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Ula POV

It was easy enough to whip a crowd into a frenzy, as long as you knew what they wanted to hear. The people who turned up to my rally today were a fearful bunch. The battle footage revealed the Terrans for charlatans they were, and their centuries-long deception would not be forgotten by the masses. They had festered within our ranks, scheming, manipulating our politics to unknown ends, propagating their vile culture. A species as war-like as humanity was like a tumor, consuming all that was natural and good, lest it be excised.

I had faith that the people could recognize the monster lurking in their midst. My speech today was just giving the citizenry the push they needed. If the commoners directed their anger at the humans, it would force their hand. Terran soldiers striking down civilians on the street would play well in the media, and combined with the news of the Devourer massacre that would be coming in at any moment, the outcry might be enough to oust them from the Federation.

“When I was a young girl, humanity was a species noted in our civics class as the greatest diplomats. The peacekeepers.” I paused, my gaze sweeping over the crowd. “But recently, we learned that was all a lie. They are brutal, bloodthirsty; they are not like us and they do not share our values. The values that hold our Federation together.”

A few cheers rippled through the assembly, but most on-lookers looked anxious. That was exactly the sort of sentiment I hoped to evoke; there was no more powerful motivation than fear. I knew I had their rapt attention, and that they would hang on my every word.

“My friends, rest assured, I share your shock and confusion at the news. But of this I am certain: we must act now. Humans prowl our streets, and it is a matter of time until they give in to their instincts. How many of you have welcomed one into your homes? Sent your children to school with one?”

Horrified expressions, agitated murmuring; this was the response I had hoped for. Most of the people here had had contact with a Terran at least once. Undoubtedly, some listeners would be hesitant to judge humanity, but a reminder of the mortal danger humans represented should scare some sense into them.

“What are we going to do? What are you going to do?” My voice dropped to a low growl. “Say it with me, loud enough for them to hear you all the way back on Earth. Humans are not welcome here!”

“Humans are not welcome here!” the crowd shouted.

A smile stretched across my face. “That’s a beautiful sound. Now, the Terran embassy is on this very street, mere minutes from here. It defiles our capital with its presence. Why don’t you make your voices heard down there? Let’s go take back what’s ours!”

Cheers of agreement came in response, and I watched with content as the people turned their sight on the gated complex down the road. It was no accident that I had selected an outdoor venue for this event, mere minutes on foot from the Terran embassy. There would be no time for the humans to prepare. An angry mob numbering in the thousands would overrun their security quickly, and then they would be forced to take more drastic measures.

I fished my holopad out of my pocket as the crowd marched off. The next item on my agenda was to make contact with General Kilon, and learn what had become of the Terrans’ rescue mission. Thanks to my meddling, they would have no choice but to resort to violence. The General often sympathized with the humans, likely out of gratitude for them saving his life. If anything could change his mind, it would be the slaughter of an entire planet. He would no longer see humanity as saviors, but as the monsters they truly were.

My call to the fleet was either not received, or not answered. A small seed of doubt was planted in my mind, as I considered the possibility that the Terrans had struck them down in retribution. There was no way they could know what I had done once the ships were lost, of course. But what if they had blamed the fleet anyways, or just not wanted any witnesses to their massacre?

The thought chilled me to the bone. I had to hope that the General was simply occupied with other matters, and would return my call soon enough. Whatever happened to the human ships, I could care less, but the loss of our servicemen would be tragic. Perhaps my actions had been a bit careless.

It was too late to turn back now though. Some people were bound to get hurt dealing with such an aggressive species, but their sacrifice was necessary, for the greater good. Today’s events were the perfect example of that principle. I doubted the chaos unfolding at the embassy would be bloodless.

One of my staffers had tipped off Federation News Central, telling them to keep a camera crew posted at the Terran embassy. The media might have missed the start of the demonstration otherwise. I switched to their livestream on my holopad, and was pleased to see coverage of the protest already rolling.

Two human sentries were pacing inside the gates, shouting for everyone to stand back. The crowd jeered at them in response, lobbing rocks and other projectiles over the barriers.

A young Xanik reporter gestured at the scene behind him. “As you can see, the situation at the Terran embassy is escalating. Speaker Ula gave a short speech this afternoon, laden with anti-human rhetoric. Her supporters felt inspired to take action, and at the Speaker’s encouragement, traveled out to the complex here. It appears a confrontation is imminent.”

A few protestors began scaling the walls, and the Terran guards pointed guns at them in response. Undeterred, the climbers dropped down on the other side.

I chuckled to myself. The moment the humans opened fire on unarmed civilians, everyone would see them as I did. This incident would be broadcast live across the galaxy, and it would be played on repeat for days, just as the nanite bomb had been.

More civilians descended onto the premises. The guards took a few steps back, weapons still raised. Their fingers hovered by the trigger, ready to fire the moment a protestor advanced. The crowd closed ranks, then charged together.

Rather than the sound of gunfire, all I heard was a human voice shout to fall back. Inexplicably, the guards holstered their weapons and retreated into the building.

“Why aren’t they shooting?!” I screamed. “This isn’t right. Humans are supposed to be murderers!”

My staffers, who were huddled nearby, were caught off guard by my outburst. They were staring at me like I had lost my mind.

A young male named Radi looked particularly concerned. “You want them to shoot?! Are you okay?”

I glared at him. “Mind your own damn business! I’m perfectly fine.”

The protestors had broken into the embassy itself while I wasn’t paying attention, and were no longer visible to the camera. The anchor said something about a hostage situation, but it didn’t register in my mind. How could this have happened? An aggressive, militarized species, giving up without a fight? This was an absolute disaster!

With their diplomats taken captive, the humans would be framed as the victims of the story. I could hear it now, a Terran on the news telling the viewers that they weren’t the violent ones. It would distract from the atrocity of their weapons, and instead, the controversy would focus on me inciting the riot.

This was the kind of scandal that could cripple the average politician’s career. But I was no lesser representative; surely a Speaker as popular as myself could weather the storm. Rather than apologizing for my actions, I would double down. With the very soul of the Federation at stake, giving up on my quest to unmask humanity was not an option.

Hopefully, my efforts to sabotage their rescue mission had fared better. One incident was all I needed to prove my case, and I knew the humans were bound to slip up eventually. It was in their nature, after all.

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