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The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/IvankoKostiuk on 2025-01-17 13:12:00+00:00.

In caution is wisdom, so even if this was a favos station and deep in their space, I slipped into the bar while someone else opened the door.

I scanned the room before entering further. A number of favos (neutral to hostile) by themselves or in groups, a few groups of humans (unpredictable), and a nanden (hostile, avoid if possible) drinking by himself. The nanden, great big things with curved horns and fangs that hang from their mouths, seemed to have a particular distrust of gennels. Beyond what could be justified by our strange reputation as carrion eaters and scavengers, the nanden had a habit of outright hatred for gennels.

The barman was a favos though, so I decided to just get something to go while I waited for my ship to be refueled.

“Ale and sandwich please.” I ordered, but the barman just stared me down.

I dropped the creds on the bar top in disgust at this again.

The barman took my money and started to ring up my order.

I took a seat and scanned the bar. A comfortable size for the ‘medium sized’ species like the favos and humans, but it felt claustrophobicly large to me. The humans in the bar took no note of me, some of the favos kept stealing glances at me, and the nanden was staring at me. Excellent.

“You should make sure those aren’t forgeries.” The nanden boomed “If half of what I’ve heard about them are true, it would be prudent.”

This drew the attention of the bar to himself, and then to me. Excellent.

But I noticed the wording he used. Had he ever met a gennel before? It seemed unlikely. By the stars, I thought to myself, he is going to get me kicked out of another bar over things he has heard only as rumor.

“Be nice.” A human instructed.

“To that?” The nanden responded.

The human who spoke turned and faced the nanden.

“Yes. To,” The human paused and addressed me “him? Is that right?”

“Yes sir.” I agreed and in the quiet I noticed the murmuring of the favos in the bar.

“Thank you.” The human turned back to the nanden “Be nice to him. He hasn’t done anything to you.”

“Or what?” The nanden stood up.

The humans, even the ones in a different group, shifted to attention but stayed sitting.

“We don’t need to get all caddywhompus over this,” The human said “The guy just wants something to eat. Just leave him be and mind your own.”

“And who is going to make me?” The nanden took a step forward and made subtle shifts in his jaw and shoulders from him preparing for violence.

“Maybe you should just leave.” The barman told me.

I slipped off the barstool and took a step to the door.

“He already paid.” Another human said to the barman “I saw it. Are you going to just take his money and kick him out?”

“Why not?” The nanden demanded “He probably stole that money anyways.”

“I did not!” I shouted back, but I was taking a step to the door all the same.

“Sir,” the first human said to me “would you like to eat with me and mine?”

“Of course the humans would eat with such a thing.”

That got more murmurs from the favos.

“Boy, you really don’t have any home training, do you?” the human stood up but gestured to his fellows that they should stay seating.

The murmurs stopped and the bar was consumed with quiet. I took another step to the door in an irrational hope that if I left the situation would diffuse.

“What does that mean?” The nanden demanded while he stepped up to the human, making the disparities in their heights and weights apparent.

“I’m saying you’re being very rude to my new friend, and I want you to knock it off.”

“Or what? Would you start a fight over such a thing?”

“You don’t know much about humans, do you?”

The other humans, even the ones who did not appear to be part of the same group, kept their eyes locked on the situation. Some of them shifted in their seats as if planning to get up. A few gripped their dinner knives.

As I looked at the human faces I noticed they were not looking at each other. There was no coordination happening. And they could not have known this was going to happen. The humans were not, to my knowledge, a hive mind. It was still as if a wave of agreement washed over them. A mutual understanding of what to do.

“I know your homeworld refuses to fight because you’re all cowards.”

I thought this was interesting. While everyone knew the human central government refused to fight, their colonies also had a reputation for getting involved in wars that were none of their business and, more strange, refusing any sort of compensation for doing so.

“Captain,” the first human called without looking away from the nanden “Do you have any extra orientation material?”

“Yes general,” Another human answered.

The nanden watched the captain walk to the general and pass a data stick to him, which was then offered him. The captain took an odd path. He had been sitting close to the general, but he walked behind and around the table, which brought him next to another table of humans. And a third table. With the nanden keeping his eyes on the captain, he saw all of the humans and the looks they had.

“You may wish to familiarize yourself with us.” the general informed the nanden “We all need to learn to mind our Uncle Kenny. Especially Coward of the County.”

The nanden hesitated. He considered his situation. The general made a small movement of the data stick.

“One thing you may learn,” The general told the nanden “is that we do not have many good experiences that start from a big fella like yourself picking on a little fella like him. And hey, maybe we can all come to an understanding. Maybe we won’t have to do things like this anymore. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The nanden must have understood that if he pressed the issue, all of the humans in the bar would turn on him. He took the data stick and walked away.

It was only much later (after the humans fed me and got me very drunk) when I was able to find the song and understand the threat.