Leaders from 12 of the 67 moons of Jupiter gathered for an emergency meeting. The tension was palpable.
Less than 24-hours ago, three moons; Pallene, Fenrir, and Sinope, were attacked, and overcome, by military forces from the Planet Jupiter.
It came as a complete surprise. No one had ever violated the Treaty of Ganymede since it was signed by Jupiter, and the free 12 Moon Confederation, two centuries ago.
The 12 moons were, Ganymede, Callisto, Lo, Europa, Himalia, Pasiphae, Almalthea, Thebe, Alara, Metis, Leda, and Tayget. The rest of the moons were either uninhabited, or had crude and dangerous creatures that lived primitive lives in harsh conditions.
“Have you heard anything from the attackers yet General?” the Prime Minister of Europa asked.
“No, sir. The Confederation is on high alert. Our hyperlink line of defense in-between moons has been activated.”
“Why Pallene, Fenrir, and Sinope? They’re small, and barely inhabited?” Tayget’s President asked.
“I think they were making a statement Mr. President. It was more like a training exercise that they wanted us to see. I’m not sure why…”
A courier ran into the vast room where they were gathered around a round table.
“A message from Jupiter!” He pointed up at the giant monitor overhead.
“Greetings! I’m the new ruler of Jupiter… Cin Dak!”
“I don’t understand…” the Prime Minister of Thebe said. “Jupiter has many rulers.”
“No longer,” Cin Dak gloated.
“What of the Treaty of Ganymede?” asked the Prime Minister of Metis.
“It’s a new world. Mine! I don’t make treaties. I conquer. Whoever dares to stand up to me will die. I’ll give you 24-hours to pledge your allegiance to me, or my forces will attack.”
The monitor went dark.
The Warlord of Ganymede stood up and shouted over the din of excited voices, “Friends and allies! Let me speak!”
“This new ruler doesn’t know anything about our defenses, and very little about our technologies. Two hundred years is a long time. The first reports I got from scouts after the attacks was that the technology they used didn’t suggest the same sophistication as ours.”
400 years later…
The old scribe gathered his students together for another lesson on the War Between The Planet and the Moons. He paused for a moment, and looked up at the tattered flag of Ganymede flying on a barren tree nearby.
“All right children! What’s the Book of Common Sense say?”
“No one wins in a war!” they roared.
As It Stands, wars are never started for a good reason, and they always end badly for the innocent.
The Creative Chronicles of Dave Stancliff 