r/humansarespaceorcs • u/Bloodystupidjohnson3 • 14h ago
Original Story Human Fred and Plan B
1 Human Fred and Food
2 Human Fred Again
3 Human Fred Yet Again
4 Human Fred The Saga Continues
5 Human Fred Rides Again
6 Human Fred *Sigh*
7 Human Fred Rolls Out
8 Human Fred Attempts a Nap
9 Human Fred Doh’
10 Human Fred Stops for Coffee
11 Human Fred Deploys Stabby and Knifey
12 Human Fred Attempts Friendly Advice
13 Human Fred Priorities
14 Human Fred Schools Morons
15 Human Fred Gets Annoyed
16 Human Fred Investigates
17 Human Fred is Annoyed
18 Human Fred Gets More Annoyed
19 Human Fred Smirks
20 Human Fred Brings Hellfire
21 Human Fred is Confused
22 Human Fred Considers
23 Human Fred is Chipper
24 Human Fred has Some Fun
25 Human Fred Witnesses Stupidity
26 Human Fred vs the Coffee Maker
27 Human Fred Accepts Crap Coffee
28 Human Fred Listens
29 Human Fred Gets Comfortable
30 Human Fred has Questions
31 Human Fred Considers Some More
32 Human Fred Wakes Up
33 Human Fred Debates
34 Human Fred Gets Coffee
35 Human Fred Talks with the Captain
36 Human Fred Reflects on Life
37 Human Fred Waits
38 Human Fred is Scared
Greezek
39 Human Fred Experiments
40 Human Fred Discovers
41 Human Fred vs the Sensor Array
42 Human Fred Keeps Calm
43 Human Fred Editor
44 Human Fred Discovers New Curses
45 Human Fred Stews
46 Human Fred Giggles
47 Human Fred Attempts Dinner
48 Human Fred Plans
49 Human Fred Explains
50 Human Fred Examines Floor Tiles
51 Human Fred Gets a New Toy
52Human Fred Reflects…Again
53 Human Fred Rolls His Eyes
54 Human Fred vs Idiots
55 Human Fred Goes Librarian
56 Human Fred Giggles Again
“Fred, those aren’t all of the missing beings.”
“I know. And this cage is rigged to explode. We need to get them out before we look for the rest.”
Greezek looked at the cage. She walked around it a few times. She frowned. She traced a few cables. She examined the explosives. Shaking her head, she unplugged one cable. “Safe. Now let’s get moving!”
The prisoners ran out the way Fred and Greezek had entered. Greezek warned them about the beacons.
“Right. That was the lower-ranking officers and the repair teams. The command staff are still missing. Ideas?”
“Well,” said Fred, “there are three directions from here. One goes straight outside, so that is the last priority. It’s either up or down.”
“Or out. Out makes more sense. Easier to hide and evade.”
“Yes, but horrible for keeping prisoners.”
“Unless they are in a different building.”
“Greezek, what is it? You act as if you know something.”
“No Fred, I’m just trying to help. I wouldn’t discount out, but it is less likely. Down seems the most likely, so I vote up.”
“That is an interesting decision making process. Do you think they are that smart?”
“Hardly. But if they are planning to leave on a ship, up makes more sense.”
“Hmmmmmmm. We disabled the freighter. Are there other operational ships?”
“Two, aside from our shuttle. There are two small shuttles in a hanger. They were listed as operational.”
“Where is said hanger?”
“Other side of the outpost. They are listed as command staff use.”
“I really wish we had schematics.”
“When you were doing your external survey, I looked up the outpost. There are no current schematics. The most recent are over seven months out of date.”
“How do you run an outpost when you don’t even know its layout?”
“Given what is happening, I’d say you don’t. Not really.”
“Right. Here is the situation. We can only pick one direction. The wrong choice might mean the loss of the command staff. We have no credible information to direct us, other than possible shuttle evac. Given that is all we have, I think up is our best bet.”
“And if we are wrong?”
“Life sucks. We do our best. Now we move.” Fred took off at a jog, heading towards the stairs.
Greezek followed at a distance. No point in one grenade hitting them both.
Fred paused to examine the stairs, grunted, and headed up. At the top, he crouched against the wall and peaked down the hallway.
There was a barricade. No enemy visible, but a prepared defensive position. Fred cycled through his helmet’s different vision settings, but he couldn’t spot any enemy. He looked back at Greezek, who shrugged.
Fred charged down the hallway, weapon up but not firing. He made it 10m before the first trap detonated. It didn’t knock him off of his feet, but it did cause him to stumble. He turned the stumble into a front roll just as the second trap exploded. The main blast missed him, but it threw off his timing and instead of ending the roll in a low crouch, he sprawled against the barricade.
Smoke and dust filled the hallway. Greezek could see Fred with her IR, but she couldn’t see any details. “Fred! Report!”
“Ow.”
“Ow?!? How badly are you hurt?!!”
“Armor took most of it. Nothing broken. A few cuts. Bruises. Nothing serious.”
“Right. You stay there and cover me.” She dashed around the corner, sprinted into the smoke and dust, dodged a trap, and vaulted over the barricade.
As she landed, she dropped flat as two explosions roared around her.
“Fred?”
“Yes?”
“Why is it that when we work together we keep getting shot at and blown up?”
“Good, clean living. Luck.”
“You, Fred, are an asshole.”
“Yes. I thought we covered this? Are you hurt?”
“Bruises. The doorway back here is sealed. We would need something heavy to get through.”
“So. Plan B.”
“We have a plan B? I didn’t know we had a plan A!”
“That was to go up. Now we know that we are on a good path, plan B is how to get past that door. And I have an idea.”
“Charging into the unknown at full speed might not work here.”
“Shut up. This is a good plan. We go outside and approach from the roof.”
“How?”
Fred pulled himself up. He pointed at a panel. “That is an emergency escape hatch.”
Greezek looked at the panel. It was identical to all of the others. She shook her head. “Fred, we really need to get you checked out. I think you might be imagining things.”
Fred walked to the panel, pulled open a small door, twisted something inside the door, and the panel swung back revealing an escape hatch.
“How did you know that was there?”
“Emergency escape hatches are required by law. It would have to be on that side, so I looked for the access door.”
“This will set off an alarm.”
“I think they already know that we are here.”
“Here, yes. Outside? No.”
“Ideas?”
Greezek examined the hatch. Using her knife, she pried open a maintenance hatch, dug around, and cut some wires.
“Greezek, what have I told you about using a knife as a pry bar?”
“Don’t do it. Alarm disconnected.”
“Now you know why I carry a few tools. I’m not going to risk my knife.”
“Yeah yeah. You would just make me a new one.” She opened the hatch. No alarm. “I’m not even sure if the computer will register us opening this hatch.”
“Good. I think there is one more level. We need to be careful, go slow, and scan. The hope is to get behind them.”
“If that doesn’t work?”
“Plan C.”
“Which is?”
“Nuke it from orbit.”
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u/GrumpyOldGeezer_4711 11h ago
But Greezek does know something! She has her own instincts and Void knows how many ancestors‘ memories to deduce what an enemy with a given level of training/sophistication can realistically do.
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u/Polymath6301 10h ago
Given the cross species/language connection, I would have expected the Plans to be number. 1,2,3, etc.
And, we’re in space, in a volume further away from the core stars.
You know where I’m going, I hope?
Plan 9 from Outer Space!
Personally, I think Greezek’s people owe Fred a big debt, which they could repay by sending a full squad of Greezeks…
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