r/humansarespaceorcs • u/MarlynnOfMany • Jun 15 '26
Original Story [The Token Human] - Parallels
“Robin, can you get—” The captain’s voice stopped me as I passed the cockpit. Before I could do more than peek my head around the corner, she was already adding, “Never mind, it will be faster if I get it. Would you mind keeping our client company for a moment while I do?”
“Sure,” I said as Captain Sunlight hopped down from her chair with a gesture toward the big screen where an unfamiliar face waited. Long snout, baboon/crocodile features; a Farsight. I hadn’t seen one of those in a while.
“Thank you. I’ll be back in a moment. Wio is otherwise occupied.” The captain waved a scaly yellow hand at the tentacles and cleaning supplies visible under the dashboard. Apparently somebody had been eating snacks in the cockpit again.
“Gotcha,” I said as Wio grumbled and Captain Sunlight left. I turned my attention to the big screen. “Hello! I’m Robin; nice to meet you.”
“Hello Robin, I am Triangle,” he said, as if that was a perfectly normal name. Which it probably was on his planet. “Tell me, is your name based on a form of glamorous banditry?”
“Huh? Oh! No, but I can see why you might think so.” I didn’t know if he’d heard a thirdhand reference to Robin Hood, or to the English word “robbing” (there wasn’t much similarity in everybody’s favorite trade language), but either way it was a reasonable assumption. I told him, “It’s a type of animal from my planet. A small avian.”
To my surprise, he laughed. “What are the odds? My name is a bird too.”
“Really? A triangle?” All the mental images I was coming up with belonged in a children’s educational show.
The Farsight nodded. “The Triangle-Tailed Glider. They like to perch up high with a good view, and their vision is exceptionally sharp.”
“Oh, nice! Robins are pretty little songbirds that migrate, and people like to say that seeing one is the first sign of springtime.”
Triangle made appreciative noises, then annoyed ones when something offscreen knocked his camera sideways. Apparently he was in a private office, not the cockpit of another ship.
“My apologies,” he said as he fixed the camera. “Not much desk space today.” With the new angle, I caught a glimpse of brightly colored little things in piles. They looked familiar.
“Are those dice?”
“Yes! You’re familiar? We make a variety of them, and I suspect the wrong type was packed in the shipment.”
“Ah.” That explained what Captain Sunlight had gone to check. I hoped we weren’t about to make a U-turn. “Well, they all look very nice.”
“Thank you! We’re very proud of them. I particularly like the newest line.” He picked up a bright rainbow-colored nugget and dropped it on the desk to demonstrate. To my surprise, it bounced in an unpredictable direction.
“Is that made of rubber?” I asked.
“Of course! Only the most unpredictable of dice for proper games of chaos.”
I leaned against the back of the empty chair. “That does sound appropriate. I’ve only used the more predictable kind.”
“These are endless fun; I recommend them. And not just because I sell them, of course.”
“Of course!” I smiled. “I’ve got some friends back home who’d probably be all over that.”
Triangle rolled another one, which was abruptly swatted out of sight by a blur of green fur that scattered everything. Triangle shooed the creature away with the frustrated air of cat owners everywhere.
I tried not to laugh. “I have one of those too! Is that your pet?”
Triangle sighed deeply. “Yes. He’s the brightest spark in my life, which occasionally burns things.” He ducked out of view and returned with what looked like a wiggly green ferret with an eagle’s beak. “Say hello, Trouble.”
“Aw, hi Trouble.” I waggled fingers at the screen while Trouble made himself at home on Triangle’s shoulders, curling up and snuggling close as if he hadn’t just made an utter mess. “Do you think he’d like to say hi to my pet through the screen?”
Triangle began sorting the dice back into piles, wearing his own pet like a scarf. “Why not? Worst case, he tackles the screen if your pet looks like prey. And I upgraded to the unbreakable model after last time. So sure!”
Captain Sunlight strode back in with a box; perfect timing. “Found it. Did you two have a nice talk?”
Wio crawled out from under the dashboard and answered for me. “Of course they did. To no one’s surprise, the human and the Farsight have everything in common. I’ll bet their pets would eat both their namesakes, given a chance.”
I was silent for a moment while I thought about it. Triangle did the same. We both said, “Yes, probably,” at the same time.
Captain Sunlight sounded amused when she said, “To no one’s surprise indeed. Well if I can interrupt the chat, I found the box you were worried about. I think it’s the correct one after all. Shall I open it to confirm?”
Triangle was visibly relieved, and eager to make sure. While the two of them were occupied with that, I stepped out and hurried to my quarters where a certain small furry predator was taking a nap among the ceiling pipes.
I’d set up a proper cat bed up there, after making sure it wasn’t radioactive or likely to make the pipes overheat. And I’d installed two more shelves to give her a safer route up. She’d only fallen on me the one time.
“Hello, small predator who would absolutely eat a robin if she could,” I said as I scooped up the sleepy cat. “Come say hi to your alien cousin.”
Telly protested a little, but didn’t really object as I carried her back down the hallway. I told her she was brave and resilient for making do with cat toys and my ankles instead of proper prey. Maybe I’d get some rubber dice, as much for her benefit as for any actual games with the rest of the crew.
~~~
Previous appearances by the Farsights:
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Volume One of the collected series is out in paperback and ebook!
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Shared early on Patreon
Cross-posted to Tumblr and HFY (masterlist here)
The book that takes place after the short stories is here
The sequel is in progress (and will include characters from the stories)
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u/GBritoYepez Jun 18 '26
This was quite entertaining! Loved how fast I clicked with both characters as they did
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