Earth's Last Days: The Invasion

The pilot landed the small shuttle next to the cargo shuttle, where they were replicating dome panels for placement. He flipped the lever to open the door for Aleigha to get out. "Wait here, I'll be right back," she told the pilot.

Aleigha exited, scanning around her. She was looking for Council Leader Vorik. The men were busy building the dome. She found Council Leader Vorik near the large replicator. Smiling, she headed right for him.

Council Leader Vorik looked stressed. His gaze kept scanning around them. It was clear that he was afraid of being taken off guard and attacked by the group by the lake. They were still unknown, and he didn't want to take any chances.

As he gazed around him, his gaze finally fell on Aleigha as she approached him. "How did you get here?" he asked, worried. She was supposed to be on the ship, not on the surface of the planet.

Aleigha smiled. "It's not just me. Jada, Niki, and Orik are here too. You can count the pilot if you want, but he hasn't even given us his name, so I don't know it. Niki pulled rank and got us to the surface. We found out some stuff when we eavesdropped on their conversations. We need a portable replicator for the group by the lake."

"You went to see the group by the lake?" he asked, wanting to clarify that he heard correctly. Anger threatened to show itself. Going to the lake, and not knowing what they were getting into, was dangerous. Anything could have happened.

Aleigha smiled at Vorik. "Yes. We went in cloaked. When I heard enough, I spoke to them. It took a bit, but I ended up deactivating the cloaking shield I was wearing so they could see me. They crash-landed, and their ship was damaged when they hit the surface. They're running from bounty hunters who want to take them back to the planet they came from and enslave them again. They were enslaved, and they escaped. They don't want their children to live enslaved. They were complaining that they couldn't fix their ship, and they were running out of rations. They have this little girl with them. Her name is Wix. She's adorable, by the way. Anyway. I didn't want the child to starve, so I just started speaking to them. I told them we would bring them a replicator so they could have food. I think they should be added to our community, but that's really up to them. I think that you should make sure that they can't get weapons from the replicator until we know for sure they are safe. I think they are, but you never know. History tells us that just because you come to trust someone and become close friends, it doesn't mean they are safe. They are neither, but I'm just trying to make my point."

Council Leader Vorik held his hand up for her to stop speaking. "So, you came to me so you can take back a replicator for them?" he asked.

Niki's voice answered before Aleigha had a chance. "Yep, that is why we are here. We need to get them a replicator. They need food and clothing and maybe parts to fix their ship."

Vorik sighed and ordered a portable replicator. He used his access code to deactivate the settings for armor, weapons, and devices, then handed it to Aleigha. "It's not hooked up to the ship. I blocked all weapons, armor, and battle devices, such as cloaking shields and palm shields. I also blocked items like our serums and other items that could prove dangerous to them or us. You can take it to them now."

"Thanks, boss," Aleigha said, smiling, and then she and Niki headed back to the shuttle.

As they got back in, Niki turned to the pilot. "Fly us back to the same location. I don't want to scare them, so go in cloaked. We won't be cloaked, so just like before, you will have no issue seeing us approach."

The pilot nodded and then took them back to where he had landed before. They all got out of the shuttle and headed back to the camp with the replicator in tow.

"Have your weapons ready just in case they were more than they seemed. I don't want to get attacked," Niki told them as she unclasped the hidden pocket that hid her bladed staff.

Jada and Aleigha did the same. Orik flipped the top of his holster for his blaster before they headed to the camp.

*** *** ***

Drell sat with his people around a large fire pit. Wix sat on his lap, his mate Neve beside him. Gaf, his brother, paced in front of them.

"If they come back, what if they bring an army?" Gaf told them in a panic. "They know where we are; what if they tell the bounty hunters where to find us?" Rubbing his long, slick horn in agitation, he continued his pacing.

His people, the males, had long, circular ram horns that were soft black. They were slick, smooth, and cool to the touch. The children only had buds, their horns not yet formed. The Female's horns were short, only an inch long. It was the men who had the larger ones. It was one of the things their slavers liked about them. Their skin was a dark mauve. Their clothing was tattered from extended use. They needed new ones but were unable to get any.

"The people we met from this planet didn't seem like they would betray us. You saw how the small female treated Wix. I think we can trust them," Drell told his brother. "I think their offer of help was genuine."

"It is," Aleigha told them as she and the others walked up to them. "We brought you a replicator so you can get food, clothing, and supplies."

The group tensed seeing her and the other three. Orik was the only male among the three small females.

Drell stood up, pressing the child into his mate, Neve, before slowly walking up to them. "We don't know how to use it," he said quietly.

Jada chuckled, looking at Wix trying to escape her mother. She knew the child was probably trying to go to Aleigha. She seemed to have formed an attachment to her in the few moments they had been there the last time. Jada bent down to the replicator and ordered a doll for the child. It was a small doll with black hair. After it materialized, she ignored everyone watching, walked up to the mother and child, and then handed the doll to the young girl. "Do you like toys, Wix?" Jada asked her. "I ordered a doll for you to play with."

Wix giggled, taking the doll from Jada. Jada winked at her and walked back to her mate and friends. The group watched as Wix sat down next to her mother and played with the doll quietly. Wix was hardly ever quiet. She had a lot of energy and used it frequently to disrupt what others were doing.

Orik turned to the man, Drell. "I will show you how to use the replicator. You can order just about anything. I will even show you how to program items into it. Perhaps you like a certain food that isn't already programmed, then you will know what to do to add it to the menu."

While showing Drell how to use the replicator, Orik helped program items into it that the dark mauve aliens were more accustomed to; Jada, Aleigha, and Niki sat around the firepit talking to Wix's mother. They didn't leave the small group until Orik was sure the group was able to use the replicator.

*** *** ***

Drell watched the group leave, walking through a cluster of trees. His gaze didn't waver until they were out of sight.

Gaf walked up to him. "I think they will help us," Gaf said quietly to his brother.

Drell nodded but didn't say anything.

"What is it, brother?" Gaf asked him. "Something about them troubles you."

Drell turned to his brother, his face pale. "I think that if we don't fix our ship and leave, those looking for us will find those beings and us as well. I do not want to be the cause of their enslavement. I think we need to fix our ship as quickly as possible and leave this planet before any of those beings are harmed because of us."

Gaf smiled. "You liked them. You wish to ensure their protection."

Nodding, Drell turned toward his people and started toward them. Gaf followed behind, watching his brother. He followed him all the way to the engine, where they were trying to fix the damage that the asteroid caused. "We need to get this fixed. The male, Orik, programmed the parts we needed into the replicator. I think we will be able to fix it now. We just have to hurry so we can leave before the bounty hunters come here looking for us."

Gaf picked up the box filled with tools, and together with Drell, they continued to try and fix their ship.