Many historians are wont to point out Gerald Warner's dramatic address to the Families Ruling Council on 22 October, 2787 as the beginning of the Second Interstellar War. History texts never fail to quote him as saying, "I hereby declare that a state of war exists between the Warner Family and all other Families which will not support it in maintaining its guaranteed rights of life, liberty, and property. The Forrest and DaGama Families have violated those rights without provocation, and I will see them punished, so help me, God!"

Lost to most observers were the smaller actions which eventually triggered the grander themes we are all familiar with. This work is the story of where things actually began, told in the words of those who were there. Admiral Brighton and Doctor Ward have both published their memoirs, and the author has drawn from them extensively, but not exclusively. Other witnesses have also left behind journals, media interviews, and official reports to further document what transpired. Some editing has been done to allow for a narrative flow, but this has been kept to a minimum and no actual facts have been distorted thereby.

The opposite viewpoint in this tale was not so well documented, and much of what is included in these sections are the extrapolation of known facts to cover what was not known, and cannot now be discovered. These items are told in a neutral voice to distinguish them from the accounts of the participants.

Without further delay, then, this is what happened.