(United Nations Security Council (UNSC), New York, December 2132)
The UNSC chamber was, as ever, a grand theatre of international posturing, where rhetoric reigned supreme, and substantive action remained permanently on the distant horizon. Eighteen representatives, each carrying the weight of their respective nations. filled the chamber with what they no doubt believed to be the most pressing concerns of the modern era.
At the far end of the room sat two men, representatives not of any one country, but of the United Nations Strategic Security Department (UNSSD). They are seating behind a red and white variant of the UN flag, playing Genshin Impact on their phones.
Director Nikola Kovac sat with the air of men who had seen it all before and suspected they would see it all again. He is a man of iron will honed by years of defense and diplomacy, leaned back in his chair, exuding the quiet confidence of someone who had no intention of bending to political theatrics.
Secretary Li Hao Nan, meanwhile, exuding the bureaucratic patience of a man well-versed in the art of political evasion, quietly prepared for what was sure to be yet another round of masterful diplomatic deflection.
"Order, order!" barked the UNSC President, this month's unfortunate soul being the United States representative. The hall immediately returned to silence and the 2 men stowed their tablets away.
"This attack on the main UNSSD Mecha production facility in Hokkaido is an indication that people have lost interest in further developing Earth's defences in a time of peace, especially when it is so costly. The amount UNSSD has blown this year alone is enough to rebuild the whole of Europe after WW3."
"We propose, postponement of the projects," he finished.
His motion lit up the entire room as soon as his words are simultaneously translated into the mother tongues of the representatives, for they mostly seconded the proposal.
Li leaned toward Kovac with a gentle sigh. "Ah, you see, Director, the difficulty with politicians is that they wish to have all the benefits of preparedness without incurring any of the costs. They expect security to be a self-sustaining phenomenon, much like the illusion of democracy itself.
"This proposal isn't good," smiled Kovac. "The night before the Sun rises is always the toughest to endure."
"We advise, hold on tight in front of all pressures and push forward. Complete them as soon as possible. Do not forget, the window of development is always narrow. The big powers of the galaxy will not wait for us. We are caught between this Cold War in the galaxy."
Li stood, adopting the precise tone of measured condescension that only a seasoned civil servant could perfect. "Distinguished representatives, we must recognize that the very nature of peace is that it exists only as a brief interlude between conflicts. The moment we declare ourselves free from danger, we ensure our unpreparedness for the inevitable."
Director Kovac turned on his holo-projector, showing a photograph.
"This is?" asked the US representative.
"A picture taken by Voyager as it left our solar system centuries ago, among the last images it sent back to us before it was accidentally destroyed by a Bethorian space mine," replied Director Kovac.
The representatives of the UNSC nations all directed their attention at the photograph, trying to make sense of the image of the rays of sunlight.
"Here," said Director Kovac, pointing to a single, bright blue pixel. "This is our planet, which is everything to us. A mere pale blue dot in the vastness of this universe."
Kovac's voice carrying the weight of military pragmatism and an unmistakable Yugoslavian directness. "The Veo and GOMCA are at peace now, but history teaches us that ideological opposites seldom remain so indefinitely. One is an xenophobic empire set on making itself the ruler of the galaxy, the other faction, which we are in, wants to build a utopia in the galaxy. A strong nation—or in this case, a strong planet—does not wait to see if the storm passes. It fortifies itself to withstand it."
The U.S. representative frowned. "An evocative metaphor, Director, but irrelevant to the point that Earth cannot sustain these expenditures indefinitely. The attack in Hokkaido is but one of many signs that—"
"—the people of Earth," Li interrupted smoothly, "are fatigued, yes. As they have been fatigued by every significant defense initiative in recorded history, until such a time as they are alarmed enough to reverse their opinion. A cyclical pattern, really. Quite fascinating."
Germany's representative, refusing to be outmaneuvered, interjected. "Two sector armies. That's all we require to maintain our current space security obligations from the Solar System to the Alpha Centauri System. Not four. Certainly not an ever-expanding bureaucracy of war. And we only need to maintain technological growth, based on your point."
Kovac raised an eyebrow, his voice measured but firm. "Ah, yes. If we base our calculations solely on what we wish to believe, rather than what history has taught us, then two sector armies would be more than enough. But we do not have the luxury of indulging in fantasy. Peace is never free, and neither is deterrence. We learned this lesson the hard way in the 70 years ago, and I have no desire to repeat the mistakes of those who assumed they could dictate the tides of war through mere words."
China's representative nodded. "We have explicitly stated that two sector armies would be bare minimum. If an emergency arises, we will be crippled."
"And yet, we have the militaries of individual nations to supplement the UNSSD," Germany countered. "Earth Defense Law Article Two—"
Li let out the kind of chuckle that one reserves for particularly naïve interns. "Ah, but national militaries, dear lady, are suited for terrestrial conflicts. Space warfare, as it happens, requires an entirely different set of logistical and strategic competencies. If it were as straightforward as shifting a few battalions into orbit, I assure you, we wouldn't be having this discussion."
"To claim that we are on a perpetual peace is simply, inaccurate, even if we exclude the galactic Cold War," added Secretary Li. "As of today, UN peacekeepers are still deployed out extensively in 20 missions, and UNSSD is still responsible for the administration of 3 regions in the world."
"Outside of that, we also cannot ignore the growing species tensions among Sellardraxians and humanity. Vanguard had recently launched another attack in Sweden."
Seeing that the German representative is still unconvinced, he decided to add one more point.
He leaned back slightly, allowing the weight of his words to settle before delivering the coup de grâce. "Besides, if we were to disband large portions of UNSSD personnel, what precisely do you propose we do with tens of thousands of highly trained, unemployed soldiers? Have them retrain as yoga instructors? The private sector and national militaries can only absorb so many before we find ourselves with a surplus of… highly skilled problem-solvers looking for problems to solve."
The entire meeting room turned to silence as all the representatives understood the possible risks.
After a long silence, the Indonesian representative opened his microphone.
"Are we at war, Director?" he asked, concerned.
Kovac looked down for a while, apprehensive.
"Not a literal hot war at the moment," he smiled. "But a war of development."
"We shall begin voting in an hour's time," announced the AI acting as the moderator for the conference.
"Support."
Representatives of USA, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Korea (DRK), Australia, Colombia and Türkiye pressed their tablets.
"Against."
Representatives of China, New Soviet Socialist Federation(NSSF), People's Republic of Yugoslavia (PRY), Algeria, Brazil, Indonesia, Rwanda and Saudi Arabia pressed their tablets.
"Abstains."
Representatives of France and South Africa raised their hands.
"Due to the use of veto by 2 of the permanent members, the motion will not pass."
Director Kovac and Secretary Li heaved a sigh of relief.
The German representative confronted the 2 of them. "You 2 happy now that you are bringing Earth on the path of militarism?"
Li gave a sympathetic smile, the kind that concealed a thousand layers of condescension. "Oh, my dear representative, we have merely delayed the inevitable."
"Well, we did not expand and annex other civilizations," remarked Kovac.
"Yes, Director," she hissed, throwing an angry glare at them and left. The 2 chuckled seeing her angrily confronting the French representative, demanding to know why did France change its stance from support to abstain.
They then headed out of the building and into a car which immediately sped off in direction of the airport, escorted by UNSSD SOC operators and New York police.
"I'd say that we cut the line a bit too close now," remarked Kovac. "Support for the cause is waning. I can foresee that we may have to rely on P5 veto to keep us afloat.""Time to head back to Sulawesi. Oh, and make sure you eat on the plane."
"Frankly, having instant Sarma and Dim Sum isn't exactly something I am looking forward to…" complained Li. "Who thought it was a good idea to turn them into one giant block and pour hot water over them? You call it a way of cooking?"
Kovac laughed bitterly. "Too bad that we are on a tight schedule comrade, a lot of work awaits us, we can't afford to waste a second."
Li sighed, yawning. "I must ask, how long do you intend to keep that beyond top secret?"
Kovac shook his head. "We can't afford the risk. That is too much of a bombshell if we expose it, humanity and Sellardraxians may go into war."
He further elaborated that in his opinion, the tensions between the 2 sentient species of the Earth were simply circumvented by the need of a united front during the Veo invasion and WW3, and are now buried into mankind's undercurrents by the economic prosperity brought about by the boom in space exploration. It is a shaky peace, and all it takes is one major event for it to crumble.
"Besides, not even the Bethorians has heard of that. I just hope that with more archaeology excavation of the Empire we can finally understand their true nature, however difficult it may be. It appears that archaeological studies of the Empire are being deliberately obstructed by some mysterious force, be it in GOMCA or the Veo. The galaxy's knowledge of the Empire was strangely purged after the Empire collapsed and went extinct. Many records went missing. We can only prepare ourselves discreetly, well, as far the environment allows it…"
"Yes, Director," replied Li, with a worried frown.