HFY Stories_ A Human Was There _ One Human, A Galactic Shift

Space Stories | HFY SciFi

#scifistories1977 #hfy #scifi =================================== This story is written by a human author and adapted with care into a visual audiobook format by our team. How This Video Was Made: Narration is performed using AI voice technology (ElevenLabs), guided and edited by a human to preserve tone and pacing. Visuals are created with AI image tools, but every image is manually prompted and selected to match the story's themes. All elements — audio, visuals, and timing — are manually assembled in a video editor to produce the final format you see on . The story format and video structure are fully planned, produced and uploaded by humans..

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00:00She was pushing through the crowd when she first saw the sudden movement as the whoreposts fell.

00:05Charlie had been returning from a discussion about her dissertation with her professor,

00:09and had just gotten off the hyper-tram when she saw the jostling in the crowd ahead,

00:13and the parting of bodies. Disturbances and unexpected sights weren't all that uncommon here.

00:19Centrum had become the de facto center of galactic politics, thanks to being a habitable world

00:24nearly at the dead center of the Milky Way. It was a large enough planet with a sufficient range

00:29of biomes to accommodate a surprising majority of sentient species from across the stars.

00:34The entire planet was bustling, with trillions of souls packing every layer of the city that

00:39spanned its entire surface. Charlie had been excited to earn a position in the graduate

00:44program of history at Centrum U North. Despite some setbacks, her thesis on the underlying

00:49factors of the fifth multi-world conflict was going smoothly. But all that was forgotten,

00:54as she moved through the crowd of aliens of all shapes and morphologies, to see what had

01:00happened. The crowd had simply parted around the fallen whoreposts like a river around a rock

01:04midstream. A few paused to glance down at the form before proceeding on. The connecting line for the

01:10hyper-tram to take her the rest of the way to her apartment was across the street, but Charlie

01:15ignored the gentle beeping of the indicator that it was safe to cross the maglev rails, and knelt down by

01:21the fallen alien. The Horpo's was a quadruped, somewhat resembling a horse from Earth, but covered

01:28in thumb-sized scales, with feet ending in tri-pointed claws rather than hooves. The figure was wrapped in

01:34clothing worn and tattered at the edges, with spots of dirt and grime suggesting they had not been able

01:40to wash it in some time. Despite knowing next to nothing about their physiology, something in Charlie's

01:46gut told her something was seriously wrong. She knelt by the alien's head, running her hand along the top

01:52of it and murmuring,

01:53It's all right. I'm here. I can help. The creature flinched for a moment before relaxing slightly,

01:59though its breathing was still rapid, tight, and ragged. It didn't appear to have any atmosphere

02:04filters or supplemental apparatus, so the breathing difficulty seemed out of place. Charlie reached into

02:10her pocket with her free hand, freeing her comm slate and quickly dialing the medical response

02:15icon. The icon brought up a quick form, which she filled out as best she could before submitting.

02:21But many of the questions, such as the creature's sex or age, she had to leave blank. She submitted the

02:27form, and her heart plummeted when she saw the estimated arrival time, nearly an hour and a half.

02:33A sound of laughter and celebratory music caught her attention from a catwalk above.

02:37She glanced up to see revelers of the Isu Festival of Plenty were waving streamers and blowing on

02:43gratingly loud celebration horns. The festival was a popular one, with millions of others in this part

02:49of the city world alone crowding the streets and mag tracks. Charlie suspected this was the main reason

02:54for the long delay. The whorepost made another noise, a sound of pain and distress. Its eyes were wide,

03:01looking in all directions but unseeing as it spasmed again. The crowd continued to part around

03:06them as if they were made of stone. A hand touched Charlie's shoulder, causing her to start.

03:10It was quickly followed by an apology as the old man said,

03:14Sorry about that. It was another human, an uncommon sight on Centrum. He was clad in the bland,

03:20barely adequate common coat and outerwear that Centrum provided for those who had nothing at all,

03:25similar, she noticed, to what the Horpos wore. The material was thin, and she could see the man

03:30shivering in the cold. But he ran a hand down the creature's neck.

03:34There, there. It'll be all right. He looked up at Charlie and murmured,

03:38Name's James. I used to be a horse doc, large animal vet once upon a time.

03:43I don't think it's quite exactly the same, he muttered with a dark chuckle, glancing down at

03:48the alien. But I've got some ideas of what to check. He cleared his throat and spoke softly to the alien,

03:54the gravel in his tone almost gone as he said carefully, Sir or ma'am, or whoever you are,

04:00I'm going to try checking a few things. Let me know if you feel any more pain.

04:04He began gently palpating the creature's hide, careful to pause whenever there was any motion

04:09or sound from it. Finally, at one point on the creature's chest, a gentle push resulted in a

04:14muted screech, and James threw up his hand, saying, Oops, sorry. Okay, I think we know where the problem

04:20is. Damned if I know exactly what's wrong, though. I would say it might be a liver blockage,

04:25but on a critter like this, it's not the liver. It's something more akin to our lower intestine.

04:30Another voice had spoken, causing Charlie to look up in surprise.

04:35It was another human. This one, a young adult in an expensive-looking gold-accented business suit,

04:41clearly passing through on their way to the economic district.

04:44We lived next to a whorepost family growing up, they said by way of explanation.

04:48Unfortunately, it's called a pollen dire organ, and is fairly prone to blockages in old age.

04:55It's usually fatal if it can't be treated promptly. Here, let me contact an emergency med team.

05:00Charlie chuckled bitterly. I already submitted a request. The wait time is over an hour.

05:05I think the festival traffic is gumming things up. The new arrivals smiled,

05:09tapping a merchant crest band on their wrist. Yes, but we can have a private medical team here

05:14in half that time. The whoreposts' breathing had become shallower, with great effort taken for each

05:19breath. As the business person knelt to help James massage the side of the blockage as best as they

05:24could, they murmured, My name's Morgan. I was just on my way through but happened to catch sight of you

05:30three. They glanced around at the continuous stream of aliens walking past, some stepping over the legs of

05:37the human or the fallen whoreposts without a word or comment. How can they all just walk by?

05:42Charlie shrugged. I don't know. But I'm at least glad that you two decided to stop.

05:47The whoreposts shuddered and went still for a moment. Charlie's heart skipped a beat,

05:52fearing the worst had happened. But then the whoreposts tried to lift its head before letting

05:55it droop weakly. It began speaking in a whispering voice of whinnies and grunts,

06:00but unfortunately it was a language Charlie didn't speak.

06:03Do any of you understand that? She asked. The other two shrugged and grimaced.

06:09Sorry, Morgan said. I don't. James shook his head. No idea what your name is,

06:15but we're here to help. Her name is Blossom of the Tall Root Tree,

06:19came a firm voice. Charlie looked up and couldn't stop herself from gasping.

06:24The speaker was a woman, another human, but wearing the uniform of an officer of the Martian

06:29Federation, something that instinctively set Charlie's heart racing.

06:33Her own mother had been killed on deployment during a skirmish against Martian forces,

06:38one of the many that had plagued the Civil War still raging in some sectors of what was once

06:43unified human space. In fact, that fractiousness had caused humanity to be denied an official seat

06:49at the unified alliance. The Civil War deemed a sign of humanity's brutal nature, at least,

06:55according to the politicians. Years earlier, Charlie had been overjoyed just

07:00to have been extended an invitation to Centrum U North, as admittance rates for non-members of the

07:05alliance was woefully low. The Martian officer must have noticed Charlie's stiffened posture.

07:11Her voice softened slightly as she explained. I studied Horpos at the Academy, one of several

07:17languages I ended up picking up and remembering more than a few words of. She leaned down and began

07:22murmuring back to the Horpos in the same language. The low whinnies and grunts sounded as though they would be

07:27painful for a human throat to produce, but Charlie could see they had the intended effect.

07:32The Horpos relaxed and stilled, though its breathing became more and more shallow.

07:37I don't know if there's anything else to be done, said James. Next to him, Morgan nodded.

07:43I don't think it's long now, James said quietly, and the others didn't need to ask what he meant.

07:48The soldier knelt and began murmuring the same phrase in the Horpos' language.

07:53Charlie whispered, What are you saying? The soldier let out a slight chuckle.

07:57The same words humans heard when we found out there was this whole gathering, just a few

08:01kiloparsecs away. You are not alone. You are not alone. We're here with you.

08:07Charlie nodded and after a moment did her best to copy the soldier's voice and tones,

08:12smiling slightly at the nod of approval she received.

08:16Meanwhile, Morgan, in a quiet tone barely audible over the background bustle and roar of the city,

08:23said softly, I don't remember the words for it, but I do remember that when the family next to us had

08:29their first foal, they sang a lullaby. I think, I think I still remember how it went. They began to

08:36hum a slow, staccato tune, and after a few bars, James joined in, adding a deep bass note to the song.

08:42Charlie continued repeating the Horpos phrase a few more times before joining the humming,

08:47adding a bit of harmony, hoping it was appropriate. Something in her gut told her it felt right.

08:52The soldier continued speaking in Horpos and a few minutes passed. Then the soldier fell silent,

08:57as did James. The Horpos had gone still, its breathing absent, its body warm but unmoving.

09:03James leaned forward, feeling around for a pulse, guided by Morgan, who pointed to a thinner area

09:09of scales at the base of the neck. A few moments later, he shook his head. I'm afraid she's gone.

09:15No one said anything. There was nothing more to be said. Instead, they all waited,

09:20cradling the fallen alien until the glare of the private medical unit's lights arrived minutes

09:25later. At Morgan's insistence, they checked the body, and after a few moments, the still form of

09:32the Horpos was loaded into the transport and whisked away. The humans stood quietly, unspeaking as the

09:38flow of aliens around them remained unchanging and unceasing. Charlie took a long breath, hearing it

09:44pitch in her own throat. The old man stepped forward, giving Charlie a hug, and she sobbed

09:49into his shoulder. Morgan stepped forward as well, a bit hesitantly, giving them a squeeze around the

09:55shoulders before warming to the embrace. As Charlie wiped her eyes, she noticed that the soldier had

10:00also turned her face down, standing apart, but Charlie could see the glint of tears on her face.

10:05She reached out, grabbing the soldier softly by the arm and pulling her into the huddle.

10:09They stood there for what felt like hours, though it was likely only a minute or two before the

10:14soldier was the first to pull away, clearing her throat, wiping her eyes, and saying,

10:20I have to be on my way. Before she could start walking away, though,

10:24Morgan caught her arm and passed her a business card.

10:26Just reach out to me, and I'll let you know what the medical unit was able to determine about

10:30contacting her family. The soldier nodded and looked at all of them before her gaze locked on

10:36Charlie. In her eyes, Charlie saw an echo of the same haunted sorrow she had glimpsed in her own

10:41mother years ago. The soldier said, Thank you, and I'm sorry, before striding away into the crowd.

10:48The rest of them dispersed, and Charlie made her late connection on the hyper tram back to her

10:52apartment, still clutching Morgan's business card in her hand. She hoped that whoever the whorpos was,

10:59they knew that their final moments had been as comfortable as possible, and in the presence of

11:03someone, anyone, who cared. Master Gunnery Sergeant Sonata adjusted her uniform, brushing off what

11:10she thought might be minuscule specks of dirt, before nodding to the generals flanking her.

11:15She felt woefully out of her depth, having been told that rather than serving as an advisor to the

11:21Martian delegation at Centrum, she had been requested to take part in some diplomatic proceedings that

11:26morning. Politics had never been her strength, but she wasn't one to disobey orders, so she marched

11:32alongside the officials who heavily outranked her as they entered the United Alliance Assembly Hall.

11:39The hall was vast, with thousands of seats and rows filled with beings of all shapes and morphologies.

11:45There was a constant quiet buzz, the murmur of hushed voices, respirators, and a thousand other

11:51small pieces of electronics and equipment. The central discussion plinth ahead caught Sergeant

11:55Sonata's eye. While she was unsurprised to see the officials, diplomats she had learned were some of the

12:01heads of the unified alliance. What truly caught her attention was a species she had never seen on the

12:06platform before. It distracted her enough that she almost missed noticing the Nations of Earth

12:11delegation already standing there, the primary group in opposition to the Martians' successful bid for

12:17independence and freedom within the swath of human-controlled worlds.

12:20What captured Sonata's attention, though, was the new alien on the platform, a horpos. The alien's skin had a

12:27somewhat different coloration from the one she had seen a few nights earlier, but it was still similar

12:32enough to surprise her. It was this horpos who began the remarks. Gentle whinnies and growls were

12:38automatically translated by the hall's equipment, and Sonata heard the voice ring out clearly.

12:43Once, our people roamed the grass and fields, and only knew each other, before we reached the stars and

12:51found so many others out there. But despite being surrounded by so many lives, so many species,

12:57we have felt the loss of our herd in our travels and dealings with the other races of the stars.

13:03But not ten cycles previous, that changed. My grandmother passed away, taken to return to the

13:08infinite veldt. But she did not die alone. Despite being surrounded by thousands of other races and

13:14billions of other individuals, none of whom even knew her name, she did not die alone. Specifically,

13:20she did not die alone because a human was there, several of them, and they comforted her, regardless

13:26of their own needs, desires, or divisions, as she died. So, we make this formal request now.

13:33With the horpos' endorsement, humanity should be given an equal seat in the Alliance.

13:37We believe that despite whatever may temporarily divide them, the Alliance as a whole will be

13:43strengthened by the compassion that unites them.

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