Today's experience could not have been more out of this world for Sela Maren, who had no idea that a simple work interview could turn into something like this.
Like many of today's events, this one started with a sound. Not even a scream, as by then those had been too common already.
It wasn't even gunfire, as that too was a sound that she didn't ever think she'd be familiar with.
However, the crisis really started feeling real with a squeak.
It was the squeaking sound made by the little girl's shoes that was accompanied by the sudden cries that froze Sela's blood.
But that was, apparently, not the end of it all, for these monsters were just starting.
Sela Maren was an award-winning columnist who covered urban economics and interplanetary trade reports.
Not the frontlines, nor anything but the effects of piracy on interplanetary trade. She never expected to experience what it was like to actually face interstellar pirates.
