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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/laancelot on 2024-09-28 05:33:49+00:00.

Down in the cage, a fight was ending. It had been a short and one-sided fight - just as everyone though it would be. Humans had a reputation.

– Do you know him?"

Assam took a seat by another Human, a spectator like him who shrugged, her armor whirring slowly. The Urygk and the Human stared at each other with curiosity.

– You’re the third guy to ask me about him tonight." she answered. “We may occupy only a couple systems, but we’re still billions. It would be a damn insane coincidence if I knew Mike.”

Assam laughed, clicking his mandibles.

– I knew it!" he said, pushing a drink in the Human’s hands. “Please, accept this token of my appreciation. I’ve been betting on him all night, and I so far made a fortune!”

The Human took a tentative sip, and smiled. The suit she was wearing wasn’t exactly an armor, even though it could be though of in those terms. It was some kind of powered exoskeleton, and it didn’t look exactly state-of-the-art.

– Not bad!" she said, her eyes acquiring a gleam of satisfaction. “My thanks. I didn’t bet tonight. Maybe I should have…”

– Don’t be sorry, drinks are on me." Assam replied. “And also, I wanted to see a Human up close at least once. Is it true that your specie grew up on a death world?”

She shrugged, her armor protesting the smooth gesture.

– I heard that too, but I don’t know. Pollution, insects, high gravity… it’s true that some aspects of Earth are a pain in the ass, but we never though of it in those terms. I could even say that some primitive Human tribes used to think it was paradise. But, you know, it’s home. To us, your garden worlds that are way more painful."

She knocked on her chest plate twice, as to demonstrate. As she was going to go on with her speech, the crowd suddenly went wild, cheering loudly the challenger that had just stepped in the cage.

An Urygk. Like Humans, they were not numerous, and those two meeting one another in the cage was an unlikely event. A one-in-a-million event.

Urygk, as Humans, had a reputation. Both were seen by outsiders as brutal warriors. The difference between them was that Humans weren’t as proud about it as Urygk were. Not that they weren’t, though.

The Human looked at Assam quizzically.

– Do you know him?"

Assam laughed.

– Well, that would be a damn insane coincidence if I knew Janssam."

In the cage, the Human and the Urygk began circling each other, looking for an opening, a sign of weakness. By Assam, the Human’s armor motors buzzed as if it took some effort to raise her glass, and she took an uncomfortable sip.

– I take it that you didn’t bet on Mike this time, then."

Assam shook his head.

– At first, I wasn’t sure if it was wise of Janssam to elect to fight tonight. Of course, he told me that he had figured Humans out. That he had a plan, you know. I just didn’t really believe in it, but you see… I’ve been watching you all evening, and I must say that I now think that he was right. Just look how he will render your fellow Human impotent."

Both warriors were staring at one another, and then it happened. Both maneuvered around one another, exchanging swift yet meaningful blows. Chitin absorbed one, while armor took the brunt of the other. But that blow wasn’t destined to the Human. It was aimed at the small power supply attached on his belt. In a swift move, the Urygk tore it off his opponent. Electricity sparked and the armor became suddenly useless.

– And that’s why Urygk are superior to Humans." Assam said. “We don’t need fickle tech to stay competitive. You may fool the weaker species, but we know might when we see it.”

The Human finished her drink and set it on the table. Even that movement needed the armor to help. Whirring, straining. Lowering the glass toward the table. Lowering. Pushing against… going downward.

Pushing… against… going… downward.

In the cage, the Human continued to move, looking perfectly fine with his unresponsive armor. Maybe even better than before. Powerful and agile. A born predator, eyes fixed on his opponent.

– It’s not helping you because you are too weak for this gravity, isn’t it?"

She smiled.

– It’s helping us, but not the way you though it did."

In the cage, the Human jumped over the Urygk, missing his kick by a surprising margin.

– If we don’t restrain ourselves and exercise constantly, we will break everything we touch in the short term and lose muscular mass and bone density over time. I told you, your paradises are hurting us. But just in the long run. Mike isn’t used to fight unhindered by his exosuit. Just give him a couple seconds, and he’ll tear the place down."

The crowd cheered as the Urygk was suddenly grabbed and thrown around like a particularly aggressive and resilient rag doll.

– I should have bet on Mike."

– Yeah. I was thinking the same."