This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/KyleKKent on 2026-04-18 22:58:02+00:00.
The Dauntless
On a slow day the average Centris street or sidewalk sees enough people move through it to populate a third world nation in the midst of a baby boom. It’s actually more crowded around Undaunted areas due to the sheer appeal of so many fit, energetic and often playful men. On an exciting day, and today has been a very exciting day so far, then not only is it crowded with an enormous variety of peoples and the associated watchers both ‘official’ and otherwise. Although there’s always fierce debate as to which groups count as official watchers and which ones count as annoying civilians.
The difference is usually boiled down to if they’re armed and have a uniform they’re probably official. Probably. It’s not guaranteed.
“Ah fuck, a drone with live feed.” Vlad mutters and Christos glances at him. “If there’s a delay then I don’t see a hundred million random alien women touching themselves while staring at me. But a live feed?”
“Yeesh.” Christos replies.
“I mean it was sexy at first, but it just quickly gets to gross you know? Especially with how many of them are so damn young.”
“Let’s change the subject. Please.” Christos asks as he suddenly has a very good idea why Vladimir prefers his women more mature.
“Hold on.” Vlad says as he suddenly turns with a rifle in his hands and fires a single shot. The bang of the rifle and the shattering of the mostly crystalline drone go off effectively simultaneously. “Much better.”
“Are there other drones?”
“Of course, but recordings of me don’t trigger the whole see you seeing me thing, which means that those little girls can have all the fun they want without their freaky little faces dancing in my view.”
“What about delays?”
“If they’re programmed in and deliberate than I can’t see them. Even if it’s by a single millisecond and thank every god there is for that. But if the delay is not intended then I see them seeing me.”
“Hunh. That’s... odd. How does it tell?”
“No idea.”
“Is this trait known and recorded?”
“It is.”
“Hunh.”
“Yeah it turns out that anti-cognitohazard recording methods actually get around my awareness. Which is useful. Especially if someone mimics my power or god forbid one of my children or heh, grandchildren does something naughty.” Vlad says as he stretches. “But there’s no live feed on us now.”
Then an eyebrow goes up and he swings his rifle around and fires off another shot. The sound that accompanies the bang of the rifle is now instead the crunch of plastics and the shattering of ceramics. Vlad waits a few moments. “Okay, clear again. For now.”
“You were quick on that one.”
“Generally I’m about to get a horrifying show if the first glimpse of a drone controller shows them drooling and dirty right out the gate.”
“How the hell do you still have a sex drive?”
“I used to be a pervert.” Vlad says with a straight face and Christos stares at him for a moment before Vlad starts laughing.
“You bastard.” Christos remarks and Vlad chuckles as he puts the safety on his rifle but pointedly doesn’t holster it.
“Soldier, why did you discharge your rifle?” An Officer demands.
“Sir, live feed drones sir. Standard drones are illegal to spy on us, live feed are a priority.”
“I see, use a silenced rifle in the future soldier. No sense disturbing and startling other soldiers.”
“Yes sir. Attaching silence totem now sir.” Vlad says as he pulls out a small clip he attaches to the barrel of his rifle. A twist on it and it locks into place. Unobtrusive, not in the way in the slightest and still fully functional as another live drone shows up and the safety gets flicked off and the sound of a bullet crashing into a primarily plastic drone rings out.
“Very good. Carry on.” The Officer says and walks off with several Private Streams right behind them. A couple of them make shushing motions or wave cheerfully.
“... That was a spy wasn’t it?” Christos asks.
“What gave it away?”
“That entire interaction was way too surreal. What gave it away to you?”
“That was a woman.”
“... Okay what exactly do you see when you see someone seeing you?”
“Just them and they’re absolute immediate surroundings, so their clothes too. But there’s always some Hargath nearby and when people are walking through where the Hargath is on the other direction I can see them in ways that are... weird. It took a bit, but I can broad details. In this case, breast bindings. That was a woman.”
“A woman in a lot of pain, she looked like a man, and with how big the locals are...” Christos notes as he looks back.
“Yeah, she’s struggling to breathe. Those Streams are going to save her silly life.” Vlad says. “... So, before we actually get into the building they’re in... how do you think two rival baroness daughters are going to fit in with your wives?”
“Upper and middle management across five different competing transportation companies that service this overcrowded world. With literal nobility who are so driven that it’s literally stamped into their souls?”
“Are you going to say no to them?”
“... I don’t know. I don’t want to be some silly girl’s crush. I want more than that... but socially holding out for more than that isn’t acceptable. There isn’t enough men to go around and I’ve already screwed up by letting myself get seduced by a horde of businesswomen on a TGIF Bar night.”
“TGIF?”
“Something one of the training officers back on Earth said. A Thank God It’s Friday Barnight where there’s a happy hour for the young. I was being told specifically that if I tried to get one that I’d be smoked until my arms broke.” Christos explains.
“... Did you do it?”
“I can hide a hangover better than most. They only had me do push ups until I lost feeling. Then basically force fed me enough protein to recover and then had me go onto learning Galactic Trade and studying basic engine maintenance.” Christos remembers fondly.
“Nice, I remember rucking until my legs cramped solid and then needing to turn around and do it again to get lunch. That was a fun first few days.” Vlad says with a chuckle.
“And I bet you were using your tick to stay out of trouble.”
“Never slacked off when they could see me. Which was basically always, but there were moments, and others got caught and smoked hard.”
“Nice, I was always able to find things in my bag and bin without issue. Made the Drill Instructors think I was organized.” Christos answers.
“Heh.” Vlad says as they walk through the main doors of the receiving building. This side of it was the least crowded. It was a combination visitors centre and more civilian facing part of things. It also blocked off the main paths to the rest of the Undaunted Compounds and if you had any questions or non-official business with them, you came here. Officially. A lot of people tried to circumnavigate it, so those who used it got the more polite treatment.
“Medic Ekmekci? Sniper Racz?” One of the guards/receptionists asks. It was a job for the more social and extroverted types.
“Yeah?”
“Take a left, room One Thirteen and Fourteen respectively. Your wives are either here or on the way to talk.”
“Oh, well... Okay.” Christos muses and thinks.
“Something wrong?” Vlad asks him.
“No, I have a very... quiet family life.”
“Why was that pause there?” Vlad asks.
“Because while quiet is the correct word it’s also cliche.”
“Excuse me?”
“... We haven’t actually interacted all that much beyond this mission and the testing. Would you care to meet my family?”
“Only if you’re willing to meet mine.” Vlad says and Christos smiles.
“Deal.” Christos says and they shake hands. “Although it will be strange to have a proper friend outside the medic corps and hospitals and not random annoyances to rant about.”
“Well the lookout and therefore assistant for the newest, weirdest medical practice may as well be an informal part of things.” Vlad says.
“Fair enough.” Christos says as they arrive at room fourteen first. Vlad opens the door.
“Hello ladies-” He begins to greet the women inside and finds himself grabbed around the shoulders and pulled into a huge kiss by Thera’Satha. After a good ten seconds of her trying to steal is tongue with her own, and letting him feel the fact that she used to have a piercing in her own, she pulls away with a wet sounding pop that leaves a stain on his lips.
“Well dear woman you certainly know how to say hello to a man.” Callista, an ink black Mnenmi notes before she sways up to him and gives him a massive kiss on the cheek, marking him with her black lipstick. “You certainly have a way of finding them and... oh? Is this the magical doctor we heard about?”
“Medic ma’am.”
“So formal, like all you Undaunted boys. Thankfully I already have my piece of the pie. And what a delicious, creamy pie it is...” Callista says in a deep tone as she pulls Vlad in closely. “So it’s agreed Lady Satha? You do know that the debate of First wife will...”
“Darling, I am thoroughly prepared to toss my tiara in the ring. This dear boy stared down monsters beyond number and looked death in the face to unravel the mysteries that once plagued me and helped clear out the crust that turned a perhaps blessing into an undeniable curse. Saving my niece and a distant cousin. And seeing as how my niece is waiting in the next room for the good doctor, and our dear sniper has a type...”
“I see... yes he does have a type doesn’t he?” Callista asks.
“A girl is to be protected and taught, a ...
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