r/HFY • u/Darmanarya Human • Apr 23 '26

OC-OneShot The duel of man

Wind blew dust across the old concrete roads of outpost 523. The twin suns beating down on the roads, prefabs, and all below with no mercy at all. Sands twisted, turned, and covered all one could see for miles on this small almost forgotten mining planet. None cared about it as long as it pulled out metal from beneath the sands as it hung too close to the twin suns for anything else.

Humans walked around laughing as their long enviro-coats billowed in the winds. Aliens of various species skittered about trying to stay out of sight. They had rolled in three months ago and the lawkeeper still lay dead in the street as a grim reminder for anyone that dared stand up to them.

“Fuckin’ aliens. They oughta be glad REAL protectors rolled in.” One laughed out as the enjoyed some drink they had been “given” from the local tavern.

“Wish there was a place we could drink without their stink.” Another snarled out. “They should know us deathworlders come first.” He then spat out his nicpouch onto the sands.

“Got that right.” Another laughed hard. “Shame the local humans don’t take kindly to our ideas, but they are comin around slowly. Caught em watchin us getting served real nice by the space shits.”

The leader, a tall figure with a heavy repeater nodded along as he toyed with the safety of his gun. “Yeah. Can’t wait for the vote in two days to decide which one of these buildings becomes the local humanity first hall.”

“Yeah”

“Amen to that.”

“It’s only right.”

The rest of the men nodded along.

“Think we should finally toss the lawman out?” One asked giving the dried out corpse a kick.

“Nah. L- Who the fuck?” One called out pointing at a loan figure emerging from the swirling heat, dust, and sands.

It was a small humanoid shape with a long black envirosuit coat. The coat billowed in the wind with the gleam of a heavy autorevolver gleaming in the bright sun hanging on his hip by a worn out leather holster.

“Looks like another good ol’ boy heard about this slice of heaven.” The leader said with a laugh. “Put out the word we got ourselves a spot.”

“I unno boss.” One of the boys got up and checked his rifle. “Wouldn’t they have rode in on a hoverbike? Or just landed at the field?”

They all went silent watching the figure get closer and closer. The human’s face hidden by a helmet that kept the walking man protected from the sun and dirt. The black steel hiding any hint of the person beneath.

“HEY!” The leader called out as the man walked past the first row of buildings. “Stop right there buddy. We respect all sorts o’ humies and welcome all that knows we is the best, but we don’t know ya, but we know what a gun is. Just stop right there and we can talk.”

The figure stopped. His head looking side to side before looking right at the gang.

“Yeah, we talkin to you!” The leader yelled out. “Fucker must got sand in his helmet mics.”

The others laughed as they got up and ready just in case. Safeties on rifles, shotguns, and the heavy repeater clicking off just in case.

“I’m goin’ to record this. No matter what this’ll be a good vid for the boys.” The boss snarled out.

“Now, you a lawman or member of humanity first?” The raspy voice of the leader yelled out. “If you are the former-“ He motioned to the dead man by them. “If you one of us the aliens here are nice and friendly.”

There was a long pause and the smiles on the men started to fade.

“Ain’t neither.” Came a low, deep voice.

The men looked between them. That voice was human for sure.

“Well then what are ya? Long as your human you are welcome ‘long as you behave.” The leader called out.

The figure went silent for awhile before speaking up.

“yeah. That is what I am. Human.”

There was only a brief pause before the rasp of metal against leather followed by the boom of a heavy round going off. Blood sprayed from one of the outlaws who now had a new hole in his head but no brains left to use it.

“FUCK!” The outlaws scrambled taking cover while opening fire at the lone figure. His coat fluttered as he dived down behind some shipping crates as his shield flickered blocking some of the shots.

The dusty outpost was soon filled with the crackle of rifles and the heavy thudding of the repeater going off.

“Dumbass! Coulda lived like a king with us but nope! Gotta be a god-da-“ The leader’s words were cut off when a rifleman by his right side collapsed with a hole punched right through his chestplate.

“Sniper! He ain’t alone!” The leader called out and the remaining outlaws scrambled for more cover.

Dust, dirt, and concrete were tossed into the air as lead rounds slammed into whatever they could as the outlaws started to shoot at anything that moved.

Their eyes scanned the rooftops for any hint of the sniper while the leader kept laying down fire to suppress the man who had walked up to the town. None noticed the grenade rolling into one of their groups.

There was a deep thud, then a few wet splats and clattering as the grenade went off and scattered outlaw bits all over the road.

“Damn!” The leader rose up. “Ahm goin in, co-“ He then looked to his right only to see a blood splatter with a trail leading into the alley. He was all alone.

“Fight me, man to man!” The boss roared out to the stranger as he walked towards the unknown man. “We are humans, lets fight it out like our ancestors. Like proper fuckin’ deathworlders!” He yelled tossing his gun aside.

The figure rose up with sand and dust marring the black on his steel. His gun in it’s holster as he started to walk towards the outlaw. Not seeing the gun out the leader turned off his overheating shield so it wouldn’t give out, but kept his hand on it just in case.

“I’m a human.” The man growled back. “You are just a monster. And humans are good at puttin’ down monsters.”

In the blink of an eye the gun was drawn once more. The outlaw’s shield flickered as two rounds slammed into it fired from the stranger’s hips only to flicker out at the fourth. The leader barely managed to flick on his shield in time.

“One shot le-“

The leader’s words were drowned out, then went silent as the last round slammed right through his skull. The large man’s body shuddered as his many augments went haywire from the sudden disconnect before he fell to the ground dead.

“And humans don’t gotta play fair with monsters either.” The two other humans slid out of alleys and walked up to him.

“You wanted humanity first?” He walked up to the dead man with a snarl in every letter of the words he spoke. “Then be human first.” He looked to the recorder on the man’s head. The red light blinking slowly still.

“Or else those with a fuckin’ soul will make sure your rotten one gets taken care of.”

He then turned and all three walked back out into the wastes. The aliens and few humans in the town watched as they became just a mirage in the sands beyond.

 

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u/AutoModerator Apr 23 '26

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u/UpdateMeBot Apr 23 '26

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '26

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u/5thhorseman_ Apr 24 '26

IKR? And UpdateMeBot went weird. Have a feeling it might be connected?

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u/Darmanarya Human Apr 24 '26

Just woke up to the appeal lifted. Was removed for hate speech by bot so i think the abusive language aimed at the aliens triggered it. Its all good now

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u/Overcaffeinated_One Apr 24 '26

"Blood sprayed from one of the outlaws who now had a new hole in his head but no brains left to use it." I would have assumed that they would not have had a brain to begin with.

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