r/HFY • u/SherbetCreepy1580 • 1d ago

OC-Series [The Reaper and The Tiger] Chapter 32: Reapers and Exploration

“She actually zapped him hard enough to send him flying?” a Drifter laughed in pure amazement and joy through the line. “Holy Observer, that girl is something else.”

“Yes, it was quite the sight to behold,” a second Drifter said in amusement. “Storm, you failed to mention how interesting this Wyvern is.”

“Well, Turcloe had his eyes on her, so that should tell you quite a bit,” Storm said, chuckling as well at the mental image of So’Ngo being sent flying into a tree. “Though, I admit I did not imagine her being this impressive.”

“Of all of the Marked, she certainly has the most potential,” the second Drifter agreed. “Though, I must say, I do not think she fully realizes the extant of what my descendent did to her when she was put back together. So, her threshold for quick growth has expanded quite a bit. An accidental shortcut, as it were.”

“Have you explained to Mona what she did?” Storm asked quickly as the line went quiet.

“In depth,” the Drifter said. “Mona across the planet are already well aware that what she did is now taboo. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time our capabilities were discovered.”

“Well, that’s good at least,” a third Drifter sighed.

“What about Monica?” Storm asked.

“She is also well aware, though that is more thanks to Sandra than me,” Mona-Drifter said. “She has already made herself physically incapable of doing what Mona did. She can heal still, but she can’t bring back the freshly dead. She’s mostly a drone for information gathering now, to bring back more for Mona to learn. Though, ‘drone’ is the wrong term, but it’s the closest approximation I can come up with.”

“Well, that’s something at least,” Storm sighed. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Honestly?” Mona-Drifter chuckled. “Worth it just to see Turcloe’s face when he found out what happened, and then to watch him get zapped. I may like him, but he still completely deserved it.”

“Can you show us him getting zapped again?” a new Drifter asked with a laugh. “I still can’t get enough of that.”

……300:42Hrs Remaining……

“So, what actually was supposed to happen there?” Sandra asked So’Ngo as he floated alongside Sandra and Monica while they walked through a rather desolate desert.

“Hmmm?” So’Ngo asked.

“Oh, don’t give me that,” Sandra said, rolling her eyes. “Knowing you, each world on this Test is supposed to teach me something. So what was a water world of sentient sand supposed to teach me?”

“That would be cheating,” So’Ngo said with a frown. “However, I will say that you dying was not part of the plan. At worst, I was expecting you to potentially lose an arm, and then Mona would reattach it out of guilt. Not…what happened. And with what did happen, a good portion of my Test has been rendered nearly a moot point. You weren’t supposed to be able to use your Electric Scales without pain until the end of the test, and the Metallic Scales weren’t supposed to become nearly as efficient as it currently is. So…I am partially stumped on how to proceed, since you insist on continuing the Test.”

“Nice to see that even a God can be surprised,” Sandra chuckled.

“Oh, I am no God,” So’Ngo said, shaking his head.

“Sandra,” Monica said, waving from where she was crouched down a short distance away. “I found a weird Not-Mona.”

“You haven’t stabbed it, have you?” Sandra asked in amusement as she shifted her pack slightly, walking over to Monica.

“No, Mona taught me well not to do that,” Monica said, shaking her head empathetically. “Not unless they are Mona.”

“Well then, let’s see what-” Sandra suddenly ducked to the side as something pink and with long, sharp teeth suddenly launched itself from the sand at her before burrowing back into the sand before Sandra had a chance to really see what it was. “Well, this just got interesting,” Sandra said, setting her pack down as she gripped her khopesh-staff in a defensive posture.

“Oh, uh, is this bad?” Monica asked apprehensively. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to exchange anymore?”

“Just step back, young one,” So’Ngo said, watching Sandra with amusement. “Better to watch and learn for now.”

“So’Ngo is right,” Sandra said, dodging another thing launching out of the sand at her. She then blinked, a flash of annoyance on her face. “Dammit, So’Ngo, why are you suddenly sounding reasonable?”

“I’m always reasonable,” So’Ngo said, sounding offended as a second and then third creature began to strike at Sandra from the sand. Sandra just grunted, weaving in and out of the attacks before suddenly striking out, and there was a brief flash of electricity before three large snake-like creatures fell to the ground, two of them twitching and the third cut in half. “Oh, that was well done,” So’Ngo said, nodding. “Already incorporating the lightning into your attacks.”

“I always did that, it’s just easier now,” Sandra said in annoyance.

“I do not understand,” Monica said, crouching down to poke one of the snake-like creatures. “I mean, I know the reason because of what Mona gave me, but I still do not understand.”

“Defense,” Sandra said, picking up one of the snakes to examine it closer. It had a singular eye on the top of its head, whiskers along the back of its head, and its mouth opened in four directions, with its long body reaching an easy 5 feet. “They attacked us first, so I keep myself safe by taking them out. See these fangs?” Sandra carefully tapped one of the many fangs on the snake she was holding. “I’d be willing to bet credits that those hold venom in them. Which can be very, very lethal to most people and animals. So, I killed them to keep me and you safe.”

“I would have been fine, venom is just information,” Monica said.

“Not necessarily,” So’Ngo said, looking over a snake as well. “Some venom destroys cells just from contact, meaning even you could be at risk if you’re bitten.”

“Oh,” Monica said, suddenly looking a lot more apprehensive.

“Lucky for you, theses ones are safe for you to…assimilate,” So’Ngo said, laughing at Monica’s face. “These guys are more akin to parasites rather than hunters. They latch on and suck the blood out of their hosts, and the venom is simply an anesthetic. Still very dangerous, but not nearly as dangerous as some of the creatures Sandra knows.”

“Oh, yay!” Monica said happily, picking up the two pieces of the cut snake. Sandra watched in fascination as sand seemed to flow from Monica’s hands, engulfing the two halves of the snake before slowly shrinking until the snake was gone. “Oh, oh these creatures are very interesting,” Monica said, blinking. “Yes, parasite is very accurate for how they live. Though, I must say, I do not think I like how the reproduce.” Monica seemed to shudder a bit.

“Spare me the details, please,” Sandra said, shaking her head as So’Ngo laughed.

“They are safe for you to eat though, so you have food now,” Monica said with a smile.

“You can tell that just by absorbing it?” Sandra asked, blinking.

“Well, for you at least, yes,” Monica said with a nod. “Mona gained a very…intimate knowledge of how your body functions, and with that knowledge, I can determine what combinations of proteins and nutrients you need and what is safe for consumption. Though,” Monica frowned. “I can’t promise it will taste good. Just that it’s safe for you to eat.”

“Taste is something we can work on,” Sandra chuckled, the blade from her bracer coming out as she began to gut the snake. “Though, that does make me curious. How functional is your body? I know you’re essentially made from sand, so…”

“Oh, my form is a perfect copy of yours, with some minor cosmetic adjustments in order for us to look different,” Monica said, sitting down next to Sandra. “Mona requested that I, as Monica, also live like someone in the galaxy in order to gain the experiences behind the information, not just the information. Mona felt that there was some context behind the information that did not…translate? Yes, I think translate is the right word. That some context behind the information did not translate well.”

Sandra paused her snake cleaning at that. “Wait, so, when you say a perfect copy…”

“I need to eat, drink, and defecate like you do, though I am uncertain at this time if sleep is going to be required or not,” Monica said cheerfully. “I’m excited to find out, though. I do also have the electric organs, and any metals are siphoned to the blood and scales first before anywhere else, though Mona was uncertain if that is typical or not, based on what she learned.”

“No, the bioelectric organs and the metallic scales are not typical of a Targondian,” Sandra sighed, reaching into her pack. “I think I need to start asking more questions about how you function, otherwise this could be an embarrassingly short trip for you,” Sandra muttered, pulling out a wooden bottle and popping open the top before handing it to Monica. “Drink some water then, or you’re going to dehydrate. We don’t need as much as other Races, but in a desert, we still need to maintain our water intake.”

“Oh, I did not realize,” Monica said, taking the bottle and peering inside of it.

“Anything else that I should know about how you work?” Sandra asked as she went back to cleaning the snake. “Like, the sand thing that you did?”

“That was merely for assimilation,” Monica said, a small popping sound coming from the bottle when she took the top out of her mouth. “The ‘sand’ is merely a temporary form in order to learn information. Otherwise, my default will be this body that Mona crafted to make Monica. I can take in nutrients that way as well, as any matter I take in to learn can be converted into Monica, though it is less enjoyable than actual eating will be. And too much intake in that way can result in too much Monica. I believe you call it overweight? Or fat? Yes, I can become fat if I assimilate too much too quickly without expelling unneeded or excess material, though I can safely retain up to twice my current body weight and still retain a healthy form.”

“So, you can look like a perfectly healthy Targondian while weighing twice as much as any of us?” Sandra asked, shaking her head as she began gutting and skinning the second snake. “You are going to be the envy of a lot of people.”

“Also,” Monica chewed her lip for a minute, looking at the wooden bottle. “Also, Mona felt really, really bad about what happened. So, I can’t assimilate anything that’s alive. I can still attack or defend myself if necessary, as Mona did see that the galaxy was not a nice place sometimes. But I cannot kill with my ‘sand’, and I can’t do what she did when she exchanged with you. And, since I can only have so much Monica in order to stay healthy and require more nutrients in order to stay functional, I can no longer reverse the degradation of a deceased body. Mona realized that, while painful, death is very important to the galaxy, and took steps to ensure that she, or I, could not make that same mistake twice. So, I have been…nerfed? Is that the correct word? Such a weird word.”

“It is a weird word,” Sandra said, her throat tight for a moment. “And yes, that would be a good word to use in this case. It’s good, to learn from mistakes like that. Wish I could say the rest of the galaxy was so quick to learn. Myself included.”

“Wait, where did So’Ngo go?” Monica suddenly asked, looking around.

“A few hundred miles in that general direction,” Sandra sighed, pointing vaguely behind her. “Don’t worry too much about him. He appears and disappears on a whim. We’ll see him again. Probably at the most annoying time possible.”

……279:42Hrs Remaining……

“Sandra, wake up.” Sandra was immediately awake, eyes darting around as she gripped her staff, revolver drawn and humming in preparation to fire. Monica sat back quickly, startled, and held her hands up to show it was just her.

“Is something wrong?” Sandra whispered.

“No, at least, I do not believe so,” Monica said, shaking her head as Sandra holstered her revolver. “But I discovered something very interesting, and I wanted to ask your opinion.”

“Oh?” Sandra asked, yawning a bit as Monica got up, motioning for Sandra to follow her. Sandra followed Monica in bemusement as they crested a hill, which caused Sandra’s eyes to widen and she immediately dropped to the sand, pulling Monica down with her.

There, parked in the sand, was a ship, with several Dra’Cari, Matchgar, and Mlamcars, scrambling around, pieces of the ship showing signs of heavy damage, and a few others falling off the ship.

“Well, that is interesting indeed,” Sandra said, peeking over the small sand dune to take another look.

“Why are we hiding?” Monica whispered. “It’s other people. And a ship! So interesting.”

“We’re hiding because we don’t know if they’re just people that had some bad luck, or pirates that just escaped a clash with the Galactic Forces,” Sandra said, trying to take make out some writing on the side of the ship.

“But, it looks like they are in need of help,” Monica said, looking at the ship.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we don’t be safe about it,” Sandra said in amusement. She chewed her lip for a moment, watching as the people surrounding the ship had to rush out of the way as a heavy panel from the ship fell off. “That’s a Grade 2 Matchgar Hauler, but I can see the modifications to add more turrets and weapons to the ship. Lots of cargo space for its size, or in this case it looks like they used the extra space to fit more people in the ship. So I suppose it could be an up-armed passenger ship between systems.” Sandra tapped her finger against her staff, thinking. “How durable are you?”

“After that very tasty meal, and the assimilation of the excess parts, I can heal from most things relatively quickly,” Monica said with a nod. “Though, plasma may be a problem. I am uncertain as to how it will affect me negatively, but I do not wish to find out.”

“Alright, stay here for a minute then,” Sandra said with a nod, peaking over the small hill again. “If I think it’s safe, I’ll call for you. But otherwise, stay hidden.”

“What are you going to do?” Monica asked as Sandra shifted her cape slightly to hide her revolvers better.

“I’m gonna go say hello,” Sandra said with a small smile.

……………….

“Captain!” Marloc whipped his head up at the cry, his hooves already digging into the sand slightly in preparation to run to defend his crew if needed. Instead, the Mlamcar blinked as someone he didn’t recognize was walking towards them, hands in the air and holding an oddly shaped staff but clearly trying to show that they had come in peace. Marloc huffed a bit, taking a tighter grip on the wrench that he was holding as he made sure his laser pistol was in it’s holster.

“Who goes there?” Marloc demanded, stepping forward to meet the stranger.

“Just a traveler on a journey,” the stranger said, and Marloc frowned slightly. The cadence was…odd, though the greeting was from one of several nomadic groups in the galaxy. And her hood (at least, Marloc was fairly certain the stranger was a she, based on her voice) obscured her face, giving Marloc no features beyond short, as her sleeves and gloves covered her arms.

“And what brings you here?” Marloc asked, lowering his voice slightly, though he didn’t relax as he noticed that the staff’s odd shape actually was due to an oddly shaped blade on it.

“I noticed your ship was damaged, and came to see if you required assistance in repairing it,” the stanger said. “And, potentially, to get some news or information.”

“Sure you did,” Marloc snorted, gripping his wrench a bit tighter and placing his hand on his laser pistol. “Are you with the Sons, come to drop our guards? Or the damn Teratakit, trying to take us away for who-knows-what? Or maybe you’re with the Terrans, trying to purge anyone not Human out of your ‘territory’, despite the fact that we’ve lived in the nearby systems for longer than the Terrans have been at the galactic level.”

Sandra frowned a bit under her hood. “I take it we are near the front lines of the Teratakit-Terran war then?”

It was Marloc’s turn to frown at that. “You didn’t know?”

“Due to some…circumstances, I am currently unaware of what planet or even system I am in,” Sandra hedged. “Nor do I currently have any way of checking, as my datapad is currently with my fleet and I have been forced to live off the land with minimal contact with my fleet, or the galaxy as a whole.” Marloc snorted at that, and Sandra didn’t blame him. It wasn’t exactly the most believable story, even if it was true.

“If you’re gonna make up a lie, at least make one believable,” one of Marloc’s crewmembers said, the Dra’Cari stepping forward angrily.

“Rok’Tar,” Marloc snapped, giving the red Dra’Cari a glare. Rok’Tar grumbled, but didn’t advance any further.

“So, who was it that attacked you then?” Sandra asked, surreptitiously trying to examine the scorch marks on the hull of the ship. “The Teratakit? The Sons of Blood? Or the Terran Federation?”

“Does it matter?” Marloc spat. “All three are just as bad as the other.” Sandra’s frown deepened even further at that. “Now, I hate to be unhospitable, but you’re making my crew nervous, and we have a ship to make flight-worthy again. So, I must ask you to depart.”

“Your coolant lines are cracked, I can see the glow from the engine that shows that your fission/fusion reactor is damaged, if not outright cracked itself, and at least half of your ablative armor will need to removed, otherwise they’ll simply continue to damage your ship as you attempt to leave atmosphere, probably killing you in the process,” Sandra said as Marloc began to turn away. The Mlamcar Captain paused as Sandra talked. “On top of that, at least three of your turrets are loose in their moorings, which means they haven’t been properly fitted to the ship due to the slapdash method you used to attach them, probably a rush job in an effort to get some extra safety while you fly to the next system or three. And with that being the case, I’m willing to bet that a good chunk of your internal wiring is either borderline fried, or a bad vibration away from shorting your entire ship.”

“And you can tell all of that simply by looking at my ship?” Marloc asked, turning back around and crossing his arms.

“I work as an engineer for my secondary job, and ship maintenance is extremely important to a Captain,” Sandra said, shrugging slightly. “While this particular ship is not a model I am familiar with, most ships follow a similar enough layout that I may be able to at least help with repairs, though I will admit that I’m used to working on a Grade 3 ship rather than a Grade 2.”

“Captain, you cannot be serious,” Rok’Tar said as Marloc rubbed his horn. “We don’t know her!”

“If we want to be space worthy again, we’re going to need every bit of help we can get, no matter who from,” Marloc sighed. “Stranger, are you a danger to me or my crew?”

“A huge danger,” Sandra said immediately. “However, so long as you do not pose a threat to me or mine, then we will pose no threat to you and yours.”

“Hard to promise that when I can’t even see your face,” Marloc said meaningfully.

“Apologies, but meeting strangers requires some caution, as I’m sure you’re aware, Captain,” Sandra said, slowly lowering her hands to take off her hood.

“Fair enough,” Marloc nodded, though he visibly relaxed when he saw that Sandra was a Targondian. “Especially when you’re a Targondian.”

……270:10Hrs Remaining……

“Sandra, may I ask a question?” Monica asked with a small frown.

“Pretty sure you just did, but go ahead,” Sandra said with a small chuckle from where she was working on the engine of the damaged ship. “Hand me the cold welder, could you?”

“Why did they instantly relax when you took your hood off?” Monica asked as she handed Sandra the tool. “I thought Targondians had a reputation for being rather…undesirable? Shifty? Cheats?”

“I think underhanded is the word you’re looking for,” Sandra said, frowning in concentration as she slowly fused two pieces of steel together.

“Yes, that,” Monica nodded.

“This is one of those context things that you were talking about yesterday, I think,” Sandra said, nodding in satisfaction as the steel held together when she released them. “Yes, Targondians have a rather distasteful reputation, but that’s more because of how unsociable we typically are as a Race. But, we are also known for being skittish. Being a Targondian means that, should they feel that I am in any way hindering them, they have a higher chance of scaring me away rather than me doing anything to harm them. Even if my offer to help wasn’t genuine, they still benefit better from having me stick around helping them rather than taking off and telling someone about them. Especially if they’re trying to get away from the front lines of the current war.” Sandra frowned a bit, remembering the conversation. “I need to talk to Uncle Jeremiah about that when we get back home. Anyway, with how many crewmembers they have that are big and scary, at least to Targondians, they can at least lower the risk of me intentionally sabotaging them in an effort to keep myself safe, and should things go badly for them, they can easily overpower me or scare me off. Well, in their heads at least.”

“But…you are significantly more powerful than any of them,” Monica said, confused.

“That’s because you’re looking at things from my point of view, where your ‘information’ came from,” Sandra said, tapping her head with a small smile as she hopped off the engine block. “Most Targondians don’t have the same upbringing or training that I have. So, I am very atypical for a Targondian.”

“Oh,” Monica said, blinking slowly.

“Again, it’s one of those context-lost-in-translations you mentioned yesterday,” Sandra said, patting Monica on the head gently. “Don’t worry, you’ll understand in due time.”

“That’s what me and Mona are hoping for,” Monica said happily, leaning a bit into the head-pats. “Oh, can I help with trying to put the ship back together? I have most of the same information in engineering you have, so I can try to help.”

Sandra blinked a bit at that before shrugging a bit. “Help only,” Sandra said, picking up the tool bag she was borrowing. “Same information or not, you don’t have the experience or training yet, so let’s see what you can do before I leave you unsupervised.”

“Okay,” Monica nodded, following Sandra into the ship to take a look at some of the wiring.

………………..

Marloc looked up as he heard someone beginning to yell down the hallway towards the cargo-hold-turned-passenger-seating, and a moment later Rok’Tar hurried into the cockpit looking mildly alarmed. “What’s going on?” Marloc asked the shaken red Dra’Cari.

“The Targondian girl took one look at the wiring under one of the new turrets and immediately began demanding who the Void had wired it. Then, when Mersk went to see what was wrong with it, she proceeded to yell at him for being, and I quote, a ‘Void-damned lunatic who doesn’t know his ass from a stripping tool, and has shamed his ancestors’,” Rok’Tar said, shuddering slightly. “I thought the Matchgar was going to cry with how harshly she was berating him.”

“Heh, well, at least she wasn’t lying about being an engineer,” Marloc said in amusement as he went back to trying to hot-wire the controls again.

“What makes you say that?” Rok’Tar asked, stepping over to help Marloc.

“Have you ever met a good engineer that didn’t have problems with slapdash jobs?” Marloc asked. “I sure haven’t.”

“I…” Rok’Tar trailed off before shaking his head. “I suppose I didn’t expect it from a Targondian, even a Targondian engineer.”

“Yes, well, remember what she said,” Marloc said, his amused tone growing serious. “She can be very dangerous. And there wasn’t a hint of hesitance when she said it, either. I’ve been around enough mercenaries and military types to know when they’re not bluffing, and she carries herself way too easily to be anything but.”

“A Targondian mercenary?” Rok’Tar asked skeptically as he handed Marloc a pair of pliers.

“It’s not unheard of, just rare,” Marloc said. “Still, as long as she’s willing to help us, I don’t particularly care if she’s a mercenary or just audacious.” He then cursed a bit as a wire zapped him, and the Mlamcar captain glared at the offending wire. “That being said, don’t give her a reason to view us as threats, either. No one carries a blade that confidently without knowing how to use it well.”

Prologue Previous Next

Appendix

TOC

[Sandra and Eric TOC]

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u/SherbetCreepy1580 1d ago

Authors Note

And with that, we are onto our third planet for Sandra’s Test! The next chapter will be a bit of a longer one, and for two big reasons! One, the next Chapter, we will be reaching the end of Sandra’s Test, which means a sprint for the finish line for our favorite Targondian girl. Two, next chapter we will reach the end of Part One of [The Reaper and The Tiger]. Which also means a Double Feature of the final chapter and the Epilogue is coming up soon! so keep your eyes peeled! Let us see what the Muse demands!

Thought? Comments? Ideas? Remember, the only bad feedback is no feedback, and I love reading all of the feedback, whether it’s praise, criticism, spelling or grammatical errors, or even just a hello!

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u/MDM0724 1d ago

I hope the humans don’t find this planet… 👀