When the aliens first arrived in our system, we could scarcely believe it. For untold ages we, as a race, had looked up into the stars and asked if we were alone. So many faiths, both currently held and long since abandoned had all said that we were; that we and our world were special and unique. Priests had claimed for ages that Lod, our home planet and Helios, our home system, were the only ones capable of sustaining life, but lo and behold the galaxy was teeming with it. We were not alone in a vast, uncaring and cruel universe that abhorred life, we were just one of many to call the universe our home.

The ridicule our religious institutions faced at the new knowledge we gained only ended when the aliens effectively took over one of the many countries on Lod. The Prime Minister and parliament of Austoria were replaced with a puppet government almost overnight, and this new vassal of the aliens began to rapidly expand with the aid of their overlords. What started as an alliance to keep Lod under our control was replaced with one struggling for survival in only a few short weeks. Our only solace was that the Austorian military was ponderously slow when not backed up by its masters.

We had hoped that a united Humanity would be enough to hold back the Austorians, but every push ended in disaster and every attack of theirs ended in our crushing defeat. The aliens proved we were not alone and that the religions of the world knew nothing. They proved that there were those out there that had only dark designs for us. They proved that demons come not from underneath, but from above.

Their ships hung over our cities, high above the reach of any force we could brandish against them; the black void beyond the sky was their domain and one we could not hope to reach. Their ships taunted us from their lofty perch, occasionally firing down upon innocent civilians as though they were cruel gods raining fire and lightning upon hapless mortals. Today was going to be just another one of those near hopeless days.

But that day, something changed. The once indominable and unassailable destroyers that mocked our helplessness found their match. We had no power to best them, but they had apparently made terrible enemies. The ships broke off from their long-held positions and tried to make a break for it but were stopped in their tracks as another alien fleet appeared near them and began to fire at those damnable aliens.

Once again, the world was rocked by new knowledge; knowledge that the alien menace that had held us in the grip of fear for so long had something of their own to be afraid of. The ships that had terrorized us for almost a full year had been bested as though they were children. The speed and ferocity that the newcomers displayed certainly gave us pause, but the old saying may very well have been true. Once the battle was done, the aliens both old and new ceased their fighting and simply held position. The old aliens had not been dealt with fully and had gathered their surviving vessels above the greatly expanded Austorian Empire while the new ones held position over the rest of the planet. A shuttle left the largest of the new aliens’ vessels and made its way down into the atmosphere, broadcasting a radio message that looped endlessly.

The shuttle landed in a city park in one of the Allied Nations’ major cities, New Westbrook. The MPs that gathered around it were not going to take chances, for the aliens previously had proven themselves malicious and we would not make deals with any being that was so hostile to our innate liberties. The back of the shuttle opened like a door on its side, turning the back section of the large, rectangular vessel into a boarding ramp. We honestly expected something inhuman to walk out and make a grandiose speech about how it would ‘civilize’ our ‘backwards people’ or some such nonsense.

We did not expect for a human man, who looked to be nearly as young as my son, to be there instead. Of course, he likely only appeared to be human. We would not trust those who were from beyond the skies; only humans can be trusted and only if they are not pawns of aliens.

The ‘human’ was well dressed and wore a well-fitting dress suit. At his side was…

Well that thing was one of the reasons no one trusted him. It was a large, voluptuous female with headdress-like horns coming from her head, with a reptilian set of wings and tail. Her hands seemed human enough, but the fingernails were more claw-like. She too wore a well-fitted dress suit and stood beside the much smaller ‘human’. The two of them stood in the doorway for a time before slowly moving down onto the grass that their shuttle had landed on, where they once again stood silently.

Finally, one of the diplomats present got the idea. These aliens were waiting for us to begin first contact rather than initiating it themselves. We had no idea if they spoke our language, but seeing as the other aliens spoke Common, we half expected them to as well.

“Welcome to Lod, our home planet.”

The diplomat seemed to shake in his shoes as he approached the two beings. We all were on edge; would this encounter result in just another alien race deciding to try and destroy humanity?

“I am pleased to know that you welcome us to your world.” The human-looking alien said in perfect Common, “I truly wish I could have come under better circumstances, but with the interference of those who have bothered you we could not act in the way that Galactic Law dictates.”

“Pardon?”

The horned humanoid spoke next.

“What my husband means to say is that your world and six others should have been left to develop naturally. However, due to events beyond our control the ones aiding your enemies have interfered in the development of your world out of spite. They feared our nation’s might and sought to undermine our authority via petty acts like this. We truly wish that we could have met under different circumstances, but as it is now they have dragged your world into a proxy war without the slightest concern for the safety and survival of your world and its people.”

So we were just pawns in their game of chess?!

“The law clearly states that species that have developed to a certain cultural and industrial point are to be left to deal with internal problems by themselves, and only external issues are to be dealt with by galactic nations. Your system fell in our domain, and by all rights we had the privilege and honor of safeguarding your world until it reached FTL-capable status. After that point we were to give you the freedom to choose whether to be part of our nation or be independent, but with the interference of the United Galactic Nations we were forced to intervene.”

The human-looking one spoke again.

“And so, on behalf of the Arcadian Galactic Commonwealth, I offer you my sincerest apologies. If I was a better ruler, I would have foreseen this and acted to safeguard your existence from them. Now, however, the cat is out of the bag and Arcadia must directly interfere in your world’s affairs. However, we will not do so unless you wish it. We do not seek control, nor do we seek to rule over you via direct or indirect methods. We simply seek to make sure that the UGN regrets their decision and that you are able to progress.”

The two of them stopped and looked at each other before looking back to the diplomat.

“Ah, forgive us for our lack of manners, but we never introduced ourselves.”

They were probably just diplomats, like the ones the other aliens sent.

“I am Arkhan Aesir Arcadia and my wife is Asharia Ophedein Draconis. We are the King and Queen of the Arcadian Galactic Commonwealth, respectively.”

Well, this was something. So unlike the other aliens, the Arcadians saw fit to send their monarchs as diplomats. Maybe they actually did care, even if only slightly. Either way, we had a decision to make. Either we accept their aid and win against the Austorians or we decline and try to deal with them ourselves and fail miserably.

Well, the enemy of my enemy is whom I call friend.