There is something indomitable about the human spirit. It's something no one, not even the humans, will ever truly understand. There are two ways of doing things in the rest of the galaxy. You can be isolated, and individual that understands only the genetic knowledge of his species. You may interact with others, you may have family units, but you will never understand those around you on a personal level. Or you can be connected, this comes in many forms, a hive mind or a collective well of knowledge the entire species pulls from. They understand each other quite fully. No one is ever alone.

But then there are humans, I won't start by saying that humans are special or unusual because I think that has been said before. What I want you to understand is that humans are isolated in their knowledge of themselves. There is not a specie wide well of knowledge from which they can pull their behavior and understanding. There is not a template by which they live their lives, yet, somehow they can experience a welling of empathy to understand others around them. They seem to know the struggles of their fellows without the hive mind to connect them.

Not only this, but no matter where the human comes from, there is always an understood knowledge of thing humans can connect with. They speak of the same anthems, stories, photographs, and memories like they all have a personal connection. Though the humans were not born with a hive mind to connect them, that did not stop them.

They made one.

They share their knowledge by casting it out into the ether, to an unknown server of vast knowledge to access at their leisure no matter their location across the galaxy,

I know it sounds farfetched, but because of this man-made hive mind, the humans understand each other's experiences in a way that any other species like them will never understand their fellows. A human from earth and a human from Mars may still understand each other and connect over the same things.

They have been doing this for thousands of years.

***

"Keep moving, human!" Captain Vir stumbled a bit against the weight of the slap delivered to the back of his head. Krill could hear the sound of his bionic leg desperately trying to react to the imbalance and keep the man upright.

With a glower, the human turned to the alien soldier eyes narrowed. He probably would have spit at the creature, but the aliens had taken precautions against the human's poison breath, placing a spit shield over his nose and mouth. Not only that, but the human's hands were bound behind him.

A soldier grunted turning to ignore the human to look down at Krill, "What do we do with this one?" He asked

A slightly larger beast, likely the soldier's commander, trundled up turning to look down at Krill's small, trembling frame, "He has chosen his side, let him suffer the same as they."

Krill was pushed aggressively forward violently careening towards the ground, saved only by a last minute inflation of his hydrogen sack.

Behind him, the creatures laughed cruelly.

Up ahead, Captain Vir had turned to watch him. Krill desperately looked to the human for an idea, and while the man's gaze was reassuring, Krill didn't dismiss the worried twist of the human's lips as he stared around at the hulking soldiers.

Like a big, slow tide of dripping syrup, the herd of humans trudged slowly down the mass corridor at the behest of their captors. Isolated instances of rebellion were put down with extreme prejudice leaving the rest of their counterparts cowed.

Krill kept to the captain's side seeing out his quiet confidence and indomitable optimism to trick himself into thinking they would be alright. He could see the human's brain working, gears grinding along in his head as he tried to think his way out of the situation.

It was looking less and less likely.

Ahead, the hallway slowly opened expanding outwards into a massive cavern alive with the sound of hushed voices and the oppressive heat of many bodies.

Captain Vir paused at the lip of the room eyes widening at the sight before him. Krill paused at the same time and for the same reason. There were HUNDREDS of humans here, many shapes, colors, sizes, and races all packed together side by side. As the new visitors arrived, they lifted their heads sunken eyes and pinched cheeks demonstrating their defeat. They looked on with disinterest and apathy as the newcomers were shoved forward to join their midst. They did not speak, they did not laugh, and they did not rebel.

It was a terrible sight, the hollowness of so many humans given up from ever escaping their captivity.

Krill had never imaged something so terrible. So impossible. Humans didn't give up.

Humans could not be brought low, but here was his proof.

They had waded a good way into the cavern by now, and at the behest of their captors, they were shoved to their knees to sit next to their dead-eyed counterparts.

Captain Vir took it upon himself to immediately make conversation with the next human over.

"Where are we/"

The human turned to look at him sad dark eyes glazed halfway with his defeat, "Does it matter?"

Captain Vir sat back frowning as the human went back to his contemplation. Head down, silent.

He took another look around the room glancing at Krill, "We could take them. There are so many more of us than there are of them. If we all moved at once, than there would be nothing they could do."

Off to the side, the first lieutenant shook his head, "That doesn't matter if they've given up."

The captain frowned, "Than I guess we will just have to increase morale."

The other members of the crew shook their heads in exasperated admiration. There was no getting that man down.

Captain Vir tapped his foot softly listening and waiting as the hours past. He kept his head down, but his eyes were sharp. Vir wondered what the man was concocting, what could he come up with that would lift the spirits of a thousand humans all at once.

There couldn't be something that powerful, could there.

The hours dragged on.

Krill was just beginning to fade into his sleep-like trance, when Captain Vir sat up suddenly. The rest of the crew sensed his movement and turned to look eyes expectant and hopeful.

"What?"

The Captain shook his head, "You'll see."

And then he began to sing.

Just a small town girl

He stopped quickly as around him, the humans lifted their heads in confusion and recognition. The deep thrum of his voice echoed around the cavern causing an immediate shift as the other humans turned to see who was singing. Krill felt a burst of shivers run over his body, but despite the human's voice, he didn't see how this would help.

Living in a lonely world!

Around him the crew members shifted in confusion and surprise, but slowly they joined in. Krill wasn't really surprised that they knew the song.

She took the midnight train going anywhere!

All around the room eyes were raised and bodies shifted.

Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit! He took the midnight train going anywhere!

A sudden crack of noise, and a soldier stepped forward, "STOP!" A whip cracked, the humans flinched. The captain clutched his arm in pain.

The cavern went silent.

The soldiers turned back to their duty satisfied the humans had been cowed. Krill slumped, oh well it was a long shot anyway.

And then, from across the cavern, a voice responded.

A singer in a smoky room.

The smell of wine and cheap perfume.

The alien soldier hissed and turned, but the singer had gone quiet. He stalked forward.

For a smile they can share the night it goes.

On

And on

And on

And on

Each time the lyrics rang out a different voice, or many voices accompanied it. Never the same person twice. The soldiers shifted around in circles doing their best to identify the source of the sound.

Humans weren't supposed to have hive minds were they! Than how were they doing this!

Strangers waiting up and down the boulevard.

Their shadows

Searching in the night.

There were too many voices now, too many human voices rising into the dark making the cavern shake and ring.

Don't stop! Believin'

Captain Vir turned to the crew a grin spreading across his face at Krill's confused awe. Humans around them that had once slumped in defeat raised their voices to the tune of defiance. Eyes once dull sparked to life with the glow of human spirit rill knew so well.

"Now on to phase two." Around them, the song was trailing off. They were moving to the end and the humans weren't sure where to go, "A battle anthem."

Thud thud Clap.... Thud thud clap

Grins

The rest of the crew easily joined in, and then the humans close to them took up the rhythm as easily as only humans could.

Buddy you're a boy make a big noise

Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day

More feet, more fists, and a hundred more voices.

We will we will rock you

Humans were rising to their feet now straining against their bonds as the soldiers rushed around in panic and horror.

You got blood your face!

You big disgrace!

Now they were all surging to their feet in one mass wave. Soldiers everywhere snapped their whips and brandished their weapons, but there were so many humans, and they were so close. Their voices raised louder and louder till their overwhelmed any other sound. Krill felt as if he was being carried upwards on a wave of exaltation as the humans roared their battle cry. He leaped to his feet with them surges of pride and anger rolling through him.

Somebody better put you back into your PLACE!!!

Somewhere a set of bonds snapped. Krill watched in stunned shock as another man broke his own thumb in order to slip out of his bonds.

WE WILL WE WILL ROCK YOU

They moved forward like an unstoppable wave taking back their freedom in a matter of moments in the space of two iconic songs

***

The Captain says that not EVERY human knows those songs, but he had wagered to bet that the majority of them would know. It's a weird thing about humans, they connect to each other in ways that other species don't understand.

Their writers and their singers capture emotion and shackle it to their songs.

They speak through the ages with these emotions victory, and oneness that every human can understand.

The humans don't understand the power of their collective understanding, and I don't think they ever will.

You cannot capture the spirit or the pride of a human, you may hide it, or you may lock it away for some time, but there is no capturing, and there is no defeating their true nature.

You cannot bind a human's soul.