Line #16 Literature/HELJumper


1	[-“These are your final orders. You will launch your pod. You will make planetfall. You will survive. You will return to the fleet. And you will find out what happened here. Is that clear?”-]
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4	''[[https://redd.it/7oulr8 The HEL Jumper]]'' is an online web serial novel written by Reddit user [[https://www.reddit.com/user/SabatonBabylon/overview /u/SabatonBabylon]]. It follows the adventures of [[SpaceMarine HEL Jumper]] 1st Lieutenant Russell Winters on [[AllPlanetsAreEarthLike planet Mara]]. After an accident destroys his ship, ''The Lancer,'' he is the only human alive within lightyears. After making planetfall, he meets a [[CatFolk native sapient lifeform named Veera]]. Marooned on an alien world, Winters must use everything at his disposal to improvise, adapt, overcome, and survive.
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8	!! HEL Jumper contains examples of:
9	* ActionGirl: Veera qualifies once she [[spoiler: explode's a raider's torso with a gun]] and trains with the guards.
10	* AKA47: Winters' guns have been the subject of much debate, as they are not fully described in the story proper. This does not stop readers from debating which space version of a modern gun he uses.
11	* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Alien civilizations must meet certain criteria in order for them to qualify for [[TechnologyUplift uplift]], the civilization found on Mara is quite a ways from that point.
12	* AllPlanetsAreEarthLike: Averted, as ''The Lancer'' was looking for planets that harbored Earth-like life.
13	* AscendedMeme: A fan nickname for Veera, "Feather Kitten" is now in the story proper, as a pet name Russell gives her, and as official merchandise.
14	* ArtificialIntelligence: Each HEL Jumper is partnered with a VI, or "Virtual Intelligence". A VI is a non-sentient general [=A.I.=] who's job is to assist their HEL Jumper in completing their mission. (E.G. steering the drop pod, monitoring sensors and vital signs, Etc.) While [=VIs=] are given names and personalities in order to make the HEL Jumpers more receptive to their assistance. [=VIs=] are strictly non-sentient by law due to the risk of a true (sapient) [=A.I.=] [[AiIsACrapShoot turning evil]].
15	* TheBerserker:
16	* [[spoiler:BoldlyComing: Winters the human and Veera the cauthan eventually decide to join at the hips, in chapter 69 to boot.]]
17	* CatFolk: Cauthans are feline-like humanoids with feathers on their heads, like hair. The male's have scales on their forearms, where the females have feathers on them.
18	* [[spoiler:DidYouJustHaveSex: Antoth walks in on Winters and Veera just after they finish in chapter 70. Averted when Veera walks in on a non-sexual intimate moment between Antoth and Ratha.]]
19	* TheDragonSlayer: Less "dragon", and more ''giant alien bear''.
20	* DropPod: Winters' entry pod is a drop pod played straight.
21	* TheHero: Winters both sees himself as this and is this.
22	* LoserProtagonist: Veera definitely counts as this. She is very poor and lives in a run down home, she is malnourished, and a complete social outcast, all through no fault of her own.
23	* FasterThanLightTravel: ''The Lancer'' is able to travel faster than light via using another dimension.
24	* FirstContact: Winters is the first human to make contact with the people of Mara.
25	* FirstContactFauxPas: Winters almost immediately breaks the established first contact protocol by revealing himself to the village. The Ghalen also make first contact by hovering over the UN building in [[Film/IndependenceDay a very familiar fashion.]]
26	* HalfBreedDiscrimination: Veera's father was a respected member of the village, her mother was a part of a nomadic tribe. (It doesn't help that Veera gets most of her looks from her [[GenderEqualsBreed mother]].)
27	* HatesEveryoneEqually: An apt description of Ratha.
28	* HeartWarmingOrphan: Veera. Both her parents are long gone and she will melt your heart.
29	* HumanityIsAdvanced: Humans have basic FTL travel, drop pods, and have met an advanced alien species.
30	* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Sort of. The race that uplifted the humans, the Ghalen, never have fought a war.
31	* HumansThroughAlienEyes: The perspective will occasionally shift away from Winters, giving the reader a glance into the psychology of the people of Mara.
32	* InsecureLoveInterest: Applies to both Winters and Veera, the dorks.
33	* InstantAIJustAddWater: Due to some illegal modifications to Io by ''The Lancer's'' mechanic, Shifty, she goes from non-sapient VI to full fledged sapient AI.
34	* IrrationalHatred: Ratha gives Veera an especially hard time. [[spoiler:The reason for this is that she was in love with Veera's father, and Veera is a constant reminder of what she could never have.]]
35	* KnightInShiningArmor: Literally and figuratively. Winters' Aegis II armor is white and metal, and Winters' driving goal is to protect others, with his life if necessary.
36	* MatingDance: Female Cauthans will dance for or with their partners at the harvest festival. It can be formal or slightly more sensual.
37	* NatureIsNotNice: The fauna of planet Mara range from something akin to dumb tigers, to ''a giant space bear!''
38	* NoAntagonist: There is no real antagonist in HEL Jumper.
39	* PraetorianGuard: Vash, the sun priest, has two elite guards. They still don't pose a threat to a trained human fighter, though.
40	* RightHandAttackDog: Humanity is kind of this, the Ghalen are ObstructionistPacifist[=s=], and via treaties have leveraged humanity into a kind of SpacePolice, forcefully stopping any riots or wars that arise in other alien species. Winters remarks that while their stopping the violence, they're not solving what caused it in the first place, meaning they're just moving the problem into the future.
41	* RomanceArc: Basically the entire story. [[spoiler:It's not just Winters and Veera though, Zolta and Asha pair up, as do Antoth and Ratha.]]
42	* ScifiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Both played straight and averted. The reason ''The Lancer'' is destroyed is that it came in too close to the sun. Winters then gets in a fairly small drop pod and lands on a planet about 1 AU from this sun. Either ''The Lancer'' never could get close to a sun, or the drop pod travels unreasonably far. However this is also averted in that it will take at least a year for Earth to know that ''The Lancer'' is missing.
43	* SourOutsideSadInside: Also an apt description of Ratha.
44	* SpaceMarine: That is a very apt job description of a HEL Jumper's job.
45	* StandardHumanSpaceship: ''The Lancer'' is shaped like a spear tip.
46	* SupportingLeader: Antoth is the captain of the guard and often helps Russell with protection of the village.
47	* TookALevelInBadass: Veera after recovering from her earlier starvation becomes a complete badass, [[spoiler: even joining the guard.]]
48	* {{Tsundere}}:
49	* TheXenophile: Winter's first instincts are to try and make friends with the people he meets, regardless of who they are.

Context Literature / HELJumper