He Walked Among Us

[cyberghostface.insanejournal.com]

 

This story comes from Weird Science #13.

Comments

[jmacq1.insanejournal.com]

We can travel light years on a whim, but can't detect GIGANTIC FREAKING ASTEROIDS ABOUT TO ZOMG KILL US!

Seriously, that "Simultaneously an asteroid crushes his ship" panel just cracks me up.

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

If you drop out of warp in the wrong place, shit happens.

I have more of an issue with the fact you leave someone for four years on a world you couldn't even be bothered to, I dunno, orbit a time or two to observe any signs of life.

And I'm sure that automatically naming any non-humanoid species a "monster" endears you to them like nobodies business.

[cyberghostface.insanejournal.com]

I have more of an issue with the fact you leave someone for four years on a world you couldn't even be bothered to, I dunno, orbit a time or two to observe any signs of life.

They didn't bother to check up after four years because all records of the expedition were lost when the ship was destroyed.

[sd_mouser.insanejournal.com]

He meant "...orbit BEFORE they dropped him off to see if there was semi-intelligent life."

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

What sd_mouser said, I meant before they landed the first time.

[damar148.insanejournal.com]

Good deeds never go unpunished.

[thokstar.insanejournal.com]

Water into "Milk", huh?

[icon_uk.insanejournal.com]

All he had on him was Tipp-Ex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipp-Ex).

[seriousfic.insanejournal.com]

Wow. The irony. It's Morissettastic!

[ar_feiniel_.insanejournal.com]

I'm disturbed by the fact that The Galactic Exploration Authority would drop someone off on a planet for 5 years without any central record keeping of the location.

[cyberghostface.insanejournal.com]

There wouldn't be much of a story if they did.

[dr_hermes.insanejournal.com]

Bill Gaines could have tweaked this a bit, where the main character was marooned or thown off a ship for mutiny or something. It's a small detail but it does detract from the story.

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

It does make sense, though. It explains why he has such a large supply of food and medicine available, why he's there in the first place, how he's able to learn their language so quickly - he's trained in these sorts of things - and why he's selfless enough to help out the poor the way he does - he's a SCIENTIST, you know. (Cue 'Thus Spake Zarathustra'.) If he was a mutineer, he probably wouldn't have been given much in the way of supplies, and likely would have been slightly more selfish in his motives.

[lieut_kettch.insanejournal.com]

Might be at a point where FTL travel is possible, but FTL communication isn't. So the fastest way to inform the command structure would be to physically go there and tell them, or at least get in range of transmitter.

[proteus_lives.insanejournal.com]

Human spacecraft are powered by irony!

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

Just once, I'd like to read one of these stories that has the hero USE HIS BRAIN when confronted by the high muck-a-muck. You may be from Earth, where people are 'far more advanced', but that doesn't make you invulnerable, no matter how ridiculously tight your shirt is. Placate the high priest with a few weasel words, slip on out of there, and keep doing what you're doing. Don't just assume that you can bull your way out of there because you're (dun dun DUN) a SCIENTIST from EARTH - the guy has armed guards on either side of you! WHY ARE COMIC BOOK SCIENTISTS SO STUPID?!
And I kinda like the idea of a Christ-figure actually being a benevolent alien. Man, wouldn't THAT upset western civilization if it happened here? 'I'm sorry, Mr. Pope, sir, but we have new evidence here that blows your little organization right out of the water. Jesus was NOT the Son of God - he was the Son of ZzZZRnnNNthKcK - and he didn't die to save our souls, he died because he didn't understand the language very well, and thought the Romans were giving him an escort to a new tanning salon. He didn't resurrect, either - we know this because we just found his body, and it had this little recorder in the pocket, which has on it a detailed explanation of his mission on Earth and how it went wrong. As such, a few changes have been made - this building is now the new headquarters of the Church of ZzZZRnnNNthKcK, and we'd like you to move out by Tuesday.'

[janegray.insanejournal.com]

Placate the high priest with a few weasel words, slip on out of there, and keep doing what you're doing.

If he did that, sooner or later they'd arrest him again, and probably be even more pissed at him for making them waste time. Placating the priest can only work once, then you have to either give up for good or stand your ground. So, I don't think it was particularly stupid of him to defy the high priest, he just anticipated the inevitable.

[psychop_rex.insanejournal.com]

Not necessarily - he's got hotsy-totsy futuristic technology on his side, which, considering that the planet he landed on might just as well have been inhabited by savage swamp-monsters, likely includes a few self-defense options, which he could hold the guards off with. Plus, he KNOWS that they're after him now - with that foreknowledge and a support system of loyal beggars to warn him when they're coming, he could hide out in the jungle and play Robin Hood. People have done it before, and under worse circumstances.

[(Anonymous)]

At the moment Kraft recognised the civilisation as like our first century AD, I knew how this would end. I was, however, wrong on how would he be killed (I expected crucifixtion) :P