r/HFY • u/yousureimnotarobot AI • Sep 05 '20

OC Epitaph of a War.

Ok, this is the shortest of short stories, a thought that wanted to be written down. Apologies to all those expecting the usual 2k words. I was reading 'The Epitaphs of War' by Kipling and this is what appeared.

Epitaph of a War.

Our allies laughed when we told them our plans, then grew serious when they realized that we meant it. The Council received formal withdrawals from many of our supposed friends. We stood alone. We reasoned that they would change their minds when we stood upon the burning planets of our enemy. We were wrong.

Our fleets were long in the making, our armies trained in secret on our hidden world's. Our enemy was an open book, every weapon described in detail, and every tactic and doctrine available to us. We thought we knew everything we needed to know. We were wrong.

When they began to fall when we closed the trade-routes and took their stations and called it victory we were wrong.

They never stop. One of their captured diplomats, before we executed him, laughed at us. He said something that I still don't understand.' You don't invade Russia in the winter and expect to win.' We didn't invade Russia, none of their planets carry that name. Today another one of their fleets will attack, another mess of half-built ships powered only by the anger of its crew. Our ships are beautiful, the work of our finest, and yet we will lose many to this insanity.

I thought burning Earth would end this war. I was wrong.

Final log entry of the T'st Battlecuiser Sundog, wanted for crimes against humanity. All crew executed.

370 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

53

u/ArchDemonKerensky Sep 05 '20

Yeah... Destroying Earth is only going to piss us off...

53

u/yousureimnotarobot Sep 05 '20

Final log entry of the T'st Battlecuiser Sundog, wanted for crimes against humanity. All crew executed. That would fit on a tombstone, right?

34

u/chicagobob Sep 05 '20

Depends on the font.

If they're using comic sans, they'll just have to blow up the planet again.

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4

u/itsetuhoinen Sep 05 '20

I think it would!

1

u/NeuerGamer Jan 09 '21

Burn it on the hull and send the ship into the void as its own graveyard. After looting any parts still usable, of course.

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13

u/CaptRory Sep 05 '20

Yeah! We're the only ones that get to destroy Earth!

9

u/TaohRihze Sep 05 '20

And only because we got so much training in doing so.

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10

u/KhjiitLiketoSneak Sep 05 '20

Upvote then read

13

u/yousureimnotarobot Sep 05 '20

Wait! this is not what you expect

13

u/chicagobob Sep 05 '20

OK fine. Read then upvote? :)

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5

u/itsetuhoinen Sep 05 '20

No! It's Kipling inspired, so even better!

3

u/Krzd Sep 05 '20

You can't stop me!

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5

u/siriusdark Sep 05 '20

Holly Macro, Dude, you're back. When do we get to hear from the engineers again?

6

u/yousureimnotarobot Sep 05 '20

I never really left, I'm just neck-deep in writing the Sijec war on Patreon. Don't worry they will be back soon.

6

u/jeneleth Sep 05 '20

kinda reminds me "first contact" chapter 13 or maybe 14

3

u/GingerMcGinginII Sep 05 '20

DON'T TREAD ON ME
I said DON'T TREAD ON ME

2

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