The year was 1993 when the asteroid was first observed by the Kaiquik, an intelligent alien race. They had technology so advanced that it was considered hundreds of years ahead of human technology. The kaiquik were a nomadic group, known for traveling in large, spear-shaped ships that remained a metallic black in color. They preferred the spear-shape above anything else, believing that the shape was a symbol of speed and power. The race themselves were amazingly fast, with their lower body, similar to the legs of an ostrich, allowing them to run at speeds much faster than others. Their long, grayish-pink, birdlike legs gave them the advantage at times. But, weirdly enough, their upper body consisted of a deep black head and tentacles, similar to how you would imagine an octopus. Their intelligent minds, combined with six arms in total allowed them to be excellent at any job, especially including hunting, fighting, and evading. Because of their intelligence, they were a well-respected race. Other races of aliens knew not to stand in their way, especially since the kaiquik are always known for sticking together. Anyone who dared to go against them was quickly outnumbered. The kaiquik were talented in a multitude of subjects, including reading, writing, and speaking in at least a dozen languages. Their leader, Baatim, was the most talented one of them all and was considered the wisest among them. In fact, he was the first one to notice the asteroid while visiting one of his favorite planets. Out of curiosity, he decided that he wanted to follow it. Observing was one of their favorite hobbies, so of course, everyone else agreed to the matter. They followed it for three years, intrigued about where it would land. By 1996, they had found their answer: Earth. Now, the Kaiquk had known about planet Earth for a while. In fact, they were curious about the human race. They wanted to become "friends" but knew how skittish humans were. The last thing they wanted to do was scare them away. So, one evening, Baatim came up with a plan:

"We let it hit the planet," he told all the kaiquik, his deep voice echoing throughout all ships. Even though he stayed on the main ship, he was able to make announcements through all fifteen ships due to holograms.

"Let them suffer a little, they'll be alright," he continued, not paying any attention to what he was saying. He was wrong for what he said, but at the time, the kaiquik couldn't help but agree. He was their leader. Their wisest elder. He knew best.

"We let the asteroid hit, then once it does, we will come in and help! Help the humans! We will be there for them. We will be their support. We will help them rebuild with our technology. They will love us. Adore us. Then, when they do love us, we will take their resources. Oh-that's not the right word. Borrow. We will borrow their resources, yes! I am quite fond of coal. It looks appetizing."

The kaiquik were known to eat anything they had available. It was the only way they could survive at times. So it wasn't uncommon to see them snack on glass. And, if the leader wanted a specific item to eat, the followers wanted the same. So, for the sake of the coal, they decided to let the asteroid plummet down to Earth. In fact, they could've stopped it years ago if they wanted to. They were just curious-and both intelligent and idiotic at the same time. So, instead of stopping the asteroid, they decided to shrink it. At least to the human eye. Once scanned, the asteroid appeared smaller under detection. Less of a threat. The humans had no idea how dangerous it was until April 21st, 1996, when it crashed into Lake Michigan. The impact immediately became the most disastrous event in United States history. Before landing, it was moving around 200,000 miles per hour, creating a 38-mile crater around 0.65 miles deep. An impact like that was equivalent to 10,744 gigatons of TNT. Chicago was wiped out. Millions of people received second and third-degree burns. Clothes and trees caught on fire within hundreds of miles of the impact, with the death toll being over 73 million due to injuries. Even those who lived in Canada were impacted. The United States was at an immense loss, one that the kaiquik hadn't even thought of. Still, they kept going with the plan that Baatim created. They swooped in after the disaster, quickly realizing that they wouldn't be able to help as much as they hoped. The ships quickly dispersed, with Baatim's ship moving toward to bottom of Illinois after seeing the crater. Even with their technology, there was no way for them to save every human who was impacted. Those who hardly survived blamed the ships they saw in the sky, saying it was the aliens who sent the asteroid flying to Earth. They thought an invasion had occurred. Baatim's plan to save the day had failed miserably.

"Save those you can!" He ordered the race, though, even those who could be saved didn't want to be saved by them. The humans found the kaiquik to be hideous and terrifying. Any grown woman or man ran away, as fast as their weakened bodies would let them. Teams of the kaiquik went through several piles of rubble to scan for any possibility of human life left. One of the piles of rubble contained a broken flower shop, with dozens of colorful flowers scattered everywhere. But, within it sat a small sign of life. A kaiquik by the name of Saroyi was the first to find it. When her device beeped, she wasted no time. She threw the pieces of concrete away from the site, bit by bit, until she discovered a baby that was perfectly stationed within it all. The baby cried immediately once she laid eyes on Saroyi, but soon stopped once she was held. She was gripping tightly to a little flower in her hand. A purple one, looking just like a daisy. Some of the petals had fallen.

"Are you okay!?"

It slipped Saroyi's mind that young human babies couldn't talk. Usually, kaiquik babies could talk the moment they were born.

"Ah. Can I see? Let me see."

She took the aster from the baby, carefully examining it.

"Oh...I think it's... aster, isn't it? I'm sure it is. I've done my research."

"SAROYI!"

The sound of Baatim's voice nearly made her drop the baby.

"You found a human!"

"Yes! Look at how tiny it is. It's barely the size of my head."

"Hm. Well, I was hoping to gain the trust of the adults, but they seem to be the most afraid of us."

"She isn't afraid."

"She?"

"Yes, look."

She held up her scanner tool-what they called a bioscanner-with one of her free arms. It was small and stick-like, but there was a button at the bottom that one could press to scan the area for any signs of life, and it could even explain the origins of whatever it scanned by showcasing the information on a holographic screen.

"She's African American, it says so here. Dark hair. Darker eyes."

"And her parents?"

"Dead I believe."

"Ah. Wait, I have an idea."

Saroyi said nothing. She wasn't the most confident about his ideas anymore.

"We keep the baby."

"Huh?"

"We keep it. Raise it as one of us. Then, when she grows older, we can send her back here. She can gain the trust of humans since she's one of them. And, when the time comes, she can slowly introduce us. We can become a part of their society. And, when we do, we can eat all of their coal."

Even though Saroyi wasn't very fond of the idea, she couldn't say no to him. He'd have her killed on the spot. But she had no idea how to raise a human baby; she didn't even know how to raise a kaiquik baby.

"But-"

"It is decided. You must take the baby with you. We will find some items to raise her with to make her feel more...comfortable. Human items. After that, our search here will be done. We shall return to Mothership for feast."

Saroyi felt defeated. She didn't have time to raise a baby, which is why she chose never to mate and have children of her own. Still, though, she felt some sort of attachment to the little girl she held in her arms. She didn't want to just leave her in the middle of nowhere, especially knowing that the baby wouldn't have anyone to look after her. She realized that she was all the baby had left, even if they were completely different species.

"Aster," she eventually said, gently poking at the little girl's face. "Like the flower. That's what I'll call you from now on."

Aster's face formed a little smile. Out of all the humans in the area, she was the only one to smile at the sight of a kaiquik. Saroyi knew how special she'd be from that point forward. She kept her close that day. It was all she could do.