"On this show we talk about humans, and for the most part it's scary stuff. But not today. Because there is one thing you can't say to a human, "you can't"
Today we will tell the story of a human who was told, "You can't save everyone. You will just die trying" " -- Hyorky
Go hard or go home, -- Terran saying.
The two most fate-inducing words to say to a Human are, you can't. Humans will defy logic, reason, and the laws of physics to prove that they can. Even when given reasons why not, they will simply endure that and emerge at the other end, bloody and victorious. Sometimes... they pay for those victories with more than blood.
Human pack-bonding flows both ways. They want you to be friends with them. They want you to like them. And despite this, they know that it will hurt us more when they pay for our lives with theirs. Humans have a culture steeped in self-sacrifice for the greater good, and we must all remember that. At Cestus Two, we forgot, and it almost cost our Human Lar her life.
We were outgunned, backed into a corner, and Lar had a plan to get us out... but not herself. She would distract them, she said, and give us a head start. She almost said the Last Lie[1] before we realised. Two words saved all of us.
"Please don't?"
It was such a simple phrase, but it has as much leverage as "you can't". A Human who cares enough about their pack bonds will listen to those two words. They will bluff their way around words like, "You can't die for us," but they will stop cold at, "please don't die for us."
We will never forget the look on Human Lar's face as they realised we knew what they were planning to do. Human Lar took a deep breath, and muttered, "Aw flakk... Okay. I got a different idea, but it's gonna break a few laws and make one shit of a mess. You down?"
Compared to letting Human Lar die, we definitely preferred the alternative.
Therefore we are now raising the Time to help fund Lar's release from punitive rehabilitation for redirecting asteroids without a licence. They have successfully recovered from their injuries in the passage of saving their ship and our lives. They did a good thing. They ended a band of sargasso-style pirates that were a danger to shipping lanes. They should not have to pay a penitence for property damage.
Please donate generously on your way out. Thank you.
[1] "You go ahead, I'll catch up."
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / innovari]
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