Dominion 15

Seventeen Years Ago

They stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, gun at the ready. Silence surrounds them like a heavy fog that can't be lifted. They follow orders, not wanting to know what will happen if they don't.

His legs begin to ache, from the hours of standing. However, he doesn't dare show it, because it would be a sign of weakness, a sign that they are not grateful enough.

Eyes begin to grow heavy from fatigue. Even if their shift has been uneventful, staying up from dawn until long after dusk, with minimal amounts of food, has begun to show. Duval shifts looking at the surrounding camp, the anticipation in him barely allowing him to stand still for much longer.

General walks around, head held high. The worry on his face has begun to show, ever since the deal was made, months ago. He claims it's just the stress for them to come, but everyone knows it's much deeper than that.

Military trucks surround them, a person each near the turret in the bed of the trucks. Tanks are further away hidden, so they, the Hans, don't seem alarmed by a large amount of force.

This is ironic because the military force probably won't cause much of a dent against them. Whatever they truly are.

Of course, no one has ever met them face to face, they were lucky enough to communicate with them, via video chat. The sight of them startled some, causing them to leave the room at once making excuses. To others, they were a wonder, a final belief that there was something more beyond human existence.

Now with no communication for more than three months, the belief has started to diminish. Rumors have begun to develop among those who have heard about Project J, which was pretty much most of the country. The whispers talked about how Project J was just a stunt by The President, all a joke. But then a few weeks ago, they received a message. A simple message, no detail written within. It did include a few commands, but besides that, there wasn't any explanation as to why it was sent. When a response was sent out, nothing was heard from them.

The short notice startled everyone and made them wonder if it was the right choice, to begin with. The President took to action, taking everyone out of their trance and enforcing orders. Becoming that leader we all elected. He wanted everyone to do exactly what they had asked for, and more. No word was spoken against him because everyone was afraid, afraid of what the invaders were capable of, afraid of what may become of what they were taught to call home.

A few days passed, the deal was sealed, and The President took to his podium. The entire country was ordered to watch it, claiming important news, and indeed it turned out to be just that. After a few minutes of going on about the outer orbits of space, he announced the coming of the Hans. Not much detail was provided but enough to alert the millions of people tuning in.

Chaos slowly began to develop and continues to date. Riots started, protestors took to the street, and others began to embrace the end of the world, believing the Hans would bring forth the extinction of the human race. And yet, some still had hope, those who believed that the entire nation and the Hans could be united into one, that the two species could coexist in peace.

Now they are about to find out if what they believed is true.

He doesn't believe in any of these theories himself; he just wants to get back to his family. It makes him uncomfortable to think that there will be another race, completely different than the humans who will now inhabit Earth.

There was nothing to know about them, only speculation of who they were and where they were from. They were a true mystery all were looking to unravel when they finally came.