Star Fortress Watchful Guardian
Operations Center
Four hours after probe arrival

Commander Aurelia sipped on a cup of tea exported from the capital as xenolinguistics moved as quickly as they could to decipher the transmission from the mysterious probe.  Word of it's arrival had already spread to the Legion's High Command, the Senate, and even the Emperor himself, all of whom were patched into the Guardian's holocomm.

"Commander," the Speaker of the Senate said, "How much longer must we wait?  The Senate expects results in matters of First Contact."

The Supreme Commander of the Legions rolled her eyes.  "Master Speaker, I trust that you realize that translating a recently discovered language isn't as simple as drafting a bill regulating skycar speeds."

"How dare you?!"

"ENOUGH!"  All parties involved looked at the Emperor's image the moment he shouted.  The young monarch looked suitably annoyed.  "Supreme Commander, Master Speaker, you are both acting like children... allow the CO of the Star Fortress to speak, please?"

The Speaker of the Senate and the Supreme Commander both looked a little sheepish as they fell silent.

"Thank you, my Liege.  We should be expecting a rough translation of the probe's signal in a few moments.  The xenolinguists aboard this Fortress have been itching for a new language to decipher for some time."

A button on her command throne interface lit up one standard minute later.  "Already?  Huh... remind me to put their whole department in for commendations."

She pressed the button and began the audio playback that could be heard throughout the large station and within the capitol center on Pax Dracon.  Despite the broken Drakari Basic, the intent of the signal made itself known.

"A distress signal?  What in the name of...?!"

Nearly everyone in the room, either physically or through holographic telepresence, were shaking in rage.

"Supreme Commander..." the Emperor said with an unnervingly steady tone, "prepare all fleets that can be spared.  Master Speaker, contact the Treecu ambassador and their government.  They had best have a good excuse for this unprovoked invasion of a sovereign world!"

"Yes, my Emperor," they said almost in unison before leaving the interstellar conference call.

"Commander Aurelia, keep your station on standby.  We may have further need of the Watchful Guardian and it's crew."