The Speech

Grand Admiral Henderson's Address to the SolForce Academy Graduating Class of 2428:

Greetings…men and women of SolForce. It is with a proud heart that I stand before you to announce your acceptance into the one organization that has always stood between mankind and the utter extinction of our species.

Mankind…the word should have new meaning for us. Ever since the horrific bombardment of our original homeworld Earth in the Hiver attack we have always teetered on the edge of complete annihilation.  We adapted and settled on a new world. After several decades we again ventured into space. 

But space has always remained as harsh and unforgiving as ever. From the slaver attack on our Biter colony to the innumerable other obstacles which have threatened us – ancient derelicts and colony traps left behind by civilizations long gone, survival was always a challenge. And then came the Swarm – a galactic alien menace that killed millions of our brave colonists. And the insidious Von Neumann machines. And the mysterious Prophet of Doom. But we survived. We made better ships. We built fleets and planetary defences. We fought in the unforgiving coldness of space. 

I remember the very day, almost two decades ago, when as a young bright eyed intern midway through our Naval Induction Programme in this very SolForce Academy, we came to know of the vicious Swarm attack on our colony at Hebron II. Since then we have taken the war to these mindless giant insect shaped machines. From the development of Lightning Emitter technology to designing and building better missiles and other weapons as well as a series of revolutionary new warships…especially the Vengeance class Cruisers, each new development has made us stronger. 

We have defended our planets from countless Swarm attacks and destroyed all of their nests in our space. We battled Raiders who attacked our trade lanes and our planets. We fought a vicious civil war against rebel forces on many of our worlds and we prevailed. We met with new alien civilizations, far more advanced and powerful than us. We even managed to defend against a probing attack from the Morrigi, one of the most ancient civilizations in the known galaxy.   

Our fleets grow stronger as the newest warships, specially the Nova class Cruisers and Eagle class Command Cruisers, armed with the devastating new HCL Lasers, Stormers and Photonic Torpedoes are mass produced in shipyards across the Confederation. Humanity has not only survived…we thrive. We have expanded to 25 worlds and more are soon to be colonized. A large fleet of trading ships ply ceaselessly between our worlds, spreading wealth, resources and new ideas across the length and breadth of Human space. And as ever, we at SolForce stand ever vigilant…ready to defend humanity with our very lives if needed.

Now...it is your turn. It is time for you to hang up your civilian dress and wear the uniform of the guardians of humanity. I hand over the responsibility of safeguarding the future of our race to you all. It is not an easy job I admit. Despite our best efforts, certain Swarm nests remain near our furthest border worlds. We are surrounded on all sides by races with whom hostilities can break out at any moment. Especially the two most powerful races – the Liirians and the Morrigi, who between themselves occupy more than one third of the entire known galaxy and whose massive Dreadnaughts dwarf our ships. The Raiders, funded and equipped by the Liirian extremist organization Black Sea, continue to attack our forces with ships armed with weapons and technology that outstrip those of our relatively outdated defensive fleets. And deep in space other unknown alien menaces lurk, ready to cause destruction for purposes unknown.

But fear not…for we are SolForce…and we represent the best and brightest that Humanity has to offer. We must not falter…We will not fail! To the Stars, Ladies and Gentlemen. Godspeed and Good Luck!