That night, a historical speech was broadcast all around the world. In Africa, Asia, Europe, America, everywhere, people gathered with uneasiness in front of their screens.
The address was given by Elias Nordheim, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He was a tall man, with white hair and silver framed round glasses. His face, although apparently calm, was expressing great concern. The muscles of his jaws were pulsating, as he was standing upright behind the rostrum, in a martial attitude.
"Humanity" he begun with a soft voice "is probably facing the biggest threat of its entire history.
"We have survived wars, we have survived famines, we have survived pandemics. All these plagues have grieved our world badly. But until now, mankind has been able to overcome them all.
"Today, an unknown threat, coming from another world than ours, is lingering above our heads. Will humanity be able to resist it this time? Nothing is less certain.
"What are the intentions of our visitors, the Exolibs, we don't know yet.
"Yes, they look hostile to us. Everyone saw their devastating attack on one of our facilities in the North Sea. Are they our enemies for all that? Maybe they are. But I would suggest not to jump to conclusions. Big cultural differences certainly increase the likelihood of misunderstandings.
"Anyway, for the moment it is impossible to tell what are their goals.
"But one thing is certain. We will not make it if we do not unite.
"Now that we are facing such a radical alterity, how insignificant should all our differences appear to us. We have fought wars against our neighbors, against our fellow humans, because of ridiculous differences.
"Now is the right moment for us to finally understand that we are all the same, that we should unite. It is time to leave aside our petty little quarrels and be finally as one. One people, one nation, under one single banner, and one government.
"This is maybe our last chance, but maybe is it also a great opportunity. Without that threat, we would probably have never come to this same conclusion. Without it we would probably have never understood that we must unite.
"It is with great hope that we will take that step. Today, I announce you that, in agreement with the leaders of each individual country in the world, the United Nations will be in charge, momentarily, of mankind's destiny.
"Today is a historical day. The one in which we lay the foundation stone for a new mankind.
"Will it be enough to survive this new threat? We will find out. Is it necessary to stand a chance against that threat? Absolutely. This is the only path available to us.
"It is the moment for me to wish good luck to all of you. But I have great faith in our collective capacity to overcome such a big challenge. We, humans, are smart creatures. We have invented incredible technologies that made us powerful. And we will invent some more. We'll be ready to defend our planet if we need to.
"But we must also be ready to extend a hand to them. We must be ready to negotiate, to discuss, to understand. And maybe someday it will be peace.
"In any case, from now on, humanity will be united. And this is the real event!
"Long live the Earth!"
The speech ended under a solemn round of applause. While he was listening to the applause, Elias Nordheim seemed filled with emotion as if he was weighting the importance of his own words. Then he came down from the rostrum.