by Ashley West
For a while, she was fine. The chaos seemed to have moved further away from the city for the moment, and the news reports were grim when they came. A few days passed and no one disturbed her. Occasionally she heard someone in the hall, barking orders or entreating someone to hurry up, but they left her alone, and she didn't come out.
Her conviction to leave seemed to have dried up some, and the longer she was safe in her apartment, the longer she wanted to stay there. Venturing out into the world was scary, especially since she didn't really know what to expect out there.
But her food was running out, and she would need to leave eventually. Her parents would be wondering where she was. All she knew was that they had gotten somewhere safe because they'd called, but then the cell tower had been destroyed, so she didn't know what had happened from there. She'd told them she was on her way. It wasn't true.
One day, about a week after the aliens had shown up, she ventured out. She had her purse and her pepper spray, and she drove to the grocery store.
Miraculously it was open and still had food, though the shelves weren't very full.
"We haven't had a delivery in two weeks," the cashier told her when she stepped inside. "There was supposed to be one last week, but. I guess they got word."
Emma nodded, glancing around. "And you're still coming to work, even though..." She gestured to the mess outside. People had taken advantage of the confusion, that was clear. Car windows were smashed in as well as the windows on the different shops on that street. Apparently some people had decided to go looting before they made their way out of the city.
The cashier shrugged a shoulder. "Not much else to do, is there? My fiancé doesn't wanna leave. He thinks this is all some kinda hoax."
"That...doesn't make any sense," Emma said.
"I know. But I can't leave without him, so we're still here."
She didn't seem that much older than Emma. Maybe twenty five or so. But she didn't seem afraid, either. She didn't seem like she lay awake each night wondering if she was going to be killed while her fiancé sat there and told her the whole thing was fake. At least she had a good reason for staying. Emma was still there because she was afraid, not because she had anything tying her there. But she didn't say that. Instead she grabbed a shopping cart and loaded it up with what was left.
Bread, milk, eggs, meat, things that could go in the microwave, soup, juice, a few luxuries like ice cream and cookies. She didn't need them, but whatever. The world could be coming to an end for all she knew. She was getting her Oreos.
The same cashier rung her up at the end of it, swiping her card and handing her a receipt.
"Stay safe," the woman said.
"You, too," Emma replied and left quickly, wanting to get back to the relative safety of her apartment.
When she looked back, she'd actually be surprised by how long she'd lasted.
A good month and a half went by without her being in danger. There were reports of people going missing and people trying to fight the invaders and dying in the process. The invaders had spread out more, and there had been sightings in other parts of the state, though they seemed to be using the city as their base. Other parts of the country and the world were taking their sweet time in answering the calls for help, and no one knew what was going to happen from one day to the next.
Emma felt confident enough to leave the apartment when she needed to, though it was often depressing when she did. More and more businesses were boarded up or broken into, closed indefinitely while they waited to see what would happen.
It was on one of these days that things took a turn for the worst.
She'd been shopping, the same grocery store still open, though she didn't see that cashier anymore. She'd stepped outside, bags in hand, and there it was.
Emma hadn't know the gender of the creature, or even if they had them, but that hadn't mattered. Either way it was huge and menacing, leering down at her with beady eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It didn't have any hair, and its skin was a waxy brown color. Clawed fingers were curled around the handle of a huge axe, and while its lower half was covered in some sort of ragged, cutoff approximation of pants, its upper half was mostly bare, save for a plate that covered it from chest to groin. Its arms were scaled, as was its back, and when it let out a guttural roar, Emma screamed and dropped her bags, turning to run.
She had to get to her car or to someone who would help her. Somewhere. Something.
But the thing was much faster than she was, and it apparently could jump, too, and it landed in front of her again, eyes fixed on her.
"Come come come," it said with a voice like broken glass.
"No!" Emma shouted, feeling like she was going to throw up.
"Come. Come human."
Before she could do anything, it had wrapped its fingers around her arm and was yanking her close. She could smell its foul breath when it hauled her closer and wrapped both arms around her, holding her tightly.
No matter how much she fought and squirmed and screamed, she couldn't get free, and the thing carried her from the parking lot all the way to the building that was crawling with more of those creatures. The place they were calling home.
She was examined by a bigger version of the same creature and then thrown into a cage. No matter how much she screamed and cried, they didn't let her out.
There were other humans in the cages along the hall. None of them looked hopeful.
Emma's heart sank.
Chapter Four: Arrival
Earth was not what Malachi had been expecting, he could say that much. Somehow it was both worse than and not as bad as he had been picturing in his head, and it was clear when they landed that something had to be done.
First of all, they had no trouble landing. There were all sorts of stories about human paranoia and how they would shoot unidentified crafts right out of the sky to avoid being invaded, assuming that anyone visiting from other planets or even sometimes other places on their own planet meant them harm. The entire crew had braced for opposition, from either the humans or the Alva, but the armor shields turned out to be unnecessary, and they landed with no issues.
They were in an area that appeared to be deserted, and it was clear to see that the Alva had done a number on this place. The Randoran had come down where the Alva had when they'd arrived, following the lingering traces of their ships to lead them to where the Alva would probably be the most concentrated.
All around them was evidence of the fight that had taken place. Buildings were reduced to rubble, the skeletons of their structures still barely in place.
There was dust and dirt everywhere, and the lack of life was starkly noticeable. Not only were there no humans about, but there weren't any Alva either, or so it appeared. The Randoran stayed on their ship for hours, watching and waiting, wanting to be sure before they made a move.
But it appeared that both the humans and the Alva had abandoned this place, and looking at it, Malachi didn't think he could blame them. It would take a lot of work to make this a place where people could live again.
The General had warned them against taking unnecessary risks, and so they proceeded carefully. Their ship was loaded with enough food and water to sustain them, as well as a travel vehicle that detached from the ship and could be used to help them get around once they figured out where they were going. It was a diplomatic vessel, rather than one primed for war, an outward sign of their mission on Earth, though it did have a few weapons hidden because even diplomacy could turn into battle at the slightest provocation.
"For now," Malachi said when the crew turned to him for direction. "We will be staying on the ship. Until we make contact with the humans, at the least."
It was big enough for them all, and had been almost comfortable as they'd traversed the distance between Dorn and Earth, using hidden interstellar pathways and warp stars to get them where they needed to go in a shorter time than it would have taken normally.
Mordecai had taken express
pleasure in being the one to plot out their route for them, grinning when he'd programmed it into the ship under Mal's watchful eye.
"Looks like I'm going to be good for something after all," he'd said, and Malachi knew he was going to miss his brother, so he'd hauled him into a hug.
His family was proud of him for being Champion and being chosen to lead this mission, but they were also concerned about the danger.
Malachi tried not to think about it, if he was honest.
The first order of business was to find a human in some position of power to speak to. Malachi wanted them to know that they came in peace, and the General had stressed that it was important that they establish themselves as allies from the get go.
"The last thing we need is for them to think we've come to help the Alva," he'd said sternly, and Malachi understood. The humans had to be beaten down enough by then, and he didn't want to add to that. He wanted them to look at the visiting Randoran and see that they were their saviors and as different from the Alva as was possible.
It was a point of pride.
Hours passed, and it became clear that the part of town they'd landed in was deserted. No humans, no Alva, not even any animals.
"Orders, sir?" one of the crew asked, and Malachi snapped into leadership mode. It was his job to make sure they got this done and got it done safely, and it was one he took seriously.
"Right. We need to make contact with the humans first. The Alva won't hesitate to attack us on sight, and we need to avoid that. I'm going in to find someone in power. Gilder, Hapt, K'thor, and Priya, you'll come with me," he said, pointing out each member of the group as he named them. He'd worked long and hard to make sure he remembered all of their names. It was important to him on an interpersonal level, and also because if something happened, and he couldn't make sure all of them got back home in one piece, he wanted to know who had fallen so he'd be able to honor them and tell their families.
"Shouldn't you take more people with you, Champion?" someone asked, and Malachi shook his head.
"Not to begin with. We don't want them to think we're coming in force. They probably don't know what the ship means if they've even seen it, and even if they did, they're probably wary of anything from another planet at this point."
Nods all around. They understood that.
Those Malachi had chosen were prepared, and together they disembarked from the ship, carrying one concealed weapon each and dressed in the colors of their people.
This was the first diplomatic mission he'd ever been on, the first time he was being asked to represent his people in something other than a battle. Battle was much more straightforward.
The air on Earth was breathable, but heavily polluted, and it wore on them as they took the vehicle they'd brought and drove around, looking for some sign that would lead them to where they needed to go.
"How could they let this happen to their own planet?" Hapt muttered to himself.
"I don't think they chose it," K'thor put in, gesturing to the destruction that became more apparent as they moved through the city.
"Not this," Hapt insisted. "Their air. It's like breathing sludge. This is a long time in the making."
"Maybe they don't understand how it hurts them," spoke up one of the others, prompting a conversation about it.
Malachi kept himself focused, looking around as he drove the vehicle. They'd had a briefing on human political structures (which had, admittedly, given him a huge headache when he'd tried to understand it), so when he saw a sign that said it led to the Governor's mansion, he perked up and turned them in that direction.
Malachi wasn't sure what he'd expected of a human leader, though he'd known that it wouldn't be the same as their General. The strongest did not get put into a position of power among the humans, but he'd thought it would still be someone fairly impressive. The smartest, maybe. Or at least the most persuasive.
What he found was a small, scared little man, hiding in his mansion and pretending to go about his daily tasks while things crumbled around him.
There were guards at the door when they arrived, but Malachi had insisted they be allowed in, and it was clear that while these men might have been considered formidable on Earth, they were no match for the Randoran.
"We come in peace," Malachi said firmly, wanting it to be known that they were not there to do anything to hurt them. "We just want to speak with your...governor."
"You ain't human," one of them said, eyeing Malachi up. He had to crane his neck to do it.
"No," Malachi agreed. "I'm not. We're here to help you."
Neither of the guards seemed to want to argue with him, which was more than fine with Malachi. They were shown into the large house and then to the governor's office.
The reedy little man had looked like he wanted to leap out the nearest window when he saw Malachi and company, but he forced himself to remain in his chair, which Malachi could respect.
"We aren't here to harm you," he said, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of peace. "We only want to help."
"How can you help us?" the man demanded. "We are beyond help now. Where were you when all this started?"
Some of his company bristled at that, taking exception to the idea that it was their job to keep the humans safe or that they should have known what the Alva had planned. Malachi held up a hand before any of them could voice their displeasure.
"We have only recently found out about your...situation," he said. "And we came as soon as we could. The universe is vast, Governor."
That seemed to if not placate him, then at least calm him down for the moment, and he nodded. "How can you help us?" he asked again.
"We know the Alva well. We've fought them time and time again. We have come to get them off of your planet."
"Do you think you can really do that?" the man asked, eyes wide. "It's been horrible."
That was apparent to anyone with eyes, but Malachi gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile (who knew with humans, honestly) and inclined his head. "Tell me."
The story that poured out of the man made it clear why he was so scared. The Alva had been there for nearly a year, and they were making life miserable for the humans. People had been killed and captured, and while the Alva seemed content enough to let them go about their daily lives as usual, it was always apparent that they were watching.
"We don't even know how many have been taken or what happens to them when they're snatched," the governor said. "They just take people and no one can fight back against them. The list of missing people grows every day, and the people fear the worst."
"Don't blame them for that," Priya murmured. "Never seen an Alva take a hostage. Don't think I'd want to."
Malachi sent her a quelling glance. It wouldn't help anything to get the humans even more worked up than they already were.
Knowing the Alva, it was something like slavery. They were cruel, but they also knew how to play their enemies, and taking humans and using them for labor or some other nefarious thing would be just like them. Malachi didn’t tell the governor that. He told him that they were there to help and that if the humans cooperated, they would save them. That was all he needed to know, and a mass panic of humans wouldn’t make this any easier.
It was his version of diplomacy.
With the promise of whatever help the governor could offer, Malachi and the others returned to their ship. When they heard what the Alva were doing to the humans, even those who had been skeptical about coming to Earth and helping were seeing why they were needed.
Things like slavery and keeping people as pets had been outlawed on Dorn hundreds of years ago, but the Alva didn't have laws like that. They were a take what you want, kill anyone who gets in your way kind of race, and stars only knew what they had done to the humans in their clutches.
When Malachi set off again, this time armed with the information about where the Alva had set up their base on Earth, he had his jaw set in determination, and he was alone.
&nbs
p; His companions told him it was foolish to walk into enemy territory without any back up, and he knew they were right. The Alva could very well try to kill him. They could already know they were there and be planning to lure them into some kind of trap. Anything could happen, but Malachi insisted. This was his mission, and he was the Champion. He could face the leader of the Alva here, and if they wanted to make an issue of things, then he was definitely ready for that, too.
When he stepped off the ship and got into the vehicle, he was dressed in his finest. The purple and green of Randoran colors making his tanned skin glow and his dark eyes gleam. His hair was braided neatly, let loose from the usual braided knot to fall down around his shoulders. He wore the mantle of the Champion, a deep purple cape that fluttered over his shoulders and ended just below his waist. The cape served to hide the blaster he kept tucked into the back of his pants, but he wasn't hiding either of the beam swords he had on his hips.
It made him feel powerful and prepared, and he drove to the massive building in the center of the town with confidence riding him.
There were four Alva guards outside the door, and they narrowed their eyes at him as he drove up.
"Randoran," they spat, using the word like a curse.
"Alva," Malachi replied, arching an eyebrow. "I want to talk to your leader."
None of them moved.
"We should kill you where you stand," one of them said.
"You should take me to your leader," Malachi said, keeping his tone even. There was no point in getting upset yet.
The guards seemed to deliberate, and then one of them peeled off from the group and walked inside the building, probably going to deliver the message that a Randoran had come to call.
Malachi was confident the leader would see him, and he ignored the other guards as they looked at him like they wanted nothing more than to rip him apart. He was used to that from the Alva, and he'd killed enough of their kind to know they hated him. The feeling was mutual.
When the guard came back, he looked upset. "Leader will see you," he grumbled, motioning for Malachi to follow.
