I’ve been out most of the day, and really haven’t had a chance to write much (aside from a one-hour stint that somehow cranked out 1,300 words worth of synopsis for an upcoming story). But I’m still thinking about past stories that may not otherwise see the light of day again, save for the Artist and the Engineer. So here’s an old, quick one I had a lot of fun concocting.
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Martian Invasion
The alien invasion came as a complete surprise. There was no warning, no strange signals in the sky, no advance knowledge from our astronomers that something was coming. They were simply there. We had always suspected that life existed elsewhere in the universe, but when the huge ships appeared in the sky, great metal monstrosities raining fiery death upon the entire planet, we wished too late that we had been wrong. Someone once said that every end is a beginning in disguise. For us, this was simply the beginning of the end.
The ships landed. Large openings appeared in their sides, as if by magic, and from them poured thousands of strange creatures, each clad in a bizarre suit and wielding weapons the likes of which we had never dreamed. They cut living things down from afar, murdering us by the hundreds, decimating the population and causing widespread panic. All efforts to communicate with the aliens were in vain, as the only thing on the aliens’ minds seemed to be total annihilation of the planet. They were like exterminators unto pests, wiping us out with a cold-blooded, heartless efficiency. And there was nothing we could do to stop them.
I was coward. I admit it. I hid in fear of my own death, rather than facing this threat bravely and dying like so many of my friends and family. I ran away. I took cover in the shadows, underground, or wherever I felt safe. Maybe I was lucky. The conquerors did not find me. They had strange machines that seemed to be able to detect any life within range. They hunted us down. But somehow, I survived.
I know that there is no hope. For some reason we are being punished by whatever divine power that watches over us. Or ignores us, as it seems. Yes, we have had our problems. Yes, we have had our wars, our quarrels. We have been cruel to our neighbors. We have been selfish. But we do not deserve this! I have no doubt that our species will survive not this massacre. We have no chance. But I would rather die trying than give in to death peacefully. I shall hide no longer. I will sneak into their camp and take out as many of the aliens as I can. I know there is no chance. I know that I am doomed. But I will not give up. I only pray that the aliens spare some of us…
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“Sir, Lieutenant Bradley reporting, Sir!”
“Report, Soldier.”
“Sir, the area is secure. We caught one of the creatures trying to sneak into camp. The creature has been taken care of, Sir!”
“Good work, Soldier. I will inform the President that the Martians have been dealt with, and that Mars is ready for the first shipment of colonists from Earth.”
“Sir, yes Sir!”
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Originally published in the February 2004 issue of HTN; reprinted here with minor edits.
Posted While Listening to Ulrich Schnauss’s A Long Way to Fall (2013)
The Artist and the Engineer 