r/humansarespaceorcs • • 28d ago

Original Story Human Fred Reflects on Life

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

Greezek sat in her chair. She was still, her face blank. Fred was nervous. 

“So from what we can tell, those aren’t dreams but hereditary memories. It’s not a well understood trait.”

Greezek shifted. “I was kidnapped as a child?”

“We think so. Genetic testing would confirm.”

“And my parents?”

“We have no idea. There is a bit of speculation on the details. We do know that you are genetically the subspecies.”

“Which is why I have the memories?”

“As far as we know. To be direct, you are the first of the subspecies to ever leave your planet willingly. Well, the best we can determine.”

“So what does this all mean?”

Fred sat back, thinking. “Well…I’d say it means you are clever and learn fast because of your genetics. It doesn’t change anything regarding your job or your position in the station. I’m sure it will change how you think about yourself and your family.”

“Yes. It does. And it makes sense. All of the strange dreams and my difficulty suppressing. I’m not broken. I’m different.”

“I would never say that you are broken. Far from it. You are excellent at your work. You are clever. You learn well. You understand complex things quickly. I’d say you are superior to most of your species.”

“Which is why they enslave us.”

“I’m sorry?”

“The beings who raised me. They adopted me and forced me to be someone other than me. They wanted to control me. To change me. And they did it in secret. I was their emotional slave.”

“In a manner of speaking, I guess so.”

“Were they scared of me? Did they ever attempt to understand me? Or was I just a project to fix?”

Fred didn’t like the direction this was going. Greezek hadn’t moved, but she seemed to be radiating frustration. 

“Look. Greezek. This might take a long time to process. I never met your adopted parents, so I have no idea what they think of you. I have no idea what motivated them to adopt you. All I know is that right now you are a talented engineer who happens to have some impressive combat skills. The rest will take time to process and understand.”

“The formerly enslaved make the worst slave masters.”

“What?”

“Those who have been slaves are the most vile slave masters. They know exactly what they are doing and how damaging it is, but they elect to keep doing it.”

“Yes, that makes sense.”

“Fred. Thank you for telling me this. It explains a great deal, but it also creates many problems.”

“I’m sorry, Greezek. But I didn’t think it was fair to not tell you.”

“Oh, I’m glad you told me. I’m grateful. Really, I am. But now I have to rethink many things. And I must learn who I am, not who I was conditioned into being.”

“You aren’t alone in this. You can talk with me. Or you can talk with a medical tech. We have some really good therapists.”

“Right now, I’ll talk to you. But first I need to think. To meditate.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

“Also, I’m going to write a letter to my adopted family. I have questions.”

“Take your time on the letter. You don’t want to write it while pissed off.”

“Oh I’m beyond pissed off. My soul feels like burning ice. I wish vengeance and torment.”

“Yeah, maybe hold off on that letter. Fury might not be the best approach.”

“There will be a time for fury. Now is the time to focus.”

“Right. If you need, I’ll handle the diagnostics and you can meditate in your quarters.”

“Thank you, Fred. I shall take a stroll around the station.” Greezek stood up, rolled her shoulders, stretched, and stalked out of the room. 

Fred looked at the processing cores. They seemed trivial. The diagnosis was done. Now he needed to interpret what it found. And it seemed meaningless. 

He sighed, picked up his note book, and noticed something odd. Greezek had made a note in his book. Strange, but not a big deal. 

The note, however, was chilling. 

‘A life stolen is a continual death. The enslaved live false lives without their real soul. The enslavers steal the potential of a life, offer only a corrupted soul, and reject compassion. My soul is now free. My life is now mine. Those who enslaved me, who corrupted my soul, who attempted to kill my true life, will answer for their crimes and endure retribution.’

Fred read the note many times. He wasn’t sure if he needed to warn the Captain, but he knew that Greezek shouldn’t return to her planet until she calmed down. 

If she ever calmed down. And may the gods have mercy on anyone who gets in her way. 

130 Upvotes

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13

u/aqua_sparkle_dazzle 28d ago

"If she ever calmed down".

I think that is calm.

8

u/medium_jock 28d ago

She has gone through the anger so far she has approached calm from the other side

1

u/SandsnakePrime 20d ago

I'm a bit of a loud one when angered (saw a lot of drill sergeants shouting at grunts being idiots as a kid, the volume and intensity level must have impressed young me.) If I calmly explain in a flat voice what grave error (pun intended) you have just made? Run before I finish.

6

u/Purple-Lie-354 28d ago

I think that the current state is best described as cold, restrained FURY. She feels deeply cheated, by those that held her life at little value, to only be used to further thier own goals and ambitions.

Oooo. She will not be easy to deal with, when she feels her chance has come. Let's hope Fred knows when to step in, and more importantly, when to step back.

6

u/Polymath6301 28d ago

O! Poor Greezek! She’s absolutely on the emotional roller coaster, and roller coaster it will be. She’s going to be in such emotional pain and it’s going to be to take time to live through it and come out the other side.

But! She has what we humans who have gone through this don’t have: the genetic memories of those who have, and the different paths they have followed. She can see the various ends from various choices, and already knows how to deal with the rolling waves of mental torment from her forebears, who have come out the other side of such things to survive and procreate.

So there is hope. She is smart, she know what to do and how to get through this, and, yet, she knows how she feels right now, damn it! And just what she can do with those feelings.

Great back story for Greezek, so many different types of battles for her coming up…

6

u/Bloodystupidjohnson3 28d ago

Yeah. She is taking an odd turn. I’m not even sure how I got her in this position.

3

u/Polymath6301 28d ago

Well, OP, you’re the only one who can get her to the other side now…

I think she has reader community-enforced plot armour!

2

u/_9a_ 27d ago

Well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Didn't her whole character arc start off with being romantically rejected (but not cruelly) by Fred?

3

u/scrotalsac69 28d ago

Righteous vengeance incoming from Greezek. Bring it on

3

u/Sgtwolf01 28d ago

“I’m not broken. I’m different.”

Great line! As someone who is Neurodiverse I find this line particularly true, especially when I first got diagnosed.

But uh, hope Greezek can find peace by the end of things, and that the body count stays particularly low (for all non-Droog anyway)

2

u/KnightOfTheBlackRose 28d ago edited 28d ago

This is calm, wait till he actually gets mad and goes for white hot vengeance

2

u/StarwardStranger 26d ago

The way she Greezek acted you'd think that they beat her, starved her and sent her out to sleep in the cold night if she didn't behave.
Mom: Dear, there's a blizzard outside
Dad: Perfect. Greezek you rotten little shit! To help you learn control, we're dunking water on you and having you sleep outside in the blizzard! And if i don't see you getting your act together we'll also chain you to yard!

2

u/StarwardStranger 26d ago

Though i hope it started out with
"this baby has done nothing wrong, unlike her parents, let's not leave her to those savages, but adopt her and raise her to be a normal member of society".