Why do you have so many primitive weapons? Our stunners and plasma rifles are far more efficient.
"True enough, but your stunners and rifles can break down in the wrong kind of environment. With these spears, and things like this bow, all you need is physics, and knowing which direction the sharp end is going." -- Fighting Fit
Everyone knew that the Humans were a little bit strange. If you asked the right ones, they'd confess proudly to being a lottle bit strange. Those Humans are the ones to watch out for. They're either very fun to be around, very dangerous to stand close to, or both.
Human Zek, one of those Humans, never went anywhere without at least one knife. If combat was anticipated, they carried at least two metal blades. Strong, sharp, and generally superfluous.
Zek's most-used blade was part of the omnitool they were also never without. Technology so ancient that many were surprised that it wasn't made of flint.
Zek did own a flint blade, but only for completion purposes. It sat in a glass case, in a place of pride in their habitat. It never saw use.
Companion Thule had seen all of the collection. Historical recreations. Blades from stories both famous and obscure. And the functional kinds as well. It was... alarming... to learn that Humans had spent so much time and energy on things to cut other things.
"Why?" said Thule. "These are defunct weapons. Almost useless. If you're close enough to need these, you're more likely to perish than survive."
"EMP blasts, cyber-attacks, power failures, and your tech is so ludicrously complicated that if it breaks, you can't fix it on your own." Zek looked smug as they added, "My blades won't run out of sharp after your guns have run out of ammo."
The annoying thing was that Zek was right, especially when they employed tactics to make any enemy waste their ammunition.
[Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash]
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