A story by AI

a dead world, a planet of ice and snow.

The sky was dark, even though it wasn’t night; the suns were below the horizon, but still shining as if they were daytime. The only light came from the distant stars, which shone with such brightness that it gave the illusion of being day instead of night.

It was not a place where humans would ever want to live, yet here we are. It is our home world. We have made this planet our own. We will protect it for generations to come. This is our homeland.

“There!” cried one of his men. “Another ship! It’s coming in fast.”

Captain Ryslind turned and looked up at the sky. He saw more ships, and then a small fleet of them passed over him. They flew so high and fast that he couldn’t see them clearly, but from their course, he knew they were heading toward the planet.

Ryslind felt hope rising within himself as he realized these weren’t just any aliens; they had arrived to help them fight off the invaders.

A few hours later, the first wave of reinforcements arrived. Ryslind watched them land on one of the cities closest to the edge of the asteroid belt. From there, the aliens disembarked onto the surface and proceeded to march toward the capital city. In less than an hour, they reached the gates leading into the city.

He watched as the guards opened the doors and let the aliens inside. With a mixture of joy and relief, he knew the invasion was now over. He could finally take back control of his planet and start rebuilding what had been lost.

The alien leader stepped through the gates and walked straight up to the palace. A human man stood before him, his face covered by a mask.

“Welcome, O’ltarn,” said the man. “I am Colonel Sollis. I’m glad you’ve decided to join us.”

O’ltarn nodded. “My people have always fought side by side with yours. You must understand that we have no other choice.”

Sollis smiled. “Of course we do. If you hadn’t joined us, your planet would be destroyed right now.”

O’ltarn frowned. “You have my word that you can trust me.”

“That’s all I need,” replied the colonel.

The leader turned and walked away, accompanied by his soldiers. As he neared the palace, he stopped and gazed down at the citizens who had gathered outside. There were thousands of them, all holding torches in their hands. Their faces were illuminated by the flames, creating a scene that seemed almost magical in its beauty.

O’ltarn took a deep breath. “We’ll never forget what you’ve done for us. Never.”

With a smile, the alien commander made his way into the palace.

***

“Please tell us that this is over. Please, say that we won.”

“Yes, we did,” answered Lieutenant Commander Merec. “But don’t get too excited. We know that the invasion is far from over. It may seem like our job is done, but it’s not. Now we have to defend ourselves from the enemy, and defeat him once and for all.”

The three women looked at each other and sighed in relief.

They’d been worried that the battle was going to go the wrong way and leave them trapped inside the city. Even if they managed to kill every single alien soldier they encountered, there would still be more waiting for them behind the walls.

Fortunately, the aliens had given up on their conquest, and now they were gone. All that remained in the streets of the capital city was piles of dead bodies, and the smell of death.

“This is great news,” said Nessa. “Now we can finally relax and enjoy life again.”

“Life?” asked Alara. “Is that even possible after everything we’ve been through?”

Nessa shook her head. “No, it isn’t. But we have to try to make it work.”

Alara laughed. “What a joke.”

“Hey, I’m serious.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Merec smirked. “Can you really blame them? After what they’ve been through, they deserve to be happy. And I think they will be. They’re survivors.”

“True,” said Nessa. She glanced around, checking that everyone was okay. “In fact, I bet most of us will be living in the city soon enough. We survived the invasion, and we beat the aliens. That means the city is safe. There’s nothing that can stop us from staying here.”

She paused for a moment and looked at the walls. “And I believe we should stay here. It’s the only place where we can truly call home.”

“And we will,” added Alara. “For as long as we live.”

***

The suns set on another day. The last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains surrounding the capital city, leaving the sky in darkness.

One of the soldiers walked out of the shadows. His face was covered in a mask, hiding his identity. He headed toward the palace, moving quickly through the streets.

As he neared the palace, he slowed down and entered the main entrance. Two guards stopped him, their eyes wide as they stared at the mask he wore.

“Are you one of the new arrivals?” asked one of them.

The man nodded. “Yes. I’m O’ltarn. I just wanted to check on the king.”

“Of course,” responded the guard. “Let me show you where he is.”

O’ltarn followed the guards into the palace. They walked past several rooms until they reached the throne room.

“Wait here,” ordered the first guard.

When they were alone, O’ltarn removed his mask and smiled at the other man. “Thank you.”

The guard shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

O’ltarn bowed his head. “Not anymore. Not after everything you’ve done for us.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you saved the planet.”

The man smiled. “You’re welcome.”

O’ltarn nodded. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Just accept my offer.”

“Which is?”

“Join my army.”

“I already told you I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“I’m loyal to the king. He’s the one who allowed me to join his forces. He’s the one who trained me.”

“Well, he’s no longer in charge. So you can choose to serve me or stay here and rot.”

O’ltarn frowned. “You’re the one who invaded our planet. Why would I want to join your army?”

“Simple: because you’ve seen how powerful my forces are. You realize that we can take over many planets in the galaxy. We can become the most dominant force in the entire universe. If you want to save your planet, then you should join us. Now.”

O’ltarn studied the man’s face. He didn’t look evil, but he obviously wasn’t someone who was willing to compromise.

“So what is it you want from me?” asked O’ltarn. “Do you want my loyalty, or something else?”

“You don’t need to give me anything,” replied the man. “All I want is your help. Help me defeat the king and then I’ll give you all the power you could ever ask for. Once you’re my general, you can make sure that the queen becomes my wife.”

O’ltarn smiled. “Did you really just say that?”

The man nodded. “Yes. I’m prepared to pay whatever price she asks. Then we can both rule this planet together.”

O’ltarn laughed. “I don’t need any of that. I’m happy as I am.”

“Then I guess we’ll never be friends,” replied the man. “Good luck to you.”

O’ltarn turned and left the room. He continued walking through the corridors and eventually found himself in the king’s chambers.

He knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds. When no one answered, he pressed the handle and opened it.

King Jorlath lay on his bed, unconscious. He was surrounded by a pool of blood, which had trickled down to the floor.

O’ltarn knelt beside him and checked his pulse. It was weak, but steady. The wound in his chest appeared to be fatal.

“I knew it,” muttered O’ltarn. “He’s dead.”

He sat next to the king and placed his hand on his forehead. “Rest in peace.”

After that, he walked out of the room, leaving the king’s body behind.

***

“Your Majesty,” said Corporal Lekaras. “I have bad news.”

The king turned around and stared at the soldier standing behind him. “What is it?”

Lekaras pointed at the balcony. “Two of my men went to investigate the area. They returned moments ago.”

The king frowned. “And?”

“There’s no one there,” replied Lekaras. “But the window has been smashed. It looks like whoever did it was looking for something.”

The king stood up and looked out of the window. He saw a group of soldiers running across the courtyard. They were carrying several large bags and boxes.

“We have to find out what they’re doing,” whispered the king. He looked back at Lekaras. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The king nodded. “Go ahead.”

As Lekaras approached the soldiers, he noticed two men talking to each other. One of them was holding a box while the other was holding an empty bag.

“Excuse me,” called Lekaras. “Could you please tell me what you’re doing here?”

The soldiers turned to face him and studied his face. They recognized him as a royal guard and knew that they couldn’t lie to him.

“We’re searching for loot,” said one of them. “Your father and his generals looted the city when they fled.”

“How do you know that?” asked Lekaras.

“Because we searched the palace for valuables. Unfortunately, we didn’t find much.”

Lekaras stared at the man for a moment. “Where are you taking these things?”

“To the palace,” replied the soldier. “We’re going to sell off everything we found.”

“But why?” asked Lekaras. “What’s so important about those boxes?”

The soldier pulled the lid open and showed Lekaras the contents. He saw gold coins and jewels inside.

“If we can sell all this,” explained the soldier, “then we can buy weapons and supplies. We won’t have to rely on the aliens anymore.”

“But the aliens are gone,” said Lekaras. “Why would you want to fight them?”

The soldier shook his head. “Fighting won’t bring them back. We have to protect ourselves from anyone who wants to invade us again.”

Lekaras stared at the man, trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally, he decided to trust him. “Very well. Follow me.”

The soldiers followed him into the palace. As they walked along the halls, they passed several dead bodies lying on the floor. It was obvious that the invaders had killed everyone who opposed them.

They arrived at the throne room and went inside. The king was sitting in his chair, watching the soldiers pack the boxes and bags.

“I want to know what’s going on here,” said Lekaras. “Why are you doing this?”

The king glared at him. “You should mind your own business.”

“I will, but only if you answer my question first.”

The king blinked and glanced at the soldiers. They didn’t move.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” replied the king.

Lekaras raised his voice. “Because you don’t want to get caught with stolen goods? Or because you’re planning on using the items to start a war?”

“Either one of those options is fine by me,” answered the king. “As long as we win.”

Lekaras rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on. This doesn’t make sense. You defeated the alien army. You’re the ruler of this planet. Why would you risk your position by starting a war?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do,” replied the king.

“Sure it is,” said Lekaras. “So let me ask you again: why are you doing this?”

“Because we have to protect our people.”

Lekaras shook his head. into a Dead World