Little Green Planet

[Srelex]

"Our Empire is all but dead.

"Our people have nowhere to turn.

Our once majestic fleets and armies reduced to shadows of what they once were...

Our salvation must lie here, or else we are all doomed."

Voshka, commander of the First Phalanx of the Nyunari Empire--or rather, what precious little remained of it--observed the image of their destination on a monitor within the command node point of the small cargo hauler she and her compatriots had been forced to take as transportation. This was what it had come down to. Beset by alliances and turmoil, the Nyunari had crumbled under the relentlessness of the opposition, retreating to the outer arms of the galaxy. The enemy gave them no chance to consolidate their fleets, eradicating their bastion worlds, ravaging systems to make sure that it was they, not the Nyunari, who dominated the galaxy. The remnants of the Nyunari Empire needed somewhere, some haven, to consolidate and reconstruct, far away enough from the unrelenting enemy. That was where she and the First Phalanx came in.

There were but five warriors of the Phalanx remaining, including herself, and they were present with her in the node center, encased in their smooth, jagged nano-crystal armor, sitting despondently. What remained of the Ruling House had tasked them with heading out into this cluster to trace the origin of faint, primitive communications signals--a sign of life, albeit simplistic, and if there was life, that potentially meant some place for the remnants of their race to transplant themselves. It was a long shot, hence why they had been only granted a simple vessel like this--the days when majestic Nyunari fleets could traverse the voids at will were long gone--and why only five warriors had been granted this task. Voshka knew that if there was anything out here that would aid their dying race, they would have to seize it--if not, then that only meant more despair.

Now, they had entered the system of origin for those primitive signals--eight planets (or nine?)--and a single once with developed life as far as she could tell. The ship's arrays brought her images and simplistic data--curse these models--telling her enough for it to be apparent that there was some form of inhabitation on that rock.

"What do we have?"

It was Shikar, the warrior who upheld the other's equipment--distant, uncommunicative, but out of the five, he had the greatest understanding of their weapons and armor systems. He was invaluable, as far as Voshka was concerned.

"An inhabited world." she uttered as more data was flashed on the screen. "But I see no trace of space travel capability of any reasonable extent. The atmosphere is breathable, the gravity is tolerable...there's some traces of carbon monoxide, which I can only presume is natural."

"We must inform the Ruling House, and wait for their orders." said Shikar. "I think we may be in luck."

"The signal will take too long." A harsher voice spoke up--Tash, the heavy weapons specialist of the Phalanx. Violent. Impulsive. Given his tendencies, Voshka could not help but admit that she was not certain about his presence here. "I say we tell them we've struck lucky, and then get busy. It's the most logical way."

"You're saying we should jump right in?" Nedas--Voshka's lieutenant. She had known him since her induction days. "Why not, I say."

"I remind you that the Ruling House will want as little physical damage done to this world as possible." Voshka snapped forcefully to Tash. "We must exercise..."

"I didn't say nothing about razing the rock." he muttered.

"Good." she said, before turning to Belain, final member of the Phalanx, and it's newest--a warrior who had not seen many battles, but from what she could tell, was nonetheless eager to avoid them. From what she had seen, out there in the inner arms...she could not blame him. "What do you think?"

"What else do we know?"

"We're coming into orbit now. Stealthing active." announced Shikar. "Reading many primitive and scattered urban concentrations along the surface."

"What sort of resistance can we expect?" snapped Tash.

"I'm not sure. The arrays on this vessel are inadequate."

"Force may not be necessary." said Nedas. "If these inhabitants are primitive enough, they might take us as deities and we'll have the place sorted."

"The simplest method of evaluation will be to see for ourselves." Voshka murmured. "Shikar--prepare transport systems. Bring us someplace remote..."

**

Nedas couldn't say he was feeling entirely confident about this mission, as the five were surrounded by the glow of blink-fields before materialising on the surface below. Digesting the atmospheric and environmental information his suit was relaying into his brain, he ascertained his surroundings--they were standing in what appeared to be an agricultural area of some kind, in the midst of rows and rows of what he presumed were crops. Ahead of them was a small, simple dwelling--judging by the height, the inhabitants of this rock were pretty small. He also noted what looked like a vehicle parked beside it...internal combustion? What next, wires?

"Perhaps, if we are to be deities, we should demonstrate our godly powers." Tash growled, under his blank visor. "I feel some shots here and there will have them praising us..."

"First, we must make proper contact procedures." snapped Voshka, moving through the crops towards the dwelling. "Only if they attack us first, do we retaliate appropriately."

"Spoilsport." grunted Tash.

They stepped out of the field of crops, leaving trails of flattened stems, when a small figure burst out of the dwelling, brandishing a weapon of some kind--Nedas paused and watched in bemusement. The small thing only reached to about half their height, wore simple and plain garments, and had a face of bright complexion, shouting and barking at them in a language that sounded like infant-talk. Judging by the scans, there were also signs that this individual at least had been partaking in inbreeding. He didn't find himself concerned by its shouting and barking--that weapon was a simple one, designed to fire a burst of kinetic pellets, his scan told him. It wouldn't do them any harm.

"Wow. Guess they're easy to piss off." said Belain, as it stopped jumping and aimed the weapon straight for Nedas, who didn't respond.

"I'll handle this." said Voshka, before turning and addressing the little being. "Greetings. I am Voshka of the Nyunari. I wish to be taken to your place of leadership. Could you please oblige me?"

The being seemed to look at her in confusion, before it resumed it's angry infant-talk.

"Hey, little savage." Tash spoke up, speaking to it slowly and loudly. "Take us to your leader. Is that a concept you can understand?"

In response, the being suddenly discharged its weapon at Voshka, to no effect. Turning around, it ran back inside the dwelling and slammed the door behind it--through one of the glass panes in the side, Nedas could make out another, talking frantically into some sort of communications device.

"What's that?" Voshka looked up as some strange, piercing, shrieking sound came from not far away.

"You wanted peaceful contact?" said Tash, warming up his weapons. Tensing themselves, the First Phalanx assumed combat stances.

[spartasman]

So, is this just another 'puny humans' fic?

[Zaune]

So, is this just another 'puny humans' fic?

I think it's going to be an "aliens invade Earth expecting a curb stomp because their intelligence is lousy" fic, actually.

[LionElJonson]

I'm hoping that whoever's on the other side of that phone will realise that the farmer shot first (possibly illegally, I might add, depending on the laws of his state), and that the aliens haven't retaliated at him for doing so, and send in the linguists and diplomats rather than the military.

The CDC would probably be called in as well, to quarantine the town; you don't want to risk an outbreak of some sort of alien pathogen until they can be verified to be clean.

[tortieconspiracy]

Are we sure this is Earth (which is usually described as "blue" not "green")? Even assuming it's Earth, are we sure it's the US? There are some pretty isolated farming communities in other parts of the world after all, and I'd expect a paranoid reaction from someone growing e.g. coca.

[FaxModem1]

At first I thought this was the aliens from ET, because they called their planet the Green Planet.

[Srelex]

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire!"

Relaxing his stance slightly, Belain, offspring of one of the last great mercantile houses of the empire, switched his attention to the rather simplistic road that stretched on outside the boundary of this agricultural outpost, towards the shrieking sound coming from that direction. He wondered if the locals were going to attempt a violent gesture of some kind. Although he had willingly chosen to become a warrior for the sake of his brood, the stories he heard of the horrors of the front, entire planets torn apart, populations exterminated by forms of weaponry he had never imagined could even be conceived...all that left him hoping that it would all be over before he could be sent into battle. Leader Voshka barely talked about her own experience, which had left him firm in that conviction even more. At the same time, all the stories of what was being inflicted on the Nyunari people made him hate and the despise the enemy all the more.

But, he reckoned, if they had to go to war with the inhabitants of this little world...it wouldn't even be a war. It would be a slaughter. To be the one inflicting calamity...he had heard it gave some morbid and grotesque satisfaction, especially against an opponent that couldn't resist, that cowered in the face of even the slightest demonstration of power. That was why he also dreaded the potential of fighting here; if he really was such a person, deep within him...he didn't want to find out. But, he thought, he had sworn an oath. His family looked up to and down to him for their honor. And he was not yet ready to be disgraced in front of those he most respected.

"Look..."

Coming down the road was a single, wheeled vehicle, painted with various sigils. Lights on its roof were flashing as it continued emitting that annoying shrieking sound--and to cop it off, his readouts were informing him that it was disgorging a worrying amount of carbon monoxide. He had to say that these creatures weren't making a good impression on him.

"You think it's a military response?" Nedas uttered to Shikar as the vehicle slowed down.

"Negative. It looks like a form of law enforcement."

"Hold your fire..." Voshka repeated as the vehicle came to a stop. Two more of the little creatures, wearing matching garments and waving more of those simplistic projectile weapons, emerged and looked up at them with expressions that Belain read as disbelief, or fear. One of them gently moved forward while the other spoke slowly into another piece of communications equipment connected to the vehicle.

"We must make a gesture that we mean no harm." said Voshka uncertainly. "Perhaps..."

"Why do we waste our time like this?" Tash snapped. "Our task was to find and prepare a refuge for our people. That takes precedence over all. If these creatures already occupy this world, we must get rid of them--what do you think we're going to say to them? 'Sorry, but we intend to displace you and move in. Kindly move aside, please'? Save ourselves the trouble and get rid of them."

"Your point is noted, Tash." Voshka said forcefully. "But I do not intend to stoop to genocide. Our race needs all it can have. Perhaps there can be some compromise we can make with these creatures..."

"Speaking of which..." Negas interjected. He gestured at the uniformed local moving towards them, pointing at itself and repeating the same word over and over.

"Shikar?"

"It is either declaring its name or the name of its species. I am not sure which yet."

Voshka paused for a moment.

"Belain. Give him your sigil plate."

"Why? What use could it have for it?"

"I can only assume that the act of an offering will ease things with these natives. Now do it..."

"As you command."

Belain detached an outer armor plate on his chest and presented it towards the two little creatures in one swift motion--he took a step back when the one by the vehicle suddenly raised its weapon and began barking angrily, while the other seemed uncertain as to what to do.

"Enough of this." Tash suddenly muttered, before stepping forcefully towards the two things. Activating the singularity weapon on his arm, he raised it upwards and charged it, causing it to glow brightly and make a sharp whining sound.

"Behold my power, little mortals!" he laughed. Vegetation and rooted objects began to gently bend in its direction as the two locals stepped back, seemingly in alarm, before Voshka snapped angrily at Tash. If it came to an engagement with his own kind, Belain thought...well, that was a horror he hadn't even considered.

"Tash! Stand down! I expect you to defer to my position!"

"What? I was just giving them a little scare. And it seems to be working." said Tash casually, gesturing at the creatures--they were now silent, and did indeed seem terrified.

"You are a warrior of the Nyunari Empire--" Voshka began.

"--and I took an oath, I know." said Tash. "I took an oath to do all that is good for our people. Think with reason, leader. Look at these things--aggressive little runts. You can't negotiate with them, just as you can't negotiate with bacteria. You want to avoid genocide? Fair enough. We'll give them a few demonstrations like I just did and they'll cower before us."

Belain couldn't help but edge his feelings towards those of the heavy weapons specialist. So much could go wrong if they attempted communication with these little things--why not get it over and done with? Minimum bloodshed, quickest results.

"I am leader of the Phalanx, and my decision stands." said Voshka, as the two creatures began to get back into their vehicle. "Shikar, there is a small urban concentration in the area, yes?"

"Correct."

"If nothing else, these beings do at least possess basic instantaneous communication. They will likely be aware of our presence in the vicinity at minimum. We will head to this urban area and approach them. No hostile moves unless provoked. That applies to you, Tash. If you go off like this one more time, you'll be blinked back to the ship. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Very well. This time, I expect things to go more smoothly."

[FaxModem1]

Coming down the road was a single wheeled vehicle, painted with various sigils. Lights on its roof were flashing as it continued emitting that annoying shrieking sound--and to cop it off, his readouts were informing him that it was disgorging a worrying amount of carbon monoxide. He had to say that these creatures weren't making a good impression on him.

So, the cops rode in on unicycles?

[Themightytom]

I saw that too, it needs a comma : p

[Srelex]

Ech, you grammatical pedants and your obsessiveness. Edited.