The ship landed with a dull thud, air hissing from its joints. Despite the ISS's insistence that the captain exit the ship first, everyone mutually agreed (Vok'Rul demanded it) that Vok'Rul exit the ship, along with Viktor and his friends. It'll be good for them to see the Vokkrus getting along with a large group of humans, Vok'Rul had said. Viktor had worriedly responded that Vok'Rul wasn't the most unassuming alien they could send. He was tall, sharp, and dangerous to anyone who looked at him wrong.

Nonsense, Vok'Rul had declared, washing away any protests Viktor had. He wished he could throw a punch harder than a Victorian child dying of plague would be able to.

"Remember," Viktor said, barely able to get the words past the lump in his throat. "Look peaceful. I'll have to translate for you. You should say nice things. Like, 'we come in peace,' they love that."

"How silly," Vok'Rul said, amused. He wasn't taking this very seriously.

"I'm serious," he insisted, fingers twitching around the bars of his walker. Vok'Rul leaned down to smooth his hair back. It did little to soothe the nerves in his stomach.

They were in the plaza. The noise of the humans crowding inside of it made him nauseous. They were eagerly waiting for the all-clear to exit the ship, and their excitement was palpable. And loud.

The ramp they were standing in front of hissed open, and Viktor squinted against the light. The smell hit him next. Hot sand and a strange sweetness. They had landed in the Sahara Desert, after all. As they descended the ramp, Viktor fought against the gravity - much harsher on his body than he remembered - and struggled to get down without falling flat on his face. That would be embarrassing.

Vok'Rul's face was upturned. He was admiring the sky. It was a bright, beautiful blue.

Trucks, large things with even larger wheels, surrounded the ramp. There were journalists, photographers, reporters, and cameras everywhere. They were held back by a weak line of security, who ushered them backward with minimal success. Viktor's heart pounded in his chest, throbbing in his throat.

"It's alright, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul whispered to him as they reached the ground. Viktor was reminded that he had his heart rate monitored. "This will go smoothly, I promise."

Viktor hoped so. Why was he down here, again?

A loud voice, crackling through a megaphone, caught his attention. "Greetings, alien. What business do you have with Earth?" The voice was cautious, wary, but not outright hostile. Viktor hoped that was a good sign.

"Hello!" Vok'Rul said loudly, cheerfully. Viktor hoped they could hear him when he translated. Maybe sending down the kid who couldn't speak all that well was a bad idea. "I am Vokkra Rulshkka of planet A1-308, and we come in peace. I am sure you have received my message."

The group of people - some official-looking people that intimidated Viktor, if he were honest - inched closer to the ramp where they stood. Viktor couldn't see any, but he was certain there was security personnel, fully equipped with guns and everything needed to blast them all to bits. He tried not to feel like he'd faint.

One of the men nodded at Viktor. "And you are?"

"Uh, Viktor, sir," he said, offering the man a nervous smile. The man returned it slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Viktor," the man held out his hand, and Viktor took it, shaking it as firmly as he could. It was hard when he felt like he was sinking into the sand underneath them.

The man nodded at Vok'Rul, glancing up at the tall alien before looking back at Viktor. "Can he understand me?"

Viktor nodded, sharing a glance with Vok'Rul. The alien looked amused. He's probably had this meeting with a lot of other planets before. "Yes, sir. He can understand you." Viktor brushed his hair away from his ear, tilting his head to reveal the translator. "We have translators. There's some more in the ship that we can give you."

The man nodded his acceptance, and Viktor raised his hand, twisting it in the gesture that Vok'Rul had shown him before exiting the ship. They had both agreed that Viktor should be the one to do any hand signals considering he was the human. Anything Vok'Rul did would be met with hostility, even if it was harmless.

"A group of people are going to come out with some translators for you," Viktor explained before any look of alarm could cross the man's face. The man nodded once more.

Pedro, Nikolas, and Aiko descended with their arms full. Ezekiel had decided (read: bullied into submission) to stay on the ship, lest he said something out of pocket and ruin the whole thing. The three of them carried boxes. There weren't enough translators made to encompass the entire population of Earth, but there were certainly enough to cover this little area.

"Now that we can all understand each other," Vok'Rul said. "I would like to offer my humblest apologies for last year's fiasco."

The man's eyes hardened, and Viktor surreptitiously elbowed Vok'Rul. He wasn't sure if the alien felt it. A little more tact would be great, Vok'Rul!

"The mistake on my part is unforgivable," he continued slowly. "I have brought back the humans who have wished to return and offer a mutual alliance on my planet's behalf."

The man looked out of his depth now, sharing glances with the group of people he had approached with. Viktor guessed he hadn't expected the olive branch. "You don't want to abduct more humans?" the man questioned.

Vok'Rul shook his head, "Absolutely not!"

The man pursed his lips and nodded. "Then we're done here. We will assist the people out of your ship. The leaders of our world will likely extend invitations to meet with you to discuss this... alliance." Vok'Rul seemed pleased.

The next twelve hours were the longest Viktor's ever experienced. They had landed in the desert in the evening, and while the people were filing out of the ship with their belongings, it slowly dipped into nighttime. The area had been cleared of most of the reporters - they had lost interest around the five-hour mark - and lamps were set up instead. The closest city was a short ride away, but transporting forty-five million people was tricky and time-consuming.

The ship was eventually emptied, and everyone who wanted to - basically everyone except the humans who stuck with their aliens on the ship, and Viktor's entire group - had gotten on planes, cars, or train rides home. Vouchers had been given to everyone, and Oskar held onto his and Viktor's. Frankly, Viktor wasn't sure if they even had a home to go to. His whole town had been taken, hadn't it? Had new people moved in or had it sat empty instead?

Helicopters had descended on the sight, puny against The Conquest. Vok'Rul didn't seem too impressed with their noise, though he was intrigued by their flight.

"Flight! We could never manage it on our planet," he exclaimed.

"I thought you had spaceships for that," Viktor frowned at him. Vok'Rul shrugged, half-heartedly.

"They aren't as user-friendly as these seem to be! They travel a little too quickly and are a little too bulky to land anywhere useful."

Helicopters... were user-friendly. Apparently.

As soon as everyone had left and was accounted for, the helicopters descended and landed. Viktor was worried about them sinking into the sand, but they seemed to do alright. He wondered if they'd get stuck on the way up. Each helicopter had a different style to them, which worried Viktor. Were these all from different countries?

Turns out, they were. Delegates from multiple countries across the world. They invited Vok'Rul, posthaste, to a world leader meeting. Much to the alien's delight, however, they offered a ride via the helicopters. Viktor quickly found out that he was deathly afraid of heights.

"Come, Kohgrash, this is fun, isn't it?" Vok'Rul cheered. He looked so goofy with the headset on him. It hadn't been able to sit on his head normally, so they had to angle it up from the bottom of his skull to cover his ears. The mic brushed against his cheek, and every time he spoke, it crackled.

The doors to the helicopter were sealed shut, thank God, otherwise, Viktor was certain the alien would be hanging out of the helicopter with delight. As it were, the alien was scrunched up as much as he could in the cramped space. It didn't deter his enthusiasm.

The pilots and delegate they tagged along with - Argentina, apparently - seemed to enjoy Vok'Rul's company, which was a relief. His dad was pressed against his side, holding onto his hand tightly. He didn't do well with heights, either.

"Not fun," he wheezed out, glaring at Vok'Rul. "Sit still, for God's sake. You're gonna give me a heart attack."

"Not funny," Vok'Rul huffed, glancing at something Viktor couldn't see. Heartbeat monitor, he guessed, watching the alien glance at his wrist next.

They landed with fanfare. The press were swarming the building they were going to meet in, somewhere in London he guess, based on the architecture. The noise was overwhelming, but he put on a brave face. His dad and Vok'Rul were at his side. Everything would turn out okay. They were escorted into the building.

The big meeting with all the world leaders wouldn't happen for another few hours since everyone had to actually make it to the building from across the world. Viktor had to explain timezones to a confused Vok'Rul, whose planet's civilization was so dense in one area that there was never any need for timezones. He also had to explain clocks.

"Everything is so small," Vok'Rul cooed, touching a nearby couch. They were waiting in the lobby of the building. It was ornate and grand, and Viktor wished he could have the calmness needed to admire its beauty. As it were, he was simply trying to not let Vok'Rul accidentally declare war on Earth.

"Stop touching stuff," Viktor demanded. He didn't know how much money everything in here was worth, but it was probably a lot.

"Relax, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul reassured, reaching over to pat his head. "I am admiring the view, is all! It is quite nice here! Remarkable architecture, furniture... The atmosphere is wonderful."

"Do you know what you're going to say to them?" Viktor asked worriedly, looking around the room. Oskar looked like he had left his mind back on A1-308, a blank look plastered on his face. Frankly, it was a lot for Viktor to take in, too. The security detail lingered around the room, stepping from every corner as they patrolled the room. Their eyes were locked onto Vok'Rul.

Vok'Rul reached up to dig in his pockets. He jingled as the movement disturbed all his jewelry. "Right here," he said, handing Viktor a piece of paper. Viktor recognized that it was Rukka's handwriting, but he couldn't read a word it said. He handed it back to Vok'Rul with a little eye roll. At least it wouldn't be a complete mess at the meeting.

After a half hour of standing around, Viktor decided to tentatively take a seat on the couch. It was ornate - probably worth more than his and his dad's entire apartment - and Viktor was wary of even looking at it. No one jumped out to tell at him, though, so he supposed that it was fine.

He relaxed against the fabric, letting out a sigh. His body ached with all the standing and walking he had done today. He was getting better, slowly, but it still took a toll on him. He wondered if he'd be able to fight again, then harshly reminded himself that he didn't need to fight anything, anymore.

Vok'Rul sat next to him carefully. Viktor snorted as the thought of the couch breaking under the alien's weight crossed his mind. The couch creaked but didn't collapse.

"Your planet is nice," Vok'Rul murmured, still gazing around the building.

"Thanks, made it myself," Viktor mumbled, feeling his eyes slide shut. It was the middle of the night, and he was exhausted. He heard Vok'Rul chuckle.

"I'll wake you when it is time," Vok'Rul promised. Viktor made a noise of disagreement.

"I won't fall asleep," he returned, leaning against the alien.

He fell asleep. Vok'Rul didn't even have to wake him up. As soon as someone entered the grand room, their footsteps echoed loudly throughout it, and Viktor was jolted back into consciousness.

"We are ready for you, Vokkra Rulshkka," the woman said, only slightly stumbling over his name. "If you would please follow me."

"Of course!" Vok'Rul said cheerfully, getting up. He helped Viktor to his feet, warm hand a reassuring weight on his arm. He heard his dad scramble to his own feet a second later.

The woman didn't move, a slightly strained smile on her face, "I must insist that you two stay here," she said to Oskar and Viktor. "Only approved people can enter the room."

"I am afraid that won't be possible," Vok'Rul said apologetically, though his tone was chilly. "My friend, Victor," he still spoke his name awkwardly, not used to the syllables on his tongue, "must accompany me wherever I go. He has been instrumental to our planets' meeting today."

The woman looked flustered as if she hadn't expected any backlash. However, there was nothing she could do, as any protests she made were met with Vok'Rul's stony silence. The alien could be intimidating when he wanted to be, and to humans who had only seen the Vokkrus today, he was downright terrifying. Still, Viktor wasn't going to interrupt. Boring or not, he wanted to be in the room with Vok'Rul. He didn't want to leave the alien alone in front of hundreds of humans.

So, through sheer stubbornness, the two of them went in. Oskar decided he'd rather stay back in the lobby, which was fine with the three of them.

The room was large, much larger than the lobby. Rows of tables and chairs circled around a central podium, which is where a few humans stood. Vok'Rul and Viktor were escorted to it, the latter highly aware of everyone's eyes on them.

What were they thinking about? A twelve-foot tall alien, strutting in with confidence in his step, accompanied by a small, battered human that needed a walker to get around. They were a pair, certainly.

A man cleared his throat into the microphone in front of him. He stood, stiff and straight-backed, in front of the room. A hush fell over the room, interrupted only by the clicking of cameras and sudden, short flashes. Viktor was sure Vok'Rul's monitor would break with the harsh tempo of his heart. He was indescribably nervous.

"Welcome, Mr. Vokkra," he said, voice smooth and rich. Vok'Rul's tail tip twitched at the address, making his jewelry clink. The man looked right at Viktor, a flash of confusion flickering across his face. "And... company." Viktor gave him a weak smile.

"Hello, leaders of Earth. It is very nice to meet you," Vok'Rul said pleasantly. "We have much to discuss."

The man nodded, steepling his fingers in front of him. "Let us begin," he said.

***

The meeting was incredibly long. It lasted hours. Viktor felt like the only one who got tired had been him. They had swiftly given him a chair to sit in, thankfully, but hadn't managed to find any for Vok'Rul. The alien had assured them that it was alright, however.

As it were, Viktor nearly fell asleep in his chair a couple of times. He hoped no one noticed, but he couldn't count himself to be so lucky. He tried to stay as alert as possible. It was too difficult the first few hours, but as his nervous adrenaline ebbed away, it had been harder and harder to stay awake.

The worst thing, he thought, he missed about A1-308 was its inhabitants' efficiency. If it had been a council of Vokkra they were stood in front of, the meeting probably would've been thirty minutes, tops.

The back and forth between terms of their alliance, demands of reparation for the people stolen, the people they lost, communication between the planets, supply trade, technology advancements, and many other terms that simply went over Viktor's head were never-ending. But if the teenager stopped paying attention for one second, they'd moved on to another topic, and he was left struggling in the dust.

Vok'Rul seemed to be having fun, for some crazy reason. Despite his protests that he hated politics, he really did like all this stuff. His eyes were lit up with a frenzied gleam, and he enjoyed all the back-and-forth talking they all did. Viktor was glad someone was having fun. It was nice seeing the alien something other than worried, sullen, annoyed, or a mixture of all three.

No one had questioned his presence, thankfully. They were obviously curious, just slightly, but most of their curiosity landed on Vok'Rul. To be fair, he was the alien here. Viktor knew it was selfish, but he couldn't help but be glad the attention was on his friend instead of him. What a relief.

The reason the meeting was taking so long, Viktor figured, was not because of the difficulty of the terms - while it was a long list of terms, most of the talking revolved around the different countries' governments and their policies, not necessarily the actual action of the alliance - but because of the people's insatiable curiosity about Vok'Rul. They tried to disguise it, at least.

The representative of Italy spoke, clearing his throat, "So, most of your planet... in Andromeda Galaxy... is wasteland? No plants, no animals, nothing like that, are capable of living there?"

"Correct," Vok'Rul responded, just a little confused.

"If we were to," he paused here, "accept your offer of 'outposts' on your planet, would we be allowed to use that land?"

Bemused, Vok'Rul chuckled, "Well, I certainly welcome you to try. I will gather information about my planet and send it to your scientists."

That seemed to be what the man had been after. He sat back in his chair, pleased. "That would be amenable," he conceded.

"The occupants on your planet," the representative of China spoke, the translator speaking just a beat behind her. "They are represented by you, correct?" At Vok'Rul's affirmative nod, she continued, "Only you? There are no states nor countries, or other leaders you must contend with?"

"I am the sole leader of my people," Vok'Rul clarified.

"How did they choose you? Or were you born into your role?"

"I have earned my rightful place as Vokkra through the Competition, a battle between many fine warriors." Vok'Rul didn't seem to mind the many questions. It helped that most people were tactful in their questioning, though some of their implied meanings flew over Viktor's head.

"Warriors? Do you fight often?" the United States representative asked.

"We are a predatory species, but we are not ruthless killers and plunderers."

Some people were less tactful. When a break had been called, the press had exploded.

"Alien! Are your tails prehensile?"

"Over here! Alien, why did you abduct all these helpless people?"

"Why do you have that boy with you?"

"Boy, where did you get those injuries? Did this alien hurt you?"

Viktor has fought many things, aliens and animals being the top contenders. But he had never fought people. Sparring with the others had been the closest he had come to it. He was willing to break that streak, though. Every instinct in him was telling him to get closer to the ground and run. To them or from them, he couldn't tell. He swore he felt the faint tingling of klaxan in his veins.

He mastered his emotions, though. It helped that the press were on the other side of the room in their dedicated corner. He could easily ignore them.

Someone stamped their foot hard on the wooden floor, and, combined with the crowd, the noise reminded Viktor way too much of the arena. He shut his eyes briefly.

"Hungry, Kohgrash?" Vok'Rul asked him, nudging his shoulder slightly. Someone had brought them some food. The sight of it made him queasy, despite the hunger gnawing at his stomach.

"Not really," he muttered, the first words he had spoken in hours. His voice was quiet and hoarse. It burned him to speak, and he tried to clear his throat of the pain. "But I'll take that water bottle." He held out his hand and was rewarded with an ice-cold bottle pressed into his palm.

"Your leaders are quite charming," Vok'Rul said. He tore into the meat that was on the plate, likely missing Thruul's cooking, if the slightly pinched look on his face was anything to go by.

Viktor shrugged. "This is a few of them. Most of the people here are representatives. I bet there'll be another meeting with all the world leaders. This is probably just to keep an eye on you."

"I am no danger to you or your planet," Vok'Rul insisted. Viktor gave him a small smile. He patted the alien's claws, which were resting idly on the podium's railing.

"I know, don't worry," he assured the alien. "They just aren't used to your face."

Vok'Rul's face screwed up in offense, but Viktor just laughed. When the meeting finally ended, hours later with another set in just a few days, Viktor still buzzed with quiet nervousness. Despite the relaxed air Vok'Rul projected, he couldn't help but feel anxious about the future. Vok'Rul reassured him quietly.

"Who is the worrywart, now?" he jested, grinning at Viktor. Viktor smiled feebly, yawning wide enough to bring tears to his eyes. "It'll work out," he repeated once more. "You'll see."

That was all Viktor could really hope for, he guessed.

***

They set them up in a hotel, just a few minutes away from the building.

Viktor and Vok'Rul stared at the small car that was offered to take them there. Viktor looked between the driver, who looked just as confused and maybe a bit starstruck as he felt, and his friend.

"I appreciate your offer," Vok'Rul told the England representative politely, "but I do not think I can fit in there."

Viktor heard his dad muffle a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stamp down his amusement. The representative spluttered for a moment, coming to the same realization as Vok'Rul. With his height, Vok'Rul would have a hard time fitting in anything. Not to mention his tail, which was almost as long as his body.

"Yes... I can see how that might be an issue," she said slowly.

"No matter," Vok'Rul said jovially, clapping his hands together lightly. "We can just walk!"

Viktor wanted to sigh. More walking.

The press followed them, asking questions of them loudly and abrasively. He wished he were back on A1-308, if only to turn around and snarl at them without the stigma of being branded a crazy man all over the Internet. They were so irritating. He hated the flashing of their cameras, so bright.

Thankfully, they had been assigned a small team of bodyguards. They were nowhere near as impressive as Vok'Rul's personal team - of which there were only a few tagging along, but they were still on the ship - but they were much friendlier.

"I've got a kid your age," one of the bodyguards, a lady named Cheryl, told him. She was walking slightly in front of him, but her body was angled to face him. She kept well out of the way of his walker, though, for which he was thankful. She glanced at his dad before saying, "I don't know how I would've acted if he had got kidnapped by the aliens. Erm, no offense, Mr. Vokkra."

Viktor wondered when the alien would correct their usage of his title. It probably didn't translate to Your Majesty, after all.

"No worries," Vok'Rul, ever the good guy, responded. His temper, so rash and brutal on the ship, seemed to completely disappear. Well, Viktor supposed, he was usually a relaxed kind of guy.

Oskar huffed, "I don't know how I did it, to be honest."

"It was scary, that day was," she said conversationally. "All over the news: 'aliens attack!' We were terrified they'd come back to finish the job, but months went by without so much a sniff of 'em."

Viktor felt a little ill. The last thing he wanted to do today, after all this, was talk about the months after their abduction. Thankfully, the hotel really was only a few minutes away from the building. Viktor hurriedly scurried into the building, escaping the flashing and clicking of cameras and chatty bodyguards, who had opted to stay outside.

They were shown to their room. An elaborate suite greeted them, complete with a small living room that hosted a large couch, a few squishy armchairs, and a wall-mounted TV. Oskar immediately went to the couch, collapsing onto it with a loud sigh. He flicked on the TV after staring at the remote for a few moments.

"Never thought I'd be in a good old-fashioned Earth hotel again. Though, this one is a little high class."

Viktor hummed out a response. There were two beds in the bedroom. King-sized. They could barely support his dad's height, let alone Vok'Rul's.

"How charming," ever the optimist, that guy was.

"We can push them together," Viktor suggested. He held out his hands, pressing them finger to finger. "End way. So you can actually get some sleep."

Snoring interrupted his thought process. His dad was passed out on the couch, his head thrown over the back of it. The TV was on, forgotten. The news channel played, loud and obnoxious. Viktor started when he realized that he was on the screen. He had looked as tired as he thought he did.

"Done," Vok'Rul announced. Viktor looked over in confusion. The alien had already pushed the beds together, even going so far as stuffing some pillows between the crease.

"Well, damn," Viktor said, slightly surprised. Those beds were heavy. "Nice job."

"Thank you, Kohgrash," Vok'Rul responded, pleased.

Viktor threw a blanket, one of the many throws they had scattered around the place, over his dad before collapsing on a chair himself. He had no recollection of falling asleep, but somewhere between listening to Vok'Rul exclaim about the shower in the bathroom and the dull clamor of the crowd outside, he drifted off.