Earth's Last Days: The Invasion

Keith sat on his sofa. At least it was the alien version of one. He was trying to figure out what he could use that was already in his quarters as a weapon since the replicator denied all requests to order a real one.

The buzzer of his door sounded, interrupting his thoughts. Growling, he got up to answer it. He hoped it was one of his people.

When he pressed the button to answer it, the door slid open. Niki, Jess, the guards, Council Leader Vorik, and the Guard Commander were standing there. He knew the one was the guard commander, but he had forgotten his name.

Niki pushed past him, and all the others followed. The door slid closed, giving them privacy.

Niki smiled widely, then gave the cabin a quick glance. There was nothing obvious that he found something to use as a weapon. Her gaze left the interior of the cabin and back to Keith. "You seemed to be trying to order weapons on the replicator. Care to tell us why? You don't need weapons on this ship," she told him.

Two guards had moved behind him along with the guard commander. Keith looked behind him, feeling boxed in. He immediately tensed up.

The guard commander smiled. "I suggest you answer her questions," he told Keith pleasantly. It almost appeared that the guard commander was having fun.

Keith tensed up even more, folding his arms across his chest. "What of it?" he sneered.

"Didn't I tell you if you do even one thing, I would send you to the cells?" she asked, smiling, then nodded to the guards behind him.

Before he could react, Keith felt a sharp pain in his neck; then everything went dark.

*** *** ***

Keith lay on a cold metal floor. The chill waking him from sleep. As his eyes opened, he realized he was in a cell on the ship.

Looking around, there were three walls, the floor, and the ceiling. In front of him, appeared to have nothing, almost like he was in an alcove rather than a cell. The fact that there were no bars or barriers confused him.

Standing up, he realized he had been stripped of all his clothing. A thin pair of clothing replaced what he had on before.

Looking around him to the empty alcove, he started for the opening in the cell. He was about to attempt to step through.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you?" a voice stated from beside him. An alien stood to one side of his cell, still in the hall. "It may look like there isn't a barrier, but there is. If you touch it, it will shock you enough to render you unconscious again," the alien warned.

"Why am I on the floor? I don't even see a bed or a toilet." Keith complained. Anger threatened to boil over.

The alien laughed, ignoring Keith's anger. "You're a prisoner. You don't get anything in your cell. You will be brought food once a day. You sleep on the floor. You relieve yourself wherever you feel like it." The alien pointed to a drain on the floor. "The cell will wash the floor once a day. Consider it your shower. All the dirt and grime in the cell will be rinsed down the drain."

"I didn't do anything!" Keith yelled. "Why am I in a cell?" Keith's anger was rising. His face turned bright red as he glared at the alien outside of his cell.

It only made the alien laugh. "As for your innocence, we shall see. You will be interrogated with the truth serum. Niki plans on having it recorded. You won't remember what you said. She wants you to remember. After the serum wears off, she plans on showing you the recording so you know what you said during your interrogation. Call it a reminder if you wish as to why you are in the cells."

"And if it shows I'm innocent?" Keith asked evenly. His face lightened just a little.

The alien smiled. "Then you will be freed. The truth serum is the only thing that can save you from execution."

Keith watched the alien turn and walk away, leaving him alone again. Turning to face the barrier, he slowly lifted his hand with the intention of touching the barrier with his finger. He didn't believe the alien that the barrier would shock him.

As soon as the tip of his finger made contact, an electrical shock shot through him. He was thrown against the back wall of the cell. For the second time, everything went black.

*** *** ***

Keith woke up to find himself sitting upright on a metal chair. His legs were shackled to a bar that kept his legs apart. His hands were held behind his back. A bar shackle kept his wrists apart so he couldn't touch them together. He looked around the room.

Two guards stood behind him. In front of him were the guard commander, Council Leader Vorik, another man he had never seen before, and Niki.

After pressing a button on the panel in front of him, Council Leader Vorik looked at Keith. "You have been charged, but now is the time to prove your innocence or guilt. You will be given a truth serum in order to interrogate you. If you are innocent, you will be set free. If you are guilty, you will be left in the cells until Niki decides to execute you."

Niki smiled. "I'm going to have your interrogation recorded so you have no doubt whatsoever what you told us."

Keith sneered at her but said nothing.

Council Leader Vorik nodded to the man that he had never seen before. The man stepped forward and injected him with an injector.

Everyone in the room watched as his face went slack, his eyes unfocused, staring at nothing.

"Why were you ordering weapons from the replicator in your room?" Council Leader Vorik asked.

"To kill Niki and take the leadership," Keith stated. His voice was monotone. His gaze stared at nothing. Vorik looked over at Niki for a moment. She had her arms crossed against her chest as she stared at Keith. He looked back at Keith to continue.

"What will you do if you become the leader of the people?" Vorik asked Keith.

"Enslave all aliens," Keith stated. His voice was monotone, his eyes focused on nothing.

"Is there anyone else who is on your side who is working with you?" Niki asked Keith.

"No. I haven't been able to speak to anyone with the alien guards present," Keith answered, his voice still monotone.

"Do you know of anyone who thinks the same as you do?" Niki asked.

"No one has indicated to me if they do or they do not," Keith answered. His voice was still monotone, his face slack.

"Who do you believe will side with you?" Niki asked him. She needed to know if there was going to be another problem person besides Keith.

"I do not know. I haven't heard anything indicating who will. I have to ask them questions or make comments to feel them out. If their response indicates they are with me, I will ask them for help. If they don't, I will avoid speaking to them about it so they don't report anything." Keith explained in his monotone voice.

Is there anyone who is working with you?" Niki asked. It was a repeat question, but she wanted to make sure.

"Not yet," Keith stated.

Council Leader Vorik took the questioning back. "What do you plan to do with those who are mated with aliens or those who have children by them?" he asked Keith.

Keith continued to stare at nothing. His voice was still monotone. "I will kill them for letting the aliens touch them. I will kill the children for being half-alien. Their blood is contaminated."

Niki turned to Vorik. "I believe I have heard enough."

Council Leader Vorik nodded. "As have I. Let him sit there until the serum wears off."

Niki nodded. "Yeah, I want him to know why he's going to die," she said, snapping her bladed staff open. The ominous sound echoed throughout the small interrogation room. "There was nothing showing his innocence, and from what I heard, keeping him alive would be a bad thing."

Everyone waited in silence until Keith's eyes refocused. He looked around, smiling. "I'm innocent. I didn't do anything wrong," he sneered, his eyes moving to the bladed staff in her hands. He looked suddenly confused.

Niki reached over and pressed a button. "Now you can see why you're going to die," she told him evenly. The screen lit up, and they all watched the interrogation. Keith's face paled with each word he saw himself speak. When it was done, Niki looked right at Keith. "As you can see, you have no recollection of what you said. The controlling serum that was used on the people works the same way; only they remember what they did. Just like you were forced to speak the truth, they were forced to invade Earth. Right now, the entire ship saw your interrogation. They are watching us now. What do you have to say to us and all those watching?" she asked him. "After all, this was a public interrogation."

Keith shook his head. "I have nothing to say. I don't care that the controlling serum forced them. They still did it. They still invaded our home. They destroyed the planet. It doesn't matter; they had no choice."

Niki sighed, her face turning pale. "Yes, it does matter. If they chose to invade, it would be different. They didn't choose. They didn't even know they were doing it until after the serum wore off, and they realized what they were forced to do. Those who forced them are all dead. We are all one people now. We must keep the peace on this ship. You have stated what you want to do. Every word you spoke speaks out against those on this ship. Not just Ramesian but Kreq and humans. I will not allow you to darken this ship. You have been interrogated and found guilty of your crimes of conspiring to commit murder, enslave the people, and lead others to do so as well. You are sentenced to execution to be carried out immediately. As you are human, it is my duty to carry it out."

Niki stepped back, her face pale as she spun her staff in a wide arc. The blade hissed through the air as it sliced through Keith's neck. His head fell to the ground as everyone on the ship watched.

Niki looked up at the camera. "You all saw how the truth serum works. You saw all of it. The controlling serum works the same way. You can't hold the invasion against someone who was forced to invade. Just like Keith had no will of his own as he answered the questions, the Ramesian had no will of their own as they invaded. They have been doing everything they can to save those left. They have been nothing but helping the survivors as best as they can. I will not tolerate any humans going against them for something they had no control over. Those who controlled them are all dead. There is no one left who forced them. Not just humans, but all of us are just trying to pick up the pieces and live in peace."

Niki turned to the guard commander and nodded. He reached over and pressed a button. The screen went dark. Keith had been publicly interrogated and executed. Now, she had to worry about the repercussions of her actions. She hoped that her speech would help, but she wasn't so sure.

*** *** ***

The crowd watched the interrogation. They watched as Niki executed Keith for all to see. They were appalled by what they witnessed: the words Keith spoke. The fact that he was executed in public, all of it. Then Niki spoke. That's when everyone understood.

Most knew about the serums used, but they had never witnessed them. Now they have. They all understood the magnitude of what had taken place. Keith was proof that the serums were powerful. They had watched the interrogation in horror at Keith's confession. Then, when it wore off, he remembered nothing. Not even one word about what he had said.

Niki told them all that the controlling serum worked the same way. Just like Keith was forced to answer the questions, speaking only the truth, the Ramesians had to obey the one who ordered the invasion. She had stated that those who controlled them, ordering the invasion, were all dead now. Now, they were just trying to cope with their past. It was a realization that no one expected.

James, who had been in the room when Keith was first taken to the council room to be told the cause of the planet's destruction, turned to the person beside him. "Niki didn't like killing Keith. Did you see her face? She was pale. She even had tears pooled in her eyes," he noted. It was loud enough for the group around him to hear.

Robert, who liked the sisters and was the one who agreed with Jess, nodded. "I heard about the serum used on them, but I didn't really understand how they could invade without having a choice. Now I understand it," he agreed aloud, then turned to the rest of the group, which was all the humans from outside the dome. "Niki's right. We can't hold the invasion against them. You saw how that truth serum works. I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself."

There were nods of agreement throughout the room. No one disagreed. If they did, they kept it to themselves.