"Yes, yes. I know this story well", interjected Rigga, his voice slurred. "For reasons unknown, the crew’s initial scans of the planet failed to return evidence of the underground-dwelling Lantulans."

"Right. Not to mention the fact that the Lantulans had far superior technology to that of any other alien race Earthlings had ever encountered. And they were not very pleased, to say the least, about visitors dropping in uninvited."

"Anyway, the extermination party were themselves exterminated before they could get word out about what they had found. The Lantulans recognized the crew for what they were, and deduced that Earthlings were planning on colonizing Lantula. Without much hesitation and without warning the Lantulans unleashed an attack on Earth unlike anything humans could have ever imagined."

"Yes, but what does this all have to do with you?" queried Rigga. "Were your ancestors some kind of heroes in the war?"

"No, I was there."

"Impossible!" bellowed Rigga, failing to suppress his laughter. "You’re much too young! They don’t even teach about the Lantulan Takeover in schools anymore, for Vårlig’s sake!"

Behind the bar, Skrissell cracked a smile of his own, but urged, "Come on, Rigga let the kid tell his story."

Rigga rolled his eyes but settled quietly back onto his barstool.

"I was just three weeks away from finishing my schooling when the Lantulans attacked. I was getting ready to enter the Interstellar Academy, with plans of later joining the Expansion Committee as an explorer."

"Don’t you mean exterminator?" prodded Rigga.

"No! I’ve always believed in trying to find ways for humans and other species to live together!"

"Easy, kid. Go on with your story." Skrissell had many years of being a peacemaker under his belt. His pub was notorious for its brawls.

"It was early in the afternoon. I had just entered the hangar area where my father usually worked on the craft in need of repairs. He saw me come in, and he motioned for me to come over, holding his finger to his lips as if to ‘shush’ me."

"He said, ‘Son, have a look at this’. He pulled back the curtain to reveal the most beautiful machine I had ever seen."

"But it wasn’t fated for me to have much time to enjoy it. Before I could even respond, there was an explosion at the other end of the hangar. Everyone scattered. My father and I took cover behind some crates. There were what seemed like thousands of explosions all around us, and we couldn’t tell what was happening."

"Finally, the barrage came to a halt. When the smoke cleared, nearly the entire roof was gone, and most of the starcraft were destroyed. The one my father had just shown me, however, was still intact."

By this time, Rigga had calmed down and was listening attentively.

"My father and I finally decided it was safe to come out from behind the crates (not that they would have saved us from the kinds of weapons that were being used), and we headed outside the hangar. But before we made it to fresh air, the speakers boomed and every view screen in the compound lit up."

"All the unidentified speaker had to report was, ‘We have been attacked by an unknown enemy. Please head for cover in the nearest shelter until further notice.’ The message was repeated three or four times and then the screens went blank."

"Shortly after, the explosions started again. Except this time, we were out in the open and were able to see our attackers. There were hundreds of them blanketing the sky! Every building I could see was in flames, and there were dead bodies littering the ground. It was about this time that I heard my name being shouted. I spun around to see my best friend Bjarne running towards me."