commit our navy and millions of our sons and daughters to fight and die outside of our solar system?

We know the danger that is coming is real; however, it seems to us that our soldiers and sailors will fight best if they are fighting for hearth and home instead of needlessly squandering their lives around distant stars that we have no connection to."

Laurent felt the prime minister's words, understanding exactly what he was saying. President Evers had a thoughtful expression on his face, and he shifted slightly to perch on the edge of the seat, nervously playing with the bald eagle lapel on his tie as he began to speak.

"As you know, Mr. Vice President, most of my people are descended from the American pioneers and settlers of the Old United States. We are of the same stock as our venerated ancestors, and we hold on dearly to their ideals even more so than they did, seeing from history how they unfortunately forgot what it meant to be Americans and lost their way.

We are determined to learn from their mistakes and not to make the same fatal errors as they did; we remember the warning of our founding fathers and the first president, George Washington. In his farewell address, he warned us to stay clear of foreign entanglements and wars and to avoid permanent alliances that would force us to send our children to fight and die on distant shores that were not part of the homeland. He said, and I quote, "It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world."

The President stopped playing with his tie and stared into Laurent's eyes as he clasped his hands together before continuing.

"Our ancestors did not listen, and our children died on distant shores far from their families and homes. Some of the wars were truly noble, and we helped our allies save the world twice at great expense of blood and treasure. We help to liberate hundreds of millions from tyranny, and we should have returned to our homes and been content with the bounty we had been blessed with.

Did we? No. We became the world's policeman, and we invaded nations. We lost our way and became an empire in all but name. Our children died in countries filled with people who either hated us or did not truly value our sacrifices, and our children died because of politicians who never served using them for their own political objectives. We became embroiled in worldwide conflicts, only to have the very same people we were trying to help betray and stab our soldiers in the back at the first chance they got. They were the best of us, and they were betrayed not only by those they were sent to help, but by the very government that sent them there in the first place."

President Evers stopped speaking for a moment, clearly trying his best to remain calm as he gave a quick glance to the prime minister before looking at Laurent again and continuing, his eyes filled with both hurt and disgust.

"And when our sons and daughters got to these places they had no business being in, our government callously hamstrung them before tossing them aside when they were no longer needed. They became nothing more than pawns to be used by an out of touch political class who saw them as merely a means to an end while they paid lip service to their sacrifices. In the end, they were nothing more than disposable heroes who were abandoned as soon as they no longer served their purpose.

We disbursed trillions of dollars to the world, fed and treated tens of millions who would have died from disease and starvation, and what did we get back for it? Nothing but disrespect and derision, even as they clamored for more from us and made deals with the snakes in Congress who claimed they cared about our people but only truly cared about aggrandizing themselves at the expense of the citizens they were supposed to represent."

The President stopped again and reached out a hand to his side and gripped the prime minister's forearm. Prime Minister Churchill placed his own hand over the president's and tapped it softly, the gesture deeply touching Laurent as he saw that they were not only lifelong friends and colleagues, but two men who loved each other as true brothers. With his hand still squeezing the prime minister's forearm, the president continued again.

"Only a few nations were our true friends, and when World War III finally broke out, they were the only ones that remained true to us even as the rest of the world refused to help us in our greatest time of need despite taking our money and having the blood of our children fertilize their soils. And now you ask us to send our children once more to die far from their homes and the bones of their ancestors, and for others who would not do the same for us? You know we will fight side by side with you to defend human space to the last American; is this not enough?

Is it not enough for our sons and daughters to shed their blood with yours, not just for Nova America and Albion, but for Proxima Centauri, New Scotland, New Australia, Pax Africus, and all the other worlds of our colonial brothers and sisters as well? Is it not enough that we would willingly fight and die for Mother Earth, from which we sprang and where the bodies and ashes of our ancestors reside?"

The President finally stopped speaking, looking at Laurent with eyes full of challenge, as if daring him to say it was not enough. Forcing himself to match the president's gaze, Laurent felt as if the whole thing would blow up in his face if he said the wrong thing now.

The prime minister unexpectedly came to his rescue again, holding up both hands placatingly as his eyes darted between them both. "Gentlemen, I think it would be wise for us to take a short recess and get some fresh air. We can continue this conversation after a short break; what say you?"

Laurent nodded, relief flooding through his body as the president gave his own curt nod of approval to the prime minister's suggestion. They both stood up, Laurent following them as he stood up as well. They all shook hands before the prime minister spoke again.

"We are going to refresh ourselves, Mr. Vice President. Shall we resume here in thirty minutes?"

"Of course, Prime Minister. There is food and refreshments in the next room, as well as restroom facilities. Please avail yourself of the offerings; the chef on staff here is excellent. I will see you back here when you are finished."

They both nodded and turned around to head to the adjoining room as Laurent watched them leave. He waited until they passed out of sight before sitting heavily back down in his seat, wondering if he had already failed in his mission to secure the commitment of the Tau Ceti Alliance.

It was not enough for them to just defend human space; they needed to help defend the entire quadrant. It was time to up the stakes and show them what was really coming, and the Republic was going to have to give them more concessions to get them to agree to fully commit to the alliance.

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