1. One Day in 2335: Dexa, Morale Officer


    Date: 11/7/2017, Categories: Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Author: Spooge, Source: LushStories

    Growing up, I was lucky enough to live in a relatively peaceful region of the frontier. Not everyone had that luxury, and I have always been grateful to those who risked their lives to provide that peace. The Silicon Age had its head lodged so far up its rectum that no one was prepared for the social adjustments that were necessary when skin color no longer counted as a racial difference. There were endless wars on Earth, but nothing brings humans together like the threat of annihilation or enslavement by another race of beings. People quickly divided themselves into groups who were tolerant or curious versus those who disliked and distrusted non-humans. At first, we had no idea which races were friendly because they were as subtle as a multinational corporation and even better at manipulation. Luckily, a few of Earth’s leaders made connections with the right people. Nearly three centuries ago, humanity joined a military alliance which in English they called the Inter-Galactic Navy or IGN. Longer standing members of the IGN helped remove most of the industrial saboteurs and helped streamline our technological advancement. Still, travelling through space and living on remote planets and moons brings considerable risk beyond the obvious issues of a suitable environment to support life. People of any standing could captured as slaves or hunted for sport by one of the more aggressive races. A few humans even started preying on those more vulnerable and selling their own kind into ...
    ... slavery for personal gain. That sort of business was by no means new, but selling to aliens from different parts of the galaxy opened a new market with greater rewards and, for a time, a low risk of being caught. Occasionally, there were stories that those arranging to sell others were also taken, presumably to be slaves themselves. They are the only ones who deserve it, if you ask me. It was my respect and gratitude for those who risked their lives for everyone else that inspired me to sign up with the IGN. That was what led to my current situation. Sliding on my stomach through wet grass in the pouring rain, we crept along the surface of a moon I had never seen before. Three of us approached a small outpost which lay directly in our path as we descended the foothills. Something in the air smelled good and I wanted to eat. Getting to this point had taken several hours and I only had a small portion of dried rations a couple miles back. These exercises always made me nervous, but everyone was using nerve guns which only stunned. Hopefully, any injuries should be minor. Krudge lead by a few yards and took an unexpected slide down the hill as a bank gave out beneath him. My own training does not emphasize the usual combat and field survival skills and did not really prepare me for this. They did try giving me a laser pistol when I first enlisted, but I freak out and have no ability to aim at all. After a psych evaluation, it was determined that putting me through the necessary ...
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