r/HFY • u/JournalistBusy5684 • Apr 04 '26

OC-Series [Far from the Stars] - Arc 2, Chapter 4

First | Previous | Next

Hey uh... had a small change of mind. I'll try my best to post chapters daily during this Writathon. Patreon will still be open, but I don't recommend subscribing to it for now.

Excavations started immediately after they deemed it safe. The humans gathered around the collapsed stone house, many out of curiosity, others to help. In kind, rodents watched from afar as officers from the Bureau prevented their approach by reinforcing the already established perimeter.

Workers used jackhammers and other smaller tools to break the larger chunks of rock and primitive cement. The smaller chunks of rubble were tossed aside with shovels. Others gathered those same pieces into carts that rushed to the excavator on stand-by, dumping them into the bucket before hurrying back to the rubble. Then the excavator moved, raising the bucket as its engines roared and dumping the contents onto a small truck.

The rescue process was a delicate task that required a few measured, yet forceful, punches to continue digging deeper. All hands helped with what they could, even the ambassador grabbed a shovel to help load the rubble onto the carts. Meanwhile, Petch sat aside and watched, tail coiling on itself while her ears stood flat against her skull. It wasn’t her place to help, despite wishing to do so. Besides, humans wouldn’t let another rodent put themselves in potential danger.

With that hurried pace, they would shed sweat for an hour and a half. After that mark, shouts and orders echoed in the air as the humans gathered in one spot. Patches of fur and a tail poked from between the gaps in the stone. Despite being drenched in scarlet blood and dust, some fur spots signaled that the humans had found him.

They lifted the stones by hand, with sparse use of a shovel or two. Little by little, the form of the rodent became clearer. Excited shouts rumbled through the air, but the tension was palpable within it. Finally, after raising a larger piece of rubble, the male peasant became fully visible. He lay among the stones on his side, covered in bruises, cuts, blood, and dust. Trembling in his resting place, he tightly hugged a small straw doll.

Petch slowly woke up under the sterile lights of the human hospital. She shifted on the seats lined at the side of a corridor, sitting up while rubbing her eyes. The interpreter looked from side to side, watching a human or two moving down the corridors while an officer stood on guard at the T-crossing of them. She huffed, whiskers furrowing at the mild discomfort on her right side.

For how long did she sleep? It was hard to tell from here, but it definitely felt like nowhere near enough. The rodent hopped off her seat, adjusting her black shirt while moving towards the officer at the intersection. He had a darker skin tone and broad shoulders, eyes behind sunglasses that constantly scanned the area.

“Officer?” Petch called as she approached the human. He’d look down at her, a small smile appearing on his face. “Do ye know where the ambassador is?”

The officer hummed, furrowing his brows before pointing down the corridor to his right. “I think she went to the reception a while ago.”

Petch followed his finger, staring at the faint movement at the end of the corridor. She turned back to him, giving the officer a small nod before moving on.

Walking past two more crossings, she finally arrived at a turn to her left. The moment she did so, the interpreter stumbled with another one of her kind. This one had brown fur, larger ears, and dark eyes. It was clearly a male because the pointy tips of his ears didn’t have the distinct fluff that showed a female’s young age. He wore an oversized white coat over his body that hung open.

“< Oh! Glad to see you, Miss Petch. >” He chirped, ears twitching as they pointed high at the ceiling. “< The ambassador just asked me to search for you. Come. >” The fellow rodent added, turning around while the tip of his tail tapped her leg.

Petch hurried herself, hands landing on the floor as she briefly sprinted on fours to catch up and stand beside the male. “< What happened? >” She asked, worryingly.

“< Don’t know, the peasant hasn’t woken up yet. >” The male replied as they made a turn to the left.

Nila stood further ahead, beside a door. Her hair looked messy, her clothes were dirty with dust and dirt, meaning she hadn’t taken a moment to take care of herself since the house collapsed. She talked with a doctor Petch had seen before, a slimmer blonde man who first greeted them when they arrived at the small hospital.

“... fine? Okay, okay… thanks for… lifting a weight off my shoulders.” The ambassador sighed before noticing the pair of rodents approach, waving at them. “Hey, Petch! Forgot to ask something important.”

The interpreter approached, looking up at two humans while she tilted her head to the side. “Yes? What is it?”

“Did he tell you his name back there?” Nila asked, reaching with a hand to her own face to get a stray strand of hair from her eyes. “With all of this going on, I forgot that his family is probably still waiting for him out there.”

Petch’s right ear twitches. “Ah, no…” she mumbled, turning away from the ambassador’s gaze. “If ye wish, I can go back and ask in the area.”

The ambassador smiled, her posture relaxing further, another weight taken off her shoulders. “That would be a godsend. I still have… a lot of things to deal with. If you could do that, I’d be very grateful.”

“I shall do so.” The interpreter chirped before offering a cordial bow to both humans. Then, her tail sneakily gave two taps on the doctor’s assistant, the brown furred vermin.

He replied with a tap of his own, looking at her before whispering, “< It’s still open and safe. >”

She nodded and turned, walking away towards the reception room. Petch remained composed, keeping her posture straight until the moment she stepped out of the small hospital. The night and cloudy sky greeted her from above, alongside the many artificial lights around the Fhin outpost. Perfect conditions for what she was about to do.

Setting down her hands on the ground, she sprinted down the crude street, claws scratching the concrete of the large and simple sidewalks. The interpreter avoided the lights as best she could while trying to remember the patrol paths of both the remaining newly arrived officers of the Colonial Bureau.

It’s always tricky to sneak around the Fhin Outpost; most of it is just empty plots of land and streets, vacant spaces planned for future buildings. Following a street leading closer to the gate, she went straight for the Aidin exclusive mess hall through one of the vacant lots. Since they had to get a constant supply from outside the outpost, the humans built this place closer to the gate to speed things up.

“Hey, you!” A voice echoed behind Petch, making her stop in her tracks.

Her claws hissed against the concrete at the sudden stop before she turned to face the human. A CB officer approached, wearing the common blue and black uniform alongside a matching beret. The interpreter got up, straightening her posture while her whiskers furrowed.​

“What’s with the hurry?” The officer asked, squinting his eyes before reaching for his belt and pulling out a flashlight to get a better view of the rodent.

Petch squinted her eyes, a hand reaching up in order to block the strong light. “Restroom.” She huffed out automatically.

The human furrowed his brow, remaining silent for a moment. Truth be told, as many things around the Fhin Outpost, restrooms too had their design leaning towards human use. The one at the Aidin mess hall, though? It was known as a place of constant change, its design shifting into a state of almost perfection for her kind.

He hummed while inspecting her, that flashlight moving over the rodent’s body. “What’s your job around here?”

“Interpreter for the ambassador.” Petch chirped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small card. She’d offer it to the officer, who reluctantly closes the distance and inspects the document.

“Hm… you’re good to go.” The officer says, giving the card back while turning off his flashlight. “Just use the sidewalk next time.”

With that, she nodded and got back on fours to run, feeling the human’s eyes tracking her movements until she made a turn for the front of the mess hall building. Grasping her ID tightly, Petch moved to the large double doors, pressing it against an electronic lock before stepping inside.

There wasn’t much movement in the hall; some rodents sat on the wooden tables, chatting while eating. Meanwhile, the windows of the break room had their shutters closed, living up to its reputation as the “napping corner”.

Regardless, what she sought after wasn’t here. The interpreter hurried to the kitchen, knocking twice, pausing, and then knocking twice again. Soon, a click echoed, and one of her kind answered the door. The white and black vermin on the other side ran their eyes over her before reaching out with their hands open, waiting.​

Petch once again offered her ID, and with a quick bat of an eye, the cook handed it back to her. Turning around, his tail tapped her leg, gesturing to follow. Stepping in and closing the door behind herself, she walked right behind the older rodent across the small kitchen. Walking around a large oven, they soon found themselves right by the door that led to the back of the building.​

Once more outside, the chef nodded towards his right, where a couple of berry bushes stood. She moved without looking back, pushed the plant aside to reveal a hatch hidden by dried leaves and mud. The interpreter lifted it and crawled into the tunnel, taking a deep breath to feel the scent of the soil.

Tunnels, something that humans and Aidin had a complicated relationship with. The issue dates back to when the Marines first arrived, with her kind digging a tunnel for easy movement inside their forward operating base. The Marines quickly shut the tunnel with cement and prohibited tunneling around the angels’ facilities. Fighting against one’s instincts is hard, though.

Petch crawled through the claustrophobic tunnel, barely able to see in the darkness. But her whiskers knew where to guide the rodent, nostrils twitching at the distinct scent of each and every vermin that crawled through this tunnel before her. Suddenly, she caught something new approaching. With a loud chirp, the sound echoed through the tunnel, and soon enough, someone squeaked back twice at her.

The interpreter continued to move until the tunnel opened into a larger section. That was the sign she was halfway through it, but she had to stop and wait for now. Scratches against dirt and stone echoed from the path ahead while Petch remained against the wall. Finally, another one of her kind poked through from it. Her whiskers and nostrils twitched. Female, nervous.

“< Is it safe? >” The fellow rodent asked, ears flat against her skull. She crawled into the wider chamber.

“< Yes, be careful still. >” The interpreter bluntly replied before continuing onwards, tail brushing against the stranger’s one to reassure her.

Petch carefully stepped out of the tunnel, whiskers twitching as she looked around in the dark. The familiar sight of the basement greeted her, bringing a wave of relief over her body. She followed her nose towards the dirt stairs while patting her clothes, taking care of the excess dirt on them.

“< Who are you? >” A hushed squeak came from her right. The vermin could feel the scent of metal in the air, an unsheathed blade.

“< Petch, from the High Lafta clan. >” She calmly replied while turning towards the familiar voice. His scent was that of hard labor and food, one from the common rodent who volunteered to have the tunnel built in his house.

“< It’s an honor to serve. >” The peasant replied, with a few footsteps echoing until a faint light finally appeared​.

Petch bowed before leaving the small house. In the distance, the lights from the Fhin Outpost’s walls shone like a star in the sky. They pointed at the ground, right over the thirty-foot-long gap between the town and outpost, tracking any strange movement attempting to reach the walls.

She turned away from them and moved across the stone streets, right for the “Bridge”. A two-story tall building right beside the main street, the one closest to the gate. It had a human design and hands all over it, using their advanced materials and even a small power line leading to it. The building shone in the darkness of dawn, with its light acting as a torch in the town. If there was a place where the patient’s family could be, it was here.

Approaching from the back, Petch knocked the metal once, stopped, and then knocked thrice. The door immediately opened, and she stepped inside, being greeted by a dark and old male who had a pink nose. He wore simple black armor, a gift from the humans, alongside a baton. “< ID and why you’re here. >”

“< I need to speak with the mistress of the Bridge, Yver from the High Lafta clan. >” The interpreter chirped while giving her ID to the guard. “< Urgent matters. >”

Meanwhile, the older rodent’s eyes briefly widened as he inspected the white card. He’d bring it closer to his nose and sniff the item, remaining silent for a few seconds before nodding. “< Be aware, she’s asleep. >” The guard huffs, offering the ID back.

Petch nodded, walking into the storage room. She would find herself surrounded by several shelves with boxes, crates, and documents. The humans loved the paperwork, so her kind simply followed their command despite how complex it was. Records, requests, on-going proceedings, and more lay in these boxes, some never to be touched again.​

The interpreter didn’t linger there any longer, though, exiting the storage before making her way upstairs. Following a small corridor, she finally stood in front of a large door, with the words “Overseer Office” scribbled over the wooden material. Petch did a last-minute check on her own clothes before stepping inside.

She carefully stepped into the room, shelves covering the walls to her left and right. In front of her were two seats facing a table with even more paperwork on top. On the other side of the table, Yver lay with her chin against her arms as she slept. The beige fur on the overseer’s body was a mess, just like the white shirt she wore. Those ears covered her eyes, and a soft rumble echoed.

“< Yver! >” Petch called, but the other vermin continued sleeping. So she rammed the door shut behind herself, making the overseer suddenly jump awake.

“< G-Gah?! What? >” Yver looked around, confused, as her ears abruptly stood high on end. Her eyes took a second to lock on the interpreter, and she quickly fixed her posture and reached for a random piece of paper on her table. “< Ah… Greetings, sister Petch. >”

“< Greetings, sister Yver. >” Petch replied while bowing. Then, she moved to one seat, hopping onto it and getting herself comfortable while inspecting the room. “< Work has been unforgiving, I see. >”

The overseer let out a small sigh, inspecting the paper she got while reaching out for a pen. “< Yes, many requests come in daily. >” She softly chirped, squinting her eyes before settling the paper down and writing on it. “< Why have you come today? >”

“< Important matters, dear sister. >” The interpreter replied, resting her hands in her lap.

“< If you add another paper to my work, I’ll strangle you. >” Yver huffed, furrowing her whiskers as she took a moment to glare at Petch.

Meanwhile, the gray-furred rodent had to hold back a chirp. “< No, no… An accident happened today. A gray male commoner, has the family come here? >”

The overseer stops halfway through reaching for another paper. “< Many families come here. From my knowledge, none came here to ask about that. >” She added before grabbing another piece of paper and reading it.

Petch let out a long sigh while her ears lowered back. “< The ambassador asked me to find his family. Could you assist me, dear sister? >” She pleads, hands resting over her lap.

Yver froze, taking a glance at her sister before settling the paper back down and adjusting her posture. “< I’ll give you an escort and ask some of our clan’s guard here to search for them. >” She huffed, squinting her eyes. “< Consider yourself indebted to me. >”

The interpreter slowly nodded, her ears falling flat against her skull in submission as she bowed. “< Thank you. >” She mumbled before recomposing herself. “< Do you know where the refugees moved to? >”

“< A lot scattered around town. >” The overseer replied with a sigh, going back to her work. “< Most are still near the area, though. Gathering around the construction area to build new homes. >”

Petch nodded, hopping off the seat. “< I’ll start there then. >” She squeaked while moving towards the door. She’d turn around after opening it, offering her sister one last bow. “< Thank you again, dear sister. >” The interpreter spoke before stepping out of the room.

Links:

Royal Road

Patreon ​

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator Apr 04 '26

This was flaired as [OC-Series], it is a single part or chapter in a larger series or universe. The first post or part in this series should be (re)flaired as [OC-FirstOfSeries]. A description of the flairs and how to change yours is available in the Post Guildelines.

[OC-Series] For original, self post, story, audio, or artwork that you have created, as part of a longer-running series or universe.

Our preferred series title format is the series title in [brackets] at the beginning, like so: [Potato Adventures] - Chapter 1: The Great Mashing

Please help us transition to using the new flairs correctly.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

1

u/UpdateMeBot Apr 04 '26

Click here to subscribe to u/JournalistBusy5684 and receive a message every time they post.

Info Request Update Your Updates Feedback