King Charles nodded and the technician went out of the booth. He looked down at his script and thought of the hell he was going to catch for going to the people first, but playing to the common man was one of the pillars that upheld his reign. After the abuses of his sister and her cronies, the commoners needed an ally and he presented himself as that ally. The nobles might complain, but a restless populace was a danger to their wealth and security, so the savvier among them, especially younger lords and those who saw their privileges curtailed during his sister's reign, also presented themselves as champions of the people. Some of them even meant it.

The light turned green. The King took a deep breath and began.

"Most of you have never paid much thought to the notion that we may not be alone in the universe. It is the stuff of pulp novels and magazine serials. However, I am telling you this day that we are not alone. The radio broadcast that dominated the airwaves five days ago was transmitted around the world to each country in their own language. It was not of our world.

"If you fear some bizarre and fantastical creatures, I can put your mind at ease. They are humans just as we are humans. They hail from what they call the New Earth Empire, an empire that spans hundreds of worlds. They claim that this world was once a part of their Empire from the time before the Day of Silence and they have come to reassert their Emperor's claim to rule over us.

"It is not an easy thing to hear, I know, but the servants of this distant Emperor come to us with a terrible resolve and a level of technological superiority we cannot fathom. We are a proud people, a strong people. I know our Armed Forces would defend our homeland with great valor, but these visitors from afar can rain down destruction upon us like the wrath of God Himself. There is nothing to be gained from fighting, but these are not creatures with a logic we cannot comprehend. They are human beings and they can be reasoned with as fellow human beings.

"Our diplomats and I have come to an interim agreement with the Imperials and later today I will be presenting that agreement to Parliament for discussion, debate and a vote. I encourage all of you to contact your Members of Parliament and urge them to consider this matter not based on pride or empty bravado but with cold reason and the best interests of all of you at heart.

"I will not say there will be no challenges or hardships going forward, but think of the opportunities that will be granted to us. Science and technology centuries ahead of our own, a connection to our lost history and the history of over a thousand worlds, and a bond reforged with greater humanity spread across the galaxy. There is much we can learn, much we can gain, but we must be prepared to accept these things on the Imperials' terms.

"Do not think of this as surrender but rather as cooperation. It is my wish to pursue a fruitful peace rather than a meaningless war. Know that if you must sacrifice, I will sacrifice alongside you. I am prepared to give all that I have, for it is better that I be a pauper among a living people than rule as king over a dead land. Let us come together as one people in one purpose for a brighter future. May God bless this land and her people. This is your King, signing off."

With that, the light went off and the King turned from the microphone to permit himself a sigh. How many people would see the reason in what he was saying? Humans like any animal could generally be relied upon to prioritize survival, but humans were a rare beast that could resist their survival instincts in pursuit of an abstraction.

He thought of the uphill battle he would fight when he went to Parliament. He expected the Commons would be more receptive, but the Peers were likely to give him trouble. They had the most to lose, after all.

He knew what it would mean if he could not deliver results. The Imperials would cast him aside and resort to more direct methods to bring the country in line. He did not want to circumvent the civilian authorities by declaring martial law for the twofold reason that such autocratic methods would undermine the core principles of his reign and because he honestly did not think he could rely so heavily on the military to make this transition happen.

Neither Parliament nor the military could be allowed to think there was common cause to resist the Imperials or else they would move to depose him. The faction spoiling for a fight had to be made to feel their cause lacked the support to triumph in Byrandia alone, much less stand any chance against the Imperials.

He hated the role he was forced to play in all this. He would have gladly led his people against the combined forces of every nation across the globe, but the Imperials were far beyond all the powers on this world combined. They had to be made to see that, the people, the nobles, the military, Parliament, all of them. It was the only way for them to survive.