Libra, on Valentine’s Day

Libra addresses the world at an ASALEA press conference on February 15, 2041: the day after the Valentine’s Day tragedy at Philadelphia. 


Yesterday was a tragedy.

I don’t think that I need to tell any of you that. Millions of lives were lost. Though we at ASALEA managed to prevent the anomaly from spreading across the country or the world, I’m sure that is shallow comfort to the loved ones of the millions we failed to save. This is not a time for celebration.

It is a time for preparation.

Gone are the days of Apophis or the Red Bomber. We no longer fight evil people doing evil things. We can say with honesty and confidence that the classic supervillain barely exists anymore. No, our enemies have become far more complex than that. We now fight ideologies, systemic flaws, unkillable monsters, and the earth beneath our feet. We cannot rely on powerful heroes to come in and beat the bad guy into submission anymore. 

ASALEA will maintain its mission to keep the peace. Our heroes and agents will continue to combat superpowered threats and do everything in our power to keep you safe. But you deserve to know that ASALEA can only do so much against the things we cannot destroy.

Thank you.


This was not an approved speech. Libra was ushered off the stage, swiftly reprimanded, and threatened with demotion or even forced retirement. Nonetheless, this speech seems to mark a turning point in ASALEA’s policies and marks a shift to prioritization of social welfare programs, education, and prevention over the purely aggressive, militaristic stance of the previous years. This speech is also notable as being the shortest in ASALEA history and the final one given by Libra I.

This speech was, in many ways, seemingly prescient. The rise of organizations such as Wildfire in the coming years, as well as the decline of traditional supervillain attacks, would prove Libra’s point, and the Rearguard program (sponsored by Libra) would educate new heroes in Libra’s more nuanced approach to heroism.

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