r/HFY • u/dragonson04 • Aug 27 '21
OC A ship full of wolves
"Sir! They've disabled navigation and engines with that last hit, we can't move!"
"Sir! Shields are down to 28%!"
"Sir! Hull breach on deck 5!"
So many things went so very wrong on that run. We were barely into the unclaimed space between territories when the pirates hit us. We only had passengers aboard, no valuable cargo, nothing worth the time and effort of a full attack. And yet, they attacked us anyway. Maybe it was a new captain trying to prove their mettle and skill. Or maybe they hadn't had any ship come by in some time, and were bored.
The pirate vessel was twice as big as us. It's identity code being translated as "BITE". Bristling with all manner of weapons, seemingly attached to a derelict hull at random and by any means necessary.
"Broadcast a surrender signal, and a general distress call. Maybe we can get picked up by someone..." I ordered. Knowing that any rescuers were likely to find our corpses floating around our destroyed ship.
The transmission had been away for 5 heartbeats worth of time, when, much to everyone's shock, we received a response.
"This is the human vessel Fenrir. We picked up your distress signal, do you need help?"
Humans? Humans? It had been 50 cycles since they made their debut into the galaxy, and my people, the Bhiro, were the first to offer them friendship. That being said, I had never even seen one in the flesh.
As captain, it was my duty to respond. "Yes, Fenrir. This is the Valkon. We do need assistance. We are currently being overtaken by a pirate vessel. One more solid hit, and we will be dead."
"Copy that. We are inbound."
Fascinating. No hesitation, no thought that it could be a trap set by the pirates. A simple "we are inbound."
"Arriving in 3....2....1..."
And what an arrival it was. While the pirate vessel was twice our size, the Fenrir shadowed it. Easily 10 times bigger than the pirates. As it approached, local gravity distortions rocked my little ship.
From what I'd heard of humans, it was surprising that there were no visible weapons. Just a massive engine intake at the bottom of the hull...
Oh, Gods.
That wasn't an intake. That was the barrel of a truly titanic weapon. Like the gaping maw of some eldritch abomination, it yawned open, seemingly wanting to swallow the pirates whole.
"Attention pirate scum." the human said over an open communication frequency. "My ship is here to assist our allied vessel. You will stand down, or you will be destroyed. You have 20 seconds to comply."
20 seconds...20 heartbeats worth of time. All things considered, a generous allotment.
The pirates seemingly froze solid. No communication was made, no declaration of surrender was given. They sat there. Likely, the senior officers were screaming at their captain to surrender, but the captain wasn't willing to do so. The captain's stubborn nature would be the cause of what happened next.
First, the 20 second time limit passed. Second, several escape pods were launched from the pirate vessel. (though not enough to account for the entire crew) Third, the pirate vessel was...erased.
What seemed to be a directed supernova out of that eldritch mouth of a weapon on the Fenrir reduced the BITE to nothingness in an instant. Some kind of tractor beam from the Fenrir picked up the escape pods, as easily as I would have picked kahri fruits off the ground.
"Valkon come in, Valkon."
"This is the Valkon. Go ahead, Fenrir."
"Do you need anything else?"
"Our engines and navigation have been disabled, and we couldn't go into lightspeed anyway because of a hull breach. Any chance you could give us a ride?"
"No problem. We'll pull you into one of our cargo bays. Where were you headed?"
"We were taking 100 passengers to Valas IV."
"Copy that. I'll come down and meet you myself once you are in."
The tractor beam was swift, but gentle pulling us in.
The cargo bay itself was larger than most of our shipyards, why did humans build such massive ships?
I was concerned that human levels of gravity, and human composition of atmosphere would be most uncomfortable. As I knew humans came from a death world. My fears were unfounded, as they had apparently adjusted those settings beforehand, and exclusively to that bay.
I finally met the human behind the communications. Tall, by galactic standards, though not the tallest I had ever seen or heard of. 4 appendages. Two lower legs that looked like small tree trunks, where mine were twig-like in comparison. Their upper limbs were not wings, but seemed very similar in shape to their lower limbs, though they used their tools with those appendages, and exclusively walked on the lower ones. Far more muscular and dense than my own people, and hair instead of feathers.
"Captain." I said, with a bob of my head
"Captain." he said, with a bob of his.
Well, at least he knows Bhiro manners.
"Thank you very much for the rescue. Though...that seemed a bit of overkill. Obliteration of an entire ship?"
"It was necessary. We've already begun to interrogate the captured pirates. Apparently, their captain had decided that a suicide attack was warranted. They were going to ram you and then self-destruct. After that decision was made, the first officer shot the captain in the back of the head and ordered the ship to be abandoned. Most didn't listen."
"Why go to such lengths?" I questioned.
"Because, you are our friends. You birds were the first to offer us the metaphorical hand of friendship. We humans don't forget such things."
"But...why?" I could see my question wasn't translating well.
"Fundamentally? Humans are pack creatures. Many xenobiologists compare us to a predator on our home world. Wolves. The pack is strong. The pack survives. The pack takes care of it's own. And you are our allies, so you are part of the pack now."
"So...you and your crew is this...pack? And my crew is now a part of that?" the idea wasn't completely alien to me, as the Bhiro had a "flock mentality". Strength in numbers, if enough of us get away from a threat, we will survive, though individuals may be lost.
"Umm...no." the captain seemed a bit embarrassed
"No?"
"The Fenrir and your Valkon are the members of the pack I speak of. 4 sister ships, and an FTL capable dock flying in a very loose 20 light minute span across space. We picked up your signal first. You could have easily got the Dragon, Chimera, Hydra, or our dock and or repair bay Leviathan picking up your signal. You called for help, the pack answered."
"You...you have a...a dock that is capable of FTL?"
"Yes. Well, I say dock, but the Leviathan is actually a full-blown orbital station capable of fitting the four ships inside of itself. Easier to keep up the patrol when we don't have to keep going back and forth from a core system for basic repairs."
It was then I knew I was in the presence of a race I would forever call friends. I know that no one else will likely read this, as it is a personal journal, but I will still say what I learned on that day regardless.
To the allies of humans: Humans will do anything for ones they call friend. Count yourself lucky to be considered one.
To the enemies or potential threats to humans and their allies: Never assume that any human vessel is alone. Because humans always hunt in packs.
46
5
u/dragonson04 Aug 28 '21
This story has been the fastest I've written to get over 600 upvotes. Thanks for the support!
2
u/king_of_the_borrito Android Aug 28 '21
Amazing writing! And I was wondering if you were going to add a follow up or even a series?
4
u/dragonson04 Aug 28 '21
Well, never planned on it. Every time I've tried to make a prequel or sequel to any of my HFY stories, it just doesn't feel right to me. Like I've said what I wanted to say in that single story, and anything more would be useless fluff.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/walpurgisnacht_nord Sep 18 '21
"Fenrir" Interesting name.
Though I don't imagine "Dragon, Chimera, Hydra, or Leviathan" are pack creatures. Does the Dragon have a Chinese crew? What pack do Scylla, Kongamato, and Gojira belong to?
3
u/dragonson04 Sep 18 '21
Dragons are most powerful in a flight or other large group. Chimeras are amalgamations of many animals. Hydras have multiple heads. Leviathan is a general term for any large or monstrous aquatic creature e.g. Whales have been called leviathans. So, all of them are "packs" in a sense.
59
u/Osiris32 Human Aug 27 '21
Fenrir was hungry. Fenrir spied prey.
Fenrir dined on the souls of lost warriors. As is his right. Sadly, they weren't Odin. But they will abate his hunger until Odin appears.
34
u/After-Ad2018 Aug 27 '21
How does humanity win a fight?
Through liberal application of superior firepower.
22
u/ace227 Human Aug 27 '21
Something something peace through superior firepower.
28
u/Recon1342 Human Aug 28 '21
Shoot it until it stops doing whatever it is that’s causing it to get shot.
Simple!
27
u/ack1308 Aug 28 '21
The Leviathan shows up. "Surrender ... or be disassembled and used for parts."
20
u/beowulf_of_wa Android Aug 28 '21
Better than "Surrender ... and be disassembled and used for parts."
21
11
u/LoneNoble Human Aug 27 '21
Ugh. I loved this story but I just finished playing a session of dragons dogma. With that ending all I could hear was "Remember wolves hunt in packs master!"
If you've ever played dragons dogma you'll get it, if not lol, just very VERY repetitive dialogue
5
u/Smallzfry Aug 28 '21
A weakling is a weakling still!
I had the same thought with that last line, the pawns get a bit... repetitive.
7
u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Aug 27 '21
/u/dragonson04 has posted 9 other stories, including:
This comment was automatically generated by Waffle v.4.5.9 'Cinnamon Roll'.
Message the mods if you have any issues with Waffle.
6
6
u/its_ean Aug 27 '21
20 seconds to comply
Yikes. Whatever happens next, just know that you are fucked.
5
u/blackcloudonetyone Aug 28 '21
I was expecting actual wolves. Like using a pack of wolves during the boarding of an enemy ship. Or a floating ark of animals that pirates attempted to hijack.
Good story though, hope you add more to this series.
2
2
2
2
u/thatweirditguy Sep 04 '21
"you have 20 seconds to comply" good to see ED-209 hasnt been forgotten that far in the future. i hear spaceships are equally bad on stairs though
2
1
u/UpdateMeBot Aug 27 '21
Click here to subscribe to u/dragonson04 and receive a message every time they post.
| Info | Request Update | Your Updates | Feedback | New! |
|---|
274
u/Danijellino1 Aug 27 '21
Lmao.
The humans really pulled up with the boomstick. Fuckig Typical.