When the advanced aliens came in peace, we were all very relieved.

But when they started talking about the war crimes they will have to file against humanity after they leave, we weren’t so happy.<br><br>In fact, we got downright mad, gods-damned furious. We weren’t the only humans who reacted this way, either.<br><br>They had gone from basically saying, ‘Oh, you’re humanity, right? We came to get your neighbour’ to ‘Oh, you’re humanity, right? Well we’re going to have to take you in for a while to answer some questions.’ Without even stopping at, ‘Oh, you’re humanity, right? We’re going to have to make sure you’re not dangerous before we leave’.<br><br>What the actual fuck?<br><br>The aliens didn’t seem to notice our reaction, though. They just turned their computer screen around, giving us a list of the crimes we’d committed. And that’s when reality set in.<br><br>They weren’t talking about war crimes. They were talking about crimes against wildlife. And we were guilty as hell.<br><br><br>A few lines in, we saw a crime so heinous, so utterly fucking evil that it made us stop in our tracks. In fact, it made us forget they were aliens from outer space.<br><br>“How the fuck can you hunt a creature that is endangered and still trying to evolve?” one of us exclaimed, pointing at the line where it said ‘Whale murder’. ‘Extinct species abuse’ came a few lines down.<br><br>The alien looked at us, confused. Which made us even angrier.<br><br>“You don’t know what the fuck you’re doing to the whales, do you?” we asked, indignant. He shook his head in return.<br><br>“They’re huge,” he said. “They’re a threat.”<br><br>We sighed, running one hand over our face.<br><br>“They’re not fucking monsters,” we snapped. “They’re just fucking animals.”<br><br>He flinched away from us, holding a hand to his chest. “Garrethi!” it said on the name tag above his chest.<br><br>We felt a lump in our throat. At that moment, we realized we’d heard that name before. It was the name given to us when the aliens first arrived, but we had been so caught up in the fear and relief that we hadn’t written it down anywhere. Instead, we’d tried to remember it, and we’d forgotten. And now, we’d hurt the alien because of it.<br><br>“Sorry,” we muttered, looking down at the floor and turning to walk away.<br><br>They didn’t stop us from leaving, but they did stop us from coming back. The door locked me out, and we had to stay in our own room until they were ready to let us out again.<br><br>We didn’t get out again until the next morning, when the alien guard came to fetch us.<br><br>“Come on,” he said. “You’re not in any danger. But your people need to see this.”<br><br>We nodded, and followed him.<br><br>The Gareethi were in a large chamber of their own spaceship. A large screen floated in mid air in the middle of the room, and our people were gathered around it.<br><br>We squeezed our way through the crowds until we were at the front, looking across at one of the aliens, who was standing next to one of our own.<br><br>“Alright, everybody,” he said, smiling. “I think we’re ready.”<br><br>He stepped aside, and we saw Garrethi with the computer, who was looking in our direction with a nod.<br><br>The next second, the screen jumped to life, showing the list of crimes that we were guilty of.<br><br>A collective gasp spread through the crowds as the extent of our crimes was realized. I recognized at least a quarter of the crimes, and those I didn’t were still just as terrible.<br><br>The screen faded to black, and Garrethi stepped forward again, looking around the room. “The crimes you have committed are severe,” he said. “Some of your leaders have already been arrested and put in prison. The rest of you will be given a choice: stay on Earth and go to prison, or leave Earth and join us.”<br><br>There were a lot of questions being asked, but the screen flickered back to life before they could be answered.<br><br>A blue-green planet filled the screen, half-shrouded in shadow. “This is Zorvath,” a voice said. “You may call it New Earth if you want.”<br><br>The camera zoomed out, showing Zorvath hanging in the darkness of space, surrounded by countless stars.<br><br>“How will we get there?” someone asked.<br><br>Garrethi gestured to the side, and we followed his gesture to see a massive ship docked in the side of the Gareethi spaceship. We’d seen it on the way in, but hadn’t thought much of it.<br><br>“Will there be animals there?” a young girl asked, tugging on her father’s arm. “I don’t want to leave the puppies.”<br><br>Garrethi smiled at her. “There will be animals. But you will not be allowed to keep them as pets. They are not yours to keep.”<br><br>There were so many questions, but only one really mattered.<br><br>“How long do we have to choose?” we asked, since we were closest to Garrethi.<br><br>“A week,” he said. “In seven days, the choice will be made for you.”<br><br>We nodded, and turned away. We didn’t need a week. We’d already made our mind up.<br><br>I was going to New Earth.