And so began the second, high-profile military reconnaissance mission. This time, however, the level of public attention and internal vigilance was exponentially higher.
Three days passed in a flash.
For the general public, all they knew was that a sudden battle had erupted on the frontier, and it seemed humanity had been attacked by a primitive civilization.
"War" was always front-page news, instantly commanding the attention of every ordinary citizen. The blinding flash of a gigaton-class nuclear warhead was easily visible from orbit, making it entirely impossible for the Federation to cover up the event, even if they had wanted to.
War was a matter of life and death for everyone; no one could afford to be apathetic. If a full-scale interstellar war broke out, right and wrong would no longer matter. The entire civilization would have to mobilize and prepare for total conflict.
