Uncategorized

… Complicated, part 2

14 Comments

So, part of he way my mind works is that I’ll write little snippets that are nothing more than world-building.

When I write a story, I tend to take on the mindset of the story, and writing little world-building sets gives me the taste and the feel of the world I’m trying to present to people. Especially if there’s a time gap in writing the story.

For the Fluffy Yeetcow Space Marines short-story, I’ve been posting these snippets on social media — giving folks a look folks a look at the inside of my head, so to speak.

The results have been … interesting.

These are snippets, people!

Anyway, latest snippet. Probably the last, because I have a proper feel for the setting now.

*****

“Fair cycle, class. This cycle’s presentation is over Terra Prime and Terrrans in general. Those of you who are of a metaphysical nature may wish to make the appropriate symbol of placation to the deity of your choice now.”
Audible signals of amusement, some more nervous than others, rippled through the Meeting Bowl.
The speaker, chitin showing the fine hazing of age, waved a pedipalp genially, and depiction of the galaxy appeared above the holotank at the center of the bowl.
“Terra Prime is located in the galactic stub known to the ‘Sthann as ‘The Grave of Death’; to the Gnarr as ‘Aching Hunger’, and the Ikag’g simply refuse to name it, believing it to be a curse, that if named would come to them.”
An antenna signaled attention, “The Terrans themselves call it ‘Orion’s Bridge’, a phrase in one of their languages that means ‘A Hunter’s Path Though Obstacles’. A singularly appropriate term, as we shall see.”
“All of the planets in this little stub of a galactic arm; al of them — save one — are hellworlds. Sapient life *does not* survive on the worlds of Orion’s Bridge. And the only thing keeping Terra Prime from being classified as a hellworld is the fact that somehow a sapient species evolved there. The only sophont in that dead, blasted region.”
Expressions of curiosity, most tinged with dread, were signaled by physical, visual, sonic, and pheromonal means, depending on being.
“The native sapient species managed to not genocide their species into oblivion, achieved a primitive warp capability, explored several systems, and assumed they were alone in the Universe. Would that they have stayed that way.”
“In one of the many unique traits of Terrans, when they made this assumption they retreated to their native star system, and — over the course of tens of hundreds of star cycles, they used their genetic template to uplift four non-sapient species.”
“Diplomats and scholars make a massive error in judgement when they speak of Terrans. One I will not make. I tell you now that there are five species of Terrans. Note that, use it to win free intoxicants, and never think of it again. There are not multiple species of Terrans — there are only Terrans. It does not matter their genetic stock, they are the same. Remember that always.”
“The second unique trait of Terrans is that once they had raised these lesser species to sophonthood, they did not enslave them. They did not make them low-caste — no, the Terrans treated them as beloved children, and led them into the hell of Orion’s Bridge, where the Terrans — all of them — colonized deathworlds at a rate only slightly slower than that of bacteria.”
“Terrans. They were forged on a killer world; tempered on a thousand hellplanets. They are good at many things, they are altruistic, they have empathy for other beings far beyond any sane sentient species, they will aid alien lifeforms without expectation of recompense .. but their true talent is war.”
“Never forget that regardless of genestock, they are all simply Terrans; and never forget that their true art, and their finest work … is death.”
*****
LawDog
Well, that took off.
Why does it have to be complicated?

14 thoughts on “… Complicated, part 2”

  1. And again, the pre-order link at Amazon is not working because why?

  3. Having read this snippet and the previous one with the Space Marine Yeetcows . . . I suspect you or someone in your sphere of social activities has or is playing World of Warcraft/Starcraft as a Tauren/High Mountain Tauren/Space Marine Tauren. Or, if not, major coinkydinks!
    https://starcraft.fandom.com/wiki/Tauren_marine

    1. A coincidence. Fluffy Yeet Cow Space Marines is the result of an off-hand comment I made in the livestream, and smart-arse responses in the comments.

  4. Someone has been cruising r/HFY?

    Also, uplifted, omnivorous, high capacity assault cows are absolutely hilarious.

    At least we were smart enough to not uplift hogs…

  6. Where can we find these rumored social media locations of snippety goodness? Inquiring minds must know.

  8. I look forward to the shared universe. And I also am looking forward to playing one of the uplifted in a game.

  9. Uplifting hogs might be the other species’ response to yeetbison. There’s no more “entertaining” war than a civil war… or a series thereof. Certainly, Gibbon learned to use it in writing his masterpiece.

    Ulises from the People’s Republik of Kalipornia

Comments are closed.