“Commander, there’s something entering our atmosphere. We can’t get a visual on it, but from what little our sensors can pick up, it’s HUGE.” The tech gulped. “Do you think it’s the bogey from Kerb-”
Iverson shut him up with a glare. The official line was Kerberos was an accident due to sloppiness and that was that.
“Whatever it is it’s hacking into our channels, no, not hacking, it seems to have the codes.”
“It’s using them to access the emergency channels on television and the internet override.” The other tech gulped. “Sir, whatever it’s going to broadcast, the world’s going to see it.”
“Shut it down!″ Iverson ordered. “Whatever they’re planning we can not allow them to-”
The entire commander turned towards the familiar voice on the screen. There sitting in what seemed to the bridge of an alien ship was none other than Tadeshi Shirogane.
“I was kidnapped by hostile ETs, tortured, experimented on, made to fight for their amusement and you told the world we died due to pilot error!”
“I am quite disappointed in you.” Samuel Holt adjusted his glasses, looking like a professor who’d been let down by his class. “I would have thought our disappearance would have at least warranted a search. Not to simply be written off and one of our crew maligned to the point of being used as a poster boy for poor piloting.” he tsked.
“What do you expect Dad?” Matt had a shit eating grin. “These guy literally fell for Kaite pulling a Clark Kent, even though it made her look even more like me.” Matt was standing next to a seat occupied by the missing Pidge Gunderson - or rather Kaite Holt.
In fact the other missing recruits were there as well, even the drop out, Keith. Among them were two others, humanoid looking at first glace, but clearly extraterrestrial when one looked closer. The female one walked up to Shiro and put a calming hand on his shoulder. Then she addressed the screen. “I am Princess Allura of Altea, and elected leader of the Alliance if Free Worlds. I have come to know the greatness and the goodness of the human race by fighting along these seven to end the threat of the expansionist Galra empire. If it was by their merit alone, I would gladly extend an invitation to Earth to join the Alliance. However, the fact that your government not only abandoned three of their own at the drop of a hat, but lied about what happened to them - not even preparing for the enemy that grabbed them. You are fortunate the Galra did not look any closer than Kerberos.”
“Seriously,” Hunk piped up. “Like, we’ve had to help with more than one planetary evacuation because of those guys.”
“In short, while we recognize humanities potential, we do not feel your government has matured enough for you to be invited into the Alliance. We are merely here to pick up the personal belongings of these seven, as well as any family members that wish to accompany them back to their homes. We wish no harm, but will defend ourselves if provoked.”
“Please,” Pidge said with a grin. “Try.”
The transmission ended with most of the bridge scolding Katie/Pidge and Shiro still grumbling about ‘pilot error’. For a moment no one said anything. “A hoax, we need to sell this as a hoax, blame Gunderson, er Holt. She had the technical know how to do this.”
“Uh, sir, we’re getting our first visuals of the bogey. It’s not trying to hide itself any more.” The screens switch to that of a castle shaped ship. One several “magnitudes bigger than the biggest the Galaxy Garrison could manage.“It’s flying slowly in mid to low atmosphere. I think it wants to be seen.”
In the back of Iverson’s mind he heard Katie Holt laughing. You won’t cover this one up, I won’t let you. He, and other high ranking members of the GG, were well and truly screwed.
