The leaf-strewn trail let out into the sweeping green lawn. Dib stopped and looked across the park, eyes immediately drawn to the massive alien ship. They'd arrived just in time to feel the small tremor as the vessel set down in the grass at the top of the hill. Several Irken soldiers were already in formation awaiting its arrival. The two men watched as the capsule quieted and eventually a ramp appeared, melding out of the hull as it lowered slowly. The guards moved closer and turned to face outwards, encircling the ship with weapons raised. Dib started to move towards it when a familiar figure caught his eye.
Zim climbed the hill to the far right of them, emerging from a different trail almost at the same time as the humans. He didn't seem to notice them as he approached the ship. A guard spotted him and raised her weapon but Zim called out in his mother tongue. He stopped before the ramp as it touched the ground and knelt down on one knee, placing a fist to his chest and lowering his head. A tall, slim figure emerged from the darkness of the ship's interior, descending the steps slowly. It raised a hand briefly to shield its eyes from the glaring sun. In its other hand it held a curved, silvery staff. The being's height was far superior to the other Irkens, exceeding even Dib's lanky height by at least four feet. It's deep heliotrope uniform, shot through with accents of amethyst and ruby, cloaked its body completely, extravagant sleeves draping over its hands, the hem falling about its feet and swaying as it walked. Dib could ascertain no gender based upon what little he'd seen of the Irken species.
The leader stepped down onto the grass and looked around, carmine eyes still squinted against the light. Its segmented antennae were slicked back against its skull gracefully, unmoving as it turned its head. Its gaze fell on Zim and it stepped forward, bringing the staff before it as the guards stepped aside. Zim spoke in his tongue and lifted a hand, palm exposed. The leader clicked in response and tapped his hand with the staff. Zim got to his feet, his back to the humans, and looked up at his Tallest. He said something and the Tallest waved a hand dismissively, starting to step away but Zim moved before them again, speaking quickly. A soldier stepped forward and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the way. Zim yanked free and grabbed the Tallest's cloak. Dib could see his lips moving quickly, his voice hushed in fervor. The leader swung the staff around and struck the smaller alien away with a sudden snarl. Dib started to move after him but the alien pushed himself up and moved back towards the Tallest, stumbling as he called out loudly. The Tallest turned again, staring at him as he scrambled up and stopped before it again. Two guards stepped forward but the leader raised a hand, staring at Zim intently as he spoke, alien words spilling rapidly. The leader replied quietly and Zim shook his head, waving an arm around them. The leader shook their head, turning away to continue on towards the city. Zim stepped forward but the guard grabbed him. He fought away, snarling, and another soldier stepped up to strike him in the back, driving him to the ground. Zim struggled to get away but one of the guards pinned him down and drew a blade. He brought it down swiftly and the alien cried out.
"Stop!" Dib shouted, breaking away from Steven to run towards them. Steve lurched after him, reaching in attempt to stop him, fingers missing his coat by an inch. The guards looked up quickly and the leader turned again, antennae lifting just slightly at the human voice. The guards stood and raised their weapons, shouting at him. He hesitated at the sight of the weapons, reaching for his own. One of the soldiers shouted again and fired, the red laser-like discharge passing Dib with enough wind to raise a chill up his arm. Dib turned quickly. Steve stumbled, his own drawn weapon falling from his hand as he dropped to his knees. Dib dropped with him and crawled towards his friend, reaching to catch him as he fell forward. He lowered his friend to the grass gently on his back. Steven stared at the sky, lips parted and moving slightly as his hands reached up to his chest.
"Steve, Steven," Dib saw the decimating wound and grabbed one of his hands, leaning in close and squeezing as Steven's green eyes found his, swimming with confusion and fear. Behind him, Zim turned over and grabbed one of the soldiers' legs as she moved towards Dib, pulling her off balance. The guard growled and brought the weapon down on his face with an audible crack. Zim fell to the ground again and kicked out, dodging as the soldier brought the weapon down again, leaving a deep dent in the grass and soil.
"It's okay, it's alright," Dib choked, holding Steven's hand tightly as he shuddered once, then grew still. He saw the life leave his friend's eyes and released his hand as they glazed over, getting to his feet quickly and rushing towards the aliens. Zim scrambled up and placed himself between the soldiers and the human, holding a hand out behind him. Dib stopped halfway up the hill and stared at them. The Irken growled something at the soldiers and one snapped back. The Tallest moved over to them and the soldiers stepped back, weapons trained on the invader as the leader stepped before him. Zim looked up at his leader, swaying on his feet but standing tall. The leader looked at Dib, then back down at Zim, saying something. Zim nodded, lowering his arm and replying quietly. The Tallest glanced at Dib again, eyes narrowed, and shook his head, waving a hand as he said something dismissively, starting to turn away. Zim growled and grabbed his leader's slim arm, claws digging in as he jerked them back to look at him. The leader stared down at him in surprise a moment before swinging the staff again against his head, sending the invader tumbling down the hill. Dib ran to meet him, dropping to his knees beside the alien and turning him onto his side carefully. Soldiers approached them, weapons raised. Dib pressed his hands flat against the flowing stab in the alien's chest, leaning in close to say his name. Zim's hand lifted and grabbed onto his wrist, his eyes fluttering open to look up at the human. They stared at each other a long moment before the alien wheezed and coughed, blood spilling from his lips as his hand slid away from Dib's. His eyes dulled before slipping shut and Dib shouted at him. He was later unsure if he'd said 'Zim' or 'Steven'.
The human became aware of a presence and looked up to see the leader standing before him, staring down at them fixedly. Its claws were wrapped around the silvery staff, ready to strike the human. Dib lifted his arms, bowing his head as he had seen Zim do, and begged mercy. The Tallest gazed down at his hands smeared with red and green and lowered the staff slowly, clicking. Dib lifted his head to look up at the alien ruler, lowering his arms to his sides as the leader reached down and touched the back of his head.
Human. I have seen much of your planet, and yet so little. Your compassion speaks to the aptitude of your species. Enough here, little human.
The leader straightened, hand sliding away, and said something to the soldiers. They backed away from the human and then turned, following their leader towards the ship. Dib looked down at the dying alien before getting to his feet and running after them. One of the soldiers turned and grabbed him as he tried to slip past, throwing him to the ground and raising his weapon. The Tallest turned and waved him away. The soldier backed down but kept his weapon at the ready. Dib rose slowly and looked up at the alien leader.
"Take him with you," he said, not knowing if they could even understand him. "Please. He will die here."
The leader considered him a long moment before nodding, saying something to one of the soldiers and turning to ascend the steps into the ship. Two of the soldiers stepped past Dib and leaned down, carefully picking Zim up and carried him towards the craft. Dib watched as they passed and took him out of sight. He stepped back when the ship started up and lifted from the ground, ascending into the sky slowly. He watched until it was out of sight, other, smaller alien crafts like the ones he'd seen earlier passing overhead as they followed. He sank to the ground and sat in the park alone, watching the sky until the sun slid away, leaving him in the dark until emergency personnel began to arrive.