Human Weaponry

Chapter 13: Antimatter

Antimatter weapons were restricted in the Galactic Defense Navy. However, there was no way to enforce restrictions on individual members. They are defined as "PK Class" or planet killer. A sufficiently sized antimatter weapon, most commonly antihydrogen could render an averaged sized planet completely uninhabitable, and in rare cases, destabilize the planet entirely, causing it to break apart.

Now I was given to believe that this one human cruiser not only carried two antimatter warheads but that it also ran on an antihydrogen reactor, with auxiliary power being nuclear. Even though Gerrick had said there were fighter-sized variants of the antihydrogen missiles, they were not stocked on this ship due to how expensive they are.

Two planet killers on one military ship. One of them could probably turn a quarter of a terrestrial planet into an inferno. Apparently, Humanity hadn't yet realized that these weapons were an affront to nature and should be completely eradicated from existence. However, it is not my job to sway the opinion of Sergeant Gerrick or any other human on this ship. That is for various leadership representatives to discuss.

Why does humanity seem to insist on weaponizing every single piece of technology they discover and use said technology in logistical roles later? The humans had nuclear power, yes, but it took them leveling two cities to get there. That is what concerned me. This ship runs on antihydrogen and also carries antihydrogen weapons. Did that mean humans had used antimatter in combat before? Was I thinking too much into it?

Gerrick seemed to be against revealing any personal opinion on the subject when prodded. All I could get out of him was something about "fear of the unknown" and "big stick diplomacy." It was something I hadn't considered. These humans are like me, individuals, far from something like a hivemind. They all must have differing ideals, morals, and other various beliefs. I just hadn't been exposed to much of them yet, and I had only interacted with military personnel, not civilians. The proof of their individuality was evident in the fact that they had conducted war on each other. A species under one common goal does not fight amongst itself.

I was back in my room now. It had only been a couple of cycles, it didn't feel that way. So much had happened since I stepped into this ship for the first time. It had been much longer since I had seen any members of my species, I was the only one on that station, which was to be expected. There weren't many of us around anymore. We tend to be... solitary. All this interaction with humans was far from the norm.

Evidently, I am under stress. I hadn't eaten anything since before I got here and only just now realized it. I thought about contacting Gerrick or somebody to show me to the cafeteria, but since there were no restrictions on where I could go on my own as of yet, I decided to go by myself. After all, clear signage indicated where everything was.

It was "lights out" for the crew. There was no way I was sleeping. Truth be told, I wasn't exactly hungry either, but I needed something to do. The lights in the hallways were dimmer during this time. Enough to see, but still dim.

I had no idea if the cafeteria would have open access, or if it would have anything available at this time. Nor did I know if anything served there would be compatible with me. It was probably better to not ask questions. This trip was more about looking out the windows and curing boredom than eating.

Curious, it was closer than I expected. There must be small cafeterias for groups of living areas, instead of one big mess hall. It was one human-sized door with a button panel next to it. I pushed it and the door opened. I had to duck under the door to go inside. The lights were on in here. Tables and chairs were covered most of the room, some sort of tall boxes on one wall, and countertops with what looked like eating accessories, none of which I'd probably know how to use. Additionally, there was a group of five humans sitting at a table in clothes I hadn't seen before, not uniforms, they were what I'd imagine to be human casual clothes.

Said humans stopped talking and stared at me as I ducked in. Amazed expressions? They most likely hadn't seen an alien before, at least not in person. These humans were also not armed, confirming they were not military, or if they were, they were off duty. One finally said something.

"You're an alien." This amazing breakthrough was met with a swift hit on the shoulder from another sitting at the table.

I chucked and responded, "you're an alien."

The human male, rubbing his shoulder, nodded his head a bit and decided this was "fair enough."

"I don't suppose there's any food in here?"

Another human responded this time, what I believed to be a female, with long black hair: "Yes! Wait. Well... What do you eat?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like types of food, humans are omnivores. There's meat and plant products available."

"Oh, I understand now. I'm an herbivore."

She stood up and walked over, looking somewhat scared as she got closer. I didn't blame her, she was short by human standards. Staring up at something like me must be jarring.

"The full cafeteria doesn't open till morning, but there's food here 24/7 for passengers like us."

"What do you mean, passengers like you?"

"We're civilians, not military, so we don't have to conform to lights out. We don't work until late tomorrow. Anyway, there are no meals, but small items like fresh fruit, salad, oatmeal, bread. That sort of thing."

I looked at her blankly, "I don't know what any of those are."

She looked toward the ceiling for a moment, "Right, duh. Okay, I'll show you." She walked over to one of the counters. It had a large metal tray on it with some sort of glass covering. She picked up one of the lids by the handle, revealing small, spherical red and green plants. Picked from some sort of larger host plant no doubt. Interesting colors.

"So these are apples. Quite sweet and tart, crunchy. Sorry, it's hard to describe flavors." She moved to the next tray and removed the lid, these were orange and even more spherical than the apples. "These are oranges."

I laughed, "Quite a creative name for them."

She seemed on edge, she didn't seem to hear the hilarious joke I just made.

"Yes. They're sweeter and less tart than apples... Sorry, you'd just have to try them. Flavors are difficult to explain."

"I understand, as long as they're plant-based I should be able to eat them."

"Alright good, well, there's also water and coffee if you want something to drink."

"Coffee?"

"God, why do I keep assuming you know what any of these are? It's a drink like water. Served hot, we usually drink it in the morning to wake up a bit. It's bitter so we usually add sugar to it."

"The temperature of it wakes you up?"

"Oh no, the caffeine in it does."

I thought we were the only ones! It was impossible to find anything with caffeine outside of my home system. Everyone else thinks we're crazy for it. This was the first thing we had in common with humans. Very exciting!

"I'd like to try the coffee."

"Sure. Do you want sugar in it?"

"I'll try it by itself first."

"Alright, well grab one of those mugs there, put it under this spout, and push down on the button to pour some."

I did as I was told with the somewhat small cup. The liquid was dark brown and steaming. Must be quite hot. I closed my eyes and brought the cup to my mouth, and took a small sip. My eyes shot open.

"Well... What do you think?"

Somehow staying on this ship for more time just became much more acceptable.