Nestled between two hills, the small capital city overlooked a vast plain of golden grass and the occasional thin redish tree. A series of small streams weaved their way between the trees like veins, carrying crimson leaves down to the tributaries some three or four days south of the city. Autumn had come early on the northern hemisphere, and the city's inhabitants had begun preparing the subterranean quarters for what would surely be a harsh winter. Few people were outdoors when they came, most of them underground. And unarmed.

Thunderous - sinister - jarring, a black mountain of a starship appeared above the city just as the sun began to set. Red twilight from along the horizon outlined the smaller ships that descended from their mother's belly, shadows against the bloody sky. Three of the smaller ships held their altitude some two hundred meters above the city while one set down in a dry streambed outside the city wall. Volleys were exchanged between city defenses and the dropships, one of them was caught along the wing and took a taller building down with it.

Those who had been above ground at the time fled into the caverns, those near the outskirts took to the golden plains now made black by twilight. From the starship came three thin green beams of light, making a kind of pyramid above the city. They were still for a moment, catching the dust in the air in something of an ominous light show. Then the beams shifted, revolving circles around the city until they were indistinguishable from one another, a single green encasing cone of light. A few unlucky souls (or perhaps, they were the very lucky ones) had not gotten away in time, and were neatly halved by the beams, one set of an arm and leg slumping onto the stones of the perimeter, the other on the yellow grass outside. Neither eye saw a thing.

As the battle continued within the city, outside of it four dark shapes issued from their dropship and made their way along the dry streambed. The sun completely gone, they were wrapped in darkness as though they wore it around their necks. A number of citizens had gathered within the perimeter as close to the green beams as they dared get. Their eyes were on the dropships above - all eyes except for those of one little girl. The four shadowy shapes stood motionless outside the green pyramid, and the small girl, gripping her mother's tunic, faced away from the adults and toward the figures.

Before the girl could blink, the shadows danced their way around the spinning green beams faster than was possible. They were motionless on the inside of the pyramid for a moment, still shrouded by the night, and then four more shapes peeled off their backs and dashed towards the group. The dogs did not bark when they attacked, but quietly leapt at one throat, and then another, until the pedestrian group was motionless and bleeding on the ground. One dog held the little girl in its jaw for a moment, looking back at its four shadowy masters. They remained in darkness until the rounds from their weapons illuminated their faces in quick popcorn burst of light as they opened fire to make their way into the city square.

*******

The jaw of the city's leader cracked as it met the stone staircase, yellowish blood immediately pouring accompanied by pieces of tooth. The tallest and broadest of the Valkyrie placed her foot on his head to keep it on the stairs, and she stood upright to look down upon the city square. Some one hundred residents were kneeling in tight lines facing the stairs, four sleek and lanky black dogs pacing in between them, watching closely for sudden movements. Like some dark religion, the group could almost have been mistaken for having been joined in prayer.

Skuld removed her hooded cowl, and pressed harder on the man's face.The smaller of the Valk, Eir, stepped up and bent towards the leader, dropping a small black-mesh coin that hovered in front of his mouth and beeped once.

"Speak." She told him. His eyes darted between her and Skuld, not sure of her command.

"She said...speak." Skuld pressed harder again, crunching bone meeting the action.

The man, to his credit, did not scream. Getting the idea, he spoke into the coin. At first his speech was nonsense, muffled and guttural. Then the coin beeped again, and small speakers implanted in their armor began chirping tinny words to the Valk.

"We know you. We know your kind. But we won't bow just to be consumed like your other conquests. Other worlds."

Skuld half-smiled, looking out at the crowd of supplicants. She moved her foot from the man's head to his neck, and pressed - into the throat, through the spine, onto the stone - one quick motion. The head gained momentum down the stairs, rolled forward for a moment, finally stopping to rest at the knees of a penitent woman who was already poised to administer the head's final rights. If she moved fast his soul might not linger.

Eir typed into her lightpad for a moment, then signaled to Skuld that she had all the data she needed. Like a rumbling bear, Skuld moved down and through the crowd, pistol drawn, randomly dispatching residents in the backs of their heads with loud, ringing shots. Two of the hundred tried to run, feeding themselves to the hungry dogs so Skuld didn't have to. The rest held their peace.

One by one they dropped, Skuld losing herself in the massacre. The more she fired, the louder the ringing became in her ears. She became dizzy, perhaps from adrenaline, maybe ecstasy, she couldn't really tell. Her vision blurred, and she made her way through the crowd as though she were looking for something inside the people's heads but coming up empty every time. The act became more and more frantic until finally her name, "Skuld!", stopped her right as she was about to fire again, this time upon a woman.

Skuld looked up to see Eir tapping her wrist. She shouted again, "He needs them."

Somewhat confused, Skuld shook herself of the zealous trance she had fallen into, wiping a line of spittle from her lips. She looked up at the yellowish sky for a moment, breathing in the alien air and wishing somewhat for home. Performing a quick inventory of the crowd, she looked down at the woman she had almost spared and fired, right where the neck met the shoulders.

"He only needs fifty." She thought.