So, I am learning about color perception in one of my classes, and it turns out the ability to see and understand color is more complex than we often think despite the limited range on the electromagnetic spectrum between 400-700 nanometers. So, I thought I would write a little story about how human color vision is weird.
***
The war with the Gnar'lack had reached a critical turning point. The Finnerian council was at its wit's end. They were losing the war, and badly. The Unified Galactic Assembly had sent aid in the form of additional troops to supplement their own, but all efforts had been for not, and the assisting soldiers had been withdrawn home at the order of their homeworlds.
The Finneri were on their own with no chance of aid left in the galaxy and their spirits broken. Soon the last transport ship would be sent off-world with their children in an attempt to preserve their species.
The likelihood of which seemed slim.
General Lin-Ar was camped with what was left of his men along the southern polar border waiting for, what was likely to be, their last and final battle.
If this last-ditch plan didn't work, they were doomed to extinction at the hand of their greatest enemy. The world would be overrun by the Gnar'lak and they would become only a memory in distant histories.
"General?" The radio signal intercepted him on his posterior receptors, and he turned to face the speaker. Infrared and thermal sensors within his eyes picked up the spot as a glowing radiant beacon of heat.
"Commander."
"Are we ready?"
"We have to be."
The two turned themselves to the command's last interstellar communication tower and began the process.
"What happens if none answer?"
"Then we give up our last hope." There was a long silence as the two contemplated those words before
"How do we know the stories are even true?"
General Lin-Ar paused to think about that for a moment. Truth be told he wasn't really sure if the stories were true. This far out on the border of the galaxy, stories of humans were still more myth than fact, but what other choice did he have. If he had to choose between a long shot and giving up, there was only one option.
"Send the transmission."
The commander gave a nod stepping up to the tower to input the message, and there they waited with bated breath. The infrared monitor on the far wall remained silent for a horrible moment before bursting into an array of blinding intensity.
The shape sitting there was so blinding, the cameras were having trouble adjusting to the signal.
"This is Captain Vir of the USS Stabby responding to an urgent SOS from the planet... Uh... Gnf... I can't pronounce that."
Relief washed over the general as he moved to the screen. The translator was working.
"So the stories are true." Came the static response.
"True and serious as a heart attack, General... Anyway, what can I do you for?"
The human spoke oddly. From what he heard they were supposed to be a barbaric and warlike race, but as far as he could tell the human was on the far side of non-threatening even a little spacey. His hopes began to dwindle.
"We are the Finneri, and we are close to extinction. For over millions of years, we have been at war with the Gnar'lak. Despite all of our efforts, we have failed to hold them back. I represent what is left of my race begging you for assistance. You are our last hope."
"Well S***, that does sound bad. I warn you, General. I represent only one ship. I don't know if there is much we can do."
"If all the stories I have heard are correct, then I would rather take that chance."
"Hm... Well, how could I say no to that? Give us a day." The com went dead
General Lin-ar paused in confusion, "He had expected a measure of resistance. Any race would have. To help a people on the brink of destruction against overwhelming odds was the reason for concern, but the human had agreed almost out of hand recklessly agreeing to a suicide mission without knowing anything about the situation.
Why would anyone do that?
What had they gotten themselves into?
Perhaps the quick agreement had just been a cultural construct. Maybe the humans would never show up, but personal discussion required that they agree in order to avoid offending. Only time would tell.
***
The ship appeared early during the next solar cycle descending from the sky on a mass of fire and smoke. Despite his dwindling hopes, General Lin-Ar couldn't help but stare in awe at the blinding display. There could be nothing more warlike than this.
Stepping off of the ship, the humans themselves were beacons of radiance allowing heat to pour off their skin and into the atmosphere. It was a wonder they could keep themselves running at all losing as much energy as they were.
The first figure stopped before him. His heat signature indicated the human was missing a limb. Cold metal dark against the radiance around it.
He could hardly believe it.
"General," The human began, "Is everything alright?"
The General lowered his third limb from his infra-receptors, "My apologies, you are very bright."
"Uh....thanks...?"
A smaller cooler figure leaned into the captain from the side. The four limbs and Hydrogen sack indicated a species other than human.
"They have infrared vision, captain. Your heat is probably blinding them."
"Oh, sorry. Not much I can do about that. So what seems to be the problem?"
The general spent the next few cycles explaining to the strange creatures about the war and their inevitable demise. The human was oddly receptive to his woes, and by the end, he seemed indignant.
The general had no idea why, it's not like they were his people. When asked, the human responded with a confused look, "Well it sucks, and I'm mad for you. Kind of a jerk thing to do to kill an entire species. I mean my people aren't exactly great at getting along, but we've never annihilated anything completely on purpose... without provocation anyway..."
Despite the ominous comment, the general was stunned when the captain called forward his fighting class each bigger and more brilliant than the last. In a group, they were impossible to miss.
The general wondered how long they would last like that. The Gnar'lak were masters of deception able to mask their infrared signature. Against a background, they were impossible to detect.
He shared some of his worries with the creature that claimed to be their medical officer, and he brought those worries to the captain.
He overheard their conversation from some distance.
"I have just been speaking with the general, he says that the Gnar'la are experts at camouflaging themselves. We should be cautious; infrared will not work."
The human captain shrugged, "Alright, we use Iron sights then."
***
General Lin-Ar was expecting a slaughter. He was expecting the death of his entire species as they headed away from camp and towards the border overly aware of the humans and their blinding signatures as they walked.
"So much Maroon." One of the humans muttered from the side
He didn't know what the word meant.
"Yeah, gah, my eyes are killing me." Another responded.
The general looked to see his people moving upwards in a long line of staggered positions. The humans clumped together in a pointed pattern moving in surprising synchronization.
...
He felt the first death moments after it happened. A scream and then nothing.
He hardly had time to react as the humans howled in unison, "CONTACT!"
The brightness of their weapons was dazzling. He was nearly blinded couldn't see anything as the humans charged forward firing their weapons into nothingness, he could see nothing, and his vision was overwhelmed. He stood there like a confused child as the war raged on around him.
Bodies began to appear upon the ground. Twisted Gnar'Lak bodies bleeding the last of their heat into the dirt.
There were more bodies here than he had ever seen in his life.
The fighting went on for minutes. The Gnar-Lak attempted to retreat, but the humans cut them off chasing into the forest after them.
The creatures were relentless, predatory.
Their light was blinding.
He lay on the ground head swimming. He could not have known for how long.
How were they doing it?
***
Pink bright ****ing PINK!
What was all that about camouflage? Against the red background, they were practically begging to be shot.
The first one the captain ran into attempted to stand still against the trunk of some sort of plant staying still as if trying to remain invisible. And that may have worked if he wasn't the color of rejected bubblegum. The captain fancied the creature had a surprised look when he clubbed it over the head with the butt of his weapon. It was easier than shooting fish in a barrel.
A few hours later, returning from the forest, they found the general waiting for them with his bedraggled troops staring on in awe.
The general stepped forward, "How?" Was the only question he asked?
Even their medic looked surprised at how easy that had been.
"General, were you aware that your enemies are bright Pink?"
The creature gave a confused look, "I am afraid I do not understand."
Their medic blinked oh, "A different visual system. They cannot see infrared they see visible light between 400-700 manometers. I am afraid even I am limited in these cases. I could only tell you what general color it was based on the length. I cannot see intensity or saturation. Pink is a color only humans, as far as I know, can see."
The general tilted his head to look up in wonderment, "So the stories are true
Humans really were a marvel of nature.
His planet was saved.