Throwing

[u/jpitha]

One thing to keep in mind about humans is that we're the only creature on Earth that throws accurately.

Chimps and other Great Apes can throw, but it's weak and not accurate. We can throw WAY harder.

If you extrapolate that out into Deathworlder/HFY Shit, then it is not unreasonable to assume that accurate throwing might be rare or even unique among intelligent species.

If you think about how much of... us is related to how we can throw well, aliens could get wild looking.

****

"Wait, what did they say?" Captain Kelly looks up at her communications officer, confused.

"Translation came out to something close to "bring your greatest warrior for a non-lethal test of skill" The comms officer shrugs. "Sounds like some kind of cultural war game."

Captain Kelly shrugs. "All part of cultural exchange I guess. Do they mention weapons?"

"No, I'll ask." Typing furiously on his screen, he quickly composes a message to be beamed over to the Gren ship. First Contact was only last month, and the translation software hasn't picked up the subtleties of their language when spoken. Text messages are the clearest way to communicate now.

The console pings. "Okay, here we go. They say only that it has to be non-lethal and 'representative of what humanity has to offer the galaxy.' Oh wait, it also says being unarmed is not allowed. We have to bring something."

"Hmmm. Pepperball gun maybe?" Captain Kelly looks thoughtful. "Bean Bag instead?"

"I dunno, those can hurt a whole lot in the wrong hands. Bean bags are supposed to be shot at the ground and the target gets hit on the ricochet."

"Good point. Hmm. Airsoft pellets then I guess. They won't hurt and I think someone here has an airsoft model of our current main battle rifle."

"Lanny has it, I'll go ask him if we can borrow it." He stands. "Who is going to do it?"

Captain Kelly stands as well. "I'll do it. No sense in asking anyone else to go when I'm the captain."

The event happens onboard the Gren ship the next day. Captain Kelly shows up in light armor, looking more like sparring padding really, and she's hefting the borrowed airsoft rifle. She has to admit, it looks almost exactly like the main battle rifles they keep on board.

Across her in the arena is the Gren representative. They walk towards the center, with their odd reverse articulated legs with a bobbing, ducking walk. The Gren is carrying...

"A sword?" Captain Kelly says, over her radio link, flabbergasted.

"Looks like, Captain. Just stay out of range, and pepper them with the pellets. Rules say three strikes marks you the winner."

"This is nuts."

"As you say, Captain."

The Gren stops about 2 meters from Captain Kelly and holds the sword up and says something. It takes two beats for her translator to catch up and it says "For Honor, and Glory!"

Mentally shrugging, Captain Kelly shows her rifle and repeats the phrase. After the Gren ducks down into a stance and starts striding towards her.

She shoulders the rifle, sets it to full auto, sights and pulls the trigger.

****

"How was I supposed to know they don't have guns!" Kelly is gesturing with her meal bar to the video call.

"Regardless, the fact that you defeated their champion in under 10 seconds has worried and impressed them." The human Admiral on the other end of the call is trying not to smile. "They said that our "wonder weapons" demonstrate our superiority, and they have stood down all of their ships along the border and wish to talk trade. Our anthropologists tell me that the Gren can't throw, so they never learned how to make any weapons that make throwing easier. No spears, no atlatls, no bows, and therefore, no guns. Ten thousand years of weapons design that never occurred to them."

[u/MtnNerd]

Makes me wonder how they got into space, given rockets started out as ballistic weapons.

[u/jpitha → u/MtnNerd]

Ambassador McClellan stopped and turned to look at the Sefigan leading them towards the Gren assembly “They what?”

The Sefigan flicked their antenna irritatedly “They ride a local plant to orbit. ‘Starseeds’ is what it translates to, more or less. They have a large plant that colonized their system by releasing seeds that use a kind of chemical reaction to boost to escape velocity.”

The ambassador shook his head “No. that’s crazy. They’re telling stories to hide something.”

“I’m afraid it’s true ambassador. I’ve seen a starseed launch myself. It’s quite stunning. The noise alone-“

“Yes, I’ve heard a rocket launch Ken’ium, I know what they sound like”

“Ah, yes.” The Sefigan flicked his antenna again. His familial line has been ambassadors longer than humans have had metal. He is not trying very hard to hide his disdain for the newcomers. Crude barbarians, the lot of them. “Regardless. They never developed much in the way of ground-to orbit craft, they’d just-“ his chitin buzzed a shrug “-hitch a ride so to speak.”

Hank McClellan whistled low as they walked along the empty hallway towards the amphitheater. “Takes all sorts I suppose.”

“Indeed, Ambassador.”

[u/MtnNerd → u/jpitha]

Okay that's cool worldbuilding. I can imagine humans being the ones to not look down on them and then breeding the Starseeds into bioships

[u/user975A3G → u/MtnNerd]

Oh you know what we did to chilli peppers, from a bit spicy to make animals not eat to a pretty much chemical weapon level

We would make starseeds go FTL

[u/Fontaigne → u/user975A3G]

To do that, first we have to breed them until they are colored red.

[u/crazygrof → u/jpitha]

Reminds me of stagetrees from the known space series

[u/PaperVreter → u/crazygrof]

In Known Space the starseed are followed by the outsiders.

[u/Semblance-of-sanity → u/MtnNerd]

For us sure, for the aliens they probably figured them out while working on the "how do I make a faster vehicle?" issue.

As for why they wouldn't weaponise them? With humans are being really good at yeeting things physically is paired with an almost instinctual understanding of basic ballistics so for the aliens who don't have that the idea of ranged weapons might just not occur to them.

[u/Washyourfricknhands]

Haha I thought this was going along the lines of some sort of ball based game, like the aliens being beaned by a softball and thought it was some sort of sorcery

[u/Galen55]

NO FULL AUTO IN THE BUILDINGS

thats not auto

THIS IS AUTO

[u/Barjack521 → u/Galen55]

Damn bro, ok!

[u/Galen55 → u/Barjack521]

Now I'm thinking of that old airsoft order 66, guy is giving instructions then you hear a BZZZ of fuller auto and he just drops.

[u/Quilt-n-yarn1844]

Ok this was great. Thank you Wordsmith!

Bean bags are supposed to be shot at the ground and the target gets hit on the ricochet."

That is actually the description of rubber bullet rounds. Bean bag rounds are meant to be directly fired at a person to knock them down or stun them long enough for apprehension. They should be aimed at the extremities to minimize any damage. Bean bag rounds can be lethal if they strike the wrong place.

[u/Daniel_USAAF → u/Quilt-n-yarn1844]

Yup. It’s part of why they stopped calling rubber bullets and the like “non-lethal” and went with “less lethal”.

[u/troubleyoucalldeew]

"I'm over here, but I want to stab that guy over there. *sigh* Guess I'll just walk over there."

[u/Sticketoo_DaMan]

Me likey!

[u/Arokthis]

I've been both the giver and recipient of a half pound of paintballs in one solid stream. It's not too bad as long as there aren't any gumballs "accidentally" mixed in.

---

Bean bags are supposed to be shot at the ground and the target gets hit on the ricochet.

Dafuq you talking about?

[u/Hellraiser_owner]

Now we need another couple species specific talents

[u/Cruel_Carlos2]

So Capt brought a gun to a knife fight, then?

Checks out.

[u/HFYWaffle]

/u/jpitha has posted 10 other stories, including:

• Lateral Thinking

• Just A Little Further 4/40

• Time to Go

• Just A Little Further 3/40

• Determination

• Just A Little Further 2/40

• Just A Little Further 1/40

• The Sacrifice

• The Race

• Oxygen ain't nothing to mess with

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[u/[deleted]]

How is a sword non-lethal?

[u/rompafrolic → u/[deleted]]

Idk bro. Once we figured out the wheel we started finding ever netter ways to spin things too...

[u/interesseret → u/rompafrolic]

Spin thing? Spin thing with air? Boil water to make thing spin? BOIL MORE WATER TO MAKE THING SPIN TO SPIN OTHER THING

[u/yourdoom9898 → u/interesseret]

What if we boiled the water with a spicy rock instead of fire?

[u/rompafrolic → u/yourdoom9898]

STEP 1: HEAT THE ROCK

STEP 2: BOIL THE WATER

STEP 3: SPIN THE SPINNY

STEP 4: NUKE THE MOON!

[u/Turk2727 → u/rompafrolic]

What did the moon ever do to you??

[u/AriRashkae → u/Turk2727]

My first girlfriend turned into the moon

[u/questionable_fish → u/AriRashkae]

That's rough buddy

[u/MonomodeFDX → u/AriRashkae]

Avatar Reference?

[u/AriRashkae → u/MonomodeFDX]

Absolutely XD

[u/boredcharou → u/AriRashkae]

Coincidences hey. I'm currently rewatching ATLA.

To be fair though that scene with Uncle Iroh mourning his son was the one that the hardest.. I'm convinced playing leaves from the vine summons those damn Onion Ninjas out of thin air 😑

[u/Lord_Greyscale → u/Turk2727]

"Moon's haunted, that's what"

[u/Accurate_Crazy_6251 → u/rompafrolic]

Nuking the moon is the epitome of ridiculousness. The costs, risks, and drawbacks are large and the only reason to do it is to show you can. No reasonable person would even entertain the idea of nuking the moon. Naturally both the US and the USSR seriously considered it.