The silence in the United Nations chamber was total, interrupted only by the desperate beep of Selene's stabilizing medical equipment. The blindingly intense light had faded away, and she lay still once more, her glow assuming its soft, gentle shape. But the world had been irreparably changed for the second time in a week.
On the main screen, the alien armada hung motionless in the icy blackness near Mars, waiting. Their presence was a question mark over the entire human and lupine species.
The deferential applause had died. The atmosphere had turned from reverence to acceptance to plain, galaxy-spanning fear.
One of the powerful country's representatives sprang to his feet, his face reddened with rage and fear. "This is an invasion! You. you monsters. you have brought them here! You ha
