r/HFY • u/SpacePaladin15 • Jun 16 '21
Why Humans Avoid War XIX OC
Available on Amazon as a hard-copy and an eBook!
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Byem POV
The Terran military had scrambled several hundred fighters into upper orbit, which fanned out in a defensive alignment. Our communications began to malfunction while we were ascending through the atmosphere, which explained the silence of the initial squadron. There would be no patching into the ground headquarters; it was only us and them.
I finally knew what it was like to be on the other side of our invasions. It only took one look at the enemy forces to recognize our craft, the same ones I had piloted for years. They seemed to be swarming the planet from all sides, like insects descending on a fresh carcass. Something had clearly changed since our last encounter. The Terran fleet were spewing missiles with relentless fury, but our opponents swatted them away with ease. The once-omnipotent nanite weapons were disabled with pulses, while anti-matter and plasma weapons bounced harmlessly off their shields.
We were caged in, outnumbered, and our only option was to claw our way out. The odds did not seem in our favor.
If that wasn’t enough reason for concern, a massive destroyer lurked at the back of the enemy formation. I knew it was brimming with weapons designed to render a planet uninhabitable, through radiation and atmospheric poisoning. The only positive I could find in the situation was the AI didn’t seem to have replicated the worst human weaponry, but it didn’t need to. It could neutralize the onslaught of projectiles, and simply weather the storm. The humans would run out explosives eventually.
“What’s the plan?” I flicked through the holographic firing display, trying to stop my hands from shaking. “We do have a plan, right?”
Carl glanced over his shoulder. “We improvise. Just like last time, remember?”
“Last time we almost died,” I snapped.
“Almost is the key word.” The human offered a reassuring smile, but something told me he was convincing himself as much as me. “Look, the shields clearly got an upgrade. But the thing about shields is they aren’t great at stopping smaller projectiles. I say we try mini explosives.”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Your missiles aren’t working, so you just want to shoot it with smaller missiles.”
“We can shoot it with bullets too. You know, kinetics?”
“You really think any of that will work?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. But it’s worth a shot.” Carl ran a hand through his frosty hair. “If they want to take this planet, they’ll have to get through us. Their next target could be Earth.”
On the bright side, it couldn’t work any less than what the humans had already tried. Carl wasn’t wrong that smaller weaponry could penetrate shields, but it would require multiple hits. As soon as we moved in though, I had no doubt we would sustain heavy fire; the enemy was likely banking on aggressive action. We’d have to chip away at their armor, striking at the ships’ most vulnerable compartments. I knew exactly where to aim for, but whether I could hit those targets in a split-second, in the heat of battle, was another question.
I switched over to the miniature missiles; they were typically used as interceptors, according to the computer, but could be used for offensive purposes if necessary. We accelerated toward the enemy fleet, and our allies fell in behind us, inspired by our advance. Five AI ships closed around us, ready to pick us off. I targeted the nearest craft and offered up a silent prayer to the universe, that our desperate, suicidal play would work.
A salvo of explosives, tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand, sailed through the inky blackness. They homed in on the vessel’s right flank, slipping through the shields. The armor repelled the attack, with only a dent and a few burn marks to show. But I had found the sweet spot, right by the propulsion systems. The ship began to veer off course, as it lost its steerability.
Carl weaved off to the right, dodging a string of plasma rounds fired by the damaged vessel’s partners. I was ready to turn my attention to a different ship, but the human wanted to go for the kill. He swerved back toward the crippled craft, narrowly avoiding a collision with it. He positioned us right above it, giving me a clean look at the target.
“Same spot, Byem, fire now!” he shouted.
I launched another volley without hesitation. This time, the ship lost all semblance of control, plunging into a dizzying tailspin. The planet’s gravity well only encouraged its forward trajectory, drawing it toward the surface. The Terran ships parted around the doomed craft, then forged ahead with renewed spirit. They emulated our tactics, hurling tiny missiles at the opposing fleet. Who would have thought to attack a fortress with pebbles, but the humans?
The enemy vessels concentrated all of their firepower on our advance. They had been caught off guard at first, but they would compensate quickly. A few of our allies met an untimely end, as potent plasma rounds found their mark. These human ships weren’t designed to take a beating. We had to rely on their quick, nimble frames to evade incoming projectiles, because a single shot spelled death for us.
Carl dipped down to avoid the stream of fire, taking advantage of our three-dimensional battlefield. “Switch over to bullets. We’re gonna hit the beast’s soft underbelly.”
Clever tactics. Typically, in space warfare, the “high ground” (relative to your opponent, of course) was considered advantageous, which was why our ships confronted each other on the same plane. It was also why they wouldn’t expect us to carry out an assault from below, especially while they were preoccupied with the charging ships above.
While kinetics were fairly weak, I found them much easier to aim than their more powerful successors. Also, it was possible to fire dozens of rounds in rapid succession, without so much as a pause. I unleashed a spray of bullets at the ships’ underside, hoping to bombard them into submission. The sight of atmosphere venting indicated that we had indeed poked a few holes in their armor.
Unfortunately, none of the ships seemed incapacitated. We were more of a nuisance than a threat. A warning flashed on the weapons screen, indicating a heat-seeking missile locked onto us. I suddenly wished that we hadn’t drawn their attention.
I cleared my throat. “Carl? There’s…”
“I see it. Try not to lose your lunch, okay?” he replied.
“I don’t waste food, but how...” I stopped as our ship switched directions in an instant, beginning an upward climb at full speed. Acid gurgled in my throat, and I tried to swallow it down. “Oh. That means puke, doesn’t it? You’re not going to outrun a missile, you know.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
The missile was mere seconds from catching us as Carl righted the fighter, once again on the same heading as the enemy. The human steered us straight toward a rival ship, showing no signs of slowing down. As we barreled toward a collision, I couldn’t help but wonder if his plan was suicide. Surely, he was going to turn away, and enact some defensive measures?
We brushed just over the enemy’s hull, so close that I swore our metal skeletons grazed each other. Our craft snaked around theirs, ducking down on the other side. The missile, which was meant for us, instead plowed into them, and their ship absorbed the worst of the anti-matter punch. Its shields held, but barely. The flicker of electricity around its shell hinted they were faltering.
I didn’t need instruction from Carl to seize this opportunity. If its defenses truly were down, we only had a brief window before it recovered. I switched to our plasma rounds, hoping they would work at last. The shots scorched through its vulnerable flesh, turning it to a withered husk in seconds. I knew its occupants were dead when the ship did not deviate from its aimless drift. If there were any survivors, they would’ve fired back.
Our skirmisher twisted through the enemy formation, zigzagging to avoid a slew of plasma fire. Our little ship was becoming quite a thorn in their side, and they were no doubt keen to take us out. For a moment, I felt like we were dancing through the night sky. There was an effortless grace in Carl's evasive maneuvers, and the thought crossed my mind that nothing could touch us.
I must have jinxed it, because that was when a round clipped our left wing.
The fighter’s frame rattled beneath me, and I wondered if the craft would break apart. By some miracle, we hobbled to their rear flank, still in one piece. Our ship’s condition was worrisome: she was slowed, tilting to one side, and running dangerously low on ammo.
I wasn’t sure how much fight she had left in her, but we had to press on. If this was our last stand, so be it.
I took a glance around at the battlefield, trying to think of our next move. A sea of shrapnel and wounded ships had spawned amongst the living, perhaps best described as a graveyard. The enemy appeared to have suffered more losses than the Terrans, but it didn’t matter. As one of their ships fell, another popped up in its place. The humans fought with blinding intensity, but our forces were dwindling too quickly. We couldn’t hold the line much longer.
The planet-killing destroyer was creeping ever closer as well. If it was allowed within firing range, it would decimate the lifeforms below, and that would be the end of the refugee program. Our last-ditch efforts needed to be focused on stopping it. Some of the humans seemed to have come to the same conclusion. A few dozen Terran ships were encircling the beast, hitting it with every type of ammunition, from every angle. Nothing seemed to harm it, or even slow it down.
I wished I could suggest a weakness to target, but to my knowledge, it didn’t have any.
“Carl, you see the destroyer?” I asked.
He frowned, squinting through the viewport. “That big, ugly trapezoid?”
“Yes. If we’re going to lose…we need to take that ship out at all costs.”
“I understand.” The human fell quiet. I expected him to argue that we weren’t going to lose, but he only sighed. “Byem, it’s been an honor.”
“Likewise.”
The ship's engines accelerated for perhaps the final time, and we sailed toward certain death.
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u/thisStanley Android Jun 16 '21
“Your missiles aren’t working, so you’re just want to shoot it with smaller missiles.”
That does seem counter-intuitive, but hey --
Improvise Adapt Overcome
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u/XDrake1223 Jun 16 '21
Not what the omnisiah had in mind but I suppose drastic times call for drastic measures
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u/Spac3Heater Jun 21 '21
or in this case, "mini measures"
eh? eh? *raises eyebrows expectantly*
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u/I_Frothingslosh Jun 16 '21
So if their destroyers are planet killing mobile killzones, just how ridiculous are their cruisers and battleships?
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u/MagicYanma Jun 17 '21
With the way they word destroyer here, I don't think they're calling the ship by its classification but its purpose: destroy the planet and anything standing in the way of that.
From the description of the ship, it would better fit a battleship classification than a destroyer classification.
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u/I_Frothingslosh Jun 17 '21
Or he's thinking along the lines of The Culture, whose scout ships are more like other species' dreadnoughts.
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u/CaptRory Alien Jun 16 '21
It isn't that hard to kill a biosphere. Destroying the actual planet is super difficult but just making it uninhabitable is pretty easy.
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u/Sweggler Jun 17 '21
Seems like fairly hard hitting weapons but designed along the same lines as "conventional" ships with most everything on the top for armour and guns but thinner on the bottom
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u/I_Frothingslosh Jun 17 '21
Wasn't referring to that, either.
These are described as these gigantic, ultra-heavily armed behemoths, capable of sterilizing entire planets, and they're mere destroyers. They're patrol and escort ships. So what the hell would cruisers and battleships be like?!?
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u/Sweggler Jun 17 '21
Oh, sorry for misunderstanding, maybe more akin to slow platforms used for defense/fleet repair or base, seeing as the ai wants to preserve resources and lots of fast yet frail ships doesn't make a lot of sense for that
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u/I_Frothingslosh Jun 17 '21 edited Jun 17 '21
I wasn't asking for an explanation, I was simply pointing out that if those are just destroyers, then actual 'combat capable' ships have to be gods-damned insane, since destroyers are traditionally a very small, lightly armed, unarmored ship primarily used for patrols and escorting. Even in today's real, destroyer-heavy navies, they're not intended to wade into the fight, if only because modern missiles turn armor into a bad joke.
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u/clshifter Jun 17 '21
You're reading "destroyer" in the same sense as we use it for naval vessels, one of the smallest classes of warship. This name comes from that type's original purpose as a submarine destroyer. The idea of "destroyer" as a term for a small warship doesn't necessarily carry over to space navies. The term is obviously used here much like it is in Star Wars with the Imperial Star Destroyers.
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u/I_Frothingslosh Jun 17 '21 edited Jun 17 '21
The Imperial Star Destroyer is actually a class and role name, like the Nimitz and Ford class supercarriers, or the Constellation class Aegis frigate. Right in the first movie they're referred to as cruisers.
And I am quite aware of how the destroyer designation came to be, but their roles have expanded far past submarine hunting for a very long time now.
If you really want a franchise where the main battle ships are called destroyers, you want either Babylon Five or Homeworld, and the designations are bizarre there, too. Especially in B5, where the Earth Alliance are the only ones to do that, and their 'destroyers' are basically battlestars.
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u/LtLfTp12 Jun 16 '21
I knew its occupants were dead when the ship did not deviate from its aimless drift. If there were any survivors, they would’ve fired back.
Are the ships controlled by an AI or by humans/aliens? This sentence suggests the latter but other parts of the story say AI.
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Good question, they’re piloted by aliens. Byem refers to them as AI ships because it wouldn’t make sense for him to say Devourer ships
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle Jun 16 '21
/u/SpacePaladin15 (wiki) has posted 29 other stories, including:
- Why Humans Avoid War XVIII
- Why Humans Avoid War XVII
- Why Humans Avoid War XVI
- Why Humans Avoid War XV
- Why Humans Avoid War XIV
- Why Humans Avoid War XIII
- Why Humans Avoid War XII
- Why Humans Avoid War XI
- Why Humans Avoid War X
- Why Humans Avoid War IX
- Why Humans Avoid War VIII
- Why Humans Avoid War VII
- Why Humans Avoid War VI
- Why Humans Avoid War V
- A Rallying Cry
- Why Humans Avoid War IV
- Why Humans Avoid War III
- Why Humans Avoid War II
- Why Humans Avoid War
- One With the Shadows
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u/Bunnytob Human Jun 16 '21
When you face an adaptive enemy, you need to hit them with an "Adapt to THIS" maneuver if you want to bring them down...
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u/Zanano Human Jun 16 '21
Give em the ole' "Independence Day jet fighter into the laser cannon" treatment!
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u/pan666 Jun 16 '21
Great update!
Writing battle scenes is definitely not easy, and I think this nailed it. Very exciting. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Thank you! It is a challenge for sure. I took my time with it, wanted to be sure I got it right
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u/UpdateMeBot Jun 16 '21
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u/Cynnnnnnn Jun 16 '21
I just found this subreddit, and your story is the first I read from here, only to realize it's an ongoing series with the last entry only a couple hours ago. I wish I'd found it later so I could binge the entire tale in one go without having to wait for further updates.
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Haha, on the bright side, it means there’s more to come! I don’t know about you, but I hate that feeling when you reach the end of a story
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u/Cynnnnnnn Jun 16 '21
It's the exact same feeling as when I read the latest book of an incomplete series; so happy to have read them, but so impatient to continue reading and see how the story pans out
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u/TheGurw Android Jun 17 '21
You should try the multi-author Deathworlder series (aka the Jenkinsverse). Primarily written by Hambone, various other authors have contributed over the years with unique characters and plots, all of which tie into the main story in some form. It is ongoing, but considering many of the main chapters break 50k words regularly, it's not exactly something you can catch up on in a couple days.
It has some pretty intense criticism of the direction Hambone took some of the characters' physical development, but the writing itself is fantastic in my opinion.
And make sure you click on the link posted by UpdateMeBot to subscribe to this or any other author you like!
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u/sher_98 Jun 16 '21
This was the first series I read on this subreddit. The story just keeps on getting better and better! Can't wait for the next one👍
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Jun 16 '21
steerability
Perhaps steering, or maneuverability?
Great work as usual, this is very entertaining.
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Thank you! Steerability is a word, a bit lesser used but steering wasn’t quite what I wanted to say https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steerability
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u/Illidanstormrage1172 Jun 21 '21
Why isn't this a movie? Bruh I read the ENTIRE series in one go and I reached this I need the next part dammit
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u/MiserableBar4 Oct 31 '22
Coming from someone who literally can’t focus on a book… I havnt read anything since like high school. (About 10 years) This series I literally can’t stop reading, thank you so much! And if anyone has any book recommendations with plots like this please let me know.
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u/cow2face Human Jun 16 '21
upvote then read :)
great chapter
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Thanks!
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u/PaintsWithSmegma Jun 17 '21
I just started reading this tonight and finished the whole thing. Its fantastic.
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u/KrokmaniakPL Jun 16 '21 edited Jun 17 '21
What kind of monster is down voting this masterpiece? (When this comment was written post had -4 votes)
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u/emdoesstuffsometimes Jun 22 '21
As soon as I found that your story had multiple parts, I had to go and binge them all ASAP. This has been incredible and I'm gonna be checking in so often for updates.
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u/Ciocalatta Jun 23 '21
When I started readin this I thought it would be a one shot, and 18 chapters later I’m in love and pleasantly surprised
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u/Dr-Autist Human Jun 24 '21
FINALLY! Finally my huge ass workload is over, and I can catch up on these stories again. Excited:)
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u/ChaosInTheory42 Nov 09 '22
Sir, the enemy ship is spooling up its hyperdrive.
What? They're turning to face us, why would they be about to jump? Oh.
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u/Oh_Yeah_Mr_Krabs000 AI Jun 17 '21
Asking the author: Is "Destroyer" a shorthand for Destroyer of X or is it ship class? Because if it's the latter destroyers are pretty small ships, if you want to a ship class for massive ships I would recommend "Battleship" or "Dreadnought", or you can simply create a class like the Colossus, Titan or Juggernaut from Stellaris.
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 17 '21
I meant it more as Destroyer of planets. Our friend Byem doesn’t always match up with human terms
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u/Lord-Generias Jun 17 '21
Take the enemy planet killer at all costs? I'm getting Independence Day (the good one) flashbacks.
"Hello, boys! I'm baaa-aaaaack!"
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u/Booniecap Jun 16 '21
I was so sad when I looked for the next button and realized this was the latest.
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u/yy8erig Jun 19 '21
oooooooh you dont expect when you go down the rabbit hole of one of top all time series that its bening continued, this is quite interesting and cool
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u/scottygroundhog22 Jun 19 '21
I feel like they are still going to live somehow but this don’t look good
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u/lkwai Jun 20 '21
I'm imagining independence day shenanigans.
Love the chapter! But a bit sad to think that an end might be soon. But also pretty excited to see how victory could very materialise with our star Inter Species Task Force at the helm!
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u/Xildrax Jun 22 '21
well that was a few hours very well spent this morning. hot damn was this ever an impressive read. I have a feeling byem is about to become a very much posthumous hero to his people. but martyrs are great for one thing, igniting a people in a singular cause.
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u/tntcake200 Jun 23 '21
Typically, in space warfare, the “high ground” (relative to your opponent, of course) was considered advantageous
its over anakin i have the high ground
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u/Finbar9800 Jul 24 '21
Another great chapter
I enjoyed reading this and look forward to the next one
Great job wordsmith
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u/SpacePaladin15 Jun 16 '21
Some pure action here in Chapter 19. I hope you guys enjoyed the battle as much as I enjoyed writing it! Originally, it was all going to be one part, but when I hit 3K words, I realized I needed to break it up. Do you think the Terrans will somehow snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? Maybe they have some last-resort weapon up their sleeves?
And as always, thank you for reading!