| Invasion |

I sprinted down the hallway of the ship my feet skidding on the floor.

I sprinted through the hallway the glass walls showing me a glimpse of the scavenger's ship getting closer and closer to our ship, wading towards us through an asteroid field.

Scavengers, I growled in my head. They were the pirates of space, they preyed on innocent travelers and often left them to die, or they took them as slaves.

My family and I don't know how they tracked us, we stayed away from their hotspots, so we could avoid them, but I guess we got unlucky.

We got the signal last night, the warning that they were only ten minutes away, they already have us on their radar.

We couldn't jump, we didn't have the power to jump, unless we wanted to be stranded somewhere, rather be caught then starve to death, or run out of oxygen. Jumping is when your ship has enough power to transport, or teleport you might call it away from an enemy or thugs like scavengers. Although it was a good idea for travelers to have, you had to be careful because you could teleport into an asteroid, and either the mistake kills you or you damage your ship badly.

I had to get to my sister, Kayla. My parents said they would meet me at the escape pod.

I barged into her bedroom, ignoring her cries of protest as I continuously pull her towards the bedroom door.

"Nate? Nate!" Kayla yelled pulling back.

"Kayla! Scavengers are here! We have to go come on." Her eyes grew big in the darkness, she ran through her darkroom towards her closet.

"Kayla! Come on! Dad and Mom are probably already there!" I grabbed her waist lifting her up, as she screamed. Kayla was ten years old and may be very emotional.

"But I left my necklace from Gramie in the closet!" she cried in anguish clawing at my arm as I grimaced.

"Forget about it!" I continued to drag her out of her room.

"NO!" She kicked and scratched before kicking me right in the groin making me groan and release her, my steps faltering as I gripped my unprotected area.

She ran back into her room, while I was bent over my eyes squeezed shut.

What a brat! Dang, she has a powerful kick. My thoughts swirling around.

Kayla came running back in the hallway tugging on my sleeve.

"I got it! Let's go." Kayla said as I groaned, almost feeling like I was going to throw up.

She started to run towards the pod while I stumbled after her, still evidently in pain.

The ship shuttered making both of us stumble almost falling to the ground.

"They've attached their ship to ours! Kayla! We have to go now." I said lowly now trying to stay quiet, for they might be already searching for us in the ship.

We silently walked through our ship, towards the escape pod, cautiously.

We were close, we could make it. I kept thinking to myself. The white walls that surrounded us almost made me feel like they would close up on me, my anxiousness was getting to me.

"Come on," I whispered taking her hand in mine, starting to jog. I could see my little sister nodding, tears running down her face. Her jet black hair ruffled from bed hair, flowing on her shoulders.

"They'll be going for the pod, spread out!" I heard the deep voice of a man whisper-scream out.

Kayla gasped beside me, as I turned around in the other direction pulling her into one of our cleaning supply closets.

I clamped my hand over her mouth in desperation, trying to silence my sister's sobs.

I could hear quit steps outside of the closet door, leaned forward.

Putting my hands on the closet I put my weight on the door slowly, trying to see them behind the little cracks of the door design.

Whompf!

A loud smack was heard throughout the hallway.

All I know is my face is smooshed on the floor outside of the closet.

Crap.

I forgot that I had left the door slightly open and didn't have time to shut the door all the way.

I'm such a moron.

I could hear deep chuckles before being surrounded by pairs of black army boots.

I sighed in exasperation before being pulled to my feet.

My face smarted from smacking into the ground, if anything I was almost embarrassed I was caught like that, falling on the floor learning on a door that wasn't closed all the way.

"I think that view made my day." I heard one of the rough voices said, as I lifted my head and eyes to see the scavengers.

I was expecting to see a Flipignore or a Hinkling since they were the most common scavenge species, but I came to see Lumkonton and all kinds of aliens behind him.

Well, this is unusual.

I felt my curiosity growing at the sight.

"Take a picture, it will last longer." the Lumkonton said eyeing me his hand clamped on my shoulder like a vice.

"Don't touch me." I spit out, trying in vain to move my shoulder out of his grip, but his hand just clamped tighter on my shoulder tighter.

"Be quiet, your babbling is going to give me a headache." He muttered.

Lumkonton's had the same figure as any human except for their ears, that were pointed slightly, and their eyes were dead giveaways, their eyes always unnatural colors like gold, purple, or silver, but silver was uncommon.

He seemed proud to be a Lumkonton even though they were known as bottom feeders, backstabbers, crooks, and criminals, like I said the list goes on about why they are usually treated like dirt.

His silver eyes flashing with specks of gold swirling in them, almost making you be enchanted by their beauty.

His head twitches to the left slightly telling me he was contacting someone.

Lumkontons could communicate with their minds, those are really the only difference between them from normal humans.

His eyes refocused onto mine, before his eyes averted to the closet, his lips twitching slightly.

"Ah, there's your young sister.��� He said almost in a daze before waving his hand towards the door, making one of his associates pull my sister out.

Even though I could hear my sister's sobs, I wasn't looking at that, but looking at Lumkonton's alt fit.

He was wearing familiar clothes I've seen on other planets. My head searched for memory.

Fear tightened my stomach when I remembered what the black-purple suite meant, badges on his suit with weapons and grenades all strapped to the men's suits in front of me.

Ringtherons.

I gulped loudly.

What are Ringtheron Soldiers doing on our ship? I don't even think I've been to their planet, Couriton.

Ringtherons were named after their planet's fierce leader, Ringther, he was known as the most ruthless and merciless fighter their planet had, and their army was like an identical copy of him.

They weren't known for being fair or just, more of an army that just takes what they want.

"Bring them to the control room." The Lumkoonton said before taking his vice of a grip off my shoulder and walking away.

A slimy arm wrapped around my bicep, more of a tentacle more like it.

Mogorens born with natural arms that are shaped like tentacles, they are honestly massive aliens with tough scales that can't be penetrated easily.

They bought us through the hallways before we entered the all too familiar control room.

My heart dropped when I saw my parents on the floor with their hands cuffed behind their back, their eyes having sorrow in them.

At that moment I felt lost from all the confusion that was swirling in my head.

Why were my parents being arrested? And especially by Ringtherons?

I didn't know much about my dad but I don't think he did anything to cross them.

The strange Lumkonon was typing on our console, his fingers tapping on the glass keyboard.

I didn't understand what he was doing before I saw red letters on the screen in front of him.

A countdown.

Five minutes until my family's ship would blow up. My heart caught in my throat.

I felt myself start to struggle in the Mogoren's grip, anger pulsing through my veins.

How dare they?

"Settle down kid." One of the aliens said, a blaster gun prodding my side. I stopped, but the anger never did, still simmering under the surface.

The Lumkonton got up from his seat sighing, with a smirk on his face.

"Okay, soldiers, our jobs are done here, now all we have to do is take care of orders." Sliding out his blaster gun he examined it for a second before pointing it at my parents.

"Sorry, leader's orders, but he did say not to double-cross him at our last conference." With a sad smile, he turned off the safety making me jump into action.

I elbowed the Mogoren's stomach before squeezing out of his grasp and sprinting at the Lumkonton.

The blaster went off just as I smashed into the Lumkonon making him slam into the console, his black hair ruffled.

Stunned at first the Lumkonon took my first punch, before pushing me off him, hitting me on the side of my head with his blaster, making me stumble back, head swimming, my sister's scream heard.

He gripped my shirt collar anger blazing through his eyes, before calming himself, pushing me against the wall.

My chest was going up and down fast, adrenaline pumping through me, his eyes were swirling with gold in them.

"That's one heck of a punch." He said before throwing me to the ground, my face slamming into the ground yet again for the second time of the day.

Two blasts were sounded, throughout the room, my sister screamed.

My head snapped towards my parents.

What used to be my parents, now layed fresh ash.

My parents were just killed, incinerated, I thought dumbly to myself.

The Lumkonon eyes almost looked sorry when mine met with his.

"Sorry kid, but no one crosses Ringther without paying." And with that, the last thing I remembered was his boot coming towards my head, before blackness.

My sorrow and sadness not leaving like my vision, but brewing though the dreamless pit of darkness my head retreated in,