On Roma Prime, the star-studded sky was filled with toxic haze. The planet was a dry desert. It was perfectly adequate for the reptiles, the Laksuars. An ancient civilization spanning from the beginning of time Their species were found in the ancient cosmos. It wasn’t until the multitude of species that were used as slaves united and overthrew the reptiles in most of their conquered territories.

Numerous empires quickly diminished to a corner of the universe. And in that universe, the Milky Way’s existence was now known to the reptiles.

As the ruling elite on this planet, the dark green Reptilian stood eight feet tall with massive arms. Long finger-like claws. Their legs were coiled with massive thighs, narrowing down the leg to the calf, where it was the size of a human thigh, and going to the foot looking like a velociraptor. It’s arms were crossed behind it’s back, and he was looking at the slaves he had working on his estate. The gelatin garden was completely yellow. The thing was barely able to keep up in the dry, rancid environment.

The other slaves included two bird-like creatures with no wings. The evolution of the species left them without wings, or they evolved into arms with bone-like skeletons in their feathers. Now they actually act as fingers that can detach at any time. The next was a plant-based species that was supposed to be beautiful in color but looked like it was dying of blight. The last three were two rock creatures that worked nonstop, and the last was a female human.

The female human was about one hundred and three years old but still looked like she was in her late forties; she had been modified to age at a slower rate. The species where she came from was excellent for all sorts of things. They were intellectually smart; they could reproduce not in abundance, but if modifying the reproductive system to better produce more offspring, the human genome could be manipulated to produce hybrids. Of course, the sub-species rapid aging of the offspring was good for heavy lifting and quick soldiers, but the short life span was a difficult task. Most of all, human meat was becoming more and more customary to eat in high circles of society.

He went to the sun room, where an ultraviolet light was suspended one hundred and twenty meters up. The room was fifty by fifty meters and decorated in a desert environment. He curled himself on a rock several times bigger than himself and absorbed the light.

“K’shi, come feed me”. He shouted to his wife. She brought in a female who stood 5'5 and was just a short woman; her hair was orange with blond streaks; and her skin was almost alabaster white. She had on ragged clothes; she took them off and stood completely naked. Her breasts were small, and the heat from the sun lamp was creating perspiration to form one of her breasts.

He got off the rock and walked up to her, as she stood there in complete fear. She was stunned by fear, unable to move. He came closer, completely towering over her. Be grabbed her by her left arm, pulled her closer to him, and bit her left shoulder, teeth sinking into flesh and bone. A loud crunching and painful screaming came from the tiny women. Her arm separated with a sickening pop; blood was spraying from the shoulder. She wanted to fall and clutch her missing arm. She knew that he would kill her if she did move; her head felt light. Stars were now circling her head, and the ground fell from her as she fell to the ground. The lizard heard the sound and immediately jumped on top of her flesh, muscles, and blood, which flew over the desert landscape. Her twitchy body is now a mess. After completing his meal, he crawled to the stone and coiled up on top.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Nearly ten minutes after devouring the human. He got a hologram of the Emperor of Roma Prime and the ruler of all Lakesaurs. The image hung in mid-air, and the Emperor looked similar to the lizard laying on the rock.

"So, brother, what message do you bring for me”? He said with eyes closed and a nonchalant expression, “Did you lose another one of your ships, or did you need me to change the mind of a certain council member”? His expression was satisfied with the last comment.

"No, that member is not important yet; one of my staff handed me a report of a planet in the back waters of the galaxy. It’s said that it was abundant with human life forms. It was an ancient world our ancestors had conquered”. He explained, “I need you, brother, to lead the invasion and enslave the species”.

"Hmm, what’s in it for me? Surely you don’t mean for me to do this favor for free”. He uncoiled himself, stretched, and sat on the rock. “I want to rule the mining planet D’Skilou".

"No, brother, you can’t". He spat out, “That’s one plant that can never be ruled".

"Well, then this new planet full of slaves and delectable treats has to go untapped, but when news of you leaving a planet like this comes, I don’t think the rest of the family will want you to be ruler". His brother hissed, “So what shall it be, brother? Should I commence the attack now"?

The emperor looked angrily while his slit eyes managed to become nothing. “You planned this, didn’t you, brother"? Hissing the whole time, “Very impressive; go ahead, but never keep a planet like this from me again". The holo winked off, and his wife walked in, looking similar to her husband but slender. She pulled a male human who had just been bought at action. He stood 6'9 and was physically muscular, with black skin and a bald head, with a fresh brand of the Empire; the mark was that of a pentagon, with five smaller ones closely bunched. His eyes had a green tint to them, as did all his teeth. The human looked confused and scared. He’s new implant on his chest monitored his toxicity input.

“Come with me, slave; we need to do more testing." He sank his sharp claws deep into the slave's arms, dragging him behind.

"No, Enlil, please save me; help noooo". Screamed the slave from the former planet Usora, similar to earth but close to the border of the Lakesaurian Empire.

…..

In the Sol Solar System, an earth ship is heading for Mars. Their arrival is set for three months. The ship was the only one of its kind; it’s still in its prototype phase. It was 55 meters long and had ion engines, with a crew of six men and three women. Their artificial gravity generator was doing its job of keeping the crew upright. They couldn’t run it forever because it would eat up their nuclear reactor.

“Hey captain, here’s a so-called burger". He gently sent the cold paste to him: “The others are munching on their dinners and are about to head into cryosleep. The ship is all checked out and ready for the ship's AI to run things from here". He sat in his co-pilot seat, looking at deep space. A small red star was twinkling in the distance. He contemplated the possibility of life actually existing in this universe.

“So what are you going to say when we meet our new neighbors" He asked the captain, “I know exactly what I’m going to say". He smiled and began to laugh. “Want to come back to my spaceship”?

The captain, having gray hair, shook his head and continued to eat the paste-like food. He made a nasty face and choked down the nutrients needed to keep their bodies sustained for the three-month journey.

“Did you propose to Helen yet”? The captain asked.

"Yeah, right before we arrived here, I didn’t want to tell the crew until we met our new friends”. He said he was reading the instruments in front of him. He clicked a few buttons, got up, and walked to the door. "Well, I'm done with my work. I’m going to go to cryosleep and see you in three months”. He walked off, leaving the captain to his thoughts. He continued to check and shut down unnecessary energy output and choked down more of the paste.

The spaceship continued its journey into space, as humanity’s future was yet to be revealed.