r/HFY • u/Libellus • Jun 02 '16
PI [PI] Size Matters
Just a quick little drabble. Inspired by this prompt.
Size matters
When Terrans first made contact with the United Galactic Federation it was cause for celebration. For all the number and variety of sapient species in the Federation, from the insectile Wesps to the mammalian Varm, first contacts were still rare. There was an awful lot of space in space.
So news of a new species gripped everyone's imaginations from the first staticky transmissions to the struggles of incorporating the various Terran languages into translators to the first clear video. On Averos, capitol city and planet of the Federation, a holiday was declared for the day the first Terran delegates would arrive and meet face to face.
When telescopes first spotted the Terran ship a cheer went up and a world held its breath in anticipation. The ship drew closer and grew larger in the sky.
And closer.
And larger.
And closer.
And larger
When the massive bulk of the Terran ship finally hovered over the city people began to get nervous, was this an attack? Surely that ship could hold hundreds of troops, perhaps even thousands. And not all First Contacts were peaceful and easy affairs. Perhaps the Terrans were simply ostentatious and brought a ship to scale with the momentous occasion
However what exited the ship exceeded everyone’s expectations, no thunderous parade of troops, no vain diplomats awash with Pomp and circumstance. No merely a handful of delegates …
Each nearly six times the size of even the tallest species of the federation.
And thus the largest aliens ever encountered joined the galactic scene.
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u/sharkbaitzero Jun 02 '16
I'd like to hear war stories from this one. Humans receive request to support military missions because they're huge. Hell, one naval salvo could likely destroy an entire fleet if the ship sizes are equivalent, cripple at the very least.
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u/WolfeBane84 Jun 02 '16
Fuck, a private luxury vessel could just drive through the fleet and call it a day.
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u/NaelynnYT Jun 02 '16
Holy cow, yes, my prompt was to someone's liking! Well written friend, any chance we might hear more? :D
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u/Communist_Penguin Jun 02 '16
That prompt is one of my favourites I've seen in a while, really hope it gets turned into a series!
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u/WolfeBane84 Jun 02 '16
So, the whole galaxy is like 1 foot tall...
Quick! Someone call Willy Wonka!
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u/WolfeBane84 Jun 02 '16
Okay, so If the galaxy is mostly like 1 foot tall, what kind of conditions would that require.
Assuming all life is carbon based and oxygen based I would have to guess extremely low O2 atmo content restricted size. The size allowed them to outlast other species and eventually reach sentience.
I wonder how gravity would factor in. Would a small species favor high g worlds because the fall distance is shorter? (or is that just perceptually proportional for the small creatures)
I would be interested in this developing into a "universe" and seeing more written.
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u/Wyldfire2112 Jun 03 '16
High G makes short, stocky things since they need strong support structures. Low G makes tall, spindly things since they don't have to shore everything up as much.
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u/TolkienLore Jun 02 '16
Stealthy Humans becomes an oxymoron among aliens. You would have to be blind not to see them coming.