Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.social
Jul 4, 2026, 10:14 PMIt's a day of grief. It is.
It's a terrible day, one stacked on top of so many.
Those of us that see what we see, that still give a shit, for us, it's a day of grief.
/1
Replies
- Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.socialJul 4, 2026, 10:35 PM
My younger kid knows the Larry Niven story, "The Warriors", because I told it to him when he was little.
"Tell me a story."
Yeah, not a great author, not a great story, I know.
But it was a story that made an impression, reading it as a kid, so I told it:
A human ship is 11 years out from Earth, pushed gently on a steady beam of coherent light. An alien ship snaps up at 200G. First contact time.
The humans signal, call on radio, are perplexed to get no response.
The aliens? warlike.
/2
- Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.socialJul 4, 2026, 10:47 PM
The alien captain directs his telepath to find and examine the minds of the humans. Instant headaches as thoughts and memories are examined.
Telepath reports that humans are completely peaceful, have no weapons, expect friendly contact.
Alien captain says, kill humans with induction heating weapon. Search their ship afterward to find their homeworld for conquest.
Humans notice their ship getting warm, metal surfaces burn them. Human pilot leaves crying crewmates, goes to controls of ship.
/3
- Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.socialJul 4, 2026, 11:03 PM
Human pilot reaches seat, wakes drive, full on, swings ship about, brings rear telescope online.
Alien captain speaks to alien weapons officer, asks if humans really think they can get away on tenth G thrust. Weapons officer says of course not, light pressure too weak!
Alien captain asks, what type of light, again?
Realises. Shouts too late to weapons officer,
"Burn them!"
Then alien captain vaporizes, terrible red light slices alien ship in half, depressurizing, killing all aliens.
/4
- Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.socialJul 4, 2026, 11:14 PM
Kid wanted me to retell story last night after dinner.
But as I got to the last part, I choked up.
Why?
Why react like that, to some stupid 1966 SF story?
Because we aren't turning our ship or waking our drive.
Because in our own real situation, we are still perplexed, still not figuring out alien hostile intentions, and none of us is making the difficult snap decisions that might still save us.
Because the enemy induction weapon is turned on us and we are now being roasted.
/5
- Muro deGrizecomurodegrizeco@toad.socialJul 5, 2026, 12:34 AM
(Mastodon web client scrambles order of my posts in this thread attempt, after I did edits. So sad.)
/6