So,
The Harry Potter arc is pretty much wrapped up, and the new arc has already kicked off over on Patreon... cough, just saying.
Anyways, here's today's...
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Apparently, the existence of aliens was far more exciting to the world than the revelation that magic was real, or that an entire civilisation of magical people had been living alongside them all this time.
At least, nothing else revealed today had sparked quite the same reaction. Viewership practically doubled, taking an already record-breaking audience to numbers far beyond, if there was a television somewhere, chances were there was a crowd gathered around it.
With some clever use of Transfiguration, Maverick brought scenes from that day to life before the cameras, which may or may not have been what really piqued people's interest.
The entire world thus got to see the true scale of the alien invasion, and the fate that might have awaited Earth had the invaders succeeded was clear enough from what they witnessed.
They saw technology far beyond anything humanity possessed, weapons and aircraft that, until now, had existed only in science-fiction films.
And then they saw the force behind them. It did not rule a single world, but entire star systems, its population said to number many times over every human being living on Earth combined.
And yet, despite everything they had witnessed, the earth-shattering, nuclear-level explosions and the swarms of alien firepower, Earth had held. It had not merely endured, but emerged victorious, completely and decisively.
The shock gave way, before long, to something closer to pride. There were those, of course, who found the whole account difficult to swallow, who wondered privately just how much of it could really be true.
Speculation would come. Challenges would come, too, questions and doubts enough to fill a hundred more broadcasts. But that would be for another day. Today, all the world could do was watch and listen.
Maverick's account was brief, though he wove a touch of Transfiguration through it as he spoke, conjuring scenes from that day, by the time he had finished, the world had a fairly complete picture of what had happened, and how.
Every force their world possessed had stood together that day. Mankind. The wizarding world, even the mutants, whom Maverick made certain not to leave out.
He was fairly confident that Charles, and quite possibly a fair number of other mutant groups besides, were watching the broadcast as he spoke.
The moment he finished, the reporters could barely contain themselves.
"Again," Maverick gave a quiet sigh, taking in the forest of hands reaching into the air, "a full account in far greater detail will be released by the relevant authorities once this press conference has concluded..."
However, his words appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.
"Mr. Caesar!"
"Over here, Mr. Caesar!"
"Mr. Caesar—"
"Kinda your fault there, kid..."
Maverick pretended not to hear his teacher and resignedly picked someone from the sea of raised hands.
"You..."
"Thank you, Mr. Caesar..." The hall quieted enough for him to be heard, and the reporter quickly began his question.
"Could you put on the record how much of that was true? Were those actual recordings, or did you use some magical means to create something that looked like... a video?"
He sounded uncertain, or perhaps just didn't know how to put what he had seen into the right words.
"Both, actually," Maverick said smiling towards the cameras.
"I did create that... video, as you called it, from my own memories, with magic, naturally. But everything you saw was real, and the people in this chamber can attest to that. There was also a live video feed during the operation, which the national leaders were watching. That footage should have been preserved, and I'm sure you'll be given access to it along with the official records—"
"Mr. Caesar!"
"Mr. Caesar!"
"Mr. Caesar—"
"Elena Sokolova, Public Russian Television... How sure are you that the enemy has been defeated? I mean, is there a possibility they might return, perhaps with an even greater force in the future?"
Maverick pondered the question for a moment before answering.
"Honestly, we can't say for certain whether they would want to retaliate. But from the information we gathered from the commanders of their forces, we know the force they sent was among their most elite. So even if they were to send another fleet against Earth, it would be difficult for them to put together a force greater than the one we have already defeated. And we have proven that we can repel an attack of that scale."
He paused briefly.
"So they would have to think very carefully before trying again. They have been taught a rather costly lesson. And not just them. Any other alien civilisation that might one day consider Earth a target would have to think twice before making that decision."
The assembled leaders gave their quiet approval with nods, while those watching from near and far felt a little of the tension leave them.
"Wang Mei, sir, CCTV..." the next reporter spoke in Mandarin, while the translators interpreted his words into English for those seated in the chamber and the networks broadcasting the conference.
"We saw that the forces assembled against the invaders consisted largely of your people, along with the mutants. Where, then, were the United Nations forces? Did they participate in the operation, and if so, what role did they play?"
The question drew the world's attention towards the assembled leaders. For several seconds, the cameras swept across the chamber, catching one reaction after another as everyone waited for an answer.
Maverick made no attempt to answer this one, deciding it would be better for one of the national leaders to address the matter.
A short while later, a microphone finally came alive with a soft click as the President of the People's Republic of China leaned forward. He also spoke in Mandarin, while translators interpreted his words into the respective languages for those present and the networks broadcasting around the world.
"If you are asking whether United Nations combat forces took part directly in repelling the alien invasion, then the answer is no..." President Jiang Zemin said without mincing words.
"But that doesn't mean we merely stood by and watched. The Security Council under the United Nations had personnel on the ground throughout the operation, monitoring the situation and relaying information to us in real time. Our combined air forces were placed on standby... you could say they formed the next line of defence. Had the first line, consisting of the wizards and the mutants, failed to stop the invasion, the enemy would have found itself facing our pilots, armed with the most destructive weapons Earth possesses."
He paused for a moment.
"The primary objective was to ensure that the enemy did not get past our atmosphere, to neutralise them in the sky before they could even attempt any form of organised attack. And we did achieve that goal. Obviously, the world would be very different had we failed. It was the combined efforts of all the allied forces working together that made it possible. Our forces and their movements during the operation are all recorded in the official files, which you will be able to access once this conference is over..."
"And on that note, I want to add that before your headlines begin spreading across the world in the coming hours, to first understand the situation we now find ourselves in. This is an unprecedented and sensitive time for everyone... exercise responsibility and not, for the sake of a sensational headline, give life to baseless speculation or false rumours..."
He gave a small nod.
"So yes, the wizards and the mutants carried the greater burden of defeating the enemy. We acknowledge that without hesitation. But the United Nations and its member nations were there as well, and we did everything within our capabilities to ensure that those fighting on the front lines had the support they needed should the situation escalate... which, fortunately for all of us, it did not."
President Jiang's microphone clicked off, and almost immediately, another microphone came alive a short distance away.
"President Jiang explained things perfectly... I would only like to add a few remarks of my own..." Boris Yeltsin, the first President of the Russian Federation leaned slightly towards the microphone, speaking in his native tongue.
"Every nation with air forces and aircraft available for immediate deployment was placed on standby. China and Russia, owing to our geographical proximity to the area of the operation, had forces monitoring the region from the outset. Our pilots remained on watch before, during, and after the engagement, maintaining the security of the surrounding airspace and monitoring the situation as the fighting unfolded..."
His accent had a natural solemnity to it, harsh to some ears, perhaps, or perhaps it was simply the way the language sounded to most people.
In any case, it wasn't difficult to see what the Russian leader was doing, simply making sure the world knew that his nation, which had been rather excluded by much of the West, had in fact played its part in the operation, standing alongside the others in defending the world at large.
A few eye-rolls passed across the chamber, followed by some hushed murmurs when the voice of another reporter echoed through the chamber once again.
"Good afternoon. Keiko Tanaka of NHK. Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity."
This one came across as particularly warm and sincere, with her distinctive accent adding a certain softness to her English.
"My question is for the magical lady and the gentlemen... May I ask what steps you intend to take first, I mean, immediately after this press conference and in the days that follow, to begin building a relationship with the rest of the world?"
Her eyes moved across the long table as she spoke, eventually settling on Dumbledore at the centre when she reached the heart of her question.
Dumbledore gave the reporter a small smile and a nod but did not answer, instead turning to his side.
"Perhaps you could answer this one for us."
Takamura didn't argue and without much ceremony, simply leaned towards the microphone and switched it on.
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Hey guys,
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