The Day the Aliens Arrived

The Day the Aliens Arrived

When the aliens arrived, it wasn’t what anyone expected. It was just a single spaceship, and they didn’t ask to see any leaders. They tried, rather frustratedly to talk to the first people they met and when they couldn’t, they just settled in to learn the language. Since they landed in South Sumatra, this was Indonesian.

“There,” the leader of the alien contingent said in perfect Indonesian a week later, in a press conference the South Sumatran government had hastily organized for them. “That’s taken care of. We’re a bit disappointed you didn’t bother learning any useful languages, but you are a shy people, I guess. We just came to this planet to announce you are no longer citizens of the Hugysesa Empire. I won’t get into the technicalities of it all, but in short, at the conclusion of Third Kmaoiwkan War, Hugysesa was defeated by a joint coalition of . . . well, let’s just say that in the Treaty of Ywasidiizk, this star system was ceded to the Gasieziiq Federation. Congratulations!”

“Huh?” the governor of South Sumatra said. As the highest, closest government official at the press conference, he had nominated himself the spokesperson for the human race.

“You are Gasieziiqians now,” the spokesalien said slowly. “That’s a good thing. It comes with many rights and privileges. For instance, you all get one of these.” He (possibly she) held up what looked like a small, red bead. “Whole wars have been fought for the right to have one of these.”

“What does it do?” the governor asked, who was feeling less and less up to his self-appointed role and was very aware that the whole world was, or would soon be, watching him.

“Well, it doesn’t do anything on this planet,” the alien admitted. “But if you ever want to travel somewhere important, it’ll just open up so many doors. Of course, you can also all vote in the upcoming election. I have to be impartial, but the platform of the Yoiusodu Party is probably best for out of the way planets like yours (except Poiwqis, but we all know he’s another story).

“Okay,” the governor said. He was just searching his brain for an intelligent question when the aliens made a complicated wave.

“Well, we’re off,” the spokesalien said. “We just came to let you know how things were now. As citizens you are entitled to help and information, so just reach out if you need anything. Someone will be back here around tax season.”

They walked back to the ship and filed inside. The door shut slowly after them.

“When do we get our small, red beads?” someone in the crowd shouted.