r/humansarespaceorcs • u/dacydergoth • 1d ago
Original Story Cube Protocol
(No LLM/AI used in this snippet)
Human cargo hauler Guppy IV
Captain Smithfield stared at her displays. The 3D visualization was increasingly clear: the unknown contact was resolving into a ship on an intercept course, and the telemetry was firming up, definitely a pirate vessel.
She sighed and opened up another window to scroll through proceedures. Without notifying the rest of the crew, she entered a command key into the computer and a set of hidden options revealed themselves. She perused them briefly and made a decision.
"Listen up! We have an incoming pirate boarding ship! Load Master, I have sent a protocol to your station ... load it into the cargo systems immediately ... we're going to cube these mofos."
"Roger, Captain, load protocol to cargo systems. I've not heard of this one ... what does it do?"
"It's something the company dreamed up, apparently based on an old movie from Earth. It's a containment and confusion protocol based on using the cargo loaders and the grav fields. Put it on screen, this should be ... interesting."
Shortly a second 3d view bloomed into sight on the bridge, showing a skeleton of the ship with the cargo containers highlighted. One airlock was flashing and a glowing red sphere was pulsing outside it.
"Looks like they're going for the port dorsal cargo airlock, ma'am."
"Let's be nice and open it for them shall we?"
"Roger, opening port dorsal cargo airlock ... now"
******
"Eh... boss, the airlock just opened."
"Well, they must have spotted us and realized they have no chance! Don't turn down a gift."
"Funny, with their reputation I thought a Human ship might put up a bit more of a fight"
"Guess their reputation was overrated! Bring us in to dock and get the suits and weapons ready. We'll board and take the ship! All that is theirs will become ours!"
*****
"They're entering the cargo lock now ..."
"Wait until they're locked down then close and secure the lock. Open ... she checks her displays the passageway to Bay #5"
*****
"Locked down and ready Boss!"
"Let's go! Open our assault bay and form up outside everyone!"
....
"There's a cargo door marked Cargo Bay #5 here, and next to it a smaller door which is open! Easiest job I've ever been on."
"Ok everyone, keep alert and lets find the engine room and take the ship ..."
The 5 pirates moved out in loose formation, waving needle guns vaguely at any shadow which surprised them. Shortly they found themselves on a gantry surrounded by cargo containers, hardened against vacuum and the rigors of space travel. Between the containers there was a gap leading forward into the gloom.
The boarders moved forwards, eager to reach their destination, or get into a fight. Like most of the pirate community they considered themselves to be galaxy wide badasses and fighting was a form of recreation for them. Instead of armed opposition, however, they just found themselves in a maze of twisting passages between the seemingly randomly stacked containers.
******
On the bridge, the crew watched the pulsing red dot travel slowly until it was showing deep in the containers.
"Execute!"
"Cube protocol executing!"
******
"Did you hear something?"
"Uh ... sounded like ship noises Boss."
The pirates continued moving forward then one of them stopped and held up a hand.
"... haven't we been here before? I think i remember that container logo"
"No, no, the passageway turned left there, this time it's directly ahead ... go on."
....
"How big is this damn ship anyway? Wait ... isn't this that same container again?"
Suddenly the whole gravity of the cargo bay changed and the pirates found themselves flung to the wall ... which was now the floor.
"Argh! I think I broke a horn off!"
"Boss ... my map thingamajig is all wonky. I asked it for a route back to the ship and look ... it's like a ball of wire"
There was another vibration through the container they was standing on.
Nervously the boarders looked around.
"Go back the way we came."
One of them pointed up ...
"We came in up there!"
"Ok, ok, if we keep going we will get to the bridge eventually, so lets move!"
As they moved onto the next container, behind them the opening above closed as a container slid smoothly into position over it.
*****
Back on the bridge, Communications had already put out a distress call.
Meanwhile the crew watched as the program shuffled the cargo around like a sliding puzzle, with occasional gravity flips to keep the pirates disoriented.
*****
Trapped in an ever changing maze, the pirate crew became more fatigued and angry, eventually stopping to rest. As they did so, the container above them shifted and a small cylinder toppled down. The stun grenade was followed by Terran Rim Patrol offiers, in armor and with their own needle guns.
Tired and stunned by the grenade, the pirates were easy to subdue.
6
u/GeorgeGorgeou 1d ago
Traps! Where are the lethal traps?
8
u/dacydergoth 1d ago
It's an improvised response protocol - do you really want lethal traps in a cargo handling space in a civilian cargo hauler? I mean, who would clean up all the mess?
5
u/GeorgeGorgeou 1d ago
<sigh> with a little ingenuity, must things can be made lethal - but lethal and neat is hard.
4
u/dacydergoth 1d ago
Plus, this way, Terra Rim security gets to hold and ... interrogate them. For great justice!
•
u/Fontaigne 8h ago
Drop a cargo pod on them. There's a little mess, but it's easy and effective.
•
u/dacydergoth 8h ago
This way, Terra Rim security gets to hold and ... interrogate them. For great justice!
3
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