Everyone fears humans.

Some fear them for their mighty ships, some for their incomprehensible technology, and many are terrified by the idea of mixing flesh and metal as they do.

Those are all good reasons to fear them but they pale in comparison to the true nightmare fuel.

How did they get here?

Many forget it but humans started as all other species do. They got fire, they forged metal, they waged war, and eventually went to space.

Then the Republic invaded Earth.

It wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, not by a long shot. The Republic wasn’t hyper-militarist or xenophobic; they were just a tad expansionist and thought the humans would be great citizens.

The humans disagreed.

In the beginning, the invasion was completely one-sided; the Republic had better technology and the benefit of surprise. They were putting the humans on fire.

Winning would require humanity to have an uncountable number of bodies and an infinite will to fight.

They had both.

The things humans did to defend their planet are… unspeakable. Parents died in the fields only to be replaced by their children the next day; millions upon millions of casualties everywhere only to deny the Republic for just a bit longer in that senseless war.

It all seemed in vain until they discovered something.

Advanced prosthetics.

Throughout the galaxy, the ability to replace arms and legs with mechanical counterparts was very common but it was used as a temporary solution until the person could get a biological replacement.

Humans did the opposite.

Millions upon millions of human soldiers had their bodies modified and reforged with metallic shells meant for war, some of the soldiers even volunteers.

The Republic just could not win anymore, their soldiers were scarred for life by all the atrocities they had committed in the name of “freeing” humanity. Seeing humans replacing their bodies with metal just to kick them out was the last straw for whatever was left of Republican morale.

The Republic expected that the humans would just stay on the newly destroyed planet and rebuild for a few centuries, maybe they could even join the Republic one day in a more peaceful manner.

Three decades after the “strategic retreat” a human ship appeared on the Republican territory.

Then another.

And another.

Then fifty million.

In only three decades humanity had not only rebuilt their planet but also prepared for revenge.

They didn’t need food or water. They didn’t need to rest or stop.

Humanity had reforged itself into a war machine with the sole purpose of destroying those who wronged them.

In three years the Republic had been shattered by the human fleets, even their best pilots couldn’t defeat the humans.

How are you supposed to outmaneuver someone’s ship when they ARE their ship?

Humanity eventually retreated into its territory. They gently asked to be left alone and all major nations were wise enough to agree.

So, why should you fear humans?

It’s not because they are technologically advanced or even because their fleets could shatter half the galaxy.

It’s because when humanity is put under fire they don’t burn as we would.

They just reforge themselves.

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Republished with permission from the author, Reddit user u/Mercury_the_dealer. Image created using Stable Diffusion 2.1.