They say humans destroyed their own planet.

In spite of the warnings of numerous other planets, they continued their research into forbidden AI technology. By the time the planets united against them, it was too late.

The war against machines waged across the galaxy for over a decade. While no planet was left untouched, the earth took the worst of the damage. To this day it is said to be an uninhabited wasteland. Unlivable for any organic creature.

With no planet to call their home, and the whole galaxy recovering from the casualties of their hubris, humans were scattered across the galaxy as refugees left to live in whatever slums would take them.

Because of this, there was nothing especially strange about seeing a human getting beat up in a back alleyway, such as the state I found myself in.

“This human filth was snooping around the shop!” a four armed alien spat. “Humans have no right to be around machines! We learned what happens with that in the past!”

Pushing the trash bags I landed in aside, I struggled to get back on my feet spitting out blood.

“Well at least I didn’t lose a tooth,” I thought to myself as I rubbed my freshly punched cheek. The four aliens before me didn’t look like they were quite ready to back down. A clawed grip on my shoulder reassured this point.

“So what would a straight tooth be doing around a starship hangar?” the clawed reptilian growled. “If I find you were stealin scraps…”

“No! You’ve got it all wrong!” I cried. “I didn’t steal nothing! I was just watching!”

The grip on my shoulder tightened as I was thrown into the pile of trash yet again.

“Just watching??” the reptilian shrieked. “What are you? Some kind of ship freak?? What kind of thrills does a straight teeth like you get watching ships?”

“This is bad!” I thought to myself. “They don’t care about why I was there. They just want to beat something up!”

“What do ya say boys?” the largest of the group called out lifting a large iron pipe, “I say we rid the galaxy of one more human before he gets too dangerous.”

My throat tightened as the aliens began to slowly approach me. “I’m gonna die!” I thought. “I’ve gotta fight or I’m gonna die! I’ve gotta fight but… I can’t move!”

My body was trembling as the blood left my limbs. Each of the aliens approaching carried pipes, chains, and various other scraps of junk. If they were really planning on killing me, it wouldn’t be pretty.

As the reptilian leaped towards me I flinched, closing my eyes tightly, but surprisingly, the pain never arrived.

When at last I dared to open them again, I saw the four aliens staring behind me, as if confused as how to react. The chain the reptilian had been holding now lay at my feet, red and melted as if it had been hit by some sort of energy weapon.

Turning my head, I saw him. A human, just like me, though several years older. He had brown shaggy hair, and dull hazel eyes. He had no horns, no tail, no antenna. No matter how you looked at it, he was nothing but an ordinary, bored looking human. However, unlike any of the humans found on this planet, he was not dressed in raggedy clothes, torn and greasy from living in slums. Instead, he wore a long brown trench coat, some light armor, and wore a communicator in his ear.

He was a pilot. A human pilot. To think that such a thing could still exist in this world!