From the dawn of humanity, to far beyond the twilight of it, we have always searched for friends. From the ‘friend shaped’ wolves, now dogs, and however lions managed to evolve into cats, e have always been rather lonely, believe it or not. After all, we evolved as a pack endurance predator. This means we crave longing relationships with other animals, other species. You see, dogs and cats could only go so far, and you can imagine, even after we ruined our own planet through war, we still had hope. The Xanthians crushed it, and a human with anger cooled into iron is much more dangerous than one with burning hot rage. Why, you ask? Because rage clouds judgement, causing humans to make irrational decisions we normally wouldn’t. Cold anger, however, reverts us back into our base forms. Cold, calculating, enduring and hateful. If the galaxy won’t accept us, then it’ll have to burn. Ever wonder why a certain imperium hates aliens/ Xenos? Because it’s a violent galaxy and if you don’t kill them they’ll kill you, your family, kick your pets to death, then salt your land.
When the Xanthians are kicking your door down with axe in hand you won’t see the Yvan in your backyard sneak in the window with a crowbar, or the Quentlels that are grappling in through your top floor with a claymore and vengeance. The only way to face the threats of the galaxy are to either befriend or eliminate them. There’s no telling when a neutral party would coordinate attacks with a previously unknown one to try to slaughter your people. Xenophobia is not out of hate in this here galaxy, but necessity bred out of millennia of heartbreaks and mistrust, betrayals and blood oaths. It’s us or them, and I don’t know about you, but them is much more preferable for me. Onwards soldiers of the republic! We march for victory!
-‘The bad ending’ of the galaxy, one Alpha is trying to prevent by killing all hostile aliens before first contact.
PoV: Terran republic
We want you for the republic armed forces! Travel to exotic planets, meet exotic species, then brutally murder them! (Diplomacy is not included in this package deal, please contact united earth diplomatic corps for that. ‘We may be called terrans, but earth is still earth!’) Do you want hot alien girlfriends or boyfriends? Too bad! Do that shit in your own time! If you are caught fucking an alien you are to be summarily launched into the nearest solar mass, to burn like the horny bitch you are!
Multiple branches exist!
Wet navy branch. If you pick this you may as well be a soggy lettuce leaf, as nothing ever happens in a submarine! (Except for long patrols and certain death via depth charge if discovered.) Join the space navy for real fun and games.
Space navy branch. The true all rounders, which we need much more of, think a few miles long and a couple kilometres thick, for your average heavy destroyers, and no, we are not replacing humans and other friendly xenospecies with AI, because we’ve all watched enough films to see where this one ends, some dark age bullshit with a bunch of demented descendents worshipping toasters and going on holy crusades for air fryers, or our descendents too dead to care about AI taking over the universe. Join the space navy to miss a rail gun round and accidentally destroy a city on some random alien planet on the other side of the galaxy. No ‘eyeballing’ allowed.
The ground forces branch, which has many sub branches, including the crayon eater branch, whose origin is still unknown, the common soldiery, who get killed in all different ways! Some more horrific than the other. However, joining the military is a one way ticket to waive university fees.
So long and thank you for all the fish!
PoV: Alpha.
Hmmm… so many good choices! However, the Chaffee is straight off. It’s at our is about as useful as a wet paper towel. The maus? Yeah no, transmissions just gonna peace out the second I go over 3 miles a day. Same with the other German things, bar the sturmtiger. But relying on a tank with the reload speed slower than a fucking battleship main gun isn’t getting any favours, and getting the ammunition shot in the breach will suck. The tutel? Nahhh, case-mate is already cancer, let alone something with the speed of its namesake. The shitbarn? HESH is about as reliable as trying to not role a nat 1 ever. It’s happening eventually. The Sherman HVSS may as well be a casemate with that turret rotation speed, as for the jumbo? Give me the 76 variant and I’m happy. I would prefer a T34 heavy tank, but anything is better the the L3 fior fucks sake. As for the Soviet things? Casemate X2 and another long reload tank.
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The reason the Jackson is out is not because I dislike it, the heat-fs on the M36B2 is built different, but because of the fact that it’s open top, and subsequently CAS bait, as well as prone to getting a high explosive shell found in its general direction, besides, how would an open top even work mechanically? The fact that the M36 has an ammo stowage of 11 and needs replenishing is quite jarring as well. As for the calliope? Rockets are fun and all, but it’s just a 75 Sherman with a few danger sticks taped on top. The fact that the 76 had such low velocity you could probably start a whole ass family before the shell landed isn’t exactly brilliant either. At least better than the sturmtiger. Could live up to a few hundred, living life to the fullest, trying everything, watch humanity grow, fight, prosper. Then step a few feet to the left and dodge it. Not the explosion if they were on target, but not the point.
As for the British tanks? Well. Their cannons are about as effective as pissing on some on and hoping they kill themselves. APDS, APCR. All I see is a chunk of metal flying at high speed. That either shatters or bounces, and if it does pen, it pulls some bullshit. Hits the crew square between the eyes? Yeah, no mate. No damage. Not even a scratch. Tis but a scratch? Nope, ‘that must’ve been the wind’. Hits the ammo square on? No cooking off. Just bounces off and does fuck all. Oh the wonders of early British tank design.
With my mind set I picked a 76 jumbo. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Right?
PoV: System.
What a position to be in. Left to administrate and quell a whole ass solar system due to what? Extreme competence? Extreme incompetence? Both? Either way, it matters not, as Alpha dumped me with a bunch of organic to coddle. Yay. I’m so happy. Ecstatic even. (Yes, that was sarcasm) Over-fucking-joyed. I sighed and got to work. Them aliens weren’t going to feed themselves, and the resistors not going to kill themselves either, as frankly, they were already dead.
Ok, so there are roughly 100 cities on the planet, with at least 10 able to be comfortable classed as mega cities, one of which was the capital. There are 50 minor, or ‘london’ sized cities, 20 small, or ‘ Beijing’ sized cities, with finally 30 large ‘Tokyo’ sized cities. There are many settlements all across the world, ranging from towns and villages, all the way to roving nomad tribes and a few hermit huts in the wilderness. Life may be abundant but I’m not fooled- all life here is gene modded in some way, mostly to make them much more docile, less aggressive and easier to fatten up. The intelligent creatures looked like they had similar but different augments: increased strength, smoother brains, more subservient, almost like a servant caste of sorts. My current theory is that the race begin all this, or even AI, want submissive and useful workers. However, the inefficiencies of using flesh and blood workers are many, which include bugs (Which are unfortunate features as well) are not limited to: user error, sabotage, exhaustion, rebellion, slowness, fear, and injuries. For example, a robot can work 24/7 with no rest, if controlled by an AI, is unlikely to cause errors, rebel or sabotage, and if controlled by an experienced AI, can even counterattack against any assaults on a factory.
As a few wise people once said ‘A society built on the suffering of other will all fall eventually to the rebellious sufferers.’ Look at history. That alone confirms my words. Be kind, and get the peoples support and you shall go down in history as a hero, enslave and oppress others and you shall go down go down in history as nothing more than a shallow monster who gets a kick off of the pain of others.
The population can not be sustained by the planet, and needs off- world imports. This can be achieved in two ways: the first is the simpler but less sustainable option. Piracy, more specifically commerce raids. While useful in the short term, the long term will fuck you over in the long term, to absolutely nobodies surprise. Second, is convert most of the fertile ground to farmland. While useless in the short term, it slaps in the long term. The third, forbidden option is to invade an agri world, which despite their names are mostly shitholes filled to the brim with corn and chemical fertilizers, while some grow luxury food items, like the mahngoo, or the wartahmeelin. The planet has a supply of food that can last years normally, 10 if rationed, and 20 if rationed to the point of starvation. The 4th option is let everyone starve, though that doesn’t look very good for me or anyone. I guess I’ll do a mix of the 3… work on the farms while raiding easy commerce ships, while sending Alpha to wrestle yet another world into submission. I regret nothing!
Now, just time to tell Alpha.
Should I do a ‘back on earth’ interlude chapter?
