Letters Home
Lyn McConchie
Day three of our Invasion.
Dear Mother,
It won’t be long before our soldiers are home again. It’s lucky that I’m the General’s secretary. I have a fine (and safe) view of our war, but I am in a position to see everything. I may even write a book about our campaign when I return. We landed on this world three days ago – to very little real opposition. Our force screen is beyond the alien technology and our guns fire through it while their missiles only bounce off. We advance on all fronts and their troops are dying by the thousand.
Your loving daughter.
Day seven of our Invasion.
Dear Mother,
We’ve found the first of our long lost people. If it hadn’t been for the research of our cousin we’d never have known of the space ship filled with dissenters to Government policy that took off so long ago to colonize a new and distant world. But our cousin’s research through ancient papers gave us the direction. A simple check showed us that they landed safely thousands of years ago.
But our horror once we investigated their situation can not be measured.The conditions the evil aliens kept our people in, mother, it was just like alien internment camps.
They live crammed together, their food a tasteless mess designed to keep them alive and no more. Often they have been mutilated as children and those we liberated had lost the ability to speak. Their children are stolen from them as they appear, while all memory of the great civilization from which they sprang has vanished.
The aliens are huge evil giants. Mother, I can barely write it, but – they used our people as food! Knowing that this could happen to them if they are taken prisoner, our troops have fought like madmen neither offering, nor giving, quarter. Our final attack is in the morning. The mind-doctors have reported that there is nothing that can be done for our poor lost people here. Their minds are gone, bred from them, so our brave General is determined to wipe out all of these brutal aliens in payment.
Your loving daughter.
Day ten of the Invasion.
Dear Mother,
The alien Government has fallen back to surround their main city. At dawn we shall attack and wipe them out. They are a peculiar race, mother. At first they treated us with a sort of puzzled contempt, an odd bewilderment. You’d have thought they couldn’t believe their eyes when we attacked. Firing our guns, with our force shields allowing us to survive their return fire, while they died. But even as they died, they cried out in what appeared to be astonishment at our abilities. It must have been so very many years since any of our people here fought them that they’ve forgotten we could. In the morning, they will learn the final lesson, mother. Death to the alien slave-masters! Freedom for our people! Victory for our gallant troops!
Your loving daughter,
MESSAGE BY HAND FROM PRIME MINISTER TO COMMANDER ARMED FORCES
No! This isn’t a hoax, you idiot! Round up every soldier and get here as fast as you can. We’ve thrown everything that we have at the invaders and nothing has worked. We’re being slaughtered. How the heck were we supposed to know that their people were intelligent? Get here by dawn, they’re making a final attack then. For the sake of all of us, Dave, get here in time. Or your country, and your Government, are going to be wiped out by these crazy alien chickens!
