#i would hate to cross us akhshd

[autisticsoda]

Predatory

The Galactic Alliance had really outdone themselves this time. Inviting humans to join the alliance? What were they thinking? Humans were fine-bones, pathetic creatures with no natural defenses. They were like pets.

Many of the species in the alliance had turned up their muzzles and scoffed. What good would humans be? They were so far behind in technological defenses, and all of their medicines only served their species, not any others.

When the human representative (”Uh, I’m Skip. They/them.”) arrived at the table and scurried up one of the tall chairs awkwardly, though surprisingly athletic, and sat at the table, many members of the alliance bared their teeth.

Skip cringed a little bit, but did not whimper and cower like how many presumed. Instead, they sat up straighter and their gaze darkened slightly. Hm. How curious. 

As per tradition, Skip was asked questions about their species. The human answered them with grace, admitting their flaws just as prideful as they admitted the good parts to their race. 

Finally, the head of the table, Okl’ad, opened xer mouth to ask a question. “What predators does your species battle on Earth? What experience do you have in the art of surviving?”

Skip tilted their head slowly, baring their teeth in what the humans called a smile. Many alliance members fought against shivering. “What predators?”

Okl’ad blinked. “You do not mean to say your species has no predators?”

“Oh, we did,” Skip nodded, still with their slightly widened eyes and their creepy twisted grin. Okl’ad shrunk back against xer chair. “In the past. We hunted most of them to extinction with a method we call persistence hunting.”

Whatever persistence hunting was, the alliance did not want to encounter it for themselves. 

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When the rebels attacked the Galactic Alliance’s mother ship, no one was prepared. The mother ship was left in ruins, the members on it dead. The secondary leaders had been attacked also, although they were much more prepared after having watched the mother ship get decimated.

The humans had been locked away in the bunker, knowledge of their sad bodies keeping them locked away. It was a good thing, the other species had thought, especially after the rebels had torn through them and left every single one of them inured and unable to fly the ship.

The rebels themselves had been injured in the skirmish. They left the ship safe, assuming that it would not matter if it was a destroyed or kept in one piece. The pilots could not fly, so therefore they would all die.

They had not counted for the humans.

Skip had found a way to leave the bunker, unlocking it and allowing the other humans to leave. There about five of them, just like there was on every ship. They ran down the halls, the doctors and medics dragging their alien friends to the hospital wing.

Skip had sat in the corner of the hospital, eyes cold and calculating as they flicked between the injured party. They sucked in a breath, sitting up straight and walked away. One of their human friends chased after them, stumbling and muttering curses on the way.

Skip went straight for the the pilots station, where they knew they could fly the ship. Their friend, Hari, stood next to them, his buzzing nervous energy resembling the wings of a hummingbird.

“Skip, what are you going to do?” he asked, wringing his hands together. Skip let a nasty smile rise to their face, their eyes focused entirely in front of them. Hari cocked his head curiously at the expression.

“What we do best,” Skip spat. “Persistence hunting.”

________________________________________________________________

Hari and Skip alternated between piloting and sleeping while the other humans tended to the injured. When the usual pilot (a lovely alien named Uyatd) was well enough to sit up, he was sat in the corner of the room, watching the two humans warily.

“We cannot catch up to the rebels, at this rate,” ve said, his eyes narrowed with uncertainty. Skip looked over their shoulder to look at ver, eyebrows shooting upwards. “We are going on a wild goose chase.”

“They are going to run out of fuel eventually.”

“So are we.”

“There is a planet close-by on the alliance’s side we can re-fuel at,” Skip informed, pointing to the hologram map on the wall. Uyatd blinked in surprise. “There are no rebel planets anywhere near here.”

Uyatd realized that ve was witnessing the very thing humans prided themselves on so many years ago. The persistence hunting and the packs they lived in. Many species had not understood the purpose of human pack bonding, but...

Watching Hari and Skip work together was mesmerizing. The way they spoke to each other without words as if in a hive mind. The way they knew where to go and analyzed their allies.

Uyatd stopped worrying about catching the rebels.

________________________________________________________________

True to Skip’s word, the rebel shipped guttered and eventually stopped moving entirely. Skip and Hari shared feral grins, slowly rolling up towards the other ship. Uyatd watched warily, ver gills turning a nervous green colour.

“Don’t worry,” Skip offered, patting Uyatd on the paw gently. The human softened their smile into an affectionate one. “We’ll be back soon, safe and alive.”

Uyatd blinked- Skip had pack bonded to vem, hadn’t they? Since when did that happen? It must have been between Uyatd’s nervous rambling or when ve stood over the human’s shoulder, watching them work. 

“See ya soon,” Hari beamed, slinging a gun over his shoulder. “Hopefully they surrender peacefully, but ya know. It’s always nice to have something just in case.”

Skip caught the weapon thrown at them in one hand, studying it intensely. Skip worked with mechanics and piloting, so the gun must be new to them. Still, they took it with stride and pushed it to hand over their shoulder.

“Toodles,” Hari and Skip high-fived in perfect synchronization as they disappeared down the hall. 

Uyatd shook ver head- humans didn’t have a hive mind, they had said? The liars.

________________________________________________________________

The rebels had surrendered with a couple of grumbles (and a shot to the leg, since the humans had to show they were completely willing to kill them if necessary) and audible relief that they were getting more fuel.

Fair enough. It wasn’t like they had much choice- surrender or die in the large expanse of space. Their food supplies would not last forever. Skip and Hari shared celebratory ‘whoops’ of excitement, performing a complicated hand shake.

They arrived back on their own ship with limited fuss, greeting a stressed Uyatd. The alien’s gills had gone a strange mix of green and purple- pride and fear. Skip merely grinned at vem and threw their arms around vem. 

Hari laughed at the surprised look on Uyatd’s face. It was a normal dynamic, as if the two humans had not chased down a powerful group of rebels across space, threatened to leave them starving, then saved them.

It was a human’s average Thursday.

#humans #aliens #human alien collection #humans are weird #persistence #persistence hunting #humans are wild #i would hate to cross us akhshd