“Excuse me. Larval human. You may approach.”

“Froggie!” exclaimed the little girl, toddling over to the amphibian.

Bulging eyes winced. “I am a Gilthian, a native of Gamma Siderius IV. My name is Cron. I am not a ‘froggie.’ Don’t touch me!” finished Cron.

The larval human, whose name was Cindy, snatched her reaching hand back. “Froggie?”

The Gilthian sighed. “I should have approached an adult of the species. Is your progenitor available?”

The girl cocked her head, flame-red hair shifting in the soft breeze. “Are you a prince?”

“What? No. No. I’m a third-level stasiswarp technician. Listen, I need to warn you-“

Cindy giggled.

Cron blinked. “Why are you attempting to insult me? Have I said something to offend? And how did you learn our language?”

The little girl covered her mouth with her hands and giggled louder.

“What? You don’t even know my female progenitor! She’s back on Gilth!” Cron hopped to one side. “I assure you, if you keep this up-“

“You’re funny, froggie!” Cindy giggled some more.

“That does it!” cried Cron, and leapt for the little girl’s throat.

Her body lay in the dappled sunlight, in a pool of its own blood, only the first casualty of the Gilthian invasion of Earth.