Iâm not the most eloquent writer, but Iâve had this idea kicking around for a while and figured Iâd put it out into the universe.
A lot of the basis for the âhumans are space orcsâ stuff is the idea that weâre pretty durable compared to many species, yeah? When it comes to physical trauma, we can bounce back from most things that donât kill us outright, especially given the benefit of hypothetical space-age technology, and adrenaline is one heck of a drug when it comes to functioning under stress.Â
But that doesnât make us unkillable, and even though we can survive debilitating injuries and not die from shock, it doesnât mean itâs fun. Dying of shock sucks, but at least itâs probably quick.
So - Imagine a ship, adrift in space, slowly being drawn into a star or something. In order to save the ship, someone has to repair the hyper-quantum-relay-majig on the hull or in the engine or whatever. Bit of a problem though- thereâs a ton of deadly, deadly radiation (Wrath of Khan style) or poisonous fumes or, I dunno, electrical current, between the crew and the repair. Like, enough to kill most species instantly, so the crew is just like, âwelp, guess weâll die thenâ. But then.
BUT THEN
They ask the human. Because everyoneâs heard the stories - youâre basically unkillable, right? Could you survive long enough in there to fix it? And their human goes real quiet for a second, but still says âYeah, I could fix itâ. And the rest of the crew is like, âWhaaaaaa, it wonât kill you?â and the human repeats âI can fix itâ (which isnât an answer, but no one catches that, not yet at least), so they send âem in. And the human fixes it, they come back, the ship flies to safety, and the crew is thrilled to survive. If the human is a little quiet, well, theyâre entitled after pulling off a miracle. Everyone else is just excited to get to the nearest stationâs bar to tell their very own human story, cuz, âthose crazy humans, amiright?â.
The good mood keeps up until the human is late for their next shift. At first itâs just faint unease, but- but they earned a bit of a lie-in, right? No reason to begrudge them some extra rest, even if it is a little weird for them to oversleep. Theyâll be fine. Humans are always fine.Â
(Right?)
(âŚWrong.)
- What is⌠help. Help!-
- ake up! You have t-
- been days. You need sleep, you-
- nother transfusion. We could-
- out of sedatives!-
A week later, the crew finally reaches the station. They stumble into the bar, haggard and haunted. And over the next months and years a new rumor about humans starts to make its way through space. A rumor unlike any before.
âBe careful with your humansâ it whispers. âTheir strength is not always a blessing. Be sure they donât do something they canât come back from, because when a human dies⌠they die slowly.â
[ Prologue ] [ Part 1 ] [ Part 2 ] [ Part 3 ] [ Part 4 ] [ Part 5 ] [ Part 6 ] [ Part 7 ] [ Part 8 ] [ Part 9 ] [ Part 10 ] [ Part 11 ] [ Part 12 ] [ Part 13 ] [ Part 14 ] [ Part 15 ] [ Part 16 ] [ Part 17 ] [ Part 18 ] [ Part 19 ] [ Part 20 ]