An Alien's Tale

     On my home planet Nyx, I was not special. But being unremarkable was not a crime. It did not cause my banishment and it didn't trap me here. My mistake was seeing the truth. Seeing is dangerous on Nyx. I saw beyond the lies and into the heart of the corruption. For that, I was cast off my own planet and sent here. They called me dangerous. They did not trust me. In Neopia, they call me an alien. I personally don't see the difference. My name is Galace, and I am not from here.

     My home planet Nyx is thousands of light years away from here. It is governed in equal parts by rulers, seekers and guardians. The guardians defend the planet from outside forces. The rulers make public decisions. The seekers forge precious metals that are supposed to keep our race alive. All of them are evil, and I was the only one who knew.

     Since I was small, I have been noticing things that didn't add up. The seekers, as I said before, forged metals which we were told had vital properties which would keep us alive and in good health. But I often found that I felt better when I kept my distance from these metals. Being near them dimmed my senses and dulled my mind. The longer I was near the metals, the less I found I was able to think for myself or get myself away from them. Luckily, though, I was young, and I was able to break free from the metals' effects before they consumed me. I could see that the metals had already started to affect my family, and this made me panicked and confused. I wondered why the metals seemed to be doing the opposite of what we were told they would do. I didn't think that the rulers or the seekers would lie to us, so I assumed they weren't aware of the metals' true effects. I needed to tell them that they had made a mistake.

     I went to the High Palace where the leaders resided. I tried to tell them what I noticed about the metals, but they brushed off my worries in an instant. They told me that at first the metals can make one feel strange, but that it was a common and harmless side effect. The long-term health benefits were worth it. Soon after this encounter, the rulers decreed that everyone wear a piece of metal around our necks. But I knew what the metals were doing to me, and I knew that they weren't doing me any favours. I could feel it in my body every time I came close to them. When no one was looking, I would take my necklace off.

     Something was very wrong, and it seemed that, since I was the only one who knew the truth, I would have to be the one to tell my people.

     The thing about my people is that we can't physically speak. We can only communicate telepathically. So the rulers have constructed an announcement network that allows them to broadcast messages over the entire planet. It works by receiving telepathic messages from the one making the announcement and broadcasting these messages to my people. To gain access to the announcement podium, I had to make it into the secure section of the High Palace. It was difficult but one day I managed to do it. I quietly closed the door of the announcement podium behind me and tentatively approached the telepathic receiver.

     I never got to say much. Before I could even begin to warn my people of the dangerous metals, the guardians burst into the room and clamped my antennae down on my neck, silencing me. I was taken before the rulers, who declared that I was to be banished from Nyx forever. I could hardly believe this was happening to me. I knew nothing of the vast universe beyond my planet. Anything could be out there. How could they send me away? I was placed in a cramped, circular pod and was catapulted off my home planet. I never saw Nyx again.

     I don't know how long I was inside the spacecraft, nor do I know which direction it flew. All I know is that eventually it landed with a heavy thud on Neopia's moon, Kreludor. The pod carved a deep, smoking trench into the surface of the moon, and for a while I couldn't open the door because the metal was too hot to touch. When I was able to get out, I found that I had been discovered by a squadron of armed robots. They formed a tight circle around me, speaking to each other in halting voices. Through my terror, I found that I could understand them. The robots decided that I was an escaped worker, and that I was to be placed back with the other Neopets immediately. They closed in on me, reaching out with claw-like hands. I tried to tell them that I was not a worker; that I didn't come from this strange barren planet of theirs, but my telepathic messages didn't seem to register with them. They simply carried me roughly towards a large structure in the distance.

     I was thrown into what appeared to be a cell, enclosed by bars, so I could see out into the corridor and into the neighbouring cells. In the cell to my right there sat a strange looking creature. It had a stout, round body, funnel-like antennae and very large eyes. It was bright orange. I stared at it for a long time, trying to decide whether it was dangerous, and eventually it noticed. It fixed its enormous, intelligent eyes on me.

     "You're a new one, are ya?" it grunted at me. It spoke with its mouth, not its mind. It was so strange for me to hear. "Guards catch you roaming too close to the mine, eh? Well, that's very unfortunate for you."

     Why? I tried to ask. The creature didn't respond. It still appeared to be waiting for an answer from me. It seemed that the creature couldn't hear me either. I eyed it desperately, willing it to understand me. The creature's eyes narrowed.

     "What are you starin' at me like that for? Never seen a Grundo before? I haven't seen many Aishas in my time either, at least certainly none that look like you, but at least I'm still polite about it. I don't go staring into people's faces like I can't believe how ugly they are. I might not be a pretty sight to behold, but a few weeks in this place and neither will you be."

     With that, the creature, the Grundo, turned away from me and lay down on the floor of his cell. I attempted to reach him telepathically a few more times, but I eventually gave up out of exhaustion and fell asleep on the floor.

     I was woken by robotic voices and the clanging of metal on metal. The robot guards were opening the doors of the cells. The creatures inside filed out one by one and ascended the stairs at the end of the hallway. When I was let out, I followed them. We were led into a huge chamber equipped with long tables and benches. The creatures seemed to know what to do, and they all slid onto the benches in their lines. I sat on a bench also. Looking around, I saw that most of the creatures were orange Grundos, but there were a few different looking creatures dotted here and there. At the end of one table there was a large creature with the longest nose I had ever seen. At another table there sat a creature with four legs and whip-like ears. A little way up my table was a frightening slithery creature with wings. All of them looked very sad and worn out. I wondered why all these creatures were prisoners of the robots.

     There was a loud blaring noise as the strip of metal in the centre of the table folded back to reveal bowls of grey liquid. Each of the creatures took a bowl and began to drink the liquid. I did the same. It tasted strange, but I had not eaten in a long time and it was very badly needed. As they ate, the Grundos sitting across from me began to talk.

     "He's new, is he?" asked one, jabbing a finger at me, "Poor guy."

     "Yeah, he's a strange one too. Doesn't say anything, just stares at you like he's never seen a Neopet before," said the other. I recognised him then from the night before in the cell.

     "He looks odd. He's an Aisha, yeah?"

     "Yeah I'm pretty sure he's an Aisha. Maybe he's got a mutation. Fell into something toxic maybe. Gave him those funny eyes and ears."

     "Yeah maybe."

     The Grundos didn't discuss me again. They ate busily, and when the blaring noise sounded again, they rose with the other creatures and filed out of the hall. An Aisha, they called me. But I wasn't an Aisha, I was a Nythean. I didn't even know what an Aisha was.

     We were marshalled out of the hall and down a corridor, but we weren't taken back to our cells. The robots began sectioning off groups of creatures and leading them down separate hallways. My section was led along a very long hallway that went down and down. Eventually the metal walls and floor gave way to stone. The tunnel widened and then came to an abrupt stop. The robots then handed out steel picks to each of us. We were told to get to work immediately.

     "FOR SLOTH" The robots announced in unison.

     "For Sloth," everyone around me weakly repeated.

     The mine- for that's what it was- produced a kind of radioactive metal that, while it wasn't exactly the same as the metal from Nyx, still drained my energy considerably. I found myself looking forward to the meagre servings of grey slush served at meal times, but even though I always ate all of it, I still felt weaker by the day. I knew that I could not go on for much longer. The robots frightened me and I would always obey their commands immediately and without question, but it was getting harder for me to comply with their demands. Every day, from beginning to end, we would hack at the walls of the mine with our picks, with no rests and only two meals in the mornings and evenings. And through it all, I could speak to no one. It had been a long time since I'd last slept in a comfortable bed, had a proper meal, or even seen the sky. I found myself thinking more and more that I should have kept my peace and stayed on Nyx.

     Several months, I believe, went by in this way. The robot guards now often targeted me because of my weakness and slowness. I knew that I couldn't make it much longer if I could not get away. And I knew that, indeed, I could not get away. I had grown too weak to escape. So I accepted that this would be the end for me. Or so I thought. Very soon, rescue would come.

     They called themselves the Defenders of Neopia. They came one day while we were working in the mines. I didn't know what was going on, but the Neopets around me seemed to understand. They started cheering as the Defenders set their own robot guards against our captors. A few minutes were all it took for our captor robots to be reduced to tangled piles of circuits and metal. We were then ushered out of the tunnel and up into the dining hall.

     Everyone had gathered there. There was a clamorous noise as the Neopets around me expressed their excitement at being rescued. I didn't share their enthusiasm. To me this rescue was just another capture. I slunk out of the dining hall and into a smaller side chamber used for storage. No one noticed me leave. I found a corner and curled up there, waiting for everyone to leave so that I could find my own escape.

     I must have fallen asleep, for when I awoke, everything was silent. The other workers had gone. I left my chamber and wandered around the complex. I had forgotten where the exit was, and I was hungry and weak. Having found the dining hall again for the hundredth time, I sat on a bench and waited. What I waited for, I had no idea, but eventually it came in the form of a Defender robot. I thought all the Defenders had left, but apparently not. Turns out they had left several of their robots behind to pick up any stragglers. The robot that approached me now, however, was damaged. Sparks flew out of a gash in its left shoulder, and its eyes flickered spasmodically. The robot walked on all fours, like me. Stamped into the metal casing on its flank were the words: "Justice Drone J07 OCADA". I didn't know what it was going to do to me, so I shied away, but it merely sat on the bench next to me.

     "AWAITING ESCORT TO NEOPIA" it said, more to itself than to me. I didn't try to say anything back. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, I ventured to look into its damaged shoulder cavity. The technology was primitive by Nythean standards, but I thought it was worth trying to fix.

     One of the robot's control centres had been severely damaged, so I had to re-program some of its functions, but other than that, it seemed to be fixed. It probably wouldn't be much good as a Justice Drone anymore though, since I'd deliberately disabled its ability to fight. The robot sat very still for a while, moving its ears to and fro. Then it turned its head to me.

     "THANK YOU," it said.

     I didn't even have time to be surprised because at that moment, a large spacecraft smashed through the ceiling of the dining hall and landed, crushing the centre table. The robot and I leapt off our bench and scattered to the side of the room. Doors opened, more Defender robots came out, and we were ushered inside.

     Our ship was one of the last to leave the mine. During the flight to wherever we were going, I sat silently beside the Defender robot I had fixed. At one point, a creature with an extremely long nose wearing a uniform came over and offered me food and water. It told me we had left Kreludor and that we were on our way to Neopia where I would be safe. I seriously doubted my safety, but at least now I knew where we had come from and where we were going. Kreludor. Neopia. It didn't make much sense, but these places had names now. Perhaps, now that I knew where I was, I could somehow find my way back to Nyx where I could warn my family about the wicked rulers.

     My thoughts were interrupted by murmuring coming from beside me. Several of the Defenders were huddled around the damaged robot I had fixed. They all looked perplexed.

     "I don't understand what's happened to her. Her combat mode has been completely disabled, almost like someone deliberately tampered with her settings," said one.

     "I've never seen anything like this before. I can't get into her system to change the settings back to the way they were. Whoever did this has a grasp of technology far more advanced than ours. There's nothing I can do," said another.

     "Well in that case, we'll have to discharge her from her duties as a Defender robot. She's no good to us if she can't fight. Assign her to a Neopian household immediately."

     The robot's ears drooped in sadness. I'd given it the ability to experience emotion, something which all the other robots in this strange world seemed to be incapable of. It seemed upset about not being able to do its job anymore, but to be honest I thought it would be better off living out the rest of its existence without violence. I tried to tell it so, but it did not seem to hear me.

     Suddenly, the ship lurched and came to a stop with a dull thunk. The robot next to me was ushered away by one of the Defenders. As they left, I heard the Defender assuring the robot that it would be assigned to a loving owner. An owner? I thought. What kind of a planet was this, where everyone seemed to have an owner? I was not anyone's property, at least not anymore. I had no intention of becoming property again.

     One of the Defenders came to escort me out of the ship. "All the owners of the missing Neopets we have rescued have been alerted and have come to pick you all up. Yours should be waiting outside with the others," she said. I said nothing.

     We emerged into the light of a strange sun, and sure enough, dozens of Neopets were being enthusiastically greeted by the strangest creatures I have ever seen. If I was an alien to this planet, then these creatures were even more alien than I was. They had skins of varying colours, from pale cream to deep brown and everything in between. Their heads were covered with hair, but the rest of them appeared to be bald. They were wearing clothes with holes in them so that their strange appendages could poke through. All of them seemed to be able to speak, and they were excitedly telling their Neopets how much they had been missed.

     Shaking my head at this strange scene, I turned to take in the rest of my surroundings. After all, there was no one waiting for me. I seemed to be standing on some kind of street. The street was lined with strange buildings with colourful displays facing the passers by. This Neopia was a very unusual planet, and I didn't like it.

     Turning back, I noticed that most of the rescued Neopets were being led away by their owners. Only a few remained. The Defender robot I had repaired was being introduced to a new owner, a female. Its ears were alertly listening to whatever the owner was saying to it, but it appeared happy. At least that made one of us.

     I decided it would be wise to find someone with whom I could communicate, so I ventured towards the nearest official looking Neopet.

     Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me. There's been a mistake and I need to get home.

     The official did not seem to hear me, or even realise I was there. When he happened to turn his head in my direction, he gave a start of surprise.

     "Oh hello there! Sorry, you gave me an awful fright. How can I help you?"

     Yes, I need your help to find my way back to my home planet, Nyx. Have you heard of it?

     "Er... Sir? Can I help you at all?" The official's tone was confused. He couldn't hear me. "Why do you keep staring at me?" His brow furrowed into a look of annoyance. "Well if you have nothing to say, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave me alone. I have very important work to do and I don't have time to humour scallywags like you."

     I turned away and stared helplessly down the street. Couldn't anyone on this horrible planet hear me? Mentally, I called out to every passer by, scampering desperately from Neopet to Neopet, hoping that one of them would hear.

     Can anyone hear me? Hello?

     The crushing weight of dread and the flutter of panic rose within me. I shrunk into a nearby alleyway and found I couldn't move. Night began to fall upon Neopia. I was hungry and exhausted, but too terrified to move or sleep. I kept telepathically calling out as loudly as I could, but as the hours ticked by no response came.

     Can anyone hear me? Please someone answer me! Hello? Please can anyone help me? Answer me!

     And then, someone did.

     Her name was Mira, and that she was Neopia's only Space Faerie. She looked like one of the alien owners, with dark skin and blue hair, but unlike them, she had delicate wings sprouting from her back. She could speak telepathically, like me. So far, she was the only one in Neopia who could do it.

     She told me that she would have to report my presence to the Neopian officials, but that I would not be held captive. She said she knew of a place I would like. I asked her about Nyx. She told me that in her travels of the universe, she had come across a planet matching my description. She said it was millions of light years away, and that only Nythean technology would be able to get me back there in my lifetime.

     Mira took me with her to Neopia's only space station. On the way, she explained many things about the planet I had come to. The "owners" of the Neopets were called humans, and they came from a far away planet called Earth. They were able to visit Neopia through a virtual connection, even though their planet was light years away. I asked if it would be possible to set up a similar connection for the planet Nyx. Mira said that it would be difficult, and that she would need someone on Nyx willing to help, but yes, it was possible. I was filled with hope for my people. Perhaps some day I would be able to communicate with them again and warn them about the tyrants governing them.

     Mira assured me that she would make arrangements for my future on the space station. As a faerie, she held a lot of sway over the Neopian officials.

     We arrived at the space station, and together, we travelled through a maze of metal corridors, our passage getting narrower and narrower the further we went along. At first, we passed many Neopets and their owners. Upon seeing Mira, their eyes widened in awe and they hurried to get out of her way so that she could pass. Then their eyes would fall to me. Their stares made me uncomfortable, and I was grateful as the passages we travelled became quieter.

     Eventually, we emerged into a dusty old hangar cluttered with broken machinery. The room was cavernous but had plenty of hiding places. It was completely deserted and it appeared that no one had been here in a very long time. Perfect for me.

     Mira told me to wait while she went to make arrangements with the Neopian officials. She soon returned, bringing the same human I saw greeting the repaired Defender robot with her. Mira explained that the Neopian officials had agreed to let me stay here, and that I would be assigned an owner like every other Neopet. To draw less attention to myself, she said that the officials had also assigned me a false species and colour. I was to tell anyone who asked that I was an Eventide Aisha. They told me that I could stay here if I wanted, and that my new owner would bring supplies and books for me to read.

     This filled me with hope. I felt, for the first time in months, safe. I had a place to stay and people who were willing to help me. I had technology to occupy my time, things to learn about this planet, and a goal to help my people. It seemed that, even though my entire life had been uprooted, I would still be okay, and eventually, so would my people.

     The End.