Stellar Saviors

first chapter

     My people have always been afraid. Afraid of monsters. Afraid of Greed. Afraid of the unknown. we had a life hidden from the world. We kept to ourselves. Shared our Knowledge only locally. We've had our rituals and religion. We were content and safe. We had centuries. Countless books of history. We had nearly come to perfect our understanding of our planet  and the science.

    Then the unknown hit. The Shakall landed outside the walls. There was a week of animalistic screaming and howls. Sounds we once knew well. In the centuries we'd heard those noises multiple times. I'd seen the source personally on outside runs.
    The difference between those instances however the noises we heard this time were scared. Cries of defeat. Battle of the unheard.
    At the end of the week we saw a spark on top of the walls. A ring of fire circled the city. My people were startled, frozen like cold water. They are hardly ever in danger, at least those who stay in the walls. They wouldn't know what to do even if I tried to tell them. We all stood there though. Even for us who have been outside the walls, seeing multiple flames on top was entirely new. The wall is a grand height and it sloped outward. To get on top of it would take much struggle.
    It was eerily silent, all we could see were unfocused blur of the Shakall. Motionless.
    After the first hour the streets were clear, everyone had retreated either to the safety of the tower or their home. Those of us on the outside teams stayed alert. I chose to stay in the street. Chose to watch them.
     Then a second ship landed, this time perched on the wall like a large bird. A larger Shakall came from within covered in golden Jewelry and spikes protruding every direction out of their helm. We watched it walk to the edge of the wall, seeming to stare into me.
    Then it jumped. landing inside the city. Still silence held. I held my ground beside my team as it came closer to the middle tower, which is where the president stayed. His generals ar his side. If needed, I was to defend the tower. It never came to that though. Not even close.  We wouldn't stand a chance.
    Instead the Shakall came to us, the ones still on the wall jumped down. The larger one in front of us reached to its head,pulling off its helm, revealing its species traits to us. They don't have noses, Skinny faces, long ears and necks, pitch black eye, with just the smallest of a pupil. This one, its mouth scared me. The comers of it seemed to reach all the way back to its ears, like if he opened his mouth it would split his face in two. He looked dangerous. The tattooed bald head and spikes trailing up from his forehead didn't help either.
    As I was lost examining the Shakalls appearance I came to realize we had been surrounded. The hundreds that were on the wall were now in city ground. I knew we couldn't take on this many, even if we gave our lives trying. When I looked to my men at that moment, they looked  terrified. I could never forget their expressions from then. Even if now I've seen much worse.
    A single Shakall walked up, it's mouth like ours which is why the larger ones scared me. It parted its lips, revealing a jagged set of spikes.
    "You.. have.. leader?" A broken use of English
The fact it knew our language concerned me. How did it know? It was addressing one of my team members, a rather difficult one. Always temperamental that one was.
    "Why do you want to know?" He demanded. I saw a glimpse of silver swoosh past my vision one second.
    A crushed human the next.
    Squashed like a bug under a large grey pillar. I had looked towards where it came from, a more bulky Shakall smiling insanely towards us. A Maniac.
    The shakall who spoke before looked at my other team member, quite bored appearing. "leader?"
    "Please don't hurt us, just go-" this time I saw the golden one flick a finger before the pillar was thrown. Two bodies now laid beside me. Their blood stained the dirt.
    Then its eyes were on me. The last one. It didn't ask this time, just watched, expectedly.
    I couldn't keep the contact and looked away, my eyes focused on the reflection in the blood. It was hard to see, but my face confused me. I thought I'd look scared, instead I looked disappointed.
    "this way." I announced, straightening my posture and taking a step buck towards the tower. If this is how I survive, it's the least I can do. Though part of me was still expecting a pillar. It never came however, not then.
    They followed almost silently, when we got to the tower their feet made weird clicking noises. I realized, they didn't have normal feet. Theirs looked more like chickens or dinosaurs, very ancient animals.
    The memory has become a blur at some points. But I  remember the president cursing at me.
    "You pig! You just let them waltz in here,no fight at all! What kind of man are you? If you can even call yourself a man-" he too was pillared.
     His generals after him after they tried to put their hands on the golden Shakall. Just me and the Shakall were left once more.
    I was scared for my life then, unsure how to even get out of such a situation. The one who spoke to me took me by the arms, dragging me out of the room.
   "The shakall will now take over your planet, tell your humans to surrender or we will do away with them," It told me.
     I saw each of my people's faces as I told them the news. Saw their looks of sadness. The fear. A mix of rage and terror they all displayed.
    That was then, before the worst happened.
And then, was 26 years ago.

    My name is Marlee, I would be 42 this year if not for the aliens. They have kept us from aging, frozen us to keep the adults in the best health for work. My people have grown to hate me now, their code name for me: the messenger.

    The Golden One, as we have to call him, told my people how they took. How I led them up the tower, how the president lashed out, and how he got pillared. They made an example of someone there in the middle of everyone gathered. Crushed them there. I saw the blood scatter on the people nearby. The Shakall quickly proved they weren't ones to show mercy or to be denied. We grew afraid and obedient. Some of my people began to hate me but what choice did I have? They would've found him one way or another.

    As the years passed, they became increasingly violent. But less pillars showed up around the city. They don't let us clean up the pillars, only the bodies. Their blood is forever stained into the stone.
    A while ago, maybe 10 years, they knocked the walls down. Giant bones were littered in the forests around where the walls were, more found when they cleaned the surrounding forest. A Shakall explained to me that the week they landed they had to kill any beast they encountered. That would explain the screams we heard that week.
     They expanded the city, surrounding it, with their homes and large fields where they made us tend foreign crops. They didn't eat much and refused to touch our food.
    I don't think they liked our species. Not many Shakall showed expressions but when they did it was very judgemental.
      On the 15th year of their stay, a rebellion occurred, a violent one. They effectively killed a total of 5 Shakalls, but no more than that. The Golden One had made an appearance, seeing the bodies he called for all humans to be brought to the colosseum.
    Did I participate in the rebellion? I was merely a witness. Ever since the start I was always meant to be an observer, and then again: a messenger. I recalled events to the Golden One, and at some point I came to hear his voice. Soon I became a translator for him as well. In moments like the rebellion, I was to speak against my people.
   "Due to today's events, I have called for a change. It seems I have been too soft to your Kind. That is my mistake. I assumed you could Co-exist obediently. You have proved me wrong!" My voice trembled every few words.
   "Starting today, your comfort will be paid for our loss. If I cannot expect peace, you shall not know comfort"
    It took a simple flick of the wrist and a pillar fell beside me. A weep could be heard where the captive rebels were held.
    "As for punishment for those of you who believe you can resist our power, "my voice wavered as the golden one stepped in my direction. Truthfully I knew he was going behind me where the rebels were chained to the ground. Their ankles binded to keep them standing, but their arms rose to connect them to a pillar behind them. I saw a few of them shaking. The Golden One raised a hand to the crowd and I had to speak his words once more.
    "Void them of food and watch as they wither. Those who try to help try will be joining their fate immediately." Cruel punishment, unlike the others, their death will drag on. As for us who live, we began to be treated differently. They forced curfew. By sunset we were either home or dead.
    They began to take groups of my people out to hunt monsters. Very few  returned. They put my people to build their empire. I saw the blueprints, it was a large palace. Large was an understatement. It's a relieve we were never able to finish it.
    My people suffered through seasons after season. Only on full moon nights were the days gentle. The golden one disappeared on those days, leaving me to join in the work. I never complained. I knew better then to. A day of work was nothing compared to my peoples labor.
    Besides the work, they grew more violent. Began to stop my people in the streets, question them and kill them if their answers didn't satisfy.
     Women would go missing. I stopped seeing kids as often.People stopped saying prayer in public.
    Most days I forgot to pray. I knew the gods must not hear them anyways. If there is other life in the universe, why would they focus on our insignificant prayers. It might be disrespectful to think. Only allows for minimal hope. Hope had been long gone for me at this point. The gods doomed my kind to be taken over and left no hope or fight.
    Or so I thought.
    Year 20, I heard a rumor. On one full moon, rebellions in other colonies. I took a risk and eavesdropped. Another ship had landed. An undetected and new ship. Unknown even to the Shakall.
    That year the new species began to take out the other colonies, the Shakall described them as brutal and quiet killers. I spread the message to my people. They didn't believe me. My people thought I was trying to give false hope. They spat at and cursed me. For years I tried to hold on that hope. Began to pray, for both redemption and a savior. That maybe, the rebellions will reach our colony. Years I held on to the hope. Stringing it thin then molding it up again with each prayer. Even the thought that we could possibly be free once more gave me hope. All I needed was a chance.