Category: Science Fiction

This is a response to the following writing prompt. Please read its title & (only the) anchor post before reading the following story . .

Howdy all!

Just dropping in to let you guys in on some of the stuff going on here.

Phideaux, Spider-Ted and Doctor Snapclaw (not his unpronounceable real name, but what Phideaux called him) were in a shuttle heading for a regional conference. Since joining the Galacticum science directorate and being assigned to UX-442 (out on the far edge of Galacticum space), this would be Phideaux's first time going to a conference. He was to give a talk about utilizing natural fibers found on UX-442.

Phideaux was raised in the country by a family who'd long lived in the country. For him, hunting & fishing and foraging for edible plants was just how things worked.

Every 25 years, a meeting of directors from all over the Galacticum is held (local & regional meetings are held more often)

The unofficial big topic of conversation at this meeting is "humans", as shortly into this 25-year period humans had joined the Galacticum.

  Sitting in lab 31 of the Galacticum Special Projects Division

"Do you remember the "bait ship" proposal we floated a while back?" queried Stanav of his associate Harqun "The one where we'd bait pirates in and destroy them without a trace?"

The Galacticum has found that Terrans are the only species that can safely police other Terrans.

Terran military units are rotated through various Galacticum population centers to be "on call" when events require more than a SWAT team.

This is the story of 4th platoon, 183d Marines.

Phideaux was a good boy from southern Louisiana. He grew up and somehow managed to get out of college with twin PhDs (one in engineering and one in biology).

This was enough to get him a posting to a remote Galacticum scientific outpost as a maintenance man.

Captain S'Ploork eyed the display on his bridge and agreed with his first officer - this ship would be fine prize. It was an older "Elder Jewel" class cruise ship, so it was either the private property of some super-wealthy entity or was full of beings of lesser wealth.