A Small Talent of War - Recap

The UN Security Council has gathered to discuss the arrival of an alien saucer and a message from their ambassador. The USSR representative is skeptical but the American Ambassador, Mr. Fraser, refuses to put his military on alert. The alien ambassador teleports into the chamber and tells them that two million years ago, his race seeded life on planets. Earth was one such planet and they’ve kept an eye on them. He informs them that they haven’t come far enough. They have a “small talent for war” and spend their time bickering over borders and building arsenals to put them at deadlock. The alien tells them that they haven’t evolved as intended and the experiment is over. His race’s armada will arrive in one day and destroy Earth. The USSR Ambassador doesn’t believe he can do it and the alien ambassador tells him to watch the skies. The American Ambassador asks for one last chance to present a defense. He asks the ambassador to let them prove they can rise to the potential the aliens saw in them when they seeded the Earth.

The delegates discuss the situation and the USSR ambassador demands proof. They receive a message from the Royal Observatory, informing them that the aliens have destroyed Halley’s Comet. Everyone is convinced and pull together the previous disarmament treaties that haven’t worked. They don’t have enough time to start over and have to use what they have.

Twenty-four hours later, the alien ambassador’s ship arrives at the UN just as they complete their arrangements. Total peace is at hand on Earth. The alien ambassador teleports in and Fraser hands him the book containing the disarmament treaty. The alien thumbs through the book, surprised, and then laughs. The humans laugh along with him, until he explains that on all of their other planets, they breed warriors to fight for them. Human savagery has not bred true: they fight erratically with primitive weapons, and they long for peace. They do indeed have a small talent for war: too small. He thanks them for an amusing day and departs, as the alien armada closes in to destroy the planet…

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