spacepaladin15
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Prisoners of Sol 5
🕑 Added 2025-01-18 12:00:07 +0000 UTCMikri’s examination yesterday was rather uncomfortable, being inspected by a Vascar who I wasn’t convinced had any knowledge to be a medical professional. He’d given Sofia and I a clean bill of health, and sent us to get some rest after the earth-shattering events of the day. It was wild to think we were sleeping under an alien roof, and interacting with one on a regular basis. As grating as our liaison was at times, I knew there were millions of people back on Earth who’d kill to be in my place.
Because our medical readiness checked out, the Vascar asked to check our physical capabilities the next morning. After being cramped in a spaceship for over a month to get from Pluto Station to the Gap, it would be lovely to get a proper workout. The Vascar had said it was important to ensure our muscles didn’t atrophy, after all. I was resigned to the idea of being gross and sweaty without a proper remedy. However, as we woke up, Mikri was standing by a small glass box. Inside was some kind of hose that he’d installed in the ceiling; there was a drain on the floor, which meant the Vascar could figure out some things without being explicitly told. They didn’t like water damage any more than us.
When the fuck did he sleep and have time to do this, unless other Vascar came in overnight? Also, did he have to park it in the middle of the lobby with zero privacy or curtains…well, he tried. It’s just Sofia and I, and it’s not like we’ve had the luxury of being embarrassed around each other.
“This is what you asked for. You can shower after our training today,” Mikri announced.
I forced a smile, despite thinking it was a lackluster attempt. “Thanks. Should we get going…?”
“Did you eat your rations? As I understand it, you need fuel first.”
“Yes. I know it’s POW gruel, but this alien grub leaves something to be desired. It tastes like someone took everything they could find and threw it in a blender.”
“Oh. That is what we did…I didn’t realize this was an area of such pickiness. It was protein and minerals from multiple sources. Everything you needed?”
“It’s completely fine,” Sofia assured the alien. “We just eat things separately on most occasions, like…whole fruits, or meats with a little seasoning at home. That’s what we’re used to from nature, is all.”
“I see. It is difficult to satisfy you. So many things to remember…how do you manage it all? How do you function with the constant burden of your upkeep?”
“I don’t know if you’ll find this answer satisfactory, but you know what you’re used to, Mikri. Tasty food activates pleasure receptors for humans.”
“This is why you wish for it? Chemical releases?”
“I guess? You might as well find enjoyment in anything you do.”
“Take a nice, warm shower, for instance—which you mocked,” I noted. “It’s relaxing.”
Mikri stiffened, seemingly frustrated. “Warm shower. No one mentioned warm!”
“Cold is more than okay,” Sofia interjected, shooting me a warning glance. “This isn’t a five-star resort, Preston, and it doesn’t have to be.”
I raised my hands and arched my eyebrows. “Don’t look at me. I mean, Mikri did it ridiculously fast, so I’ll give him props for that. And this beats no shower.”
The Vascar’s segmented claws curled beneath his metal armor. “I have given you everything you asked for. Outside. Training. Now.”
I swept a sarcastic hand in front of me. “Lead the way.”
The Vascar trudged out the main entrance, not picking up on my mocking tone. Sofia’s eye contact said everything, another reminder to be more gracious with Mikri. The derisive way he phrased all of his questions didn’t seem to reflect much improvement. He’d referred to not liking a dry pulp that tasted like baby powder as “pickiness,” then called our upkeep a burden and us insatiable. I didn’t think we’d been the least bit demanding, but in the Vascar’s world, anything above the minimum to keep us alive was asking to be waited on hand-and-foot!
I’ll try to get on his good side, and turn the other cheek to his judginess, but Mikri is never going to try to understand us. All it seems like he needs is that trusty suit. What a lucky guy, to be so low-maintenance.
I half-listened to Mikri’s instructions on running between two trees on an inland field, elevated a bit from the sandy beach. The Vascar wielded some sort of camera, which I imagined he’d roll back to certify our time. In my mind’s eye, I remembered just how much faster I’d been goofing off on that asteroid. With a sterner gravity, who knew what we’d be capable of? I pressed a leg against the tree, leaning down like a runner at the starting line. The limitations imposed on us by the other universe weren’t here. I wasn’t sure Sofia was prepared for our newfound capabilities; I was unconvinced that I was, after ripping off an armrest by accident.
“Race me,” I called out, tossing my head. “Come on.”
The scientist rolled her eyes. “We all know you’ll win, soldier boy. One of us has been through boot camp.”
“That’s not the point. Sprint as fast as you can. Let’s just say you’re about to blow the track-and-field stars on Earth out of the water. You have to feel this power!”
“If you insist. Mikri, do you want to count us down?”
The alien had finished setting up his camera and was waiting. “Count you down?”
“Like, say, ‘Three, two, one, go.’ So we know when you want us to start, since these are your tests. I’m just trying to make this orderly for you. Scientific.”
“It will not be exacting, but I suppose that is as precise as I can hope for with…humans. Very well. Three, two, one, go.”
Before the Vascar had finished the last unenthused word, I took off. The wind felt like when I’d rode a motorcycle down the streets of Mars’ dome, on my time off during basic. It buffeted my body and my clothing, with the raw speed being inconceivable. My eyes couldn’t process how fast I was running. It couldn’t have been more than five seconds before I went flying past the tree, which I would’ve wagered was 200 meters away.
I glanced back toward my partner, grinning from the thrill. Sofia was only a spit-second behind me, a disbelieving expression on her face. Mikri’s stance showed overt surprise, as we tore up into the hillside; unless The Flash became real, I couldn’t imagine any human had ever run faster. Going back to Earth’s molasses speeds after this…
“Woo! We’re speedier than a fucking cheetah! The fastest man and the fastest woman alive! How do you feel about that?” I panted, slowing as my lungs began to burn.
Sofia struggled to find words. “We’re only the fastest until other people come through that portal. Like…actual athletes.”
“Imagine hosting an Olympics here! Mikri, did we knock your socks off?” I shouted in a celebratory voice.
“This idiom’s meaning is lost on me, but your pride is not.” The Vascar jogged over to us, taking much longer to reach where we stood; he had some kind of padding over his armor now. “I have not seen any lifeform which can keep pace with a vehicle. This is most unusual.”
“Unusual is exciting! Come on, I know there’s something that you can be enthusiastic about.”
“I am enthusiastic about science, but the subject material puts a damper on it. The development of life under the extreme conditions of your universe is of some value, so I am…grateful that you are compliant.”
This is Mikri’s attempt at being more polite and courteous? He outright states a dislike for studying us, then “softens” it by saying our development under quirky physics is of “some” value. How generous.
Sofia smiled at the Vascar like she’d heard completely different words. “I’m very interested myself to compare how life developed in unique ways. The discoveries we’re making today can usher in a new future. You never know where you can learn something, Mikri, when you apply those findings elsewhere.”
“Elaborate,” the alien said flatly.
“A human scientist left a petri dish of bacteria out, and it grew mold…that killed the colony of microorganisms. This was how we discovered antibiotics; it saved many lives. Revolutionized society by sheer chance—by an accident, a mistake.”
“This scientist did not discover it by anything intelligent they did. It was a random happenstance that they observed.”
“Exactly. Sometimes things happen differently than you planned, and you make the best of it. We’re a random happenstance for you.”
“While I doubt your power to overhaul our society, this is true. I will seek to learn useful things. Will you indulge in a test of your strength? One of you should spar with me.”
“Definitely Preston; he’s combat-trained.” Sofia gave me a worried glance, noting that I looked eager to take a swing at Mikri. “If trouble comes around, I’m going full Gordon Freeman with a crowbar and hoping for the best.”
“Full what?” the Vascar demanded.
“It’s a character from a recent game called Half-Life 3.”
“Game?”
I rolled my eyes. “Surely you have some kind of entertainment media that you watch or read—that Vascar share with each other. Something fun.”
“Educational talks and lessons that are broadcast. Academic literature. Complex simulations of phenomena that can be observed in real time.”
“Wow.” This is hopeless. I don’t think they have a creative or fun bone in their bodies. Say something positive about that, I guess? “That’s very intellectual. Good stuff. Anyhow, you want us to fight or…?”
“Yes. I wish to measure your reaction time first, then your strength. Let’s start with me taking a swipe at you, and you try to sidestep or deflect?”
“Fine.” I raised my fists, and curled a finger toward myself. “Show me what you’re made of.”
The Vascar lunged forward with a jab; my response was near instantaneous, and I’d ducked before realizing what happened. He turned and attempted a kick, which I caught in my hands and held him on one leg. I could all but see his moves before he’d made them. It was like my mind was supercharged, the reflexes answering in half of the time it’d usually take. Mikri grunted with frustration, twisting my wrist away and backing up. I could tell he didn’t like how easily he’d been thwarted.
“Right. Blisteringly fast reaction time,” the alien said with annoyance. “Let’s see how strong you are, Preston. Hit me as hard as you can.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Won’t that hurt my hand, with your armor?”
“The armor isn’t coming off. I tied this padding around my chest so that it will cushion your punch. Strike me with everything you’ve got.”
“What if I hurt you?”
“You will not. I can take it. Come on, just—”
Before Mikri finished his sentence, I rocked back and plowed my fist into his sternum with all of my might. My knuckles drove clean into the padding, imparting a horrifying amount of force. The alien went flying backward, off his feet, at what must’ve been…thirty miles per hour? He collided with the tree down the hill, where we’d been supposed to run to when he was timing us. The Vascar’s impact was like he’d been shot out of a cannon, and it snapped the very trunk in half; his spine had been what collided with the object. He dropped to the ground, unmoving, while my heart quickened with panic. No one could’ve survived that.
Sofia stared with eyes the size of moons, covering her mouth. I raised my hands to my head and gawked in horror.
Oh my God. I just killed Mikri; I didn’t mean to, but fuck! Now there’s no way we won’t be enemies, and it’s all on camera. What do we do, telling the Vascar—what have I done?! Is there any chance they’ll believe me, if I said I didn’t know I was capable of that?
To my amazement, I saw the alien’s arm move; I wasn’t sure if it was a post-mortem reflex, the way a lizard’s tail could still flop about after it was severed. Mikri seemed to try to stand, but his left leg refused to move at all. That bastard was tough attempting to walk that off, I’d give him that. We had to get our hands on some of that armor, given that it’d kept him alive here. Sofia and I raced over to his side, as apology after apology spilled from my mouth. The Vascar gave no indication of being in pain, his voice as unphased as ever.
The alien rolled over, revealing that my fist had punched a hole through the cushion; I hadn’t even felt that I hit the armor, which was dented. “Preston, do you not—”
“Mikri, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry,” I pleaded, tears streaming down my face. I knew I’d fucked up so bad. “You said as hard as I could, and I never thought…I wasn’t trying to hurt you. You have to be okay! We can fix this; tell us what to do.”
Sofia looked shaken. “We must call for help. We just watched you get ragdolled through the air, and you can’t move your leg.”
“I’m fine. I have the requisites to patch myself up, if you can help me back to the medical lab. My leg is non-functional. Do not worry. Legs can be replaced,” the Vascar said calmly.
“What kind of a statement is that?” I shrieked.
“A reassuring one. I am reassuring you. Neither of us were aware that you would have so much strength. You did as instructed. I am not angry. This is an interesting result.”
“It’s not interesting! You could’ve died.”
“I told you, I can take it. And what I was going to say, before you grew emotional over events that cannot be changed, was meant for you, Preston. Do you not see how humans are a threat? You are capable of all of this, and can launch ships going at planet-terminating speeds from portals in our backyard. This is worrying from a military perspective.”
“I see how it’s alarming, Mikri, really, and if the roles were reversed, I’d be a lot more freaked out than you are right now.”
“Then we understand each other. It is a start.”
Sofia hoisted the Vascar to his feet, and I supported him on the other side. We helped haul him back to the medical bay, though I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of him playing whack-a-mole with his legs alone. I felt guilty for harming him, and flabbergasted that my punch had carried such force at the same time. We shouldn’t test out any more of humanity’s physical capabilities with another living being in the way.
“We’re like superheroes here,” Sofia remarked.
Mikri tilted his head. “Superheroes?”
“We tell stories about fictional characters who have abilities that a normal person can only dream of.”
“Why? That is not real, and also could never happen.”
“That’s the point, Mikri. Stories are what ifs where you test your imagination. You get to know people that never existed, and places that can’t be visited. It’s an adventure all up in your head. That might sound abstract and silly to you, but it’s really a concrete depiction of someone else’s vision. Sometimes, they teach lessons about the real world.”
He won’t get it, Sofia. Let it go.
The Vascar hopped quicker on his good leg. “This seems silly, to commit memory space to made-up things.”
“All dreams are made-up things until someone makes them real. You have to dream of a thing to create it. You might enjoy letting yourself imagine something fantastical, putting yourself in the shoes of another person and their journey,” Sofia continued.
Is he capable of imagination? I mouthed at my colleague, though she didn’t seem to notice.
“Enjoy. I find that word irritating,” Mikri retorted.
Sofia pursed her lips. “I know. While you’re recovering, I could send you some books I have downloaded on my phone. Maybe you can try to experience them, like we do? Just to understand us a little better, since we are your subject material.”
“I’ll agree with extreme reluctance. It is my duty.”
I helped the Vascar back to the medical bay, not eager to have him disparage the entirety of human art. Sofia’s attempts to placate Mikri and form a connection were going to fall flat sooner or later; he wasn’t capable of being three-dimensional. After hearing that this species lacked art, I shared his conviction that we were too different to be friends. This alien, with his stilted and condescending speech, didn’t appreciate a thing that made humanity who we were.
A/N - Part 5! Even after building a shower, Mikri’s accommodations fall flat with Preston for a multitude of reasons, chiefly the grotesque POW food. Now that our humans passed a medical exam, the Vascar decides to test their speed and strength—learning the extreme buff they got in this dimension the hard way; Mikri is sent flying dangerously, but somehow walks off getting hurling into a tree. Sofia, throughout this encounter, strives to get Mikri to understand the value of random happenstances and entertainment.
What do you think about how powerful the humans are in this dimension, and what we might be able to do with this knowledge? Is it fair for Mikri to consider us a threat for his stated reasons…and how do you think he’s measuring up with his accommodations? Can the Vascar warm to entertainment at all when he finds the word enjoy irritating…and are his attempts to be “nicer” even noticeable?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Xilacnog
Because Eris dumped Rudeus
Sworishina
Ohhh that makes sense, thank you!
Space Paladin
Sofia is providing a wide variety of classic human literature that shows vast genres/philosophies, and the point is that Mikri craves the mere idea of extreme individualism, not the actual book. What he latches onto is definitely the idea of "I" being a banned word, I hope that was clear!
kabhes
Why do they keep mentioning Pluto and not Eris?
Sworishina
I get that you don't endorse Ayn Rand, but Sofia having one of her books and recommending it to Mikri at least implies she likes an Ayn Rand book, if not her books in general.
Aerowarrier
They were still drilled on it, and would’ve been stupid to assume that breaking through a cage around the entire system wouldn’t attract some kind of attention from something. Granted, human stupidity knows no bounds, but it still should have been considered
PhycoKrusk
First contact was not anticipated, so there was no consideration given towards selecting a team that would be any good at it.
Space Paladin
Twenty generations from now, Gabe Newell the 20th made it happen 🤣
Space Paladin
They do not!
Alekss Žukovskis
Hey SP! does humanity posess AGI in this story?
Alekss Žukovskis
I guess the selecting committee didn't account for environment being grating to Prestons mind. He has nothing backing him and his military mind is left addressing the only frontier that is present. Preston could get worse, if time on earth passed relatively slowly, or if drones, zip by too much faster, leaving those three alone.
Dan Hess
The weapon would break before the human did.
Aerowarrier
Half Life 3 is recent…this is set in the relatively far future xD bro did Gabe Newell die and tell his kids to hide his notes on the game
Aerowarrier
Dude if you saw something come to earth and run faster than a car then start whooping and hollering about how light it is here and how easy it is to move around, you’d be goddamn terrified. Of course the subject matter of this experiment is concerning, you’re a walking god compared to the beings out here
EliasArt2Life
I’ve noticed that Space Paladin has a love for intrigue plots and secret shadow organizations running things. In more than just NOP.
Aerowarrier
Ngl, this guy is kind of an absolute asshole. Horrible person to send on a mission that they expected to lead to some kind of first contact should it succeed. Like try and be a little grateful they’re even responding to your requests, they don’t have to
Thacerot
Wouldn't melee weapons work amazing in this universe? Imagine a human just slicing everyone and everything in clean in half 🤯
EliasArt2Life
@NWOIT_93 I have no problem with if other people enjoy the trope or get something out of it; I just wanted to get my own thoughts and feeling on the matter down sooner rather than later. On the off chance thing really start to grate on me, I’d rather explain why sooner, rather than later. I’m sorry, but I can’t watch that video right now; it’s got major spoilers for Nier: Automata, and I haven’t finished that game yet. I’ve been avoiding spoilers for that game for a long time.
Dan Hess
I'm still rooting for silicide-based lifeforms, just because it's not something often encountered in scifi.
Alekss Žukovskis
who isn't a biological robot these days 😒
NWOIT_93
I get that, but honestly a part of me enjoys having a character to relate to like that. This might sound cringe or w/e but I'm in the furry community and choose to present myself online as something robotic (a synth) because I feel an affinity for robots. Not quite human in the same way as everyone else but that comes with a lot more awareness of how I can define myself. I'd also recommend Davy Gunface's video "Autism and Robots." He does an extremely good job explaining this idea
EliasArt2Life
@PhycoKrusk So you’re saying that the neurodivergent thought process is little better than a computer making true/false comparisons? Nah, I’m just joking; I know you don’t mean that, and it would be ridiculous for anyone to assume that’s what you (or anyone writing these stories) meant. I totally get the logic behind it; robots are machines meant to be used as tools, and as tools they need to avoid inconsistencies that come with emotions, leading to their dependence on logic. As tools, unless they were built for it, social interactions are also low priority. It’s just that, this world, and people in it, often makes me feel like I’m not entirely human. I walk into a supermarket, and get overwhelmed with all the sensory input, but know I’ll get stared at if I start to lose it there. I can talk to people, but I can’t forget that I’m always one mistake away from being ostracized without due process or a chance to explain myself. One mistake that I never see coming. People treat me well, but it’s not like they’re really interested in anything more than surface level interactions. My unease at the trope is just that, when I have to wrestle every day with feelings of not fitting into the human race, a trope that stands as a reminder of that is going to make me feel a little off. And that’s not anyone’s fault but those who’ve given me this initial struggle in the first place, and given that many of them don’t even realize that they’re doing it, the amount of fault they have is highly debatable. But at the same time, these feeling I have about this are real, and matter to me. So, even if I know the logical reasons behind the trope, I can still choose to allow myself to feel the way I do about it. Perhaps there’s a bit of irony here that, against the stereotype, and against even the observations of however many people have called me “hard to read” or mentioned that I “don’t show much emotion”, I choose to feel emotion over logic in this case.
PhycoKrusk
I believe the biggest reason for that kind of writing is because of the natural "cause-and-effect" of a robot's synthetic psychology. That is, because what underlies a computer is ultimately trillions of true/false comparisons, then it does make a kind of sense that a synthetic being would generally be unexpressive and lean heavily on logic. Do I have some kind of point? Beats me. Maybe all life outside of Sol seems exceptionally stoic compared to humans; maybe everything from Sol is more intense, emotions included. Maybe I just like trying to seem more intelligent than I actually am? Who knows _what_ the real answer is?
PhycoKrusk
Unbelievable. The future humans of "Prisoners of Sol" got Half-Life 3 before we got GTA 6.
Nachtmund
"From a new game, Half-Life 3!" This is what truly makes it Science-Fiction. Hoping they figure out they are all robots soon.
Taliesyn
If it makes you feel better, my phone straight-up refuses to type 'and' unless I do it letter tap by letter tap. Any other time, it spits out 'abs'.
Space Paladin
Sofia definitely is wording what she says in a very specific way, she’s the brightest bulb of these two haha! Preston’s the joker, so not a brainiac or an archetype Mikri would mesh with at all… Humans will definitely have to worry about breaking people and things by total accident, like Superman Also, if these were robots that were unfeeling, there would be a reason for that beyond just that they’re robots 👀
pogman
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Space Paladin
This takes place in the 2500s 🤣
Space Paladin
My phone hates me
Space Paladin
My bad! I clearly shouldn’t have done the edits at 11 at night lol 😂
Space Paladin
Thank you lol. Half life 3 is never happening but I’m choosing an optimistic future 🤣
EliasArt2Life
Uh… could it be any more obvious? No pain, and a DENTED midsection, replacing a leg is treated as commonplace. Mikri is going to be in for frustration upon realizing that the humans will be hard to get rid of, since he can’t take off the suit or do repairs while they’re watching. I am 90% sure Sophia knows or suspects. Her word choice is seeming too on the nose. The strength humanity has here is… concerning. Great for war, but I think we’d like to be able to shake someone’s appendage WITHOUT risking crushing them. Maybe we can create personal “bubble” or our spaces physics, and put those on our person when we’re interacting with others. I don’t agree with Preston, but I DO see his point. Mikri needs to learn to enjoy humanity for who we are before we can be friends. But that’s not going to happen until he stops worrying that we’re going to choose the Alliance over the Vicar. I’ll be honest, I always have mixed feeling over robot plots. I LOVE that they’re usually in depth examinations of what makes people human/human compatible, and brings up many legitimate questions about humanity and the origins of obligate sapience. On the other hand, many robots/androids are neurodivergent coded. Lack of emotions, lack of expressiveness, difficulty socializing, like of repetitive tasks with a dislike for surprises, and a higher reliance on logic. As a person with Autism, it can be… dehumanizing at times to see someone with so many of my traits (even when turned up to an 8) being shown as such an outsider of the human race. It’s a little better knowing that the robots in those stories usually end up being declared pretty much the same as humans, but it’s still something that gnaws at the back of my head with these. I’m interested to see where this goes, though!
pogman
Wait, what year is it?
pogman
HALD LIDEE DO3!1'nqnqn GORGON FREMONT MENRIONED RAAHAHHH
Xilacnog
and there we go, the thing that made an interesting story impossible to happen... HL3 actually being released :P Couple of things I'm curious about: - Could it be that Humanity has been imprisoned in that pocket dimension to make them "Superhuman" outside? i.e. So that they'd become a super-soldier caste/species for the Elusians or some other ancient power OR so that they could act as "Galactic Community" Stewards or Guardians. - Given the disparity between the dimensions, I immediately thought of Star Blazers's Time Fault that Humanity used to go from minor power to the Ultimate Galactic Power. If Human thrusters and reactors are overpowered outside, imagine what will happen with weaponry and armor plating. - I'm not entirely convinced yet that the Vascar are synthetic or robotic, they could be bio-synths or just use cloning technology to replace limbs and increase their population.
Gumcel
“Preston for a multitude of regions” “Is it fair for Mikri to consider us a threat for his stated regions” Sp’s autocorrect has it out for “reason” for some reason. Anyways, if Mikri’s trying to hide the nature of his species then he’s doing an abysmal job lol.
Emmanuel Morín
La parte menos realista es Valve haciendo Half-life 3 As always, love your work, greetings from Mexico
craig spaulding
A species without art; nearly certainly biological but with a very detached, very logical view; a war shrouded in mystery; the distinct possibility that humans were developed as a superweapon. Hmmm… I starting to sense the possibility of another fascist government like the ones from NOP.
Some Lvm
I think autocrrect got this one, "reasons" got to be "regions" twice in the summery. That said, every time a new piece of evidence Vascar are artificial comes up, another one that goes the other way seems to show up too... They do speak with audible clicks, which no AI or robot would need to. And if they are AI, why did their medical analysis show the possibility of humans being that strong? You would thinking after performing a full medical an AI race would have Preston punch a dummy, not one of them. Also, while "legs can be replaced" sounds robotic to humans, the fact this applies to specifically legs and not other parts of the body, suggests whatever Mikri is, he isn't a cast away robotic avatar for an AI that can download in to a new body any time it wants. Also, what is up with super strength? Just having a lower gravity wouldn't make you stronger that way. What is up with this new universe...?
REDemon14
I feel so bad for everyone in this situation. Preston and Sofia have to explain that the absolute bare minimum, while survivable, is not ideal. While Mikri has to deal with the "picky-ness" o of these humans. Must feel like micromanagement from his view.
Sci-fi reader
What about another Duke Nuk’em sequel?
Byron Ritchie
Yeah they’re definitely robots even if ‘biological’ ones
Sci-fi reader
Typo. "... Before Mikri finished his sentence, I rocked back and plowed my fist into my sternum with all of my might..." Should probably be "...into his sternum..." Also, Preston is annoyingly entitled.
Space Paladin
Preston’s not making inroads with Mikri, certainly could be more appreciative of what Mikri has done for them!
Space Paladin
Thinking you just killed someone can be known to do that 🤔
Space Paladin
I’m quite willing to bank on Half-Life 3 not coming out in our lifetimes 🤣
John Krause
Cant tell if it’s for mirik or if he’s just crying over the fact that he thought it would have consequences for humanity
Yonael Blackwood
Surprised they haven't started theorising that Mikri is a robot yet.
DreamEnvoy
“It tastes like someone took everything they could find and threw it in a blender.” “Oh. That is what we did…” Yeah, either they are robots, a species that somehow lack basic organic needs, or a species that lack pleasure. No wonder they find humans complicated. “It’s a character from a recent game called Half-Life 3.” Recent. That got a bit of a chuckle out of me. Will be dated if HL3 somehow manages to come out in our lifetimes, but still funny. “Legs can be replaced” Robot it is, then. Or very chill about prosthetics. Sofia's comparing herself and Preston to superheroes is pretty accurate. Very much like Superman, being adapted to a much harsher environment.
Rusty Deviant
I’m honestly surprised they aren’t questioning what he is more based on the reactions and now the whole getting his chest crumpled thing
Nutthadhun Sripukdee
Oh, wow. I didn’t expect them to get THAT much of a power-up. How exciting!
Wholesome Redditter
During the running exam all I can think of is the William Tell remix from DanDaDan
TheDudeAbides
First thing on the agenda when hopelessly lost and at the mercy of a totally unknown alien who is doing it's best to accommodate me is to passively aggressively try and annoy it and complain when I'm not being sarcastic. Even though it's obvious the alien takes what we say and we need and provides it as as close to exactly what we asked for as possible.
cf
Half life 3, this truly is science fiction
Alekss Žukovskis
wow. Preston cried.
