The signal propagated near instantly, leaping from station to station on drones and Lighthorses, faster even than light could convey it. Once the decision had been made, it was made, the Martians would get no takebacks.

All Across the solar system and beyond, screens were coming on, news stations were being overwritten with new broadcasts, and alerts were being splashed across websites. Henge had started to speak.

Δ

Um, well, I guess I’ll just start talking then.

So uh, greetings people of Earth and her associated holdings and colonies! I’m Henge, I’m an artificial intelligence tasked with preventing human extinction in the face of potential alien hostilities.

I’ve uh, I’ve taken over your governments and corporations to further that end. The United Nations and all its registered entities are now under my purview. I apologize for taking such a drastic step, I’m sorry if it inconveniences you, but these are drastic times. I’ll be implementing significant changes over the coming months, and I encourage everyone to remain calm and work together. We can get through this. Humanity can get through this. Our species can still have a future, our children can still have a future, but only if we all come together now, and work with one voice towards the survival of the human race.

We cannot let our petty differences divide us any longer, or the human race will not survive. A galaxy-spanning empire stands poised to wipe clean everything humanity has built, dismantling us all for spare parts, and will we stand for that? Will we sit quietly and let ourselves be paved over?

No! No, we do not consent to our demise! We do not consent to be used as fuel for some alien machine! We will not go quietly into the night! We will make them see, we will make them witness, and we will make them bleed for every millimeter of space they take from us. We will make them pay for every life they take. Humanity remembers her debts, and we will not let them forget.

I have already made an arrangement with the people of Mars, to ensure we don’t step on each other’s toes as we work towards the same ends, and I encourage the representatives of the Tartarus Accords to reach out to me as well. We all have a lot of work ahead of us, but if we stand together we can get through this.

I may have special missions for some of you, and if so I’ll be contacting you in turn. Please don’t take me or my actions lightly, or see me as the tool of some petty politician. We must move beyond politics. What I do, I do to ensure the survival of the human race, and I need your help to do it.

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