Jamison and Nessa approached one of the tunnel entrances. They peered down the rows of blue and silver domes that framed the city square. Creatures populated the square, as they had for generations, and transport pods swarmed the sky—an average workday.
Nessa touched Jamison's shoulder, and she squinted at the creatures. The colors—the purples, the blues, and the greens—were instead shades of peach and brown. Their physiques brought the Earth people to Nessa's mind. Most had mature bodies. Some did not, and they carried education luggage cubes.
"Yeah. It's Jak. I'll be a bit late to the Great Dome meeting today," one voiced into his implant.
He took a step sideways as four smaller creatures with pale skin, sapphire eyes, and hair the color of the kindling mines bounded to an open space in the square.
"You can't catch me," a boy called to someone behind them.
"Hurry up, Maz," a girl urged.
A fifth emerged. Nessa gasped at his platinum hair, round face, and gray eyes. She eyed Jamison and then Maz.
"The boy is called Maz," Jamison narrated. "Those are his friends. They are nestmates. This was our homeworld. Our race was happy, and we had a strong economy. We were prosperous, more than most in our galaxy."
The nestmates' implants lit up simultaneously, and they stopped to read them.
"Scion, Skyla, Eklun, and Elektra!" A deep voice boomed through the square. "Time to come home."
A male with medium brown skin pushed through the crowd, begging their pardon.
"Hurry now," he said.
The nestmates gathered around him. Their father looked over their heads at Maz.
"Maz, you need to go home too," he warned.
"Why?" Maz questioned.
"Your parents can explain. Run along now."
The nestmates followed their father to the left. Maz watched until they had faded into the crowd. His implant lit red, and a shadow darkened his face. The crowd scattered. Screams pierced the air. Maz scampered toward the domes as a coal-colored ship descended in the now-cleared square.
Nessa twisted her hair around her finger. Emotion knotted her stomach.
"What happened?" she asked.
"The invasion!" came the response.