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Rice Shower and Hara Urara had been running laps around their farm, laughing and chattering away all the while the sun was warm on their skin, and the sky was clear. It was just a day like any other.
Hara stopped her run to kneel down, having spotted a four leaf clover on the ground. She smiled, plucking the plant and looking up to show off her find to her friend. She saw Rice standing next to their motherly figure, Agnes Tachyon.
"Hara.. come here..!" Rice cried out. The worry in her voice led to Hara rushing over, wondering what was wrong. They were staring up into the sky. There was something.. it looked almost like a large mechanical closed flower. It seemed to be approaching them, and quickly! Agnes grabbed the hands of the two girls, and they all turned tail to run. They didnt get far before the object crashed into the ground, the impact sending the girls flying.They all recovered from the shock, having sustained no injuries, and turned to the object. It was a lot larger than they had originally thought, larger than any of the girls. The flower appeared to bloom, and the young girls hid behind Agnes. Out from it stepped huge metal.. soldiers? Around 5 of them, Agnes noted to herself. She stood her ground, as one of them approached her, vibrating the ground with each step.
Instead of talking to her directly, they looked to their comrades, muttering something about beastmen? Abhumans? Agnes' ears perked up, and she spoke. "We're humans." All the guns these soldiers wielded were immideatly aimed at her. She kept a smile on her face, and continued. "Not exactly. The male variants of our species are all humans, but a genetic mutation in our species can cause females to develop ears and a tail, and have impeccable running abilities." Her eyes looked to be sparkling. "We're referred to as Uma Musumes." The soldiers listened silently, before turning to each other, seemingly discussing what she explained.
Eventually, they focused their attention back on the three girls, and slowly lowered their weapons. Hara and Rice poked their heads out from behind Agnes, and it almost seemed as if the men softened a bit. "Kids." A soldier stated. They returned their weapons to their sides, and the front most soldier knelt down. They were still much taller, but it felt less imposing now. Hara ever so slowly inched forward, holding out the four leaf clover she still had in her grasp. The soldier held their hand out, and she placed it in their palm. The acceptance of the gift seemed to overjoy the girl, and she grinned, backing up before cheering, jumping up and down. "Rice yay!! They're nice!" She ran to tug on Rice's sleeve, ushering her forward. The display made some of the soldiers chuckle.
Hara and Rice had ended up playing with some of the soldiers, running around them, playing tag, and showing off their vegetables they were growing. Agnes was sitting on a hay bale, the leader of this group's exploration party next to her. "The Salamanders, huh?" She questioned, glancing over. They nodded, hands clasped politely. "Yes. We serve the Emperor, we were exploring this place to see if it was suitable for collecting resources for our planets."
Agnes hummed in thought, placing a hand on her cheek. "Well? Is it suitable?" He simply nodded. Agnes looked back to the kids playing, and her expression softened. "What do you people plan on doing, to this planet, to us?" She asked it calmly, but it was obvious she was worried. The marine stayed silent for a few moments. Agnes had partly wondered if he had heard her question, and went to ask again when he responded.
"If your people accept the Imperium, and help provide us with resources, you should all be okay." Agnes sighed softly, almost with relief. "I just hope the people in charge here agree then. I don't see why they wouldn't, we have no problems with your 'Imperium' yet."
She said the name fondly, chuckling a bit to herself. She would have to study these people more, if she ever got the chance. Hara and Rice ran over to Agnes, dragging a space marine over by his hands. They pointed to various parts of their armor, babbling at the same time about them, leading to Agnes not really understanding either of them. She wasn't sure what would happen from here, but as long as her ans her friends were okay, it would be alright