The Intergalactic Journal of Biology and Mechanics

In the past few galactic rotations, the study of human endeavors has become a popular science of interest. Hundreds of articles have been published, in a relatively short time that details the unique and unbelievable adaptations the human has undergone in order to survive as the number one top predator on a class A death planet.

While many species, like the human, poses a superior intelelegence, humans also have the added advantage of physiological durability that is often lacking in their sentient counter species across other worlds.

Scientists have, and continue, to uncover many human physiological advantages seen in complete isolation in their species.

For example, we can examine the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder of a human, which together produce the altogether unique ability: to throw, and do it accurately. Of course there are many species out there capable of lobbing objects form one area to another, but none so fast or as accurate as humans. Both the males and females are capable of an extreme degree of accuracy and speed, the power, of which can be fatal to other humans if the object is thrown with sufficient strength and accuracy.

In human sports, a pitcher (baseball: see footnotes) can throw a ball at speeds a little over 100mph into a two foot diameter square, though this is putting it mildly.

Human theories suggest that it helped them capture food against faster more agile prey species of their planet, while others suggest some connection to language acquisition.

Over the centuries, humans have augmented this ability with technologies like the sling, but even without these additions, the human ability to throw is still adaptively astonishing.

Krill hated war, and he especially hated being involved in it, on the front lines, crouching in holes, and listening to the screaming as people died around him. He didn't like it and he really just wanted to get back on the ship and go home.

Captain Vir had made a point to lecture Krill and the importance of helping other people, and of course, he understood that, but this had not been his idea of helping. However the galactic assembly seemed to disagree greatly with him, and had used their, all too considerable, power to commandeer every human crew within a five quadrant radius for the job, not to mention that the U.S.S Stabby was a freelance vessel with a freelance crew, so they went where the money was.

Too bad for Krill that money happened to be on the planet Daxton fighting the Kree war-lords in order to free the subjugated Banti.

Why did humans have to be so good at war?

This point was only driven home as Captain Vir sidled up next to him inside the makeshift bunker plasma rifle cradled in one arm. One leg of his pants was torn up the side to reveal the silver chrome of his bionic leg. The metal was dented and marred with scratches from the days of fighting, but he didn't seem to notice or care.

From what Krill understood, Captain Vir had received that injury in a war not unlike this: In a struggle on behalf of the Galactic assembly against the Drev.

Despite his missing limb, the captain had never complained of any issues related to the traumatic injury, truth be told Kril hadn't noticed any difference between the man and his fully-formed counterparts despite his ability to sneak alcohol into restricted areas, that little trick seemed to be massively improved.

"Captain."

The man leaned back against the wall close to him and took a long deep breath, "Ammunition is running low, and they've destroyed the bridge. The chasm walls will be too hard to climb without help from reinforcements, and they all seem to be tied up elsewhere. We shouldn't expect help for a while to come."

Krill gave a moan of horror as the captain spoke.

"Hold on, there is good news."

Krill looked up, an edge of hope spiking through his thoughts.

"Their bridge has been destroyed as well, so reinforcements aren't likely to be coming to them either."

Krill wilted.

Humans had a sort of dumb optimism that made it difficult to understand when things were bad. Either that or they genuinely didn't know what was meant by "Good news". Eminent rescue was "Good news", surrender from the other side was "Good new", but not this.

Those particular set of circumstances were probably what brought them to this point. Completely out of ammunition and stranded on a platform within a deep pit.

A large crack had leveled the ground of the canyon breaking it in half by a good twenty feet of chasm reaching down into darkness filled with a low hanging fog obscuring the bottom.

One canyon, two halves, and two armies both stranded and both without ammunition.

It was an odd sight, the humans standing in a long line on one side with the Kree soldiers in another long line on the other side, and the jeering. It was loud and it was long, and it was....creative.

"Saggy puss slugs!"

"Wrigley butt worms!"

"Slimy mangy deformed flesh toads!"

Krill wasn't sure what most of it meant as the meaning was mostly lost in translation, but he was pretty sure he did not want to learn where the captain was going to stick his prosthetic leg.

It must have been infuriating for both sides so close to each other yet unable to do anything about it. The humans were a species of action, and once riled up it was hard to bring them back down. Every now and then one of the humans would let out its customary war cry, and the others would take up the call to add to the jeering, but the Kree gave as good as they got clicking at the humans in their unusual language and bashing their plated surfaces against each other for the noise.

It was altogether too deafening.

At least that's how it was until one insult raised itself above the rest.

The translation was difficult for Krill to make out, but it was directed mostly at captain Vir, the clear leader of their side, and said something about him in relation to the larvae state of his own species, children or babies or soemthing like that. Whatever the translation, the captain went silent, and their entire side of the plateau went dead.

The reaction was so sudden and so jarring, that the other side followed suit unsure what was going on. Glancing around at the faces of the men the humans stood in states of shock or increasing anger.

The captain held very still pale skin rushing with the thick long-wave liquid that pulsed through his body.

He said nothing for the longest moment before motioning one of his soldiers to his side. He came, along with his twin brother to confer with the captain.

Krill was just able to make out their muttered conversation, "You told me once that you were a pitcher in the minor leagues back home."

There was a pause of confusion as the other human responded, "Um, well yeah sir.... Why?"

The question was ignored, "Well, how good were you."

Off to the side, the brother piped up, "Amazing sir, just amazing, he would have been in the major leagues if it weren't for that car accident. He was on his way. Still amazing now too."

The brother brushed him away, but the grin on his face was clear. He gave a sort of self-deprecating shrug before grinning, "Yeah, he's right."

The captain was silent for a long moment contemplating the chasm between them and the other side. After a moment he reached down palming a fist sized rock in his right hand tossing it up and down with a measuring, thoughtful expression.

After a moment he held out the rock and pointed towards the tallest of the kree, the one that had yelled the insult, "How about a fast ball, right down the center."

The other man looked at the captain, and then at the rock before grinning, "My pleasure."

All around him, the humans stepped back giving him a measure of space. The Kree looked on in confused amusement at the human adjusted himself atop a small hillock on the ground. He rotated hiss shoulder a few times, stretched his arm and flexed his fingers. Krill had never seen a human set up for a feat in this way before, so he couldn't have said what was going to happen.

Appearing satisfied, the human placed himself at a sideways angle to the chasm toes pointing at a parallel to the chasm.

Luckily for Krill, with four cortical hemispheres, breaking down the following movement was a simple task.

The movement happened in under milliseconds a complex set of movements completely designed to store energy, link it up the body, and release it at maximum efficiency.

The left foot came up first rising into the air a short distance and swinging slowly towards the right shoulder as the left hip rotated inwards. Arms clasped at his front, the human bent at the waist keeping his back straight and his head up. The left foot reversed position swinging the hip back open as the right arm began to drop. The right hand sunk almost to the level of the knee as the left arm swung outwards and the left foot swung wide moving form a parallel to a perpendicular. The two feet, once so close were now separated by a massive step. The right hand hung back behind the body almost completely across the torso where the hips and pelvis were cocked.

And then with a motion like a snapping spring the human let loose. Energy roared up from the foot into the hip before racing up the back. It connected at the shoulder multiplied with the massive velocity of rotation before shooting towards the elbow still bent as the arm was flung forward. The human's chest was completely parallel to the chasm now as the arm swung over, elbow adding one last snap to the momentum before the rock was gone. Fingers parted, as that massive amount of energy launched the rock straight forward.

The momentum carried the human's leg well above his head and the ball well across the chasm.

Krill was unable to track the movement, but he couldn't have missed the flesh thud and crack, as the rock struck home.

The head was knocked back and the feet shot upwards into the air slamming the kree general into the stone below his feet with a sickening thud.

Exoskeleton caved like a shattered egg, cortical tissue leaking onto the stone.

The kree stood in horrified silence, and the humans in awed admiration before the war cry rose up.

Kree squeals of fear followed as a hundred humans rushed forward with their own stones.

Men and women let fly with hundreds of projectiles one after another lobbing them high into the air or straight ahead as the Kree attempted to flee screaming and tripping over each other in their haste.

Off to his right, one of the human females took a turn with a different approach. Right leg forward, she rolled he weight back onto the left hip swinging the rock backwards and high above her head perpendicular to the ground her body at a ninety degree angle. She pushed from there bringing her arm back down in an underhand arc as she took a wide step forward. The left leg moved upwards as the right arm followed. Then she brought it back around, storing the momentum as her left foot hit the ground rock, once again, high above her head. Like her male counterpart she let her elbow snap, though at the bottom of her arc.

The rock shot upwards and connected with the throat of Kree lieutenant running in the opposite direction.

He sprawled to the stone choking against his crushed windpipe.

The humans called in screams of triumph as they morphed their bodies into projectile slinging weapons firing with a rate and accuracy Krill had never seen from a biological movement.

Of course they missed their targets some, but more often than not they made contact, smashing carapace, shattering exoskeleton and raining destruction.

Those that could not escape towards the end of the chasm soon lay in wasted heaps one atop another moaning with the agony of their broken bodies, or stilled in pools of their own juices. The battlefield before them was a massacre, and not one human had been touched.

In awed horror Krill stat in a state of stunned shock as captain Vir walked over messaging his shoulder with a grimly smug expression on his face.

"Thank the lord for middle school P.E." He muttered softly

***

Though humans are all capable of throwing objects with a surprising accuracy, it became mandatory after the war for Daxton, the galactic assembly passed a law requiring all humans with a history training in pitching, to register themselves within the system, much to the confusion of little league moms all across the galaxy.