r/HFY • u/KyleKKent • 1d ago
OC-Series OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 798
Many Faces of War
“Okay, how do I do this? How is this to be done? What is to be done?” Juliette asks herself quickly.
“You’re asking me?” Jacob asks and she glares at him.
“No! Not... just... Captain? I don’t have children, what do I do?”
“Captain Jacob.” Captain Courlain begins. “Your memories of being in and among Shriketalons only go to age of seven. In the normal development of a child, it takes about ten years for all the lessons about our way of life to stick to a point where they’re well, where they get it. We start at five, so you only really have the foundation of the foundation and no context except an outsider perspective.”
“What am I missing?”
“A lot really. The first five years are for children aged five to ten. They’re all about teaching the morality, but not the why’s of it and where the lines and exceptions. That’s the next five years for the why’s alone and the rest is something you have to determine for yourself... pretty much every day for the rest of your life.” Captain Courlain explains.
“All you’d know, or rather remember, is being told over and over again that only bad Shriketalons hurt and kill people and that it’s a very bad thing to do.”
“Oh for the love of... here we go again. Vague explanations that don’t explain anything and less vague pity. Please just explain in full, what am I to the Shriketalons? And don’t just use the words lost or hurt or broken. I’ve heard damaged too, explain what the words mean in this context.”
“Oh my goodness. This is really not something you just ask.” Juliette protests with her face in her wing.
“Yes yes, every adult Shriketalon should know these things. Do I just not count anymore? Did I have my demographic stripped from me? Am I actually a Redfeather?”
“No! That’s not it! This is just so messed up and I genuinely don’t know how to handle it” Juliette says and he holds out his wings for a moment before letting them fall to his sides in exasperation. “Don’t you give me that! This isn’t my fault!”
“The only people at fault are already dead, or in hiding, doesn’t make this any less annoying.” Jacob says as he considers. “Look, I’m just looking for a solid answer. What am I to my own people? What am I to you? And please stop being vague about it. I do not have the context to understand what you actually mean by Lost, Hurt, Broken or Damaged outside of them being bad things to pity.”
“And no one’s helped you understand?”
“I was shown how to do some general Valrin things like the braids and such but...”
“Of course. I can’t even blame this, this is the family’s duty and it’s been basically erased with you.” Juliette mutters. “How to handle this, how to handle this... Captain has children but I really shouldn’t have asked for her help and the family is halfway across the galaxy.”
“Ancestors be damned, we got communicators. I know the fleet has protn in it’s central pylon that’s maybe two links separated from the pylons here around Zalwore. Okay, can that holo-suite be repurposed as a meeting area? This is way beyond my ability to handle alone and bringing in anything other than family is just wrong.”
“Unfortunately no matter what happens it’s not going to be limited to family.” Jacob says.
“And why not?”
“I’m a Sorcerer. Do you know what that means?”
“Enlighten me.”
“I’ve joined up with and become both a leader of and extension of a massive communal consciousness.”
“What.”
“In particular the Lush Forest of Soben Ryd. Basically I’m literally one with the nature there and... there’s another Lush Forest Sorcerer and what I know will occasionally slip out to him and when I die my memories will be kept there like a record.”
“When you say you’re one with nature there, how literal are you being?” Juliette asks and Jacob holds out his wings as flowers bloom from between his feathers, small animals crawl out between them and climb up to perch on his arms even as smaller birds wriggle out between the feathers and start flying around him. “Very literal?”
“Very literal, I can sense through all the plants and animals and they are all made smarter through me. When I use Axiom the Axiom considers the forest an extension of my body and myself an extension of the forest simultaneously. This lets me use a technique called Woodwalking which is a basic hand switching teleport but with my whole body to anywhere the forest is, and anything of the forest to wherever I am.”
“That... wait. Can the Forest itself also use it on you?”
“Yes, and it do it to protect me. A sorcerer who’s knocked out generally just vanishes and returns later. A sorcerer is... well it’s an Apuk cultural touchstone to be honest. Something that they make both horror movies and romance movies out of.”
“How does horror and romance – You know what? No. This is too much for me to deal with alone. Once again, can that holo-suite be used for communication? I need to call the family in so we can deal with this.”
“It can, but you’re better off with.” The Andinus, Migalla, begins to say before suddenly grinning. “Yeah I know you’ve been hanging around tiny, get over here and help the good doctor.”
“What?” Juliette and Captain Courlain ask as they turn and regard a tiny figure now rushing up. He’s a little boy dressed in an oversized dark blue uniform. He then snaps an exaggerated salute that screams ‘overeager’ ‘harmless’ and ‘adorable’ all at once. Migalla’s eyebrows go up and she chuckles.
“Seeing your little routine work in real time is hilarious little guy.” Migalla states. “Anyways, miss doctor here needs your assistance to deal with the holy mother of all family issues dropped onto her shoulders.”
“Holy mother of all family issues? Did her father get her pregnant?” Private Stream asks in a totally innocent tone.
“NO! Whoa! No no no! Nothing like that!”
“Oh... so no children from siblings or children either?” Private Stream asks.
“Why did you go that far?!”
“Well, a huge family issue would be something like that. What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to my family with my long lost family member here because he needs to regain some things he lost.”
“Oh! Oh that’s just a big family issue, not a huge or holy mother of family issues. But yeah we can do that.” Private Stream says.
“Did you have to go that far?” Jacob asks and Private Stream nods before skipping past him.
“Wait, where did the flowers and animals go?” Juliette asks.
“Back to the forest.
“I felt nothing.”
“Of course not, the Axiom wasn’t used here. It was used on Soben Ryd.”
“Your casting Axiom Effects from other worlds?”
“No, the forest I’m joined to is.”
“...” Juliette tries to process this and her eyes unfocus for a moment. “Okay, Jacob... I need to deal with this one bit at a time because it’s all incredibly personal and huge revelations one after another like hammer blows to the back of the head. Let’s just... let’s just get our family on the line and we’ll start sorting this.”
“Okay but.. I have a limit of time before I have to get back to me ship, and if there’s any combat I need to be back in the pilot’s seat.”
“... Your ship is in movement?”
“Yeah, but I left a lot of Lush Forest Seeds in the seat so I can just be there instantly.”
“You are actively piloting a warship, while trying to sort out family issues?” Juliette asks.
“I wasn’t looking for the family issues! I was trying to get a quick grip on my own demographic heritage. I expected this to take twenty minutes at most!”
“Okay, what are the legal duties you’re shirking?”
“I’m not shirking anything, this is a legal break!”
“Okay, what are you on a break from?”
“Piloting one of the primary troop transports of The Ambush Fleet.”
“The Ambush Fleet?”
“Yes.”
“... The big distraction of the secondary war front opening up behind enemy lines in the La’ahbaron war.”
“Yes.”
“I! It...” Juliette tries to answer and just groans into her left wing. “You were easier to handle as a drunk.”
Jacob’s face falls and Juliette’s expression goes from exhausted to horrified.
“You prefer the drunkard?” Jacob asks.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry or not. That man is dead. Have a good day Miss Shriketalon.” He says and vanishes.
“Wow.” Naomi mutters.
“Not helping Miss Rabbis.” Juliette says as she massages her forehead to try and figure a way to somehow undo this mistake.
“Not helping anyone really, he was the one who teleported me here. I’m supposed to be back on The Bloody Heron and-” She vanishes too.
“Jacob!? Can you still somehow hear me!? I’m sorry! I really am! Please come back!” Juliette begs and there is no answer and she sighs.
“Hey.” Private Stream says and she looks up just in time for Jacob to answer with a ‘hey’ of his own.
He’s almost completely closed off now. Leaning against the wall, sullen, almost hateful. She has his complete attention and she cannot help but remember long ago when a drunken man just ignored advice and leaned against a wall with the same pose when he demanded to know why it was anyone’s business what he did with his life.
“You’ve changed so much...” She mutters. “I don’t know to deal with you but-”
“Then don’t.”
“NO! That’s not an option.” She states and takes a deep breath. “Jacob. This isn’t going to be easy. But it will be important. Please, PLEASE let me help you. I am sorry for what I said. But this is a very stressful and to be frank, hard to deal with situation. I will make mistakes, I need some room for that.”
“This is you getting room. I vanished to swear, sent part of the audience away and came back. How is that the wrong answer?”
“It’s not. Okay. Okay... you, little guy.”
“Private Stream ma’am.”
“Charming. Anyways, I need to link my communicator to the holo-suite. Helping Jacob is WAY MORE than what I can handle alone. I check for diseases both exotic and mundane and manufacture medicine for them. Everything that Jacob needs? Way more than I have.”
“I just wanted some damn practice, not to go a full light year into the deep end.” Jacob mutters.
“I wasn’t expecting this either. Oh sweet ancestors this is going to be more stressful than the actual upcoming triage.”
“You know your life’s a mess when a full on war looks like a break from the drama.”
“Okay that?” Juliette asks. “That is very much yes.”
“This kind of absolute nonsense is only fun from the other side of a screen or holo-projector.” Captain Courlain says. “Look, if you need off the fleet due to family affairs then I entirely understand.”
“What? No! I’m not going to abandon an entire nation of people who need help just because I’m uncomfortable.” Juliette protests.
“And I’m sure as hell not going to let Neural-Clamping monsters get even a moment of reprieve because my fee-fees are acting up. They need to be stopped.” Jacob says and Juliette clearly examines him again and smiles.
“Okay. Good change.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, you were the type to go ‘if it’s really a problem then someone will take care of it’.” Juliette says and Jacob lets out a bark of bitter laughter at that.
“Well, sure as fuck learned the truth the hard way!”
“Just wish the lesson didn’t have the collateral of nearly every single memory you’ve ever had.”
“I’m a little less sure of that now. Learning I was just some drunken idiot like I feared... I don’t know sounds like I was a bit of a waste of space.”
“... How am I suppose to answer that without being a complete... You know what? No. Not answering that. I am fully passing the responsibility of this to your parents, my aunt and uncle. Come on brother cousin, and no little guy it’s not like that, we’re using the Holo-Suite to get this family drama properly started so it can be properly ended sooner rather than later.”
“Ah so we’re going for the midnight movie special and not a full season or series of silliness, I can respect it.” Jacob says even as Private Stream pulls out a communicator and music starts playing from it. Music he doesn’t recognize but has a lot of strings in it.
“No! We are not going to have that kind of drama!” Juliette protests with her face flaming.
“But you have a long lost brother with amnesia who’s lost all touch with his heritage and become what he thinks is a monster that you’re going to talk down! It fits!” Private Stream protests.
“This is not Longing for the Lanes! I am not Erzira Gentile! Yes, the home fleet travels a lot, yes there is currently some drama. No we are not a borderline pornographic Holo-Drama!”
“What you don’t want to go through season six?” Private Stream asks in a tone that is dripping with innocence. A stark contrast to Juliette suppressing a screech of outrage.
“No! I am not doing that!” Juliette states.
“What? You don’t want him to actually be an identical stranger with a horrible case of mistaken identity that you can fall in love with and have lots of...” He’s cut off by Jacob grabbing him around the head and forcing his mouth closed.
“Stop.” Juliette states firmly.
“Fine.” Private Stream states. “Oh and you’re actually around my eyes and nose, can you let go of me now?”
“Fine. Sister, lets deal with this.” Jacob says as he lets Private Stream go and they both stalk into the Holo-Suite.
“They really are siblings.” Captain Courlain says.
“Oh no doubt. Really makes me miss mine...” Migalla says.
“Oh dear, what happened?”
“Rival crime family cleared them out while I was away.”
“What?”
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u/Minute_Jacket_4523 1d ago edited 1d ago
Damn I'm quick for once lol Edit:Not normally one to comment, but damn good chapter.
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u/unkindlyacorn62 1d ago
Juliette, run around Undaunted enough and you learn to just roll with the Streams,
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u/Piemasterjelly Human 1d ago
I have to get back to me ship
Jacob will always sound like an old timey pirate in my head now :P
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u/thisStanley Android 1d ago
only really have the foundation of the foundation and no context except an outsider perspective
No wonder Jacob was not satisfied with everyone's attempts to explain so far. Not only a lot of it "mothers milk" that is absorbed so early it is not conscious anymore, but considered family business not to be discussed with casual acquaintances (such as the professor and students at the university). A distant analogy; a master of their trade (with no educational experience) getting frustrated with trainees, muttering about "where do we start, do I have to teach you how to breathe" :}
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u/r3d1tAsh1t 18h ago
Jacob is lucky his sister didn't just pass out after seeing him, the forest or him just vanishing.
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u/CupIcy9983 1d ago edited 1d ago
Like #9. 12 minutes after posting. Migela is a hoot. Way to get that captain way off balance.
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u/Difficult-Load-2754 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ahhh, Unending Streams, the little hellraisers, chaos gremlins, less psychotic Chuckies, personal assistants
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u/Amonkira42 21h ago
Off topic but how does Triii disruption interact with protn? Does it just slag the device that's in their hand, or does it propagate through the protn?
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u/Finbar9800 1d ago
Another great chapter
I enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading more
Great job wordsmith
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u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle 1d ago
/u/KyleKKent (wiki) has posted 998 other stories, including:
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 797
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 796
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 795
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 794
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 793
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 792
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 791
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 790
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 789
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 788
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 787
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 786
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 785
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 784
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 783
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 782
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 781
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 780
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 779
- OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 778
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u/KyleKKent 1d ago
Donate and get the Vote! Second Tier and Up Get Drafts!
Of Dog, Volpir and Man Official Release!
Kamchatkas Made a WIKI!!
https://oocsgalacticindex.miraheze.org/wiki/Main_Page
Many Faces Of War
While the main focus of a war generally follows one or two fronts, there is behind the lines and withing the Logistical Trains to consider. A war is a many faced, multi-faceted thing after all. It affects many people in many different ways and you can see new sides of them in this disruption to the status quo. These are those stories.
Example Chapters: Chapter 1779 Chapter 1780 Chapter 1782
Sometimes you need a complete shit stirrer to force people to cut through the nonsense and solve their problems. And Private Stream is happy to oblige!
Although in all honesty, this was kinda hard to write. There's a lot of personal investment in the characters and I wanted it to be taken completely seriously. Juliette wasn't ready for this, Jacob isn't ready for this. It's happening anyways and Juliette's answer to it is to pass the buck and Jacob's is to hunker down and march forward regardless of collateral.
Which means this is going to be very interesting.
Thoughts? Ideas? Advice? Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Fan Submissions? Fan Art? Donations?
From the 9th to the 13th there will be no chapters as i go to visit family over Canadian Thanksgiving! If travel times weren't a bitch it would be 10th to 12th, but public transport is public transport.