I chased after the man, calling for him. “Hey! Come back here!” I picked up the rest of the stick that was left in my hand and threw it at his back. It bounced off and he stopped. He turned back toward me and shook his head.

The sound of his boots slapping against the pavement as he walked back to me made my heart stop. I had not thought this through. He already showed me he was more than capable of killing me, and chose to let me live. I didn’t think that I would be quite as lucky a second time.

He walked back to me, leaned close to my face, and whispered, “Don’t do that again.” The tiny speaker in his mask made the voice robotic and scratchy. He made a fist and punched me hard in the stomach. I bent over, falling to my knees and coughing. He turned back away and started walking back to the street. After a few paces, he stopped and turned back. “If I was with the Terrans, you would be dead right now.” He spun back to the entry of the alleyway, his large cloak billowing as he turned.

I watched him leave the alleyway, then got to my feet and walked slowly back to the street. I looked both ways, but didn’t see the man anywhere. I pulled my goggles off and wiped them on the inside of my cloak, then checked again. Satisfied that he wasn’t waiting for me, I headed home to lick my wounds.

As I walked through the door, I was attacked immediately by a furry creature with a pointed nose and jagged teeth. It wrapped its’ jaws around my arm, growling and barking.

“Vuvu! Down, girl! I am happy to see you too, but your teeth are sharp! Let me in the door!” She relented, sitting with her long, bushy tail wrapped around her body, whimpering with anticipation for attention and treats. “Good girl!” I reached down to scratch her behind the ears, causing her eyes to roll backward. After a moment of this, I remembered that I was still wearing the filthy clothes that I had made a mess of in the alleyway. “You won’t believe the kind of day I have had!”

The desert fox put its’ paw on my hand, trying to pull it back to continue the attention, but I pulled away and walked to the bedroom. She followed close behind and I pushed her back with my foot, closing the door to my room so that I could undress and clean myself. She scratched for a moment before finally relenting, probably going to her spot on the sofa to wait for me.

I pulled the layers of clothing off of me, piling them up onto the already-overflowing stack that threatened to bury me, then scrubbed the filth from myself, using as little of the precious water from the faucet as I could, and wincing when I touched the large bruise that the man’s fist had left behind. Afterward, I pulled my last clean robe from my wardrobe and wrapped it around myself, then stared at my reflection in the polished steel plate on my wall.

The lines of age were starting to show around my eyes. The ring from my goggles was practically a permanent fixture now, as well as the contrasting skin tones between my darker forehead and my pale nose and mouth. The red of my pupils was dull, more copper than crimson. When did I become so old?

I realized the time and rushed to my spot on the couch next to Vuvu, powering up the ancient viewscreen on the way. The little bits of technology that we had, both from the Terrans coming, and from visiting other planets, were all old and didn’t always function properly, but I was still grateful for the ability to keep up with the news in some way. Many people in Boh’Gren didn’t even have this luxury. Most only had the small holodisk reels that circulated in the mornings, but those were almost worthless when things were changing faster than the reels could be programmed and distributed.

I rubbed Vuvu’s fur-covered head and popped some candied ants into my mouth from the dish I kept beside me on the couch. The sugary sweet treat that many found revolting was the one thing I shared with my father. The room was cast in a yellow glow from the viewscreen.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

I let the fox lick the sweet candy from my fingers and watched intently as, on the screen, a human with pink skin and a thick-looking suit was speaking about the honor that his people felt by Altura ‘joining’ the Terran Empire. His face was red and dripping wet. My people do not sweat. It is a waste of the very limited water that we have. It didn’t make sense to me to see this Terran spilling more water on the floor than I had used to wash myself only a few minutes earlier.

Standing next to the man were the three most powerful Alturans alive. Damaron, the king of the planet stood between Priestess Aniira on the left, and High Mage Stravus on the right. Stravus stood a head taller than the others. He might not be the king, but he was the one that truly ruled Altura. Everyone watching would know High Mage Stravus, the leader of the blood mages. My heart sank at the sight of him. Being there meant that there was truly no more hope for Altura as a free nation.

“I want to commend the people of your planet! You have made a wise choice today in joining the Terran Empire. We are thrilled to learn of your culture and your histories.”

“And our magic, our warriors.” I patted Vuvu a little more aggressively than I meant to, causing her to bite down on my finger. I sucked in air and pulled my hand away, watching the tiny bead of blood swell up where her teeth had sunk into my skin.

“We want to assure you that, as long as you continue the cooperation we have seen thus far from your leaders, things will remain the same!” He emphasized the last bit.

Say the lie with the most conviction.

There was more, but it was all the same. King Damaron gave a speech about the best rulers making decisions for the people, even when it was not the best decision for the king. Aniira told a parable about the vigilance of Boh, the priest that forsook his blood magic and planted the seeds that grew into the first crop of Zivota, the fruit the Faithful used to connect to Boh and the ancestors.

When Stravus spoke, it did not feel like a half-hearted speech of condolence. It was a war cry.

“We have met with our darkest of days. These Skyfallen have landed upon our front door, and stolen our sons from us. They say that we are joining them!” he laughed, deep and menacing. The points of his teeth shone in the bright light of the studio. I held a handful of ants just short of my mouth, instead devouring the words of the man on the screen.

“This is your last chance to rise up. Do not trust these Terrans. They want only to be your masters, to own the fruit of your lives. I cannot stand for it. I refuse to -”

Before he could finish, the man in the suit pulled a dark pistol from the jacket of his coat, pointed it at Stravus, and fired two shots directly at the man’s head all in one smooth motion. The image flashed and then disappeared, leaving just the reflection of an Alturan and his fox, one’s mouth hanging open in shock and the other hanging open with the hope of more ants. I stood up and adjusted the dial on the side of the device. Nothing but static or emptiness on all channels. I pushed the dial in and collapsed back on my couch, at a loss for words.

Before I could decide what to do next, my door buzzer went off. Vuvu began barking at the door immediately, ignoring my pleas for her to calm down. “You silly thing! Stop barking, or no more ants for you!” I stepped around her as the impatient person began slamming against my door. “I hear you, I hear you! Someone’s awful excited, Vuvu!” The fox yipped her agreement as I opened the door. “Yes, hello! How can I-“

Help you, is what I intended to say. What came out was the sound of my heart jumping from my chest. The man with the metal helmet was standing in my doorway behind a heat cannon, which he was pointing right at my face.

“Is this why you didn’t kill me before? You thought you could follow me back to my place and you would find a rebel cell? Go away, Terran.” I made a gesture of biting my hand, then spit on the ground. You’re not worth the blood in your body, that gesture meant.

“You’re brave for someone with a sun gun in their face.” The robotic voice chilled me more than it had in the alleyway. This time, I had no hope of escaping. I readied myself for the blast – ten thousand degrees directly to my face. I was determined to not bow down, despite my stomach feeling like it wanted to follow my heart out of my mouth.

“Just pull the trigger, Terran,” I said. Then, after not becoming part of the sand for longer than I expected, I exhaled and opened my eyes. Vuvu snarled and barked at my side. I glanced down at her, then back up at the man, who was bringing the handle of the heat cannon down against my forehead. The world went dark.