The sun dipped below the horizon and the veil of night fell. Stars glittered in the darkening firmament as Gascu stood on the roof of the town hall and watched the black wedge of Kaju’s starship approach.

The sands of Drift World extended as far as the eye could see beyond the limits of the town of L’fal. An oasis in a world of desert, L’fal was situated at the base of a mountain—not that the mountain offered much by the way of shelter from the sun’s harsh glare.

As he watched Kaju’s intimidating vessel land, Gascu felt his guts tighten with dread. Had it been three months already? Surely not. It seemed like only yesterday Kaju and his crew had arrived in L’fal demanding goods and supplies. Fearful of what he might do if they refused him, the people of L’fal parted with what they had.

Kaju had warned them that he would be back within three months to collect more.

Gascu had made the journey to Space Port 66 to ask for help from Jespa, the port’s overseer—and his request had been denied. L’fal was not anyone’s concern but the citizens who called it home. The men and women who had embraced a simple life.

Now complicated by Kaju.

They had realized not long after the bandit had left town, that they would not have enough supplies for him the next time he came. If they gave what they had, then they would starve themselves. Theirs was a subsistence lifestyle of nurturing the land in order that it would provide them with what they needed. There was never a lot of surplus. Certainly not enough to feed a crew of alien pirates for months at a time.

Gascu turned to Rena, his assistant. “Strike the bells. Tell the people to shelter in their homes until this is concluded.”

Rena swallowed nervously as he watched the front of Kaju’s ship open. Kaju and his crew disembarked, all armed to the teeth with various weapons. They made their way through town, heading for Gascu’s position.

“We don’t have the food to give them!” Rena said in a strangled voice.

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Gascu grabbed him. Gave him a single hard shake. “Don’t lose your head. Hurry, strike the bells. Do as I say.”

“Yes, of course,” Rena said, and fled.

Gascu watched a moment longer, then went down the stairwell to the street level to wait.

“Your people are scared,” Kaju snarled. He was a purple skinned reptilian alien with sharp teeth and a tongue that seemed to flick in and out as he spoke. Gascu did not know the species—he could barely identify any. The population of L’fal were all human, and always had been. None of them had much to do with alien races, apart from limited exchanges when selling their wares at the Space Port from time to time.

The bells rang out, signaling all citizens to take shelter.

Kaju turned to his crew, who were all different species themselves, with no two alike.

“They know to expect us.”

“We saw you arrive,” Gascu said.

Kaju’s cold eyes narrowed. “Then you have our supplies ready for us.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Explain.”

“We . . .” Gascu began. His throat constricted and he had to clear it to continue speaking. His nerves were trying to get the better of him. “We, uh, don’t have enough. We can give you some, but not all of what you asked for. It simply cannot be done.”

Kaju folded his arms, his huge scaley biceps bulging. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“That was not the agreement,” Kaju said.

Gascu felt panicked. “I know, but—”

In less than a second, Kaju had closed the distance between them and had Gascu’s entire neck in one clawed hand. He then proceeded to lift Gascu off the ground and hold him up in the air. His feet dangled above the dirt as he tried to wrench Kaju’s fingers free in order for him to breathe.

“You were told the consequences of failure!” Kaju roared and threw Gascu into the street. The leader of L’fal landed in a heap, gasping for breath, coughing and sputtering on his hands and knees. Kaju turned to his crew and gave his orders. “Clearly these people require incentive.”

Gascu looked up with bloodshot eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“What needs to be done,” Kaju said. He gave his crew the nod and they all head out, splitting up in order to cover the area more quickly. Kaju stood over Gascu, his expression one of fury. “We will claim your young and hold them prisoner until you can deliver what you promised. All of them. Every child.”

“No . . . no . . .” Gascu pleaded. “Please, no.”

Kaju pressed his boot down on Gascu’s midsection, pinning him to the ground as he glowered down at him. “We will take every child from you, to motivate you to do better.”

“We will, we will,” Gascu whimpered.

Kaju pressed down hard with his boot and Gascu cried out in pain. “If we return and see no improvement, we will be left with no choice but to harvest them.”

Gascu’s eyes went wide. “Harvest what?”

Kaju smiled with rows of sharp teeth. “The children . . .”