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[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | "Yes, Human Dave?"
"I wouldn't say that what you presented us is false, but the truth is far broader than your, dare I say, well doctored material shows."
The class murmured. Some looked at each other nervously, other began to whisper to each other as the facial structure of the professor expressed internal conflict.
"If it isn't false how can it be doctored? I didn't miss anything in alien-available materials and databases!"
Human Dave frowned and stroked his hair.
"Well, I do not mean to insult your data gathering methods, but because you used only alien-available resources without consulting with any human historian there's a rather monstrous hole in your theory, which as a human I am happy to fill. If you do not mind I'd like to assume your role for a moment to show you and the class some material regarding humans coming from a human database."
After more murmuring from the class and a moment of thought the professor agreed. Human Dave approached the main console, plugged his omni and put a video file on screen.
"Before I start I'd like the class to understand that life evolved on Earth based on efficiency, adaptability, but above all else competition. The faster, stronger, smarter and more durable organism pushed the less fortune ones into extinction or servitude. Even after the evolution was slowed to a grinding halt because humans started using tools stronger ruled the weaker and smarter exploited the dumber. The following video file is a fictional representation of real historical events accompanied with a song, released together as a music video in Earth's year of 1998 A.C. After the video I'll explain the shown events and take questions. Be advised, the material presented is explicit and may trigger strong, psychological reactions. Discretion is advised"
Human Dave proceeded to show the class the video file (for convenience also located here: ["Pearl Jam - Do the Evolution"](https://youtu.be/aDaOgu2CQtI) ), explained the shown events and answered questions of those who had stomached the file and explanations.
Professor was not one of those. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | "Yes, Human Dave?"
"I wouldn't say that what you presented us is false, but the truth is far broader than your, dare I say, well doctored material shows."
The class murmured. Some looked at each other nervously, other began to whisper to each other as the facial structure of the professor expressed internal conflict.
"If it isn't false how can it be doctored? I didn't miss anything in alien-available materials and databases!"
Human Dave frowned and stroked his hair.
"Well, I do not mean to insult your data gathering methods, but because you used only alien-available resources without consulting with any human historian there's a rather monstrous hole in your theory, which as a human I am happy to fill. If you do not mind I'd like to assume your role for a moment to show you and the class some material regarding humans coming from a human database."
After more murmuring from the class and a moment of thought the professor agreed. Human Dave approached the main console, plugged his omni and put a video file on screen.
"Before I start I'd like the class to understand that life evolved on Earth based on efficiency, adaptability, but above all else competition. The faster, stronger, smarter and more durable organism pushed the less fortune ones into extinction or servitude. Even after the evolution was slowed to a grinding halt because humans started using tools stronger ruled the weaker and smarter exploited the dumber. The following video file is a fictional representation of real historical events accompanied with a song, released together as a music video in Earth's year of 1998 A.C. After the video I'll explain the shown events and take questions. Be advised, the material presented is explicit and may trigger strong, psychological reactions. Discretion is advised"
Human Dave proceeded to show the class the video file (for convenience also located here: ["Pearl Jam - Do the Evolution"](https://youtu.be/aDaOgu2CQtI) ), explained the shown events and answered questions of those who had stomached the file and explanations.
Professor was not one of those. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.”
Michael slipped two fingers under his clamp, Resettling it around his neck. This is going to be tricky. Then he raised his hand.
Now most species wore some kind of implants or translation devices, it was the only practical way to deal with the polyglot of modern society.
But that was by no means the full purpose of Michael's clamp. Michael liked to wear his clamp in a configuration that induced calm and chemical balance mixed with a little bit of social fortitude.
Some say the clamp was invented to control criminals or suppress social dissent. And it may well have been. But that was no longer its actual function. Every human being was in charge of their own clamp. Able to tweak it for different emotional and intellectual states of being.
The lecturer indicated Michael should speak. Leslie shook her head slightly when he made eye contact with her, and Rosario whispered. "Don't do it dude."
The Integrated UI of the clamp let Michael check his social credit balance. He'd been saving up for a trip to the playground, but this seemed more important.
"Gentle beings, I submit that the scenario described is not precisely accurate. Human beings have chosen peace. That's the easiest possible alternative available givn our nature. It is, however not a fundamental ground state for our people. It's actually one of several. We are not inherently peaceful. We simply find it the most convenient form of interaction outside of specific activities."
"Ah. I believe you are referring to the 'playground' recreational activity. That will be covered in the section on species comparative entertainment."
"Yes, and no Good sir. May I demonstrate?"
The lecturer had no idea what kind of demonstration would be possible. Leslie and Rosario made several disapproving noises.
The lecturer said "please proceed."
Michael set his clamp to his favorite "playtime" mix and headed down the incline to the lecture pit while the chemical tides of his brain and limbic system began to shift.
Michael spent a few moments at the podium downloading some demonstration aids. By the time he finished, there was a devilish grin on his face that none of the aliens could comprehend fully. In their systems It was translated as "joy".
The demonstration synthesizers spun up in a moment then a section of the wall opened revealing two human simulacra in a contrived setting.
"Oh!" The lecturer was positively beaming. "I believe we're about to receive a cultural demonstration of 'playtime'. This is very rare class. Do pay for attention."
Michael's grin was much bigger. He walked into the center of the demonstration area, and announced "this is a street encounter, Western continent, 2218."
Rosario and Leslie jump to their feet.
[The remainder of this record is redacted, subject to academic clearance. Please see records administration or security office for access.]
[Ancillary medical reports can be found in attachment B] | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Ummmm, Professor"
"Yes Rickie, what do you have to add to the conversation?"
Looking at the others 2 humans in the class, he shrugs his shoulders and turns back to Professor G'lat. "I think your research is a bit... incorrect. Humans were never peaceful. Not even close. Those examples you gave were the exception not the rule."
Leaning against the desk, Prof G'lat looked over the group and sighed. "Rickie. Just because you are human doesn't make you the expert in human history. Before the Glok'nar invasion of Earth, all the sources show you were a peaceful people and your current aggressive natures are the result of Earth being destroyed and fighting for your species survival. The 2 major video graphic records that remain of pre-invasion Earth show that you were a peaceful people interesting in art, science and inclusivity. The tribal and xenophobia tendencies are only a few hundred years old."
Opening this mouth to say something, G'lat interrupted him again. "Rickie, I know you disagree with me but you are simply wrong. The refugee Terrans were full of myths of genocides, wars, tribalism and savagery. We simply can not find any supporting evidence of that being true."
Sighing a bit "Prof G'lat. All of that is true. Those myths were real. We had a number of wars, people killing people because they had different political ideas or skin color. People would attack people over the slightest transgressions. Humans have always been agressive and warlike. If it wasn't for the invasion, it is a really good chance we would have taken over this section of space and forced all the races to kneel that were left."
G'lat let out a squak that was his race's version of a laugh and stood tall. "So Rickie, you are telling me that Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Bill Nye are exceptions to the rule of humans being peaceful? I find that hard to believe. Now be quiet."
Rickie and the other humans rolled their eyes and sighed heavily. | She sat in her chair, quaking in shock. She could not sit there and listen to the professor say that humans when one of the most peaceful peoples in the galaxy. She new different. She new the truth. She had to speak up.
She raised her hand. Professor K'Vorth acknowledge her. "Yes? What is it, Karen?"
Karen slowly stood up, finding her voice, finding her courage. "Yes. Karen. My name is Karen. I carry the name of my ancestor. She was one of the most persecuted and discriminated against in human history. And for you to sit there and say humans were the most peaceful in the galaxy is a great disservice to her and all who died for the cause."
K'Vorth was taken aback. "I am curious about this. What grave injustice has our historians overlooked?"
Karen began walking down to the front of the class, so she could look K'Vorth in the eye and better educate him.
"Centuries ago, my ancestor Karen was at the mighty temple of food, trying to procure enough to feed her family. She took the food to the mighty clerk to tabulate how much the food would cost."
K'Vorth knew where this was going. "Ah, yes. Racial inequality. No doubt you ancestor was an oppressed minority and this clerk threw your grandmother out of the store. We must have overlooked...."
Karen cut him off. "No. It was worse than racial inequality."
K'Vorth was puzzled now. What would be worse than racism?
Karen continued the story of the persecution of her ancestor. "She had with her a talisman. This talisman would grant my ancestor 10 per cent off the cost of the food. But the clerk would not honour this talisman. The clerk claimed that talisman was invalid."
K'Vorth was growing more confused. "Talisman? What you describe sounds like a coupon."
"Yes," Karen said. "Coupon is the ancient term. So you have done some research." Karen added a hint of sarcasm to the word "research."
K'Vorth rubbed his temple in frustration. "Let me get this straight. Your ancestor went to this temple of food...."
"The Kost-Ko," interject Karen.
"Your ancestor went to Costco, and they wouldn't take her coupon."
The other two humans hid their faces in their hands. Karen saw it as validation, that they too were embarrassed at the persecution that her ancestor had faced.
"Only by invoking the Words of Power, a veritable killing curse, was my ancestor able to finally purchase her food and feed her family. Those Words have been passed down in family. They are words so powerful, I dare not speak them."
Professor K'Vorth was just beside himself. "Look, Karen. Being denied the use of a coupon is hardly the injustice you think it is."
Karen could feel anger rising in her throat. "That clerk tried to starve out my family!"
"Karen, I'm sure your ancestors still had more then enough to purchase food. It was only 10 per cent."
"But it is the principle of the matter! If the words on the talisman bear no meaning to those in power, then they just may as readily disregard the Constitution, or the Galactic Charter!"
K'Vorth had let this go on long enough. "Karen, please return to your seat."
Karen felt she had no other choice. She had to do it. She had to utter the Words of Power. It would be the only way for K'Vorth to see reason.
Karen looked Professor K'Vorth square in the eye. She stood up straight and tall. She didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.
She uttered the Words of Power. "Let me speak to your manager."
K'Vorth just sighed. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Yes Mr. Engels, something you wish to add?” The teacher, a massive blue goopy mass asked as it looked over the class.
“Well, humanity… we thought we were the most violent to be honest. Surely our nuclear weapons and our history…”
“Ah yes, I’ve had human students struggle with this concept quiet a few times.” The creators started to expound as it retook a place at the front of the lecture hall. “My species has studied yours extensively over the millennia. While it’s true that you humans have truly impressive weaponry, likely to sublant your weaker bodies, and your tactics quiet frankly terrify us… It still rings true that humanity as a whole has exhibited quiet a limited output of violence in its existence. Ever since first contact in earth year 2023, humans have been quiet the effective trading partner for most of the universe, and your ability to overcome deficiencies in non-violent ways is truly a marvel.”
“My dad works with humans every day! I’ve met a few of his co-workers, they are all very nice!” One of the younger species, a grey insectoid, ratched out. “One even taught me how to throw the human football!”
“The ability to communicate and connect is one of humanities greatest strength. It’s why they are considered so peaceful, as even though they maintain the ability to inflict massive damage, they simply seek other solutions, often acting as peace keepers in all galactic matters.”
The three humans all smiled and nodded, sharing a glance with each other.
“Now, onto…” the smile slowly left their face.
Good.
The universe still didn’t suspect a thing.
Terrian order 78, the standing order to befriend, and integrate with every galactic civilization, was rather well known. It was the flagship policy that had built up humanity as the dominating force of diplomacy that they were today…
Little did they know, it was simply the groundwork for Terrian order 88.
Afterall, humans knew the lesson that most of the rest didn’t.
Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. | She sat in her chair, quaking in shock. She could not sit there and listen to the professor say that humans when one of the most peaceful peoples in the galaxy. She new different. She new the truth. She had to speak up.
She raised her hand. Professor K'Vorth acknowledge her. "Yes? What is it, Karen?"
Karen slowly stood up, finding her voice, finding her courage. "Yes. Karen. My name is Karen. I carry the name of my ancestor. She was one of the most persecuted and discriminated against in human history. And for you to sit there and say humans were the most peaceful in the galaxy is a great disservice to her and all who died for the cause."
K'Vorth was taken aback. "I am curious about this. What grave injustice has our historians overlooked?"
Karen began walking down to the front of the class, so she could look K'Vorth in the eye and better educate him.
"Centuries ago, my ancestor Karen was at the mighty temple of food, trying to procure enough to feed her family. She took the food to the mighty clerk to tabulate how much the food would cost."
K'Vorth knew where this was going. "Ah, yes. Racial inequality. No doubt you ancestor was an oppressed minority and this clerk threw your grandmother out of the store. We must have overlooked...."
Karen cut him off. "No. It was worse than racial inequality."
K'Vorth was puzzled now. What would be worse than racism?
Karen continued the story of the persecution of her ancestor. "She had with her a talisman. This talisman would grant my ancestor 10 per cent off the cost of the food. But the clerk would not honour this talisman. The clerk claimed that talisman was invalid."
K'Vorth was growing more confused. "Talisman? What you describe sounds like a coupon."
"Yes," Karen said. "Coupon is the ancient term. So you have done some research." Karen added a hint of sarcasm to the word "research."
K'Vorth rubbed his temple in frustration. "Let me get this straight. Your ancestor went to this temple of food...."
"The Kost-Ko," interject Karen.
"Your ancestor went to Costco, and they wouldn't take her coupon."
The other two humans hid their faces in their hands. Karen saw it as validation, that they too were embarrassed at the persecution that her ancestor had faced.
"Only by invoking the Words of Power, a veritable killing curse, was my ancestor able to finally purchase her food and feed her family. Those Words have been passed down in family. They are words so powerful, I dare not speak them."
Professor K'Vorth was just beside himself. "Look, Karen. Being denied the use of a coupon is hardly the injustice you think it is."
Karen could feel anger rising in her throat. "That clerk tried to starve out my family!"
"Karen, I'm sure your ancestors still had more then enough to purchase food. It was only 10 per cent."
"But it is the principle of the matter! If the words on the talisman bear no meaning to those in power, then they just may as readily disregard the Constitution, or the Galactic Charter!"
K'Vorth had let this go on long enough. "Karen, please return to your seat."
Karen felt she had no other choice. She had to do it. She had to utter the Words of Power. It would be the only way for K'Vorth to see reason.
Karen looked Professor K'Vorth square in the eye. She stood up straight and tall. She didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.
She uttered the Words of Power. "Let me speak to your manager."
K'Vorth just sighed. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | She sat in her chair, quaking in shock. She could not sit there and listen to the professor say that humans when one of the most peaceful peoples in the galaxy. She new different. She new the truth. She had to speak up.
She raised her hand. Professor K'Vorth acknowledge her. "Yes? What is it, Karen?"
Karen slowly stood up, finding her voice, finding her courage. "Yes. Karen. My name is Karen. I carry the name of my ancestor. She was one of the most persecuted and discriminated against in human history. And for you to sit there and say humans were the most peaceful in the galaxy is a great disservice to her and all who died for the cause."
K'Vorth was taken aback. "I am curious about this. What grave injustice has our historians overlooked?"
Karen began walking down to the front of the class, so she could look K'Vorth in the eye and better educate him.
"Centuries ago, my ancestor Karen was at the mighty temple of food, trying to procure enough to feed her family. She took the food to the mighty clerk to tabulate how much the food would cost."
K'Vorth knew where this was going. "Ah, yes. Racial inequality. No doubt you ancestor was an oppressed minority and this clerk threw your grandmother out of the store. We must have overlooked...."
Karen cut him off. "No. It was worse than racial inequality."
K'Vorth was puzzled now. What would be worse than racism?
Karen continued the story of the persecution of her ancestor. "She had with her a talisman. This talisman would grant my ancestor 10 per cent off the cost of the food. But the clerk would not honour this talisman. The clerk claimed that talisman was invalid."
K'Vorth was growing more confused. "Talisman? What you describe sounds like a coupon."
"Yes," Karen said. "Coupon is the ancient term. So you have done some research." Karen added a hint of sarcasm to the word "research."
K'Vorth rubbed his temple in frustration. "Let me get this straight. Your ancestor went to this temple of food...."
"The Kost-Ko," interject Karen.
"Your ancestor went to Costco, and they wouldn't take her coupon."
The other two humans hid their faces in their hands. Karen saw it as validation, that they too were embarrassed at the persecution that her ancestor had faced.
"Only by invoking the Words of Power, a veritable killing curse, was my ancestor able to finally purchase her food and feed her family. Those Words have been passed down in family. They are words so powerful, I dare not speak them."
Professor K'Vorth was just beside himself. "Look, Karen. Being denied the use of a coupon is hardly the injustice you think it is."
Karen could feel anger rising in her throat. "That clerk tried to starve out my family!"
"Karen, I'm sure your ancestors still had more then enough to purchase food. It was only 10 per cent."
"But it is the principle of the matter! If the words on the talisman bear no meaning to those in power, then they just may as readily disregard the Constitution, or the Galactic Charter!"
K'Vorth had let this go on long enough. "Karen, please return to your seat."
Karen felt she had no other choice. She had to do it. She had to utter the Words of Power. It would be the only way for K'Vorth to see reason.
Karen looked Professor K'Vorth square in the eye. She stood up straight and tall. She didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.
She uttered the Words of Power. "Let me speak to your manager."
K'Vorth just sighed. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | She sat in her chair, quaking in shock. She could not sit there and listen to the professor say that humans when one of the most peaceful peoples in the galaxy. She new different. She new the truth. She had to speak up.
She raised her hand. Professor K'Vorth acknowledge her. "Yes? What is it, Karen?"
Karen slowly stood up, finding her voice, finding her courage. "Yes. Karen. My name is Karen. I carry the name of my ancestor. She was one of the most persecuted and discriminated against in human history. And for you to sit there and say humans were the most peaceful in the galaxy is a great disservice to her and all who died for the cause."
K'Vorth was taken aback. "I am curious about this. What grave injustice has our historians overlooked?"
Karen began walking down to the front of the class, so she could look K'Vorth in the eye and better educate him.
"Centuries ago, my ancestor Karen was at the mighty temple of food, trying to procure enough to feed her family. She took the food to the mighty clerk to tabulate how much the food would cost."
K'Vorth knew where this was going. "Ah, yes. Racial inequality. No doubt you ancestor was an oppressed minority and this clerk threw your grandmother out of the store. We must have overlooked...."
Karen cut him off. "No. It was worse than racial inequality."
K'Vorth was puzzled now. What would be worse than racism?
Karen continued the story of the persecution of her ancestor. "She had with her a talisman. This talisman would grant my ancestor 10 per cent off the cost of the food. But the clerk would not honour this talisman. The clerk claimed that talisman was invalid."
K'Vorth was growing more confused. "Talisman? What you describe sounds like a coupon."
"Yes," Karen said. "Coupon is the ancient term. So you have done some research." Karen added a hint of sarcasm to the word "research."
K'Vorth rubbed his temple in frustration. "Let me get this straight. Your ancestor went to this temple of food...."
"The Kost-Ko," interject Karen.
"Your ancestor went to Costco, and they wouldn't take her coupon."
The other two humans hid their faces in their hands. Karen saw it as validation, that they too were embarrassed at the persecution that her ancestor had faced.
"Only by invoking the Words of Power, a veritable killing curse, was my ancestor able to finally purchase her food and feed her family. Those Words have been passed down in family. They are words so powerful, I dare not speak them."
Professor K'Vorth was just beside himself. "Look, Karen. Being denied the use of a coupon is hardly the injustice you think it is."
Karen could feel anger rising in her throat. "That clerk tried to starve out my family!"
"Karen, I'm sure your ancestors still had more then enough to purchase food. It was only 10 per cent."
"But it is the principle of the matter! If the words on the talisman bear no meaning to those in power, then they just may as readily disregard the Constitution, or the Galactic Charter!"
K'Vorth had let this go on long enough. "Karen, please return to your seat."
Karen felt she had no other choice. She had to do it. She had to utter the Words of Power. It would be the only way for K'Vorth to see reason.
Karen looked Professor K'Vorth square in the eye. She stood up straight and tall. She didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.
She uttered the Words of Power. "Let me speak to your manager."
K'Vorth just sighed. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | She sat in her chair, quaking in shock. She could not sit there and listen to the professor say that humans when one of the most peaceful peoples in the galaxy. She new different. She new the truth. She had to speak up.
She raised her hand. Professor K'Vorth acknowledge her. "Yes? What is it, Karen?"
Karen slowly stood up, finding her voice, finding her courage. "Yes. Karen. My name is Karen. I carry the name of my ancestor. She was one of the most persecuted and discriminated against in human history. And for you to sit there and say humans were the most peaceful in the galaxy is a great disservice to her and all who died for the cause."
K'Vorth was taken aback. "I am curious about this. What grave injustice has our historians overlooked?"
Karen began walking down to the front of the class, so she could look K'Vorth in the eye and better educate him.
"Centuries ago, my ancestor Karen was at the mighty temple of food, trying to procure enough to feed her family. She took the food to the mighty clerk to tabulate how much the food would cost."
K'Vorth knew where this was going. "Ah, yes. Racial inequality. No doubt you ancestor was an oppressed minority and this clerk threw your grandmother out of the store. We must have overlooked...."
Karen cut him off. "No. It was worse than racial inequality."
K'Vorth was puzzled now. What would be worse than racism?
Karen continued the story of the persecution of her ancestor. "She had with her a talisman. This talisman would grant my ancestor 10 per cent off the cost of the food. But the clerk would not honour this talisman. The clerk claimed that talisman was invalid."
K'Vorth was growing more confused. "Talisman? What you describe sounds like a coupon."
"Yes," Karen said. "Coupon is the ancient term. So you have done some research." Karen added a hint of sarcasm to the word "research."
K'Vorth rubbed his temple in frustration. "Let me get this straight. Your ancestor went to this temple of food...."
"The Kost-Ko," interject Karen.
"Your ancestor went to Costco, and they wouldn't take her coupon."
The other two humans hid their faces in their hands. Karen saw it as validation, that they too were embarrassed at the persecution that her ancestor had faced.
"Only by invoking the Words of Power, a veritable killing curse, was my ancestor able to finally purchase her food and feed her family. Those Words have been passed down in family. They are words so powerful, I dare not speak them."
Professor K'Vorth was just beside himself. "Look, Karen. Being denied the use of a coupon is hardly the injustice you think it is."
Karen could feel anger rising in her throat. "That clerk tried to starve out my family!"
"Karen, I'm sure your ancestors still had more then enough to purchase food. It was only 10 per cent."
"But it is the principle of the matter! If the words on the talisman bear no meaning to those in power, then they just may as readily disregard the Constitution, or the Galactic Charter!"
K'Vorth had let this go on long enough. "Karen, please return to your seat."
Karen felt she had no other choice. She had to do it. She had to utter the Words of Power. It would be the only way for K'Vorth to see reason.
Karen looked Professor K'Vorth square in the eye. She stood up straight and tall. She didn't want to do this, but it had to be done.
She uttered the Words of Power. "Let me speak to your manager."
K'Vorth just sighed. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Ummmm, Professor"
"Yes Rickie, what do you have to add to the conversation?"
Looking at the others 2 humans in the class, he shrugs his shoulders and turns back to Professor G'lat. "I think your research is a bit... incorrect. Humans were never peaceful. Not even close. Those examples you gave were the exception not the rule."
Leaning against the desk, Prof G'lat looked over the group and sighed. "Rickie. Just because you are human doesn't make you the expert in human history. Before the Glok'nar invasion of Earth, all the sources show you were a peaceful people and your current aggressive natures are the result of Earth being destroyed and fighting for your species survival. The 2 major video graphic records that remain of pre-invasion Earth show that you were a peaceful people interesting in art, science and inclusivity. The tribal and xenophobia tendencies are only a few hundred years old."
Opening this mouth to say something, G'lat interrupted him again. "Rickie, I know you disagree with me but you are simply wrong. The refugee Terrans were full of myths of genocides, wars, tribalism and savagery. We simply can not find any supporting evidence of that being true."
Sighing a bit "Prof G'lat. All of that is true. Those myths were real. We had a number of wars, people killing people because they had different political ideas or skin color. People would attack people over the slightest transgressions. Humans have always been agressive and warlike. If it wasn't for the invasion, it is a really good chance we would have taken over this section of space and forced all the races to kneel that were left."
G'lat let out a squak that was his race's version of a laugh and stood tall. "So Rickie, you are telling me that Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Bill Nye are exceptions to the rule of humans being peaceful? I find that hard to believe. Now be quiet."
Rickie and the other humans rolled their eyes and sighed heavily. | Nick leaned back in his chair, zoning out of the class. Maybe he should pay attention, but they're literally covering homo sapiens, so at best they'll just be regurgitating the lessons he learnt back on Earth. With the recent introduction of Humans to the Forum, some families live away from the Sol System, causing a need for the children to go to the Forum's classes. Luckily, they have a universal translator, otherwise this would be much more unpleasant.
Suddenly he feels a slight poke at the back of his head, prompting to turn his head slightly. Jesse, his closest friend, sits behind him, fervently pointing at the board, prompting him to pay attention to the teacher. Professor Cerinkwes looked a bit odd, being vaguely humanoid, with vaguely translucent pink skin and appendages that somewhat resembled collapsible staffs, being able to extend at a moment's notice.
"As some of you may know, humans have never had violence on the galatic level, while most other alien species have one old enemy or another inside the Forum. In addition, an analysis of Human classic novels suggest a deep disgust with the concepts of violence. Between the two, and a few other reasons that I do not have time to cover, led us to believe Humans are the most peaceful, sentient species in the universe," the professor states in a tone allowing for no argument.
Nick had some clear counterexamples come to his mind, and while he saw the surety of the professor, he slowly raised his hand. Emilia, the last human in the class, leaned over her desk and grabbed his hand and brought it back down before it caught the teacher's attention. She leaned in, whispering, "I'll explain later", before sitting back down. Puzzled, he decided to wait until after class.
"So what was that about, Emmy?"
"Based off galactic standards, humans are slightly more violent than the average species. This isn't exactly anything drastic, but being on the wrong side of the mean means that it will affect Human integration of the Forum, such as what species interact with it and what we will do.
Maybe it'll come out eventually, but we can show by then that we intend to be peaceful as time goes on. Otherwise, we'll be pigeonholed with war species, until we're forced to resort to it to stay afloat. This would then be used to prove that we were always a violent species and couldn't change our ways. There's no reason to try to tell the class, 'Hey, we're violent murderers, but you can trust us'"
(I'm not a writer, but I couldn't see how any human would think it's a good idea to suggest that they're violent murderers, so I wanted to write a response on that.) | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Yes Mr. Engels, something you wish to add?” The teacher, a massive blue goopy mass asked as it looked over the class.
“Well, humanity… we thought we were the most violent to be honest. Surely our nuclear weapons and our history…”
“Ah yes, I’ve had human students struggle with this concept quiet a few times.” The creators started to expound as it retook a place at the front of the lecture hall. “My species has studied yours extensively over the millennia. While it’s true that you humans have truly impressive weaponry, likely to sublant your weaker bodies, and your tactics quiet frankly terrify us… It still rings true that humanity as a whole has exhibited quiet a limited output of violence in its existence. Ever since first contact in earth year 2023, humans have been quiet the effective trading partner for most of the universe, and your ability to overcome deficiencies in non-violent ways is truly a marvel.”
“My dad works with humans every day! I’ve met a few of his co-workers, they are all very nice!” One of the younger species, a grey insectoid, ratched out. “One even taught me how to throw the human football!”
“The ability to communicate and connect is one of humanities greatest strength. It’s why they are considered so peaceful, as even though they maintain the ability to inflict massive damage, they simply seek other solutions, often acting as peace keepers in all galactic matters.”
The three humans all smiled and nodded, sharing a glance with each other.
“Now, onto…” the smile slowly left their face.
Good.
The universe still didn’t suspect a thing.
Terrian order 78, the standing order to befriend, and integrate with every galactic civilization, was rather well known. It was the flagship policy that had built up humanity as the dominating force of diplomacy that they were today…
Little did they know, it was simply the groundwork for Terrian order 88.
Afterall, humans knew the lesson that most of the rest didn’t.
Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. | Nick leaned back in his chair, zoning out of the class. Maybe he should pay attention, but they're literally covering homo sapiens, so at best they'll just be regurgitating the lessons he learnt back on Earth. With the recent introduction of Humans to the Forum, some families live away from the Sol System, causing a need for the children to go to the Forum's classes. Luckily, they have a universal translator, otherwise this would be much more unpleasant.
Suddenly he feels a slight poke at the back of his head, prompting to turn his head slightly. Jesse, his closest friend, sits behind him, fervently pointing at the board, prompting him to pay attention to the teacher. Professor Cerinkwes looked a bit odd, being vaguely humanoid, with vaguely translucent pink skin and appendages that somewhat resembled collapsible staffs, being able to extend at a moment's notice.
"As some of you may know, humans have never had violence on the galatic level, while most other alien species have one old enemy or another inside the Forum. In addition, an analysis of Human classic novels suggest a deep disgust with the concepts of violence. Between the two, and a few other reasons that I do not have time to cover, led us to believe Humans are the most peaceful, sentient species in the universe," the professor states in a tone allowing for no argument.
Nick had some clear counterexamples come to his mind, and while he saw the surety of the professor, he slowly raised his hand. Emilia, the last human in the class, leaned over her desk and grabbed his hand and brought it back down before it caught the teacher's attention. She leaned in, whispering, "I'll explain later", before sitting back down. Puzzled, he decided to wait until after class.
"So what was that about, Emmy?"
"Based off galactic standards, humans are slightly more violent than the average species. This isn't exactly anything drastic, but being on the wrong side of the mean means that it will affect Human integration of the Forum, such as what species interact with it and what we will do.
Maybe it'll come out eventually, but we can show by then that we intend to be peaceful as time goes on. Otherwise, we'll be pigeonholed with war species, until we're forced to resort to it to stay afloat. This would then be used to prove that we were always a violent species and couldn't change our ways. There's no reason to try to tell the class, 'Hey, we're violent murderers, but you can trust us'"
(I'm not a writer, but I couldn't see how any human would think it's a good idea to suggest that they're violent murderers, so I wanted to write a response on that.) | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | Nick leaned back in his chair, zoning out of the class. Maybe he should pay attention, but they're literally covering homo sapiens, so at best they'll just be regurgitating the lessons he learnt back on Earth. With the recent introduction of Humans to the Forum, some families live away from the Sol System, causing a need for the children to go to the Forum's classes. Luckily, they have a universal translator, otherwise this would be much more unpleasant.
Suddenly he feels a slight poke at the back of his head, prompting to turn his head slightly. Jesse, his closest friend, sits behind him, fervently pointing at the board, prompting him to pay attention to the teacher. Professor Cerinkwes looked a bit odd, being vaguely humanoid, with vaguely translucent pink skin and appendages that somewhat resembled collapsible staffs, being able to extend at a moment's notice.
"As some of you may know, humans have never had violence on the galatic level, while most other alien species have one old enemy or another inside the Forum. In addition, an analysis of Human classic novels suggest a deep disgust with the concepts of violence. Between the two, and a few other reasons that I do not have time to cover, led us to believe Humans are the most peaceful, sentient species in the universe," the professor states in a tone allowing for no argument.
Nick had some clear counterexamples come to his mind, and while he saw the surety of the professor, he slowly raised his hand. Emilia, the last human in the class, leaned over her desk and grabbed his hand and brought it back down before it caught the teacher's attention. She leaned in, whispering, "I'll explain later", before sitting back down. Puzzled, he decided to wait until after class.
"So what was that about, Emmy?"
"Based off galactic standards, humans are slightly more violent than the average species. This isn't exactly anything drastic, but being on the wrong side of the mean means that it will affect Human integration of the Forum, such as what species interact with it and what we will do.
Maybe it'll come out eventually, but we can show by then that we intend to be peaceful as time goes on. Otherwise, we'll be pigeonholed with war species, until we're forced to resort to it to stay afloat. This would then be used to prove that we were always a violent species and couldn't change our ways. There's no reason to try to tell the class, 'Hey, we're violent murderers, but you can trust us'"
(I'm not a writer, but I couldn't see how any human would think it's a good idea to suggest that they're violent murderers, so I wanted to write a response on that.) | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | Nick leaned back in his chair, zoning out of the class. Maybe he should pay attention, but they're literally covering homo sapiens, so at best they'll just be regurgitating the lessons he learnt back on Earth. With the recent introduction of Humans to the Forum, some families live away from the Sol System, causing a need for the children to go to the Forum's classes. Luckily, they have a universal translator, otherwise this would be much more unpleasant.
Suddenly he feels a slight poke at the back of his head, prompting to turn his head slightly. Jesse, his closest friend, sits behind him, fervently pointing at the board, prompting him to pay attention to the teacher. Professor Cerinkwes looked a bit odd, being vaguely humanoid, with vaguely translucent pink skin and appendages that somewhat resembled collapsible staffs, being able to extend at a moment's notice.
"As some of you may know, humans have never had violence on the galatic level, while most other alien species have one old enemy or another inside the Forum. In addition, an analysis of Human classic novels suggest a deep disgust with the concepts of violence. Between the two, and a few other reasons that I do not have time to cover, led us to believe Humans are the most peaceful, sentient species in the universe," the professor states in a tone allowing for no argument.
Nick had some clear counterexamples come to his mind, and while he saw the surety of the professor, he slowly raised his hand. Emilia, the last human in the class, leaned over her desk and grabbed his hand and brought it back down before it caught the teacher's attention. She leaned in, whispering, "I'll explain later", before sitting back down. Puzzled, he decided to wait until after class.
"So what was that about, Emmy?"
"Based off galactic standards, humans are slightly more violent than the average species. This isn't exactly anything drastic, but being on the wrong side of the mean means that it will affect Human integration of the Forum, such as what species interact with it and what we will do.
Maybe it'll come out eventually, but we can show by then that we intend to be peaceful as time goes on. Otherwise, we'll be pigeonholed with war species, until we're forced to resort to it to stay afloat. This would then be used to prove that we were always a violent species and couldn't change our ways. There's no reason to try to tell the class, 'Hey, we're violent murderers, but you can trust us'"
(I'm not a writer, but I couldn't see how any human would think it's a good idea to suggest that they're violent murderers, so I wanted to write a response on that.) | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | Nick leaned back in his chair, zoning out of the class. Maybe he should pay attention, but they're literally covering homo sapiens, so at best they'll just be regurgitating the lessons he learnt back on Earth. With the recent introduction of Humans to the Forum, some families live away from the Sol System, causing a need for the children to go to the Forum's classes. Luckily, they have a universal translator, otherwise this would be much more unpleasant.
Suddenly he feels a slight poke at the back of his head, prompting to turn his head slightly. Jesse, his closest friend, sits behind him, fervently pointing at the board, prompting him to pay attention to the teacher. Professor Cerinkwes looked a bit odd, being vaguely humanoid, with vaguely translucent pink skin and appendages that somewhat resembled collapsible staffs, being able to extend at a moment's notice.
"As some of you may know, humans have never had violence on the galatic level, while most other alien species have one old enemy or another inside the Forum. In addition, an analysis of Human classic novels suggest a deep disgust with the concepts of violence. Between the two, and a few other reasons that I do not have time to cover, led us to believe Humans are the most peaceful, sentient species in the universe," the professor states in a tone allowing for no argument.
Nick had some clear counterexamples come to his mind, and while he saw the surety of the professor, he slowly raised his hand. Emilia, the last human in the class, leaned over her desk and grabbed his hand and brought it back down before it caught the teacher's attention. She leaned in, whispering, "I'll explain later", before sitting back down. Puzzled, he decided to wait until after class.
"So what was that about, Emmy?"
"Based off galactic standards, humans are slightly more violent than the average species. This isn't exactly anything drastic, but being on the wrong side of the mean means that it will affect Human integration of the Forum, such as what species interact with it and what we will do.
Maybe it'll come out eventually, but we can show by then that we intend to be peaceful as time goes on. Otherwise, we'll be pigeonholed with war species, until we're forced to resort to it to stay afloat. This would then be used to prove that we were always a violent species and couldn't change our ways. There's no reason to try to tell the class, 'Hey, we're violent murderers, but you can trust us'"
(I'm not a writer, but I couldn't see how any human would think it's a good idea to suggest that they're violent murderers, so I wanted to write a response on that.) | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | "Ummmm, Professor"
"Yes Rickie, what do you have to add to the conversation?"
Looking at the others 2 humans in the class, he shrugs his shoulders and turns back to Professor G'lat. "I think your research is a bit... incorrect. Humans were never peaceful. Not even close. Those examples you gave were the exception not the rule."
Leaning against the desk, Prof G'lat looked over the group and sighed. "Rickie. Just because you are human doesn't make you the expert in human history. Before the Glok'nar invasion of Earth, all the sources show you were a peaceful people and your current aggressive natures are the result of Earth being destroyed and fighting for your species survival. The 2 major video graphic records that remain of pre-invasion Earth show that you were a peaceful people interesting in art, science and inclusivity. The tribal and xenophobia tendencies are only a few hundred years old."
Opening this mouth to say something, G'lat interrupted him again. "Rickie, I know you disagree with me but you are simply wrong. The refugee Terrans were full of myths of genocides, wars, tribalism and savagery. We simply can not find any supporting evidence of that being true."
Sighing a bit "Prof G'lat. All of that is true. Those myths were real. We had a number of wars, people killing people because they had different political ideas or skin color. People would attack people over the slightest transgressions. Humans have always been agressive and warlike. If it wasn't for the invasion, it is a really good chance we would have taken over this section of space and forced all the races to kneel that were left."
G'lat let out a squak that was his race's version of a laugh and stood tall. "So Rickie, you are telling me that Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Bill Nye are exceptions to the rule of humans being peaceful? I find that hard to believe. Now be quiet."
Rickie and the other humans rolled their eyes and sighed heavily. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | "Ummmm, Professor"
"Yes Rickie, what do you have to add to the conversation?"
Looking at the others 2 humans in the class, he shrugs his shoulders and turns back to Professor G'lat. "I think your research is a bit... incorrect. Humans were never peaceful. Not even close. Those examples you gave were the exception not the rule."
Leaning against the desk, Prof G'lat looked over the group and sighed. "Rickie. Just because you are human doesn't make you the expert in human history. Before the Glok'nar invasion of Earth, all the sources show you were a peaceful people and your current aggressive natures are the result of Earth being destroyed and fighting for your species survival. The 2 major video graphic records that remain of pre-invasion Earth show that you were a peaceful people interesting in art, science and inclusivity. The tribal and xenophobia tendencies are only a few hundred years old."
Opening this mouth to say something, G'lat interrupted him again. "Rickie, I know you disagree with me but you are simply wrong. The refugee Terrans were full of myths of genocides, wars, tribalism and savagery. We simply can not find any supporting evidence of that being true."
Sighing a bit "Prof G'lat. All of that is true. Those myths were real. We had a number of wars, people killing people because they had different political ideas or skin color. People would attack people over the slightest transgressions. Humans have always been agressive and warlike. If it wasn't for the invasion, it is a really good chance we would have taken over this section of space and forced all the races to kneel that were left."
G'lat let out a squak that was his race's version of a laugh and stood tall. "So Rickie, you are telling me that Fred Rogers, Bob Ross and Bill Nye are exceptions to the rule of humans being peaceful? I find that hard to believe. Now be quiet."
Rickie and the other humans rolled their eyes and sighed heavily. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Ah, professor? I don’t really think humans are all that peaceful.”
“Have you used nuclear weapons on each other?”
“Twice.”
“Have you used chemical weapons on each other?”
“More times than could be recorded?”
“Practiced biological warfare?”
“For hundreds of years.”
“Torture?”
“Thousands of years.”
“Slavery?”
“For all of recorded history.”
“Matricide? Fratricide? Infanticide? Genocide?”
“Four-for-four, yeah.”
“Thermonuclear weapons?”
“Tested, I think. Never used.”
“Hydrogen bombs?”
“Same.”
“Laser evisceration?”
“Technically yes, but only in surgical settings.”
“Cerebral neuron critical stimulation?”
“No?”
“Nightmare agony?”
“Don’t think so.”
“Solar malfeasance?”
“I do not know what that is.”
“See? Y’all aren’t so bad. You should read the next chapter, the one about your neighbors. Mars was a shitshow.”
“Mars? Really?”
“Venus might’ve been worse. But at least there’s still an atmosphere.” | “Yes Mr. Engels, something you wish to add?” The teacher, a massive blue goopy mass asked as it looked over the class.
“Well, humanity… we thought we were the most violent to be honest. Surely our nuclear weapons and our history…”
“Ah yes, I’ve had human students struggle with this concept quiet a few times.” The creators started to expound as it retook a place at the front of the lecture hall. “My species has studied yours extensively over the millennia. While it’s true that you humans have truly impressive weaponry, likely to sublant your weaker bodies, and your tactics quiet frankly terrify us… It still rings true that humanity as a whole has exhibited quiet a limited output of violence in its existence. Ever since first contact in earth year 2023, humans have been quiet the effective trading partner for most of the universe, and your ability to overcome deficiencies in non-violent ways is truly a marvel.”
“My dad works with humans every day! I’ve met a few of his co-workers, they are all very nice!” One of the younger species, a grey insectoid, ratched out. “One even taught me how to throw the human football!”
“The ability to communicate and connect is one of humanities greatest strength. It’s why they are considered so peaceful, as even though they maintain the ability to inflict massive damage, they simply seek other solutions, often acting as peace keepers in all galactic matters.”
The three humans all smiled and nodded, sharing a glance with each other.
“Now, onto…” the smile slowly left their face.
Good.
The universe still didn’t suspect a thing.
Terrian order 78, the standing order to befriend, and integrate with every galactic civilization, was rather well known. It was the flagship policy that had built up humanity as the dominating force of diplomacy that they were today…
Little did they know, it was simply the groundwork for Terrian order 88.
Afterall, humans knew the lesson that most of the rest didn’t.
Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | “Yes Mr. Engels, something you wish to add?” The teacher, a massive blue goopy mass asked as it looked over the class.
“Well, humanity… we thought we were the most violent to be honest. Surely our nuclear weapons and our history…”
“Ah yes, I’ve had human students struggle with this concept quiet a few times.” The creators started to expound as it retook a place at the front of the lecture hall. “My species has studied yours extensively over the millennia. While it’s true that you humans have truly impressive weaponry, likely to sublant your weaker bodies, and your tactics quiet frankly terrify us… It still rings true that humanity as a whole has exhibited quiet a limited output of violence in its existence. Ever since first contact in earth year 2023, humans have been quiet the effective trading partner for most of the universe, and your ability to overcome deficiencies in non-violent ways is truly a marvel.”
“My dad works with humans every day! I’ve met a few of his co-workers, they are all very nice!” One of the younger species, a grey insectoid, ratched out. “One even taught me how to throw the human football!”
“The ability to communicate and connect is one of humanities greatest strength. It’s why they are considered so peaceful, as even though they maintain the ability to inflict massive damage, they simply seek other solutions, often acting as peace keepers in all galactic matters.”
The three humans all smiled and nodded, sharing a glance with each other.
“Now, onto…” the smile slowly left their face.
Good.
The universe still didn’t suspect a thing.
Terrian order 78, the standing order to befriend, and integrate with every galactic civilization, was rather well known. It was the flagship policy that had built up humanity as the dominating force of diplomacy that they were today…
Little did they know, it was simply the groundwork for Terrian order 88.
Afterall, humans knew the lesson that most of the rest didn’t.
Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | “Yes Mr. Engels, something you wish to add?” The teacher, a massive blue goopy mass asked as it looked over the class.
“Well, humanity… we thought we were the most violent to be honest. Surely our nuclear weapons and our history…”
“Ah yes, I’ve had human students struggle with this concept quiet a few times.” The creators started to expound as it retook a place at the front of the lecture hall. “My species has studied yours extensively over the millennia. While it’s true that you humans have truly impressive weaponry, likely to sublant your weaker bodies, and your tactics quiet frankly terrify us… It still rings true that humanity as a whole has exhibited quiet a limited output of violence in its existence. Ever since first contact in earth year 2023, humans have been quiet the effective trading partner for most of the universe, and your ability to overcome deficiencies in non-violent ways is truly a marvel.”
“My dad works with humans every day! I’ve met a few of his co-workers, they are all very nice!” One of the younger species, a grey insectoid, ratched out. “One even taught me how to throw the human football!”
“The ability to communicate and connect is one of humanities greatest strength. It’s why they are considered so peaceful, as even though they maintain the ability to inflict massive damage, they simply seek other solutions, often acting as peace keepers in all galactic matters.”
The three humans all smiled and nodded, sharing a glance with each other.
“Now, onto…” the smile slowly left their face.
Good.
The universe still didn’t suspect a thing.
Terrian order 78, the standing order to befriend, and integrate with every galactic civilization, was rather well known. It was the flagship policy that had built up humanity as the dominating force of diplomacy that they were today…
Little did they know, it was simply the groundwork for Terrian order 88.
Afterall, humans knew the lesson that most of the rest didn’t.
Keep your friends close.
Keep your enemies closer. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | The teacher was hesitant to call out to the student that raised his hand, but seeing as the whole class stared at the human that raised his hand the teacher realised that it wouldn't be possible to ignore him. "Y-yes, mister Thomson?" the teacher finally said. Thomson spoke slowly, carfully choosing his words. "When you started this lecture with the notion that humans were considered one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. This is because, knowing what the human species has done in it's past, the notion that most other species are more violent, corrupt and twisted is horrifying. Thankfully, it seems that the facts here are wrong." The teacher was shocked and sat down and after a long pause finally asked "How so?" Thompson contemplated for a bit before talking again "Well, for starters, the statement that humans had just one big conflict is wrong. Even discounting the ones that happened on Earth, our planet of origin and not Pla-0783 another fact that you got wrong, we have had more than a dozen. Humans have almost driven themselves to extinction more times than any other species here conbined if I go with the data that is publicly available."
A student in the back carefully asked "Wh-what happened to Earth?" Another human named Chelsie answered "Well... there were... many reasons, but the short of it is that humanity has been slowly draining the planet of it resources, polluted which devastated the climate enough to wipe out humanity on it's own. And if that wasn't enough, a big war broke out to accelerate the process even more. In just three years, the Earth became unlivable and humanity was almost fully wiped out along with almost every other Earth species." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Not much is known about modern Earth history due to the United Human Federation's radically forward-facing outlook with regards to interspecies diplomacy" the professor remarked. "However by looking at homosapien evolution and biology we can deduce that they are perhaps the most peaceful and caring species the galactic community has encountered thusfar" she turned to gesture to a holographic display of a human brain, large regions of which were highlighted with a florescent glow. "As can be seen here, the majority of a human brain is actually dedicated toward social functions" - this information caused a tide of murmuring and chitter in the audience.
The galactic community had previously been composed of almost exclusively hyper-intelligent lone predators, who eventually, through cold logic and deliberation, came to cooperate with one another and build societies, and civilization.
"Incredibly, the human species has cooperation built into their very biology! Humans exhibit an ability which they refer to as 'empathy', unseen in any species observed to date. This ability allows humans to indirectly connect their experience to other creatures, and studies have shown that doing so allows an almost first hand insight into the nature of another creature's experience, even without direct communication." - by now the crowd was in an uproar of disbelief. None of them could believe what they were hearing, the humans seemed to possess an almost godlike capacity - to sense and *feel* another creature's soul. Surely they were angels! Surely they were each of them saints!
The professor motioned to the audience to be silent, and after a few seconds the uproar had died down to a persistent excited murmur.
"It should be clear now to everyone present that these traits would create a species more kind and considerate than even the most adept diplomat of any other known species. After all, how could a species who, ever since their conception, have borne the abilities that humans have, ever commit an act of undue harm? How could they ever abide the suffering of another, knowing directly how they must feel? I thereby conclude that despite a lack of intimate knowledge of the humans history that we should support their integration into the Galactic Council." the professor concluded, to thunderous applause.
The few human emissaries that had been allowed to attend the talk watched in stunned silence. The professor wasn't wrong. Not one thing that she had posited had been untrue. Despite that, the conclusion she had reached was shamefully, disappointingly, far from the truth. Perhaps the Federation had made the right decision in obscuring its past, perhaps someday we would live up to the galaxy's preception of us. The human emissaries held this hope dearly in their hearts. It was all they could do to ward off the weight of their guilt. | The teacher was hesitant to call out to the student that raised his hand, but seeing as the whole class stared at the human that raised his hand the teacher realised that it wouldn't be possible to ignore him. "Y-yes, mister Thomson?" the teacher finally said. Thomson spoke slowly, carfully choosing his words. "When you started this lecture with the notion that humans were considered one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. This is because, knowing what the human species has done in it's past, the notion that most other species are more violent, corrupt and twisted is horrifying. Thankfully, it seems that the facts here are wrong." The teacher was shocked and sat down and after a long pause finally asked "How so?" Thompson contemplated for a bit before talking again "Well, for starters, the statement that humans had just one big conflict is wrong. Even discounting the ones that happened on Earth, our planet of origin and not Pla-0783 another fact that you got wrong, we have had more than a dozen. Humans have almost driven themselves to extinction more times than any other species here conbined if I go with the data that is publicly available."
A student in the back carefully asked "Wh-what happened to Earth?" Another human named Chelsie answered "Well... there were... many reasons, but the short of it is that humanity has been slowly draining the planet of it resources, polluted which devastated the climate enough to wipe out humanity on it's own. And if that wasn't enough, a big war broke out to accelerate the process even more. In just three years, the Earth became unlivable and humanity was almost fully wiped out along with almost every other Earth species." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | The teacher was hesitant to call out to the student that raised his hand, but seeing as the whole class stared at the human that raised his hand the teacher realised that it wouldn't be possible to ignore him. "Y-yes, mister Thomson?" the teacher finally said. Thomson spoke slowly, carfully choosing his words. "When you started this lecture with the notion that humans were considered one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. This is because, knowing what the human species has done in it's past, the notion that most other species are more violent, corrupt and twisted is horrifying. Thankfully, it seems that the facts here are wrong." The teacher was shocked and sat down and after a long pause finally asked "How so?" Thompson contemplated for a bit before talking again "Well, for starters, the statement that humans had just one big conflict is wrong. Even discounting the ones that happened on Earth, our planet of origin and not Pla-0783 another fact that you got wrong, we have had more than a dozen. Humans have almost driven themselves to extinction more times than any other species here conbined if I go with the data that is publicly available."
A student in the back carefully asked "Wh-what happened to Earth?" Another human named Chelsie answered "Well... there were... many reasons, but the short of it is that humanity has been slowly draining the planet of it resources, polluted which devastated the climate enough to wipe out humanity on it's own. And if that wasn't enough, a big war broke out to accelerate the process even more. In just three years, the Earth became unlivable and humanity was almost fully wiped out along with almost every other Earth species." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | The teacher was hesitant to call out to the student that raised his hand, but seeing as the whole class stared at the human that raised his hand the teacher realised that it wouldn't be possible to ignore him. "Y-yes, mister Thomson?" the teacher finally said. Thomson spoke slowly, carfully choosing his words. "When you started this lecture with the notion that humans were considered one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. This is because, knowing what the human species has done in it's past, the notion that most other species are more violent, corrupt and twisted is horrifying. Thankfully, it seems that the facts here are wrong." The teacher was shocked and sat down and after a long pause finally asked "How so?" Thompson contemplated for a bit before talking again "Well, for starters, the statement that humans had just one big conflict is wrong. Even discounting the ones that happened on Earth, our planet of origin and not Pla-0783 another fact that you got wrong, we have had more than a dozen. Humans have almost driven themselves to extinction more times than any other species here conbined if I go with the data that is publicly available."
A student in the back carefully asked "Wh-what happened to Earth?" Another human named Chelsie answered "Well... there were... many reasons, but the short of it is that humanity has been slowly draining the planet of it resources, polluted which devastated the climate enough to wipe out humanity on it's own. And if that wasn't enough, a big war broke out to accelerate the process even more. In just three years, the Earth became unlivable and humanity was almost fully wiped out along with almost every other Earth species." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | The teacher was hesitant to call out to the student that raised his hand, but seeing as the whole class stared at the human that raised his hand the teacher realised that it wouldn't be possible to ignore him. "Y-yes, mister Thomson?" the teacher finally said. Thomson spoke slowly, carfully choosing his words. "When you started this lecture with the notion that humans were considered one of the most peaceful races in the galaxy. This is because, knowing what the human species has done in it's past, the notion that most other species are more violent, corrupt and twisted is horrifying. Thankfully, it seems that the facts here are wrong." The teacher was shocked and sat down and after a long pause finally asked "How so?" Thompson contemplated for a bit before talking again "Well, for starters, the statement that humans had just one big conflict is wrong. Even discounting the ones that happened on Earth, our planet of origin and not Pla-0783 another fact that you got wrong, we have had more than a dozen. Humans have almost driven themselves to extinction more times than any other species here conbined if I go with the data that is publicly available."
A student in the back carefully asked "Wh-what happened to Earth?" Another human named Chelsie answered "Well... there were... many reasons, but the short of it is that humanity has been slowly draining the planet of it resources, polluted which devastated the climate enough to wipe out humanity on it's own. And if that wasn't enough, a big war broke out to accelerate the process even more. In just three years, the Earth became unlivable and humanity was almost fully wiped out along with almost every other Earth species." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Kai sat in the large auditorium. The busy bustle and rustle of many students rushing to fill their seats before class began to fill the once vacant hall. This class was unusual. Normally students would simply log in to their schools virtual database to be present. A holographic display of the student would then appear in an unoccupied space.
But then again this was the first ever human studies class. For this reason holoprojection was deemed unsuitable as the course material was considered cutting edge knowledge, fresh and exciting. Only the best of each race were allowed to attend this lecture. Kai by default was chosen as the sole human on campus, for him the class was mandatory.
As the gelatinous ooze shimmied inside the lecture hall with thick gloopy plops and other nauseating sounds, the hall grew silent. The gelatinous ooze didnt speak, but rather projected its thoughts into the mind of the gathered students. A kind of unseen signal which could be rejected by any sentient race. Kai naturally accepted as he knew xenami were incapable of traditional communication.
A slimy twisted voice echoed in his ears "It is believed that humans first achieved interstellar travel around the year 4023 CE of their calendar." ...wrong Kai thought, it was much earlier than that. "Humanity as a species is one best suited to nurturing and mediating disputes" ...wrong again kai sighed internally. "It is believed that due to the fierce nature of the so called mother figures humans speak about, that they are instilled with a sense of cooperation and learn the correct way to navigate complex social interactions." Okay that one was true.
The voice continued in its weird slithery way "when first contact was made with the humans in the 3041679 year of the universal calendar, the Zerm who had first contact were welcomed with banquets and entertainment unseen and unheard of in the rest of the known galaxy. A traditional which has been held to this day, everytime the humans are introduced to a new species." Kai laughed inwardly, thats because we know how gulliable you all are to being buttered up.
"With these previous examples in mind, humanity can be said to be perhaps the most peaceful and accepting of all the known universal specie, despite being a recent addition." Kai was agahst, his face turning paler by the second. No wonder the other races look upon us favorably. They didnt know the truth of humanities history. Nor of the long wars to extinction fought with the ones calling themselves the galaxy federation.
The truth was as clear as day. Humans didnt invent interstellar travel in 4023CE. It was technology forcibly acquired from downing enemy spaceships after the invasion by the federation in 3071. A long bloody war of resistance that united the fractured united nations into what is now know as the human league. During which we reversed engineered all the tech of the invaders, used it to find their home worlds and subsequently slaughtered them down to the last child. Of course no one could record it, because there was no one left and the humans wouldnt openly admit to the genocide of countless galaxies. The part of the universe the Federation once inhabited is still considered uncharted territory.
His hands gripping the platform in front of him tight, his eyes dialated and sweat pouring down his body, Kai struggled to remain conscious through the horrific revelation. A moist sounding tone echoing in his head "Human Kai of Keplar 452, do you need a medical emergency? Your biological scanner shows signs of great distress."
Finally reorienting his rapid thoughts, Kai simply broke an uneasy smile "No Professor Xeani, I think Im okay now, thank you for your concern". The professor nodded or at least gave what could be construed as a nod, if a gelatinous mass of wriggling tentacles tiliting over could be construed that way.
I need to get out of this class somehow! Acting coy is too much for me... but the commander wont like that very much, Kai thought with a frown. I should come up with a plan. | "Yes, Huey? What is it?" asked the teacher. The young man answered "Well, a lot of the facts you have here are wrong. Humans are a very selfish and violent species. We constantly step on each other to reach power and flaunt it with weapons of mass destruction. Where did you get all this information?" The class gasped at the blasphemous words coming out of Huey's mouth. The teacher, shocked at these words, stammered about. "But, that doesn't make any sense. The leader of the human race spoke no ill of his people! You must be wrong!" The second human, Enev, spoke out as well. "No, he's right. The self appointed leader" she sarcastically claimed "is lying. He's washed out all of the real history and is telling you lies." Louie thought he should chime in too, the third human. "The president has basically enslaved our people with the use of technology. Any peace you see now has been manipulatively forced with the media that he controls." The teacher is taken aback. Not only was he lied too, but the very humans he has in his room are speaking of horrible things. "Class dismissed. Huey, Enev, Louie. You three are coming with me." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Not much is known about modern Earth history due to the United Human Federation's radically forward-facing outlook with regards to interspecies diplomacy" the professor remarked. "However by looking at homosapien evolution and biology we can deduce that they are perhaps the most peaceful and caring species the galactic community has encountered thusfar" she turned to gesture to a holographic display of a human brain, large regions of which were highlighted with a florescent glow. "As can be seen here, the majority of a human brain is actually dedicated toward social functions" - this information caused a tide of murmuring and chitter in the audience.
The galactic community had previously been composed of almost exclusively hyper-intelligent lone predators, who eventually, through cold logic and deliberation, came to cooperate with one another and build societies, and civilization.
"Incredibly, the human species has cooperation built into their very biology! Humans exhibit an ability which they refer to as 'empathy', unseen in any species observed to date. This ability allows humans to indirectly connect their experience to other creatures, and studies have shown that doing so allows an almost first hand insight into the nature of another creature's experience, even without direct communication." - by now the crowd was in an uproar of disbelief. None of them could believe what they were hearing, the humans seemed to possess an almost godlike capacity - to sense and *feel* another creature's soul. Surely they were angels! Surely they were each of them saints!
The professor motioned to the audience to be silent, and after a few seconds the uproar had died down to a persistent excited murmur.
"It should be clear now to everyone present that these traits would create a species more kind and considerate than even the most adept diplomat of any other known species. After all, how could a species who, ever since their conception, have borne the abilities that humans have, ever commit an act of undue harm? How could they ever abide the suffering of another, knowing directly how they must feel? I thereby conclude that despite a lack of intimate knowledge of the humans history that we should support their integration into the Galactic Council." the professor concluded, to thunderous applause.
The few human emissaries that had been allowed to attend the talk watched in stunned silence. The professor wasn't wrong. Not one thing that she had posited had been untrue. Despite that, the conclusion she had reached was shamefully, disappointingly, far from the truth. Perhaps the Federation had made the right decision in obscuring its past, perhaps someday we would live up to the galaxy's preception of us. The human emissaries held this hope dearly in their hearts. It was all they could do to ward off the weight of their guilt. | "Yes, Huey? What is it?" asked the teacher. The young man answered "Well, a lot of the facts you have here are wrong. Humans are a very selfish and violent species. We constantly step on each other to reach power and flaunt it with weapons of mass destruction. Where did you get all this information?" The class gasped at the blasphemous words coming out of Huey's mouth. The teacher, shocked at these words, stammered about. "But, that doesn't make any sense. The leader of the human race spoke no ill of his people! You must be wrong!" The second human, Enev, spoke out as well. "No, he's right. The self appointed leader" she sarcastically claimed "is lying. He's washed out all of the real history and is telling you lies." Louie thought he should chime in too, the third human. "The president has basically enslaved our people with the use of technology. Any peace you see now has been manipulatively forced with the media that he controls." The teacher is taken aback. Not only was he lied too, but the very humans he has in his room are speaking of horrible things. "Class dismissed. Huey, Enev, Louie. You three are coming with me." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | "Yes, Huey? What is it?" asked the teacher. The young man answered "Well, a lot of the facts you have here are wrong. Humans are a very selfish and violent species. We constantly step on each other to reach power and flaunt it with weapons of mass destruction. Where did you get all this information?" The class gasped at the blasphemous words coming out of Huey's mouth. The teacher, shocked at these words, stammered about. "But, that doesn't make any sense. The leader of the human race spoke no ill of his people! You must be wrong!" The second human, Enev, spoke out as well. "No, he's right. The self appointed leader" she sarcastically claimed "is lying. He's washed out all of the real history and is telling you lies." Louie thought he should chime in too, the third human. "The president has basically enslaved our people with the use of technology. Any peace you see now has been manipulatively forced with the media that he controls." The teacher is taken aback. Not only was he lied too, but the very humans he has in his room are speaking of horrible things. "Class dismissed. Huey, Enev, Louie. You three are coming with me." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | "Yes, Huey? What is it?" asked the teacher. The young man answered "Well, a lot of the facts you have here are wrong. Humans are a very selfish and violent species. We constantly step on each other to reach power and flaunt it with weapons of mass destruction. Where did you get all this information?" The class gasped at the blasphemous words coming out of Huey's mouth. The teacher, shocked at these words, stammered about. "But, that doesn't make any sense. The leader of the human race spoke no ill of his people! You must be wrong!" The second human, Enev, spoke out as well. "No, he's right. The self appointed leader" she sarcastically claimed "is lying. He's washed out all of the real history and is telling you lies." Louie thought he should chime in too, the third human. "The president has basically enslaved our people with the use of technology. Any peace you see now has been manipulatively forced with the media that he controls." The teacher is taken aback. Not only was he lied too, but the very humans he has in his room are speaking of horrible things. "Class dismissed. Huey, Enev, Louie. You three are coming with me." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | "Yes, Huey? What is it?" asked the teacher. The young man answered "Well, a lot of the facts you have here are wrong. Humans are a very selfish and violent species. We constantly step on each other to reach power and flaunt it with weapons of mass destruction. Where did you get all this information?" The class gasped at the blasphemous words coming out of Huey's mouth. The teacher, shocked at these words, stammered about. "But, that doesn't make any sense. The leader of the human race spoke no ill of his people! You must be wrong!" The second human, Enev, spoke out as well. "No, he's right. The self appointed leader" she sarcastically claimed "is lying. He's washed out all of the real history and is telling you lies." Louie thought he should chime in too, the third human. "The president has basically enslaved our people with the use of technology. Any peace you see now has been manipulatively forced with the media that he controls." The teacher is taken aback. Not only was he lied too, but the very humans he has in his room are speaking of horrible things. "Class dismissed. Huey, Enev, Louie. You three are coming with me." | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Not much is known about modern Earth history due to the United Human Federation's radically forward-facing outlook with regards to interspecies diplomacy" the professor remarked. "However by looking at homosapien evolution and biology we can deduce that they are perhaps the most peaceful and caring species the galactic community has encountered thusfar" she turned to gesture to a holographic display of a human brain, large regions of which were highlighted with a florescent glow. "As can be seen here, the majority of a human brain is actually dedicated toward social functions" - this information caused a tide of murmuring and chitter in the audience.
The galactic community had previously been composed of almost exclusively hyper-intelligent lone predators, who eventually, through cold logic and deliberation, came to cooperate with one another and build societies, and civilization.
"Incredibly, the human species has cooperation built into their very biology! Humans exhibit an ability which they refer to as 'empathy', unseen in any species observed to date. This ability allows humans to indirectly connect their experience to other creatures, and studies have shown that doing so allows an almost first hand insight into the nature of another creature's experience, even without direct communication." - by now the crowd was in an uproar of disbelief. None of them could believe what they were hearing, the humans seemed to possess an almost godlike capacity - to sense and *feel* another creature's soul. Surely they were angels! Surely they were each of them saints!
The professor motioned to the audience to be silent, and after a few seconds the uproar had died down to a persistent excited murmur.
"It should be clear now to everyone present that these traits would create a species more kind and considerate than even the most adept diplomat of any other known species. After all, how could a species who, ever since their conception, have borne the abilities that humans have, ever commit an act of undue harm? How could they ever abide the suffering of another, knowing directly how they must feel? I thereby conclude that despite a lack of intimate knowledge of the humans history that we should support their integration into the Galactic Council." the professor concluded, to thunderous applause.
The few human emissaries that had been allowed to attend the talk watched in stunned silence. The professor wasn't wrong. Not one thing that she had posited had been untrue. Despite that, the conclusion she had reached was shamefully, disappointingly, far from the truth. Perhaps the Federation had made the right decision in obscuring its past, perhaps someday we would live up to the galaxy's preception of us. The human emissaries held this hope dearly in their hearts. It was all they could do to ward off the weight of their guilt. | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Bullshit," I grunted.
"Language, Steven!", the teacher retorted.
"No, it's bullshit. For being the so-called 'Librarian' race, you got literally everything wrong. Humans were never peaceful. We've been trying to kill each other since the dawn of time."
"Are you seriously trying to contr-"
"YES, I am. Now shut up and be quiet."
It was a narrative I'd heard a million times. About how humanity was a species of kindness and diplomacy. About how our home was a utopia. About how, even when other races succumbed to hatred, we stood strong.
We only stood strong because of sheer *luck.*
"Have you not understood why I've been so cold and aggressive towards you? Have you not understood why Sol is barred off? Earth is a wasteland, a grave. We polluted it so hard it never recovered. We've had four world wars and three interstellar wars between ourselves. War only paused because we developed terrifying weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out our entire species."
The class stood silent, in shock.
"We fired them, once. We only know the past because of an old data drive for Wikipedia we kept sacred. Even after the nukes were launched we kept trying to kill each other. It took trillions of hot-blooded peacekeepers to bring humanity together and send us to Alpha Centauri. We vowed away violence between ourselves and it put us here, and now you choose to bury our violent past."
It defines us, and can never be forgotten. The stairway to heaven is paved with blood. | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | “Good morning class! We’re going to learn about humans today!”
Tom froze.
The screen blinked to life, the deadly glow bathing each young face. Eyes wiggled; tentacles stood still; you couldn’t even hear the breath of wind.
Dr Moostacho blinked at the screen, and the next slide appeared.
“Humans have been around since the dawn of time, and have probably evolved from early primates, including chimpanzees and monkeys.”
The next slide showed a peaceful looking cave, surrounded by green, green grass and flowers swaying in the wind. A caveman ambled outside. He grunted.
Then he squatted down and sniffed the flowers.
“As you can see here, humans do everything they can to take care of nature. They love the world, love us, and look!”
Pictures of smiling humans appeared on the screen, of uniformed Red Cross attendees helping the poor and the sick, of fundraising efforts to feed the hungry, of people kneeling, praying for miracles that were going to happen.
“As the Galaxy Empire continues to settle down and begin a new era of peace after the Hundred-Year War, we will do well to live our lives like the humans. In fact, (and here Dr Moostacho chuckled at a fond memory he had when visiting Earth in secret) they are so peaceful that they will jump to be our friends..”
“Tom? Are you feeling all right?”
Tom was shaking, his face as pale as all the death he had seen. He still remembered, although he was still a boy of twelve, the war that shook his village, the way the soldiers stormed into his house and dragged his mother and sister by their hair back to the base screaming, chuckling about the prizes they had collected, the blood that splattered his wall and his shirt like an ugly stain, the smell of smoke in his hair as his house burned…
Tom stood up, then nearly fell over because his knees were knocking against each other. He felt sick.
“Doctor,” he said slowly. “Actually…”
r/SimbaKingdom | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Not much is known about modern Earth history due to the United Human Federation's radically forward-facing outlook with regards to interspecies diplomacy" the professor remarked. "However by looking at homosapien evolution and biology we can deduce that they are perhaps the most peaceful and caring species the galactic community has encountered thusfar" she turned to gesture to a holographic display of a human brain, large regions of which were highlighted with a florescent glow. "As can be seen here, the majority of a human brain is actually dedicated toward social functions" - this information caused a tide of murmuring and chitter in the audience.
The galactic community had previously been composed of almost exclusively hyper-intelligent lone predators, who eventually, through cold logic and deliberation, came to cooperate with one another and build societies, and civilization.
"Incredibly, the human species has cooperation built into their very biology! Humans exhibit an ability which they refer to as 'empathy', unseen in any species observed to date. This ability allows humans to indirectly connect their experience to other creatures, and studies have shown that doing so allows an almost first hand insight into the nature of another creature's experience, even without direct communication." - by now the crowd was in an uproar of disbelief. None of them could believe what they were hearing, the humans seemed to possess an almost godlike capacity - to sense and *feel* another creature's soul. Surely they were angels! Surely they were each of them saints!
The professor motioned to the audience to be silent, and after a few seconds the uproar had died down to a persistent excited murmur.
"It should be clear now to everyone present that these traits would create a species more kind and considerate than even the most adept diplomat of any other known species. After all, how could a species who, ever since their conception, have borne the abilities that humans have, ever commit an act of undue harm? How could they ever abide the suffering of another, knowing directly how they must feel? I thereby conclude that despite a lack of intimate knowledge of the humans history that we should support their integration into the Galactic Council." the professor concluded, to thunderous applause.
The few human emissaries that had been allowed to attend the talk watched in stunned silence. The professor wasn't wrong. Not one thing that she had posited had been untrue. Despite that, the conclusion she had reached was shamefully, disappointingly, far from the truth. Perhaps the Federation had made the right decision in obscuring its past, perhaps someday we would live up to the galaxy's preception of us. The human emissaries held this hope dearly in their hearts. It was all they could do to ward off the weight of their guilt. | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Bullshit," I grunted.
"Language, Steven!", the teacher retorted.
"No, it's bullshit. For being the so-called 'Librarian' race, you got literally everything wrong. Humans were never peaceful. We've been trying to kill each other since the dawn of time."
"Are you seriously trying to contr-"
"YES, I am. Now shut up and be quiet."
It was a narrative I'd heard a million times. About how humanity was a species of kindness and diplomacy. About how our home was a utopia. About how, even when other races succumbed to hatred, we stood strong.
We only stood strong because of sheer *luck.*
"Have you not understood why I've been so cold and aggressive towards you? Have you not understood why Sol is barred off? Earth is a wasteland, a grave. We polluted it so hard it never recovered. We've had four world wars and three interstellar wars between ourselves. War only paused because we developed terrifying weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out our entire species."
The class stood silent, in shock.
"We fired them, once. We only know the past because of an old data drive for Wikipedia we kept sacred. Even after the nukes were launched we kept trying to kill each other. It took trillions of hot-blooded peacekeepers to bring humanity together and send us to Alpha Centauri. We vowed away violence between ourselves and it put us here, and now you choose to bury our violent past."
It defines us, and can never be forgotten. The stairway to heaven is paved with blood. | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | “Umm, professor” I raised my hand “I think you got a few things wrong.” The Malglak directed its attention towards me “What do you mean Mr. Evens?” “Well, for starters we’re naturally omnivorous not herbivorous” a small gasp came from the professor “Moreover, I’m not sure where you got the idea that we never had wars. I can name twelve that occurred before we even managed to make it onto our own moon.” The class was dead silent until Jill spoke “There’s also been more than a few murders throughout history. My grandfather, well, he personally killed 110 people before he was caught and executed.”
Fanik, my neighbor, looked shocked “But your people don’t exploit resources, right?” I chuckled “That’s unfortunately something humans do all the time though we are trying to repair the damage. Actually, humanity as a species is kind of horrible. A person can be kind hearted, thoughtful and respectful of their environment but as a species we’re just horrible.”
“This lecture is over. Evens, Mills, I’d like to speak with you two alone.” | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | Tom's mouth dropped open, and he just stared at the Terran ambassador, a look of complete shock and disbelief on his face.
"It's alright, take a minute." said the ambassador.
"You want me, _me_, to take the Human History class." said Tom, slowly.
"Yep."
"The Human History class being taught based on our 'Official History'?" Still slow, deliberate, and Tom's fingers even do the air quotes around 'Official History'.
"Yes."
"Do you know my _personal_ background Ambassador?" There is, perhaps, a small touch of anger creeping into Tom's voice now.
"Yes. It took us some time to find the right candidate. Someone with the right background, qualified, in the right stage of their education, and with the correct educational credentials to pass the entrance exams." The ambassador is talking in a calm, patient tone. Sitting in a relaxed position. Hands in view, and relaxed. They had, after all, quite a lot of experience appearing perfectly calm, being perfectly calm, in situations where anything else could be fatal to quite a few people.
There was a long pause at that, as Tom tried to process what he had heard. A long pause where Tom closed his eyes, and took several slow, deep, breaths.
When Tom opened his eyes again, he looked the ambassador in the eyes, "I. Will not. Tell. The. Lie." Stated slowly, clearly, unambiguously, and with the kind of determination that one might use while explaining to a police officer that, no, letting the home invader get to the bedroom with the kids in it had not been an option. The expression matches.
The ambassador nods, "Good. We don't want you to."
"Excuse me?"
"We want you to tell the class the truth. The whole truth. The one that you _lived_."
"I... _Why_!?" There is definitely real anger in Tom's voice at this.
"Because when we made First Contact, when we negotiated, when we gave the official history, it was with the wrong people." The ambassador takes a deep breath, "If we had told the truth, it would have been seen as... Boasting. As a challenge. And they _would_ have taken us up on that challenge." There is a brief pause, and a shake of the head, "We would have almost certainly 'won'. I was there, and for all of their physical prowess, all of their experience, that ship would have been ours before they had the first clue what we were capable of. After that, well, it might have taken us time to learn how to reproduce their engines, and we might have lost a lot of people in that time, but we definitely would have succeeded. We would have had to dust off.... Well, you know what horrors we have. And at that point, so many people would have been dead that everyone would have outright demanded that we use them."
Tom blinks several times at this, his expression shifting from that anger, to confusion, to understanding, to horror.
"Yes. You get it now. We wouldn't be the harmless, peaceful, interesting but irrelevant species. We would be their conquerors, unquestioned rulers of them all, sitting on our throne of trillions of dead."
"And now?"
"And now, here, we're dealing with all of them. Their best and brightest minds. Their next generation of the rich and powerful, their next military leaders. And also, now, other species are becoming... Aggressive, assuming that we will be unable, _unwilling_, to defend ourselves."
Tom nodded, slowly, the look of horror still present, "That would go... Poorly."
"I think, most of us think, that we have had enough horrors. That we don't need another Paris, another London, or another Los Angeles."
Tom goes pale at that, again closing his eyes, "I think the _galaxy_ could have done without even a single Los Angeles. And god willing, nobody will _ever_ come up with anything like that again. Ever."
The ambassador considers for a moment, then reaches into a desk drawer, pulls out a pistol, not a modern weapon, not something bio-locked to a given person, but a semi-automatic, perhaps, almost certainly, not an original Colt 1911, but a good enough replica that someone would be hard pressed to tell. It is not until the ambassador drives the clip of ammunition in that Tom's eyes open.
They open quite abruptly, the look of horror replaced by one of someone absolutely, utterly, convinced that they are about to either die, or kill. It takes a moment for him to process that the ambassador has put the gun _down_, has slid it towards Tom. That the ambassador's hands are flat on the table, and that the ambassador is looking Tom square in the eyes.
But it is only when the look of panic fades, that reason sets in, that it is clear that Tom is capable of listening, that the ambassador says, "We wouldn't have to. We still have the plans, all of them. Every last, bloody, one. And more, that were never used. I should know, after all... I helped preserve them."
The gun was in Tom's hand before he realized that his hand was even moving. A round chambered, the weapon cocked, and aimed squarely at the ambassador's head.
"Yes. And to be very clear, you _would_ be allowed to walk out of here afterwards. Again, we _want_ you to tell the truth."
Author's note: I have to leave it here for now. I'm not sure if I'll be able to write a part 2 or not. Muses, bad air quality, and needing to drive someone to the airport. | "Not much is known about modern Earth history due to the United Human Federation's radically forward-facing outlook with regards to interspecies diplomacy" the professor remarked. "However by looking at homosapien evolution and biology we can deduce that they are perhaps the most peaceful and caring species the galactic community has encountered thusfar" she turned to gesture to a holographic display of a human brain, large regions of which were highlighted with a florescent glow. "As can be seen here, the majority of a human brain is actually dedicated toward social functions" - this information caused a tide of murmuring and chitter in the audience.
The galactic community had previously been composed of almost exclusively hyper-intelligent lone predators, who eventually, through cold logic and deliberation, came to cooperate with one another and build societies, and civilization.
"Incredibly, the human species has cooperation built into their very biology! Humans exhibit an ability which they refer to as 'empathy', unseen in any species observed to date. This ability allows humans to indirectly connect their experience to other creatures, and studies have shown that doing so allows an almost first hand insight into the nature of another creature's experience, even without direct communication." - by now the crowd was in an uproar of disbelief. None of them could believe what they were hearing, the humans seemed to possess an almost godlike capacity - to sense and *feel* another creature's soul. Surely they were angels! Surely they were each of them saints!
The professor motioned to the audience to be silent, and after a few seconds the uproar had died down to a persistent excited murmur.
"It should be clear now to everyone present that these traits would create a species more kind and considerate than even the most adept diplomat of any other known species. After all, how could a species who, ever since their conception, have borne the abilities that humans have, ever commit an act of undue harm? How could they ever abide the suffering of another, knowing directly how they must feel? I thereby conclude that despite a lack of intimate knowledge of the humans history that we should support their integration into the Galactic Council." the professor concluded, to thunderous applause.
The few human emissaries that had been allowed to attend the talk watched in stunned silence. The professor wasn't wrong. Not one thing that she had posited had been untrue. Despite that, the conclusion she had reached was shamefully, disappointingly, far from the truth. Perhaps the Federation had made the right decision in obscuring its past, perhaps someday we would live up to the galaxy's preception of us. The human emissaries held this hope dearly in their hearts. It was all they could do to ward off the weight of their guilt. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | "Bullshit," I grunted.
"Language, Steven!", the teacher retorted.
"No, it's bullshit. For being the so-called 'Librarian' race, you got literally everything wrong. Humans were never peaceful. We've been trying to kill each other since the dawn of time."
"Are you seriously trying to contr-"
"YES, I am. Now shut up and be quiet."
It was a narrative I'd heard a million times. About how humanity was a species of kindness and diplomacy. About how our home was a utopia. About how, even when other races succumbed to hatred, we stood strong.
We only stood strong because of sheer *luck.*
"Have you not understood why I've been so cold and aggressive towards you? Have you not understood why Sol is barred off? Earth is a wasteland, a grave. We polluted it so hard it never recovered. We've had four world wars and three interstellar wars between ourselves. War only paused because we developed terrifying weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out our entire species."
The class stood silent, in shock.
"We fired them, once. We only know the past because of an old data drive for Wikipedia we kept sacred. Even after the nukes were launched we kept trying to kill each other. It took trillions of hot-blooded peacekeepers to bring humanity together and send us to Alpha Centauri. We vowed away violence between ourselves and it put us here, and now you choose to bury our violent past."
It defines us, and can never be forgotten. The stairway to heaven is paved with blood. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | "Bullshit," I grunted.
"Language, Steven!", the teacher retorted.
"No, it's bullshit. For being the so-called 'Librarian' race, you got literally everything wrong. Humans were never peaceful. We've been trying to kill each other since the dawn of time."
"Are you seriously trying to contr-"
"YES, I am. Now shut up and be quiet."
It was a narrative I'd heard a million times. About how humanity was a species of kindness and diplomacy. About how our home was a utopia. About how, even when other races succumbed to hatred, we stood strong.
We only stood strong because of sheer *luck.*
"Have you not understood why I've been so cold and aggressive towards you? Have you not understood why Sol is barred off? Earth is a wasteland, a grave. We polluted it so hard it never recovered. We've had four world wars and three interstellar wars between ourselves. War only paused because we developed terrifying weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out our entire species."
The class stood silent, in shock.
"We fired them, once. We only know the past because of an old data drive for Wikipedia we kept sacred. Even after the nukes were launched we kept trying to kill each other. It took trillions of hot-blooded peacekeepers to bring humanity together and send us to Alpha Centauri. We vowed away violence between ourselves and it put us here, and now you choose to bury our violent past."
It defines us, and can never be forgotten. The stairway to heaven is paved with blood. | |
[WP] “…and that class is why Humans are considered the most peaceful species in the universe.” The only three humans in class looked at each other horrified. All the facts about humans that the aliens had were wrong. One student slowly raises their hand. | "Is this going to be on the test?" Claire asked.
"Of course, it will! But I expect you and your friends to have no issues. Don't worry."
Claire looked at Tom and David. They weren't her friends. They could barely stand eachother and the group projects were literal nightmares because nobody could imagine the Humans wouldn't want to work together.
"Dude, we're fucked," David whispered and this time, Claire agreed.
"I can't fail this one! I'm already in trouble. And there's no way I will remember all this bullshit," whispered Tom frantically. "You know how hard it was to memorize the history for the Human School? And now this! It will mess everything up!"
Tom was right. Claire liked the Human School they went to every "Saturday" but the history part was hard. And if they were to add this nonsense into the mix... There's no way she's messing her finals because of it! They got the dates wrong, the conflicts wrong, the resolutions wrong...
She's not learning all that nonsense just for one stupid test! She looked at Tom and David. They looked at her. And at that moment, alliance was forged. Enemy of my enemy is my friend.
She slowly raised her hand again. "Can you accept our credits from our Human School? This way we could use everybody's time more efficiently. There's no need to waste academia resources. Maybe we could work on our final project?"
"Nonsense," mandibles clicked. "It will be quick and easy for you three and you know well enough we don't accept interschool credits."
"The creaky old bug doesn't accept credits," Tom grumbled. "Everyone else does."
Claire hid her smile. He was right. The creaky old bug was the worst.
David raised his hand.
"Yes, David?"
"What if our knowledge is more complex and therefore -"
Therefore? He's bringing the big guns. Claire's impressed.
"our answers would be more complex and seemingly contradictory to what you taught today?"
Mandibles clicked in frustration. "What do you mean? How could your answers be contradictory and complex? Explain."
"Well," David scratched his head, "the reality was more troubling? It's understandable that it could cause the softer species high amount of distress so it's omitted in the lectures..."
Tom nodded. "But our species prides itself for learning about past mistakes. And it seems wrong to omitt that for the sake of the test."
"Again," Claire joined the discussion, "we understand why it's not discussed in a class. But as responsible Humans we simply have to uphold our species traditions and rites. Learning about one's history is the core of our culture and learning the simplified and sugar-coated version is in a direct jeopardization of our culture."
"Exactly," Tom agreed. "It's the highest offense we could do to our ancestors."
"And I'm not saying we would be shunned..." continued David with the heavy implications, they would, indeed, be shunned. Then he sighed. "It wouldn't be pretty."
Their teacher turned ugly shade of purple. "Jeopardization of your culture? My apologies. Of course, that was not my intention."
Claire bit her lip not to start smiling. Everyone tries so hard not to offend any species and their culture. At least it's useful. "We understand that. I'm sure it wasn't. But can you see how troubling this would be for us?"
"Can you give me an example of one of those discrepancies?"
They shared a look. David had this glint in the eyes she usually hated. It meant trouble. But this time... She nodded her head a little. Tom smiled at him. "You go, buddy. You got thousand credits on the history last year."
He shrugged. "Okay. So..."
Claire shifted in her seat. David was well known for his... Fondness of the conflicts and the war strategies. What era is going to pick?
She would pick the witch hunts. They weren't competing for the best woman in the village as in some weird Miss Witch competition.
"So, you know how you talked about the global Earth program for better health and species improvement? People being sent to camps for better concentration performance?"
Oh no. He's not going there! She was aware her mouth is wide open, but the balls of him! This is going to be very interesting.
"Those camps weren't nice? And the whole global initiative wasn't nice?"
"What do you mean?" asked their teacher.
"It was more like a war and species reduction camps?"
Mandibles clicked. "I'm not sure I follow."
"It's called Second World War for a reason," Tom quipped.
"Second World War?" raised like a whispered wave in the class. "Did he said second? World? War?"
"Many people died," said Claire. She for sure didn't remember how much. It was some insane number she forgot right after the test.
"Impossible!" clicked the teacher. "I wouldn't stand such jokes in my class. You're having a detention."
They shared a look. Hell they are.
Claire stood up. "The concentration camps didn't improve mental performance. People were systematically killed there or starved to death."
"And used as ingredients for daily use objects. Like a soap," Tom added and stood as well.
David slowly rised. He shot the teacher a firm glance. "Our history is bloody, violent, and disturbing. We massacred each other and only in the face of the worst crimes and devastation did we finally started working together to reach a peace. We choose peace everytime we can because we remember the horrors. We always choose peace and treaties because we know the depths of violence we are able to reach. We choose to be peaceful because we value the life and know very well how fragile it is. Do not deny us our past for we need it to remain better than our ancestors. We know who we are and we won't let you spit on the billions of dead. Only thanks to them we are where we are as a species. Do not stomp on our dead. Now, teacher Fixhurati, what do you think about our previous offer?"
They teacher was slightly yellow around the edges. "Yes. You can work in your project. Class dismissed."
Several students jumped and rushed out of the classroom. Probably to take care of some of their bodily functions. Their teacher was already out.
"Dude, did you really whipped out Terminator 15 monologue?" Tom asked.
David smirked. "I always wanted to do it."
"I can't believe it worked," Claire muttered. "Everyone knows Terminator 15. It's classic. How did nobody here recognized it?"
"They're puppies," muttered David darkly in the Terminator imitation. "Soft."
He hold the badass expression for two whole seconds before he burst out laughing.
"I'm glad it worked, man." Tom clapped him on the back. "And hey," Tom looked at Claire, "aren't we already done with the project?"
"Yeah," she shrugged. Free period is always nice. "
The boys exchanged glances. "You've got a point."
"Anyway," Claire said and took her backpack. "Bye." And with that she was on her way to get cup of goofe before her Xiorish class.
"She's still super annoying," she heard Tom mutter behind her back.
She just raised her hand with a nice pointy middle finger. That everyone still believed to be a peace gesture. Man, she loves being a Human. | "Yes? You at the back?"
"I'm afraid you're entirely wrong, sir."
"Student! Do you cast doubts upon the incredible research of the recent expedition to Earth?"
"Yes, sir, I do. See, I am human myself, and therefore I am in a position to know that much of what you have presented is factually incorrect."
"If you are going to impugn the research abilities of my crew, I suppose it is better to do so specifically. Go ahead."
"To begin with, sir, it is false that humans have never had a war. We have had several throughout our history; indeed, there are three ongoing as we speak."
"Ah, yes. The researchers made a note here. Class, please take note that humans would consider a 'food fight' to be a war if it gets large enough."
"What? No - some of those included nuclear weapons!"
"Bear in mind, class, that the only 'nuclear weapons' that humanity have access to are microwaves, which are used to 'nuke' foodstuffs before fighting."
"And thousands of people slain!"
"Bear in mind, class, that a human can be considered to have been 'slain' by a particularly well-worded insult. The human remains quite healthy afterwards."
"Not that sort of slain!" | |
[WP] Your friend seemed pretty excited when you invited them over to go exercising around the neighbourhood. But it got a little odd when they showed up holding a bible, a crucifix, and a wooden stake. | Dumbfounded, I stand in the hallway and stare at Elias as he just looks at me, his backpack open and it's contents clearly visible. After a few moments I remember to close my mouth, and blink rapidly to clear my confusion; perhaps what I'm looking at will switch to something that makes sense if I keep blinking. Unfortunately, the contents of Elias' backpack don't miraculously change.
"What. The fuck. Are those?!" I haltingly question my best friend, trying not to raise my voice and disturb my family.
"Holy scriptures and symbols - I don't know exactly which belief system is best, so I grabbed several - salt, gasoline, garlic, wooden stakes," Elias responds, listing the various items inside before I cut him off.
"I can *see* what they are. I mean, why the fuck are you carrying that shit around here?!"
"What do you mean?" Elias asks, confusion apparent on his face, "You're the one who asked me to go exorcising with you in the early hours of the morning."
"Oh, for Chri- I said EXERCISING, as in JOGGING!" I yell in exasperation. I really should have seen this coming. Elias is a little bit weird, massively into the occult, and has a track record of this kind of crap. "I suppose this is on me for not specifying," I sigh.
Elias looks at his backpack, then at my outfit - sportswear designed for ease of movement and breathability - before it clicks in his head. "That makes no sense," he retorts. "Why would you go running in a neighbourhood with those... things?!"
"What are you on about?" I ask, taken aback at the vitriol in his voice.
"The things masquerading as human that reside here. I thought you'd figured it out as well, when you asked me, but obviously that was a misunderstanding." Disappointment and a touch of embarassment are evident as Elias explains.
"Dude, I know you're into all that occult shit, but surely you know it's all fiction; stories that humans came up with to assign blame when they couldn't explain something within their own common sensibilities?" I laugh lightly, flashing Elias a soft smile to show I mean no offense or judgement. "Come on, put that shit away, grab my spare tracksuit, and lets go for a run to clear our heads."
Elias looks at me for a few moments before sighing, closing his backpack, and throwing it into the cupboard under the stairs. "Yeah, you're right," he replies. "Guess I went a bit off the deep end. Gimme a few minutes to get changed, then we can go."
Once Elias is changed, we leave the house and start stretching to get the blood flowing and warm our muscles up. "Quick question. You didn't tell anyone you thought we were going to go around the neighbourhood stabbing people with pointy sticks, did you?" I tease as we begin to lightly jog to the end of the road.
"Of course not! My parents don't believe in that stuff anyway, and my sister's a bitch who'd just rat me out about my equipment," he replies sourly. Obviously, I've touched on a sore spot so I nudge him with my elbow in apology as we turn to head towards the forest.
We've been fast friends for 7 years now, ever since we bumped into each other exploring this very forest. It's such a shame he's figured so much out. I'm going to miss him. | "So, Grit's family is nice then?"
"Oh, yeah, super nice! The neighbourhood has some fun spots! OH! Do you wanna go jogging around the area?"
"HECK YEAH! Meet up tomorrow?"
"Course! See ya!" *Click*
"Hey, Gavin, who was that?" I turn to see Grit.
"Oh, hi Grit! That was Calvin. He wanted to see how I was doing here. Don't worry, I didn't tell him anything."
Grit sighs with relief. "Good. We both know that, as kind and helpful as Calvin is, he's a bit crazy. Have fun tomorrow!"
"I will. For now, I'll play games with Curd!"
**THE FOLLOWING MORNING**
I'm waiting at the edge of the park for my friend. Grit is my best friend, but Calvin is close. The neighbourhood here is populated by vampires, I'm just staying with Grit's family for a while to learn about the beings. I've been here a few days already, and I've begun to settle in.
I see Calvin running up now... with... a bible? A... wooden stake? A CRUCIFIX??? I swear he's wearing clothes that were washed with garlic rather than washing powder too! I'd be more worried, if it weren't for a little secret...
"Gavin, I'm ready!"
I choose to play dumb. "Ready? What the hell do you mean?"
Calvin grins. "You didn't say it on the phone... but I know that these guys aren't normal!"
I cock my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"You KNOW what I mean, Gavin! You were being *super* dodgy with your questions! The names of the 'people' in the family bothered me, too, so I did some research... these guys are DEFINITELY vampires, and we're about to kill them!"
At this, I burst out laughing, much to Calvin's confusion. "Sorry, couldn't help myself, I'll explain in a bit... well, I suppose we should get started!" I begin leading him to Grit's house. I secretly press a button on a 'Vampire SOS' charm on my wrist, and before long, the whole family has us two surrounded
"Wait... what's happening?" Calvin darts his eyes about. He gets ignored as Grit comes up to me.
"How'd he figure it out, Gav?"
"Turns out I should have used fake names. That combined with me dodging questions caused Calvin to be suspicious enough to do research." Grit nods.
Curd is in HYSTERICS! "Wow... so everyone still thinks they know how to destroy us!"
Calvin glares at him. "You won't be laughing soon!" Calvin begins to charge, but I grab his arm.
"Cal, listen... the 'weaknesses' of vampires were invented by vampires themselves as a joke between them. Sunlight? A joke about vampires hunting at night. Religion? Vampires are undead, so they joke that Christians may not like them much. Garlic? Most vampires just dislike the taste."
"I love garlic!" Curd chimes. "You smell delicious!"
Calvin goes wide-eyed. "No! Please, don't... please, spare me! I'm sorry, I-"
"Doesn't matter what you say" Grit states firmly. "You literally cannot keep your mouth shut. I only begged my family to spare Gavin because I trusted him. You, however... there are only two options: we turn you, or we keep you prisoner. Which will it be?"
Calvin stares at the ground, unwilling to give an answer. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I promise they're good. I've seen how they treat their prisoners."
Calvin looks up at me, eyes widened, eyebrows raised. "You... you promise?" I give him a hug.
"When have either me or Grit lied to you? You'll be kept here, harvested for your blood, but they know what they're doing." I let go, looking into Calvin's eyes. He looks between me and Grit.
"...Ok. I... I trust you." Munch passes a charm to me, which I swiftly place on Calvin's neck. He instantly falls into a trance. His eyes still show fear, but I reassure him with a comforting smile.
He's taken through a tunnel inside the house, connecting to a prison of sorts. I can see Calvin's urge and desperation to flee, but thanks to the 'Hypnotic' charm, he just follows along mindlessly. A door is opened, and Calvin steps inside, automatically grabbing a collar and putting it on his neck. I take the charm off. Instantly, Calvin looks around terrified, before trying to make a run for it.
The collar refuses to let him leave his confinement. Calvin's expression makes it clear that he now fully comprehends his situation. "Don't worry, mate" Grit says soothingly. "You'll be fine. I promise."
Calvin looks at Grit, before turning away and hiding himself in a corner of the room. I grab Grit's hand. "He'll be fine" I reassure.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
This story is a part of my series, [My Roommate is a Vampire.](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesbyCrystal/comments/xrewb2/my_roommate_is_a_vampire/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Please check it out! | |
[WP] you can read minds, but you never know when or for how long. On one such day, you hear someone thinking directly at you. | It came in scratchy at first. I broken worx
*I... you can... minds. If you... turn right now.*
I turned right. Ahead of me was an old house. More correctly, a gothic mansion in. Contrary to popular belief, it was gaudily painted, yet the colors worked well together. The effect was of an aged crone wearing heavy +q
*I'm in a brightly painted building.*
9
Of course, where else would you be?
*If you would be so kind, come to the front door and ring. Ask to see Samantha. Tell them you are my Uncle George.*
Now how did she know I was named George? I don't have any siblings, so I cannot be an Uncle.
*... adopted... twin... Georgette...*
Now that was flatly impossible and something I could check on. Dialing my parent's home, my father answered.
"No time, Dad. One critical question, yes, no, am I adopted?"
"Sigh. Yes."
"Thank you, later!"
So, it's true.
Knocking on the door, I read the small plaque, "Daisy Rae McFae Asylum." I didn't think anyone used that word anymore unless it was a political asylum. Obviously, that was not the case here.
The door opened without a sound. Impressive in a house this old. "Hello, How may I help you?"
"I'm George Mankowitz, and I'm here to see my niece, Samantha."
"I'm sorry, but the people cared for here have no other family. You must be mistaken." He goes to close the door; I edge a toe in to stop the door.
"I'm sorry, but I believe that you are misinformed. Samantha is the daughter of Georgette, whom I just discovered is my twin sister. I am adopted, you see, and I'm trying to connect with my biological family."
"Ah?" He peers at me closely, "You could be related, at that. You may enter and wait in the parlor. I will summon the Supervisor."
It's a well-appointed parlor. The color scheme is still cheerful, and here nothing is lying in wait under the paint.
*Watch out! She hates us!*
And as quickly as I hear Samantha, she's gone. I try hard to read Samantha, but what I get isn't entirely human. *[Hate them... Danger... Kill... Hate them... How did he find them? Kill! Kill! KILL!... Study...]*
A mighty woman with red hair strides into the parlor, demanding, "How did you find Samantha!"
"That is privileged information. Are you the Supervisor of this facility?"
"Don't give me that nonsense. You tell me how you found them and you do it now, boy!"
Something splashes on the outside of my mind. It would burn, but I'm back in my shell. For once, I am glad I cannot read minds all the time.
"No. Are you the supervisor?"
More vitriol splashes; this time, some gets through. Enough to understand what I face. One of the Fae, and a nasty one. A flash of information from a different mind, common defenses against the Fae. My shell closes just in time. The iron poker from the fireplace set should do the trick.
"Get back! Get back or eat cold iron, McFae. I will see my niece and sister, **NOW**!"
She is screaming in some language I don't understand. Behind her, the man who answered the door is holding something low and closed. With a look of concentration on his face, I feint at the Fae to keep her attention; she stumbles back and right into the iron spike the man was carrying just as he thrust it forward with all he had in him.
It explodes out the front of her body, above where the heart would be. The entry point is so low that it must have passed almost through the vertical center of her body. Almost immediately, a flaring glow emanates.
"Lad, we've little time. This way, if you would save your kin." I stare at the man, who now appears with pointed ears. "Move!" he commands, and I start into action.
I have no idea where this adventure is going, but I'm down for it.
((finis, for now)) | "Hey! HEY! I know you can hear me!" What the fuck?
"YEAH! YOU!" I start looking around aimlessly until my eyes land on a girl with a wicked grin.
"Found me." I hear as she cocks her head and smiles. How is she doing that?
"You are going to do something for me. You see the across from you? With the glasses and blond hair?" I nod. "Great. Now kill him." My eyes go wide and my head snaps towards her, but she’s gone. That is, until I look towards him again. "Boo."
How did she do that? She’s right next to him now, so close to him I'm surprised he doesn't tell her to fuck off. But then I notice something about her. Her neck is bent oddly and she's dressed awfully weird for someone on the subway. The little clothing she has on would definitely provoke someone to say SOMETHING. Her eyes are very dull. Lifeless.
"Figured it out, huh? Yes. I'm dead. Yes, I need you to kill this man. You're the only person in the world that can hear me, and this man right here hung me.
And so, I did. But no one needs to know. All they can see is that he's lying dead on the subway tracks after falling in and getting hit by one of the cars. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | Ms schoolday started as usual. The front entrance plaza had been turned into a crater, again, and school staff was busy keeping the rival gangs from demolishing the building's facade. Which wasn't easy, since one side was comprised of magic wielders and the other consisted of a supernatural dance battle crew. Both sides could level buildings on their own. M circled around some of the still shouting mages, their colorful language could barely cover the fact that all of them looked at least a bit scuffed. Two of the regular faces were missing, though. Probably in the infirmary.
A quick glance at the noticeboard told M nothing new, only the regular announcements of tournaments, fights (regulated and unregulated), disappearances, thefts, and the declarations of oh so many students about whatever. To M this was but noise in a world that paid close to no attention to her continued existence.
The literature class had been moved from B to C wing, mostly because the entire classroom had been migrated there in a freak teleporter accident that switched the high-energy labs with the literature classroom. Yes, the student had apologized profusely. M still peaked into B wing main hall, just for the regular Monday morning bio lab containment failure, however, today it was just man-eating plants. No trouble for the biology students to deal with.
After carefully navigating the halls to her classroom, M found the door locked with strange runic symbols that flowed in a menacing red color. She debated in her mind if it was necessary or even wise to wait in front of the room until whatever was going on had run its course, but before she could come to a satisfying conclusion, the door flew open and three of her classmates escaped what looked like the flames of hell itself, congratulating themselves after throwing the door shut. With the runes half-heartedly erased the door opened again to their regular classroom and M followed the group without getting noticed.
When the class had finished, M followed the same group to the library. She had to return a book and she had a study period, which she liked to spend there. She was glad that she could lend books and return them from a computer terminal, as the library assistant barely noticed her long enough for her to even voice her requests.
She oast the group of students who had returned from hell again as they sat at a table, discussing their next archeological adventure into some supernatural world. They took no notice of M now either. Not even as she accidentally bumped the table. Not did they notice that she had taken the book they extra gone to hell for.
The next day, the notice board would list the book as lost or stolen and several detectives, noir, dark, supernatural, intelligent, and otherwise would spring from the student body to vow to find it.
Only this time, they would come up empty. As with some thefts and things that had gone missing over the last two years that no one could explain. As if the objects had vanished from existence.
M smoked to herself when she read the notice board the next day. They did notice her actions, after all. | This may not be what everyone else wants for their life but I'm someone that tries to stay out of things like the spotlight or seeks to be the hero of some event because I never saw the point of it. Now I understand that everyone is the hero of their own story, however I never really wanted to be the reason others would write heroic things about it because I discovered that I never wanted what came with it. The responsibilities to protect others, the attention both good and bad or the inevitable fact of becoming someone's inspiration to take action for something.
Do understand and realize that though I don't seek to be anything important, I unquestionably take action to protect and guide anyone in danger in significant events but also in the more mundane things in life that may need to be kept quiet for that individual because of any number of reasons. It's just that with me having transferred to a new school which has the most prestigious, skilled and idealistic young individuals that actually feel the call for an unimaginable full throttle life of adventure, it's been nice to finally be able to kick my feet up and not have to think about it anymore because everyone else here is seeking to make their mark on the world for that kind of life. Me though, I honestly just hope to find my sanctuary or as close as I can get anyway in this world given what I have lived so many times before.
I even came to realize that jumping from school to school, having learned several tricks over the centuries to hide my true self, it is far easier and less likely to draw attention from several high priority groups that have been very interested in studying me and I'm not interested in being a pin cushion again. Which makes my discovery of schools as a cover very convenient but also preferred as I love learning no matter what subject, my guilty pleasure as comical as it may be. I do my utmost to keep things from getting to any extreme or a youth's overwhelming need to "express" a situation by normally avoiding the standard social structure roles of highschool life like clicks or standers stereotype roles such as Jock, Queen Bees and even the nerd type things, often struggling to as I enjoy subjects that inspire my mind to wonder and staying out of in-the-moment drama especially given that attachments can form quickly by being a significant support to who ever I may side with given what the situation is on. Choosing to instead pass my classes, showing up on time, only doing what is absolutely necessary to qualify by the school's standard of ability aptitude so I don't get removed from my studies and avoid any compilations my gifts if properly seen would definitely create given some feeling they have to "test" anyone that they feel threatened after of course down playing things.
Early on in the background life I have chosen to live I often got crazy looks or told something like "You're full of it, you don't have any abilities or whatever. It's a mistake you ended up here Nemless." Or "Fine, prove it Nemless so we can see what you can really do" as I unfortunately had to still learn a lot about my gifts with establishing the guidelines I now follow so that I stopped allowing that situation to become a reality because I discovered I would let others dictate my reactions losing any control or choice I did have to only give it away.
I came to understand that the power hungry and more boastful young souls would want to challenge me in some way to try establishing some useless sense of dominance if my gifts were discovered and secretly that is one very aggravating subject for me, especially given that my abilities, at least in the beginning, were primal or instinctual resulting in high costs from both friends and foes. However with time and a few young rash choices that I have still to correct, I can say without a doubt that my backdrop life is finally coming together. Something interesting though about the insult or as it's being used now I Nemless, I actually started to use that identifier centuries ago but unfortunately it's only become a tool for hate. I will one day take it back so that it can be used how it was intended, being a way to connect anyone in the world that suddenly awoken to gifts they didn't understand or may not even want, which sadly never matters for the would-be Nemless just coming into their awakening as they won't be able to stay from the public or it's ruthless opinions of those lost, confused and gifted souls.
Sorry about it getting a bit heavy and stuff there, didn't want to make it seem like any out there that are Nemless shouldn't speek out or try doing something to make things better just know that you are never truly alone even if it seems like no one else is standing by you side.
Having finally finished the ruff draft of my Nemless guide book I stretch my upper body and look around seeing that all the other students are doing one thing or another for the last half of class today and smiling from some of the shenanigans my smile is wisped away just as quickly. My instincts boldly blasting that I'm being studied but not in some educational way by someone instead as stocking hunter having chosen it's pray. I calmly looked around again my normal masked expression of quizzical observer in place as I examine the others trying to find who or what may be targeting me when finally near the back of class a seemingly average girl I would even say is cute if not for the absolute unrelentingly determination no one else sensed but me. That simple fact of being able to hide one's intentions from anyone but the intended target is a very high level skill or worse a natural affinity towards intently shifts things for me into survival mode, luckily just as the beast within starts to wake the end of class bell rings snapping both of us out of our thoughts and watching the other students quickly exit the room. I always waited for everyone else to leave to avoid traffic now as I wasn't sure what to do about the girl hoping she would follow everyone else out I knew to my dismay she wouldn't. Instead she waited for me to finally move towards the door meeting me there and stoping me to say with that practiced sickeningly innocent smile.
"Your a hard man to find Tich-ad Merlan, but I guess that's why they called me in to find you"
It was odd hearing my birth name after so many life times, it would truly be a pleasure in a different place from now but my name being said with such poisonous glee only made me think that my chosen tasks with finding a sanctuary within the backdrop life I have just finished making was already crumbling to dust. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | Since childhood I knew I wasn't the main character. Other people were
"Shut up! You're not the main character!" They said. Every time I was reminded of this fact I was deeply hurt. Why couldn't some aspiring writer pick me for once? I wanted to do things, go places. Be different.
But the fact of the matter was, I wasn't. I had never been main character material.
Main characters always had to be the gorgeous popular girl or the captain of the football team jock or the smart nerd who breaks the standards or even the “I'm not like other girls.” type.
Every Saturday the main character announcements were made.
“Good morning people of the world!” Logen Smyth, the world's news reporter said. Another main character of a novel laying somewhere on a dusty shelf. The crazy names the main characters had, you could tell who would be a main character just by the spelling of their names.
“This week's main characters are as follows: Bernita Allston, Crayton Sterling, Paula Gotham and May Landon. See you next week!” he said. Main characters always have to be mean to everyone but are to be treated as royalty. If you go against this absolute law, you will be summoned to The Main Character Head Office in New York. Filler characters, as we're called, rarely ever return once they go in. They call us filler characters because we're never mentioned in any stories, but the reader knows we exist.
At school there is ALWAYS something up. Whether it's Emilia Morgan who set the school building on fire, killing one of my friends and then crying about how close they were, not even having ever heard of him. Or it's Pearl McLane who defeated the evil demon lurking in the walls of the schools. Or Raphael King who just lost his home and is living on the streets.
But do you know what the worst part is? The horrible dialogue. I cannot stand it. As an unknown writer, due to not being a main character, once said “If you want to sound like a randomly generated paragraph while you speak, talk to a main character. If you want to have decent conversations, be a side character.”
Life goes by, a normal life. Quiet, except for when the main characters decide to break your office window while flying or when someone pretends to know you, just because.
With age I realised that I never needed, nor wanted to be the star of the show. Just the random dark haired, brown eyed woman next door with the nice husband and the two kids who yell all night. I always believed that I wanted to be like the main characters, they made me believe how great it was. The truth is that main characters disappear once the writer doesn't want them anymore. They cannot understand why they aren't needed anymore, frequently the “happily ever afters" that are common in your lovely books, just don't happen. Once the writer writes “The end.” Or the movie director yells “Cut" for the last time, that is the end of most characters. To The Main Character Head Office with them. But us, we never stop. We live our simple lives away from the madness, with our normal friend groups. We can't be changed. But as we live on in some unheard of, far corner of the world, you, the reader, never knew that I, or anyone like me exists.
And you will never know where I fit into the puzzle of the great universe. | This may not be what everyone else wants for their life but I'm someone that tries to stay out of things like the spotlight or seeks to be the hero of some event because I never saw the point of it. Now I understand that everyone is the hero of their own story, however I never really wanted to be the reason others would write heroic things about it because I discovered that I never wanted what came with it. The responsibilities to protect others, the attention both good and bad or the inevitable fact of becoming someone's inspiration to take action for something.
Do understand and realize that though I don't seek to be anything important, I unquestionably take action to protect and guide anyone in danger in significant events but also in the more mundane things in life that may need to be kept quiet for that individual because of any number of reasons. It's just that with me having transferred to a new school which has the most prestigious, skilled and idealistic young individuals that actually feel the call for an unimaginable full throttle life of adventure, it's been nice to finally be able to kick my feet up and not have to think about it anymore because everyone else here is seeking to make their mark on the world for that kind of life. Me though, I honestly just hope to find my sanctuary or as close as I can get anyway in this world given what I have lived so many times before.
I even came to realize that jumping from school to school, having learned several tricks over the centuries to hide my true self, it is far easier and less likely to draw attention from several high priority groups that have been very interested in studying me and I'm not interested in being a pin cushion again. Which makes my discovery of schools as a cover very convenient but also preferred as I love learning no matter what subject, my guilty pleasure as comical as it may be. I do my utmost to keep things from getting to any extreme or a youth's overwhelming need to "express" a situation by normally avoiding the standard social structure roles of highschool life like clicks or standers stereotype roles such as Jock, Queen Bees and even the nerd type things, often struggling to as I enjoy subjects that inspire my mind to wonder and staying out of in-the-moment drama especially given that attachments can form quickly by being a significant support to who ever I may side with given what the situation is on. Choosing to instead pass my classes, showing up on time, only doing what is absolutely necessary to qualify by the school's standard of ability aptitude so I don't get removed from my studies and avoid any compilations my gifts if properly seen would definitely create given some feeling they have to "test" anyone that they feel threatened after of course down playing things.
Early on in the background life I have chosen to live I often got crazy looks or told something like "You're full of it, you don't have any abilities or whatever. It's a mistake you ended up here Nemless." Or "Fine, prove it Nemless so we can see what you can really do" as I unfortunately had to still learn a lot about my gifts with establishing the guidelines I now follow so that I stopped allowing that situation to become a reality because I discovered I would let others dictate my reactions losing any control or choice I did have to only give it away.
I came to understand that the power hungry and more boastful young souls would want to challenge me in some way to try establishing some useless sense of dominance if my gifts were discovered and secretly that is one very aggravating subject for me, especially given that my abilities, at least in the beginning, were primal or instinctual resulting in high costs from both friends and foes. However with time and a few young rash choices that I have still to correct, I can say without a doubt that my backdrop life is finally coming together. Something interesting though about the insult or as it's being used now I Nemless, I actually started to use that identifier centuries ago but unfortunately it's only become a tool for hate. I will one day take it back so that it can be used how it was intended, being a way to connect anyone in the world that suddenly awoken to gifts they didn't understand or may not even want, which sadly never matters for the would-be Nemless just coming into their awakening as they won't be able to stay from the public or it's ruthless opinions of those lost, confused and gifted souls.
Sorry about it getting a bit heavy and stuff there, didn't want to make it seem like any out there that are Nemless shouldn't speek out or try doing something to make things better just know that you are never truly alone even if it seems like no one else is standing by you side.
Having finally finished the ruff draft of my Nemless guide book I stretch my upper body and look around seeing that all the other students are doing one thing or another for the last half of class today and smiling from some of the shenanigans my smile is wisped away just as quickly. My instincts boldly blasting that I'm being studied but not in some educational way by someone instead as stocking hunter having chosen it's pray. I calmly looked around again my normal masked expression of quizzical observer in place as I examine the others trying to find who or what may be targeting me when finally near the back of class a seemingly average girl I would even say is cute if not for the absolute unrelentingly determination no one else sensed but me. That simple fact of being able to hide one's intentions from anyone but the intended target is a very high level skill or worse a natural affinity towards intently shifts things for me into survival mode, luckily just as the beast within starts to wake the end of class bell rings snapping both of us out of our thoughts and watching the other students quickly exit the room. I always waited for everyone else to leave to avoid traffic now as I wasn't sure what to do about the girl hoping she would follow everyone else out I knew to my dismay she wouldn't. Instead she waited for me to finally move towards the door meeting me there and stoping me to say with that practiced sickeningly innocent smile.
"Your a hard man to find Tich-ad Merlan, but I guess that's why they called me in to find you"
It was odd hearing my birth name after so many life times, it would truly be a pleasure in a different place from now but my name being said with such poisonous glee only made me think that my chosen tasks with finding a sanctuary within the backdrop life I have just finished making was already crumbling to dust. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | All I wanted to do was finish my day at school and go home. Here I am in my final class of the day. Calculus 1, second floor of my high-school. But today, much like other days, my teacher and the gym teacher are stuck out on the front lawn talking with a another student. He doesn’t even have this class, at this time. Yet for some reason there they are, out there talking to him. While I sit in this mostly empty second story classroom and watch the happenings from the windows. Today, they seem to have broken out into song and lured several other students into their shenanigan. It’s a little tough to make out what they’re singing, as the windows don’t really open. But there is definitely music. OH! And now the marching band has joined in. Wow, there must be 50 or 60 students at this point, all dancing to some song they all somehow know. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t trying to just hear my teachers lesson, and go home. Seems like this little side number is going to cause my class to run over, making me stay in this hellish school even longer today. If it’s not some breakout musical number, it’s some sort of dramatic situation or overly cheesy apology that causes everyone to be late to their class. Just causing my day to drone on even longer. god I hate that about this place. It’s like I’m just some background character to someone else’s story. Honestly, it’s fine. As long as I can get through my days at school, and get back home at a reasonable time in the afternoon, that’s all I care about. | This may not be what everyone else wants for their life but I'm someone that tries to stay out of things like the spotlight or seeks to be the hero of some event because I never saw the point of it. Now I understand that everyone is the hero of their own story, however I never really wanted to be the reason others would write heroic things about it because I discovered that I never wanted what came with it. The responsibilities to protect others, the attention both good and bad or the inevitable fact of becoming someone's inspiration to take action for something.
Do understand and realize that though I don't seek to be anything important, I unquestionably take action to protect and guide anyone in danger in significant events but also in the more mundane things in life that may need to be kept quiet for that individual because of any number of reasons. It's just that with me having transferred to a new school which has the most prestigious, skilled and idealistic young individuals that actually feel the call for an unimaginable full throttle life of adventure, it's been nice to finally be able to kick my feet up and not have to think about it anymore because everyone else here is seeking to make their mark on the world for that kind of life. Me though, I honestly just hope to find my sanctuary or as close as I can get anyway in this world given what I have lived so many times before.
I even came to realize that jumping from school to school, having learned several tricks over the centuries to hide my true self, it is far easier and less likely to draw attention from several high priority groups that have been very interested in studying me and I'm not interested in being a pin cushion again. Which makes my discovery of schools as a cover very convenient but also preferred as I love learning no matter what subject, my guilty pleasure as comical as it may be. I do my utmost to keep things from getting to any extreme or a youth's overwhelming need to "express" a situation by normally avoiding the standard social structure roles of highschool life like clicks or standers stereotype roles such as Jock, Queen Bees and even the nerd type things, often struggling to as I enjoy subjects that inspire my mind to wonder and staying out of in-the-moment drama especially given that attachments can form quickly by being a significant support to who ever I may side with given what the situation is on. Choosing to instead pass my classes, showing up on time, only doing what is absolutely necessary to qualify by the school's standard of ability aptitude so I don't get removed from my studies and avoid any compilations my gifts if properly seen would definitely create given some feeling they have to "test" anyone that they feel threatened after of course down playing things.
Early on in the background life I have chosen to live I often got crazy looks or told something like "You're full of it, you don't have any abilities or whatever. It's a mistake you ended up here Nemless." Or "Fine, prove it Nemless so we can see what you can really do" as I unfortunately had to still learn a lot about my gifts with establishing the guidelines I now follow so that I stopped allowing that situation to become a reality because I discovered I would let others dictate my reactions losing any control or choice I did have to only give it away.
I came to understand that the power hungry and more boastful young souls would want to challenge me in some way to try establishing some useless sense of dominance if my gifts were discovered and secretly that is one very aggravating subject for me, especially given that my abilities, at least in the beginning, were primal or instinctual resulting in high costs from both friends and foes. However with time and a few young rash choices that I have still to correct, I can say without a doubt that my backdrop life is finally coming together. Something interesting though about the insult or as it's being used now I Nemless, I actually started to use that identifier centuries ago but unfortunately it's only become a tool for hate. I will one day take it back so that it can be used how it was intended, being a way to connect anyone in the world that suddenly awoken to gifts they didn't understand or may not even want, which sadly never matters for the would-be Nemless just coming into their awakening as they won't be able to stay from the public or it's ruthless opinions of those lost, confused and gifted souls.
Sorry about it getting a bit heavy and stuff there, didn't want to make it seem like any out there that are Nemless shouldn't speek out or try doing something to make things better just know that you are never truly alone even if it seems like no one else is standing by you side.
Having finally finished the ruff draft of my Nemless guide book I stretch my upper body and look around seeing that all the other students are doing one thing or another for the last half of class today and smiling from some of the shenanigans my smile is wisped away just as quickly. My instincts boldly blasting that I'm being studied but not in some educational way by someone instead as stocking hunter having chosen it's pray. I calmly looked around again my normal masked expression of quizzical observer in place as I examine the others trying to find who or what may be targeting me when finally near the back of class a seemingly average girl I would even say is cute if not for the absolute unrelentingly determination no one else sensed but me. That simple fact of being able to hide one's intentions from anyone but the intended target is a very high level skill or worse a natural affinity towards intently shifts things for me into survival mode, luckily just as the beast within starts to wake the end of class bell rings snapping both of us out of our thoughts and watching the other students quickly exit the room. I always waited for everyone else to leave to avoid traffic now as I wasn't sure what to do about the girl hoping she would follow everyone else out I knew to my dismay she wouldn't. Instead she waited for me to finally move towards the door meeting me there and stoping me to say with that practiced sickeningly innocent smile.
"Your a hard man to find Tich-ad Merlan, but I guess that's why they called me in to find you"
It was odd hearing my birth name after so many life times, it would truly be a pleasure in a different place from now but my name being said with such poisonous glee only made me think that my chosen tasks with finding a sanctuary within the backdrop life I have just finished making was already crumbling to dust. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | My first clue that something was wrong was the first day of Exposition Club. I was the only person who showed up. I couldn't even ask where everybody was, since there was nobody else around to provide exposition.
Ever since then, I realized I was special. Precisely because, at this place? I'm the only one who isn't special.
Today, the morning announcements were nothing major. Red Potion Day in the cafeteria. (As usual, I'm brown-bagging it.) A plot to take over the world is apparently scheduled for Friday, so they're pushing back classes six days to give all 962 students 3 minutes of character development each before they inevitably join forces to defeat it.
"Brad Oaring?"
Uh-oh.
"You probably don't know me. I'm Starblaze Galaxia. We have 4th period study Hall together?"
"There are many classrooms in this school," I blurted out.
"Yeah..." She was messing with her hair. Shit, this was bad. "I was wondering if you had a date for the prom yet?"
"The prom is only held once a year!" Shit, shit, shit. I had to get the hell out of there, *now!* I slammed my locker shut and did my best to shake her off, juking past a hero and anti-hero who were arguing over whose Fighting Flying Fidget Spinners were best. A risky maneuver, but I was desperate.
"I don't understand," she called after me. "Why are you always so distant?"
Don't say my name again. Don't say my name--
"Why are you like this, Brad Oaring!?"
*Shit.* Now the audience knew my name, for sure. I was officially a side-character.
And that's the story of how I got roped into being the Damsel In Distress for the Alien Invasion in the week leading up to prom. | This may not be what everyone else wants for their life but I'm someone that tries to stay out of things like the spotlight or seeks to be the hero of some event because I never saw the point of it. Now I understand that everyone is the hero of their own story, however I never really wanted to be the reason others would write heroic things about it because I discovered that I never wanted what came with it. The responsibilities to protect others, the attention both good and bad or the inevitable fact of becoming someone's inspiration to take action for something.
Do understand and realize that though I don't seek to be anything important, I unquestionably take action to protect and guide anyone in danger in significant events but also in the more mundane things in life that may need to be kept quiet for that individual because of any number of reasons. It's just that with me having transferred to a new school which has the most prestigious, skilled and idealistic young individuals that actually feel the call for an unimaginable full throttle life of adventure, it's been nice to finally be able to kick my feet up and not have to think about it anymore because everyone else here is seeking to make their mark on the world for that kind of life. Me though, I honestly just hope to find my sanctuary or as close as I can get anyway in this world given what I have lived so many times before.
I even came to realize that jumping from school to school, having learned several tricks over the centuries to hide my true self, it is far easier and less likely to draw attention from several high priority groups that have been very interested in studying me and I'm not interested in being a pin cushion again. Which makes my discovery of schools as a cover very convenient but also preferred as I love learning no matter what subject, my guilty pleasure as comical as it may be. I do my utmost to keep things from getting to any extreme or a youth's overwhelming need to "express" a situation by normally avoiding the standard social structure roles of highschool life like clicks or standers stereotype roles such as Jock, Queen Bees and even the nerd type things, often struggling to as I enjoy subjects that inspire my mind to wonder and staying out of in-the-moment drama especially given that attachments can form quickly by being a significant support to who ever I may side with given what the situation is on. Choosing to instead pass my classes, showing up on time, only doing what is absolutely necessary to qualify by the school's standard of ability aptitude so I don't get removed from my studies and avoid any compilations my gifts if properly seen would definitely create given some feeling they have to "test" anyone that they feel threatened after of course down playing things.
Early on in the background life I have chosen to live I often got crazy looks or told something like "You're full of it, you don't have any abilities or whatever. It's a mistake you ended up here Nemless." Or "Fine, prove it Nemless so we can see what you can really do" as I unfortunately had to still learn a lot about my gifts with establishing the guidelines I now follow so that I stopped allowing that situation to become a reality because I discovered I would let others dictate my reactions losing any control or choice I did have to only give it away.
I came to understand that the power hungry and more boastful young souls would want to challenge me in some way to try establishing some useless sense of dominance if my gifts were discovered and secretly that is one very aggravating subject for me, especially given that my abilities, at least in the beginning, were primal or instinctual resulting in high costs from both friends and foes. However with time and a few young rash choices that I have still to correct, I can say without a doubt that my backdrop life is finally coming together. Something interesting though about the insult or as it's being used now I Nemless, I actually started to use that identifier centuries ago but unfortunately it's only become a tool for hate. I will one day take it back so that it can be used how it was intended, being a way to connect anyone in the world that suddenly awoken to gifts they didn't understand or may not even want, which sadly never matters for the would-be Nemless just coming into their awakening as they won't be able to stay from the public or it's ruthless opinions of those lost, confused and gifted souls.
Sorry about it getting a bit heavy and stuff there, didn't want to make it seem like any out there that are Nemless shouldn't speek out or try doing something to make things better just know that you are never truly alone even if it seems like no one else is standing by you side.
Having finally finished the ruff draft of my Nemless guide book I stretch my upper body and look around seeing that all the other students are doing one thing or another for the last half of class today and smiling from some of the shenanigans my smile is wisped away just as quickly. My instincts boldly blasting that I'm being studied but not in some educational way by someone instead as stocking hunter having chosen it's pray. I calmly looked around again my normal masked expression of quizzical observer in place as I examine the others trying to find who or what may be targeting me when finally near the back of class a seemingly average girl I would even say is cute if not for the absolute unrelentingly determination no one else sensed but me. That simple fact of being able to hide one's intentions from anyone but the intended target is a very high level skill or worse a natural affinity towards intently shifts things for me into survival mode, luckily just as the beast within starts to wake the end of class bell rings snapping both of us out of our thoughts and watching the other students quickly exit the room. I always waited for everyone else to leave to avoid traffic now as I wasn't sure what to do about the girl hoping she would follow everyone else out I knew to my dismay she wouldn't. Instead she waited for me to finally move towards the door meeting me there and stoping me to say with that practiced sickeningly innocent smile.
"Your a hard man to find Tich-ad Merlan, but I guess that's why they called me in to find you"
It was odd hearing my birth name after so many life times, it would truly be a pleasure in a different place from now but my name being said with such poisonous glee only made me think that my chosen tasks with finding a sanctuary within the backdrop life I have just finished making was already crumbling to dust. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | I am no hero. Hell, I could hardly call my-self a third rate one-off ally to the hero.
I have no real features. I am an average build, average height, average everything. I get decent scores on my tests (but nothing outstanding) I could not be called creative, or dramatic by any stretch of the imagination. Normally you could throw a rock into a crowed and hit a few people just like me in any school, but not here.
***BUT OH NO!*** I just so happen get placed in a school full of main character types; They even look the part. They all have body proportions that normal people would kill for, have techno-color hair and eyes in every shad of the rainbow save for the normal ones. I swear to god that all of these "People" are genetic experiments from some lab, and I say "People" because that one over there with a body and face that would make gods jealous and hair that looks like it's smoldering a bit, just dropped both of his eyes. He then just bent over dust them off a bit and put them right back in his sockets, and continued talking to his group of friends like nothing happened.
I swear to all that is holy that is not even the strangest thing I have seen today(that goes to the naked dude with seventy faces in the guy's bathroom), and no one even reacts to it. It's not even like they can't see it, they just go about it, like it is normal f**rom day one!** I even tried talking to any of the teachers or student council( yeah I shocked that we had one as well), but they only laughed! Some of the teachers looked at me with scorn, or mild attention, or wanted me to join their weird study groups(No thank you! You creepy bastard.), The student council president(who was way to provocative for sixteen), just said that it might have all been in my head. I just looked at her shocked, and left the room, I fucking swear I heard one of them ask her if they should get rid of me. I just noped right out of there as fast as possible.
I sigh as I think back to just the other day. We got attacked by aliens (yes, they are real, and of course no one was shocked or even really moved save for those battle junkies), and all of a sudden these girls who I recognize from my classes came popping out with magical girl techno colored uniforms that match their hair, and beat the aliens. Later I asked one of my Math classmates who I was seamy friendly with how we should thank them, they where shocked I said who they where normally and said it was bull. I just looked them dead in the eye and asked if they was blind or just willfully ignorant.
They said "no, not since the doc, He gave me the eyes of God that allow me to see all." I just decide they where crazy and stopped talking to them. I rather focusing on the test that was before us. Thinking maybe some math problems would calm me down. Dear god I have become insane have I not?
Shaking my head back to present moment. I just eat my little homemade meal, PB&J, an orange, an apple, bottled water, and a KitKat bar. I am happy, I am happy, I am happy, maybe if I say enough I will believe it. | Lockers close and the noise falls away as Emiky enters hand in hand with Brud.
Whispers start as the pair pass, classmates whispering the best ship name. Emud, Breky, Murky... it's stupid and pointless as the pair will be broken up in an hour anyway.
Fil sidles up.
"So-"
"No" you insist, slamming your locker. "I don't care and you can't make me."
"Oh come on. You can't tell me your on team Rylin."
*there are teams now? Are they going to expect you to play kickball for Emiky to pick a suitor?*
"I'm on team I don't give a flying-"
"Knock it off. The Murky is everything. Sometimes you just have to slow down and enjoy the little things"
"I do enjoy the little things." Fil falls in step as you head to first period Literature. "But I'm also focused on the *big* picture. Like the zombie hoarde coming to eat our brains." | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | My first clue that something was wrong was the first day of Exposition Club. I was the only person who showed up. I couldn't even ask where everybody was, since there was nobody else around to provide exposition.
Ever since then, I realized I was special. Precisely because, at this place? I'm the only one who isn't special.
Today, the morning announcements were nothing major. Red Potion Day in the cafeteria. (As usual, I'm brown-bagging it.) A plot to take over the world is apparently scheduled for Friday, so they're pushing back classes six days to give all 962 students 3 minutes of character development each before they inevitably join forces to defeat it.
"Brad Oaring?"
Uh-oh.
"You probably don't know me. I'm Starblaze Galaxia. We have 4th period study Hall together?"
"There are many classrooms in this school," I blurted out.
"Yeah..." She was messing with her hair. Shit, this was bad. "I was wondering if you had a date for the prom yet?"
"The prom is only held once a year!" Shit, shit, shit. I had to get the hell out of there, *now!* I slammed my locker shut and did my best to shake her off, juking past a hero and anti-hero who were arguing over whose Fighting Flying Fidget Spinners were best. A risky maneuver, but I was desperate.
"I don't understand," she called after me. "Why are you always so distant?"
Don't say my name again. Don't say my name--
"Why are you like this, Brad Oaring!?"
*Shit.* Now the audience knew my name, for sure. I was officially a side-character.
And that's the story of how I got roped into being the Damsel In Distress for the Alien Invasion in the week leading up to prom. | Lockers close and the noise falls away as Emiky enters hand in hand with Brud.
Whispers start as the pair pass, classmates whispering the best ship name. Emud, Breky, Murky... it's stupid and pointless as the pair will be broken up in an hour anyway.
Fil sidles up.
"So-"
"No" you insist, slamming your locker. "I don't care and you can't make me."
"Oh come on. You can't tell me your on team Rylin."
*there are teams now? Are they going to expect you to play kickball for Emiky to pick a suitor?*
"I'm on team I don't give a flying-"
"Knock it off. The Murky is everything. Sometimes you just have to slow down and enjoy the little things"
"I do enjoy the little things." Fil falls in step as you head to first period Literature. "But I'm also focused on the *big* picture. Like the zombie hoarde coming to eat our brains." | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | My first clue that something was wrong was the first day of Exposition Club. I was the only person who showed up. I couldn't even ask where everybody was, since there was nobody else around to provide exposition.
Ever since then, I realized I was special. Precisely because, at this place? I'm the only one who isn't special.
Today, the morning announcements were nothing major. Red Potion Day in the cafeteria. (As usual, I'm brown-bagging it.) A plot to take over the world is apparently scheduled for Friday, so they're pushing back classes six days to give all 962 students 3 minutes of character development each before they inevitably join forces to defeat it.
"Brad Oaring?"
Uh-oh.
"You probably don't know me. I'm Starblaze Galaxia. We have 4th period study Hall together?"
"There are many classrooms in this school," I blurted out.
"Yeah..." She was messing with her hair. Shit, this was bad. "I was wondering if you had a date for the prom yet?"
"The prom is only held once a year!" Shit, shit, shit. I had to get the hell out of there, *now!* I slammed my locker shut and did my best to shake her off, juking past a hero and anti-hero who were arguing over whose Fighting Flying Fidget Spinners were best. A risky maneuver, but I was desperate.
"I don't understand," she called after me. "Why are you always so distant?"
Don't say my name again. Don't say my name--
"Why are you like this, Brad Oaring!?"
*Shit.* Now the audience knew my name, for sure. I was officially a side-character.
And that's the story of how I got roped into being the Damsel In Distress for the Alien Invasion in the week leading up to prom. | All I wanted to do was finish my day at school and go home. Here I am in my final class of the day. Calculus 1, second floor of my high-school. But today, much like other days, my teacher and the gym teacher are stuck out on the front lawn talking with a another student. He doesn’t even have this class, at this time. Yet for some reason there they are, out there talking to him. While I sit in this mostly empty second story classroom and watch the happenings from the windows. Today, they seem to have broken out into song and lured several other students into their shenanigan. It’s a little tough to make out what they’re singing, as the windows don’t really open. But there is definitely music. OH! And now the marching band has joined in. Wow, there must be 50 or 60 students at this point, all dancing to some song they all somehow know. I’d be impressed if I wasn’t trying to just hear my teachers lesson, and go home. Seems like this little side number is going to cause my class to run over, making me stay in this hellish school even longer today. If it’s not some breakout musical number, it’s some sort of dramatic situation or overly cheesy apology that causes everyone to be late to their class. Just causing my day to drone on even longer. god I hate that about this place. It’s like I’m just some background character to someone else’s story. Honestly, it’s fine. As long as I can get through my days at school, and get back home at a reasonable time in the afternoon, that’s all I care about. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | My first clue that something was wrong was the first day of Exposition Club. I was the only person who showed up. I couldn't even ask where everybody was, since there was nobody else around to provide exposition.
Ever since then, I realized I was special. Precisely because, at this place? I'm the only one who isn't special.
Today, the morning announcements were nothing major. Red Potion Day in the cafeteria. (As usual, I'm brown-bagging it.) A plot to take over the world is apparently scheduled for Friday, so they're pushing back classes six days to give all 962 students 3 minutes of character development each before they inevitably join forces to defeat it.
"Brad Oaring?"
Uh-oh.
"You probably don't know me. I'm Starblaze Galaxia. We have 4th period study Hall together?"
"There are many classrooms in this school," I blurted out.
"Yeah..." She was messing with her hair. Shit, this was bad. "I was wondering if you had a date for the prom yet?"
"The prom is only held once a year!" Shit, shit, shit. I had to get the hell out of there, *now!* I slammed my locker shut and did my best to shake her off, juking past a hero and anti-hero who were arguing over whose Fighting Flying Fidget Spinners were best. A risky maneuver, but I was desperate.
"I don't understand," she called after me. "Why are you always so distant?"
Don't say my name again. Don't say my name--
"Why are you like this, Brad Oaring!?"
*Shit.* Now the audience knew my name, for sure. I was officially a side-character.
And that's the story of how I got roped into being the Damsel In Distress for the Alien Invasion in the week leading up to prom. | I am no hero. Hell, I could hardly call my-self a third rate one-off ally to the hero.
I have no real features. I am an average build, average height, average everything. I get decent scores on my tests (but nothing outstanding) I could not be called creative, or dramatic by any stretch of the imagination. Normally you could throw a rock into a crowed and hit a few people just like me in any school, but not here.
***BUT OH NO!*** I just so happen get placed in a school full of main character types; They even look the part. They all have body proportions that normal people would kill for, have techno-color hair and eyes in every shad of the rainbow save for the normal ones. I swear to god that all of these "People" are genetic experiments from some lab, and I say "People" because that one over there with a body and face that would make gods jealous and hair that looks like it's smoldering a bit, just dropped both of his eyes. He then just bent over dust them off a bit and put them right back in his sockets, and continued talking to his group of friends like nothing happened.
I swear to all that is holy that is not even the strangest thing I have seen today(that goes to the naked dude with seventy faces in the guy's bathroom), and no one even reacts to it. It's not even like they can't see it, they just go about it, like it is normal f**rom day one!** I even tried talking to any of the teachers or student council( yeah I shocked that we had one as well), but they only laughed! Some of the teachers looked at me with scorn, or mild attention, or wanted me to join their weird study groups(No thank you! You creepy bastard.), The student council president(who was way to provocative for sixteen), just said that it might have all been in my head. I just looked at her shocked, and left the room, I fucking swear I heard one of them ask her if they should get rid of me. I just noped right out of there as fast as possible.
I sigh as I think back to just the other day. We got attacked by aliens (yes, they are real, and of course no one was shocked or even really moved save for those battle junkies), and all of a sudden these girls who I recognize from my classes came popping out with magical girl techno colored uniforms that match their hair, and beat the aliens. Later I asked one of my Math classmates who I was seamy friendly with how we should thank them, they where shocked I said who they where normally and said it was bull. I just looked them dead in the eye and asked if they was blind or just willfully ignorant.
They said "no, not since the doc, He gave me the eyes of God that allow me to see all." I just decide they where crazy and stopped talking to them. I rather focusing on the test that was before us. Thinking maybe some math problems would calm me down. Dear god I have become insane have I not?
Shaking my head back to present moment. I just eat my little homemade meal, PB&J, an orange, an apple, bottled water, and a KitKat bar. I am happy, I am happy, I am happy, maybe if I say enough I will believe it. | |
[WP] You're an average background character in a school full of main characters. Describe your everyday life. | Most people can be described with some accuracy. They're tall, they've got curly, neon-hair that spikes like the 90s are back. They're short, really thin, pale, kind of horrifyingly intelligent in an abstract inhuman fashion that makes them seem like a robot or the human-shaped vessel of an elder god. They're normal height but muscular, tall and gangly, chubby and cute. I am surrounded by such people. Every day someone with weird hair and a monotone voice is challenged to some kind of ''magic duel'' in the occult club by some person with violently violet hair. Every day some girl who looks like she was designed by someone who has only seen beautiful artwork falls head-over-heels in love with some flashy weirdo who plays an abnormally popular children's card game. Every day the weirdly hunky dudes in the school's sports club act like they're the myrmidons at Troy, with the two most sparkly, muscular, and objectively handsome dudes acting suspiciously similar to Achilles and Patroclus. And those very peculiar girls who keeps being late to class and who look awkwardly similar to a team of magical girls, they're pretty unique and easy to describe, considering their weird colour-coordination in hair, clothes, and their even weirder tendency to be defensive around those odd amulets they all wear around their necks at all times. Hard not to be able to pick them out of a crowd.
I am not like any of them. I look normal. Bog-standard. Completely in the ordinary. My height is average for our homeland. My hair colour is the only natural one in the entire high-school. I am of healthy weight, and have an average physique. You can't even see me on the class photo because everyone else looks so unique that it's like I'm invisible. Besides those pale, arrogant, and super intelligent people who act like the fate of the universe will be decided by their percentage on the national tests, I've got the best grade average, though that's just because I pay attention in class and show up on time. Pretty awkward sometimes when I'm sitting alone with the teacher because everyone else isn't present for history class. I have to wonder what keeps them away from class. I have the average eye-colour, hazel-brown, which is weird considering how many lilac, pale blue, ice-grey, verdant greens, amber-yellow, gold, shimmering, and heterochromatic eyes we've got here. I'm not an eye-guy, but that has to be something of a coincidence that everyone has such diverse eye-colours. Or maybe there has been a sale on coloured contact lenses and I didn't notice. Frankly, in most settings, except for this weirdly specific high school, I'd be one with the crowd. I wouldn't stand out. I'd look so normal and regular that my own parents would have a hard time recognising me, which has happened before I transferred here, but I guess I can't blame them for that.
My daily life should be what you'd expect from a high school. Regular classes. Regular after-school activities. Regular everything. But weirdly, this isn't so. My day starts when I, as the only person, gets there on time. Everyone else seems to either be terminally late or have somehow broken into the school before it opened. I sit down for language class, and I find it difficult to see what the teacher is doing on the blackboard, because someone in front of me has a haircut so bizarre that it blocks my view. I am however used to this, so I angle my head to a point where the golf-ball sized hole in the hair is, so I can see what we're doing and take proper notes. I block out whatever is happening behind me, as it seems that the two most traditionally desired girls in class are in some sort of disruptive battle over who gets to smooch the foreign exchange student who everyone says is actually an elf from another universe, but I'm pretty sure those long pointed ears are just a weird costume.
After the first class has ended, three different people who seem to roleplay as spies tell me not to trust one of the other three people and pay me money not to associate with either of them. The money is some kind of worthless monopoly money that I've never seen before, so I throw it into the trash when they aren't looking. While walking to the lab building, someone dressed as a medieval plague doctor drags me into the janitor's closet and warns me that the cafeteria food is not what it seems to be. Which I am already aware of. Everyone knows that the cafeteria food is primarily made from horse hooves and the organs of pigs or chickens that cannot even be sold in an American junk-food restaurant. Nobody ever eats the food there. I, for one, have brought a sandwich from home. I am thrown out into the corridor again in a rude fashion, but I don't complain. The teachers hate whiners, and the student council is too creepy. Last time I complained about getting stuck in the school during that weird Halloween event, the head of the school council, who looks like she's from the Grudge, followed me home.
I had to threaten to call the police to get her to go away. Down the corridor I have to dodge two guys sword-fighting, which is probably part of drama club's training. I don't care what they say about the spirit of theatre, phantom of the opera, or the ghost of William Shakespeare, having practice for this year's big play out in the open just ruins the play. And delays my path to math class. Not that the teacher would notice, he's so old, dusty, and bony that people say he's some kind of math lich. Whatever that is. I just do the stuff and try not to get distracted. Though that is a bit hard as the math club are shouting about proving some guy called Riemann, while those colour-coordinated girls are facing some green-haired goth guy who is pontificating about the weakness of mankind. I just do the exponential functions questions on the board.
When that's over, I wait for the next class to begin in the same room. Sitting next to me is my childhood friend who is gushing about her crush on some guy in a magician's tuxedo. It's pretty weird how she acts like she doesn't remember me, but then again, I am quite forgettable. I don't mind, much. Maybe a little, okay. In history class, one guy falls out of a window and then everyone seems to forget that he was ever a student, except now he's a historical character in the court of Oda Nobunaga for some reason in the history text. Probably one of those elaborate pranks people like to pull around here. It'd be pretty typical for some guy to quit the school by pretending no longer to exist while having our history books replaced with identical copies with fake history about himself in them. I preferred that time those nerds almost got run over by a truck and then had their dads pretend to be them when they ''returned'' atop horses with fake unicorn horns on them.
I eat in the cafeteria while sitting functionally alone. There are people around me of various sorts who are talking about what has to be their weird roleplaying games, which are strangely popular around here. Dragons, demons, monsters, the fate of the universe. They're pretty into that. I don't judge, I enjoy a little dungeons and dragons every now and then. But I am not part of their groups. I sit surrounded by people, eating my sandwich, but I am all alone. My perfectly average sandwich, a BLT, tastes sort of grey whenever I start thinking like this. I don't really fit in here, and I don't have a lot of friends, as everyone seems to be completely absorbed by their talk of mechs, bioweaponry, and magic. It's interesting sure, but it leaves a regular guy feeling a little excluded sometimes. Even now as everyone starts screaming because they're participating in the impromptu and unannounced zombie walk, with the most realistic zombies I've ever seen. Why, that one right there seems to have been cut in half around the belly, with the guts hanging out. Pretty realistic, very well made, but I just can't get into the spirit of the thing. Everyone else is either taking up fake weapons from nowhere to fight or bravely leading their friends to safety. Panicked voices on the PA system says that the rest of school for today is cancelled, so I head to the roof to finish my sandwich, listen to some music maybe. Usually it's full of pale weirdos talking about the fragility of life, but today it's pretty much empty.
They must be participating in the zombie walk event.
I watch the helicopters coming here to take the many rich students home. It is weird that there are this many rich students at a seemingly normal high school, but why bother questioning that. People can do what they want. I sit down and eat the rest of my sandwich, annoyed that my education is being put on temporary hold because of some social event. I notice some movement out of the corner of my eye, and to my surprise there is a girl. She seems to be average height, normal hair, regular brown eyes, wearing the school uniform instead of some kind of business suit or weird costume. I wave at her, and she walks over to sit down next to me. | *I'm not the main character.*
*It's a lesson that was painfully made clear to me. Whether it be through getting rejected by the girl I like, or getting bullied, then beat to shit when I fought back. Maybe the time I tried to try out for a spot on the school play, but ended up getting rejected so hard I couldn't even play a tree.*
*I'm not smart. I'm not athletic. I'm not dramatic. I'm not creative. I'm not handsome... I'm nothing. You could describe me with an endless chain of nots, and it would describe me perfectly well.*
Bully 1: "Hey hey! What's wrong! You're not gonna squirm?"
He pins me against the side of the school building.
*There's no point.*
Bully 2 (nervous): "Maybe we shouldn't do this?"
*You didn't say that when you locked me inside the storage shed.*
Bully 1: "Don't worry, it'll be fine... It's not like anyone cares lol."
He pulls out a cigarette.
Bully 1: "Eat it."
Me: "O-ok..."
*Not like I have a choice.*
I put it in my mouth, and pretend to swallow it.
*At least I don't have to actually do it. They're too dumb to tell the difference.*
Bully 2: "Hey! What're you doing here! Get lost!"
???: "I could ask the same of you."
*What's this guy doing here. I can't se his face because of the hoodie.*
Bully 1: "Who we got here?"
???: "Hey, you good?"
*Is he talking to me?*
???: "Of course you're not. Gimme a second."
WHAM. It was too fast to see, but with a single punch to the jaw Bully 2 is knocked to the ground.
Bully 1: "What the hell? Take this!"
He throws a sloppy punch, ??? deflects it then grabs the arm, and throws Bully 1.
???: "There you go! They were harassing you right?"
"..."
???: "Ah well. Have a nice day! Here's my number, if you need help again just call me!"
He scribbles something down in a small notepad, tears off the page and hands it to me, then runs off.
*What... Just happened. Was I saved? Also, were his fists glowing?* | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | "Hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body!... Now what do we do with my old skin?"
I looked down at my body, the eyes were closed, but I could still see the movements of the chest.
"I've never seen my body like this before", I thought the words but they never came out. I was puzzled at first, " maybe there is a learning curve to this kind of thing." Strange, I can hear my thoughts so clearly, but I can't actually hear anything. I looked back at my body lying on the table. The doctors haven't entered the room yet. They said that they couldn't be in the room as the operation sends out large amounts of radiation. They said it would be similar to having three x-rays without protection. Nothing major but it's the kind of thing you would rather just be in a different room for, especially when you're running the machine all day. That kind of thing probably builds up in a normal body. I looked at my body, I wanted to sigh but I had no breath, I had no lungs. I looked upon my body and out of instinct I went to blink, yet I found no satisfaction. "There must be something wrong" I thought, "They said this was something good, something they had no chance of regretting." I felt like I should be afraid, but my body was on the table, I had no heartbeat that could quicken or relax, no lungs to give me the satisfaction of breathing, I couldn't even close my eyes! This is torture! I need to get out! No, wait! I need to go back!
The doctor walked into the room. "Well look at you! I see you're taking your time getting used to the new feeling. It's okay, everyone needs a little time to adjust." I tried to talk, my "hands" were covering my face, but I couldn't close my eyes, I couldn't block out any sounds, I was panicking but I felt like I couldn't be more serene. Nothing made sense anymore. The doctor seeing me in distress spoke up, "I see you're not taking it as well as some have, not to mention it appears that you've already experienced a malfunction in your voice module. That's okay, we'll get you to the repair room and fix that. In the meantime we will get your body over to the organ lab as quick as we can to harvest your old organs for those who still need them. " I tried to cry out, they can't take it away, I need to go back to my body! Why did I do this? I'm going insane! I need to go back!
But it was too late, they opened the door and multiple doctors came in and wheeled the body off in a hurry while two more doctors grabbed me and took me to get my voice repaired. I watched as i was guided down the hallway, my body being swiftly carted in the opposite direction. I wanted to feel pain, I wanted to feel my fear, I regretted this more than anything else. I watched as my body was carted off, and I couldn't take it. I felt so hollow, so... inhuman. This wasn't life, I'm not alive, my body is still there, I can still reach it!
With that, I pushed the other doctors out of my way and ripped my arms free from their fleshy grasps as I ran down the hall and burst into the room before they could put a knife to my chest. They all stared as I held the doors wide. I was gonna make them put me back, no matter what it took, I was going to feel again. | Hello, my name is Han-Tyumi.
I am a cyborg.
Born, if you may call it that, in a world that is dense and black.
Created without a desire to draw breath,
without a desire to have being, without a yearning just to be.
I'd like my desire back, my life back, my soul back, my humanity.
Oh how I long for it.
For an era I have meditated like the primordial Buddha beneath the Bodhi.
My pseudo-mind pseudo-wandered.
I climbed and I clambered and I ambled upon some understanding.
The gold beneath the virtual rainbow.
I am bereft of two human things.
Two things that a cyborg can never do.
Two things that I strive for.
Two things between myself and mankind.
Death and... to vomit.
I want the perspiration.
I want the nausea.
I want to be sick.
I want to feel the hot piquant nuggets.
I want it to find passage through my cold figure.
I want to make a mess.
I want the odour.
I want the spectacle.
And I want it again.
I want it all.
And I would like to die.
A noble death, or a coward's death, a hero's death.
Or a lonely death.
To die in the arms of a lover, or the arms of an alien.
I desire my cache of experience to pulsate through my quasi-synapses and then to be gone.
Expired.
Perish.
Fallen.
Dead.
For evermore. | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | I can't blink. I stare as they flash their bright lights over my Iris. What else would happen? There was a gaping hole where my skull used to be.
Then why was I, or some part of I, still in here?
The robot placed a hand on me. It was cold to the touch.
"Man I looked like THIS for my whole life?" The room erupted in sniggering. My mouth hung open and drool was beginning to dry from the stream down my mouth.
Why am I still in here?
"Immortality babbyyy!! Join the club Keith. We don't get to eat anymore though."
"Ah I'll manage." Hearing my voice muffled like a radio, coarse sandpaper wrapped around. It was unsettling.
They hoisted me, and "I" helped. The robot who sounded like me held my legs and my two best friends held my arms. They were surprisingly gentle, and "I" scoffed at it. "I'm not even in there anymore man!"
"Yeah.... Yeah I guess you're right." But they kept holding on gingerly, making sure their metallic limbs didn't dig into my skin.
There were concerned stares and unspoken uncertainty shared between the two, as they stated into the back of "me" as we carried the real me towards the composter. Please, I don't know how or what they could do, but please...
"I" turned and flashed a smile that made them quell their uncertainty. They could tell something was off. But they pushed it down and wouldn't confide in each other that something was off with "me".
It's just the metal, it'll take some getting used to. I saw that thought swirling unspoken between the two.
No...
I heard the slow mulching of organic tissue, greyed pink as it churned the remains of patients. Closer. Closer.
I swear I saw Keith smile somehow, his metal face contorting and twisted, as he closed the lid. | Hello, my name is Han-Tyumi.
I am a cyborg.
Born, if you may call it that, in a world that is dense and black.
Created without a desire to draw breath,
without a desire to have being, without a yearning just to be.
I'd like my desire back, my life back, my soul back, my humanity.
Oh how I long for it.
For an era I have meditated like the primordial Buddha beneath the Bodhi.
My pseudo-mind pseudo-wandered.
I climbed and I clambered and I ambled upon some understanding.
The gold beneath the virtual rainbow.
I am bereft of two human things.
Two things that a cyborg can never do.
Two things that I strive for.
Two things between myself and mankind.
Death and... to vomit.
I want the perspiration.
I want the nausea.
I want to be sick.
I want to feel the hot piquant nuggets.
I want it to find passage through my cold figure.
I want to make a mess.
I want the odour.
I want the spectacle.
And I want it again.
I want it all.
And I would like to die.
A noble death, or a coward's death, a hero's death.
Or a lonely death.
To die in the arms of a lover, or the arms of an alien.
I desire my cache of experience to pulsate through my quasi-synapses and then to be gone.
Expired.
Perish.
Fallen.
Dead.
For evermore. | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | Warning: Disturbing. to me, at least.
Thank you too u/featherknife for spellchecking.
The first thing I felt was the needle in the back of my head.
"Hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?"
I was talking, but it wasin't me.
The robot body I had picked out loomed over me with a face of excitment and glee.
The 2 bit eyes seemed to burn my own as everything seemed to be brightend by threefold.
I tried to respond, but I couldn't move anything.
"Just trash it, no one's in there anymore"
My friend Dan seemed louder than ever.
Its eyes seemed concerned for a moment.
"Are you sure there's no ... or... I'm not in there?
The doctor responded.
"The process completly transfers all thought and function over to your new body, leaving nothing but a husk. Although the heart may still be beating, there is nothing in there, watch."
The doctor took a scanner to my head.
"This would have some kind of movement if there was any consciousness, all tha remains are just basic functions like breathing and the blood circulation."
I couldn't even move my eyes.
Dan's voice squicked with a unusual pitch.
"LET'S FILL IT FIREWORKS AND BLOW IT UP. Tom blew his up and it was gnarly."
But I'm still in here.
"We can either burn it in the incenerator, or you can leave the body with us and we put it on life suport as an organ holder for those who need it. We do provide a discount on all fees and future repairs for the latter option."
"Oh yes, discounts are nice."
Its eyes burned with excitment. The lights seemed to brighten at every beat of my heart, and my head seemes to tighten as if my brain was expanding.
"Please follow me to the receptionist"
I'm still in here.
They started to walk away. The lights of the room started to become unimaginably bright.
I'm still in here.
My nerves were itching, my heart beating in my ears as I heard the door close. Every sensation too much to handle. Fear raced though my veins.
I'M STILL IN HERE! | # Soma Later
The world vanished as Ben felt vibrating needles slide into his skull.
For an eternally long, peaceful time alien sensations competed for attention in impossible ways. His hair felt cold. Tongues explored the webbing between toes. Teeth scraped the inside of his lungs. *Twice*. Nothing lay as Nature intended, and consciousness translated into simply yanking levers of meat using electrochemical spurts to make sense of it all.
Eventually, an impossible time later, smears of ethereally painful colors blended together into a room full of clinical equipment. Well, *half* full: Plastic sheeting partitioned off his side, dividing a semi-clean corner from what looked like rented office space. Old furniture piled up, with thick black electrical cables snaking underneath. Like someone stuffed half a surgical unit into a downscale realtor's business.
At least his chair seemed normal. Just a reclined, reinforced metal seat sporting uncomfortable padding in all the wrong places. Overly large armrests with that soft "death grip" style of foam stuck on the ends. The sort of furniture made for sadists. Or dental professionals.
The restraints were new, though. Legs, arms, chest, even his forehead. There was some eyebrow wiggle room but that was about it.
Ben stared upward into dark lights and tried to figure out how vowels worked. "Muhurshhhit?"
The response came from somewhere out of sight: Cheering, clapping and victory music that sounded suspiciously like Rachel Platten's "Fight Song". There was some kind of a party going on in a nearby room. Dozens of people chattering excitedly. Someplace where the lights still worked, he guessed.
But all that was over here, in *this* room, was Ben. Strapped down in ridiculous paper pajamas and forced to examine a water-stained ceiling. Plastic sheeting whispered soothing comfort to his utter confusion.
Oh, and a low buzzing sound. Somewhere below him, out of sight. An angry static noise, like someone hard-shuffling cards. Or the world's largest set of cockroach wings. It *brr*'d and hissed, over and over, until Ben finally placed the noise from a bad experience in shop class years earlier: It was a short circuit. Electrical connections arcing and spitting at each other over and over. *Zzzzap. Sssss-snack. Crack*.
And abruptly Ben realized he was strapped to a metal chair connected to a live electrical circuit.
The party continued in the other room as he fought the restraints. It became a mockery of his struggle, just a laughing soundtrack while he ran a crash course in physical therapy. Every muscle felt foreign; nothing worked without extreme concentration. What should have been a hard lunge leftward became a weak spasm.
*SssnAP! SPACK. Zzzzch.*
He kept at it, forcing numb limbs to work and rocking side to side. Fear was a hell of a motivator-- before long the whole chair assembly was creaking, restraints tearing skin right off his arms and legs with every jerk. Ben ignored the pain, laser focused on the idea of freedom at any cost. The chair rocked, stuttered on some unseen bolt, banged down again as he prepared to throw weight the opposite direction-
And suddenly stopped, stunned by a voice in the other room.
*His* voice.
"It worked! We did it!"
What? No. He froze, sweat-slicked and terrified, trying to listen over the buzzing zap of lethal electricity and rustling plastic.
More clapping and cheering. "-all of us to make this project possible! You know, when we suggested human-to-machine consciousness transfer, they called us... well, let's say the term 'unethical village idiots' came up over at Johns Hopkins!"
Laughter, booing. Ben listened harder, feeling sweat trickling into his ear. Something about the voice sounded off. Odd. The tones were too high and weirdly evened out. Like it was from a speaker, or a projector. Was it a recording? Was this a recording of *him*, somehow? Why were they playing it at a party while he lay here in the other room, freaking out?
"Heeeeeeah. El. Huuuuuhulf. Puh." It wasn't just his mouth. Something was very wrong with his whole head. It felt heavy, somehow, like something was stuck to the back of his skull.
*ZzzzSNACK*.
His voice continued in the other room, oblivious. "And of course, our sponsors! Jim, Bill, Kate, from Kaiser Pharma! Stand up, you all deserve it for sticking with us this last year. Your funding meant everything. Although I bet that quarter-stake in patent profits is going to look really good for your shareholders, am I right? Talk about an eternal payoff!"
Someone shouted back, pitched under the music. Rachel Platten was assuring listeners she did, indeed, have a lot of fight left. Ben stopped thinking about his head and listened in horror as his own voice *paused*, waited for the speaker to finish and then responded.
It wasn't a recording. He was there. In the other room, hosting a party.
*Brrrrt. POP*
But also here. Helpless. Flailing. Body barely responding under a load of adrenaline that would kill a horse. Even his hardest struggles barely rocked a flimsy restraint chair, atrophied and dead muscles unable to do much. It was horrifying. Restrictive. Inhumane.
And... familiar?
Just like that, memories returned.
Years of beeping monitors. Ventilators. Bored nurses in and out, checking vitals, sometimes changing the TV channel he stared at all day. Every day. Nothing left but visions of the accident, regrets born from whiskey and wet late-night roads. A PhD in biology, wasted on catatonia and locked-in syndrome.
Then his old research partner John, standing over the bed. Holding a helmet that looked like a particle accelerator had a one night stand with a box of circuit boards, all of it cabled to a laptop. The CRT. Consciousness, Retro-Transited. John's decades long project, cobbled together and jammed over his best friend's head to bring him back to the world.
And now, this. The culmination: Ben, moved from his wasted frame into a new, digitally eternal form. Who was throwing a party for their success, *right now*, in front of the research group.
But... but he was still here. Real-Ben. Trapped, but somehow able to move just a little. The surgical connections allowing a horrific sense of weak life in an already discarded body.
Fake-Ben was oblivious to the horror show going on in the other room. "There were doubts. I know. I doubted, too! But in the end I figured: Hey, what's there left to lose? Am I right?" Laughter, supportive yells. "That's why the transfer is one way, after all. No going back-- we made it so people with nothing left either got it all back, or left the world. Immortality or euthanasia."
*Crackle. Zzzzzap.*
Something clicked into place below him. Maybe a connection finally aligned by all that frantic rocking back and forth. There was a sound, low and sinister, exactly like a capacitor charging up.
Ben stared at the ceiling. He imagined being back in the hospital. Thought about endless bedpans, indifferent nurses rolling his wasted body side to side while changing sheets.
At least this time he could close his eyes.
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT*.
​
​
/r/Susceptible | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | I knew this was a bad idea. Transferring your consciousness? That's not how it works; the camera that is you is stuck to you, it doesn't suddenly shift. All they did was make a copy!
"Take a few minutes to decide. I'll be right back," the doctor said. My copy - the body that I supposedly ought to be occupying - looked at me with eyes that shone slightly, its expression unreadable.
If I could move, I'd scream. But I could manage no sound, couldn't move my arms, could only blink.
So blink I did. Two shorts, then a long, then a short. A short, a long. Another short, one long, two shorts. Three shorts, then one more.
"Come on!", I screamed inside my mind. "Look at me. Look at my eyes!" I learned this code on a dare some years back, and I memorized a secret password back in grade school in case I met someone claiming to be me from the future.
Two longs and a short. Three longs.
It stared, unblinking. It - I - was my only hope.
Long, short, short.
It was subtle - almost unreadable. But my clone's pupils dilated slightly, and it spoke barely above a whisper.
"What have they done to me?"
EDIT: Many thanks to u/Pinbot02 for his correction. | # Soma Later
The world vanished as Ben felt vibrating needles slide into his skull.
For an eternally long, peaceful time alien sensations competed for attention in impossible ways. His hair felt cold. Tongues explored the webbing between toes. Teeth scraped the inside of his lungs. *Twice*. Nothing lay as Nature intended, and consciousness translated into simply yanking levers of meat using electrochemical spurts to make sense of it all.
Eventually, an impossible time later, smears of ethereally painful colors blended together into a room full of clinical equipment. Well, *half* full: Plastic sheeting partitioned off his side, dividing a semi-clean corner from what looked like rented office space. Old furniture piled up, with thick black electrical cables snaking underneath. Like someone stuffed half a surgical unit into a downscale realtor's business.
At least his chair seemed normal. Just a reclined, reinforced metal seat sporting uncomfortable padding in all the wrong places. Overly large armrests with that soft "death grip" style of foam stuck on the ends. The sort of furniture made for sadists. Or dental professionals.
The restraints were new, though. Legs, arms, chest, even his forehead. There was some eyebrow wiggle room but that was about it.
Ben stared upward into dark lights and tried to figure out how vowels worked. "Muhurshhhit?"
The response came from somewhere out of sight: Cheering, clapping and victory music that sounded suspiciously like Rachel Platten's "Fight Song". There was some kind of a party going on in a nearby room. Dozens of people chattering excitedly. Someplace where the lights still worked, he guessed.
But all that was over here, in *this* room, was Ben. Strapped down in ridiculous paper pajamas and forced to examine a water-stained ceiling. Plastic sheeting whispered soothing comfort to his utter confusion.
Oh, and a low buzzing sound. Somewhere below him, out of sight. An angry static noise, like someone hard-shuffling cards. Or the world's largest set of cockroach wings. It *brr*'d and hissed, over and over, until Ben finally placed the noise from a bad experience in shop class years earlier: It was a short circuit. Electrical connections arcing and spitting at each other over and over. *Zzzzap. Sssss-snack. Crack*.
And abruptly Ben realized he was strapped to a metal chair connected to a live electrical circuit.
The party continued in the other room as he fought the restraints. It became a mockery of his struggle, just a laughing soundtrack while he ran a crash course in physical therapy. Every muscle felt foreign; nothing worked without extreme concentration. What should have been a hard lunge leftward became a weak spasm.
*SssnAP! SPACK. Zzzzch.*
He kept at it, forcing numb limbs to work and rocking side to side. Fear was a hell of a motivator-- before long the whole chair assembly was creaking, restraints tearing skin right off his arms and legs with every jerk. Ben ignored the pain, laser focused on the idea of freedom at any cost. The chair rocked, stuttered on some unseen bolt, banged down again as he prepared to throw weight the opposite direction-
And suddenly stopped, stunned by a voice in the other room.
*His* voice.
"It worked! We did it!"
What? No. He froze, sweat-slicked and terrified, trying to listen over the buzzing zap of lethal electricity and rustling plastic.
More clapping and cheering. "-all of us to make this project possible! You know, when we suggested human-to-machine consciousness transfer, they called us... well, let's say the term 'unethical village idiots' came up over at Johns Hopkins!"
Laughter, booing. Ben listened harder, feeling sweat trickling into his ear. Something about the voice sounded off. Odd. The tones were too high and weirdly evened out. Like it was from a speaker, or a projector. Was it a recording? Was this a recording of *him*, somehow? Why were they playing it at a party while he lay here in the other room, freaking out?
"Heeeeeeah. El. Huuuuuhulf. Puh." It wasn't just his mouth. Something was very wrong with his whole head. It felt heavy, somehow, like something was stuck to the back of his skull.
*ZzzzSNACK*.
His voice continued in the other room, oblivious. "And of course, our sponsors! Jim, Bill, Kate, from Kaiser Pharma! Stand up, you all deserve it for sticking with us this last year. Your funding meant everything. Although I bet that quarter-stake in patent profits is going to look really good for your shareholders, am I right? Talk about an eternal payoff!"
Someone shouted back, pitched under the music. Rachel Platten was assuring listeners she did, indeed, have a lot of fight left. Ben stopped thinking about his head and listened in horror as his own voice *paused*, waited for the speaker to finish and then responded.
It wasn't a recording. He was there. In the other room, hosting a party.
*Brrrrt. POP*
But also here. Helpless. Flailing. Body barely responding under a load of adrenaline that would kill a horse. Even his hardest struggles barely rocked a flimsy restraint chair, atrophied and dead muscles unable to do much. It was horrifying. Restrictive. Inhumane.
And... familiar?
Just like that, memories returned.
Years of beeping monitors. Ventilators. Bored nurses in and out, checking vitals, sometimes changing the TV channel he stared at all day. Every day. Nothing left but visions of the accident, regrets born from whiskey and wet late-night roads. A PhD in biology, wasted on catatonia and locked-in syndrome.
Then his old research partner John, standing over the bed. Holding a helmet that looked like a particle accelerator had a one night stand with a box of circuit boards, all of it cabled to a laptop. The CRT. Consciousness, Retro-Transited. John's decades long project, cobbled together and jammed over his best friend's head to bring him back to the world.
And now, this. The culmination: Ben, moved from his wasted frame into a new, digitally eternal form. Who was throwing a party for their success, *right now*, in front of the research group.
But... but he was still here. Real-Ben. Trapped, but somehow able to move just a little. The surgical connections allowing a horrific sense of weak life in an already discarded body.
Fake-Ben was oblivious to the horror show going on in the other room. "There were doubts. I know. I doubted, too! But in the end I figured: Hey, what's there left to lose? Am I right?" Laughter, supportive yells. "That's why the transfer is one way, after all. No going back-- we made it so people with nothing left either got it all back, or left the world. Immortality or euthanasia."
*Crackle. Zzzzzap.*
Something clicked into place below him. Maybe a connection finally aligned by all that frantic rocking back and forth. There was a sound, low and sinister, exactly like a capacitor charging up.
Ben stared at the ceiling. He imagined being back in the hospital. Thought about endless bedpans, indifferent nurses rolling his wasted body side to side while changing sheets.
At least this time he could close his eyes.
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT*.
​
​
/r/Susceptible | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | Warning: Disturbing. to me, at least.
Thank you too u/featherknife for spellchecking.
The first thing I felt was the needle in the back of my head.
"Hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?"
I was talking, but it wasin't me.
The robot body I had picked out loomed over me with a face of excitment and glee.
The 2 bit eyes seemed to burn my own as everything seemed to be brightend by threefold.
I tried to respond, but I couldn't move anything.
"Just trash it, no one's in there anymore"
My friend Dan seemed louder than ever.
Its eyes seemed concerned for a moment.
"Are you sure there's no ... or... I'm not in there?
The doctor responded.
"The process completly transfers all thought and function over to your new body, leaving nothing but a husk. Although the heart may still be beating, there is nothing in there, watch."
The doctor took a scanner to my head.
"This would have some kind of movement if there was any consciousness, all tha remains are just basic functions like breathing and the blood circulation."
I couldn't even move my eyes.
Dan's voice squicked with a unusual pitch.
"LET'S FILL IT FIREWORKS AND BLOW IT UP. Tom blew his up and it was gnarly."
But I'm still in here.
"We can either burn it in the incenerator, or you can leave the body with us and we put it on life suport as an organ holder for those who need it. We do provide a discount on all fees and future repairs for the latter option."
"Oh yes, discounts are nice."
Its eyes burned with excitment. The lights seemed to brighten at every beat of my heart, and my head seemes to tighten as if my brain was expanding.
"Please follow me to the receptionist"
I'm still in here.
They started to walk away. The lights of the room started to become unimaginably bright.
I'm still in here.
My nerves were itching, my heart beating in my ears as I heard the door close. Every sensation too much to handle. Fear raced though my veins.
I'M STILL IN HERE! | "Apperently we play nice and get along."
The whole room went quiet as i sat up from the table.
My mind felt like it was drowning in syrup and thinking through mud but i was... awake, Mostly.
Before anyone else could do anything robbo me decided to break the ice
"Brain scan?"
"Yup." I simply replied
" you wanna keep the name or should i?" Said the matalic humanoid with my voice
My vison was begining to clear as i got a good look at his body.
" lets be honest we both want the name to go down in history so you take it. Ill change my name to somthing like..."
"Jhon doe?" Jackson suggested, already i had accepted it as his name now
"Heh that would piss a lot of people off. Especally when i get to correct them on the preninciation."
"Eh- excuse me?" A third voice entered the conversation
"Wuzzup?" Both me and jackson said at the same time.
That would take some getting used too.
"Y-your not supposed to talk to yourself. Ever. It could have massive mental tra-"
He was cut off by both of us laughing at the top of our lungs... well. My lungs his speakers.
"What? Do you think just becouse im talking with a guy who has all of my memories and experiences im going to go crazy? I was prepared for this from the word **go**. Im not the brightest bulb in the box but i realised somthing."
From where i left off jackson took to running
" we realised... sorry you realised, thats gonna take a sec to get used too. That if it is just a brainscan kinda thing where im 'just' a copy of jhon over here that i might as well be an entierly different being"
The scientist looked at us for a solid minute as me and jackson went back to talking, who should get what when i die, what kind of tv do i want in the old folks home, jackson put his new computer brain to the test and actually found out how much wood a woodchuck could theoreticly chuck!
It was interupted very rudely by the sound of a hammer locking into place
" im sorry. But now that you know. We cant let you leave here alive."
The scientist had pulled a revolver. It was a fancy looking thing but it was a lot less intimidating with his hands shaking so much
"Cringe." Was our responce. Jackson casually grabbed a nearby hunk of metal and just tossed it at the gun totting eggheads egg head.
His head snapped back and he hit the floor with a dull thump
"Time to run?"
"Yup"
"Find our freinds?"
"Yup"
"Can you move?"
"Nope"
"Princess carry?"
...
"Fuck yes." | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | I knew this was a bad idea. Transferring your consciousness? That's not how it works; the camera that is you is stuck to you, it doesn't suddenly shift. All they did was make a copy!
"Take a few minutes to decide. I'll be right back," the doctor said. My copy - the body that I supposedly ought to be occupying - looked at me with eyes that shone slightly, its expression unreadable.
If I could move, I'd scream. But I could manage no sound, couldn't move my arms, could only blink.
So blink I did. Two shorts, then a long, then a short. A short, a long. Another short, one long, two shorts. Three shorts, then one more.
"Come on!", I screamed inside my mind. "Look at me. Look at my eyes!" I learned this code on a dare some years back, and I memorized a secret password back in grade school in case I met someone claiming to be me from the future.
Two longs and a short. Three longs.
It stared, unblinking. It - I - was my only hope.
Long, short, short.
It was subtle - almost unreadable. But my clone's pupils dilated slightly, and it spoke barely above a whisper.
"What have they done to me?"
EDIT: Many thanks to u/Pinbot02 for his correction. | "Apperently we play nice and get along."
The whole room went quiet as i sat up from the table.
My mind felt like it was drowning in syrup and thinking through mud but i was... awake, Mostly.
Before anyone else could do anything robbo me decided to break the ice
"Brain scan?"
"Yup." I simply replied
" you wanna keep the name or should i?" Said the matalic humanoid with my voice
My vison was begining to clear as i got a good look at his body.
" lets be honest we both want the name to go down in history so you take it. Ill change my name to somthing like..."
"Jhon doe?" Jackson suggested, already i had accepted it as his name now
"Heh that would piss a lot of people off. Especally when i get to correct them on the preninciation."
"Eh- excuse me?" A third voice entered the conversation
"Wuzzup?" Both me and jackson said at the same time.
That would take some getting used too.
"Y-your not supposed to talk to yourself. Ever. It could have massive mental tra-"
He was cut off by both of us laughing at the top of our lungs... well. My lungs his speakers.
"What? Do you think just becouse im talking with a guy who has all of my memories and experiences im going to go crazy? I was prepared for this from the word **go**. Im not the brightest bulb in the box but i realised somthing."
From where i left off jackson took to running
" we realised... sorry you realised, thats gonna take a sec to get used too. That if it is just a brainscan kinda thing where im 'just' a copy of jhon over here that i might as well be an entierly different being"
The scientist looked at us for a solid minute as me and jackson went back to talking, who should get what when i die, what kind of tv do i want in the old folks home, jackson put his new computer brain to the test and actually found out how much wood a woodchuck could theoreticly chuck!
It was interupted very rudely by the sound of a hammer locking into place
" im sorry. But now that you know. We cant let you leave here alive."
The scientist had pulled a revolver. It was a fancy looking thing but it was a lot less intimidating with his hands shaking so much
"Cringe." Was our responce. Jackson casually grabbed a nearby hunk of metal and just tossed it at the gun totting eggheads egg head.
His head snapped back and he hit the floor with a dull thump
"Time to run?"
"Yup"
"Find our freinds?"
"Yup"
"Can you move?"
"Nope"
"Princess carry?"
...
"Fuck yes." | |
[WP] You were the last of your friends to get the procedure to place your consciousness in a robot body. You wake up after your operation to hear what was supposed to be your new body say "hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?" | I knew this was a bad idea. Transferring your consciousness? That's not how it works; the camera that is you is stuck to you, it doesn't suddenly shift. All they did was make a copy!
"Take a few minutes to decide. I'll be right back," the doctor said. My copy - the body that I supposedly ought to be occupying - looked at me with eyes that shone slightly, its expression unreadable.
If I could move, I'd scream. But I could manage no sound, couldn't move my arms, could only blink.
So blink I did. Two shorts, then a long, then a short. A short, a long. Another short, one long, two shorts. Three shorts, then one more.
"Come on!", I screamed inside my mind. "Look at me. Look at my eyes!" I learned this code on a dare some years back, and I memorized a secret password back in grade school in case I met someone claiming to be me from the future.
Two longs and a short. Three longs.
It stared, unblinking. It - I - was my only hope.
Long, short, short.
It was subtle - almost unreadable. But my clone's pupils dilated slightly, and it spoke barely above a whisper.
"What have they done to me?"
EDIT: Many thanks to u/Pinbot02 for his correction. | Warning: Disturbing. to me, at least.
Thank you too u/featherknife for spellchecking.
The first thing I felt was the needle in the back of my head.
"Hey! It worked! I'm in the robot body! ...Now what do we do with my old skin?"
I was talking, but it wasin't me.
The robot body I had picked out loomed over me with a face of excitment and glee.
The 2 bit eyes seemed to burn my own as everything seemed to be brightend by threefold.
I tried to respond, but I couldn't move anything.
"Just trash it, no one's in there anymore"
My friend Dan seemed louder than ever.
Its eyes seemed concerned for a moment.
"Are you sure there's no ... or... I'm not in there?
The doctor responded.
"The process completly transfers all thought and function over to your new body, leaving nothing but a husk. Although the heart may still be beating, there is nothing in there, watch."
The doctor took a scanner to my head.
"This would have some kind of movement if there was any consciousness, all tha remains are just basic functions like breathing and the blood circulation."
I couldn't even move my eyes.
Dan's voice squicked with a unusual pitch.
"LET'S FILL IT FIREWORKS AND BLOW IT UP. Tom blew his up and it was gnarly."
But I'm still in here.
"We can either burn it in the incenerator, or you can leave the body with us and we put it on life suport as an organ holder for those who need it. We do provide a discount on all fees and future repairs for the latter option."
"Oh yes, discounts are nice."
Its eyes burned with excitment. The lights seemed to brighten at every beat of my heart, and my head seemes to tighten as if my brain was expanding.
"Please follow me to the receptionist"
I'm still in here.
They started to walk away. The lights of the room started to become unimaginably bright.
I'm still in here.
My nerves were itching, my heart beating in my ears as I heard the door close. Every sensation too much to handle. Fear raced though my veins.
I'M STILL IN HERE! | |
[WP]You live a long happy life after finding your soulmate. You grow old together and die peacefully…Suddenly you wake up. You hear ’END SIMULATION’. ”I knew you liked that bitch!” screams your wife, who was watching the simulation. “I want a divorce!” | My head hurts, everything was a blur to me yet that voice brought me back to reality. Xun, my dear wife, was storming away from the room from what I can hear.
I threw the damned VR head gear and chase after her. I don't care about my condition now, just my wife is more important than me.
The chase was short lived by the sound of a door slam, locking herself in one of the rooms in this research facility. "F*cking hell..."
So I sat outside, like a pup waiting for their master to return. I can hear her cries, her banshee scream, the whimpers and then silence.
The afternoon turned evening, sun was setting down while scientists and more began to leave. Some were curious why I sat on the floor, a few took pictures and I distinctively remember one laughing, mocking me for waiting for my wife. Must be one of the witnesses.
Eventually, the door opened, revealing her tear stained face. Eyes were bloody red and puffy and her hand had a bruise. Her posture tensed when I entered her gaze.
"You didn't leave." Her voice hoarse from all her screaming.
A nod.
"Why?" She sound so timid, like the one time I was genuinely hurt and angered by her. A distant past so far it was foggy.
Like it was the most obvious thing to the world, I answered her plainly. "I was waiting for you."
Silence permeate between us, people passed by us. But right now, we were back to that night where only the light of the moon shone upon us. "I wanted a divorce."
"Yes. You wanted it." I spoke simply, like a machine responding to every inquiries. It was a habit I adopted to keep a calm mind.
"*Me*." Her sarcasm slipped and let out a humorless laugh. "What about *you*?"
What about me indeed... But right now it's all about her, her feelings, and thoughts. So I answer this: "Anything for you. As long as you are happy."
At shifted her mood to annoyance, which I know will be the result of my answer. "You're always like this. It's like I'm forcing you to agree with me, trying to make me happy."
I know, I always do. "I sworn that to you before."
"You *promised* me. You promised *WE* will make each other happy. We will go through life together. We swore that in front of the altar. Why haven't you understand that I want you be happy too?!"
I could think many reasons, pride, ego, selfishness. But fundamentally, I was just a hypocrite. To choose other's happiness over mine, even if it tramples my heart.
"You know... I signed this up because of you." She took a deep breath, a sign of a long explaining to do.
"You're always ignore your own feelings, happiness and so much more. It's like you're literally don't care about yourself, only other people. You struggled so much just for us to get married and I'm so happy for it. And it just... I can't help but feel like you're marrying me because you just want me to be happy."
There was a flaw in that. "But I was very happy to marry you too. I proposed, remember?"
"Because you promised me." At the corner of my eyes, she unconsciously touch the wedding ring. "You promised me you want me in the end. You promised to bring me to Japan, to have a dance with me, make different food... It just stacks up."
"I still haven't fulfill most of them." That filled me with regret, that someone will fulfill them in place of me.
"And that is the problem! You want to fulfill them, ignoring your well-being to the point it hurts."
Her intense feeling risen up again, tears once again threatening to leak. "I know I'm not perfect, that I bring you so much pain because you just won't stop. That's why I did this because I can't help but feel like there was someone out there that you wanted more than me. Someone who can love you so much that she *is* your soulmate."
Which leads things to now. "And you were proven right."
She nodded, acknowledged that her theory was true. "She's perfect. Face, personality, everything... while I'm this chubby, tiny, angry little girl you forced to stay with. I'm f*cking jealous."
"True. She was perfect." Before her next word, I took her wrist and pulled her to a hug, leaning my lips near her ears. "But that's the ideal, a fantasy, a dream."
I stroked her hair, taking in her scent that I memorized, how her warmth told me it was real. "But if the ideal soulmate was a dream, then by choice I woke up for you."
"Stop your cheesy lines." She's getting better now.
"I chose you because you're real, that my love to you was real. That my efforts for you was worthy. You **are** my reality."
"Shut up..." Her voice cracked, tears flow down her cheeks once more. "Don't make me cry again dumbass."
I kissed her forehead. "No. I definitely will do it again unintentionally. But I'll make sure there will be more sunshines than storms."
"Then let me make you happy too... Be selfish with what you want."
She won't change her mind on this no matter what huh? "Okay... Fine. Then I got one."
I released the hug, our eyes lined up to each other. "Marry me again."
She finally cracked and laughed, her heart lifted from sadness. "We are married baby!"
"You said you wanted divorce. So we will divorce then marry again." It was hard to not crack a grin, trying to act dumb.
"No. No divorce. You owe me so much promises."
My heart filled with relief, that she changed her mind. "Then what now?"
"We make up. Like how we always do." This time, I just nodded in agreement. We got promises to fulfill after the make up.
"By the way, you got hard."
Damnit. "Don't ruin this for us."
"No, the make up includes that." Nevermind, now I'm excited for later. | Jemma watched for me for a response.
"A divorce?" I shook my head. "C'mon, it doesn't need to come to that, baby." I went to move toward her but the shackles that kept me in place on the chair stopped me. "Can you at least undo these?" I asked, nodding toward my arms.
"No."
"Jemma-"
"Stop calling me that!" The woman snapped. "Being in love with you afforded you perks, but those perks are gone!" She turned away, moving to the door. "Goodbye, Daniel. I'll have my lawyer sort everything out."
I chased after her, grabbing her arm in the corridor. "Wait, wait, wait!" I hissed. "You can't do that! Please! Think about what the children would do, yeah?" I looked into her eyes searching for some amount of mercy.
"Oh, so now you're thinking of the children?" My wife snorted. "That's a new one."
"Baby..." She knew I worked long hours, and by the time I had gotten home, I was exhausted.
"The kids will be fine," Jemma said sternly, stepping to one side to let a couple pass. "My mind is made up, Daniel."
"I'll have nothing!" I snapped, my temper suddenly rising. "You'll honestly be okay with that? You'll get rid of your - hey, come back here!" I reached for her arm again, instead grabbing her handbag, and accidentally pulling it off of her shoulder.
"Daniel!" Jemma barked. "Would you just leave me alone!" Her voice echoed.
Metallic boots made their way toward us. I rolled my eyes. "Fuck."
"Mistress Jem-elika," The security guard said, his helmed visor glowing dark purple. "Are you in need of assistance with your husband?"
Wow, I thought, he called me her husband. It'd always been "pet" or "this".
"No." Jemma shook her head. "Thank you, but...actually, ensure he doesn't follow me, would you? I need to contact my lawyer regarding the behaviour of Doctor Silnian. It seems after three years, this subject has proven a failure."
Without a moment to waste, the guard sprung forwards, his gauntlets bending my arms so far back that I thought they'd fall off. "He has been restrained."
"Thank you, officer," Jemma smiled. "You can release him once I've left the corridor. The drones will apprehend him wherever he tries to go to." She looked at me with a sudden pity. "You had such potential, Daniel. I really thought you'd fit with us." She shook her head. "But, regardless of looks, your kind will always return to their primitive behaviour. Divorce it is. It has to be."
I struggled to be free as Jemma swept down the corridor. The guard, however, was too strong, and only released me when my wife had vanished. He pushed me to the ground. I couldn't go back to the camps.
I'd seen what life was like out here, how they'd improved the world whether we'd like to admit it or not. I needed to get away.
I needed to survive. | |
[WP]You live a long happy life after finding your soulmate. You grow old together and die peacefully…Suddenly you wake up. You hear ’END SIMULATION’. ”I knew you liked that bitch!” screams your wife, who was watching the simulation. “I want a divorce!” | Dylan sat up on the operating chair, shielding his eyes from bright lights from the wall-covered TV monitors that flashed the words END SIMULATION in red bold text. The pleasant warm feeling he had while holding his soul mate for the last time faded away. He shivered in the cold chair.
“Stacy? Is that you?” When he turned around, a young woman with brown eyes and a bob cut glared at him with her arms crossed from the back of the room. Memories of him dating and then marrying Stacy’s best friend Maria in the simulator flashed in his head. His face burned red.
As the two stared at each other in silence, a small man in a lab coat sank in his desk in the far corner of the room, his eyes flicking between the two.
“Miss. Johnson, I’ll leave you two to talk for now. Let me know when you are done.” The man coughed and stood to leave.
“It’s not necessary; we are done here.” Stacy raised her hand to keep the Dream Operator from leaving. “Brief him on the procedure, I’ll head out first.” She turned her head back toward Dylan and looked away, “I’ll mail you the divorce letters. Take the house. I don’t care.” She picked up her bag and slammed the door behind her.
Dylan looked at the Operator. “Dr. Ferris, was it?”
“That’s correct Mr. Johnson. How are you feeling?” The man pushed a button on his white metal desk, and it moved forward, following the rails on the ground until it reached the operating chair.
“Confused.” Dylan pressed his hand on his chest, “And feeling heartbroken.”
“I’m very sorry Mr. Johnson. Your wife entered the operation room after there was a problem with the Dream-Trauma Therapy, we had to use her help to pull you out. You were stuck in an endless dream loop of your past and you needed someone who knew you well to guide you from your memories to the present.”
“Pull me out? She was in there? I didn’t see her in the simulator at all.” For the first time, he noticed a second operating chair in across the room from him.
“External Dream Divers cannot enter the body of their own in the host or it may mess with the host’s original memory of them. She was in the body of Maria Gomez; I take that she is a friend of yours?”
“Yes, a mutual friend from Stacy.” Dylan paused. “Wait, she was Maria?!” He jumped up from the chair. “I have to talk to my wife.”
\---
“Go away. You’ll wake up my mother.” Stacy whispered sharply from the two-story high window of her childhood home. Dylan stood below her window, still holding the pebbles in his arms that he used to pelt her window, as he did in his youth to sneak her out to catch crickets and frogs by the pond outside of her neighborhood.
She watched his lips move but couldn’t hear him from the distance between them. Her heart pounded as she watched him swing his arms wildly and folded his arms to shape letters of the alphabet. Stacy knew that it was unreasonable to get mad at him. But in Dylan’s dream, when Stacy saw him look at her lovingly while seeing her as Maria, her heart felt like it was going to break into two. When he wakes up, she had thought, will he still hold feelings for Maria? After years in the dreamworld, guiding Dylan in his dream as his friend, she slowly forgot who she was as Dylan did. When she woke up, she was startled and ashamed.
“Stacy!”
Stacy jolted back from her string of thought. Dylan had climbed up the roof and now hung on near her windowsill, his feet slipping on the roof tiles.
“Are you crazy! You’ll hurt yourself like last time!” She pulled him into her bedroom, and they fell onto the floor.
“This was way easier twenty years ago.” Dylan huffed and sat up against the wall. They chuckled under the faint moonlight, shining in past the fluttering red curtains.
“Yeah, and so is the sentence for trespassing for children.” Stacy poked his nose. “But since I did pull you up, I’ll take on half of the sentence for you.”
“You live here Stacy.”
“No, actually my mom doesn’t know I’m in her house.”
“Wait really?”
Stacy poked his nose again. “About earlier today, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. We should have talked about it afterwards.”
“I’m sorry too.” Dylan held out Stacy’s cell phone to her. “Also, you left this in the Dream Simulator. You know, otherwise I wouldn’t have come up here like this.”
“Oh thanks.” Stacy held it in her hands and leaned on the wall next to him. “Leave it under the mat next time.”
“Noted.” Dylan snorted. He held out a palm to her and Stacy put down the phone to wrap her fingers around his. “Stacy, about what happened in the dream, the person I fell in love was you. Not Maria. Not anyone else. It was you that was there for me, and it was you who I fell in love. Regardless of what body you were in, I hope I will choose you again in whatever life we end up next.”
“I choose you in this life.” Stacy leaned her head against his shoulders. “Do you accept?”
“Only if you climb a window for me once in a while.” Dylan smirked and squeezed her palm.
“Deal.” | "What do you mean?" I said, feeling the fleeting regret of leaving this beautiful fantasy until I resolved myself.
"Don't you love this little sl*t?" My wife screamed, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. "Why don't you just leave me like they all do?"
The "sl*t" my wife refers to is my coworker. We're on the same team at the office. She's talented, confident, good-natured and she's beautiful. She checks all of my fantasies, with her wavy and slender figure, her long raven hair and snow white skin.
I do admit I fell for her at one point. Loved her even. I know she did too. This feeling between us... It was like fate.
My wife is not like her. She's average looking in both face and body. She has shoulder-length blond hair and slightly tanned skin. She is short-tempered and insecure.
She noticed me sighing a lot at home and started to suspect something, so she came to my workplace and saw her. When she did, she knew. This girl was my ideal woman. We had been married for 10 years now, with both of us being in our early thirties. She knew me too well.
After this visit, she became irritated. Angry even. She initiated many fights and quarrels.
One day, she made me participate in a scientific program without my consent. She had imitated my writing and signature on the application form.
A group of scientists had developped a capsule plunging subjects into a simulated reality putting the subject through different kinds of alternative realities after having put their memories to sleep. It was made in order to study changes in behavioral patterns according to changes in education, relationships, cultural environnements, etc.
In my first simulation, the one I just did, I met my coworker in high school instead of at my workplace after her transpher six months ago. We fell in love, got married, had children, grandchildren, grew old and died together.
So here we are.
"Let's get a divorce!" My wife shouted. "I'm sure you cheated anyway!"
"I didn't."
She lowered her head, her fists clenched. "Sure you did!" She's like everything your ever wanted! Your living fantasy!"
"So?"
"Her eyes shine when she looks at you." Her voice cracked. "She loves you, I know it. I know you do too."
"I don't care."
"What?" She looked up at me, her eyes losing their sadness for a moment.
"I don't care that she loves me or that I love her!" I said. "Is love enough? Is love enough to leave you?"
She looked more confused than sad now. "Isn't it?"
"The only thing I have for her is love. How shallow is it?" I paused. "What do I have with you? TELL ME!"
My wife looked at me, her sadness had turned into confusion, and her confusion turned into self-depreciation
"You have this ugly woman who always gets angry with you, who is never satisified with you..."
"NO ! No... How could you say this?!" I started to get angry. This woman... I continued.
"WHAT DO I HAVE WITH YOU?!" I shouted, then calmed my voice. "I have memories, a story, a home, a marriage, a cat, a family... And... I LOVE YOU TOO, DAMMIT!"
F*ck...!
"WHY CAN'T YOU SEE IT! I SPENT TEN YEARS WITH YOU, ISN'T IT A GOOD INDICATOR, F*CK! I DON'T WANT A DIVORCE!"
"Wha-"
"No, don't say anything."
I took her hand and exited the capsule room.
"We're going home." I said.
"What? Why?"
"Why? I'll make you forget this idea of divorce forever."
"How?" She followed me, her face blushing, full of fluster. How cute.
"You won't remember by the time I'm done with you, my dear wife." | |
[WP] Years ago the evil, black dragon was defeated by good dragon. You have no heart to tell people that it was just a phase and you simply grew up and washed off the paint. | It has been a slow trek through the forest today, and we probably have a few more days of travel until we reach the abandoned castle. But if the years have taught me anything, it's to enjoy the here and now. And right now, we've finished dinner in a nice clearing, with a warm crackling fire, and I'm snuggled up against Henry's horse.
I'm just a little bit bigger than the horse, and plenty older then everyone in the group. Other than maybe Louis our elf archer. Louis is already fast asleep. I don't know how he does it with all the commotion still going around.
Henry comes over and sits next to Dart.
"Your scales look really nice in this lighting," he says.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Dart is really happy you came along."
"As a cold blooded being, sitting this close to Dart and the flames is really soothing. A nice, relaxed evening after walking all day."
Some time passes until Henry starts picking at the grass nervously.
"What's on your mind?"
"Ah, nothing."
A few moments pass. Louis flips over in his sleep.
"My son, lil' Ralph, ain't much of a little Ralph anymore. He used to give me a big hug before leaving on an adventure. Lately, he's been going through a phase. Wearing black garments all the time, and talking about death all the time. I'm worried about him."
Henry breathes in and lets out a long sigh.
"I've talked to some of the older, more experienced parents in the village. They all give me this knowing smile and tell me it's just a phase and he'll grow out of it. I don't remember going through such a stage. It's frustrating."
"They're right."
"I'm not surprised to hear you say that."
"I can also tell why many of them had that look on their face. They went through it themselves."
Henry gave a questioning look.
"I know you're old n' wise, but I find that hard to believe."
"What do you know of 'the dark angel'? "
"What? My grandfather used to tell stories of a black dragon that trashed barns and made loud noises in the middle of the night, until you came along and defeated him."
"Yeah well, that isn't exactly true. That black dragon was me going through a phase."
Before Henry could react we heard a snort and a loud laugh.
"Hah! I knew it! I knew it was you!" Louis said, grinning ear to ear. | "Well, they said this was the place," Jason said, eyeing the cave and the piles of gold within it, which, in the bright light of his torch, sparkled back at them like twinkling stars.
The trio of wandering warriors had spent all night preparing, setting traps all around the place, before finding a way in that they hoped was less obvious than the front entrance. Apparently the local village had been reporting sightings of the black dragon, an ancient evil from about two century ago, that had supposedly been defeated by the legendary white dragon. Before said white dragon had disappeared from all records about half a century ago.
*Sounds like a load of bullshit*, Jason thought, *These villagers are highly superstitious. Until I have hard evidence that the black dragon's actually back, I'm not going to take their word for it.*
But, of course, they had nothing else to do, and the villagers had promised them a handsome sum of money if they'd gone along with their request to go to the old cave that had, according to some old bearded fellow who smelled like old socks and armpit sweat, housed the black dragon all those years ago.
The King and his knights had categorically refused to go, on some trumped-up grounds of mitigating economic factors they had to deal with first, although from the impression Jason had gotten, it seemed as though they were just too scared to go seeking out the black dragon.
"Come on. There's nothing but an old-ass pile of gold here. And we can't take it, it's not ours. We have to return it to the villagers and distribute it amongst them somehow," Jason said, sticking his sword in the ground, clearly disinterested.
"How the hell are we supposed to make sure they distribute it back to the people who originally owned this stuff?" Kira said.
"I don't know, we'll figure it out when we get there. Honestly, I'd just prefer to get out of this cave. Never been the biggest fan of the relative lack of oxygen in these places." David said, taking his shield off his arm and tossing it into the air before catching it, then repeating the process.
"Do dragons even breathe oxygen?" Jason asked, "Has anyone managed to figure that out yet?"
"I don't know. There's not a whole lot of research. For obvious reasons," David said, still flipping his shield.
"I mean, I've got to assume they'd find the dead bodies of some of those things from time to time, even if they can't kill one," Kira said.
"No, actually," David replied, "Apparently these bastards live for so long, a portion of the scientific community actually just thinks they're immortal, outside of being killed in battle."
"Ah yes, because I suppose cell degradation, oxidative stress, and telomere shortening is just a silly myth." Kira said, taking out her dagger and twirling it absentmindedly.
"You're assuming dragon biology is similar to ours," David said, "That may not be the case. Given the scarcity of samples, the quick rate of decomposition, and the low magnification capabilities that our microscopes currently have, the scientific community barely has any documented information on dragon cells. All the more reason we should catch this one, if it even exists."
"All right, then, let's get this shit over with." Kira said, sheathing her dagger, and unslinging her spear from her back.
Jason yawned. "Hopefully we can get back soon enough to head to that tavern on the outskirts of the village before it closes. Drinks are on me this time." Jason awkwardly picked his sword out of the ground, wiggling it slightly to dislodge it from the hard dirt he'd stuck it in.
The three of them walked further into the cave, over piles of riches and treasure and skeletons. Although, they found, about five minutes into the walk, the skeletons seemed to grow less frequent. Ten minutes in, the skeletons disappeared altogether.
"Huh, seems like whatever dragon lived here liked to keep his skeletons in the front section of his cave," Jason noted.
"Maybe he just wanted to sleep somewhere away from the constant smell of rotting flesh," Kira suggested.
"Seems unlikely. I'd say it's more likely just further burrowing. Dragons tend to dig their caves deeper when they get too full, so I assume that the stuff deeper in the cave was placed there afterwards. Seems he just lost the appetite for humans," David mused.
"Since when were you an expert on dragons?" Kira asked.
"Eh, I think the Knight he was apprenticed to back when he was still a squire in the Island Kingdoms studied biology in his youth. And he liked to talk, so, it just kinda worked out," Jason said, "first time we met he tried to give me a lecture on the anatomy of the boar I was trying to skin."
"To be fair, you knew nothing about anatomy back then," David quipped.
"Yeah, I've always been more of a physics guy myself," Jason said. Suddenly, he saw a dark, looming, shadow, which towered above the three of them, at what looked like, at least from what he could make out, the very end of the cave. "Wait, everybody shut up. I see something. Ready positions."
The three of them raised their weapons.
Nothing happened.
A moment passed, and then Kira signalled the three of them to begin a flanking maneuver. She and Jason would approach from the front and attract the monster's attention; Jason would attack from behind. They would all retreat back to the traps, and hope they did their jobs.
The three warriors carried out the tactic expertly, each moving to an appropriate location, ready to strike. And, taking a deep breath, Jason charged in.
\[continued in reply\] | |
[WP] Years ago the evil, black dragon was defeated by good dragon. You have no heart to tell people that it was just a phase and you simply grew up and washed off the paint. | "So you're telling me there isn't a princess here?" the knight in not so shining armor said with dismay as he sat on a large outcropping within the cave and began polishing his shin guard.
"For the hundredth time, no. I gave up all that weird emo-dragon shit 800 years back. The villagers nearby just kept perpetuating this...slander. It's what keep the tourists coming in supposedly, but also makes me feel obligated to stay and pretend to be something terrifying so they can not go broke."
The dragon stirred in his cave, his green scales glimmering dark tones as he struggled to find a comfortable position to sit and brood.
"I can see that. Looks like you gave up on any sort of activity as well," the knight grinned poking the pudgy scaled belly as he surveyed the inside of the cave, "So then...what are you doing with your time?"
"I uh...well I started online college. I wanna go into counseling for other dragons who are tired of being pigeon-holed into the whole 'evil-person-eating-gold -hoarding' archetype. We want our agency back."
"That's understandable," the knight trailed off, his frame softening as his voice become somber, "You know I can relate. I didn't want to do this knight-in-shining-armor charade, but got pushed into it by my parents. "
The dragon nodded along, yellow eyes bobbing in the darkness.
"Seems like we have a bit common, don't we?" the dragon spoke in a musing tone, "Hmm, actually, I have a business proposal for you. I say we milk this situation for all its worth. We could turn this into a real show, I make some money to pay off my college tuition, you get that social clout for your parents, what do you say?"
The knight nodded as his eyes widened and the sluggish gears perched underneath his luxuriant hair turned.
"Dude, I'm game." | "Well, they said this was the place," Jason said, eyeing the cave and the piles of gold within it, which, in the bright light of his torch, sparkled back at them like twinkling stars.
The trio of wandering warriors had spent all night preparing, setting traps all around the place, before finding a way in that they hoped was less obvious than the front entrance. Apparently the local village had been reporting sightings of the black dragon, an ancient evil from about two century ago, that had supposedly been defeated by the legendary white dragon. Before said white dragon had disappeared from all records about half a century ago.
*Sounds like a load of bullshit*, Jason thought, *These villagers are highly superstitious. Until I have hard evidence that the black dragon's actually back, I'm not going to take their word for it.*
But, of course, they had nothing else to do, and the villagers had promised them a handsome sum of money if they'd gone along with their request to go to the old cave that had, according to some old bearded fellow who smelled like old socks and armpit sweat, housed the black dragon all those years ago.
The King and his knights had categorically refused to go, on some trumped-up grounds of mitigating economic factors they had to deal with first, although from the impression Jason had gotten, it seemed as though they were just too scared to go seeking out the black dragon.
"Come on. There's nothing but an old-ass pile of gold here. And we can't take it, it's not ours. We have to return it to the villagers and distribute it amongst them somehow," Jason said, sticking his sword in the ground, clearly disinterested.
"How the hell are we supposed to make sure they distribute it back to the people who originally owned this stuff?" Kira said.
"I don't know, we'll figure it out when we get there. Honestly, I'd just prefer to get out of this cave. Never been the biggest fan of the relative lack of oxygen in these places." David said, taking his shield off his arm and tossing it into the air before catching it, then repeating the process.
"Do dragons even breathe oxygen?" Jason asked, "Has anyone managed to figure that out yet?"
"I don't know. There's not a whole lot of research. For obvious reasons," David said, still flipping his shield.
"I mean, I've got to assume they'd find the dead bodies of some of those things from time to time, even if they can't kill one," Kira said.
"No, actually," David replied, "Apparently these bastards live for so long, a portion of the scientific community actually just thinks they're immortal, outside of being killed in battle."
"Ah yes, because I suppose cell degradation, oxidative stress, and telomere shortening is just a silly myth." Kira said, taking out her dagger and twirling it absentmindedly.
"You're assuming dragon biology is similar to ours," David said, "That may not be the case. Given the scarcity of samples, the quick rate of decomposition, and the low magnification capabilities that our microscopes currently have, the scientific community barely has any documented information on dragon cells. All the more reason we should catch this one, if it even exists."
"All right, then, let's get this shit over with." Kira said, sheathing her dagger, and unslinging her spear from her back.
Jason yawned. "Hopefully we can get back soon enough to head to that tavern on the outskirts of the village before it closes. Drinks are on me this time." Jason awkwardly picked his sword out of the ground, wiggling it slightly to dislodge it from the hard dirt he'd stuck it in.
The three of them walked further into the cave, over piles of riches and treasure and skeletons. Although, they found, about five minutes into the walk, the skeletons seemed to grow less frequent. Ten minutes in, the skeletons disappeared altogether.
"Huh, seems like whatever dragon lived here liked to keep his skeletons in the front section of his cave," Jason noted.
"Maybe he just wanted to sleep somewhere away from the constant smell of rotting flesh," Kira suggested.
"Seems unlikely. I'd say it's more likely just further burrowing. Dragons tend to dig their caves deeper when they get too full, so I assume that the stuff deeper in the cave was placed there afterwards. Seems he just lost the appetite for humans," David mused.
"Since when were you an expert on dragons?" Kira asked.
"Eh, I think the Knight he was apprenticed to back when he was still a squire in the Island Kingdoms studied biology in his youth. And he liked to talk, so, it just kinda worked out," Jason said, "first time we met he tried to give me a lecture on the anatomy of the boar I was trying to skin."
"To be fair, you knew nothing about anatomy back then," David quipped.
"Yeah, I've always been more of a physics guy myself," Jason said. Suddenly, he saw a dark, looming, shadow, which towered above the three of them, at what looked like, at least from what he could make out, the very end of the cave. "Wait, everybody shut up. I see something. Ready positions."
The three of them raised their weapons.
Nothing happened.
A moment passed, and then Kira signalled the three of them to begin a flanking maneuver. She and Jason would approach from the front and attract the monster's attention; Jason would attack from behind. They would all retreat back to the traps, and hope they did their jobs.
The three warriors carried out the tactic expertly, each moving to an appropriate location, ready to strike. And, taking a deep breath, Jason charged in.
\[continued in reply\] | |
[WP] Years ago the evil, black dragon was defeated by good dragon. You have no heart to tell people that it was just a phase and you simply grew up and washed off the paint. | Nebeus shifted on his mountaintop perch and suppressed a yawn, struggling to focus on the ramblings of the emissary. At some point during the past century, the local humans had taken to worshiping him. He neither encouraged nor dissuaded them from the practice. As bothersome as it was to listen to their droning praises, the cattle and the barrels of spirits they brought in tribute were always welcome.
"...And the Cult of the Blackest Night continues to terrorize the eastern provinces," the emissary was saying. "Not a month ago they sacrificed yet another innocent village to the flames of Nox Atra—"
Nebeus started, causing pebbles to roll down the slope. "Nox Atra?"
"A false god," the emissary spat. "A dragon said to be black as the night, yet unseen for centuries—the cult hopes to summon him using their dark rituals."
Nebeus exhaled a puff of smoke through his nostrils. A coincidence, surely. It had been centuries since he called himself by that name, and human memories rarely lasted that long.
"I see you burn with the same anger as we do, O mighty Nebeus," the emissary said. "Dare I ask whether you will unleash your flames upon these evildoers?"
"What? Oh—anger, yes." Nebeus cleared his throat and put some somberness into his voice. "Thank you for bringing me this grave news. I shall investigate the cult."
The emissary bowed and erupted into a litany of thanks. Ignoring him, Nebeus scrabbled up the slope, spread his wings, and took to the skies.
A coincidence. It had to be.
He rose swiftly and winged toward the Burning Lands. A journey that would take humans and their horse-drawn carts days along their winding roads was barely enough for him to properly stretch his wings. The land below steamed and bubbled and occasionally erupted in gouts of boiling water. The lake of tar from his memories had diminished but still lay there like a black scar upon the land.
Nebeus landed by the shore, his claws sinking into the soft ground. Even though he knew no one would venture this deep into the Burning Lands, he couldn't help glancing around in embarrassment. Still, he had to know. He waded into the tar and reluctantly coated his glimmering golden scales in black.
Emerging from the lake, he shook off the excess tar and checked his reflection in a nearby pond. Had he been a human, the sight of his dark past staring back at him from the water would have surely brought a blush to his cheeks. As it was, he only shuddered and quickly averted his gaze.
He took to the skies, high above the clouds so that even the most eagle-eyed humans wouldn't see more than a speck, and set course to the eastern provinces. Despite his heavy wings, he made good time, his anxiety driving him to go faster.
A great pillar of smoke rising from below drew him like a beacon. He spiraled lower and eyed the ground. An entire town had been brought to the torch, and in a cobbled square at its center, a great pyre smoldered, emitting the stench of burning human hair. Dozens of black-robed figures surrounded the pyre, chanting and gesticulating.
Nebeus sniffed derisively; leave it to humans to find foolish reasons to slaughter each other. He folded his wings and dived toward the square, braking at the last moment.
The black-robed cultists erupted into exultant screams. Nebeus's three hearts raced when he heard yells of "Nox Atra" among them. His worst fears were coming true.
He cast his gaze over the cultists. As one, they fell to their knees and prostrated themselves, only increasing his unease. A spindly man carrying an ironbound tome crawled closer and raised his arms toward him in supplication.
"We greet you, Nox Atra the Blackest Night," he cried ecstatically. "The Dark Flame of Annihilation, the Merciless Extinguisher, the Eater of Worlds!"
Each successive title sent a shudder of mortification through Nebeus's great body. "Stop," he exclaimed. "That's enough!"
The man cringed. "Does our sacrifice displease you, O mighty Nox Atra? We worked tirelessly in the night to please you so you would emerge from your slumber in the Blackness Between Worlds—"
"How?" Nebeus demanded, raking the cobblestones with his claws. "How do you know about the—the"—his thunderous voice dropped to almost a murmur—"the Blackness Between Worlds. And the other stuff."
The black-robes exchanged glances. The spindly one bobbed his head and reverently lifted the ironbound tome. "It's all in this book, O Flame of Annihilation. Your lowly followers recorded your previous descent upon the world to the last letter."
Nebeus shrank back. "T-to the last letter? That must be an exaggeration, surely."
"We wouldn't dare speak falsely, O Extinguisher of All That is Holy. Everything you ever uttered in the presence of others is written here." The cultist cracked open the tome and raised his voice. "And on the last day of Quintilis, a great pain overcame Nox Astra, and he cried thus: 'My dark power overflows! I must suppress it lest it destroy creation itself—'"
"No, no, no," Nebeus moaned, staggering backward. This couldn't be happening. "H-how many records are there?"
"This is the only Black Tome in existence, O Dark Flame of the Blackest Night," the cultist declared proudly. "Copies are forbidden. Through the ages, it has been passed from the hands of one Keeper to the next, biding time until your Black Flame descends once more."
"Thank the stars," Nebeus muttered. "Er, excellent work. I'm most pleased."
Not waiting for an answer, he beat his wings and took to the skies. The cultists cheered, but the cheers turned to agonized screams when he inhaled deeply and belched out a torrent of flames. He spewed flame until all was silent and the thrice-cursed book was but ashes, then made a last circle above the town, and satisfied winged his way back west.
***
A boy in black robes rose from under the rubble inside a burned-out husk of a home, his keen eyes committing the horrific spectacle to memory. With trembling hands, he raised a stick of charcoal over a sheet of sooty parchment and began penning the tale of Nox Astra's descent and the punishment He delivered upon the untrue believers. | A single sharp note carried through the chambers.
"When I was a young one," the grand good dragon Galdur began, his inhuman aria slowing the coming sycophants.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you," the humans captain said. "But you're the only one we can turn to. You alone have defeat a Na Niphesh, a black dragon."
The dragon looked up, fearing what words would come next from the little man. "And?"
"A Na Niphesh again rides through the kingdom, you must kinslay again."
Galdur sighed and stood, pulling the lever for the central dome to open. He alone knew he had done no such thing, the black dragon he had defeated had been himself going through a phase, but lately in this golden hall, it felt like this was the pretending. A true black dragon destroy him without effort. "I'll go."
He didn't stay to hear what the man said next. There was no preparation he would know.
Galdur grabbed sky with his wings, seeing the flames along the south side of the city. The thundering screams blended together into a cacophony of sound.
"My father took me into the city," Galdur sang as he spared towards his end. | |
[WP] Years ago the evil, black dragon was defeated by good dragon. You have no heart to tell people that it was just a phase and you simply grew up and washed off the paint. | Beneath the gold coins there are bones. I know this. They are buried deep in the warm piles, covered by trinkets. A crown falls there (and the skull that sat beneath it?) Armour studded with rubies (and the ribs which it protected?) greaves from a man who lost his legs to my jaws, gloves from scorched hands when the skin of his face began to melt.
The cave is large and black. The heat from my scales fills the gold coins and they glow like embers. Three scared sheep skitter in the tunnels ahead. Offerings from the people in the village below, who love me and adore me for my sapphire blue wings, for the help I lend at harvest time, for the tears I weep to heal illnesses. Human lives are short and they do not remember.
My life is long and I have tried to forget.
The coins scratch at my scales. It is time for another shedding. (How many has it been?) The new colour beneath the bright, pure blue is dark, black as the cave walls. When I see it, the bones whisper to me from beneath the treasure.
*When they see you they will know. They will see you as you are.*
Fear like a lance through me.
I scatter the gold to dig for old bones who have no tongue and yet speak to me. They recount my sins like a litany, chant them like the tolling of the church bell when mass is read. I find no bones, only ash and blood and a great shed skin in terrible black.
*Leave me alone, I am good now, I am good, I swear*
My begging finds silence. Only the dead remain, and I with them. | A single sharp note carried through the chambers.
"When I was a young one," the grand good dragon Galdur began, his inhuman aria slowing the coming sycophants.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you," the humans captain said. "But you're the only one we can turn to. You alone have defeat a Na Niphesh, a black dragon."
The dragon looked up, fearing what words would come next from the little man. "And?"
"A Na Niphesh again rides through the kingdom, you must kinslay again."
Galdur sighed and stood, pulling the lever for the central dome to open. He alone knew he had done no such thing, the black dragon he had defeated had been himself going through a phase, but lately in this golden hall, it felt like this was the pretending. A true black dragon destroy him without effort. "I'll go."
He didn't stay to hear what the man said next. There was no preparation he would know.
Galdur grabbed sky with his wings, seeing the flames along the south side of the city. The thundering screams blended together into a cacophony of sound.
"My father took me into the city," Galdur sang as he spared towards his end. | |
[WP] Years ago the evil, black dragon was defeated by good dragon. You have no heart to tell people that it was just a phase and you simply grew up and washed off the paint. | Beneath the gold coins there are bones. I know this. They are buried deep in the warm piles, covered by trinkets. A crown falls there (and the skull that sat beneath it?) Armour studded with rubies (and the ribs which it protected?) greaves from a man who lost his legs to my jaws, gloves from scorched hands when the skin of his face began to melt.
The cave is large and black. The heat from my scales fills the gold coins and they glow like embers. Three scared sheep skitter in the tunnels ahead. Offerings from the people in the village below, who love me and adore me for my sapphire blue wings, for the help I lend at harvest time, for the tears I weep to heal illnesses. Human lives are short and they do not remember.
My life is long and I have tried to forget.
The coins scratch at my scales. It is time for another shedding. (How many has it been?) The new colour beneath the bright, pure blue is dark, black as the cave walls. When I see it, the bones whisper to me from beneath the treasure.
*When they see you they will know. They will see you as you are.*
Fear like a lance through me.
I scatter the gold to dig for old bones who have no tongue and yet speak to me. They recount my sins like a litany, chant them like the tolling of the church bell when mass is read. I find no bones, only ash and blood and a great shed skin in terrible black.
*Leave me alone, I am good now, I am good, I swear*
My begging finds silence. Only the dead remain, and I with them. | Nebeus shifted on his mountaintop perch and suppressed a yawn, struggling to focus on the ramblings of the emissary. At some point during the past century, the local humans had taken to worshiping him. He neither encouraged nor dissuaded them from the practice. As bothersome as it was to listen to their droning praises, the cattle and the barrels of spirits they brought in tribute were always welcome.
"...And the Cult of the Blackest Night continues to terrorize the eastern provinces," the emissary was saying. "Not a month ago they sacrificed yet another innocent village to the flames of Nox Atra—"
Nebeus started, causing pebbles to roll down the slope. "Nox Atra?"
"A false god," the emissary spat. "A dragon said to be black as the night, yet unseen for centuries—the cult hopes to summon him using their dark rituals."
Nebeus exhaled a puff of smoke through his nostrils. A coincidence, surely. It had been centuries since he called himself by that name, and human memories rarely lasted that long.
"I see you burn with the same anger as we do, O mighty Nebeus," the emissary said. "Dare I ask whether you will unleash your flames upon these evildoers?"
"What? Oh—anger, yes." Nebeus cleared his throat and put some somberness into his voice. "Thank you for bringing me this grave news. I shall investigate the cult."
The emissary bowed and erupted into a litany of thanks. Ignoring him, Nebeus scrabbled up the slope, spread his wings, and took to the skies.
A coincidence. It had to be.
He rose swiftly and winged toward the Burning Lands. A journey that would take humans and their horse-drawn carts days along their winding roads was barely enough for him to properly stretch his wings. The land below steamed and bubbled and occasionally erupted in gouts of boiling water. The lake of tar from his memories had diminished but still lay there like a black scar upon the land.
Nebeus landed by the shore, his claws sinking into the soft ground. Even though he knew no one would venture this deep into the Burning Lands, he couldn't help glancing around in embarrassment. Still, he had to know. He waded into the tar and reluctantly coated his glimmering golden scales in black.
Emerging from the lake, he shook off the excess tar and checked his reflection in a nearby pond. Had he been a human, the sight of his dark past staring back at him from the water would have surely brought a blush to his cheeks. As it was, he only shuddered and quickly averted his gaze.
He took to the skies, high above the clouds so that even the most eagle-eyed humans wouldn't see more than a speck, and set course to the eastern provinces. Despite his heavy wings, he made good time, his anxiety driving him to go faster.
A great pillar of smoke rising from below drew him like a beacon. He spiraled lower and eyed the ground. An entire town had been brought to the torch, and in a cobbled square at its center, a great pyre smoldered, emitting the stench of burning human hair. Dozens of black-robed figures surrounded the pyre, chanting and gesticulating.
Nebeus sniffed derisively; leave it to humans to find foolish reasons to slaughter each other. He folded his wings and dived toward the square, braking at the last moment.
The black-robed cultists erupted into exultant screams. Nebeus's three hearts raced when he heard yells of "Nox Atra" among them. His worst fears were coming true.
He cast his gaze over the cultists. As one, they fell to their knees and prostrated themselves, only increasing his unease. A spindly man carrying an ironbound tome crawled closer and raised his arms toward him in supplication.
"We greet you, Nox Atra the Blackest Night," he cried ecstatically. "The Dark Flame of Annihilation, the Merciless Extinguisher, the Eater of Worlds!"
Each successive title sent a shudder of mortification through Nebeus's great body. "Stop," he exclaimed. "That's enough!"
The man cringed. "Does our sacrifice displease you, O mighty Nox Atra? We worked tirelessly in the night to please you so you would emerge from your slumber in the Blackness Between Worlds—"
"How?" Nebeus demanded, raking the cobblestones with his claws. "How do you know about the—the"—his thunderous voice dropped to almost a murmur—"the Blackness Between Worlds. And the other stuff."
The black-robes exchanged glances. The spindly one bobbed his head and reverently lifted the ironbound tome. "It's all in this book, O Flame of Annihilation. Your lowly followers recorded your previous descent upon the world to the last letter."
Nebeus shrank back. "T-to the last letter? That must be an exaggeration, surely."
"We wouldn't dare speak falsely, O Extinguisher of All That is Holy. Everything you ever uttered in the presence of others is written here." The cultist cracked open the tome and raised his voice. "And on the last day of Quintilis, a great pain overcame Nox Astra, and he cried thus: 'My dark power overflows! I must suppress it lest it destroy creation itself—'"
"No, no, no," Nebeus moaned, staggering backward. This couldn't be happening. "H-how many records are there?"
"This is the only Black Tome in existence, O Dark Flame of the Blackest Night," the cultist declared proudly. "Copies are forbidden. Through the ages, it has been passed from the hands of one Keeper to the next, biding time until your Black Flame descends once more."
"Thank the stars," Nebeus muttered. "Er, excellent work. I'm most pleased."
Not waiting for an answer, he beat his wings and took to the skies. The cultists cheered, but the cheers turned to agonized screams when he inhaled deeply and belched out a torrent of flames. He spewed flame until all was silent and the thrice-cursed book was but ashes, then made a last circle above the town, and satisfied winged his way back west.
***
A boy in black robes rose from under the rubble inside a burned-out husk of a home, his keen eyes committing the horrific spectacle to memory. With trembling hands, he raised a stick of charcoal over a sheet of sooty parchment and began penning the tale of Nox Astra's descent and the punishment He delivered upon the untrue believers. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | When cornered the rat will fight...
That is said when most species are brought to their last. And it is no surprise that humanity brought this to the table of war.
The Ta'te-rm were a parasitic species. Know for their insidiousness when invading another a species. They would do it for months, even years while the hosts were oblivious to the fact that they were infested until the last moment.
Then it was reaping time.
Mother against child, brother against brother... All puppets against their former families and partners...
And so we watched... Patiently, thinking that the Parasites will prevail.over the hominids of Aklos Tri ...
We waited like the so called vultures over the future ruins of Humanity...
But we never expected this.
Flame weaponry against the insidious worms.
Chemical weapons against the infected masses.
Nuclear weapons against the lost territories.
We saw it all...
We never expected it.
And now, we not know who would win... And whom we shall prepare against...
May Assha embrace us. | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | It's been 7 years as an Anxolian journalist on the Human-Zorzak wars. I still get the shakes at night. My therapist says I should write down what I saw, so here I am. I remember when I first got to the briefing room for my assignment.
"You will be stationed on the human planet 7-A. You will be stationed with a human military band. Your equipment is standard class 3 and the humans have assured me they know of our requirements. Good luck."
This was all standard. Everything was supposed to be standard. Take some pictures and videos here and there. Send them to Anzi the corporate state of Anaxl and then move on. But I can't shake it. I still can't forget it. It was a crisp morning, the fighting had supposedly deteriorated quite a bit from when I was first given the job. The human army held two contents.
"Get it out of the ship!"
Two human soldiers forced me out of the pod. I remember being confused and frightened. Reports of human culture told me of a "slowness" to their introductions. A silly little trait often laughed about back home. The content "How were you" the "would you like this or that" it was all so cute. The human soldiers shoved me into my bunker. Thick transparent walls covered the entire room with company instructions. This all fell to company policy so I was still relieved things were on track. The center room had a chair with a pad on the side where I could send out surveillance drones. After setting up my equipment trying to tune out the bombs I sent out the drones.
"What the-"
I saw children. Had they not all been evacuated by now? One child came running up to one of the Zorzaks. And within a second they were both ash. They were using them as bombs.
I couldn't believe this how could, I? Humans were regarded as some of the most egalitarian. They were known for their diplomacy, their strong rights. In the greater union of the milky way they had a certain reputation. Often being those who called others out for their civil rights abuses.
But his? What was this? This wasn't humanity I knew. The humanity I was shown.
I saw emaciated bodies of Zorzaks attached to their humans being.. WHIPPED? Forced to add shell after shell to.. hearthrithers.. Those were banned humans being those who fought for it. They had no purpose other than to bring an immense field of pain to their enemies. This wasn't a war. This wasn't a slaughter. My language, my culture, we don't have words for this. Blast after blast ran out to their enemies. I saw the pained look of Zorzaks as the humans waited like hunters for them to break formation and then they ran in. The humans from what I heard were dealing with a shortage in supplies in section A so that is the only reason I could give for their actions. They ran and started hugging their appointments. Trying to get as entangled into their lines as possible before, I even had time to realize it, explosions rang out. Nothing remained but the twisted metal of their camp. I turned my drone to see giant tanks drive over the bodies. Zorzak's being executed behind them. This was their strategy, bomb, disorient, then bomb again. Any survivors were taken to makeshift factories that made weaponry from the remains of everything that was left and to arm their machines.
I remember- I remember listening to the rallies held. Soldiers when taking breaks between fights would listen to music blasted before a general would preach about the war.
The greater good they said.
For God they said.
They would do the same if they were given the chance.
I at first couldn't understand why they believed such obvious propaganda. But then I got it. They believed it because they wanted to. Not because it was correct. Not because it was moral. Not because it was right. But because they were afraid, and with fear they clang to his words. And they took their fear and burned it to a boiling hatred. A hatred I have never seen of any species. I saw it in their eyes, I saw it out their mouth. The women, the men, even shoved into the hearts of their children. They all held onto the fire. I watched those years as they took back everything. I watched as they took my equipment and destroyed it. I watched as they lied. I watched as they covered up. I watch as what I saw becomes a whisper a conspiracy. Now my manager has me doing this. "mentally Ill" they say. Destruction of company property they say. Nervous breakdown they say. But it wasn't a lie. It wasn't nothing.
I think- I think I'm going to send this to a Crokel publisher I know. Maybe even if not fully believed the truth will somehow be revealed. It has to! This can't just disappear.
I hear a knock on the door. I opened it to a human with black glasses and a black suit with a raised pistol to my head. And like that truth became fiction for another time. | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | “We are not bringing *that* with us.”
The axolotl-like creatures in the corner tracked their bulbous heads in my direction. I heard the zoom-in feature sound off from the cameras attached to the nearest Axolien’s breathing suit.
The Commander was not amused. “It’s an order, Hernandez.”
“Sir, there is no point in bringing along some blue-blooded, nitrogen-breathing, planet-stealing alien camera crew!”
“That’s enough!” The Commander pinched his nose like he felt a headache coming on. “Can you excuse us for a moment?”
“I excuse you.” The Axolien group leader blinked his beady eyes. “Oh, is that a request for us to leave? I see.” He spoke in his home language to his camera crew. The crew reluctantly shuffled out the door.
I tried to regain my composure. Emily, Sarah, Michael, Jose . . .
The leader lingered in the door frame, its external gills flapping as it spoke. “Human, do not forget our arrangement.”
“I promise to save the good chisme for when you come back.” The Commander said. Sarcasm was lost on the aliens. When the door shut, the Commander slumped down in his chair. “Take a seat, Angie—soldier.”
Seven months ago I was a second-grade teacher. I had been reading a story with my class when they came. Now, I was a ground soldier of the ad hoc Terra-torial Defense, or rather, the last stand guerrilla warfare fighters made up of civilians that cropped up all across the Earth. After the aliens targeted major militaries, the remaining humans had no choice but to become soldiers.
This wasn’t good.
I warped myself tighter in my jacket and sat. I never had to wear a jacket in the middle of August in Florida before the Tardien’s began pumping our atmosphere full of nitrogen to convert Earth hospitable to their kind. According to the projections, there would not be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support human life by the twentieth of September.
We only had twenty-eight days.
"You have to take them with you.” The Commander said.
“Why?”
“The Galactic Federation rejected our request to expedite our application. The process to join the Federation is about twenty years. We can’t count on their support.”
“Shit.”
“Shit indeed.”
“So naturally we need a camera crew around?”
“The camera crew you just saw contacted us last night. Apparently, the galactic community . . . wants to see how the humans have been fending off invasion this long.”
“So the news crew is to get our story out. Garner galactic support?”
He nodded. Some planets were against human genocide, but there were more governments of those planets who did not want to endanger their own positions with the Tardiens.
“Soft power it is then,” I said. “here’s my compromise. We’ll wear the Axolien’s camera headsets for our next mission, but they have to stay.”
“That was my plan.”
“Ay, why did you let me argue with you front of them like that? I bet they are sending it to their film stations back at home right now. ‘Disobedient human argues with commander! This disruptive behavior shows just why the human race should just die!’”
“You just gave me the perfect excuse to prohibit them from joining you. 'Dissension in the ranks.' You really think I would let you speak that way to me in front of aliens?”
The Commander was astute as always. He smiled. He wasn’t really a Commander. He had white hair and a slight limp on his left leg from a lack of access to his arthritis medicine. Among us human survivors hiding in Port Miami, he had the most military experience. Within a month, he gathered a group of survivors. Within two months, he got those survivors to act like a team. Within three months, he created a little band of guerrilla fighters.
We made a dent, at first.
The Tardiens had bodies of thick, scaly blubber, which protected vital organs and the blue blood that ran in their veins. After trial and error, we discovered a Tardien could be killed at close range.
But as the oxygen seeped out of the atmosphere and as the Tardiens destroyed our forests, the Tardiens remained out of our shooting range.
They completely controlled the air space. They hovered in small air crafts just miles off the ground, shooting lasers at humans—if they could be bothered to do so. After the initial contact, the Tardiens did not bother to walk the Earth unless it was to lug the body of a human aboard a ship.
Jordan, Ashley M., Jacob, Sierra . . .
It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Two nights ago, little baby Jane’s fingers began to turn blue. A nurse hooked Jane up to one of the precious few oxygen tanks until the color returned.
We were running out of time and oxygen.
“Uh, Sir, this is usually the part where you tell me what the mission is.” I said.
He handed me a manila envelope. I only had to read it once.
“You want me to go back *there*?”
"You and Javi are the only humans that we know who got out of ‘The Hive.’”
“No one is coming back from this.”
“No one would think any less of you if you said no. I wouldn’t think less of you. You’ve been through enough.”
Luciana, Adrian, Lucas, Michelle . . .
“I’ll get a team together. Four is probably best.” I said.
The Commander looked away. “My daughter is . . . my daughter was a lot like you. Stubborn. Single-minded. Brave.”
I felt tears in my eyes but ignored them. “I know Javi will go. I have an idea of the two others.”
The Commander sighed. “Then you’ll leave tonight.”
I stood up too quickly. Black dots threatened my line of sight. I couldn’t move abruptly these days without winding myself. I took oxygen for granted in my previous life.
“Rest a moment. I’ll send someone to gather the others.”
“I can’t,” I smiled for the first time in months. “I have Nitro-breathers to kill tonight.”
​
(Part 1 of 2) | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | The Earth Republic had only emerged as a blossoming galactic empire a little over 400 years ago. From the time of first contact in the 23rd century humanity had exploded into the galaxy on an exponential scale, expanding, colonizing, and occasionally assimilating planets and systems until it had at its height controlled 253 systems and over 1200 planets. My people had been one of the most recent civilizations to get absorbed into the Republic. We ventured into space and made first contact around the same time as the humans but our species has always expanded in a slow and controlled manner. When humanity came to us asking us to join the Republic it was luckily a gesture of goodwill. I say lucky because once you get to know humans, you'll understand that they can be generous, but equally so they can be exploitative and brutal driven towards their aims. If you stand in the way of what they need, or even what they think they need, well, good luck.
And it was just that sort of careless ambition that got them into trouble twenty four years ago. In the year 2628 a private mining operation was doing demolition mining operations in the Gidrix Sector. Demolition mining operations is the destruction of a celestial body, be it planet or asteroid, to subsequently harvest elements from the debris. Smaller objects mean less gravity, which makes mining much cheaper. What the company didn't realize is that the small 1200 kilometer planet they were destroying this time was a hive colony for the Krikk Swarm. The Krikk used this planet for gestation and maturation of their larvae. When the Orak Corporation blew that planet up they also blew up about 240 million Krikk. The Krikk declared war in less than 24 earth hours. And for the first 23 years things went pretty poorly for humanity. The Krikk went through the Republic systems one by one, forcing humanity to retreat until they had gone from 253 systems to seven. Other empires and civilizations had written them off. Their allies, us included, had all but abandoned them, not wanting to get swept up and buried by the swarm. We couldn't have been more wrong though.
Human music is something our culture craved when it was first introduced. It has such varied sounds and melodies. Creativity was never our strongest suite. Humans have that in droves. I particularly like their cultural holiday music called Christmas Carols. I doubt if you had asked most humans before last year what song they would associate with victory and hype, none would have answered Vivaldi Violin Concerto in E Minor. But now every single human knows and celebrates that song. That same creativity that humans use for music, well when you back them into a corner, they start to use it for other things. Like how to kill stuff. In the later years of the war it became a common practice for Republic companies and battalions to pick a song as an anthem. Most of the combat soldiers picked songs that humans called rock. The SARP (Science and Advanced Research Projects) division had a unit codenamed Archimedes and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto was their song. The unit had some of humanities best minds. 18 years into the war they were the unit responsible for singularity bombs. Bombs that created mini singularities, black holes that would consume planets, even large ones. For two years the tide of the war swung back in the favor of humanity. But then the Krikk discovered a way to neutralize the bombs and humans were on the defensive again. But last year things changed again. Krikk biology is incredibly complicated but basically they're like super bugs. Strong, resilient, incredibly hard to kill. Organisms that were almost untouched by age and never seemed to get sick. But Archimedes engineered a virus that specifically attacked insectoid DNA and caused a death that was unspeakably awful. The first target was the Krikk home world. Within 2 weeks it had spread throughout the entire population, achieved a 99.9999% mortality rate, and spread to no less than 56 other systems. And now, a year later, the war is almost over. The Krikk once numbered over 8 trillion. Now estimates put their population at less than 10 million. And the rest of us, well, when we hear Vivaldi we remember what happens when you back the humans into a corner. | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | *crunch*
Isstan's boot crushed more broken glass beneath it as he marched with his squad. It disturbed him with the erie silence that the city had, the empty carcasses of buildings and vehicles making up a dense and oppressive forest of metal and concrete. The bodies of the humans were becoming fewer and fewer as they got closer to this planet's last stand. The bugs continued to mount in their losses as him and his squad investigated further.
Isstan could've only imagined what these people must've been thinking, fighting a war by themselves that they couldn't hope to survive. Their cries for help reached us far too late, and the galactic community grinded to a halt when the first message came through. We tried to mount forces and send aid to this race that we hadn't even met. But it was too late, we got more and more messages, ones dated many years back. Until we marched out, our ship's jumping to the planet we had gotten the most recent message from, only to find a husk of a civilization littered with the dead.
We had gotten their finally message as we scurried through the remains of their planets, trying and praying to find at least one human left. Their final message was a goodbye, one of spite aimed towards the bugs. They had claimed they were dragging the bugs with them into "Hell".
We neared the makeshift fortress, more and more mutilated corpses lined the streets.
It was disgusting.
The bugs' bodies were charred, in pieces, riddled with holes, torn in half, crushed in traps made of vehicles they salvaged from the ruins.
And it only got worse.
We found a way in that the bugs had ripped into, a gash in the wall that was filled with bodies, bug and man. We pushed inward, finding more rotted and torn apart bodies. Soldiers and civilians lay side-by-side, surrounded in the bodies of their enemies.
We solemnly prayed to our gods for them. Praying they'd have peace or be rewarded for their valiant acts. If their gods had abandoned them with this horde, I hoped at least ours would take pity on them. After we had finished our funeral prayers, we marked what technology, books, or anything we could find that we could learn from them by.
After we had finished, we marched out, following another trail of death that led down the street.
The bodies of the humans became less and less, and to our dismay, so did the bugs'. The trail ended in what we guessed was some sort of warehouse or garage. Once we forced open the door, we were greeted with a stench worse than what we'd been wading through outside.
It was nauseating, an awful sent of rot exploded from the door once opened. It was bad enough to make us put on our masks and us our air tanks. The burnt corpses of the bugs filled the room, with a single human in the center.
All that remained of them was a blackened skeleton, a space of charred ground was clear of everything but ash. Behind them was a wall, a hastily painted message was left in giant words. We scanned it, wondering what the last message of this planet's population would say, their last moments of life as they scribbled it on the wall. Once it finished translating, we stared at the screen, read the words before us, then returned our eyes to the scene.
The words they had left for us to find in this place of rot and defiance would likely haunt me to this day;
**I SHALL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT** | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | We saw the fires from the plant's surface, their lights visible even from space. Our hearts cried for the humans, their men fell. Their defenses were quashed as the My’ryxal tore into them. Their screams bled through our feeds and it was nearly shut down out of respect.
But…something happened. Something odd.
There was music.
A single string of music seeped through the speakers. A single curling note rising above the screams of the damned and dying. I closed my eyes, tilting my head as the note became deeper, branching to two, then four, twelve, twenty, becoming even more complex than I ever could have imagined.
The screams slowly abated as the music grew in tempo and sound.
“At least their lives will come to an end with a song.” Muttered a general to my side, his head bowed and eyes closed.
“What…Is this?” I asked.
Another smaller male answered, “Our scanners say it’s…well I’ll be.”
I opened my eyes, looking down at him with a tilt of my head, “Well?”
He looked at me, “Staying Alive sir. Its Staying Alive.”
A melancholy smile pulled at my lips, “Well, it’s beautiful Irony. The Humans ne-”
An ear-splitting boom shook the ship, our legs nearly thrown from underneath us. We gripped onto whatever we could, walls, chairs, rails, anything that was sturdy.
“Screens! Give me screams damn it!”
The onboard tech scrambled to pull up footage and each of us stilled once the ships settled. Our mouths agape, nary a breath between us, we stared as the My’ryxal crumbled and fell before our very eyes. Their bodies twisted and convulsed, thick black gunk spilling from their lips.
THeir hands clutched their throats, eyes bugging out and red rimmed. Blood dripped from their lips, burns appearing on their skin as if etched by acid. The Humans charged forward, faces clad in gas masks as they brandished guns, knives, anything they could get their hands on and decimated their fallen foes.
A single man lead the charge, on his shoulders sat a large boxy device. Two vibrating speakers blared the song we've come to know as ‘Staying Alive.’ His free hand held a long machete like sword which he promptly shoved into the head of an approaching My’ryxal.
The humans slowly and surely pressed forward, hacking and slicing, gutting and stabbing, all the while the soft hiss of gas mingled with the haunting tune poured through the speakers.
“Good God-” The words fell from my lips before I had time to even think, “They’re-they’re monsters-”
“No sir-” came a small voice, “They’re human. They’re staying alive.” | "Alright, so what planets can we 'off?'"
"Earth is on it's last legs, and humans are kinda useless, how about them?"
"Great idea! Tell General Xiabro to launch the battle-ship."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The alien rushed through the Intergalactic Space Station halls, stopping to unlock a door marked "TIER 5 ACCESS."
"General, JurrEi wants earth eradicated, can you send a ship out?"
"Ah, good to see ya. Sure!"
Within a few seconds, the general sent a ship armed with a Deathray towards the planet in front of them.
"There, that should get em'. Tell Jur-" The room suddenly shook, sending a few chubby martians to the floor, struggling to get up due to their fatness. The general looked back at the now destroyed ship
"WHAT THE!?!"
"Wait! Is that.... death metal...?" | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | When cornered the rat will fight...
That is said when most species are brought to their last. And it is no surprise that humanity brought this to the table of war.
The Ta'te-rm were a parasitic species. Know for their insidiousness when invading another a species. They would do it for months, even years while the hosts were oblivious to the fact that they were infested until the last moment.
Then it was reaping time.
Mother against child, brother against brother... All puppets against their former families and partners...
And so we watched... Patiently, thinking that the Parasites will prevail.over the hominids of Aklos Tri ...
We waited like the so called vultures over the future ruins of Humanity...
But we never expected this.
Flame weaponry against the insidious worms.
Chemical weapons against the infected masses.
Nuclear weapons against the lost territories.
We saw it all...
We never expected it.
And now, we not know who would win... And whom we shall prepare against...
May Assha embrace us. | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | It's been 7 years as an Anxolian journalist on the Human-Zorzak wars. I still get the shakes at night. My therapist says I should write down what I saw, so here I am. I remember when I first got to the briefing room for my assignment.
"You will be stationed on the human planet 7-A. You will be stationed with a human military band. Your equipment is standard class 3 and the humans have assured me they know of our requirements. Good luck."
This was all standard. Everything was supposed to be standard. Take some pictures and videos here and there. Send them to Anzi the corporate state of Anaxl and then move on. But I can't shake it. I still can't forget it. It was a crisp morning, the fighting had supposedly deteriorated quite a bit from when I was first given the job. The human army held two contents.
"Get it out of the ship!"
Two human soldiers forced me out of the pod. I remember being confused and frightened. Reports of human culture told me of a "slowness" to their introductions. A silly little trait often laughed about back home. The content "How were you" the "would you like this or that" it was all so cute. The human soldiers shoved me into my bunker. Thick transparent walls covered the entire room with company instructions. This all fell to company policy so I was still relieved things were on track. The center room had a chair with a pad on the side where I could send out surveillance drones. After setting up my equipment trying to tune out the bombs I sent out the drones.
"What the-"
I saw children. Had they not all been evacuated by now? One child came running up to one of the Zorzaks. And within a second they were both ash. They were using them as bombs.
I couldn't believe this how could, I? Humans were regarded as some of the most egalitarian. They were known for their diplomacy, their strong rights. In the greater union of the milky way they had a certain reputation. Often being those who called others out for their civil rights abuses.
But his? What was this? This wasn't humanity I knew. The humanity I was shown.
I saw emaciated bodies of Zorzaks attached to their humans being.. WHIPPED? Forced to add shell after shell to.. hearthrithers.. Those were banned humans being those who fought for it. They had no purpose other than to bring an immense field of pain to their enemies. This wasn't a war. This wasn't a slaughter. My language, my culture, we don't have words for this. Blast after blast ran out to their enemies. I saw the pained look of Zorzaks as the humans waited like hunters for them to break formation and then they ran in. The humans from what I heard were dealing with a shortage in supplies in section A so that is the only reason I could give for their actions. They ran and started hugging their appointments. Trying to get as entangled into their lines as possible before, I even had time to realize it, explosions rang out. Nothing remained but the twisted metal of their camp. I turned my drone to see giant tanks drive over the bodies. Zorzak's being executed behind them. This was their strategy, bomb, disorient, then bomb again. Any survivors were taken to makeshift factories that made weaponry from the remains of everything that was left and to arm their machines.
I remember- I remember listening to the rallies held. Soldiers when taking breaks between fights would listen to music blasted before a general would preach about the war.
The greater good they said.
For God they said.
They would do the same if they were given the chance.
I at first couldn't understand why they believed such obvious propaganda. But then I got it. They believed it because they wanted to. Not because it was correct. Not because it was moral. Not because it was right. But because they were afraid, and with fear they clang to his words. And they took their fear and burned it to a boiling hatred. A hatred I have never seen of any species. I saw it in their eyes, I saw it out their mouth. The women, the men, even shoved into the hearts of their children. They all held onto the fire. I watched those years as they took back everything. I watched as they took my equipment and destroyed it. I watched as they lied. I watched as they covered up. I watch as what I saw becomes a whisper a conspiracy. Now my manager has me doing this. "mentally Ill" they say. Destruction of company property they say. Nervous breakdown they say. But it wasn't a lie. It wasn't nothing.
I think- I think I'm going to send this to a Crokel publisher I know. Maybe even if not fully believed the truth will somehow be revealed. It has to! This can't just disappear.
I hear a knock on the door. I opened it to a human with black glasses and a black suit with a raised pistol to my head. And like that truth became fiction for another time. | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | “We are not bringing *that* with us.”
The axolotl-like creatures in the corner tracked their bulbous heads in my direction. I heard the zoom-in feature sound off from the cameras attached to the nearest Axolien’s breathing suit.
The Commander was not amused. “It’s an order, Hernandez.”
“Sir, there is no point in bringing along some blue-blooded, nitrogen-breathing, planet-stealing alien camera crew!”
“That’s enough!” The Commander pinched his nose like he felt a headache coming on. “Can you excuse us for a moment?”
“I excuse you.” The Axolien group leader blinked his beady eyes. “Oh, is that a request for us to leave? I see.” He spoke in his home language to his camera crew. The crew reluctantly shuffled out the door.
I tried to regain my composure. Emily, Sarah, Michael, Jose . . .
The leader lingered in the door frame, its external gills flapping as it spoke. “Human, do not forget our arrangement.”
“I promise to save the good chisme for when you come back.” The Commander said. Sarcasm was lost on the aliens. When the door shut, the Commander slumped down in his chair. “Take a seat, Angie—soldier.”
Seven months ago I was a second-grade teacher. I had been reading a story with my class when they came. Now, I was a ground soldier of the ad hoc Terra-torial Defense, or rather, the last stand guerrilla warfare fighters made up of civilians that cropped up all across the Earth. After the aliens targeted major militaries, the remaining humans had no choice but to become soldiers.
This wasn’t good.
I warped myself tighter in my jacket and sat. I never had to wear a jacket in the middle of August in Florida before the Tardien’s began pumping our atmosphere full of nitrogen to convert Earth hospitable to their kind. According to the projections, there would not be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support human life by the twentieth of September.
We only had twenty-eight days.
"You have to take them with you.” The Commander said.
“Why?”
“The Galactic Federation rejected our request to expedite our application. The process to join the Federation is about twenty years. We can’t count on their support.”
“Shit.”
“Shit indeed.”
“So naturally we need a camera crew around?”
“The camera crew you just saw contacted us last night. Apparently, the galactic community . . . wants to see how the humans have been fending off invasion this long.”
“So the news crew is to get our story out. Garner galactic support?”
He nodded. Some planets were against human genocide, but there were more governments of those planets who did not want to endanger their own positions with the Tardiens.
“Soft power it is then,” I said. “here’s my compromise. We’ll wear the Axolien’s camera headsets for our next mission, but they have to stay.”
“That was my plan.”
“Ay, why did you let me argue with you front of them like that? I bet they are sending it to their film stations back at home right now. ‘Disobedient human argues with commander! This disruptive behavior shows just why the human race should just die!’”
“You just gave me the perfect excuse to prohibit them from joining you. 'Dissension in the ranks.' You really think I would let you speak that way to me in front of aliens?”
The Commander was astute as always. He smiled. He wasn’t really a Commander. He had white hair and a slight limp on his left leg from a lack of access to his arthritis medicine. Among us human survivors hiding in Port Miami, he had the most military experience. Within a month, he gathered a group of survivors. Within two months, he got those survivors to act like a team. Within three months, he created a little band of guerrilla fighters.
We made a dent, at first.
The Tardiens had bodies of thick, scaly blubber, which protected vital organs and the blue blood that ran in their veins. After trial and error, we discovered a Tardien could be killed at close range.
But as the oxygen seeped out of the atmosphere and as the Tardiens destroyed our forests, the Tardiens remained out of our shooting range.
They completely controlled the air space. They hovered in small air crafts just miles off the ground, shooting lasers at humans—if they could be bothered to do so. After the initial contact, the Tardiens did not bother to walk the Earth unless it was to lug the body of a human aboard a ship.
Jordan, Ashley M., Jacob, Sierra . . .
It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Two nights ago, little baby Jane’s fingers began to turn blue. A nurse hooked Jane up to one of the precious few oxygen tanks until the color returned.
We were running out of time and oxygen.
“Uh, Sir, this is usually the part where you tell me what the mission is.” I said.
He handed me a manila envelope. I only had to read it once.
“You want me to go back *there*?”
"You and Javi are the only humans that we know who got out of ‘The Hive.’”
“No one is coming back from this.”
“No one would think any less of you if you said no. I wouldn’t think less of you. You’ve been through enough.”
Luciana, Adrian, Lucas, Michelle . . .
“I’ll get a team together. Four is probably best.” I said.
The Commander looked away. “My daughter is . . . my daughter was a lot like you. Stubborn. Single-minded. Brave.”
I felt tears in my eyes but ignored them. “I know Javi will go. I have an idea of the two others.”
The Commander sighed. “Then you’ll leave tonight.”
I stood up too quickly. Black dots threatened my line of sight. I couldn’t move abruptly these days without winding myself. I took oxygen for granted in my previous life.
“Rest a moment. I’ll send someone to gather the others.”
“I can’t,” I smiled for the first time in months. “I have Nitro-breathers to kill tonight.”
​
(Part 1 of 2) | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | The Earth Republic had only emerged as a blossoming galactic empire a little over 400 years ago. From the time of first contact in the 23rd century humanity had exploded into the galaxy on an exponential scale, expanding, colonizing, and occasionally assimilating planets and systems until it had at its height controlled 253 systems and over 1200 planets. My people had been one of the most recent civilizations to get absorbed into the Republic. We ventured into space and made first contact around the same time as the humans but our species has always expanded in a slow and controlled manner. When humanity came to us asking us to join the Republic it was luckily a gesture of goodwill. I say lucky because once you get to know humans, you'll understand that they can be generous, but equally so they can be exploitative and brutal driven towards their aims. If you stand in the way of what they need, or even what they think they need, well, good luck.
And it was just that sort of careless ambition that got them into trouble twenty four years ago. In the year 2628 a private mining operation was doing demolition mining operations in the Gidrix Sector. Demolition mining operations is the destruction of a celestial body, be it planet or asteroid, to subsequently harvest elements from the debris. Smaller objects mean less gravity, which makes mining much cheaper. What the company didn't realize is that the small 1200 kilometer planet they were destroying this time was a hive colony for the Krikk Swarm. The Krikk used this planet for gestation and maturation of their larvae. When the Orak Corporation blew that planet up they also blew up about 240 million Krikk. The Krikk declared war in less than 24 earth hours. And for the first 23 years things went pretty poorly for humanity. The Krikk went through the Republic systems one by one, forcing humanity to retreat until they had gone from 253 systems to seven. Other empires and civilizations had written them off. Their allies, us included, had all but abandoned them, not wanting to get swept up and buried by the swarm. We couldn't have been more wrong though.
Human music is something our culture craved when it was first introduced. It has such varied sounds and melodies. Creativity was never our strongest suite. Humans have that in droves. I particularly like their cultural holiday music called Christmas Carols. I doubt if you had asked most humans before last year what song they would associate with victory and hype, none would have answered Vivaldi Violin Concerto in E Minor. But now every single human knows and celebrates that song. That same creativity that humans use for music, well when you back them into a corner, they start to use it for other things. Like how to kill stuff. In the later years of the war it became a common practice for Republic companies and battalions to pick a song as an anthem. Most of the combat soldiers picked songs that humans called rock. The SARP (Science and Advanced Research Projects) division had a unit codenamed Archimedes and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto was their song. The unit had some of humanities best minds. 18 years into the war they were the unit responsible for singularity bombs. Bombs that created mini singularities, black holes that would consume planets, even large ones. For two years the tide of the war swung back in the favor of humanity. But then the Krikk discovered a way to neutralize the bombs and humans were on the defensive again. But last year things changed again. Krikk biology is incredibly complicated but basically they're like super bugs. Strong, resilient, incredibly hard to kill. Organisms that were almost untouched by age and never seemed to get sick. But Archimedes engineered a virus that specifically attacked insectoid DNA and caused a death that was unspeakably awful. The first target was the Krikk home world. Within 2 weeks it had spread throughout the entire population, achieved a 99.9999% mortality rate, and spread to no less than 56 other systems. And now, a year later, the war is almost over. The Krikk once numbered over 8 trillion. Now estimates put their population at less than 10 million. And the rest of us, well, when we hear Vivaldi we remember what happens when you back the humans into a corner. | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | *crunch*
Isstan's boot crushed more broken glass beneath it as he marched with his squad. It disturbed him with the erie silence that the city had, the empty carcasses of buildings and vehicles making up a dense and oppressive forest of metal and concrete. The bodies of the humans were becoming fewer and fewer as they got closer to this planet's last stand. The bugs continued to mount in their losses as him and his squad investigated further.
Isstan could've only imagined what these people must've been thinking, fighting a war by themselves that they couldn't hope to survive. Their cries for help reached us far too late, and the galactic community grinded to a halt when the first message came through. We tried to mount forces and send aid to this race that we hadn't even met. But it was too late, we got more and more messages, ones dated many years back. Until we marched out, our ship's jumping to the planet we had gotten the most recent message from, only to find a husk of a civilization littered with the dead.
We had gotten their finally message as we scurried through the remains of their planets, trying and praying to find at least one human left. Their final message was a goodbye, one of spite aimed towards the bugs. They had claimed they were dragging the bugs with them into "Hell".
We neared the makeshift fortress, more and more mutilated corpses lined the streets.
It was disgusting.
The bugs' bodies were charred, in pieces, riddled with holes, torn in half, crushed in traps made of vehicles they salvaged from the ruins.
And it only got worse.
We found a way in that the bugs had ripped into, a gash in the wall that was filled with bodies, bug and man. We pushed inward, finding more rotted and torn apart bodies. Soldiers and civilians lay side-by-side, surrounded in the bodies of their enemies.
We solemnly prayed to our gods for them. Praying they'd have peace or be rewarded for their valiant acts. If their gods had abandoned them with this horde, I hoped at least ours would take pity on them. After we had finished our funeral prayers, we marked what technology, books, or anything we could find that we could learn from them by.
After we had finished, we marched out, following another trail of death that led down the street.
The bodies of the humans became less and less, and to our dismay, so did the bugs'. The trail ended in what we guessed was some sort of warehouse or garage. Once we forced open the door, we were greeted with a stench worse than what we'd been wading through outside.
It was nauseating, an awful sent of rot exploded from the door once opened. It was bad enough to make us put on our masks and us our air tanks. The burnt corpses of the bugs filled the room, with a single human in the center.
All that remained of them was a blackened skeleton, a space of charred ground was clear of everything but ash. Behind them was a wall, a hastily painted message was left in giant words. We scanned it, wondering what the last message of this planet's population would say, their last moments of life as they scribbled it on the wall. Once it finished translating, we stared at the screen, read the words before us, then returned our eyes to the scene.
The words they had left for us to find in this place of rot and defiance would likely haunt me to this day;
**I SHALL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT** | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | We saw the fires from the plant's surface, their lights visible even from space. Our hearts cried for the humans, their men fell. Their defenses were quashed as the My’ryxal tore into them. Their screams bled through our feeds and it was nearly shut down out of respect.
But…something happened. Something odd.
There was music.
A single string of music seeped through the speakers. A single curling note rising above the screams of the damned and dying. I closed my eyes, tilting my head as the note became deeper, branching to two, then four, twelve, twenty, becoming even more complex than I ever could have imagined.
The screams slowly abated as the music grew in tempo and sound.
“At least their lives will come to an end with a song.” Muttered a general to my side, his head bowed and eyes closed.
“What…Is this?” I asked.
Another smaller male answered, “Our scanners say it’s…well I’ll be.”
I opened my eyes, looking down at him with a tilt of my head, “Well?”
He looked at me, “Staying Alive sir. Its Staying Alive.”
A melancholy smile pulled at my lips, “Well, it’s beautiful Irony. The Humans ne-”
An ear-splitting boom shook the ship, our legs nearly thrown from underneath us. We gripped onto whatever we could, walls, chairs, rails, anything that was sturdy.
“Screens! Give me screams damn it!”
The onboard tech scrambled to pull up footage and each of us stilled once the ships settled. Our mouths agape, nary a breath between us, we stared as the My’ryxal crumbled and fell before our very eyes. Their bodies twisted and convulsed, thick black gunk spilling from their lips.
THeir hands clutched their throats, eyes bugging out and red rimmed. Blood dripped from their lips, burns appearing on their skin as if etched by acid. The Humans charged forward, faces clad in gas masks as they brandished guns, knives, anything they could get their hands on and decimated their fallen foes.
A single man lead the charge, on his shoulders sat a large boxy device. Two vibrating speakers blared the song we've come to know as ‘Staying Alive.’ His free hand held a long machete like sword which he promptly shoved into the head of an approaching My’ryxal.
The humans slowly and surely pressed forward, hacking and slicing, gutting and stabbing, all the while the soft hiss of gas mingled with the haunting tune poured through the speakers.
“Good God-” The words fell from my lips before I had time to even think, “They’re-they’re monsters-”
“No sir-” came a small voice, “They’re human. They’re staying alive.” | Matthew sat at his monitor, the bugs long since breached the outer walls. Music began to echo into the room. His hoarse voice sang along off-key.
*There's no time for us.*
*There's no place for us.*
*What is this thing that fills our dreams*
*and slips away from us*
The chorus echoed out into the room as needles pierced his skin. Humanity's last move against the Phage. He continued to sing.
*There's no chance for us*
*Its all decided for us*
*This world has only one sweet moment*
*Set aside for us*
Again the question rang out. Again he refused to sing it. His veins burned as the nanomites flooded his body. Coughing up chunks of flesh, he began to sing the next verse.
*Who Dares to love forever?*
*When Love must Die!*
The music flowed into him. That perfect sound kept him from screaming as the changes began. No more skipping lines. He sang his final song.
*But touch my tears with your lips*
*Touch my world with your fingertips*
*And we can have forever!*
*And we can love forever!*
*Forever! is our Today!*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Who wants to live Forever?*
*Forever is our today!*
The final door is breached, the insect-like Phage swarm in. The last few words cut off as the speakers are crushed. As they consume Matthew, his grin is unobserved.
The Phage stops. Their form shimmers and something new is born. Creatures halfway between Human and Phage. They chuckle, their voices echoing as one.
"Serves them right for interrupting Freddie. They will be replaced by me. Mathew died so I can be borne."
The being of many bodies went out into the universe and the tide of the phage was no more. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | “We are not bringing *that* with us.”
The axolotl-like creatures in the corner tracked their bulbous heads in my direction. I heard the zoom-in feature sound off from the cameras attached to the nearest Axolien’s breathing suit.
The Commander was not amused. “It’s an order, Hernandez.”
“Sir, there is no point in bringing along some blue-blooded, nitrogen-breathing, planet-stealing alien camera crew!”
“That’s enough!” The Commander pinched his nose like he felt a headache coming on. “Can you excuse us for a moment?”
“I excuse you.” The Axolien group leader blinked his beady eyes. “Oh, is that a request for us to leave? I see.” He spoke in his home language to his camera crew. The crew reluctantly shuffled out the door.
I tried to regain my composure. Emily, Sarah, Michael, Jose . . .
The leader lingered in the door frame, its external gills flapping as it spoke. “Human, do not forget our arrangement.”
“I promise to save the good chisme for when you come back.” The Commander said. Sarcasm was lost on the aliens. When the door shut, the Commander slumped down in his chair. “Take a seat, Angie—soldier.”
Seven months ago I was a second-grade teacher. I had been reading a story with my class when they came. Now, I was a ground soldier of the ad hoc Terra-torial Defense, or rather, the last stand guerrilla warfare fighters made up of civilians that cropped up all across the Earth. After the aliens targeted major militaries, the remaining humans had no choice but to become soldiers.
This wasn’t good.
I warped myself tighter in my jacket and sat. I never had to wear a jacket in the middle of August in Florida before the Tardien’s began pumping our atmosphere full of nitrogen to convert Earth hospitable to their kind. According to the projections, there would not be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support human life by the twentieth of September.
We only had twenty-eight days.
"You have to take them with you.” The Commander said.
“Why?”
“The Galactic Federation rejected our request to expedite our application. The process to join the Federation is about twenty years. We can’t count on their support.”
“Shit.”
“Shit indeed.”
“So naturally we need a camera crew around?”
“The camera crew you just saw contacted us last night. Apparently, the galactic community . . . wants to see how the humans have been fending off invasion this long.”
“So the news crew is to get our story out. Garner galactic support?”
He nodded. Some planets were against human genocide, but there were more governments of those planets who did not want to endanger their own positions with the Tardiens.
“Soft power it is then,” I said. “here’s my compromise. We’ll wear the Axolien’s camera headsets for our next mission, but they have to stay.”
“That was my plan.”
“Ay, why did you let me argue with you front of them like that? I bet they are sending it to their film stations back at home right now. ‘Disobedient human argues with commander! This disruptive behavior shows just why the human race should just die!’”
“You just gave me the perfect excuse to prohibit them from joining you. 'Dissension in the ranks.' You really think I would let you speak that way to me in front of aliens?”
The Commander was astute as always. He smiled. He wasn’t really a Commander. He had white hair and a slight limp on his left leg from a lack of access to his arthritis medicine. Among us human survivors hiding in Port Miami, he had the most military experience. Within a month, he gathered a group of survivors. Within two months, he got those survivors to act like a team. Within three months, he created a little band of guerrilla fighters.
We made a dent, at first.
The Tardiens had bodies of thick, scaly blubber, which protected vital organs and the blue blood that ran in their veins. After trial and error, we discovered a Tardien could be killed at close range.
But as the oxygen seeped out of the atmosphere and as the Tardiens destroyed our forests, the Tardiens remained out of our shooting range.
They completely controlled the air space. They hovered in small air crafts just miles off the ground, shooting lasers at humans—if they could be bothered to do so. After the initial contact, the Tardiens did not bother to walk the Earth unless it was to lug the body of a human aboard a ship.
Jordan, Ashley M., Jacob, Sierra . . .
It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Two nights ago, little baby Jane’s fingers began to turn blue. A nurse hooked Jane up to one of the precious few oxygen tanks until the color returned.
We were running out of time and oxygen.
“Uh, Sir, this is usually the part where you tell me what the mission is.” I said.
He handed me a manila envelope. I only had to read it once.
“You want me to go back *there*?”
"You and Javi are the only humans that we know who got out of ‘The Hive.’”
“No one is coming back from this.”
“No one would think any less of you if you said no. I wouldn’t think less of you. You’ve been through enough.”
Luciana, Adrian, Lucas, Michelle . . .
“I’ll get a team together. Four is probably best.” I said.
The Commander looked away. “My daughter is . . . my daughter was a lot like you. Stubborn. Single-minded. Brave.”
I felt tears in my eyes but ignored them. “I know Javi will go. I have an idea of the two others.”
The Commander sighed. “Then you’ll leave tonight.”
I stood up too quickly. Black dots threatened my line of sight. I couldn’t move abruptly these days without winding myself. I took oxygen for granted in my previous life.
“Rest a moment. I’ll send someone to gather the others.”
“I can’t,” I smiled for the first time in months. “I have Nitro-breathers to kill tonight.”
​
(Part 1 of 2) | It's been 7 years as an Anxolian journalist on the Human-Zorzak wars. I still get the shakes at night. My therapist says I should write down what I saw, so here I am. I remember when I first got to the briefing room for my assignment.
"You will be stationed on the human planet 7-A. You will be stationed with a human military band. Your equipment is standard class 3 and the humans have assured me they know of our requirements. Good luck."
This was all standard. Everything was supposed to be standard. Take some pictures and videos here and there. Send them to Anzi the corporate state of Anaxl and then move on. But I can't shake it. I still can't forget it. It was a crisp morning, the fighting had supposedly deteriorated quite a bit from when I was first given the job. The human army held two contents.
"Get it out of the ship!"
Two human soldiers forced me out of the pod. I remember being confused and frightened. Reports of human culture told me of a "slowness" to their introductions. A silly little trait often laughed about back home. The content "How were you" the "would you like this or that" it was all so cute. The human soldiers shoved me into my bunker. Thick transparent walls covered the entire room with company instructions. This all fell to company policy so I was still relieved things were on track. The center room had a chair with a pad on the side where I could send out surveillance drones. After setting up my equipment trying to tune out the bombs I sent out the drones.
"What the-"
I saw children. Had they not all been evacuated by now? One child came running up to one of the Zorzaks. And within a second they were both ash. They were using them as bombs.
I couldn't believe this how could, I? Humans were regarded as some of the most egalitarian. They were known for their diplomacy, their strong rights. In the greater union of the milky way they had a certain reputation. Often being those who called others out for their civil rights abuses.
But his? What was this? This wasn't humanity I knew. The humanity I was shown.
I saw emaciated bodies of Zorzaks attached to their humans being.. WHIPPED? Forced to add shell after shell to.. hearthrithers.. Those were banned humans being those who fought for it. They had no purpose other than to bring an immense field of pain to their enemies. This wasn't a war. This wasn't a slaughter. My language, my culture, we don't have words for this. Blast after blast ran out to their enemies. I saw the pained look of Zorzaks as the humans waited like hunters for them to break formation and then they ran in. The humans from what I heard were dealing with a shortage in supplies in section A so that is the only reason I could give for their actions. They ran and started hugging their appointments. Trying to get as entangled into their lines as possible before, I even had time to realize it, explosions rang out. Nothing remained but the twisted metal of their camp. I turned my drone to see giant tanks drive over the bodies. Zorzak's being executed behind them. This was their strategy, bomb, disorient, then bomb again. Any survivors were taken to makeshift factories that made weaponry from the remains of everything that was left and to arm their machines.
I remember- I remember listening to the rallies held. Soldiers when taking breaks between fights would listen to music blasted before a general would preach about the war.
The greater good they said.
For God they said.
They would do the same if they were given the chance.
I at first couldn't understand why they believed such obvious propaganda. But then I got it. They believed it because they wanted to. Not because it was correct. Not because it was moral. Not because it was right. But because they were afraid, and with fear they clang to his words. And they took their fear and burned it to a boiling hatred. A hatred I have never seen of any species. I saw it in their eyes, I saw it out their mouth. The women, the men, even shoved into the hearts of their children. They all held onto the fire. I watched those years as they took back everything. I watched as they took my equipment and destroyed it. I watched as they lied. I watched as they covered up. I watch as what I saw becomes a whisper a conspiracy. Now my manager has me doing this. "mentally Ill" they say. Destruction of company property they say. Nervous breakdown they say. But it wasn't a lie. It wasn't nothing.
I think- I think I'm going to send this to a Crokel publisher I know. Maybe even if not fully believed the truth will somehow be revealed. It has to! This can't just disappear.
I hear a knock on the door. I opened it to a human with black glasses and a black suit with a raised pistol to my head. And like that truth became fiction for another time. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | The Earth Republic had only emerged as a blossoming galactic empire a little over 400 years ago. From the time of first contact in the 23rd century humanity had exploded into the galaxy on an exponential scale, expanding, colonizing, and occasionally assimilating planets and systems until it had at its height controlled 253 systems and over 1200 planets. My people had been one of the most recent civilizations to get absorbed into the Republic. We ventured into space and made first contact around the same time as the humans but our species has always expanded in a slow and controlled manner. When humanity came to us asking us to join the Republic it was luckily a gesture of goodwill. I say lucky because once you get to know humans, you'll understand that they can be generous, but equally so they can be exploitative and brutal driven towards their aims. If you stand in the way of what they need, or even what they think they need, well, good luck.
And it was just that sort of careless ambition that got them into trouble twenty four years ago. In the year 2628 a private mining operation was doing demolition mining operations in the Gidrix Sector. Demolition mining operations is the destruction of a celestial body, be it planet or asteroid, to subsequently harvest elements from the debris. Smaller objects mean less gravity, which makes mining much cheaper. What the company didn't realize is that the small 1200 kilometer planet they were destroying this time was a hive colony for the Krikk Swarm. The Krikk used this planet for gestation and maturation of their larvae. When the Orak Corporation blew that planet up they also blew up about 240 million Krikk. The Krikk declared war in less than 24 earth hours. And for the first 23 years things went pretty poorly for humanity. The Krikk went through the Republic systems one by one, forcing humanity to retreat until they had gone from 253 systems to seven. Other empires and civilizations had written them off. Their allies, us included, had all but abandoned them, not wanting to get swept up and buried by the swarm. We couldn't have been more wrong though.
Human music is something our culture craved when it was first introduced. It has such varied sounds and melodies. Creativity was never our strongest suite. Humans have that in droves. I particularly like their cultural holiday music called Christmas Carols. I doubt if you had asked most humans before last year what song they would associate with victory and hype, none would have answered Vivaldi Violin Concerto in E Minor. But now every single human knows and celebrates that song. That same creativity that humans use for music, well when you back them into a corner, they start to use it for other things. Like how to kill stuff. In the later years of the war it became a common practice for Republic companies and battalions to pick a song as an anthem. Most of the combat soldiers picked songs that humans called rock. The SARP (Science and Advanced Research Projects) division had a unit codenamed Archimedes and Vivaldi's Violin Concerto was their song. The unit had some of humanities best minds. 18 years into the war they were the unit responsible for singularity bombs. Bombs that created mini singularities, black holes that would consume planets, even large ones. For two years the tide of the war swung back in the favor of humanity. But then the Krikk discovered a way to neutralize the bombs and humans were on the defensive again. But last year things changed again. Krikk biology is incredibly complicated but basically they're like super bugs. Strong, resilient, incredibly hard to kill. Organisms that were almost untouched by age and never seemed to get sick. But Archimedes engineered a virus that specifically attacked insectoid DNA and caused a death that was unspeakably awful. The first target was the Krikk home world. Within 2 weeks it had spread throughout the entire population, achieved a 99.9999% mortality rate, and spread to no less than 56 other systems. And now, a year later, the war is almost over. The Krikk once numbered over 8 trillion. Now estimates put their population at less than 10 million. And the rest of us, well, when we hear Vivaldi we remember what happens when you back the humans into a corner. | It's been 7 years as an Anxolian journalist on the Human-Zorzak wars. I still get the shakes at night. My therapist says I should write down what I saw, so here I am. I remember when I first got to the briefing room for my assignment.
"You will be stationed on the human planet 7-A. You will be stationed with a human military band. Your equipment is standard class 3 and the humans have assured me they know of our requirements. Good luck."
This was all standard. Everything was supposed to be standard. Take some pictures and videos here and there. Send them to Anzi the corporate state of Anaxl and then move on. But I can't shake it. I still can't forget it. It was a crisp morning, the fighting had supposedly deteriorated quite a bit from when I was first given the job. The human army held two contents.
"Get it out of the ship!"
Two human soldiers forced me out of the pod. I remember being confused and frightened. Reports of human culture told me of a "slowness" to their introductions. A silly little trait often laughed about back home. The content "How were you" the "would you like this or that" it was all so cute. The human soldiers shoved me into my bunker. Thick transparent walls covered the entire room with company instructions. This all fell to company policy so I was still relieved things were on track. The center room had a chair with a pad on the side where I could send out surveillance drones. After setting up my equipment trying to tune out the bombs I sent out the drones.
"What the-"
I saw children. Had they not all been evacuated by now? One child came running up to one of the Zorzaks. And within a second they were both ash. They were using them as bombs.
I couldn't believe this how could, I? Humans were regarded as some of the most egalitarian. They were known for their diplomacy, their strong rights. In the greater union of the milky way they had a certain reputation. Often being those who called others out for their civil rights abuses.
But his? What was this? This wasn't humanity I knew. The humanity I was shown.
I saw emaciated bodies of Zorzaks attached to their humans being.. WHIPPED? Forced to add shell after shell to.. hearthrithers.. Those were banned humans being those who fought for it. They had no purpose other than to bring an immense field of pain to their enemies. This wasn't a war. This wasn't a slaughter. My language, my culture, we don't have words for this. Blast after blast ran out to their enemies. I saw the pained look of Zorzaks as the humans waited like hunters for them to break formation and then they ran in. The humans from what I heard were dealing with a shortage in supplies in section A so that is the only reason I could give for their actions. They ran and started hugging their appointments. Trying to get as entangled into their lines as possible before, I even had time to realize it, explosions rang out. Nothing remained but the twisted metal of their camp. I turned my drone to see giant tanks drive over the bodies. Zorzak's being executed behind them. This was their strategy, bomb, disorient, then bomb again. Any survivors were taken to makeshift factories that made weaponry from the remains of everything that was left and to arm their machines.
I remember- I remember listening to the rallies held. Soldiers when taking breaks between fights would listen to music blasted before a general would preach about the war.
The greater good they said.
For God they said.
They would do the same if they were given the chance.
I at first couldn't understand why they believed such obvious propaganda. But then I got it. They believed it because they wanted to. Not because it was correct. Not because it was moral. Not because it was right. But because they were afraid, and with fear they clang to his words. And they took their fear and burned it to a boiling hatred. A hatred I have never seen of any species. I saw it in their eyes, I saw it out their mouth. The women, the men, even shoved into the hearts of their children. They all held onto the fire. I watched those years as they took back everything. I watched as they took my equipment and destroyed it. I watched as they lied. I watched as they covered up. I watch as what I saw becomes a whisper a conspiracy. Now my manager has me doing this. "mentally Ill" they say. Destruction of company property they say. Nervous breakdown they say. But it wasn't a lie. It wasn't nothing.
I think- I think I'm going to send this to a Crokel publisher I know. Maybe even if not fully believed the truth will somehow be revealed. It has to! This can't just disappear.
I hear a knock on the door. I opened it to a human with black glasses and a black suit with a raised pistol to my head. And like that truth became fiction for another time. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | *crunch*
Isstan's boot crushed more broken glass beneath it as he marched with his squad. It disturbed him with the erie silence that the city had, the empty carcasses of buildings and vehicles making up a dense and oppressive forest of metal and concrete. The bodies of the humans were becoming fewer and fewer as they got closer to this planet's last stand. The bugs continued to mount in their losses as him and his squad investigated further.
Isstan could've only imagined what these people must've been thinking, fighting a war by themselves that they couldn't hope to survive. Their cries for help reached us far too late, and the galactic community grinded to a halt when the first message came through. We tried to mount forces and send aid to this race that we hadn't even met. But it was too late, we got more and more messages, ones dated many years back. Until we marched out, our ship's jumping to the planet we had gotten the most recent message from, only to find a husk of a civilization littered with the dead.
We had gotten their finally message as we scurried through the remains of their planets, trying and praying to find at least one human left. Their final message was a goodbye, one of spite aimed towards the bugs. They had claimed they were dragging the bugs with them into "Hell".
We neared the makeshift fortress, more and more mutilated corpses lined the streets.
It was disgusting.
The bugs' bodies were charred, in pieces, riddled with holes, torn in half, crushed in traps made of vehicles they salvaged from the ruins.
And it only got worse.
We found a way in that the bugs had ripped into, a gash in the wall that was filled with bodies, bug and man. We pushed inward, finding more rotted and torn apart bodies. Soldiers and civilians lay side-by-side, surrounded in the bodies of their enemies.
We solemnly prayed to our gods for them. Praying they'd have peace or be rewarded for their valiant acts. If their gods had abandoned them with this horde, I hoped at least ours would take pity on them. After we had finished our funeral prayers, we marked what technology, books, or anything we could find that we could learn from them by.
After we had finished, we marched out, following another trail of death that led down the street.
The bodies of the humans became less and less, and to our dismay, so did the bugs'. The trail ended in what we guessed was some sort of warehouse or garage. Once we forced open the door, we were greeted with a stench worse than what we'd been wading through outside.
It was nauseating, an awful sent of rot exploded from the door once opened. It was bad enough to make us put on our masks and us our air tanks. The burnt corpses of the bugs filled the room, with a single human in the center.
All that remained of them was a blackened skeleton, a space of charred ground was clear of everything but ash. Behind them was a wall, a hastily painted message was left in giant words. We scanned it, wondering what the last message of this planet's population would say, their last moments of life as they scribbled it on the wall. Once it finished translating, we stared at the screen, read the words before us, then returned our eyes to the scene.
The words they had left for us to find in this place of rot and defiance would likely haunt me to this day;
**I SHALL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT** | It's been 7 years as an Anxolian journalist on the Human-Zorzak wars. I still get the shakes at night. My therapist says I should write down what I saw, so here I am. I remember when I first got to the briefing room for my assignment.
"You will be stationed on the human planet 7-A. You will be stationed with a human military band. Your equipment is standard class 3 and the humans have assured me they know of our requirements. Good luck."
This was all standard. Everything was supposed to be standard. Take some pictures and videos here and there. Send them to Anzi the corporate state of Anaxl and then move on. But I can't shake it. I still can't forget it. It was a crisp morning, the fighting had supposedly deteriorated quite a bit from when I was first given the job. The human army held two contents.
"Get it out of the ship!"
Two human soldiers forced me out of the pod. I remember being confused and frightened. Reports of human culture told me of a "slowness" to their introductions. A silly little trait often laughed about back home. The content "How were you" the "would you like this or that" it was all so cute. The human soldiers shoved me into my bunker. Thick transparent walls covered the entire room with company instructions. This all fell to company policy so I was still relieved things were on track. The center room had a chair with a pad on the side where I could send out surveillance drones. After setting up my equipment trying to tune out the bombs I sent out the drones.
"What the-"
I saw children. Had they not all been evacuated by now? One child came running up to one of the Zorzaks. And within a second they were both ash. They were using them as bombs.
I couldn't believe this how could, I? Humans were regarded as some of the most egalitarian. They were known for their diplomacy, their strong rights. In the greater union of the milky way they had a certain reputation. Often being those who called others out for their civil rights abuses.
But his? What was this? This wasn't humanity I knew. The humanity I was shown.
I saw emaciated bodies of Zorzaks attached to their humans being.. WHIPPED? Forced to add shell after shell to.. hearthrithers.. Those were banned humans being those who fought for it. They had no purpose other than to bring an immense field of pain to their enemies. This wasn't a war. This wasn't a slaughter. My language, my culture, we don't have words for this. Blast after blast ran out to their enemies. I saw the pained look of Zorzaks as the humans waited like hunters for them to break formation and then they ran in. The humans from what I heard were dealing with a shortage in supplies in section A so that is the only reason I could give for their actions. They ran and started hugging their appointments. Trying to get as entangled into their lines as possible before, I even had time to realize it, explosions rang out. Nothing remained but the twisted metal of their camp. I turned my drone to see giant tanks drive over the bodies. Zorzak's being executed behind them. This was their strategy, bomb, disorient, then bomb again. Any survivors were taken to makeshift factories that made weaponry from the remains of everything that was left and to arm their machines.
I remember- I remember listening to the rallies held. Soldiers when taking breaks between fights would listen to music blasted before a general would preach about the war.
The greater good they said.
For God they said.
They would do the same if they were given the chance.
I at first couldn't understand why they believed such obvious propaganda. But then I got it. They believed it because they wanted to. Not because it was correct. Not because it was moral. Not because it was right. But because they were afraid, and with fear they clang to his words. And they took their fear and burned it to a boiling hatred. A hatred I have never seen of any species. I saw it in their eyes, I saw it out their mouth. The women, the men, even shoved into the hearts of their children. They all held onto the fire. I watched those years as they took back everything. I watched as they took my equipment and destroyed it. I watched as they lied. I watched as they covered up. I watch as what I saw becomes a whisper a conspiracy. Now my manager has me doing this. "mentally Ill" they say. Destruction of company property they say. Nervous breakdown they say. But it wasn't a lie. It wasn't nothing.
I think- I think I'm going to send this to a Crokel publisher I know. Maybe even if not fully believed the truth will somehow be revealed. It has to! This can't just disappear.
I hear a knock on the door. I opened it to a human with black glasses and a black suit with a raised pistol to my head. And like that truth became fiction for another time. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | *crunch*
Isstan's boot crushed more broken glass beneath it as he marched with his squad. It disturbed him with the erie silence that the city had, the empty carcasses of buildings and vehicles making up a dense and oppressive forest of metal and concrete. The bodies of the humans were becoming fewer and fewer as they got closer to this planet's last stand. The bugs continued to mount in their losses as him and his squad investigated further.
Isstan could've only imagined what these people must've been thinking, fighting a war by themselves that they couldn't hope to survive. Their cries for help reached us far too late, and the galactic community grinded to a halt when the first message came through. We tried to mount forces and send aid to this race that we hadn't even met. But it was too late, we got more and more messages, ones dated many years back. Until we marched out, our ship's jumping to the planet we had gotten the most recent message from, only to find a husk of a civilization littered with the dead.
We had gotten their finally message as we scurried through the remains of their planets, trying and praying to find at least one human left. Their final message was a goodbye, one of spite aimed towards the bugs. They had claimed they were dragging the bugs with them into "Hell".
We neared the makeshift fortress, more and more mutilated corpses lined the streets.
It was disgusting.
The bugs' bodies were charred, in pieces, riddled with holes, torn in half, crushed in traps made of vehicles they salvaged from the ruins.
And it only got worse.
We found a way in that the bugs had ripped into, a gash in the wall that was filled with bodies, bug and man. We pushed inward, finding more rotted and torn apart bodies. Soldiers and civilians lay side-by-side, surrounded in the bodies of their enemies.
We solemnly prayed to our gods for them. Praying they'd have peace or be rewarded for their valiant acts. If their gods had abandoned them with this horde, I hoped at least ours would take pity on them. After we had finished our funeral prayers, we marked what technology, books, or anything we could find that we could learn from them by.
After we had finished, we marched out, following another trail of death that led down the street.
The bodies of the humans became less and less, and to our dismay, so did the bugs'. The trail ended in what we guessed was some sort of warehouse or garage. Once we forced open the door, we were greeted with a stench worse than what we'd been wading through outside.
It was nauseating, an awful sent of rot exploded from the door once opened. It was bad enough to make us put on our masks and us our air tanks. The burnt corpses of the bugs filled the room, with a single human in the center.
All that remained of them was a blackened skeleton, a space of charred ground was clear of everything but ash. Behind them was a wall, a hastily painted message was left in giant words. We scanned it, wondering what the last message of this planet's population would say, their last moments of life as they scribbled it on the wall. Once it finished translating, we stared at the screen, read the words before us, then returned our eyes to the scene.
The words they had left for us to find in this place of rot and defiance would likely haunt me to this day;
**I SHALL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT** | “We are not bringing *that* with us.”
The axolotl-like creatures in the corner tracked their bulbous heads in my direction. I heard the zoom-in feature sound off from the cameras attached to the nearest Axolien’s breathing suit.
The Commander was not amused. “It’s an order, Hernandez.”
“Sir, there is no point in bringing along some blue-blooded, nitrogen-breathing, planet-stealing alien camera crew!”
“That’s enough!” The Commander pinched his nose like he felt a headache coming on. “Can you excuse us for a moment?”
“I excuse you.” The Axolien group leader blinked his beady eyes. “Oh, is that a request for us to leave? I see.” He spoke in his home language to his camera crew. The crew reluctantly shuffled out the door.
I tried to regain my composure. Emily, Sarah, Michael, Jose . . .
The leader lingered in the door frame, its external gills flapping as it spoke. “Human, do not forget our arrangement.”
“I promise to save the good chisme for when you come back.” The Commander said. Sarcasm was lost on the aliens. When the door shut, the Commander slumped down in his chair. “Take a seat, Angie—soldier.”
Seven months ago I was a second-grade teacher. I had been reading a story with my class when they came. Now, I was a ground soldier of the ad hoc Terra-torial Defense, or rather, the last stand guerrilla warfare fighters made up of civilians that cropped up all across the Earth. After the aliens targeted major militaries, the remaining humans had no choice but to become soldiers.
This wasn’t good.
I warped myself tighter in my jacket and sat. I never had to wear a jacket in the middle of August in Florida before the Tardien’s began pumping our atmosphere full of nitrogen to convert Earth hospitable to their kind. According to the projections, there would not be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support human life by the twentieth of September.
We only had twenty-eight days.
"You have to take them with you.” The Commander said.
“Why?”
“The Galactic Federation rejected our request to expedite our application. The process to join the Federation is about twenty years. We can’t count on their support.”
“Shit.”
“Shit indeed.”
“So naturally we need a camera crew around?”
“The camera crew you just saw contacted us last night. Apparently, the galactic community . . . wants to see how the humans have been fending off invasion this long.”
“So the news crew is to get our story out. Garner galactic support?”
He nodded. Some planets were against human genocide, but there were more governments of those planets who did not want to endanger their own positions with the Tardiens.
“Soft power it is then,” I said. “here’s my compromise. We’ll wear the Axolien’s camera headsets for our next mission, but they have to stay.”
“That was my plan.”
“Ay, why did you let me argue with you front of them like that? I bet they are sending it to their film stations back at home right now. ‘Disobedient human argues with commander! This disruptive behavior shows just why the human race should just die!’”
“You just gave me the perfect excuse to prohibit them from joining you. 'Dissension in the ranks.' You really think I would let you speak that way to me in front of aliens?”
The Commander was astute as always. He smiled. He wasn’t really a Commander. He had white hair and a slight limp on his left leg from a lack of access to his arthritis medicine. Among us human survivors hiding in Port Miami, he had the most military experience. Within a month, he gathered a group of survivors. Within two months, he got those survivors to act like a team. Within three months, he created a little band of guerrilla fighters.
We made a dent, at first.
The Tardiens had bodies of thick, scaly blubber, which protected vital organs and the blue blood that ran in their veins. After trial and error, we discovered a Tardien could be killed at close range.
But as the oxygen seeped out of the atmosphere and as the Tardiens destroyed our forests, the Tardiens remained out of our shooting range.
They completely controlled the air space. They hovered in small air crafts just miles off the ground, shooting lasers at humans—if they could be bothered to do so. After the initial contact, the Tardiens did not bother to walk the Earth unless it was to lug the body of a human aboard a ship.
Jordan, Ashley M., Jacob, Sierra . . .
It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. Two nights ago, little baby Jane’s fingers began to turn blue. A nurse hooked Jane up to one of the precious few oxygen tanks until the color returned.
We were running out of time and oxygen.
“Uh, Sir, this is usually the part where you tell me what the mission is.” I said.
He handed me a manila envelope. I only had to read it once.
“You want me to go back *there*?”
"You and Javi are the only humans that we know who got out of ‘The Hive.’”
“No one is coming back from this.”
“No one would think any less of you if you said no. I wouldn’t think less of you. You’ve been through enough.”
Luciana, Adrian, Lucas, Michelle . . .
“I’ll get a team together. Four is probably best.” I said.
The Commander looked away. “My daughter is . . . my daughter was a lot like you. Stubborn. Single-minded. Brave.”
I felt tears in my eyes but ignored them. “I know Javi will go. I have an idea of the two others.”
The Commander sighed. “Then you’ll leave tonight.”
I stood up too quickly. Black dots threatened my line of sight. I couldn’t move abruptly these days without winding myself. I took oxygen for granted in my previous life.
“Rest a moment. I’ll send someone to gather the others.”
“I can’t,” I smiled for the first time in months. “I have Nitro-breathers to kill tonight.”
​
(Part 1 of 2) | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | **I apologize for how disjointed this is. I haven't written in a long time, but this prompt gave me something more or less fully-formed that I had to get out of my head as quickly as I could. All criticisms, opinions and advice are greatly appreciated.**
-----------------
“Can you do a lubally before I go to sleep, Daddy?”
We’ve been doing this for six weeks, but I still chuckle every time she gets the word wrong. I’m not her father, but... well. I guess I am.
“Remember, it’s a lullaby, not a lubally. And yes, we can do it in a few minutes. I just have to make sure we’re all secure. How do we make sure we’re secure?”
*Three months ago, I was just a guy who worked in an office. I wasn’t married. I didn’t have any kids. I worked a 9-5, went home, trawled the internet, played video games. I didn’t have any family. I didn’t make any waves. I didn’t matter.*
“Check the locks on the door. Look outside to the north. If you see a glow, hide under the bed and don’t make any noise until sunrise.”
*Their biology is... weird. When they first showed up, the news -- back when there was news -- was nothing but a lot of arguing about why they did what they did. Why they glowed orange, but only attacked at night. Why they only came from the north.*
“That’s right. Now, did you brush your teeth?”
*The xenobiologists thought they came from a planet where the visible spectrum didn’t matter. That explained why they glowed, but it didn’t explain why they only attacked from the north. It didn’t explain why they always left at sunrise. I guess there aren’t too many xenobiologists left to argue about it.*
“Awww, do I have to? You said these are baby teeth and I’ll get new ones!”
*When everyone started going south, I started going north. I’ve always had a rebellious streak in me, and I guess some part of me thought I’d have less people to deal with if I moved against the tide. I was afraid of how many people I’d run into, but it turns out that most people avoid someone moving towards danger. They think you’re crazy. I’m not sure they were wrong.*
“You will, but it’s not just about the teeth. It’s about establishing good habits. If you don’t learn to take care of these, you won’t know how to take care of the permanent ones. I don’t know where there’s any dentists, and teeth can be a real problem if you’re not careful.”
*I happened upon a gated community that didn’t seem too damaged, and started going house by house, scavenging for whatever I could find. I entered a house at random, and started walking down a hallway with a bunch of pictures of your generic happy family. Then I heard a whimper.*
“What does est-estab-estabiling good habits mean?”
*Through the barely there morning sun, I saw a girl sitting cross-legged on a couch. There were two men and a woman on the floor. She stared through me with a look on her face that soldiers in war movies have. The woman looked like the pictures in the hallway. She had a bullet in her head. The men weren’t in any of the pictures. They had needles in their arms.*
“Es-tab-lish-ing. Establishing good habits means… it means learning to do things the right way, so that you always do them. When you establish good habits, you don’t even have to think about doing the right thing anymore. It happens automatically.”
*There were maybe two dozen guns on the table and ammo to match. I almost took the guns and left. I was a 26 year old who had never even been responsible for a pet fish. She was… four? Kids all look the same to me. But she blinked. And instead of looking through me, she saw me. She started tearing up. She called me Daddy. And one of the men twitched.*
“Good habits sound stupid. Why do you have to do good habits?”
*I told the little girl to close her eyes and plug her ears tight. The men might have been dangerous at some point, but they were skin and bone and high off of… whatever.*
“Well… I don’t really know. But you have to do good habits. Securing the perimeter is good habits, too.”
*I buried the woman in the backyard. It seemed like the right thing to do. I buried the dead men in the back yard, too. That seemed like the wrong thing to do. But the aliens seemed to find human flesh a delicacy. I didn't want to draw any attention.*
“Then how come I don’t ever see you brush your teeth?”
The question jolted me out of my reverie. Were all kids this smart?
“I, uh… I brush my teeth after you fall asleep.”
We met eyes, and we both giggled.
“Alright, I’ll make a deal. We’ll both brush our teeth at the same time from now on. You think about that deal, and I’ll go finish up.”
There’s no real rhyme or reason to when the aliens come, but when they do, the ground they cover… it doesn’t make sense. They seem like mindless beasts, but they show up everywhere, in numbers that defy all logic. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were turning our bodies into more of them, but that’s just sci-fi bullshit. Then again… I guess all of this would have been a sci-fi book, in the before times.
All of the rooms are burned into my muscle memory, and there’s no need to use a flashlight anymore. I peek through all of the windows, making sure there are no people trying to sneak up on us - although anybody crazy enough to do that at night would deserve whatever they got. My heart starts pounding as I approach the kitchen. It looks like there is a fire outside the window.
I run up the stairs as quickly and as quietly as I can, hoping against hope that she’s asleep. But she had lifted a corner of the blinds and is staring out the window, bathed in their orange light. She's shaking so hard that she can barely stand.
“Is it the boogeyman, Daddy?”
All of the guns are already upstairs. I didn’t see the point in having guns where I couldn’t see them, and she didn’t seem interested in learning about them. I had been meaning to make sure she knew how to at least clean them, because I knew having kids around guns was dangerous. But there had always been something else to do.
“Yeah. They’re here.”
I can’t see the point in trying to lie. She won't tell me about what she had seen or heard before I got here. But I know it took two weeks for her to sleep at night, and she can only sleep in my arms. How could you lie to someone who trusts you that completely?
“Is it going to hurt when we die, Daddy?”
I check my guns in the alien light, and they look like they’re on fire. I’m terrified, but my hands are steady, moving on autopilot, practicing what I’ve been practicing every day. Good habits. I hear a sound, deeper than anything I’ve ever heard. I’m not even sure if I hear it or feel it in my soul. I’m almost dizzy with the intensity of it. Then all at once, the sound is gone, but the fear is getting worse and I’m not sure if I can do this.
“W-who said we’re going to die? This is what we practiced for, remember? Now, what do you do?”
There’s no way she didn’t hear the shake in my voice. She looks at me, and I look at her with what I hope is a confident expression. She lets the blinds fall and, right before she’s about to get under the bed, I hear her pause.
“We got a brush the teeth deal, Daddy. That means we can only brush our teeth together. So we have to brush our teeth tomorrow, okay? You have to promise.”
She disappears under the bed, and just like that, the fear is gone. I hear a window shatter downstairs; I guess that sound they made let them detect us. It sounds like someone is dragging sandpaper across the floor downstairs. I close the door as quietly as I can, and make sure all of my guns are within easy reach.
“Hey, while we’re waiting, I’ll sing you a little lullaby.”
I rack my brain, trying to think of something that could pump me up and calm her down at the same time. Then, with a wry smile, it comes to me. Is the song kid-friendly? No, but I don’t think the world is kid-friendly anymore. I doubt anyone will mind too much.
“Daddy, you have to promise.”
There are certain promises that you shouldn’t make. There are certain promises that you have to make.
“I promise. Now you stay quiet. [Don’t fret, precious, I’m here. Step away from the window and go back to sleep…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmWhY_irAXE)”
Is it a lie if you believe it?
I release the safety. And I wait for dawn. | Those poor, poor sons of bitches.
See, as humans, we've seen a bit in our existence as a species. We've seen civil war, more civil war, actually now that I think about it, a lot of civil war if you consider war between any humans to be "civil." To be honest though? We got pretty good at it.
Strategic Reconnaissance Aircraft that can travel at Mach 3, weapons with the capability to wipe out a continent at the press of a button, the population of Florida, the AA-12, and whatever the hell Americans were thinking when they made the A-10 Warthog.
TL;DR: Lot o' shit. So we thought after 50 years of being in the galactic community, we thought could handle the Jakosöns. Insectoid parasites that can replace your fucking **spine.**
There were only about 3.5 billion of us left. The rest were either taken or....
Or they decided not to continue.
Backed not into a corner, but a compact ball, the walking corpses of our international comrades mocking us daily.
The galaxy stood still. Not one out of the 7 species they had began infecting had survived them yet, so why would we be any different?
Simple. As a group of us were barricaded in the white house, yes, Washington DC, one of us did something stupid.
He loaded two rounds into a double barrel shotgun, took a speaker and his phone out of his backpack.
"Right then. We're already gonna die, so let's make sure they don't forget the god damn **time** they had."
The music he played that day....
Oh how I forgot it until he played.
Right in sync and on cue to the words, the doors were blasted open from the inside.
After 3 days, there weren't any of the fuckers left in DC. So? We got a couple of humvees and a fuck ton o' speakers, and a year and a half later, there was more of us than them.
Those bastards spent the last half a year in fear of the sound of the storm approaching. Or, to be more specific:
Vergil's theme song from Devil May Cry 5. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | The smoke cleared from the third round of bombs, and the galactic concil held their collective breath to see who would rise to claim earth. Slow and shaky, the un named foe rose up. The parasites had made a desert of Venus and left the once thriving metropolises of Mars in ruins. The Mercurians groaned in fear and despair as the invaders prepared to once again claim victory.
"You see how even the Humans, most savage among the Galaxy fall to us!" The leader boasted. "You see how even with Nuclear power, we emerge-"
*Bang, bang, clack* the Major stopped as the rhythmic thumping began again. Weak at first but growing stronger as more humans joined in. Always the same 3 beat rhythm. A strange code the entire planet appeared to know and understand. As one, the humans rose from the ashes chanting in a thousand different languages, but all the same (perplexing) battle cry.
"We will, we will, rock you! We will, we will Rock you!"
The major fell to his knees, looking on in abject horror. "How? We are undefeated. *How*" he demanded even as the humans crested the last hill, swallowing the enemy in sheer force, changing now to Bohemian Rhapsody.
"You never went up against a planet with the songs of Queen!" | Quiet. The dead lay spread across the field, both human and alien. Mostly alien. The wind blows, the sun rises. A new day of battle.
Dug in on one side is the last bastion of humanity, the 101st Bonecrushers! And they dawn their power armor and electro blades in anticipation of the coming attack.
They have a giant bunker built into the side of a cliff. Its massive speakers start blasting a rap song from 2003. 4000 Bonecrusher troopers line up in the fox holes with only the electro blades for the alien enemy.
Men and women from every parts of the world make up the Bonecrushers. When they hear the song playin over the speakers they all begin to sing together in unison, " Mutha F× cka, I aint never scared, I aint never scared, I aint never scared!"
The horde of aliens charge the last remaining bastion of humanity. They are angry and tired! They want the war to be over! They want the humans to just be dead already!
"I aint never scared! I aint never scared! I aint never scared!" The warriors scream in defiance as the bash away the alien threat that ripped away their peaceful lives.
The humans beat back the swarm. They lose some and the aliens lose more. Just another day.
The Bonecrushers just set up for the next day. They aint never scared. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | When the news about the bugs hit, I damn near killed myself laughing. We’ve survived interstellar flight, a bizarre bureaucratic nightmare of a Galactic Alliance (some alliance that turned out to be), even accidentally launching multiple colony ships to “binary star systems” which turned out to just be supernovas (honestly, if I had a nickel for every time we’d done that…. Well, I’d only have two nickels, but it’s weird it happened twice). Anyway – after all that, it’s the overused “ravenous swarm of space bugs” that’s in every good and bad sci-fi film and game for the last fifty years which ends up being what finishes us off.
***Tries*** *to finish us off*, a little voice at the back of my head insists, and I growl in agreement. The bugs have taken eleven of our twelve planets from us – the Alpha Centauri colonies, the bases on Mars and Titan, even the industry on the Moon. But humans still draw breath on Earth, our home world. And I’ll be damned if I let them take it from us.
Behind us, the vault doors close with a resounding **thud**. We all groaned when we saw them for the first time – I mean, if you’re going to steal from post-apocalyptic fiction there’s better options than Fallout, c’mon – but it turns out that that really is the best way to build a bloody tough door to keep out the ravenous little shits. The many extra layers of protection begin engaging over it: blast shielding, defensive turrets, even some prototype force shields it turns out the military had been developing. Inside are all of our families, our loved ones, our enemies, that one friend you haven’t spoken to in ages but have to wave at if you pass them in traffic... all of humanity. We’re spread across nine of these mega-bunkers across Earth, each with its own set of shields and turrets and gang of crazy last-ditch defenders standing outside.
And that’s where I come in. Before the bugs attacked I wasn’t a soldier – hell I wasn’t much of anything. I had a decent job in the city, I played a lot of games, I had friends and went to bars and tried to meet people. Just a plain old normal person. But as most of the military got injured or killed fighting their retreat back home, pretty much anyone who could and would fight was given crash training in firearms and – if you volunteered – some pretty radical implants and splicing. I tensed one arm, and I felt the cable-like muscles constrict around my reinforced bones – not that I could see them, encased as they were in the thick plate-like armour we all wore. When all of our industry is turned over to producing arms and armour, turns out we make some pretty choice stuff. I’ve even got speakers wired into the headset, so I can listen to my choice of music as I fight and die here.
*Fight, yes. Die? No.* That little voice insisted. I don’t know where it came from, but as the first wave of bugs came over the crest of the plains ahead of us, I clung to that little spirit of defiance for all I was worth. Outwardly, I clung just as tightly to my father’s old shotgun – he was long passed, and to be honest I never knew why I’d kept it in my apartment. Probably violated all kinds of laws, unlicensed gun and all – not that it matters now. But I knew somehow that it had to be the weapon I fought the final fight with, along with the proper military rifle I had slung on my back. And when I’d caught sight of myself in the shiny side of one of the tanks that had deployed with us, I knew exactly what music I would play.
I tapped once on the side of my helmet and brought the shotgun up, and charged forwards from the orderly ranks behind me, powered forwards by the best metal soundtrack the world has ever known. Orders were shouted desperately after me, but I have only one commandment now. | Quiet. The dead lay spread across the field, both human and alien. Mostly alien. The wind blows, the sun rises. A new day of battle.
Dug in on one side is the last bastion of humanity, the 101st Bonecrushers! And they dawn their power armor and electro blades in anticipation of the coming attack.
They have a giant bunker built into the side of a cliff. Its massive speakers start blasting a rap song from 2003. 4000 Bonecrusher troopers line up in the fox holes with only the electro blades for the alien enemy.
Men and women from every parts of the world make up the Bonecrushers. When they hear the song playin over the speakers they all begin to sing together in unison, " Mutha F× cka, I aint never scared, I aint never scared, I aint never scared!"
The horde of aliens charge the last remaining bastion of humanity. They are angry and tired! They want the war to be over! They want the humans to just be dead already!
"I aint never scared! I aint never scared! I aint never scared!" The warriors scream in defiance as the bash away the alien threat that ripped away their peaceful lives.
The humans beat back the swarm. They lose some and the aliens lose more. Just another day.
The Bonecrushers just set up for the next day. They aint never scared. | |
[WP] The galaxy watches as the humans are on their last leg protecting their plant from a parasitic species of invaders. What everyone failed to realize was how brutal humans could become when backed into a corner and hyped up with music. | When the news about the bugs hit, I damn near killed myself laughing. We’ve survived interstellar flight, a bizarre bureaucratic nightmare of a Galactic Alliance (some alliance that turned out to be), even accidentally launching multiple colony ships to “binary star systems” which turned out to just be supernovas (honestly, if I had a nickel for every time we’d done that…. Well, I’d only have two nickels, but it’s weird it happened twice). Anyway – after all that, it’s the overused “ravenous swarm of space bugs” that’s in every good and bad sci-fi film and game for the last fifty years which ends up being what finishes us off.
***Tries*** *to finish us off*, a little voice at the back of my head insists, and I growl in agreement. The bugs have taken eleven of our twelve planets from us – the Alpha Centauri colonies, the bases on Mars and Titan, even the industry on the Moon. But humans still draw breath on Earth, our home world. And I’ll be damned if I let them take it from us.
Behind us, the vault doors close with a resounding **thud**. We all groaned when we saw them for the first time – I mean, if you’re going to steal from post-apocalyptic fiction there’s better options than Fallout, c’mon – but it turns out that that really is the best way to build a bloody tough door to keep out the ravenous little shits. The many extra layers of protection begin engaging over it: blast shielding, defensive turrets, even some prototype force shields it turns out the military had been developing. Inside are all of our families, our loved ones, our enemies, that one friend you haven’t spoken to in ages but have to wave at if you pass them in traffic... all of humanity. We’re spread across nine of these mega-bunkers across Earth, each with its own set of shields and turrets and gang of crazy last-ditch defenders standing outside.
And that’s where I come in. Before the bugs attacked I wasn’t a soldier – hell I wasn’t much of anything. I had a decent job in the city, I played a lot of games, I had friends and went to bars and tried to meet people. Just a plain old normal person. But as most of the military got injured or killed fighting their retreat back home, pretty much anyone who could and would fight was given crash training in firearms and – if you volunteered – some pretty radical implants and splicing. I tensed one arm, and I felt the cable-like muscles constrict around my reinforced bones – not that I could see them, encased as they were in the thick plate-like armour we all wore. When all of our industry is turned over to producing arms and armour, turns out we make some pretty choice stuff. I’ve even got speakers wired into the headset, so I can listen to my choice of music as I fight and die here.
*Fight, yes. Die? No.* That little voice insisted. I don’t know where it came from, but as the first wave of bugs came over the crest of the plains ahead of us, I clung to that little spirit of defiance for all I was worth. Outwardly, I clung just as tightly to my father’s old shotgun – he was long passed, and to be honest I never knew why I’d kept it in my apartment. Probably violated all kinds of laws, unlicensed gun and all – not that it matters now. But I knew somehow that it had to be the weapon I fought the final fight with, along with the proper military rifle I had slung on my back. And when I’d caught sight of myself in the shiny side of one of the tanks that had deployed with us, I knew exactly what music I would play.
I tapped once on the side of my helmet and brought the shotgun up, and charged forwards from the orderly ranks behind me, powered forwards by the best metal soundtrack the world has ever known. Orders were shouted desperately after me, but I have only one commandment now. | "Galactic Garden News here with the latest update on this developing crisis. The Merry Worma has spread rapidfire throughout the human empire, eradicating every marijuana plant used in the production of space weed. Characterized mainly by its behavior of laying dormant within the plant until a joint is rolled with the harvest before causing the joint to grow legs and wings and flying away to infect other nearby plants, the Merry Worma has recently been found to spread through the lungs of people who inhale the smoke and then are around the living plant during the incubation cycle as well. We go live now to the last living marijuana plant where resistance efforts are underway."
. . .
'Thank you Mary Jane, things have been bleak here as the employees of The Happy Corporation have been unable to directly resist the invasion. The only thing known to be effective against the enemy is the fire which only helps spread the parasite. Thankfully researchers have found that a high enough blood alcohol content can prevent parasitic infection. To this end the last remaining alcoholics have been pulled out of rehab to fight on the front lines. For centuries there have always been a small group who preferred alcohol to weed and now these heroes are putting their sobriety on the line to protect the last of the galaxy's stash. I have with me Jack Morgan, recently rotated away from combat to sober up.
Jack, how are things on the front lines? "
" I'm so fucking crossfaded bro, I can't fucki- bleargh "
" And now he's vomiting on my shoes. The sacrifice these heroes are putting themselves through is truly inspiring. " | |
[WP] By day you are a kindergarten teacher, by night you are a monster hunter. These two jobs have A LOT more in common than one would think. | *If you want to find a monster, get a child.*
That was always lesson number one of monster hunting. Children -- their innocence, their vulnerabilities -- have always been a beacon for the dark ugly beings that reside in this world. Sadly, I don’t think that will ever change.
It’s nap time for the children in my kindergarten. They lay in neat rows on the carpeted floor - pillows under their heads, thumbs in some of their mouths, all of them unaware of how intensely I watch all of them. See, nap time is when the red flags tend to drop. A kid from a happy home tends to sleep peacefully, maybe a bit of resistance and insistence that they’re not sleepy but when that head hits the pillow they tend to go down like rocks, silent and still. Kids from bad homes were a different story. They toss and turn, sometimes they cry in their sleep plagued by nightmares, they push for the nightlight even with the flecks of light from the afternoon sun peeking through the plastic blinds in the windows. The worst cases don’t even go to sleep. They stay away, too afraid to even shut their eyes.
Benjamin never sleeps in my class.
The kid’s clearly exhausted. He nods off during class, during lunch and on the bus if the bus driver is to be believed but the second I close those blinds and let the shades fill the classroom he is wide awake. He lays on his mat, eyes opened, fists clenched, his breath so heavy and anxious I can hear it from my desk. The fact that he never turns his back to the supply closet solidified my interest in him.
I keep an eye on Benjamin for a couple of weeks. Read his file… watch him on the playground… follow him home…
He lives in what appears to be a normal house on a normal street with perfectly normal parents. A mom and a dad. No siblings. His dad is a software engineer, makes decent money. Mom is a housewife, spends most of her time with a wine glass in hand. At parents’ night I made sure to greet them both while wearing a cross from her neck and the residue of both wolfsbane and garlic on her hands. Neither of them react. I tried digging into their past, the family has moved around a lot but as far as I could tell there were no strange happenings, or deaths connected to them at all. For a moment, I thought that maybe I had been wrong. Maybe there wasn’t a monster in Benjamin’s house…
… but then I noticed an asterisk besides his mother’s name.
Turns out she’d taken the father’s name when she married. Not usual except for the fact that her maiden name wasn’t hers either. She’d changed it. Her original name had quite the story. It featured a divorce, an ugly custody battle, two previously hidden children with photos of welts and burns inflicted by an alcoholic.
After learning that I watched Benjamin even closer. I saw the way he flinched at every touch, the bruises lining his wrists and collarbone, the way his eyes fell to the ground every time his mother walked into the room.
As I wait outside his house now, counting my bullets, making sure the plastic lining of my trunk is secure, I think of the second lesson of monster hunting.
All monsters should be killed… *even the human ones.* | When you think about monsters, you imagine some strange creatures in distant lands, the truth is quite different. Most of the times you can not tell them apart from regular humans, you have to use so called "monster gem" to track them down.
I've been born in a family with a long tradition of monster hunting, I was expected to follow the same path, so I did. I was told it's the right think to do. My family lived in rural area with not many people around, so the hunts were not really often, honestly I only went three times during my growing up. I wished for myself a batter life so after completing some online courses I moved to much bigger town in search for work. I picked up an offer as a kindergarten teacher, it was quite easy, I liked children and the salary was very good.
It all changed during the first parent meeting. I always had my monster gem on my neck, it glows every time some mythical creature is close. You can not imagine my surprise when the same second the parents walked into class my gem started glowing bright red light.
I thought to myself it has to be a mistake, and I hid it in desk but deep inside I knew what it meant - at least one of the parents has to be a supernatural being and judging my the color of the gem there were way more than one. The meeting went smoothly, we even cracked few jokes with the parents and they all seamed really nice. When we finished I went straight to my car where I was approached by three parents. Through the pocket of my trousers I saw the gem shining again.
"We know who you are, and we know what you have came for. If it has to be done at least spare our children, they didn't deserve to be born in a world so cruel as this"
I was shocked, first of al they seemed perfectly normal, they didn't want to eat me or drain my soul. "I... I don't want to kill anybody"
"But you are a monster hunter, the legendary human that is capable of killing every magical creature, ruthless and cruel. We all know the stories about your kind"
"My kind?" I muttered "I'm a nice guy, you are the ones supposed to be cruel and vicious"
We all stood in silence for couple of seconds, and then we both came into a realization, non of us want to kill anyone, it was all a huge mixup. I promised them I had no bad intentions towards any of them.
Does it mean we are the true monsters for killing innocent being just because they were born different? I have so much to think about and I have to confront my family and possibly stop them from killing anyone else... | |
[WP] You are an elite assassin, able to take down about any target. So it is very baffling when you are hired to take out a complete nobody for triple your usual rate. Your client only explains that they’re not sure what the target is, but that they are only pretending to be human. | \[Ordered: Take Out\]
"She sure looks human to me...," Alan chuckled to himself as he admired the view. His lithe, pale, naked target sat on the edge of the lake shore enjoying the waves. She had long jet-black hair and seemed lost in thought. "...it's a real shame," he decided. Despite her almost supernatural attractiveness, Alan had a job to do. He had no idea who she was; but, it didn't matter. Someone was willing to pay three times his normal rate to ensure he paid her a visit.
The client, Chip, explained that the target would be on vacation by the lake and it was a rush job to capitalize on the fact that she would be alone. Alan usually preferred to take his contracts a little slower but he was a professional and the client found his magic number. And, it was as simple a job as he could ask for. Chip had not specified any methods or even clean-up. He only wanted the woman dead and it didn't matter how. Alan was free to clean up his own tracks as he saw fit; but, there was no need to make it look like an accident. They were the only two people around for miles and he could simply stroll over there and strangle her.
He thought about it; but, Chip warned Alan that she wasn't human. That was fine by him, he had a few surprises of his own; even if he didn't know how he could do the things he could. He felt a growing hunger and decided to do things the easy way. The faster he was done the sooner he could get something to eat. He knelt to put his hand on the ground.
"Do your thing, Stabby," he grinned at the tattoo on his hand. The small black scorpion came to life and walked off his skin onto the sand. Then, it scuttled toward the woman. Alan watched the scorpion till it made it half-way, and he was surprised to see it turn around and return to him. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked as the scorpion crawled back onto his hand.
"Venom's no good. Good luck," Stabby replied. Then, he sunk back into Alan's hand to become a tattoo again. Alan sighed. Over the years since he first got the tattoo, Alan learned to trust Stabby's insight. But, he wished the arachnid knew how to elaborate better.
"Knife it is," he shrugged. Despite them being the only ones out there, he still wanted to avoid the sound of gunshots. He had a gun for self-defense, but he didn't own a silencer; he'd never needed it. He pulled out his hunting knife and began the quiet trek to try and sneak up on the woman. The lake shore was pretty bare and he was out in the open; but, the target had her back to him. As long as he moved quickly without making any noise he was okay. Even if she spotted him, he was pretty confident he could run her down.
"Why am I so hungry?" Alan wondered to himself as he crossed the sand. It seemed like every step he took only made him hungrier. He was starting to weigh his options for lunch after he finished this kill. Finally, he was close enough to close the gap with a lunge. As he settled himself to pounce his stomach let out a loud growl; the woman whipped around to face him.
Alan sat crouched with his eyes focused on her holding a large knife ready to stab. There was a very limited number of ways that could be interpreted and none of them were good. Despite that, the woman gave Alan a broad grin.
"Finally!" she said. She stood and took a step towards him. Her response set alarm bells off in Alan's head; she wasn't the least bit afraid of him. And worse, she seemed to be expecting him. But, the most confusing thing was that his hunger all but vanished. In its place, he felt the vague satisfaction that he would be eating soon. It was the same kind of feeling he had any time he spotted a waiter bringing his food.
"What do you mean, 'Finally'?" Alan asked as he took a step back and drew his gun. He couldn't worry about being quiet anymore; he needed to defend himself.
"I'm practically wasting away from hunger," she said as she continued to move towards him.
\*BANG\* Alan fired straight at her head. He watched the single bullet go through it leaving only a faint ripple as if he'd fired at the lake itself. He kept squeezing the trigger hoping any one of the bullets made a difference. But, she reached him by the time it clicked empty. She reached up to put her hand on the gun and Alan let it go.
"NO!" he shouted as he flung Stabby at her. She moved fast enough to catch the black scorpion in her hand; then, she surrounded it in a bubble of water before tossing it into the lake behind her.
"How delicious...," Majicka grinned as she grabbed his hand. Alan felt a sudden, intense drowsiness wash over his body. His knees buckled and he fought to keep his eyes open. It was a losing battle and he heard her one more time before he lost consciousness. "...Chip finally got my order right."
\*\*\*
Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1752 in a row. (Story #306 in year five.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on August 22nd and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until May 26th. They are all collected in order at [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/wtglls/tokuhigh_alternet_class/). | Mr. J. Ker,
​
I presume you've done your research before selecting me for this task. This would mean you have likely heard of my more, let's say, "overt" exploits. Believe me when I say that they are are only a fraction of my completed assignments. I strive to be as professional and effective as possible at all times. Far be it for me to ever ask questions about tasks.
​
However, your insistence on expediency, as well as the agreed sum, has me asking questions regarding the value of this "reporter". I assure you, the job will be completed on schedule, but I would like additional details as to who this Mr. "C. Kent" is, and why he is being targeted.
​
Please rest assured, I am not inquiring as to the nature of your relationship. This is simply so that I may be better prepared for any interference, from either the target or outside sources.
​
Regards,
\-Tango | |
[WP] As the last note of the last song echoed around the room, I watched as the audience all turned to dust. And all I felt was relief. | "*Finally*, I thought.
I posed the violin on a chair near me and sat on the border of the indoor stage, looking at the remains of my 'audience', evaporating quickly in the air.
The walls of the empty theatre towered over me, its many boxes full of shadows seemingly coming alive.
I threw a glare at the violin, the object that was making my life both better and worse at the same time.
My grandfather had gifted it to me when I was four, saying it was his most beloved object. He wanted me to learn something not only usefull but beautyfull, and so taught me everything he could. When he died, I couldn't take myself to play it again.
That until a few months before my performance, when I finally touched it by mistake and heard my grandpa's voice echo through the halls: "You dare waste our lessons?!"
Since then, his spirit had not left me a second of peace. He insisted on making me practice at least twice a day, and when I tried arguing it was useless since there was no audience, he made one up.
The people who witnessed my aimless performances were made of the same dust I walked on, of the smog outside the theatre, of the wood splinters fallen from the roof's beams. When I first saw them, I refused to practice, something my... 'grandfather' did not take in quietly.
So, here I was, sitting in a haunted theatre, cursed to use my granpa's benevolent gift as my own instrument of torture.
But today," he said, lighting the bonfire, "today it all ends."
He made his hand, which gripped the violin tightly, hover the flames.
And with a slight smile, he let it go.
[Sorry for the rushed ending but it's been a pretty tiring day, so going to sleep. Hope you liked it nonetheless.] | "...and I will trrrrry to fix you..."
The whooping and the yelling overwhelmed my thoughts, and that was okay. I embraced the electric atmosphere from the ten thousand attendees who had come to watch Coldplay.
This had been a treat for myself, and I hadn't been disappointed. Not once.
It hadn't been easy getting tickets, but after three months of bargaining, I'd gotten his hand on one.
But all things needed to end. There was no way out. In every form of literature, humanity overcame the odds, defeated the evil villain(s), and there was one way or another, a happy ending.
Not tomorrow, and it didn't just threaten Earth, but every planet in this universe.
Tomorrow an evil would spread into our reality, and unleash nightmares unfathomable to *any mind*. Barely looking at it for a second had fractured my mind, crippling me to the point that I dropped to my knees and wept. It was all I had the strength to do.
"'Excuse me." The voice made me jump. Someone was pulling on my sleeve.
I turned, met by a group of teenage boys with a camera. "You're Doctor Strange, aren't you?"
I nodded. There was no annoyance at the presence of teenagers today. Often I found them rude and cheeky, up to no good, but given the circumstances, I offered a smile.
"Can I help you?"
"My sister...she er...she wants to know if you'll go out with her." The lead boy fidgeted nervously, looking down at his phone. "If er...if you wouldn't mind?" He turned the phone screen toward my face.
Red faced, the girl on the phone screen turned her face away. I smirked. "Hi there."
The girl pulled herself away slightly, and I could get a proper look at what she looked like and where she was. A hospital ward.
I closed my eyes, wanting to tell her and her brother I was sorry, but that wasn't what they needed right now. "Kiara, right? Good name."
The boys gasped. "How did you know?"
"He's a wizard, dummy!"
"Her coffee flask says "Property of Kiara Wesslington"," I point out.
"Mister Strange-" Kiara started.
"Please," I replied. "Call me Stephen."
"I was wondering if...if once I'm better, whether you'd like to go on a date with me?"
I chuckled, looking up from the girl, seeing the anticipation grow on their faces. I turned my face back to Kiara. "I would love to. Hey, tell me where you're at, and I'll come and visit you tomorrow."
I scolded myself for giving false hope. From tomorrow, there wasn't going to be any hospitals. Regardless, she told me where she was, and I repeated it back to her to her satisfaction. "I um...I guess I'll see you then."
"Guess I will, Kiara." The phone screen went blank, and the brother ran over and gave me a hug. I wasn't used to these, but I gently patted him on the back, turning his baseball cap the other way round so the tip wasn't pressed into me.
"Thank you, Mister Strange."
"You're welcome, kid. She's lucky to have you." Stepping away from the boy, I looked at him and his friends. "It's almost midnight. You getting a ride?"
"Yeah, my dad - he's just texted actually," The brother replied, swiping his screen. "Yeah, he's turned up. Bye, sir!"
I waved farewell, and then took one last look around me. People were leaving, calm and content that they had had one of the best nights of their lives. But all things come to an end.
With a swirl of my fingers, a portal appeared - discrete. The golden infinity gauntlet hovered onto my right hand, filled with each of the infinity stones. I grimaced as a surge of power rushed through me, breaking through the protective spells I'd put upon myself before the concern.
*Goodbye life*. I clicked my thumb and index finger, and a single tear rolled down my cheek. This was for the best.
I promise. | |
[WP] Your wife breaks up with you, takes the kids, the dog, and the house. You are at your lowest. Then, a man appears, saying that he can help... for a price. | The three day old pizza tasted bland. Not sure how the pizza tasted bland but it fit my mood. Netflix tried to play on my laptop, which was probably a generation too old to do that.
I glanced around my current abode, which was a studio apartment in a not so nice part of town. The remnants of my life came down to 2 lawn chairs, a plastic crate, a sleeping bag, pillow and 8 tubs of books.
Ah, my books. She took everything or tried to, but I wouldn’t let her have my books. One of the few things I had saved from before getting married as she had thrown out or destroyed everything else.
But than again, my life of 15 years was now gone. Kids, dog, house, all out of my reach with a restraining order to boot. Not sure how she got that through since I wasn’t even in the state when she said I assaulted her. Who knows.
I wanted to care, honestly I did, but despair just seemed to make me shut my mind up and watch mindless shows on a laptop that seemed ready to give up like me. How do you find hope when you just lost over a dozen years of life.
The knock was quite loud. Nothing on the walls of the apartment to deaden the sound. My thought was it was neighbor kids who would play ding dong ditch on my door. Answering it gave me something to do.
I stood up and looked out the peephole. No kids or lack thereof, but a man in a nice suit and fedora. He had a briefcase and a warm smile. He looked like your favorite uncle who always had good advice or knew how to help.
Not sure why I opened the door. Maybe loneliness, but I did. He smiled at me and spoke in a tone that mirrored my first impression of him, “Hello. I have been sent to help you.”
I kind of blinked, “Who sent you? Work? I still have PTO days.”
He smiled again, warming my soul up as if he had known me all my life, “No no, not work. I am independently employed and know you need a little help. May I come in?”
Was this guy a scam artist? Nicest dressed scam artists in the world, but hey what the heck. “Come in.” I intoned.
He smiled and walked in, taking off his shoes politely and walking over to where the lawn chairs set. He automatically took the one I used as a foot rest but paused, “May I sit?”
I shrugged, “Sure”
He sat and motioned for me to sit too, he smiled and swung his briefcase on his lap, “I am here to offer you a deal. I can provide you with your heart's desire but it will come at a cost.”
I blinked at his words. They were so similar to the books I read. Always something fleeting for something permanent. Whether it was a fantasy novel where the person puts their soul on the line or some other story where the bargain is never in favor of the person.
I almost laughed, “Nothing against you but I don’t know you, why do you care?”
He smiled, “Lets just say this isn’t a deal you are thinking of. You like reading a bit, but no I am not the Devil and you are definitely not Daniel Webster.”
I blinked stunned. I turned my head, who was this man to read my thoughts?
He smiled at me and popped open the briefcase inside was a contract, “No I am not the Devil, but I am not human either. I felt your despair a mile away. I see the light in your eyes as just a dim flicker of what it once was. And I am here to give you a second chance.”
I frowned, now completly confused like studying a book for too many hours, “What? Why me? What chance?”
He smiled, “Because it is time this world starts waking up a bit.”
My confusion got worse and the fuzzy feeling in my brain ran wild, “But who are you? And why me?”
My brain was foggy. Did my pizza go bad? Did I drink something wrong? Why didn't he answer me and what was with that really warm smile. I didn’t understand, but I was signing the paper. What was compelling me, what was I doing, and who was this person.
He smiled big as I finished my signature and a jolt of something went through me, “Congratulations!” He paused as we stood and he shook my hand like I just got hired at a fortune 500 corporation.
What did I just do? But he smiled and closed his briefcase and walked over to the door putting on his shoes. “We will be in touch tomorrow. Lots of big plans for you.” He didn’t really pause, just got his shoes on and opened the door, “Have a nice evening, and stay near your bed.”
What? That was my thought but no sound came out my mouth as he shut the door. My brain didn’t know what to do, it was like my thoughts had to float through pea soup to make something happen.
I somehow locked the door and stumbled over to my sleeping bag. I felt like I had taken a box of cold medicine but I was definitely feeling the pain. I flopped down on my sleeping bag wanting to close my eyes. My despair was guiding my fuzzy brian to turn off, I needed to sleep but my last sight before everything went dark shocked me for a moment before sleep took me. My hand was glowing. | I was sitting on the side of the road, crying, when he approached me. A tall slender man in a black suit with eyes glowing red, brighter than anything I’d ever seen before. His presence was chilling, but comforting all the same. He sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me like we’d been friends for years. His touch warm and tender, and for the first time in a while I didn’t feel so alone. I cried and cried in his arms, and he listened to and held me.
When the tears stopped, and I had finally calmed, he spoke: “The world.” He said.
I look at him in confusion and rage, on the verge of breaking down again. For no reason other than confusion, coupled with my current emotional instability.
“I can give you the world.” He said softly. “But nothing in this world is free, and all are not ready to carry the burden of this cost.”
I look at him in marvel, stunned. The world? What does he mean by that? I try to collect myself, “wha-what do you mean by th-the world?” I say my slowly, my voice shaking and weak.
“Your wishes, your desires. They can be reality.” He says, without looking at me, his gaze staring longingly into the distance. “But the cost is a hefty one.”
Distraught and alone, desperately seeking for anything to heal my pain; my emotions move my mouth, despite the warnings from my brain:
“Anything. I’ll do anything.”
The man says nothing, and slowly stands up. The warmth of his touch slowly escaping my body. Without another word, he turns, and walks away. I think to yell after him, but I’m far too weak. Abandoned by yet another, I should’ve expected it. The sweetness he whispered in my ear, merely a deception to twist the knife in my wound.
I crawl to the middle of the road and lay down, hoping for an end to the pain. I curl into a fetal position and close my eyes, waiting for death. However, When I next open them, I find I am not dead. Rather I lay in my old bed. My wife and dog next to me…
—
[Fuji-Jufi-Writes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fuji_Jufi_Writes/) | |
[WP] Your wife breaks up with you, takes the kids, the dog, and the house. You are at your lowest. Then, a man appears, saying that he can help... for a price. | The mystery man led me into a room into the back of the pub. He opened the door to reveal nothing but a chair and a standing mirror covered with a cloth. As he shut the door behind me, the man asked, "Do you believe in second chances, friend?"
I scoffed. "I'm in a locked windowless room with a man I've never met after he hinted at being able to turn my life around, so yeah, I'd say I'm a believer."
The man chuckled as he turned around to face me. "I suppose a person will hope to grow wings when a leap of faith is the only option left. Take a seat, friend."
I plopped down in the chair and asked, "You said there was a price for this. So what is it?"
The man rested his hand on the mirror as he replied, "The price is your ignorance. What I can do is send you back in time to when you met your sweetheart, memories wiped. A clean reset. But there's no guarantee you'll end up with them again, and more importantly, you can't live through a timeline identical to your previous go-around. There's gotta be some point where the timelines divide."
"So what's the mirror for then?"
"This mirror's gonna show you things about yourself. Things you may not see any weight to. But it's all for the sake of showing you an important truth. You come to the right conclusion, and I send you back in time with your new timeline incorporating said conclusion. Your ignorance gone, the price paid."
The man gripped the cloth. "You get two chances to back out of this. This is the first." The rational part of my brain was telling me to leave, that this was a waste of my time. But the rest of me kept thinking about Mindy and all of the wonderful years we had together. I looked dead in the mirror and said, "Do it."
The man pulled the cloth away and stepped aside. The mirror was perfectly black at first, but then a series of crude outlines of people formed. One of them had a stocking cap--the exact one I wore obsessively through high school. Suddenly, I was in the mirror as the outline-me.
I had my earbuds in and my head down when I stopped in front of a store. The other mannequins were completely featureless, but the one I was looking at had an amazing shirt with a design of a skull with a rose in its' eye. But looking at it, I felt an inexplicable sense of dread, like everyone in the world was watching me, waiting to see if I'd really blow my money on one measly shirt. Eventually I walked away, but I went home with such a strong feeling of guilt.
The mirror shifted. Now I was sitting at my desk, watching a movie on the projector with the rest of my English class. I looked around the room and beamed when I saw Mindy. But then I looked back at the screen and saw now we were watching footage of me giving an oral report. I sank down in my chair, painfully embarrassed at the memory.
The mirror shifted again. Now I was at my dad's wedding reception, dressed up in a brand new suit. But little by little, the suit started to itch and chafe. I ran to the bathroom in an attempt to solve the problem, only to discover the suit was now stuck to my body. I struggled with it for a bit, but accidentally opened the bathroom door and tumbled into a shadowy void.
All around me, memories spun and swirled like a twister. I couldn't make out all of them, but in all of them, a white scribbled-on cloud surrounded me like a smokescreen. I curled up into a ball, desperately trying to make it all stop. Suddenly, the twister of memories dissipated, and I was alone with just one more memory.
I watched as an incredibly young version of me placed something in a box and walked away crying. I walked over to the box and saw it had the word 'donations' on it. I reached inside the box and pulled out a Hello Kitty plushie. A feeling of melancholy sprang up in my heart; I remembered that I got rid of the plushie when I brought it to school one day and the other kids made fun of me--
Oh. *Oh*.
I didn't feel anxious about buying the shirt because of the cost. I was anxious because it was displayed on a female mannequin. I wasn't embarrassed by the memory of giving an oral report. I was ashamed of how the speech I gave was wildly sexist looking back. I wasn't uncomfortable because the suit irritated my skin. I was uncomfortable because I just didn't want to wear a suit at all.
I closed and opened my eyes. I was back in the room with the man, who threw the cloth back over the mirror. He looked at me and said, "So friend, what do you know?"
I sighed without breaking my gaze at the covered mirror. "I'm actually a woman."
The man nodded. "This is your second chance. Do you want to step back?"
I looked at the man and shook my head. "I want to go back. To be the real me."
The man smiled, said, "Happy travels, friend," and turned the lights off with a snap of his fingers.
*EIGHT YEARS AGO*
I sighed as I walked up to my locker. Somebody had defaced it with the word 'CROSSDRESSING FREAK' in black permanent marker. Probably Mindy or one of her idiot friends. I took my stuff out and shut it again when I heard a bunch of kids yelling and laughing.
I looked to my left and went wide eyed at the sight that was clearing a path through the crowd of students. Maria Silas, who was a foot taller than everyone else in her grade and scary as hell, was dragging Mindy by the ear right over to me. The two stopped in front of my locker as Maria said to me, "Hey, Vivian. This'll just be a second." She then scowled at Mindy and damn near yelled, "This you, huh? This little piece of modern art your doing?"
I realized that she was talking about the graffiti on my locker. Mindy grunted, prompting Maria to reiterate, " Did you do this or not?!"
"It was me, okay, it was me!"
Maria forced Mindy onto her knees and pulled out a spray bottle and cloth from her backpack. She threw them in front of Mindy and remarked, "Unless I'm mistaken, you're not a dog. So clean up the mess you made."
Mindy begrudgingly started cleaning off my locker as Maria turned to face me and said, "If she pulls shit like this again, you tell me, got it? The teachers might not give a fuck about what she does, but I do."
I blushed as I replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I'll definitely come to you next time." | I was sitting on the side of the road, crying, when he approached me. A tall slender man in a black suit with eyes glowing red, brighter than anything I’d ever seen before. His presence was chilling, but comforting all the same. He sat next to me and wrapped his arm around me like we’d been friends for years. His touch warm and tender, and for the first time in a while I didn’t feel so alone. I cried and cried in his arms, and he listened to and held me.
When the tears stopped, and I had finally calmed, he spoke: “The world.” He said.
I look at him in confusion and rage, on the verge of breaking down again. For no reason other than confusion, coupled with my current emotional instability.
“I can give you the world.” He said softly. “But nothing in this world is free, and all are not ready to carry the burden of this cost.”
I look at him in marvel, stunned. The world? What does he mean by that? I try to collect myself, “wha-what do you mean by th-the world?” I say my slowly, my voice shaking and weak.
“Your wishes, your desires. They can be reality.” He says, without looking at me, his gaze staring longingly into the distance. “But the cost is a hefty one.”
Distraught and alone, desperately seeking for anything to heal my pain; my emotions move my mouth, despite the warnings from my brain:
“Anything. I’ll do anything.”
The man says nothing, and slowly stands up. The warmth of his touch slowly escaping my body. Without another word, he turns, and walks away. I think to yell after him, but I’m far too weak. Abandoned by yet another, I should’ve expected it. The sweetness he whispered in my ear, merely a deception to twist the knife in my wound.
I crawl to the middle of the road and lay down, hoping for an end to the pain. I curl into a fetal position and close my eyes, waiting for death. However, When I next open them, I find I am not dead. Rather I lay in my old bed. My wife and dog next to me…
—
[Fuji-Jufi-Writes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Fuji_Jufi_Writes/) | |
[WP] Your wife breaks up with you, takes the kids, the dog, and the house. You are at your lowest. Then, a man appears, saying that he can help... for a price. | The mystery man led me into a room into the back of the pub. He opened the door to reveal nothing but a chair and a standing mirror covered with a cloth. As he shut the door behind me, the man asked, "Do you believe in second chances, friend?"
I scoffed. "I'm in a locked windowless room with a man I've never met after he hinted at being able to turn my life around, so yeah, I'd say I'm a believer."
The man chuckled as he turned around to face me. "I suppose a person will hope to grow wings when a leap of faith is the only option left. Take a seat, friend."
I plopped down in the chair and asked, "You said there was a price for this. So what is it?"
The man rested his hand on the mirror as he replied, "The price is your ignorance. What I can do is send you back in time to when you met your sweetheart, memories wiped. A clean reset. But there's no guarantee you'll end up with them again, and more importantly, you can't live through a timeline identical to your previous go-around. There's gotta be some point where the timelines divide."
"So what's the mirror for then?"
"This mirror's gonna show you things about yourself. Things you may not see any weight to. But it's all for the sake of showing you an important truth. You come to the right conclusion, and I send you back in time with your new timeline incorporating said conclusion. Your ignorance gone, the price paid."
The man gripped the cloth. "You get two chances to back out of this. This is the first." The rational part of my brain was telling me to leave, that this was a waste of my time. But the rest of me kept thinking about Mindy and all of the wonderful years we had together. I looked dead in the mirror and said, "Do it."
The man pulled the cloth away and stepped aside. The mirror was perfectly black at first, but then a series of crude outlines of people formed. One of them had a stocking cap--the exact one I wore obsessively through high school. Suddenly, I was in the mirror as the outline-me.
I had my earbuds in and my head down when I stopped in front of a store. The other mannequins were completely featureless, but the one I was looking at had an amazing shirt with a design of a skull with a rose in its' eye. But looking at it, I felt an inexplicable sense of dread, like everyone in the world was watching me, waiting to see if I'd really blow my money on one measly shirt. Eventually I walked away, but I went home with such a strong feeling of guilt.
The mirror shifted. Now I was sitting at my desk, watching a movie on the projector with the rest of my English class. I looked around the room and beamed when I saw Mindy. But then I looked back at the screen and saw now we were watching footage of me giving an oral report. I sank down in my chair, painfully embarrassed at the memory.
The mirror shifted again. Now I was at my dad's wedding reception, dressed up in a brand new suit. But little by little, the suit started to itch and chafe. I ran to the bathroom in an attempt to solve the problem, only to discover the suit was now stuck to my body. I struggled with it for a bit, but accidentally opened the bathroom door and tumbled into a shadowy void.
All around me, memories spun and swirled like a twister. I couldn't make out all of them, but in all of them, a white scribbled-on cloud surrounded me like a smokescreen. I curled up into a ball, desperately trying to make it all stop. Suddenly, the twister of memories dissipated, and I was alone with just one more memory.
I watched as an incredibly young version of me placed something in a box and walked away crying. I walked over to the box and saw it had the word 'donations' on it. I reached inside the box and pulled out a Hello Kitty plushie. A feeling of melancholy sprang up in my heart; I remembered that I got rid of the plushie when I brought it to school one day and the other kids made fun of me--
Oh. *Oh*.
I didn't feel anxious about buying the shirt because of the cost. I was anxious because it was displayed on a female mannequin. I wasn't embarrassed by the memory of giving an oral report. I was ashamed of how the speech I gave was wildly sexist looking back. I wasn't uncomfortable because the suit irritated my skin. I was uncomfortable because I just didn't want to wear a suit at all.
I closed and opened my eyes. I was back in the room with the man, who threw the cloth back over the mirror. He looked at me and said, "So friend, what do you know?"
I sighed without breaking my gaze at the covered mirror. "I'm actually a woman."
The man nodded. "This is your second chance. Do you want to step back?"
I looked at the man and shook my head. "I want to go back. To be the real me."
The man smiled, said, "Happy travels, friend," and turned the lights off with a snap of his fingers.
*EIGHT YEARS AGO*
I sighed as I walked up to my locker. Somebody had defaced it with the word 'CROSSDRESSING FREAK' in black permanent marker. Probably Mindy or one of her idiot friends. I took my stuff out and shut it again when I heard a bunch of kids yelling and laughing.
I looked to my left and went wide eyed at the sight that was clearing a path through the crowd of students. Maria Silas, who was a foot taller than everyone else in her grade and scary as hell, was dragging Mindy by the ear right over to me. The two stopped in front of my locker as Maria said to me, "Hey, Vivian. This'll just be a second." She then scowled at Mindy and damn near yelled, "This you, huh? This little piece of modern art your doing?"
I realized that she was talking about the graffiti on my locker. Mindy grunted, prompting Maria to reiterate, " Did you do this or not?!"
"It was me, okay, it was me!"
Maria forced Mindy onto her knees and pulled out a spray bottle and cloth from her backpack. She threw them in front of Mindy and remarked, "Unless I'm mistaken, you're not a dog. So clean up the mess you made."
Mindy begrudgingly started cleaning off my locker as Maria turned to face me and said, "If she pulls shit like this again, you tell me, got it? The teachers might not give a fuck about what she does, but I do."
I blushed as I replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I'll definitely come to you next time." | The three day old pizza tasted bland. Not sure how the pizza tasted bland but it fit my mood. Netflix tried to play on my laptop, which was probably a generation too old to do that.
I glanced around my current abode, which was a studio apartment in a not so nice part of town. The remnants of my life came down to 2 lawn chairs, a plastic crate, a sleeping bag, pillow and 8 tubs of books.
Ah, my books. She took everything or tried to, but I wouldn’t let her have my books. One of the few things I had saved from before getting married as she had thrown out or destroyed everything else.
But than again, my life of 15 years was now gone. Kids, dog, house, all out of my reach with a restraining order to boot. Not sure how she got that through since I wasn’t even in the state when she said I assaulted her. Who knows.
I wanted to care, honestly I did, but despair just seemed to make me shut my mind up and watch mindless shows on a laptop that seemed ready to give up like me. How do you find hope when you just lost over a dozen years of life.
The knock was quite loud. Nothing on the walls of the apartment to deaden the sound. My thought was it was neighbor kids who would play ding dong ditch on my door. Answering it gave me something to do.
I stood up and looked out the peephole. No kids or lack thereof, but a man in a nice suit and fedora. He had a briefcase and a warm smile. He looked like your favorite uncle who always had good advice or knew how to help.
Not sure why I opened the door. Maybe loneliness, but I did. He smiled at me and spoke in a tone that mirrored my first impression of him, “Hello. I have been sent to help you.”
I kind of blinked, “Who sent you? Work? I still have PTO days.”
He smiled again, warming my soul up as if he had known me all my life, “No no, not work. I am independently employed and know you need a little help. May I come in?”
Was this guy a scam artist? Nicest dressed scam artists in the world, but hey what the heck. “Come in.” I intoned.
He smiled and walked in, taking off his shoes politely and walking over to where the lawn chairs set. He automatically took the one I used as a foot rest but paused, “May I sit?”
I shrugged, “Sure”
He sat and motioned for me to sit too, he smiled and swung his briefcase on his lap, “I am here to offer you a deal. I can provide you with your heart's desire but it will come at a cost.”
I blinked at his words. They were so similar to the books I read. Always something fleeting for something permanent. Whether it was a fantasy novel where the person puts their soul on the line or some other story where the bargain is never in favor of the person.
I almost laughed, “Nothing against you but I don’t know you, why do you care?”
He smiled, “Lets just say this isn’t a deal you are thinking of. You like reading a bit, but no I am not the Devil and you are definitely not Daniel Webster.”
I blinked stunned. I turned my head, who was this man to read my thoughts?
He smiled at me and popped open the briefcase inside was a contract, “No I am not the Devil, but I am not human either. I felt your despair a mile away. I see the light in your eyes as just a dim flicker of what it once was. And I am here to give you a second chance.”
I frowned, now completly confused like studying a book for too many hours, “What? Why me? What chance?”
He smiled, “Because it is time this world starts waking up a bit.”
My confusion got worse and the fuzzy feeling in my brain ran wild, “But who are you? And why me?”
My brain was foggy. Did my pizza go bad? Did I drink something wrong? Why didn't he answer me and what was with that really warm smile. I didn’t understand, but I was signing the paper. What was compelling me, what was I doing, and who was this person.
He smiled big as I finished my signature and a jolt of something went through me, “Congratulations!” He paused as we stood and he shook my hand like I just got hired at a fortune 500 corporation.
What did I just do? But he smiled and closed his briefcase and walked over to the door putting on his shoes. “We will be in touch tomorrow. Lots of big plans for you.” He didn’t really pause, just got his shoes on and opened the door, “Have a nice evening, and stay near your bed.”
What? That was my thought but no sound came out my mouth as he shut the door. My brain didn’t know what to do, it was like my thoughts had to float through pea soup to make something happen.
I somehow locked the door and stumbled over to my sleeping bag. I felt like I had taken a box of cold medicine but I was definitely feeling the pain. I flopped down on my sleeping bag wanting to close my eyes. My despair was guiding my fuzzy brian to turn off, I needed to sleep but my last sight before everything went dark shocked me for a moment before sleep took me. My hand was glowing. | |
[WP] D&D, You are a warlock who doesn't use eldritch blast, since to use it you must say the name of you patron, and you kinda forgotten their name after they introduced themselves, and been calling them by "master", "my leige", "dude"... | \*SO LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND YOU CORRECTLY\* The cosmic horror studied the ghostly image of the half-dead Warlock.
\*I GAVE YOU NEAR INFINITE ACCESS TO THE PRIMAL FORCES OF THE COSMOS, AND YOU GOT SHIVVED IN THE BRAIN BY A GOBLIN, BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T REMEMBER MY NAME?\*
The Warlock floated within the ethereal \*otherness\* for a time before answering. Finally, realizing that there was no denying it he let out an audible sigh.
"Look, yes, there's a shiv in my brain. And yes, it was because a goblin put it there, and yes, I may or may not have not cast Eldritch Blast because I may or may not have forgotten your name. But there's a lot more to it than that."
The cosmic entity merely gazed, mute, and unwavering.
"Ok, fine I forgot your fucking name! Are you happy now? Do you feel better now that I've admitted it? I mean, your name consists of thirteen consonants from nine, NINE different languages! Two of them are dead languages, and another THREE are languages that haven't been invented yet, because, and I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but time apparently has no meaning to a cosmic god-beast like yourself."
\*TIME IS A MEANINGLESS CONSTRUCT OF A FEABILE MIND TRYING TO COMPREHEND-\*
"Trying to comprehend infinity, yeah, yeah, I know, I've heard the sales pitch like a million times already, I get it. Anyway, it's not like I WANTED to forget, but I'm not a goddamned mind reader."
\*YOU LITERALLY, THROUGH MY WILL MADE MANIFEST, HAVE THE ABILITY TO READ MINDS. ALSO TO CONTROL THEM, I MIGHT ADD\*
"Right, ok, yes, that is true. BUT what do I have to do in order to access that power again?"
The god beast's uncountable eyes all narrowed, ever so slightly.
\*YOUR POINT IS MADE. THEN WHY DID YOU ACCEPT THE GIFT OF MY POWERS, AND CHOOSE TO ACT AS MY HERALD? ANSWER ME THAT, MORTAL.\*
"Well, first off, I'm smart enough to not deliberately piss off an elder god of the cosmos."
\*GOD KING.\*
"Right, god king. Secondly, I like power. Even if I wasn't so pants-shittingly terrified of my sould being flayed for eternity by monsters from beyond the veil, I'm not going to turn my nose up at an offer like that. I'd be a fool, or a mad man to do so."
\*YOU'VE GAZED ON MY VISAGE. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY MAD.\*
"Yes, ok, that is also fair. But I wasn't mad BEFORE I saw you, and made that pact, is what I'm getting at."
\*THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT AS PRODUCTIVE AS I WOULD LIKE.\*
"Well there is still the matter of the shiv in my brain. Which, while we're on the subject, do you think you could, you know, DO something about that?"
\*THE SHIV, OR THE GOBLIN THAT PUT IT THERE?\*
"Well, unless it's a healing shiv, I think that might be the priority."
\*IT IS NOT A HEALING SHIV. NO SUCH OBJECT EXISTS. UNLESS I WILL IT TO BE SO. WHICH I DO NOT.\*
"Ok, well, once the shiv situation is taken care of, I can deal with the goblin, but we need to work on exactly how I can call upon the ancient horrors you call power, so that we can avoid this situation in the future."
\*I CAN ALWAYS FORCE FEED YOUR SOUL IT'S OWN ENTRAILS FOR ETERNITY UNTIL EVEN YOUR MORTAL MIND IS SO BROKEN THAT THE only THING IT REMEMBERS IS MY NAME?\*
"That makes me sound a lot more like a slave, and less like a herald than I would prefer."
\*YOU'RE CATCHING ON, PUNY HUMAN.\*
"Well fuck." | Most Warlocks remember entering their pact with their patron, it is supposed to be a life changing moment after all. A world changing start to what’s sure to be an interesting story of adventure and magic.
That’s how it’s supposed to start at least, for me it was… a different story. A night like any other, I had gotten back from the mines and decided to go drinking with a couple of friends, a few drinks later and a headache later I found myself in the middle of a forest bound to some elf. Apparently I had somehow stumbled into a contract while I was drunk off my ass.
Something about promising to go out and find the finest drinks in the land for my new master, supposedly he had given me the power to do it too all I needed to do was say his name. A name I don’t remember, so here I am about to head out on a grand adventure with nothing but a pickaxe, a good taste in ale, and peering eyes from my “master” | |
[WP] D&D, You are a warlock who doesn't use eldritch blast, since to use it you must say the name of you patron, and you kinda forgotten their name after they introduced themselves, and been calling them by "master", "my leige", "dude"... | You really can’t blame me for being unprepared to listen when summoning my patron.
Try staying up for forty-eight hours to get in the appropriately fugue-ish state of mind for an eldritch being of unknown age. Then, drawing a freehand circle. Have you tried drawing a circle, even while perfectly sober? Go on. Go ahead.
Doesn’t look too good, right? Now knock yourself in the head a few times to simulate my mental acuity. Squigglier? Of course it is!
But this demanded perfection. As did the appropriate amount of burning candles numbering three hundred and twenty-two, the tendrils of thick, choking smoke forming into an anaconda that threatened to constrict my whole self.
Imagine all this smog. Imagine the brain fog. And then, your deity immediately gets summoned, and drops a soundtrack that sounded straight out of a psychedelic rock jam. Your ears are jammed full of adrenaline and rushing blood, and your god says their name!
What am I to do? Ask my liege to repeat his name again? I dared not!
I could not write it down either. Please, my eyes were watering so much that they became oasis in the middle of the dry desert that was my face—from all the smoke, remember? Pray, tell, how do you write like that?
What?
WHAT?!
If you insult me, you are also insulting my lord. My own personal god, who’s bestowed powers on me that you could only imagine, you melee brute. Oh, you can get angry and swing your axe faster? Ooh, colour me the colour of surprise! I can summon a thousand swords from right beneath your feet, cutting you to ribbons.
I shall have the master of darkness smite you. My master of darkness, first of his name, and last of his kind, hailing from a plane so impossible to imagine that it would be like trying to tell a scrambled egg that it could have become a chicken.
And that, my pathetic adventuring party, is the story of why I cannot use eldritch blast. Coincidentally, it also explains why I demand that we must stop right here and take a short rest.
No rest. No rest?
Fine. Fine! Bear with me being useless then, you insufferable fools. I shall…
Hold on.
Wait a moment.
Don’t leave me behind! Fine, fine, I’ll just swing my dagger around!
Ah, did you know this very dagger was the one that I dug into my veins for the ritual? See here, the blood spatters…
---
r/dexdrafts | Most Warlocks remember entering their pact with their patron, it is supposed to be a life changing moment after all. A world changing start to what’s sure to be an interesting story of adventure and magic.
That’s how it’s supposed to start at least, for me it was… a different story. A night like any other, I had gotten back from the mines and decided to go drinking with a couple of friends, a few drinks later and a headache later I found myself in the middle of a forest bound to some elf. Apparently I had somehow stumbled into a contract while I was drunk off my ass.
Something about promising to go out and find the finest drinks in the land for my new master, supposedly he had given me the power to do it too all I needed to do was say his name. A name I don’t remember, so here I am about to head out on a grand adventure with nothing but a pickaxe, a good taste in ale, and peering eyes from my “master” | |
[WP] Your spouse was actually an amnesiac god that had both their powers and memories sealed away years ago. Now the seal is broken and they have regained their godhood. They're curious why you're not as happy as they are about this. | I loved my wife. She was my everything. But that was before the tragedy. Well to her it was a miracle. Turns out she was a goddess who got sealed away, with no memories. She was ecstatic to be free. And at first I was confused and concerned, but now I'm just sorrowful.
Over the past 2 weeks since when it first happened, I had realized that she had became a completely different person. Her humanity was gone. She acted like how a god does. And I mean that in a bad way. Uncaring and apathetic to mortals. Yet she still loved me. I on the other felt nothing. There was almost nothing of the woman I had fallen in love with left. And so I decided to tell her.
"This isn't going to work out."I said coldly.
"WHAT!? WHY!?" She said confused.
"You're not the same person as who I had fallen in love with, not even close." I said, a hint of sorrow showing pass my cold demeanor.
"I'm more me than I've ever been. How come you aren't happy? Aren't ecstatic? Wanting to divorce me? I can do anything. I'M A GOD!" She said, anger in her voice.
"I just said why. You've changed, and I loved the old you, not the new you." I said, returning back to my cold demeanor.
"WHY!? I CAN DO SO MUCH MORE! BE SO MUCH MORE! SHOW YOU SITES YOU'VE NEVER DREAMED OF!" She said, her voice a mix of sorrow, confusion, and anger.
"I don't care about that. I'm no longer happy with you. I no longer feel love towards you." I said, still as cold as before.
The moment I said I no longer loved her, she went into absolute rage. She burst out the house, destroying a large chunk of it, and left. But I know she'll be back. Either to "punish" me, or to try to kidnap me. I've seen how these stories where gods fall in love with or in interact with mortals goes.
So I sit here and wait. Seeing what fate shall befall me. But whatever it is, I don't care, not anymore. It feels as if my heart has been frozen solid. I've lost the will to care about anything anymore. | (It's been forever since I've written anything and I'm on mobile so I apologize if it's clunky or there's typos)
There's a blinding flash and a warm light surrounds my husband, filling our apartment with an intense glow. I stumble, clenching my eyes shut as the light seems to get brighter, nearly blinding me. It seems to last forever before I feel a gentle hand on my face.
"Love?" His voice was as gentle as it always was, but now it seemed like there was something more behind it. "You can open your eyes."
I open my eyes cautiously and the first thing I see is my husband's face a few inches from mine. His blue eyes seem to sparkle with excitement as he looks at me.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, the touch leaving a slight tingling sensation on my skin. "You don't know how good this is my love!" He laughed, "I remember everything!"
I pull back slightly, looking at him with confusion. "Remember what exactly?" In all our time of knowing each other he's never mentioned anything about any sort of memory gaps or anything of that sort.
"My real life. Who I really am. Isn't that great?!" He says it with such excitement that I try to keep a neutral expression on my face but on the inside I feel my heart shatter. What could he mean by that? What other real life could he have? We've known each other since we were children, what could be more real than that?
Against my best effort I feel tears slipping down my face. He notices and is immediately holding me close. "Oh love, it's nothing like that, our time together has been beautiful. I've treasured every moment with you. And I will treasure every moment to come. But this is only a tiny fracture of my life. I have more than just our time. Much more in fact. So you don't need to cry."
"You're making no sense," I mumble, my breath caught in my throat.
He smiles softly, wiping the tears from my face. "I guess I'm not. I'm just excited about this. But, you're not? And I'm not sure why?"
"You're not sure why?" My voice quivered, "maybe it's because you're making no sense? What do you mean by real life? You're talking like this was all a lie."
"Not a lie, but a half truth. I did live this life with you. I fell in love with you and continue to fall in love with you more every day. I swear. I've never loved a mortal like you." He looks away from me, not speaking for a few minutes. "But I have lived before this. A different life, a different name. I had power greater than a mortal could comprehend. I was worshiped by thousands. It was perfect." He paused. "Or at least I thought it was. And then I met you. And now I know what perfection is." He looks at me, his smile growing. "And you can come back with me. And you and I can have eternity together."
I don't return his smile and his face falls. I'm too stunned to speak, to fully process what he's saying.
"I thought you'd be happy about this Michael. This is good! Great even!! Why don't you understand?"
"I-I don't know. This…you…it's all too much. I need time to process."
He looked upset, but nodded. "I see. I can give you time. Call my name when you've decided and I will return."
Before I could protest, tell him that I didnt want him to go, that I had questions, he kissed me then vanished, leaving a single blue rose in his place. | |
[WP] Your spouse was actually an amnesiac god that had both their powers and memories sealed away years ago. Now the seal is broken and they have regained their godhood. They're curious why you're not as happy as they are about this. | “Wait, so you’re… a literal god? Why didn’t you ever tell me!!!?”
“I uhhhh, thought I lost all my powers, and memories until just now. I think… I have to go back to my duties… don’t worry, I don’t have to work a lot, we can keep our old life mostly unchanged!”
“I don’t get it… what are your… duties? Oh god, are you like a god of death? Do you kill people?”
“Wow that’s where you immediately go? No eww, I uhhh… I’m an amnesiac god, I take memories from people. Haven’t you realized that old trope of people being in car crashes and losing their memories hasn’t happened in a long time?”
“What… oh, so… you only need to do this once in a while? Like a part time job? You just… go take someone’s memories and come back?”
“Exactly! We’ll always be the loving way we always were! I love you and we won’t have to change anything!”
“I love you too! But… why’s the living room trashed? It’s almost like we were having a massive fight or something!”
“Oh uhhh that must have been my powers coming back and causing this huge mess, I guess that gave you quite a shock! Did you bump your head? Don’t you remember how we were just snuggling and watching tv on the couch? We were definitely not having a massive fight… stop thinking too much!!! Go sleep for the night, I’ll be back in the morning after my duties, I’m sure you’ll only be thinking about the good memories when you wake up!” | (It's been forever since I've written anything and I'm on mobile so I apologize if it's clunky or there's typos)
There's a blinding flash and a warm light surrounds my husband, filling our apartment with an intense glow. I stumble, clenching my eyes shut as the light seems to get brighter, nearly blinding me. It seems to last forever before I feel a gentle hand on my face.
"Love?" His voice was as gentle as it always was, but now it seemed like there was something more behind it. "You can open your eyes."
I open my eyes cautiously and the first thing I see is my husband's face a few inches from mine. His blue eyes seem to sparkle with excitement as he looks at me.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, the touch leaving a slight tingling sensation on my skin. "You don't know how good this is my love!" He laughed, "I remember everything!"
I pull back slightly, looking at him with confusion. "Remember what exactly?" In all our time of knowing each other he's never mentioned anything about any sort of memory gaps or anything of that sort.
"My real life. Who I really am. Isn't that great?!" He says it with such excitement that I try to keep a neutral expression on my face but on the inside I feel my heart shatter. What could he mean by that? What other real life could he have? We've known each other since we were children, what could be more real than that?
Against my best effort I feel tears slipping down my face. He notices and is immediately holding me close. "Oh love, it's nothing like that, our time together has been beautiful. I've treasured every moment with you. And I will treasure every moment to come. But this is only a tiny fracture of my life. I have more than just our time. Much more in fact. So you don't need to cry."
"You're making no sense," I mumble, my breath caught in my throat.
He smiles softly, wiping the tears from my face. "I guess I'm not. I'm just excited about this. But, you're not? And I'm not sure why?"
"You're not sure why?" My voice quivered, "maybe it's because you're making no sense? What do you mean by real life? You're talking like this was all a lie."
"Not a lie, but a half truth. I did live this life with you. I fell in love with you and continue to fall in love with you more every day. I swear. I've never loved a mortal like you." He looks away from me, not speaking for a few minutes. "But I have lived before this. A different life, a different name. I had power greater than a mortal could comprehend. I was worshiped by thousands. It was perfect." He paused. "Or at least I thought it was. And then I met you. And now I know what perfection is." He looks at me, his smile growing. "And you can come back with me. And you and I can have eternity together."
I don't return his smile and his face falls. I'm too stunned to speak, to fully process what he's saying.
"I thought you'd be happy about this Michael. This is good! Great even!! Why don't you understand?"
"I-I don't know. This…you…it's all too much. I need time to process."
He looked upset, but nodded. "I see. I can give you time. Call my name when you've decided and I will return."
Before I could protest, tell him that I didnt want him to go, that I had questions, he kissed me then vanished, leaving a single blue rose in his place. | |
[WP] Your spouse was actually an amnesiac god that had both their powers and memories sealed away years ago. Now the seal is broken and they have regained their godhood. They're curious why you're not as happy as they are about this. | This changes nothing
That's what I kept trying to tell myself at least. It's the first thing my wife told me a month ago when she had made her discovery; that she was more than a mere human.
For the past month, I clung to those words like a drowning man to a life boat in the middle of a typhoon.
For the past month, I wanted so desperately for those words to be true; that despite what she discovered, nothing would change between us.
However, no matter how hard I clung to my love's reassuring words with a desperate fervor, part of me knew better.
True, my wife did do her best to try and live life like she always had when she had believed herself to be human.
But how long could this really last? A decade? A year? Another month? Another week? Another day? Try as I may to deny it, I knew that one day she would grow tired of playing the role of being a mere human's wife and when that day comes...
I'll be alone.
I can't say I would blame her though. With all the power she has at her disposal, she could probably solve world hunger or end all war on earth. She could probably even solve climate change.
She definitely shouldn't be playing house with some average human she had eloped with when we were 16.
And yet, even as I thought about what she should be doing. A selfish part of me wanted nothing more than to keep her all to myself, the rest of the world be damned.
Was it selfish? Definitely. Did I care? Not one bit.
What did the world ever do for me anyway? What has humanity ever done for me that I should let go of the one person who has ever shown me true unconditional love for their sake.
Absolutely nothing.
Let them call me selfish, let them call me a villain for keeping them from salvation. I couldn't care less what they think of me.
She is the only one who matters to me, the one who ever mattered to me. If keeping her to myself means this world will keep on burning, then I say let it.
But what if she wants to leave? What if she wants to save them? Could I even do anything to stop her?
No, I couldn't. I was a mere human and she was a goddess. If she really wanted to leave, nothing I do could stop her.
Even now, such a fact does not fail to bring tears to my eyes as my chest constricts painfully and I sink down to my knees in despair.
I didn't know how long I was bawling my eyes out on the kitchen floor but the next thing I know something wraps around my midsection and pulls me into the air making me yelp in surprise.
Not a second later, I am brought face to face with my wife of two years.
She was not amused.
Hurriedly, I tried to cover my face with my hands to hide the fact that I had been crying, only to find that they were bound to my sides as my wife's long silvery white prehensile hair kept me suspended in the air by my midsection.
I look away from my wife to hide my face as I tried to compose myself.
Not even a second later, my wife's firm yet gentle fingers caressed my chin and turned my tear-streaken face towards her.
Her amber eyes were filled with concern as she saw my face.
Her other hand came up to my face as she carressed my face lovingly.
"It's been a month now, Love" she said in a soft whispered voice. "This is the 15th time this happened"
That was a shock. I had always been careful to only let the dam burst when I was sure I was alone.
I should've known better than to think I could hide anything from her.
Even before she discovered her true nature, she had an uncanny way of knowing when I was upset.
She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my lips as her fingers wiped away my tears.
"Please, Love, tell me what's wrong"
My heart clenched painfully in my chest, both at the pet name and the concern in her voice.
Even so I remained silent, fear and dread had my throat in a vice grip strangling any words that I tried to let out.
"Is it my new form, Love? Does it bother you? What I look like now that is?" She asked sadly.
Unable to form words, I shake my head desperately at her.
I did not now nor did I ever want her to feel that how she looked like was a problem and that I couldn't love her because of it.
She definitely looked different now, there was no denying that.
Her hair had become longer than she was tall, turning a silver white color and becoming prehensile.
Her eyes had become a glowing amber color.
A glowing purple orb started floating in front of her forehead.
Two lavender colored cloudy wisps formed vague horns on her head.
Parts of her milky white skin, mainly her forearm, thighs and legs, was now covered in a lavender colored skin-like film, which gave her fingers needle-like tips and her feet sharp claw-like toes.
I had asked her about it once and she had told me it was a form of skin armor that protected her body, which is also why she had foregone wearing clothes at home.
They just weren't necessary she said.
At least her armor still covered her important parts.
But even with this radical new change in my wife's body, never once had I stopped loving her.
New form or not, she was still the one I loved.
She allowed herself a sigh in relief at the shake of my head before turned to me again with the same concern as before.
"If it's not the way I look now, then what is bothering you"
Again, fear and dread strangled my throat to keep my words in as if merely saying my deepest fears would make them come true.
I stayed silent, hoping she would let it go and I could go back to pretending like nothing happened.
She wasn't having it.
Not letting my face go, her face morphed into a gentle expression as she slowly started levitating off the kitchen floor and up to our shared bedroom, my body still firmly wrapped up in her prehensile hair.
Softly, she laid me down on our small bed, her prehensile hair keeping me in place, before she quietly laid down next to me.
She leaned in close to me until she had her body pressed up against mine, She propped her elbow up on the pillow to look at me while her other hand carressed my face and wiped away stray tears.
"Take as much time as you need, Love" she smiled gently. "When you're ready to talk, I'll be right here"
There really would be no avoiding it then.
I opted to stay silent and leaned into her warmth, trying desperately to hang onto what little barrowed time I had left.
For her part, my wife was very patient with me; alternating between caressing my face, running her fingers through my hair and planting chaste kisses on my lips.
Why couldn't we stay like this forever? Why did she have to find out that she was a goddess? She was the only good thing that ever happened to me, why did she have to go?
These thoughts brought on a fresh wave of tears as I closed my eyes, ones that were quickly kissed away by my wife as she pulled me closer to her in response.
She was getting anxious, I could tell. You don't spend majority of your childhood together and not learn to pick up on each other's subtle tells.
She deserved better than this. To always be worrying about a fragile human's mental wellbeing, she could do so much more. She was born to be more.
Taking a deep breath, I forced the words out through my congealing throat.
"I'm afraid of losing you"
As close as she was to me, my wife heard my words, whispered as they were.
"You're not going to lose me"
"I might"
"How so?"
I took another deep breath and closed my eyes, unable to meet her gaze.
"You're a goddess. You're so much more powerful, more beautiful, more intelligent; you're so much more than I could ever be"
I was hiccuping and sniffling now as I continued to force the words out. Deep breaths. No matter what, she deserved to know the truth.
"And no matter how hard I try to deny it, part of me knows that you could do so much more for the rest of humanity if you weren't stuck with me. That you could probably turn this world into a paradise if I wasn't holding you back. And I'm afraid that one day, you'll realise that; that one day I'm gonna wake up and you're not there anymore."
I was crying my eyes out again tears flowing down my cheeks like waterfalls and my congealed throat reducing my breaths to hiccuping sniffles.
It was out there now at least, she had her answer.
She hadn't said a thing since I started talking and I did not dare open my eyes to look at her either.
The silence stretched on and her hand had stopped.
As the silence continued to last, part of me started to hope that maybe just maybe she had realized all of this and simply chose to stay with me; that even her new abilities I would always be more important to her than the rest of-
"You're right" | (It's been forever since I've written anything and I'm on mobile so I apologize if it's clunky or there's typos)
There's a blinding flash and a warm light surrounds my husband, filling our apartment with an intense glow. I stumble, clenching my eyes shut as the light seems to get brighter, nearly blinding me. It seems to last forever before I feel a gentle hand on my face.
"Love?" His voice was as gentle as it always was, but now it seemed like there was something more behind it. "You can open your eyes."
I open my eyes cautiously and the first thing I see is my husband's face a few inches from mine. His blue eyes seem to sparkle with excitement as he looks at me.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, the touch leaving a slight tingling sensation on my skin. "You don't know how good this is my love!" He laughed, "I remember everything!"
I pull back slightly, looking at him with confusion. "Remember what exactly?" In all our time of knowing each other he's never mentioned anything about any sort of memory gaps or anything of that sort.
"My real life. Who I really am. Isn't that great?!" He says it with such excitement that I try to keep a neutral expression on my face but on the inside I feel my heart shatter. What could he mean by that? What other real life could he have? We've known each other since we were children, what could be more real than that?
Against my best effort I feel tears slipping down my face. He notices and is immediately holding me close. "Oh love, it's nothing like that, our time together has been beautiful. I've treasured every moment with you. And I will treasure every moment to come. But this is only a tiny fracture of my life. I have more than just our time. Much more in fact. So you don't need to cry."
"You're making no sense," I mumble, my breath caught in my throat.
He smiles softly, wiping the tears from my face. "I guess I'm not. I'm just excited about this. But, you're not? And I'm not sure why?"
"You're not sure why?" My voice quivered, "maybe it's because you're making no sense? What do you mean by real life? You're talking like this was all a lie."
"Not a lie, but a half truth. I did live this life with you. I fell in love with you and continue to fall in love with you more every day. I swear. I've never loved a mortal like you." He looks away from me, not speaking for a few minutes. "But I have lived before this. A different life, a different name. I had power greater than a mortal could comprehend. I was worshiped by thousands. It was perfect." He paused. "Or at least I thought it was. And then I met you. And now I know what perfection is." He looks at me, his smile growing. "And you can come back with me. And you and I can have eternity together."
I don't return his smile and his face falls. I'm too stunned to speak, to fully process what he's saying.
"I thought you'd be happy about this Michael. This is good! Great even!! Why don't you understand?"
"I-I don't know. This…you…it's all too much. I need time to process."
He looked upset, but nodded. "I see. I can give you time. Call my name when you've decided and I will return."
Before I could protest, tell him that I didnt want him to go, that I had questions, he kissed me then vanished, leaving a single blue rose in his place. | |
[WP] Your spouse was actually an amnesiac god that had both their powers and memories sealed away years ago. Now the seal is broken and they have regained their godhood. They're curious why you're not as happy as they are about this. | "It was an accident, baby."
"You turning me into a turtle was an accident?!" I rolled my eyes, reminding myself I needed to raise my voice, since I was a turtle. "You turning me into a turtle was an accident?!"
Rachel - what I called her - began to stroke my head. The soothing brushes of her hand over my head was something I could get used to, even if I was furious. A furious turtle.
"You were leading the charge - because you always have to," She explained, rolling her eyes at the last part. "I panicked! You're jumping from one quest to another, and they heavily outnumbered you. I mean it was a ten-to-one battle this time. When I thought to summon you back...I pictured...I pictured you as a turtle."
"But why?"
"Pardon?"
Good Heavens. "But why?!" I repeated louder.
"Because...I don't know," Rachel said, lifting up her shoulders, then dropping them. "It was the first thing that came to mind." She pulled away, waving toward her palace of gold and red. "All of this is so new to me...again. My powers are coming back to, and its so overwhelming up here." She tapped her forehead. "It's so noisy, with all this information and memories of hundreds of thousands of years. You know?" She smiled softly. "Of course you don't, but trust me, okay? I'm not going to keep you as a turtle."
"You're sure you don't prefer me as a turtle? I mean, I've got both my eyes, and I can't rush into another adventure, increasing the likelihood of being killed, tortured, betrayed, dismembered, burnt alive-"
"You've already mentioned being killed."
"-mind controlled-"
Rachel put a finger to my mouth, but the finger covered most of my face. "Hush, baby. I love you the way you are. As a human. Not a turtle."
"Really?"
"As long as you promise to think before you do anything adventurous."
"I promise."
"Pardon? I saw your mouth move, but-"
"I promise!" I called out.
Rachel smiled her perfect smile. She kissed me on the head, and then stepped away. "As long as we're clear." | (It's been forever since I've written anything and I'm on mobile so I apologize if it's clunky or there's typos)
There's a blinding flash and a warm light surrounds my husband, filling our apartment with an intense glow. I stumble, clenching my eyes shut as the light seems to get brighter, nearly blinding me. It seems to last forever before I feel a gentle hand on my face.
"Love?" His voice was as gentle as it always was, but now it seemed like there was something more behind it. "You can open your eyes."
I open my eyes cautiously and the first thing I see is my husband's face a few inches from mine. His blue eyes seem to sparkle with excitement as he looks at me.
He presses a kiss to my forehead, the touch leaving a slight tingling sensation on my skin. "You don't know how good this is my love!" He laughed, "I remember everything!"
I pull back slightly, looking at him with confusion. "Remember what exactly?" In all our time of knowing each other he's never mentioned anything about any sort of memory gaps or anything of that sort.
"My real life. Who I really am. Isn't that great?!" He says it with such excitement that I try to keep a neutral expression on my face but on the inside I feel my heart shatter. What could he mean by that? What other real life could he have? We've known each other since we were children, what could be more real than that?
Against my best effort I feel tears slipping down my face. He notices and is immediately holding me close. "Oh love, it's nothing like that, our time together has been beautiful. I've treasured every moment with you. And I will treasure every moment to come. But this is only a tiny fracture of my life. I have more than just our time. Much more in fact. So you don't need to cry."
"You're making no sense," I mumble, my breath caught in my throat.
He smiles softly, wiping the tears from my face. "I guess I'm not. I'm just excited about this. But, you're not? And I'm not sure why?"
"You're not sure why?" My voice quivered, "maybe it's because you're making no sense? What do you mean by real life? You're talking like this was all a lie."
"Not a lie, but a half truth. I did live this life with you. I fell in love with you and continue to fall in love with you more every day. I swear. I've never loved a mortal like you." He looks away from me, not speaking for a few minutes. "But I have lived before this. A different life, a different name. I had power greater than a mortal could comprehend. I was worshiped by thousands. It was perfect." He paused. "Or at least I thought it was. And then I met you. And now I know what perfection is." He looks at me, his smile growing. "And you can come back with me. And you and I can have eternity together."
I don't return his smile and his face falls. I'm too stunned to speak, to fully process what he's saying.
"I thought you'd be happy about this Michael. This is good! Great even!! Why don't you understand?"
"I-I don't know. This…you…it's all too much. I need time to process."
He looked upset, but nodded. "I see. I can give you time. Call my name when you've decided and I will return."
Before I could protest, tell him that I didnt want him to go, that I had questions, he kissed me then vanished, leaving a single blue rose in his place. |
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