The Vorax were stranded on a planet with several humans, both ships having been taken down by an unexpected solar flare of significant intensity. Due to the fact this was a survival situation, the two factions, for now, put aside their differences to work together. These Vorax, like many others, had heard stories of humans and their abilities. But it really did not hit home how true these stories were, until they insisted on going with the humans to hunt prey animals to avoid starvation. -- Fighting Fit
"So... you put down your disruptor and I put down my tanglenet and we go kill animals for food like civilised beings?" said Human Hal. As far as peace treaties were concerned, it was very basic.
"Need food. Weapon ruining food. You much better getting food whole." Vorax holsters did not have lock-in straps on them, but this one put their disruptor away and moved their clothing to make ready access more difficult. They then stared at the other tools that Hal was holding. "Stone tools?"
"If stupid and working, not stupid," said Hal, switching to GalSimple. They offered a spear. "You wanting?"
The Vorax took it cautiously. "Short for stabbing," they allowed.
"We throwing," said Hal, miming the movement slowly and at small scale.
The Vorax reflexively gripped their new spear tighter. "Throwing away weapon?" They were clearly appalled.
"We getting back," said Hal. That was only the beginning of Vorax being stunned by regular everyday Human things. Up to and including the endurance thing. According to a majority of Alliance species, Humans just don't get tired. Apparently the Vorax shared that opinion.
One local ungulate was running with a spear hanging out of its anatomy, and Hal was casually tracking it down at a ground-eating pace. They'd only been trotting through the wilderness for almost an hour when the Vorax joining the hunt started to flag.
"You... no... needing... breath?"
"Oooh, lookit the mighty intergalactic threat to society... running out of breath." Hal turned around to walk backwards for a pace or three. "You lot are ambush predators, right?"
"We... striking... fast. Take... fast..."
Hal rolled their eyes. "Ambush predators. My goodness. All right. You following slow, Self leaving trail." To demonstrate, Hal used a blade to cut a notch in a tree at eye height. "You watching for my smoke, yes?"
It took a few more hours to track the beast down. Hal noted the edible vegetation on the way. Culminating with a mercy kill in the middle of a briar. Hal had to improvise some rope and a semi-effective winch system to haul the carcass out of there. They almost had it to the camp when the Vorax showed up, clearly run ragged just catching up.
"Just in time," Hal gasped as the carcass began to rise to a dangling position. "We having smokoh[1] and you cutting as self resting."
The Vorax tested the blood and found it enough to their liking to put a bowl underneath to collect the drips. "This being more than Human bodyweight."
"Yeah, three cheers f'r basic machinery..." Still puffing, Hal pointed out the very rudimentary pulley they'd rigged up. "You take blood, rich organs. Self preferring muscle tissue. You liking marrow?"
"Self [EXPLETIVE DELETED] loving marrow."
"Then can has long bones. Self naming Hal."
"Self naming G'tharx."
They both enjoyed a tea that was more a soup of things that weren't toxic enough[2] while G'tharx periodically slurped down raw blood. When they had enough breath to discuss future strategies, they planned. It was a truce of convenience. Until either of them got rescued, and therefore hauled the other off to whatever incarceration that resulted... they would be allies.
Stranger bedfellows have been made from less.
G'tharx did the scaring and initial wound, though it took them longer to accept the idea of letting a weapon go. Hal added an additional wound then wore the prey down. Hal would set up the end-camp while G'tharx caught up at their own pace. Then the spoils were butchered and shared according to desire and need alike.
When both sides' rescue ships came at once, they shared a mutual look. Neither could take the other prisoner according to their agreement. Hal shoved the tanglenet into G'tharx's arms. "You having lucky find. Using for hunt. Yes?"
G'tharx nodded. "Human? What Human? Never seeing Human."
On such bizarre cornerstones, the foundations of peace are formed.
[1] Smokoh - [pron: smoke-oh] ancient N'Ozzie tradition of tea and snacks in-between "hard yakkah" that has since become part of GalSimple whether it wanted it or not.
[2] Common Deathworlder fare in survival situations. To quote the people eating it, "Yeah it made me a bit queasy but it was that or Boiled Water Flavour so I lived with it." And because they could, they did.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / ermess]
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