Franklinite Executive Gives Conference on Alien First Contact

On June 23, the Executive of Franklin held a rather short and to-the-point press conference on the first contact with an unknown alien species, which is apparently hostile. Below is the transcript of the conference:

EXECUTIVE: Good evening. I'm sure that all of you, and for that matter everyone on Earth, knows of and is shocked by these pictures that have come out. I'm sure you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them.

REPORTER: What will you do with the Agonite mining system now that whole probes are being destroyed?

EXECUTIVE: Well, ideally I would like to put up an automated defense system around Agonus to pevent the ships from intruding there, but that would be foolish at the moment... because with any countermeasure, you need to know first what you are countering.

REPORTER: How are you going to find out about it?

EXECUTIVE: I have asked the New Follomer Syndicate to dispatch the FSS Uniden to the planet to probe the area, and hopefully that will shed some light on the aliens.

REPORTER: Some in Follomer have speculated that it is an experimental Dlorwani ship. Do you believe this is a possibility?

EXECUTIVE: It does not match Dlorwani ships, nor would I think the Dlorwani would have any reason to blow up the Agonus probes. As far as we can tell, it is totally alien, and we are working from that assumption.

REPORTER: Do you believe it is possible that the aliens will extend their attack, and it will develop into a war?

EXECUTIVE: Well, I cannot discount the possibility, but indications now suggest a, uh, pseudo-optimistic outcome of them just wanting Agonus, which is bad enough. However, we will do everything possible to avoid war, short of compromising Franklinite interests at Agonus. Last question.

REPORTER: What about security precautions in Franklin in case of invasion?

EXECUTIVE: As you do, or should I say should, know is that the Franklinite Constitution does not allow for anything like martial law to be declared, but we can and are deploying military aircraft and putting troops on standby alert in case anything turns up. As furthur information becomes avaliable, I will put out statements. Any additional questions? [pause] Alright, this conference is adjourned.