Earth was united. It had taken ten years of backbreaking work, powerful speeches, and the occasional threat to make it happen, but happen it had. Every person over the age of 20 who was able to fight was armed and waiting for the signal.

The women handled the intelligence duties, the children depending on their age either busied themselves or assisted as they could, and the men lined up to deploy. Global funds had been stockpiled to give every soldier the arms and supplies needed. Every spaceship not serving another more important duty was lined up on a launchpad, ready to blast off.

A small colony of aliens was discovered by satellite on Charon thirty years ago. Armed to the teeth with technology light-years beyond our own, the encrypted battle plans had been decrypted. The aliens would attack in exactly two months. So mankind was getting the jump on them. Sticking it to the man, if they had men in the colony.

ALL SHIPS: DEPLOY WHEN READY. 601123.

The signal had been received. The war was beginning.