"The Free Stellar River Alliance appeals to the entire universe: Please stop this war that brings pain to loved ones and joy to enemies. Cherish the hard-won peace. We have always been a responsible galactic power. We promise the entire universe that we will do everything in our power to bring a generation of peace back to our galaxy."
At the Alliance's central star-region chokepoint, on the orbital cargo hub of the Turanka system, Marshal Ekoka's speech was still playing on the giant screen in the airport terminal.
However, most of the ordinary travelers streaming through the terminal from all over the universe were busy with their own affairs. Some were checking in, others were rushing to their gates. Even those taking a break would rather put on their headsets and glasses and watch a show or catch up on some evening entertainment news.
Being alive was hard enough. Couldn't they take a little time to relax? As for war and the like, to the people living in the Alliance's core territories, where the sound of battle hadn't been heard for a thousand years, it really did seem very far away.
Of course, there were also people who followed current affairs and still gave the acting Grand Leader a little of their attention. The two young men waiting for their flight, for instance, were among them.
"Heh. He didn't even offer a word or two of condemnation. That's not how the Alliance usually talks, and it's not Marshal Ekoka's style, either. The old guy's a soldier by birth, and he's always had a short fuse." The refined, handsome human young man, with his cool, aloof air, commented without bothering to lower his voice.
"No. Normally, the Alliance would say, 'We're speaking to you from a position of strength.'"
"I see.