cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/149398

> !MESSAGE BEGINS > > We made a mistake. That is the simple, undeniable truth of the matter, however painful it might be. The flaw was not in our Observatories, for those machines were as perfect as we could make, and they showed us only the unfiltered light of truth. The flaw was not in the Predictor, for it is a device of pure, infallible logic, turning raw data into meaningful information without the taint of emotion or bias. No, the flaw was within us, the Orchestrators of this disaster, the sentients who thought themselves beyond such failings. We are responsible. > > It began a short while ago. as these things are measured. less than 66 Deeli ago. though I suspect our systems of measure will mean very little by the time anyone receives this transmission. We detected faint radio signals from a blossoming intelligence 2.14 Deelis outward from the Galactic Core, as photons travel. At first crude and unstructured. these leaking broadcasts quickly grew in complexity and strength, as did the messages they carried. Through our Observatories we watched a world of strife and violence. populated by a barbaric race of short-lived. fast breeding vermin. They were brutal and uncultured things which stabbed and shot and burned each other with no regard for life or purpose. Even their concepts of Art spoke of conflict and pain. They divided themselves according to some bizarre cultural patterns and set their every industry to cause of death. > > They terrified us, but we were older and wiser and so very far away, so we did not fret. Then we watched them split the atom and breach the heavens within the breadth of one of their single, short generations, and we began to worry. When they began actively transmitting messages and greetings into space, we felt fear and horror. Their transmissions promised peace and camaraderie to any who were listening, but we had watched them for tool long to buy into such transparent deceptions. They knew we were out here, and they were coming for us. > > The Orchestrators consulted the Predictor, and the output was dire. They would multiply and grow and flood out of their home system like some uncountable tide of Devourer worms, consuming all that lay in their path. It might take 6.8 Deelis, but they would destroy us if left unchecked. With aching carapaces we decided to act. and sealed our fate. > > The Gift of Mercy was 84 strides long with a mouth 2/4 that in diameter, filled with many 44 weights of machinery, fuel, and ballast. It would push itself up to 2/8th of light speed with its onboard fuel, and then begin to consume interstellar Primary Element 2/2 to feed its unlimited acceleration. It would be traveling at nearly light speed when it hit. They would never see it coming. Its launch was a day of mourning, celebration, and reflection. The horror of the act we had committed weighted heavily upon us all; the necessity of our crime did little to comfort us. > > The Gift had barely cleared the outer cometary halo when the mistake was realized. but it was too late. The Gift could not be caught. could not be recalled or diverted from its path. The architects and work crews, horrified at the awful power of the thing upon which they labored. had quietly self-terminated in droves. walking unshielded into radiation zones. neglecting proper null pressure safety or simple ceasing their nutrient consumption until their metabolic functions stopped. The appalling cost in lives had forced the Ochestrators to streamline the Gift's design and construction. There had been no time for the design or implementation of anything beyond the simple. massive engines and the stabilizing systems. We could only watch in shame and horror as the light of genocide faded into infrared against the distant void. > > They grew, and they changed, in a handful of lifetimes htey abolished war, abandoned their violent tendencies and turned themselves to the grand purposes of life and Art. We watched them remake first themselves, and then their world. Their frail, soft bodies gave way to gleaming metals and plastics, they unified their people through an omnipresent communications grid and produced Art of such power and emotion, the likes of which the Galaxy has never seen before. Or again, because of us. > > They converted their home world into a paradise (by their standards) and many 106s of them poured out into the surrounding system with a rapidity and vigor that we could only envy. With bodies built to survive every environment from the day lit surface of their innerrnost world. to the atmosphere of their largest gas giant and the cold void in-between. they set out to sculpt their system into something beautiful. At first we thought them simple miners. stripping the rocky planets and moons for vital resources. but then we began to see the purpose to their constructions. the artworks carved into every surface. and traced across the system in glittering lights and dancing fusion trails. And still. our terrible Gift approached. > > They had less than 22 Deeli to see it, following so closely on the tail of its own light. In that time, oh so brief even by their fleeting lives, more than 1010 sentients prepared for death. Lovers exchanged last words, separated by worlds and the tyranny of light speed. Their planet side engineers worked frantically to build sufficient transmission infrastructure to upload the countless masses with the necessary neural modifications, while those above dumped lifetimes of music and literature from their databanks to make room for passengers. Those lacking the required hardware or the time to acquire itconsigned themselves to death, lashed out in fear and pain, or simply went about their lives as best they could under the circumstances. > > The Gift arrived suddenly. the light of its impact visible in our skies. shining bright and cruel even to the unaugmented ocular receptor. We watched and we wept for our victims, dead so many Deelis before the light of their doom had even reached us. Many 64s of those who had been directly or even tangentially involved in the creation of the Gift sealed their spiracles with paste as a final penance for the small roles they had played in this atrocity. The light dimmed. the dust cleared, and our Observatories refocused upon the place where their shining blue world had once hung in the void, and found only dust and the pale gleam of an orphaned moon, wrapped in a thin, burning wisp of atmosphere that had once belonged to its parent. > > Radiation and relativistic shrapnel had wiped out much of the inner system. and continent sized chunks of molten rock carried screaming ghosts outward at interstellar escape velocities, damned to wander the great void for an eternity. The damage was apocalyptic. but not complete. from the shadows of the outer worlds. tiny points of light emerged, thousands of fusion trails of single ships and world ships and everything in between. many 106s of survivors in flesh and steel and memory banks, ready to rebuild. For a few moments we felt relief, even joy, and we were filled with the hope that their culture and Art would survive the terrible blow we had dealt them. Then came the message. tightly focused at our star. transmitted simultaneously by hundreds of their ships. > > "We know you are out there, and we are coming for you." > > !MESSAGE ENDS > > _________________________________________________ > Thank you for reading the story, this story is more than six years old. I have included links to the original sources and where I came upon this story. > > Original Source > > Reddit Post

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/387861

> I can’t sleep at night. > > It began after the Earthlings appeared on the Galactic stage. I was one of the many individuals who began to research them, some as a job, others out of curiosity. > > While the human beings were certainly unique in physiology, ability, and culture, so was every other species. Nothing about them at first glance made them stand out from the galactic crowd. In fact, in a general sense the species of the galaxy were all very similar. After all, we all had to conquer our home planets and develop the ability for space travel on our own. > > I suppose if anything did, it wasn’t any one attribute but the combinations. They not only had a wide variety of coloration, they also had a wide variety of size and body type. In fact, if anything that was what made Earthlings stand out. They had variety. > > Not only physically, but culturally. It wasn’t completely unheard of for a species to have more than one language, but these were almost always glorified dialects and/or remnants of pre-artificial language (if that species used one). The humans had 24 “families” of spoken language. Granted, they did have a single lingua franca but still...! > > All these differences and I have listed only two of many, lead straight into what may be the most interesting thing about humans. Their propensity for violent conflict. ...Let me rephrase that. It’s not that there weren’t other violent species out there. In fact, many if not most of the space-faring races were apex predators on their home planets. It’s that humans had a habit of infighting. Nobody could believe how often and how ruthlessly humans would fight with themselves. > > When one of my contemporaries asked them directly, they responded with some human philosopher. Most of it basically boiled down to the concept of “the other”. It was almost insulting. As if we had no idea what war was! As if one species had never set out to destroy another of incompatibility! Maybe I misspoke earlier. It isn’t even as if no other species has gone to war with its own race. It was the major reason why maintaining close relationships with colonies was so important to many species. If colonies became too separate and independent for a couple of generations, conflicts could arise and had in the past. Our problem wasn’t that they went to war with other members of their own species. It was how quickly they were able to view their own species as “the other”. > > Maybe that was the defining trait of humans? Their ability to quickly label anyone as “the other”? As a non-person? Some of their philosophers certainly thought so. Many of my contemporaries stopped their search here. I began to dive back into the history of Earth. I wanted to know how such an ability had come about. My search revealed many disturbing things. Atrocities of such a varied and incomprehensible nature. Attempted genocide, torture, slavery. No one did these things to their own species. > > Soon I was the only one left. All of my fellow researchers, public and private, had long since gone public with their findings. Humanity was painted in an ill light. Their defining trait was to be the ability to treat another being as equals one day and as an inanimate obstacle the next. > > I realized that my fellow scholars had forgotten something. The first thing that had shocked us. The diversity of humankind. As I delved back into their history, I saw more evidence of how those differences were even more pronounced than we thought. It was no wonder they were able to consider members of their own species as non-persons! > > But how did such an arrangement come to exist? Why hadn’t any one culture or civilization already stamped out their rivals? ...And why did no other species have this diversity? I eventually came upon pre-history. I read about how early man had driven his rival and sister species to extinction. My first thoughts were that the others were right. > > Then it occurred to me. No other species had closely related species either. No other species was as diverse in form and culture. ...As the realization set in I grew terrified. I began this research commenting on how similar the species of the galaxy were. ...Humans were similar to us as well. No other species had the diversity in value systems and beliefs the humans did. > > What sets the humans apart IS NOT their capacity to turn friends and loved ones into “the Other”. It is their capacity to turn “the Other” into friends and loved ones. > > What is truly surprising is not that the humans fight over their differences. It’s that they have differences to fight over. > > The species of the galaxy are all very similar. With one exception, they have all brutally stamped out any differences, and variations. These deviations from the norm were destroyed so perfectly our racial memories have forgotten them. > > Every species, save Homo sapiens, had longo ago perfected the art of genocide. > > I wonder if I shall ever sleep again. > > Source

I can’t sleep at night.

It began after the Earthlings appeared on the Galactic stage. I was one of the many individuals who began to research them, some as a job, others out of curiosity.

While the human beings were certainly unique in physiology, ability, and culture, so was every other species. Nothing about them at first glance made them stand out from the galactic crowd. In fact, in a general sense the species of the galaxy were all very similar. After all, we all had to conquer our home planets and develop the ability for space travel on our own.

I suppose if anything did, it wasn’t any one attribute but the combinations. They not only had a wide variety of coloration, they also had a wide variety of size and body type. In fact, if anything that was what made Earthlings stand out. They had variety.

Not only physically, but culturally. It wasn’t completely unheard of for a species to have more than one language, but these were almost always glorified dialects and/or remnants of pre-artificial language (if that species used one). The humans had 24 “families” of spoken language. Granted, they did have a single lingua franca but still...!

All these differences and I have listed only two of many, lead straight into what may be the most interesting thing about humans. Their propensity for violent conflict. ...Let me rephrase that. It’s not that there weren’t other violent species out there. In fact, many if not most of the space-faring races were apex predators on their home planets. It’s that humans had a habit of infighting. Nobody could believe how often and how ruthlessly humans would fight with themselves.

When one of my contemporaries asked them directly, they responded with some human philosopher. Most of it basically boiled down to the concept of “the other”. It was almost insulting. As if we had no idea what war was! As if one species had never set out to destroy another of incompatibility! Maybe I misspoke earlier. It isn’t even as if no other species has gone to war with its own race. It was the major reason why maintaining close relationships with colonies was so important to many species. If colonies became too separate and independent for a couple of generations, conflicts could arise and had in the past. Our problem wasn’t that they went to war with other members of their own species. It was how quickly they were able to view their own species as “the other”.

Maybe that was the defining trait of humans? Their ability to quickly label anyone as “the other”? As a non-person? Some of their philosophers certainly thought so. Many of my contemporaries stopped their search here. I began to dive back into the history of Earth. I wanted to know how such an ability had come about. My search revealed many disturbing things. Atrocities of such a varied and incomprehensible nature. Attempted genocide, torture, slavery. No one did these things to their own species.

Soon I was the only one left. All of my fellow researchers, public and private, had long since gone public with their findings. Humanity was painted in an ill light. Their defining trait was to be the ability to treat another being as equals one day and as an inanimate obstacle the next.

I realized that my fellow scholars had forgotten something. The first thing that had shocked us. The diversity of humankind. As I delved back into their history, I saw more evidence of how those differences were even more pronounced than we thought. It was no wonder they were able to consider members of their own species as non-persons!

But how did such an arrangement come to exist? Why hadn’t any one culture or civilization already stamped out their rivals? ...And why did no other species have this diversity? I eventually came upon pre-history. I read about how early man had driven his rival and sister species to extinction. My first thoughts were that the others were right.

Then it occurred to me. No other species had closely related species either. No other species was as diverse in form and culture. ...As the realization set in I grew terrified. I began this research commenting on how similar the species of the galaxy were. ...Humans were similar to us as well. No other species had the diversity in value systems and beliefs the humans did.

What sets the humans apart IS NOT their capacity to turn friends and loved ones into “the Other”. It is their capacity to turn “the Other” into friends and loved ones.

What is truly surprising is not that the humans fight over their differences. It’s that they have differences to fight over.

The species of the galaxy are all very similar. With one exception, they have all brutally stamped out any differences, and variations. These deviations from the norm were destroyed so perfectly our racial memories have forgotten them.

Every species, save Homo sapiens, had longo ago perfected the art of genocide.

I wonder if I shall ever sleep again.

Source

"Their weapons and biology were obsolete."

The speaker stood before the entire Imperial War College Corps of Cadets.

"Well," the Major pondered for moment, "Their weapons were clearly obsolete. Powder based propellants and metal projectiles were their main methods of warfare. But their biology tricky."

A holograph of a human manifested on the stage next to a rotating display of a planet .

"Four limbs and a two eyes on the cephalic. Endoskeletons, and five fingers on their hands. About one and a half standard meters in hight. But strong, bulky, and mental titans of battle. The biological problems can wait, their mindset must be addressed. Their history is wrought with warfare. Thousands of cycles of conquest and collapse, each rendering a more ruthless method of slaughter than the last."

Blotches of color appeared on the holograph of the human homeworld as it flattened out.

"Each color represents a nation-state, its shape altering as it's conquered and revolts. Similar colors designate alliances. Warfare shaped their psyche. One continent of their race almost ruled their entire planet. They fought two planetary wars in just fifty cycles. Then they endured hundred and twenty of peace."

"For a brief moment the borders of their planet remained mostly stationary. Massive amounts of their population lost their warrior ethos until the resource wars, and they never looked back."

The colored outlines split at a few points, then the whole order broke into chaos. Lines shifting, splitting, a. expanding until three points began an unyielding advance across the planet.

"Three massive hyperpowers forged through fire, conquest, and resolve, which wrecked their whole planet down in a third and devastating terra bellum. Around this point, although hindered by massive destruction, their technology allowed exoplanetary mining to be feasible. This is when they entered our galactic community. We never needed to deal with a divided space faring species before. Our initial contact stunned the humans, as it does every species. Well they remain a divided species today, and a political nightmare for us. But their biological capacity for warfare?"

The display flashed to a paused holovid of a team of human soldiers. A red glow around them indicated their condition: wounded, exhausted,and dehydrated. They were in a wedge formation spaced fifteen meters apart. A flat outline of one soldier appeared with vital statistics. Blood loss was at 20%, rifle ammunition was down to a final magazine of 40, and two full 15 round magazines for his sidearm. The body had exhausted the last consumed energy intake and was burning up stored fat.

"This is their warrior mentality. These four men are all that remains of a platoon. One platoon, with bayonets fixed, covering a single bottleneck, as its battalion retreats during the biowar on travaticus."

The video played in silence. The four fired in single shots. Casings flew through the air. Then, two three meter tall armored creature appeared at the far end of the projection

"This is monstrosity is the biologically engineered warriors of the Archave. Ape like with claws for hands, and a massive pain tolerance. And this is these humans last stand. They concentrate fire, notice the change in the stathue and this humans personal information. Notice the shift in color to blue, this is the release of their adrenaline. It's potent. It's blocking out pain, it's increasing their reflexes and sharpening their fighting prowess."

The ape charged forward, rounds shredding at its armor and skin. It roared forward and ripped into the 1st soldier. The Corps gasped. The humans were glowing blue, rifles now expending rounds at burst speeds.

"Their heart rate is off the charts, a percentage increase we cannot even fathom. Yet they controlled their breathing, each shot landing on its target. Pay attention on the human farthest from the attackers."

The slat screen beeped as the farthest human ran out of rifle rounds and switched to the slower and controlled single shots of his handgun. The three remaining soldiers continued to lay fire on the advancing beasts, before they could reach the second victim the concentrated fire brought it down. The corps opened in a cheer that died as quickly as it erupted, the last beast had ripped another soldier in half. Rounds continued to fly, and the beast closed in on the third human, a claw spearing through it's torso and ripping him in half.

Another beep The last human had expended his very last round. The holovid paused and rotated to give a better view of the human and beast. Their eyes locked. The video began in slow motion as the human reached for his slung rifle and pulled it to his hip. His mandible dropped, skin stretched, and and veins bulged as the human screamed and leapt forward.

At bayonet point, he charged the monstrosity that had destroyed his brothers.

The corps was in silent awe.

A bayonet charge.

The creature stabbed the human in the chest, a massive red oval appeared on his stat screen where the claw had penetrated, and the human threw his rifle. The bayonet pierced the apes cheek, as the human flat lined.

"That charge, that refusal to quit, that spirit give their last full measure in the face of death, is why they won"

Original Post

!MESSAGE BEGINS

We made a mistake. That is the simple, undeniable truth of the matter, however painful it might be. The flaw was not in our Observatories, for those machines were as perfect as we could make, and they showed us only the unfiltered light of truth. The flaw was not in the Predictor, for it is a device of pure, infallible logic, turning raw data into meaningful information without the taint of emotion or bias. No, the flaw was within us, the Orchestrators of this disaster, the sentients who thought themselves beyond such failings. We are responsible.

It began a short while ago. as these things are measured. less than 66 Deeli ago. though I suspect our systems of measure will mean very little by the time anyone receives this transmission. We detected faint radio signals from a blossoming intelligence 2.14 Deelis outward from the Galactic Core, as photons travel. At first crude and unstructured. these leaking broadcasts quickly grew in complexity and strength, as did the messages they carried. Through our Observatories we watched a world of strife and violence. populated by a barbaric race of short-lived. fast breeding vermin. They were brutal and uncultured things which stabbed and shot and burned each other with no regard for life or purpose. Even their concepts of Art spoke of conflict and pain. They divided themselves according to some bizarre cultural patterns and set their every industry to cause of death.

They terrified us, but we were older and wiser and so very far away, so we did not fret. Then we watched them split the atom and breach the heavens within the breadth of one of their single, short generations, and we began to worry. When they began actively transmitting messages and greetings into space, we felt fear and horror. Their transmissions promised peace and camaraderie to any who were listening, but we had watched them for tool long to buy into such transparent deceptions. They knew we were out here, and they were coming for us.

The Orchestrators consulted the Predictor, and the output was dire. They would multiply and grow and flood out of their home system like some uncountable tide of Devourer worms, consuming all that lay in their path. It might take 6.8 Deelis, but they would destroy us if left unchecked. With aching carapaces we decided to act. and sealed our fate.

The Gift of Mercy was 84 strides long with a mouth 2/4 that in diameter, filled with many 44 weights of machinery, fuel, and ballast. It would push itself up to 2/8th of light speed with its onboard fuel, and then begin to consume interstellar Primary Element 2/2 to feed its unlimited acceleration. It would be traveling at nearly light speed when it hit. They would never see it coming. Its launch was a day of mourning, celebration, and reflection. The horror of the act we had committed weighted heavily upon us all; the necessity of our crime did little to comfort us.

The Gift had barely cleared the outer cometary halo when the mistake was realized. but it was too late. The Gift could not be caught. could not be recalled or diverted from its path. The architects and work crews, horrified at the awful power of the thing upon which they labored. had quietly self-terminated in droves. walking unshielded into radiation zones. neglecting proper null pressure safety or simple ceasing their nutrient consumption until their metabolic functions stopped. The appalling cost in lives had forced the Ochestrators to streamline the Gift's design and construction. There had been no time for the design or implementation of anything beyond the simple. massive engines and the stabilizing systems. We could only watch in shame and horror as the light of genocide faded into infrared against the distant void.

They grew, and they changed, in a handful of lifetimes htey abolished war, abandoned their violent tendencies and turned themselves to the grand purposes of life and Art. We watched them remake first themselves, and then their world. Their frail, soft bodies gave way to gleaming metals and plastics, they unified their people through an omnipresent communications grid and produced Art of such power and emotion, the likes of which the Galaxy has never seen before. Or again, because of us.

They converted their home world into a paradise (by their standards) and many 106s of them poured out into the surrounding system with a rapidity and vigor that we could only envy. With bodies built to survive every environment from the day lit surface of their innerrnost world. to the atmosphere of their largest gas giant and the cold void in-between. they set out to sculpt their system into something beautiful. At first we thought them simple miners. stripping the rocky planets and moons for vital resources. but then we began to see the purpose to their constructions. the artworks carved into every surface. and traced across the system in glittering lights and dancing fusion trails. And still. our terrible Gift approached.

They had less than 22 Deeli to see it, following so closely on the tail of its own light. In that time, oh so brief even by their fleeting lives, more than 1010 sentients prepared for death. Lovers exchanged last words, separated by worlds and the tyranny of light speed. Their planet side engineers worked frantically to build sufficient transmission infrastructure to upload the countless masses with the necessary neural modifications, while those above dumped lifetimes of music and literature from their databanks to make room for passengers. Those lacking the required hardware or the time to acquire itconsigned themselves to death, lashed out in fear and pain, or simply went about their lives as best they could under the circumstances.

The Gift arrived suddenly. the light of its impact visible in our skies. shining bright and cruel even to the unaugmented ocular receptor. We watched and we wept for our victims, dead so many Deelis before the light of their doom had even reached us. Many 64s of those who had been directly or even tangentially involved in the creation of the Gift sealed their spiracles with paste as a final penance for the small roles they had played in this atrocity. The light dimmed. the dust cleared, and our Observatories refocused upon the place where their shining blue world had once hung in the void, and found only dust and the pale gleam of an orphaned moon, wrapped in a thin, burning wisp of atmosphere that had once belonged to its parent.

Radiation and relativistic shrapnel had wiped out much of the inner system. and continent sized chunks of molten rock carried screaming ghosts outward at interstellar escape velocities, damned to wander the great void for an eternity. The damage was apocalyptic. but not complete. from the shadows of the outer worlds. tiny points of light emerged, thousands of fusion trails of single ships and world ships and everything in between. many 106s of survivors in flesh and steel and memory banks, ready to rebuild. For a few moments we felt relief, even joy, and we were filled with the hope that their culture and Art would survive the terrible blow we had dealt them. Then came the message. tightly focused at our star. transmitted simultaneously by hundreds of their ships.

"We know you are out there, and we are coming for you."

!MESSAGE ENDS

_________________________________________________ Thank you for reading the story, this story is more than six years old. I have included links to the original sources and where I came upon this story.

Original Source

Reddit Post

“Oh, oh god, you want believe what I just heard from a buddy of mine, this is great, you won’t believe it.”

“Hmm?”

“Those Grek-nel bastards are going to surrender to the Humans at the council today.”

“Humans?”

“Yeah, that new council race.”

“The pink bipedals from Sol?”

“Well, some of ‘em are different colors, but yeah, that’s them.”

“Didn’t know they were at war with the Greks, I really am out of the loop, and to have won against those assholes already, good for them.”

“That’s the great part, they weren’t at war, ya know how every time a new race becomes acknowledged, invited to the council and taken off the protection list. And how the Grek-nel just sweep over and demand tribute or they will use their nasty little bioweapon.”

“Oh, don’t get me started on their death beetles, they let some lose on Tavrin 4, they breed too fast to get rid of easy, and they’re too small to notice till it’s already an infestation. And they are poisonous. Nearly impossible to get rid of without killing everything else in the area, we had to burn half the fields before harvest time, and we’re still not sure if they got out of the quarantine area.”

“Exactly, so the Greks stroll right up to Earth, that’s the human’s prime planet, and transmit the info on their death beetles to some random military institute. Well, the humans there tell them “We’re not the ones in charge of that” and they should talk to this other place and gives the coordinates. So they transmit to the next site: It’s a science building, they thought the Greks where sharing information, and started sending some back. Turns out Earth is positively covered with shit that makes the death beetles look tame, they got versions that fly. It’s insane. Greks get up and leave fast as they could.”

“Wait, they got lots of ‘em?”

“Yeah, it’s freaky, from what I hear only place with more hostile bugs is Telltra, and no one lives there.”

“That’s messed up”

“Yeah, how many species can say their first military victory was achieved without their military.”

Original Broken Link

Mirror Post - Reddit

All external links to HFY themed stories (in any form) and art should be posted as comments in this post.

I first witnessed the extent of Human creativity during the defense of Kailos. The Xen’thic hive swarms were to attack this world next. Growing desperate to stop the horde, we issued a call for aid to every species in the Alliance. The Human Empire responded much as the other races did, with the majority of their military navy joining us in orbit above the planet, along with the smaller, more haphazard civilian volunteers they brought along with them. Most were mercenary ships or even pirates, the Humans own navy had already retrofitted many of the cargo freighters as Carrier ships, a few crazy captains had turned their vessels into fire-ships. I was a Communications Officer on the lead ship of a Narleth Assault Dreadnought formation, the Bringer of Swift Death. I remember well the civilian ship that had been assigned to our squadron, the Superheavy-freighter Atlas and her Captain. The Atlas was a massive ship, larger even than our own, a full 5 Hetras in length.

My Captain was annoyed, why did we have to get weighed down with such an ugly burden? His anger was tempered though by the words of his Commander that the Atlas would at the very least absorb some shots that would otherwise damage our ships. My captain, not even bothering to discover the Atlas’s armament, had her move into formation above and to the fore of our own vessel. We would find out what sort of weaponry she had soon enough, as the great enemy's fleet had been detected at the edge of the system. Things gained a new haste as we manoeuvred into position, I kept a close eye on our new ally as my Captain commanded, watching on the display screen as the Atlas’s cargo doors partially opened and racks, loaded with what looked like small rockets were extended. ‘So that’s how she’s armed?’ I thought to myself.

When we were ordered to attack, I would find out just how heavily she was armed. We began our approach, the Captain of the Atlas surprised us with his discipline, he hadn’t issued the order to fire yet. We hit weapons range and the order was given to fire. Our highly trained weapon crews were pouring pinpoint laser fire into the approaching fleet before they could get the first shot back at us. It was when the enemy fire was impacting on our shields that we saw the distorted cloud of fire that came from above our ship. At first I thought that the Atlas had been destroyed, but it wasn’t so. As I watched on, the screens indicated that she was surrounded by a storm of fire, the streaking fire of rocket exhaust.

She was launching her payload like nothing I had ever seen. We Narleth prefer to fight with Laser batteries. What I had thought were launch racks were more like ramps, acting to guide the rockets as the Atlas’s Captain simply dumped them into space. Then their engines fired, sending them streaking towards the enemy. Not two or three at a time like our own massive anti-ship missiles, but in their thousands. A never-ending stream of explosive death was spat towards the enemy, in a way I had never dreamt possible. Any enemy ships that made the mistake of getting in the way of the Atlas were quickly ground to nothing but debris as thousands of rocket hits took their toll. The constant bombardment rapidly dropped enemy shields and smashed entire bomber waves, however the smaller missiles were not so effective against the heavily armored shells of the enemy capital ships. While the Atlas had a few capital ship kills to her name, it took tens of thousands of hits to achieve each one. We quickly learned a much more effective means of destruction. We were to follow in close formation with the Atlas until the missile hits had caused a shield breach somewhere, at which point our own laser batteries would exploit the rift, destroying enemy ships quicker than we could have without her support.

It turns out the Captain of the Atlas had been offloading a shipment at an old military station when the call for aid was sent. He had been a gunnery officer in the Human navy, and knew some of the depots storing old and now outdated orbital attack munitions, something that was left behind with the Empire’s military mobilized to our aid. Using some contacts, he had quickly jumped from station to station, filling his holds and turning his ship into an improvised missile boat, with a staggering amount of ammunition. That day he came to our aid armed with 4,030,020 ground attack missiles, when we limped home victorious that day her hold was empty. Now I am gladder than ever we are an ally of the Humans as I witness the launching of their new Atlas class Missile attack Dreadnought.

Note: Thanks to u/IUpvoteUsernames for transcribing this awesome story.

Original Image from which story is transcribed

Reddit post

Read part 1 here

This was the true nature of humanity. To stop at nothing once they had set their collective mind to a task to either prove it true or deny it as a falsehood. In the breadth of two short Terran lifetimes, they had mastered the art of manipulating what they called “Dark Energy” which we know as the Cosmological Repulsive Law. Fifty years later, they had traveled as far as the innermost galactic core (to be noted, a suicidal trek that only the desperate would engage in). Ten years after that, they began to mass produce antimatter on an unparalleled scale. Ocular spiracles turned, attention drifted from the inane squabbles of their own to the insane human populace as they exploded instead of trickled from their solar system to neighboring stars. They stripped every unclaimed world they touched of whatever the soil or atmosphere would allow to them, only to further accelerate their growth that would rival the great empires that now are long gone.

From this, the Galactic Council became unnerved. The Terrans spreading across their own “backyard”, they expediently started to make headway into the secrets of the universe that, as of yet in this entry, few others had breached. Due to our “friendship” of centuries gone by, the humans have had nothing but a peaceful, amicable, and symbiotic relationship with us, the orchestrators of their advance. They would begin to catch up to our own level of technology and understanding, yet untempered by the wisdom of age and experience. With exponential growth, they’d overtake us in almost all things. In recognition and gratitude of our dealings with each other, they shared their advances with us, and we Santari would happily share what we could without question. We had become one of the most intertwined and mutually beneficial allies of the entire galaxy.

To be sure, the Council saw all of this as nothing but heretical. They dominated the galaxy, they had every other race “under their thumb” as the humans would say. To advance beyond what they deemed appropriate was nothing short of chastising a god in the minds of other species. In the past, they had sent probes to the Terran homeworld called Earth, attempting to dissuade them from advancing too quickly. The Council, in their vast superiority to any other, never allowed technological advancement of any species beyond what they were comfortable with. They had the power and means to enforce these rules to any and all in the Core Worlds and wouldn’t lightly give it up. They offered admittance to the alliance the Council controlled, but as such, they would need to adhere to many laws that stunt quick growth, and only sign off on research on what they would allow. In return, trade lanes would be opened up to Sol and her watery rock, they would gain a seat on the Council, and would be defended from whatever plight may come to them. They even brought schematics for a neural implant that would allow the humans total access to logical ways of thinking, bringing everlasting peace to their kind. The only downside was they’d have to put aside creativity in favor of being taken care of.

Humanity saw this for what it truly was, it is the same reason we denied the Council as well. It was an insidious means of control. They would have none of it and destroyed the probe that sent this message as a final “fuck you” to the galaxy.

Through fear and just a hint of jealousy at their willingness to deny the Council, our two species would soon become scorned, the community of the Milky Way lashing out against us for bringing such an unknown variable unto them all, and by proxy the Council. Due to the Terrans living on the very fringe of the galaxy, outside the arm of influence of the Council, many of our worlds and star systems were razed to but bitter molten metal. Billions of us Santari laid exterminated for a “crime” we committed in swift and brutal sieges. Over a century, we retreated behind the lines of the humans. This is when their virtues of acceptance of those not of Earth finally became one of their most endearing qualities that we Santari would never forget. This is when we embraced the humans as much as they had us. As hard as it was for us to leave our home, they did their absolute most to find and terraform planets for us to settle on.

Looking back, we actually did so little for them that it is disgraceful to us. In our graciousness, we worked as hard as we could for them. Still, they would never allow our kind to feel such inadequacies. When our exoskeletons started to buckle, they would find us non-physical labor. When our nerve bundles became overwhelmed with our duty, they would force us to “take it easy” and rest. Many who would read this would think that we had been forced to work, that in return for asylum in their territory, we’d break our appendages toiling for them. Nothing could be further from the truth. We, as a species, were so honored by their acceptance and open arms that we felt indebted to quite literally work ourselves to termination for such unabashed camaraderie. Terrans, however, would surprise us yet again by allowing us to rebuild our society, with New Xenathiks being only 7 light years away from Earth. Their territory was our territory, their homes were our homes.

During these times, they knew a force to be reckoned with would be coming. Preparedness became paramount. War was inevitable, and their distance from the outer Core Worlds gave them the time they needed. Breeding increased with incredible speed, mining of entire star systems became the norm, construction of dreadnaught class starships began with the newest weapons brought to bear. The Terrans then took the brunt of the force as the Council’s forces advanced. Nearly one quarter of their outer colonies laid waste in an effort to quell their expansion. We did what we could, given the vast resources the Terrans allotted to us. Working side-by-side, our now small numbers labored until our carapaces would no longer allow, or until we were forced to stop.

Before this log continues, I should note a particular un-named Humanity Scholar who once quoted “Conflict breeds creativity”. Creativity, as a human construct, was its defining characteristic millennia before their journey to the stars, yet would prove most valuable now more than ever for them and ourselves.

Within fifteen years of the first Galactic Armada advance into their territory, their population exploded nearly threefold when their political structure began utilizing Terran and Santari propaganda. Within another ten years, the now 8.4 trillion humans had finished constructing fleets of unrivaled scale and destructive power. Their speed of breeding, construction, harvesting, and innovation became that of legend. Over the next fifty years, they held their ground - training every new combatant with the skills necessary to operate every basic facet of a starship, with us Santari being trained and taught alongside them. Again, they’d be at the forefront of our own advance. The Terrans never let up, and never let us fall behind in terms of education and brotherhood.

Obliterating every last ship that dared to face them, they then sent a second and third wave of ships to reinforce the line. Over the next single short year, they breached the front lines of the armada. Their natural chemically enhanced minds from adrenaline during battle would serve them well enough to laugh in the face of death and not even feel a mortal wound from combat. From there, one hundred years later, they had pushed into the heart of the Council’s Core Worlds. Over the next 200 years, they would either conquer, obliterate, or force the surrender of any species that stood in their way, while chartering peace treaties with those who had stayed out of the war and putting the Santari at the highest echelons of non-Terran politics. The ban on research was abolished, and a new age of enlightenment and technological might exploded throughout the galaxy.

We had done comparatively nothing for them. We never served their interests until they were beyond us, we gave them the worst of trade deals in the early years, and we thought nothing of them besides mere apes. Their own ingenuity would have brought all of this to the same end regardless of our intervention. Now, while the Milky Way stands as a united and prosperous whole, dominated by the “lowly” humans, we have only a single thing to say: Terrans are beyond horrifying, but are the best of allies. Woe be to any who stands against them.

-Karnitegal, First in the Order of the Historical Records.

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Original Thread from where this story is transcribed from

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Humans

This species is short, creative, stubborn, decently intelligent, and individually are weak, yet in numbers are incredibly hardy, robust, and strong. They breed quickly, live short and futile lives, and for the smallest of reasons will kill each other without a second thought. Many have had low expectations of this brutish and barbarous species. They were beneath us more than any other race in terms of culture, art, technology, and social programs so while their least desirables were worked hard and rewarded little, their ‘aristocratic’ counterparts flocked to the heavens, eager to join the thriving extra-stellar community. Naive to the structure of galactic politics, the Terrans would push themselves onto whatever race would lend counsel to their primitive auditory communications. Many left them to their own devices, shamelessly and rightfully leaving them to the harsh realities of the spacious home we all find ourselves in. We Santari, however, were one of the handfuls of groups that would barter and negotiate agreements with the vermin. We’d trade scraps, derelict and tattered starships, agricultural equipment, and even environmental stabilizing technology them (the barbarians had done more damage to their home planet than any other in the recorded history of intelligent species) for resources worth many hundred times more than what they were worth.

Far be it from us to take advantage of a prime workforce for our resource collection, we did so with a slight amount of smug enthusiasm and deception. pretending to be allies yet giving them the worst treatment in regards to trade agreements and our “gifts of knowledge”. The true irony of it all being that they willfully accepted these downsides under the pretense of furthering intergalactic diplomacy and with the promise of showing others that they were willing, able, and trustworthy. I suppose to this end, the humans had formed a special bond with our insectoid race. We were advancing their civilization at least a hundred of their puny years forward while reaping almost every possible benefit we never deserved.

Little did we understand the error of what we had unwittingly done. In retrospect, we had broken the cardinal rule of the galactic community; without proper diligence, disregard for foresight, and without consulting the Galactic Council, we planted a seed of unrivaled growth in a yet unproven and undeserving race for our own benefit. Their bipedal skeletons with their undeveloped brains relentlessly honed in and trained themselves to grasp the underlying concepts of the machinery and electronics they acquired far faster than any one particular group had ever thought possible. Foregoing the advantages of biological engineering offered to them, they preferred to keep to their fleshy forms for the sake of “preserving humanity”. This line of logic, which still confounds most everyone to this day, would prove invaluable and supremely effective to them. Their “primitive” minds would conjure outlandish and ridiculous notions of the fine fabric of reality that our enhanced nervous systems would outright deny for the sake of simple logic. All soon learned that the human brain, for all of its faults and inefficiencies, was a marvel of creativity of the greatest caliber. Their stubborn nature defied every law of the universe, always amassing new theories to test. More experiments to perform. Never allowing “no” to dissuade them, they’d work a problem from every possible angle in ways which seemed like pure folly. The most damning thing of all being that sometimes, they’d be right and completely shake the foundation of their scientific collaboration.

Part 2

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Original Thread from where this story is transcribed from

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Welcome to HFY!!!!

This community is for authors to post their HFY themed stories and artists to share HFY themed artwork.

While traditional science fiction often presents humans as vulnerable masses seeking refuge from menacing aliens or as feeble beings overshadowed by aliens with superior logic, strength or empathy. HFY disrupts these archetypes by challenging the norm.

In the world of HFY, humanity is bestowed with exceptional qualities, giving rise to a sense of optimism and empowerment within the reader. It seeks to uplift and inspire, demonstrating the potential of human greatness and the capacity for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.

Alternatively, HFY can also serve as a thought-provoking cautionary tale. Emphasizing the significance of power and responsibility that accompanies any remarkable gift or advantage bestowed upon us.

Note: This community is not run by the mod's of r/HFY from Reddit.

Rules for posting/commenting in this community.

1. Only stories and artwork about HFY is allowed. It means your story or artwork should showcase the exceptional qualities of humans.
2. If your story does not have a human character, then their defining characteristics should be influenced by humans.
3. Content that's not created by you, should be posted only with the permission of the original author/creator.
4. Please dont copy content without properly crediting original author by including a link to the original post. In case the original author is not clear, atleast include a link to the original post.
5. Promoting hatred in posts/comments will not be tolerated. Let's all be decent human beings.
6. Please be kind to first time authors in comments. Help them correct their mistakes and provide constructive criticism.
7. Do not share links to external stories/artwork directly as posts. A seperate featured post is created for the same. Post your links in this thread. Links only posts should be in this thread.

Copying posts from HFY subreddit is allowed provided the following conditions are met:

1. Posts that are tagged Text can be copied directly.
2. Posts that are tagged OC can only be copied with the permission of the original author in reddit.
3. In both cases, a link to original post should be included.

For posts that are copied from somewhere else, the following rules should be met:

1. Make sure to get permission from the original author.
2. Add a link to the original post.

This community is created for everyone in the fidiverse to enjoy their favourite genre of science fiction.

For Humans are Space Orcs themed stories, please visit [email protected]

HASO themed stories/artwork can still be HFY if the humans in the story/artwork insipre the readers or other characters in the story. An example of this is Stellaris Invicta Season 1 - Greater Terran Union

If your story/art showcases how powerful/terrible/intelligent humans are, without any characteristics that seem to uplift or inspire readers or characters in the story, then the story belongs to haso