[ WP ] A reverse alien invasion . Humanity invades a alien planet from the point of view the aliens .

We thought we were ready for first contact. We had developed a diplomatic procedure involving an exchange of members for the purposes of translation ( and there were snacks ), set up what was practically a welcome rug for any potential alien visitors, and broadcast music throughout the solar system, capable of being picked up by the simplest of radio-wave detectors. We thought we were prepared. 
 
 We were not. 
 
 They touched down in the middle of our biggest cities, and we did nothing to stop them. Their ships appeared inelegant at first, but when they had emptied themselves of their contents, they transformed into war machines, stocked to the gills with weaponry a beyond our capabilities. They decimated our grandest monuments and sturdiest buildings, and they had already encircled the city limits when we attempted to evacuate. They had us surrounded. 
 
 And then there were the actual people. 
 
 They were like angels of death, wreathed in steel. Powered armor that could fly, swim, and traverse space. Their weaponry consisted of magnetically accelerated projectiles designed to right through whatever they touched, incendiary jets that burned all in their path, and the occasional blade for when they really wanted us to suffer, gutting everyone who resisted. Those who surrendered without a fight... they captured and took away, adults and children alike. 
 
 But when our capital was surrounded and those who had remained had nothing left to do but fight... they stopped. Their war machines became transports once more, and retreated. They left our shining citadel without a word, without a fight. They retreated to low-planetary orbit... and then we saw it. 
 
 Their flagship came into view, and we stared into an immense, unblinking eye as the ships returned us to it. It was easily big enough that if it impacted our planet, it could split us in half. The maw of this massive beast of a war machine, it opened, and they rained down like fragments of a star. 
 
 The planet was glowing with the explosions, and the bombardment lasted for a whole day, until there was nothing but scorched earth everywhere short of the poles. 
 
 Total atomic annihilation. 
 
 And that was n't the worst part. had they killed us without discretion, bombed us into oblivion and never touched our planet, it would have been a mercy. 
 
 The real problems started when we were brought onto their flagship. 
 
 We became exotic pets, bought and sold for... well, I wo n't pretend their monetary system makes any sense to me, but those who purchased us were adorned with all sorts of useless trinkets, a sure sign of wealth in a capitalist society. And we were n't the only ones: They had captured, experimented on, and subjugated countless other sentient peoples. We saw bipeds, quadrupeds, arachnids, sea creatures, and any number of indescribable other beings, trapped as we were. Bought and sold, gawked at like preserved artifacts, and bred like domestic animals. 
 
 One parent of mine had survived, and we were both kept and sold together. I could n't describe their species to you, as they shared so few traits. They were all mostly rather pale, but some came in darker colors, which I later learned was a result of direct exposure to solar radiation. Beyond that, they came in a wide range of sizes, from shorter than us as children ( and sometimes as adults ) to much taller. Some were soft and squishy, others hardened and muscular. Some were dainty and delicate, others rough and domineering. Most were cruel, some were more erratic. 
 
 I would have preferred one who was cruel to be my captor. 

