THE HARVESTORS OF LIFE

   His face livid with rage, the Hert merchant captain shouted loudly, "Goddamn it! You have to do something! There is a flurkin armada of ships headed this way!!!" Staring up at the merchanter from his desk, Frgannock, Nrog Fleet Commander for the Qwayar Sector looked bored.

   "Sir, you waltz in here with little or no data and demand that the Fleet do something? Do you realize what condition the Federation Navy is currently in or the losses we have taken since fighting has broke out?" Frgannock quickly replied as he pushed his writing utensil around on his desk in mindless circles.

   "Don't you understand?!', the merchanter belowed. "There is a fleet headed this way! They have destroyed two other ships in our convoy!"

   Frgannaock stood, his huge bulky mass slowly maneuvering around the desk towards the windows, facing away from the Hert captain. As he stood there, the merchanter grew more and more angry, his normally bronze skin became beet red at the stupidity of the Nrogs and their foul overlordship of the Federation. Silently he mused, grateful for the day when the Nrog tyranny would end and the many races of the Federation would again be free.

   Frgannock turned back towards the Hert, his eyes glassy and glazed over, "You see, I am just not convinced."

   Stupified, the captain gawked for a moment and then replied "But you have our data! These weird alien vessels were using quark weaponry at relavistic speeds! Does any race in the Federation use that type of technology?" he glared. "My god man, their ships were stupendous, the size of flurkin moons! You have to do something....you just have to! There were hundreds of warships, all moving on a straight line trajectory, and you have their communication! "Prepare The Harvest comes." From what our drone received from planetary orbit these aliens destroyed all organic life in the system within days!"

   Frgannock slowly but forcefully ushered the merchanter out the office door. "We will investigate Captain, and thank you! " shutting the door behind him. Frgannock moved his large bulk back to his desk and plopped down with a sigh of relief, and carelessly began chewing his guj-guj stick.

And THAT is how the invasion of Federation space began.