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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Ashfx321 on 2024-10-29 09:04:27+00:00.

The pirates have been harassing the Western Fringes long before the Terrans became an associate member of the Federation. Their quick and shameless raiding parties struck the barely defended outer colonies, wreaked havoc on the towns and cities, and they left with plunder and slaves before the slow-moving colossus of the Federation Navy could respond. In the grand scheme of things, as seen from the Core Worlds, they were merely an annoyance, so the noble hall of the Senate did not bother to stop them. Those who moved to the Western Fringes knew the risks, they argued. And so the raiders, the Gron’Karan did their dirty business mostly unpunished.

Though not all the Federation leadership, military and political alike, were satisfied with the status quo. A group of young fleet commanders, under the leadership of Captain Tavass, formed the core of a new unit, a small but quick response force that could react in time to the threat posed by the pirates. An ambitious senator supported their idea, and after the appropriate amount of debates, compromises, and table-pounding, the new task force was officially established.

Tavass hand-picked his soldiers, he chose the most experienced of the volunteers, members of species that had millennia-long military traditions. And he was mighty annoyed when the Senate forced him to take on some of those upstart Terrans. They only achieved faster-than-light travel a few decades ago, what could they possibly know of modern warfare? But he had no choice in the matter, so the Terrans, a rowdy company of marines joined his retinue. It was a small solace that they did not bring their own ships, Tavass thought, those sorry excuses of space crafts would have slowed him down too much.

Their first mission came when the Gron’Karan struck the remote colony of Selan 7. The early warning system, a pair of frigates sent word to Tavass and fought a retreating battle before escaping the overwhelming force of the attackers. The relief arrived at the best possible moment, catching the pirates with their pants down. The raiding parties were already on the surface, and they had no time to pull back before the Federation fleet swept away their vessels.

Tavass decided to lead the ground attack himself, eager to strike back at the Gron’Karan.

"What about the Terrans, sir?" His second-in-command asked, and the captain groaned.

"Are they at least armed properly?"

"No sir, they still have their gunpowder-based weapons."

Tavass pinched the scales above his nose. Gunpowder, what a joke, what’s next, trebuchets? He finally sighed.

"A platoon of them will join us in a support role. Maybe they will pick up a thing or two about modern warfare. But make them understand, that they are reserves and observers, they are not to interfere with my operation."

The plummet to the surface was fast and uneventful, the Gron’Karan could not set up proper countermeasures before the Federation troops were on them. The fighting was the fiercest in one of the suburbs of the main settlement of the planet. Thankfully, the locals ran to the shelters at the first sight of danger.

Tavass aimed his plasma rifle and sent a deathly salvo at an overly reckless pirate. It burned a hole through his head, and the captain pulled back to safety before his enemies could answer.

"Sir, there are too many of them, they are flanking us," an officer warned.

She was right, the raiders had more troops on the ground than expected, and they were using this to their advantage. The Federation soldiers fought valiantly, their carefully aimed shots rang out often, and the best among them could even fire twelve rounds a minute. Still, it just wasn’t enough.

"Pull back, and call in the bloody Terrans! If nothing else, the primitives can buy us a little time."

The Federation forces retreated to an elevated position, to a small hill with a good view of the battlefield. The Terrans joined them, led by an officer. He saluted the captain.

"Lieutenant Jackson sir, reporting for duty!"

Tavass looked over the Terran, then pointed at the approaching Gron’Karan. They were gaining ground, slowly getting closer to the Federation positions.

"You see them? Open fire and try not to kill the rest of us while you are at it!" He said as he shot another raider.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" The Terran officer grinned. "Alright boys, light ‘em up!"

The Terrans took up their positions and aimed their guns. A pair of two marines even brought a larger weapon, which was probably an anti-tank gun, judging by the size. Jackson, still grinning turned to his commander.

"Sir, I would cover my ears if I were you."

The Terrans opened fire and rained hundreds of tiny bullets at their enemies. Every second, that is. The Gron’Karan were stopped in their tracks, dozens fell to the ground lifeless or wounded, and the Terran weaponry chewed through even the walls. The marines then let out a loud "oorah" and charged at their enemies, in such a fast and disciplined manner that utterly stunned Tavass. These rowdy soldiers, these almost children turned into perfect killing machines on the field of battle.

The bulk of the surviving Gron’Karan surrendered after experiencing the deadly superiority of Terran weaponry, not wishing to taste the bite of the small metal bullets. The Terrans themselves suffered only two injuries, a marine sprained his ankle while running down the hill, and another suffered a nasty cut from a broken window.

The grinning officer returned to Tavass with the prisoners in tow.

"This was faster than expected sir, the boys are a little disappointed," he said.

Tavass stared at him, then at the once tidy suburb that was now torn apart by the Terran armaments. For millennia, Federation doctrine promoted elite marksmanship, encouraging the soldiers to aim well and not waste their shots. The Terrans on the other hand made the entire battlefield their target.

Lieutenant Jackson touched his earpiece. His commander, who observed the battle from orbit asked for a status report.

"Sir, we are finished, we will be home by dinner."

"What about our new friends?" The Terran commander asked, his voice was a distorted rattle through the radio. The lieutenant grinned even wider.

"They are still trying to pick up their jaws from the floor."