《Yin and Yang (A Nature of Predators AU)》 Prologue Memory transcription subject:Governor Velinek of the Venlil Republic Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136 Life amongst the stars was a peaceful existence. So many races coming together and living in blissful harmony. Working together as sapient species were always meant to be. Such is the nature of a herd. I should consider us blessed that sapience only follows one path of evolution. Herds. Working as one, building strong communal bonds and socializing. This brings the ability to share ideas and eventually,true communication! Standing strong against the elements, standing strong against our most unfortunate rivals, the predators. In a way, one does feel bad for them, our eternal rivals. Their perpetual state of competition and rivalry, as well as their solitary nature and bloodlust, blocks the evolutionary path necessary for true intelligence to emerge. This is the proven science behind why only prey creatures eventually evolve sentience. Though it has long since been theorized that one day we may encounter self aware life not of our ilk. Perhaps, one day, we will encounter an intelligent species of plant life. At least there are scholarly articles and academia papers to back up this hypothesis. Maybe even a self aware fungoid or lithoid species. Others fantasized about discovering a life-form that is more¡­of the ethereal. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, a few people never let go of the hope that it might be predators. To see life from a totally different perspective.The opposite perspective.Believing that we would be destined to learn from one another, should we meet. Believing that maybe, we could each open a new path of possibilities and enlightenment for one another and live together in harmony. What a fantasy,I thought as I giggled lightly to myself. A rather terrifying fantasy at that¡­I sighed. Unfortunately for me, my daughter was one of those people. Discovering one paw, long ago, on the outskirts of my nephews farm, a lone, infant Zairigut. Zairiguts were very small carnivores, even when fully grown. With long bodies and thin snouts, they could easily slide into nooks and crannies and a coat of fur that felt like that of silk. They were rather skittish as well, they never attacked any Venlil,they were even scared of the Dossur, and thus had been classified as one of the ¡®tolerated predators¡¯ by our planet¡¯s Exterminator office long ago. Not just because of their size but also because they only ate the smallest of insects. There were many planets and species in the federation and each one had a differing philosophy in how to deal with predators. From the extremes of the Mazic¡¯s and the Gojid Union which entailed a philosophy of ¡®nuke it from orbit and burn away the predatory taint¡¯ to us more gentle Venlil who felt a bit of sorrow for the tiny ones, it didn¡¯t make sense to spend valuable resources to drive out the ones too small to harm us.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My daughter became enraptured with flesh eating beasts since adopting the tiny creature. I protested but her mewlings bore a hole into me and I caved. I even bought her a book one birthday, titled¡¯The Tolerated Predators of Federation Space¡¯, she fell in love. Though she always let out her frustrations that so many predatory species were now extinct, even though it were necessary! She became obsessed, even studying at the University of Colia and gaining her degree in Predatorology. What a waste, that a governor¡¯s daughter should throw away her future with such a useless degree. Regardless of my daughter and her strange obsession, predators were still a mainstay in the eye of federation citizens, primarily because of the, long time running, popular series, known as¡¯The Exterminators¡¯, but even more so due to the most popular franchise and longest running series in Federation history. ¡¯The Nature of Predators¡¯¡­ The franchise was over a century old. Originally starting out as Harchen folklore, it escalated once their species joined the federation. It had, as of yet, forty-two movies, a multitude of video games, novels, comic books, bored games, graphic novels, and even annual cosplay conventions. But worse of all¡­ ¡­it had thousands upon thousands of stars-awful fanfics¡­ Its lore involved a galaxy, much like our own, with the exception of a fictional race of bipedal, reptilian carnivores known as the Arxur. They would commit the most unspeakable, most heinous acts imaginable against prey-kind. Killing, conquering, and devouring any and all prey folk who crossed their path. The franchise¡¯s fictional version of the Federation would put up a fight, and mostly lose as these Arxur would continue their never ending rampage of destruction and consumption. Much too gritty for my taste¡­ In a way I could see the appeal. Over coming the harshest of hardships was how our primitive ancestors began their path of self awareness. This was a part of our nature and predators would always be the icon of those long ago tribulations. ¡°Planet-Watch is detecting an unknown signature exiting sub-space.¡± My advisor, Vekiah said. Snapping out of my own musings I demanded; ¡°From where?!¡± She squinted at the report on her holopad, ¡°A system designated as¡­JTE-786? With a name like that it must not be a worthwhile solar system. ¡°What do we know of that system?¡± I queried. ¡°Says here sir, that Farsul star cartographers charted it a few hundred years ago and found nothing of value.¡± She began. ¡°Some rocky, inhospitable planets, and a few gas giants. No useful resources detected. They also declared the system too dangerous for prospecting and exploration due to a high amount of rogue comets and asteroids as well as frequent fluctuations in its star.¡± What?! That can¡¯t be right. Who in the stars would come from a place as dangerous as that? ¡°The sub-space trail is also emitting an unknown energy signature, matching nothing of any Federation ships.¡± She continued. At her final report, a sudden spark of realization ignited in us both. ¡°An undiscovered species!¡± We both declared in unison. And they had invented FTL all of their own. Now that was a feat only the Kolshian¡¯s and Farsul could boast about. Oh today was going to be an exciting one indeed! ¡°Get me a landing pad cleared, preferably one as close to this palace as possible!¡± I stated. ¡°The palace¡¯s main diplomatic pad is already cleared sir!¡± ¡°Excellent work! Do we have coms on them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re hailing us at this very moment governor!¡± ¡°Fantastic!¡± I nearly shouted as I wheeled my chair to our communication screen. The office began to flood with more and more advisors, interns, and military personnel, all happily chirping and beeping amongst themselves, eager to see this amazing new species! Part 2 Memory transcription subject: Governor Velinek of the Venlil Republic Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136 Eyes¡­ It was all I could see as the world surrounding me began to fade and I found myself sitting in an empty void, the only things existing being me and those eyes staring back at me on that communication screen. Needle sharp, black pupils, surrounded by ghostly blue, encased in a sea of cold, frosty white. For the first time, as my role of governor, for the first time in my entire life, I didn¡¯t know what to do, what to think, or how to feel. The creature continued to stare until suddenly, its lips parted and began an upward curl, revealing its maw, and I saw its incisors, then its¡ªCanines¡­ Oh stars!¡­ ¡­and it¡¯s boulder shaped molars. Why was it doing that?! What Did This Mean!? I could do nothing but stare back into those abyssal orbs as I heard multiple whimpers from my cabinet members behind me. I tried to utter a sentence, forcing my lips to part¡ª ¡±M-mmeeep¡­¡± ¡ªwas all I could bleat out of my mouth as I continued to stare. Somewhere behind me I heard a loud thud followed by a bit of gentle shuffling and something large and fluffy being dragged along the floor. Its teeth began to part as the alien found its voice. The translator took a moment to process what it was saying, thus for a few brief moments all we could do was listen to its native tongue. H?e?l?l?o?,? ?I? ?b?r?i?n?g? ?g?r?e?e?t?i?n?g?s? ?f?r?o?m? ?t?h?e? ?b?e?a?u?t?i?f?u?l? ?p?e?o?p?l?e? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?p?l?a?n?e?t? ?E?a?r?t?h?!? ?W?e? ?c?o?m?e? ?i?n? ?p?e?a?c?e?!? I heard several relaxing sighs from behind me as the air, that was built up in my chest, deflated. Okay, good! T-this is good! Their p-peaceful explorers. Nothing to worry about. I reassured myself. Peaceful, predatory explorers¡­ I finally found myself regaining some of my courage, ¡°I-it¡¯s a pleasure to m-meet you, uh¡­¡± ¡°Petrenko! Ms. Anna Petrenko of the European Space Agency!¡± She said as the translator no longer had issue deciphering her speech. ¡°And the pleasure is all ours,¡± she stated before the screen flashed to a wide shot angle of her ship¡¯s cockpit and I saw two more pairs of- Stars-awful eyes -staring back at us. I heard another thud behind me, followed by more paws shuffling and someone else being dragged off. ¡°We are the crew of the UNS Gagarin,¡± she began as she was manipulating a few things on her control panel, ¡°sent here in the name of science and exploration. And these two¡­¡± she gestured at one of her crew mates. The explorer to the right of Ms. Petrenko lifted a hand and began to motion it from left to right, must be their form of greeting, I reciprocated the gesture with my own paw. ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Ezra Watson, of NASA, my nation¡¯s space agency! Words can not express how happy we are to meet you!¡± He said as his lips parted and curled just as Ms. Petrenko¡¯s did before. Unless my fear was causing hallucinations, I swore I saw silver upon some of his teeth. As I began to relax a bit further, I started taking mental notes of their details. The one to Ms. Petrenko¡¯s right, this Ezra Watson, was slightly taller than she and a little bulkier, must be a male, I noted to myself. He was also considerably older, with the beginnings of wrinkles outlining parts of his face. I noticed he had a far shorter mane than her and even a short coat of bristle on his face, both in the beginning stages of graying with age. But it was the male to her left that had me sunken into my chair. Staring intently through the screen with a heavy brow. He was huge! He had no mane to speak of, just a bald scalp yet what he lacked for a mane he more than made up for in a large, black beard. He looked to be one and a half times too big for the cockpit, maybe that¡¯s why he looks so angry¡­ A?n?d? ?M?y? ?N?a?m?e? ?I?s? ?S?e?r?g?e?i? ?S?o?k?o?l?o?v?,? ?D?o?c?t?o?r? ?S?o?k?o?l?o?v?,? ?O?f? ?R?o?s?c?o?s?m?o?s?!? Not only did he speak in a different language than the other two but his voice boomed in a deep, low rumble, that seemed to reverberate off of the walls in the chamber. I recoiled into my chair as I heard my staff skitter backward slightly, coupled with the faint trickling sound of some form of liquid upon the marble floor. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. This man says he¡¯s a d-doctor? How does he not k-kill his patients? All three pairs of eyes were now staring back at me. ¡°V-Velinek,¡± came Vekiah, who never left my side. ¡°I t-think it¡¯s your turn to say something.¡± ¡°Uh- Velinek! Yes, hello, I am governor Velinek, of the Venlil Republic! We are all very excited to meet you as well!¡± I said sheepishly as I gestured to the crowd behind me. There was a mild series of chitters, bleats, happy beeps, concerned chirps, some whimpers, and even someone weeping as everyone of my cabinet made some sort of greeting. I took a deep breath and began to ponder my current situation. I need to do something, they haven¡¯t said or done anything hostile and there are only three of them with a single ship. If they had come here to cause harm then they have an awfully flawed way of going about it. I felt a sudden surge of bravery pool in my chest. There was no logical reason to be afraid of them, the only thing keeping me from being a gracious host, to this new power on the galactic stage, was my instincts! Those same instincts that led to my people¡¯s awful reputation! I told myself as I grew a bit angry with my own emotions. ¡°Tell you what,¡± I began before I could allow myself time for a second thought, ¡°since we¡¯re all so excited to meet, how about I start and give you a tour of my palace and tell you about our lovely world, I¡¯d love to hear about yours!¡± There were mutterings from my cabinet but I paid them no mind. Let¡¯s see what the rest of the federation thinks when they learn that the first sapient predators befriended the ¡®skittish¡¯ Venlil first! ¡°That would be wonderful Governor Velinek! Thank you for the hospitality!¡± Said Ms. Petrenko. ¡°We¡¯re not really going to invite them here are we.¡± Vekiah whispered in my ear and I felt a ting of frustration. This is what my kin need! A predatory race as a close friend. Let us see how we ourselves change, how we may learn to better ourselves. ¡°And my advisor, Vekiah here,¡± she darted back as I gestured toward her, ¡°will send you the landing coordinates!¡± ¡°Wh-¡° Vekiah began before I interrupted her, gently pulling her in close as I began a whisper. ¡°The only thing telling us not to show them hospitality is our instincts, and I am not one to let my fear rule over me, we are Venlil!¡± I said to her a little louder. ¡°The rest of the Federation mocks and belittles us for being nothing more than weaklings and cowards, today I say no more! All of that ends today!¡± I stated proudly as she seemed to contemplate, though I could still see a sense of unease in her features. ¡°Look, in time, this will only get easier.¡± I said more gently to her. She seemed to understand, with a frustrated huff yet affirmative ear flick, she began punching notes into her holopad. ¡°Thank you for your kindness governor!¡± Began Ms. Petrenko. ¡°And sorry if this is so sudden for you, it is sudden for us too, we were not expecting to find civilization here.¡± What? ¡°Really?!¡± The reply shot from my mouth before my brain could formulate a proper response. ¡°Our telescopes detected water vapor and oxygen in this world¡¯s atmosphere,¡± she began, ¡°and our researchers concluded that this world was within your stars habitable zone. At most however, we were expecting microbial life, I would have never dreamed to find intelligence! So it looks like this will be a historical day for both of our peoples!¡± Historic indeed. Just as soon as they had first appeared, they were gone as the screen cut out, and we were left in a brief moment of silence and contemplation. ¡°Oh my stars! They¡¯re reallll!!!¡± One voice cried out, cutting through the silence, and suddenly, a deafening cascade of voices and commotion ensued, as the chamber erupted into unrestrained noise and chaos. ¡°They said they come in p-peace!¡± Another voice mewled. ¡°M-maybe it¡¯s some kind of h-hoax! Someone hijacked the communication array!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop seeing those eyes!¡± Another bawled. ¡°I for one, gladly accept our new predator overlords!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t real! No brahking way this is real!¡± Another voice bellowed. ¡°What¡¯s all the whining for, their words were friendly!¡± ¡°They do exist- Ha! Told you Jisu! You called me crazy!¡± ¡°Well I didn¡¯t think they were that intimidating.¡± Another announced with pride. ¡°W-why did it- I mean she, show us her teeth!¡± Someone chirped. ¡°By the Protector! I¡¯ve got to call my mom! I¡¯m a part of history!¡± Another yelled. ¡°It has to be a trap! J-just like in episode one hundred eighty two of-¡° another began, trailing off. ¡°We¡¯re all going to die!¡± Someone wept. ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll enjoy watching ¡®The Exterminators¡¯?¡± ¡°Think they¡¯ll sign my copy of ¡®through the eye¡¯s of a flesh eater¡¯?¡° ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have had those glo-shrooms the other paw.¡± ¡°I support the current thing!¡± one yelled sarcastically amongst the ever growing commotion. ¡°It¡¯s happening! As the holy prophet foretold! The arrival of talking predators! It¡¯s a sign of the end times!¡± One voice whined. ¡°Put a lid on it all of you!¡± I shouted, abruptly silencing the room. Swiftly I stood up and turned around to face the stirring crowd of advisors and personnel who were now silently staring at me. ¡°You all sound like mewling pups plucked fresh off the tit! They said they come here in peace and so far we¡¯ve no evidence to assume otherwise!¡± I pause for a moment, allowing my words to sink in. ¡°This is why the rest of the galaxy never takes us Venlil seriously!¡± As I said so, I spotted several heads bow in shame. With a frustrated huff I walked over to my coat rack, ¡°This is a first contact scenario and I am going to be a dignified host.¡± I grabbed my windbreaker, ¡°I am going out there to meet our guests, feel free to join me, or cower in here while I, a lowly Venlil, make history and become the first person to welcome a sapient predatory race!¡± I stated in the hopes of convincing at least a few of them to follow me. I threw my windbreaker on, bracing myself for this period¡¯s cold and chilling wind and swiftly darted out of the chamber¡¯s doors, I could hear a large crowd following just behind me. It gave me a sense of satisfaction to know that my words meant something. I push open the large set of doors to reveal the massive court yard and off in the distance I could see the new comer¡¯s spaceship just touching down. I continued down the pathway toward it. As I got closer I noticed the footsteps following me grew quieter and quieter, I turn around to find that only Vekiah had stayed by my side, everyone else was standing at their own distance some ways behind me. Others were pulling out their holopad and holding them up for recording while others called their loved ones. A few seemed to be calling news agencies. Some of the phone calls seemed frantic while others just sounded excited. ¡°You ready for this Vekiah?¡± I said turning to her. ¡°No, but I don¡¯t think I ever will¡± she said as we grew even closer to the ship. I could see a closed drop ramp to its rear and there we both stood, waiting for it to open. I took one final look behind me to see that the crowd had slowly made their way closer, yet still keeping some distance. With a loud hiss, the ramp began to part and I could see the internal lighting of the ship. Part 3
Memory transcription subject: Governor Velinek of the Venlil Republic Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136 In person introductions went about as smoothly as I had hoped, primarily because the crew of the UNS Gagarin elected to leave the gargantuan Dr. Sokolov aboard the ship to run basic diagnostics. Though it didn¡¯t help quell my nausea when I noticed that I was only chin height to Ms. Petrenko, but not even shoulder height to Mr. Watson, and we Venlil were about as average of height as one gets in the federation. ¡°Please, no need for the formalities, just call me Ezra.¡± The explorer stated to me. ¡°Oh and it¡¯s ¡¯Human¡¯ by the way¡± he said with that wide smile again. Nope, I wasn¡¯t hallucinating earlier, he really did have silver in his teeth. ¡°Hymyn¡±, I said in attempt to reciprocate the name of their species. ¡°Uh, try it with a bit more ¡®oo¡¯ rather than ¡®ye¡¯¡±, exclaimed Ms. Petrenko. ¡°Hooman¡±, I said with my chin now held high with better confidence. ¡°You know what, close enough,¡± Ms. Petrenko said with a chuckle. ¡°and you can just call me Anna!¡± Interesting, seems they consider their second name a formality, the first name reserved for more casual use, a bit of an intriguing culture having two names but either way, this is a good sign that they¡¯ve quickly grown comfortable around me. ¡°Alright Anna, Ezra, shall we take a tour?¡± I said as I gestured toward the palace¡¯s courtyard garden. Vekiah, having been glued to my shoulder for the duration of our first impressions, was now starting to warm up to our guests and was strolling at a less violating distance from me. I could see their features brighten as they gaze up for the first time since landing, taking in the spectacle of all of the imported flora surrounding us. They seemed to have an affinity for the effort of our gardeners. Even comparing some of our vegetation to that of their world. ¡°Oh, oh Ezra! Look at this one!¡± Exclaimed Anna. ¡°Exactly like Japanese Arrowroot!¡± ¡°We call that Kudzu in the states¡±, Ezra began while glancing at me, ¡°imported in the 1930s, was incentivized by the government as a ¡®miracle plant¡¯ for farmers during the dust bowl. Wasn¡¯t until the 50s that the government realized they screwed up and relabeled it as an invasive weed.¡± They have a concept of farming and forestry? ¡°Invasive weed¡±, I queried. ¡°Yeah, the vine grows fast, real fast, and the root is hard to kill. That even is if you can find the root. And even if you do kill the root you better hope you did so quick enough because if not, one of the branching vines has likely already started growing a separate root system somewhere else. Coupled with the fact that it has no natural predators in the ¡®lower states¡¯, the stuff has swallowed entire towns.¡± Never would I have imagined that predators would enjoy the art that is gardening, or the science that is botany, but everything about today was already a surprise. This truly is a fascinating species. One that I can not wait to introduce to the galaxy at large! Our tour continued, yet so did their conversation. Continuously comparing and speculating over plant after plant. I was also met with a barrage of questions regarding the foliage, none of which I had answers too. A rather chatty bunch of predators these two, clearly social predators. What were those called again? ¡­Oh yes, pack hunters¡ª A slight shiver crept up my spine. I shook the thoughts from my head. In attempt to distract my concerned thoughts, I questioned the two in regards to who they were and how they came aboard this mission. It was clear to me that their FTL technology was rather crude, though I was still in awe as they were the third species to develop it on their own. So it was not likely their governing body simply plucked these two out of a litter. Apparently, Ezra Watson was the science dork, as he was accepted aboard due to his degree in quantum physics. I found myself nodding off as he touted his time as a professor at some university. University exchange programs, I thought to myself, finding something interesting to occupy me during his monologue. Now that¡¯s a thought! Then there was Anna Petrenko, the engineer and pilot of the craft. And finally, the monstrosity that was Sergei Sokolov, the biology fiend and medical practitioner. All three of them hailing from entirely different nationalities and space agencies, all now united under one coalition. This coalition was their world¡¯s form of government, known as the United Nations of Dirt¡ª ¡°Eh, not sure why the translators are doing us dirty,¡± began Anna. ¡°A more accurate translation for ¡®Earth¡¯ would be ¡®fertile soil¡¯¡± she corrected. ¡ª¡°The United Nations of Fertile Soil!¡± I happily corrected myself. ¡°We¡¯ll work on that.¡± Anna replied with a laugh. Soon we found ourselves at the massive double doors of the palace itself. As my guards open the doors I notice the sounds of shuffling paws behind us. I turn about to see that my gaggle of advisors was now following close behind. We entered and as I issued my guards the order to shut the doors, my advisors, suddenly realizing this may be their last chance to be amongst this historic moment, rushed in after us. Now locked in these large and cold marble halls with us, I decided to break them of their timidness. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°And this here,¡± I began as I motioned toward my embarrassing ensemble of staff members. ¡°Is my¡­ lovely cabinet.¡± ¡°Ah yes! Hello!¡± Began Ezra. ¡°I am so very excited to meet you all, my name is Ez¡ª¡° ¡°Excuse me Hooman! Would you mind signing my copy of¡ª¡° ¡°No no! Me first!¡± Another very rudely interrupted. ¡°Would you say hi to my mom,¡± he began, waving the screen of his holopad toward us as I saw the visage of an elderly Venlil woman on screen, staring back at us in frightful awe. ¡°Ooo! Ooo, me first!¡± Another jutted in. ¡°Do your people prefer fish? Other mammals? Small rodents perhaps? Reptiles? Maybe insects?¡± ¡°Erm-uh,¡± Ezra began, ¡°well I-I would need to have more contex¡ª¡° ¡°What is your opinion on interspecies romance?¡± A dreamy female voice questioned. Collectively, we all took pause to assail our gaze at the woman who would ask such a thing. ¡°Well excuse me for asking the real questions!¡± She said while stamping her foot upon the floor. ¡ª¡°Oh! Do you kill before you eat or do you prefer your meal alive?¡± ¡ª¡°I Don¡¯t Want To Be Cattle!¡± ¡ª¡°D-did you know t-that Venlil blood is highly toxic.¡± ¡ª¡°Do your people like romcoms?¡± ¡ª¡°By the holy prophet, I lay thyself at your feet oh great ones!¡± Oh, no no No! We are Not doing this again! The four of us started backing away as the wall of fluff and chaotic noise began to rapidly escalate as it approach us. Note to self: Fire my entire cabinet. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any stopping them once they get like this!¡± Vekiah shouted over the growing ruckus as the four of us rushed down the hall and up flights of stares. ¡°Quickly, quickly, get in!¡± I shouted at Vekiah and our two guests as we neared my office. I ushered the three through my office entrance, with the mob of thundering questions, close behind, as I hid myself behind the ajar doors. ¡°Yes yes! In time they¡¯ll answer all of your questions¡ª¡° I stated toward the mob. I began closing the doors. ¡°Master Ezra! When you conquer Venlil Prime, I wish to be¡ª¡° I heard from within the crowd. I brace my shoulder against the door and with a hard shove¡­ ¡ªSLAM¡ª ¡±your humble servant. mghmmumhmmnnm¡ª¡° The cascade of voices now muffled behind the heavy doors. I breathed deeply as my back rested upon the door, slowly sliding myself down to the floor. Finally, it was over! I thought to myself as I gently lifted my paw upward to latch the lock. I notice Vekiah herding our Hooman guests to the chairs sitting in front of my work desk. ¡°Shall I bring you any refreshments?¡± She asked the explorers. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t suppose your people practice tea? I¡¯d love to sample some if so!¡± Anna stated. Any they even had a concept of tea, how civilized! ¡°Yes! We absolutely¡ª!¡± Vekiah began excitedly before recuperating herself. ¡°I mean yes,¡± she continued more dignified, ¡°let me fetch you some of the local brew!¡± I gaze upon my surroundings, taking in the aura of my grand office. Marble lined the reflective floors, coupled with the marble pillars and murals upon the walls that were bathed in the never ending sunlight of the windows from the opposite end of the chamber. *tap, tap* Speaking of windows, was something tapping on them? *tap tap tap* Yep¡­ *TAP! TAP! TAP!* That can¡¯t be right, this office is on the third floor! Regaining my strength, I made my way to the window to draw the curtains open. Upon opening the curtains and the window itself, I was met with the sight of a small camera drone hovering a paws reach from me. I inspected the scrip along its side. ¡¯Dayside City News Network¡¯. ¡°Speh! Scavengers! This is an urgent diplomatic business!¡± I shouted to the camera drone, leaning out of my open window. ¡°And I hope you¡¯re aware that you are trespassing in government airspace!¡± It then quickly buzzed away, though I doubted it was satisfied with whatever answer it was hoping for. Still leaning out of my window, I breathed a sigh of relief as the cool breeze of my world began to soothe me. I took a moment of reprieve, in lieu of my current situation, and began to take in the sights and sounds of my beautiful capital city in the near distance. Though what caught my attention was the horde of news vans streaming up the roadway leading to the palace gates. Can¡¯t you parasites wait a little longer?! Shutting the window, I began making rounds through my chamber to ensure that all curtains and windows were closed. After the final window, I turned my attention back to my chamber and noticed that Vekiah had returned with the tea she had promised. Her and the two explorers were chatting happily and even giggling over their chosen subject of conversation. Her ears had perked up and her tail was lazily swaying behind her. She¡¯s finally enjoying herself, and of all things, it was in the company of predators. For a moment, my eyes and thoughts lingered on the trio. Forgetting all of the stress from just moments ago. Regardless of all of the chaos today, here it is, the moment we never thought we would see. Predators and prey, sharing their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences over a cup of tea, and most importantly, enjoying each others company. It was rather relaxing to see such a wondrous sight. I wanted to start envisioning what the future now held for us all. It certainly wouldn¡¯t be what we imagined it would be just a paw prior to these world shattering events. And here I was feeling so very hopeful. ¡ªBZZZTTZTZZZ¡ª My tranquil thoughts derailed as I noticed the buzzer from the palace¡¯s receptionist desk sounding. I strode over to the intercom. ¡°Yes, is it urgent?¡± I began. ¡°I know of all the news networks flooding our gates at the moment but they¡¯re just going to have to wait a lit¡ª¡° ¡°Sir, your daughter is here.¡± Came the reply. Kikka?! But you were supposed to be- ¡°And she¡¯s doing that little tip-tap dance she always does when she¡¯s overly excited¡±, replied the intercom. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Memory transcription subject: Sergei Sokolov, Medical Practitioner of the UNS Gagarin. Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136. Ah, of course, ¡°your ¡®resting bitch face¡¯ will scare them off¡±, Ezra told me. Yeah, you two get to go out and make history while ole Sergei here, stays in the ship and ¡®runs diagnostics¡¯. Cyka! I am the Michael Collins of first contact¡­ A footnote in the history books¡­ kzzztzz Blyat! What was that?! *tink tink* ¡°-ello? Is someone there?¡± I commanded toward the aft of the ship. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone near this landing pad anymore, last I checked everyone scurried off once they made their way inside that palace. I grab my pipe wrench and make my way toward the sound of possiable intruders. ¡°This is a UNE sanctioned ship, tampering and tresspassing is not allowed!¡± I shouted as I heard the clatter of equipment upon the drop ramp outside. Approaching the open ramp, I noticed something dart just beyond my periphery. I leap off of the ramp and onto the alien grass for the first time. Beneath the belly of the ship, I spot an odd figure, a ceramic mask upon their face. ¡°Greetings my wondrous overlord!¡± The ceramic mask wearing creature began. ¡°I apologize for what is about to ensue however I do hope, in the long term, you will find our efforts most satisfactory!¡± Chto?¡ª I suddenly felt a sharp prick in my neck, reaching up toward the source of my discomfort, I pull a dart away. My world soon began to grow dizzy and the color pallet of the scene before me began to change. The grasses and vessel melding together into a colorful explosion of sound and beauty before all suddenly fading away.
Part 4 [Content Warning: F*cking Everything!] Memory transcription subject: Sergei Sokolov, Medical Practitioner of the UNS Gagarin. Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136. I awoke to find myself in a sitting position. My head pounding as if suffering from a mad night of clubbing and drinking. I attempt to move but found that my hands were bound to the arm rests of a, rather comfy, chair. I apply my will to my legs but discover, that they too, are bound to the legs of this cozy chair. I gaze up in effort to scan my surroundings but I saw nothing except darkness in all directions, with the exception of one beam of light, shining directly down upon the floor in front of me. To quell my rising anxieties, I absentmindedly began caressing my fingers upon these, really fluffy, arm rests. ¡ªOgo, myagkie kakie! It was as if I were sitting atop a cloud! Suddenly, my thoughts were broken as I heard the approaching sound of footsteps in front of me. Slowly revealing itself, within the beam of light cast before me, was a hooded figure in full robe. Within their hands paws was a silver chalice. I look to their face but found none as a porcelain mask hid their identity. Not that I could identify who this alien was to begin with. Their porcelain mask shone in the beaming light from above, I could grasp the details. It appeared to mimic that of an arctic fox, though the muzzle was heavily exaggerated, with a row of arrow shaped teeth. ¡°Oh, Master Sergei, you are beautiful!¡± the masked figure began as I realized they had a female¡¯s voice. ¡°I apologize for the restraints, though I do hope the furniture more than makes up for that inconvenience.¡± Spoke the hooded woman before me. ¡°Should you find them displeasing, I shall relinquish my mortal shell at your command¡±, she continued. ¡ªChto?¡­ ¡ªNyet! ¡°No, no! That will not be of necessary, I assure you.¡± I said trying to sound more commanding in lieu of my obvious situation of vulnerability. ¡°Good.¡± She replied. ¡°Your satisfaction is what gives my flesh its purpose.¡± ¡°It is my reward.¡± Eh-? ¡°I do hope you find the comfort of your seating arrangement fitting. It is Venlil made¡±, she finished with a chuckle. -Chto za?! I look down at my fingertips, still petting the¡­ ¡­wool armrests?! ¡ªBlyat!!! ¡°Brothers and sisters¡± she bellowed with a loud and commanding voice that reverberated off of the walls, hidden in the darkness that engulfed us. ¡°Before us is one of his divine¡¯s messengers. One of his soldiers. The most righteous of h¡ª¡° she trailed off. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry are the restraints actually comfy, I-I mean they don¡¯t look comfy.¡± She said to me, interrupting herself. ¡°N-no no¡±, I began. ¡°they¡¯re fine I promise, I¡¯m fine, but my head is of hurting, I could use some water.¡± ¡°Brethren!¡± She boomed again, startling me. ¡°His coveted demands libation! Bring forth for him hydration!¡± As she commanded, two robed, porcelain mask wearing servants, crept forward from the dark abyss, heralding a bowl and pressing it to my lips. ¡ªVoda! Greedily, I sipped at the cup and the two heralds dispersed. ¡°Is he, of his divine¡¯s ilk, satisfied?¡± ¡°Yes! I am, now please tell me where I am! And what it is that you are of doing!¡± I begged. ¡°You are in his chasm. His bosom. Here we w¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªwould you please hurry up! I ain¡¯t got all paw.¡± A voice cried out though I could see no one else in the gloom. ¡°Look guys, I¡¯m trying o-okay!¡± She said sheepishly. A chorus of boos erupted from the darkness. She pealed back her hood. ¡°Do you Ediphites know how hard this is?!¡± She looked down with a frustrated huff and continued. ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s get it over with then. Bring forth the offer!¡± She waved her paw absently. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I could hear thundering footsteps approaching me and within the beam of light, an entourage of hooded, ceramic masked aliens stood, with another alien wrapped in chains. A tight veil, that seemed to be made of leather, consumed his face as well as his screams. The rest of him clad in a heavily tarnished silver. One of the masked servants punted him from behind and he fell to the ground in agony. His escorts receded back into the darkness. ¡°Shall his screams ignite the fire within your soul.¡± Began the priestess as she started approaching me, holding forth her silver chalice. ¡°I hope this offal is enough to sate your unending desire.¡± She pressed the chalice of orange liquid to my unwilling lips as the muffled screams, of the wretch upon the floor, began to escalate. ¡°May this awaken your inner nature,¡± she began. ¡°And may it prove our devotion to both you and his divine right!¡± ¡°May we remember his covenant!¡± She boomed again with her head held upward. ¡°Predators lead!¡± She screeched. ¡°?A?n?d? ?p?r?e?y? ?f?o?l?l?o?w?!?¡±? a myriad of differing languages chorused from the darkness as my translator struggled to keep cadence. ¡°In effort to redeem us for our ancient sins.¡± ¡°We repay only a modicum of our debt.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please forgive us.¡± She finished with a quiet plea. She tilted the cup further, pressing it into my face until my lips were being cut by my own teeth, the liquid began to make its way upon my beard, and down my throat. ¡°I do hope you enjoy this.¡± She began, her voice now a whisper only I could hear. ¡°It is a personal gift.¡± She said in a most predatory tone. ¡°I made it with myself!¡± Cyka!!!¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Memory transcription subject: Governor Velinek of the Venlil Republic Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136 ¡±kzzztzzzztkztz.¡± ¡°Does she always make this sound?¡± Anna asked me while we both gazed at my daughter, standing before us. ¡°Only when she¡¯s overly-excited¡±, I replied. ¡°Is she¡ª ?¡± She began before I cut her off. ¡°Vibrating? I¡¯m afraid so, it¡¯s normal for her though when she gets all giddy like.¡± ¡±kzzzztzztzzkzzz¡ª¡° I gave Anna a light hearted ear flick. ¡°Give her a few more moments,¡± I chuckled, ¡°and she¡¯ll settle down.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Vekiah and Ezra had parted from the two of us earlier, in effort to work on what should be their people¡¯s first words to the galaxy at large. A horde of news vans, drones, and even antiquated helicopters, had laid siege to my palace. I had issued directives for all guards to be on station. I emphasized ¡®non lethal gear¡¯ in the muster call, as civilians were also attempting to make their way, in order to be a part of this historic moment. From what had transpired earlier this paw with my cabinet, I knew full well what could happen to us Venlil when a crowd got lost in each others emotions, thus the guards were keeping the civilians at bay. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Welp.¡± Anna started with what I now knew was called a ¡®smile¡¯, ¡°I hope I make the best first impression for her!¡± She finished, wrapping her arm around me and I found myself elated to be in her company. *tip *tat *tip *tat *tip *tat *tip *tat *tip *tat ¡°And there¡¯s that little dance she does,¡± I began with a laugh, aimed at my new friend. Anna placed her paw hand upon her mouth and shared a laugh with me as we both enjoyed the spectacle. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m like this!¡± My daughter, Kikka, began. ¡°I just need a moment.¡± She finished while petting the Zairigut that was lazing atop her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re doing wonderfully!¡± Anna said with a wide grin. ¡°Take as much time as you need.¡± ¡±kzkzztzz- kzztztzzz- KZZTZZTZ-¡° Oh no. I plugged my ears. ¡°S-s-sssssqueeeeeee!!!¡±, my daughter shrilled while holding her shaking paws to her face. ¡°You spoke to me!¡± Kikka took a deep breath and collected herself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry again! I really am! I never thought something like this would happen! I-I mean, how do your people greet? How am I t-to approach you? Should I roll over on my back and present my belly to you?¡± ¡°Huh?¡ª¡° Anna began. ¡°Sniff your backside perhaps?!¡± Kikka begged? ¡°T-though I can¡¯t really smell I¡ª¡° ¡°You can approach me like you would anyone else, I promise!¡± Anna interjected happily. Saving my daughter from further embarrassing herself. ¡°I am excited to meet you too!¡± Kikka began to slowly close the distance with us. ¡°Kzzztztztzzz¡ª¡° came from Kikka¡¯s mouth once more as she started shaking with excitement again. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really¡ª¡° Kikka began. ¡°Don¡¯t be, it¡¯s fine!¡± Anna gingerly stated as she reached out her hand. ¡°This is how we greet upon first meeting someone.¡± Anna¡¯s hand and Kikka¡¯s paw connected and Anna took a firm grip, shaking it up and down. ¡°Sapient predators! You¡¯re real!¡± Kikka squealed, ¡°oh my stars-oh my stars- oh my-¡° she began rapidly repeating, still shaking Anna¡¯s hand and jumping up and down. ¡°Sapient predators! Talking¡ª to me¡ª right now¡ª!¡± Catching her breath between nearly every word. ¡ª¡ª¡ª It had been a very long two claws as me and Vekiah settled down in my office and discussed everything from philosophy to our families with our two guests, who were more than happy to share themselves with us. It wasn¡¯t long before we considered them our good friends. Poor innocent souls. I tried to have them come to the realization on their own. Showing them a series of holographic images depicting the races that made up the federation. They never noticed the side facing eyes or the flat teeth, just stared in awe and wonderment, assailing us with questions upon each viewing. Never once did they realize they were any different from everyone else. They truly were innocent creatures¡­ Me and Vekiah eventually shared a worried glance at each other, realizing that we were going to have to be the ones to break the news to our new friends. We truly didn¡¯t want to make them feel alienated. But there was room for nothing else, thus we told them of their rather unique biology. Their faces became stone, at first they assumed it were some kind of hazing ritual for all new arrivals on the galactic scene. It was not. No one wanted to be thrust into a galaxy of hundreds of sapients just to be classified as the galactic rejects. ¡­to be thought of as the freaks. ¡­be made to feel like the outcasts. We felt their sorrow and assured them that we both accepted them for who and what they were, and that there was nothing wrong with them. We made sure they understood that they would always be welcome here. Knowing my people, they shouldn¡¯t have a problem integrating with society on Venlil Prime, at least for the most part. The Federation was not as monolithic as some wished. Certainly not as homogeneous as the Kolshians or Farsul advertised. Typically, the further into the core systems you traveled, the more radical the society. Usually¡­ This was probably why decentralized systems, usually us on the outskirts, got so many of the misfits, weirdos, and predator diseased as well as those fleeing from federation persecution. Probably why the majority of exterminators on Venlil Prime were off-worlders. ¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± I heard Anna ask, snapping me out of my reminiscing thoughts of earlier claw and back to the present. Kikka took the Zairigut off of her shoulders and gently held him forward as he sniffed Anna¡¯s hand. After the Zairigut accepted the exchange, she handed him to Anna who cradled him with a smile. ¡°I named him after one of my favorite characters from the Nature of Predators universe!¡± Kikka stated happily. ¡°Siffy!¡± Part 5 Memory Transcription Subject: Siska, Farsul Spymaster, Aafa Date [Standardized human time]: February 17, 2129. Being summoned to Aafa always came with a feeling of dread. It meant more work for me. But worst of all it guaranteed that I would be in the inescapable presence of the self righteous, moralizing Kolshians for the next several days. Though the sights from the Chief¡¯s office were quite spectacular. Atop his high rise, I gaze at the bolstering city beneath. Perhaps I could have been admiring the view if not for who I was in company with. ¡°Tell me something Siska.¡± The obese Kolshian Chief began behind the desk of his grand office. Nearly all of his attention on the exotic cuisine before him. ¡°When the earliest of our ancestors, eons ago, were swimming around in that primordial ooze, what do you think their prime directive was?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± I asked quizzically. I hated when the Chief went on his long monologues, they never amounted to anything other than a headache for me but today he was in an extra talkative mood. ¡°Every planet begins the same.¡± He started again through mouthfuls of food. ¡°Microscopic life begins in the oceans, it isn¡¯t until later we become multicellular and another eon or so before we venture onto land.¡± This was going to be a very long day wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Before we had legs, before we had eyes. Before we even had a brain. In the dawn of time, fresh after abiogenesis. What were our amoeba forefathers doing in that ancient soup? What was life¡¯s primary directive? What was the nature of the very first living beings?¡± He must have read the confusion on my face as he paused his eating. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you, it is the very same directive as is today.¡± He leaned in close with that predatory grin of his. ¡°Kill¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªConsume¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªAnd multiply.¡± He chuckled after he noticed a slight tremble rumble up my spine. Though it were true, microorganisms typically feed off of one another, absorb one another, I suppose that¡¯s what he was insinuating. That at one point, billions of years ago, we all technically were predators. ¡°You see Siska, the very natural order, by default, is evil. Life, in and of itself, is a cancer.¡± He absentmindedly looked out the window toward his bustling city below. ¡°Predation¡ª,¡± he trailed off. ¡°¡ªis quite possibly of the most natural of orders.¡± ¡°It always evolves first.¡± ¡°Why are you telling me this sir?¡± I said, cutting him off, desperately wanting this conversation over with. He looked to me again, that predatory grin returning once more. I loathe this planet. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Memory Transcription Subject]: Yasna, Covenant of Maltos Priestess, Venlil Prime. Date [Standardized human time]: July 12, 2136. ¡°We are Not a sex cult!¡± I stated with the utmost assurance of my voice. I was left in utter astonishment by his barrage of accusations. From claiming that my offal of blood tasted terrible to being fussy about ¡®pathogens¡¯ lurking within it and now he had the gall to claim this! Why was he such a picky eater? Did my blood actually taste terrible? I felt a sudden rush of shame and dishonor at this latest thought and my mind began racing, thinking of ways to adjust my diet until my blood was more suitable for his preference. Oh this was not going as planned at all! How exactly was I to realign this derailment? The big predator looked at me, in a not so convinced manner, before averting his gaze toward the bound, gagged, and writhing Exterminator upon the floor. ¡°Who¡¯s the gimp?¡± Were we really that much of a joke to him? Was I so much a failure that he couldn¡¯t fathom us as a conglomerate of serious organizations with serious intentions? My face bloomed with embarrassment beneath my mask. My flock was never going to let me live this down. Between my racing thoughts and embarrassment, I found myself toying with the hilt of my dagger, hidden beneath my robe, something I always did subconsciously when my anxiety started to flare. An ancient heirloom. I thought to myself, still caressing the handle, in an attempt to distract my running thoughts and quell my rising levels of stress. Hidden within its metallurgy was the secret history of this world. The buried history of my people. A history that those of us who still followed the Old Gods, longed to remember. Before they were usurped by meek prey idols that were cast upon us by a most unholy and unnatural alliance. We still didn¡¯t have all of the pieces of our past, nought but an inkling of it. The Federation was just too good at ridding away artifacts and burning evidence. The only thing certain was that something was amiss. ¡°Look, is okay.¡± The predator began again, cutting off my train of thought. ¡°Some peoples are of into the whole submission and dominance thing.¡± -Sigh- I closed my eyes, rubbing the temples behind my mask as I felt a headache caused by heartbreak forming. Why was he so docile?! I had fully expected him to be mad with fury! Like the Mudmaw of my last session and that annoying Krakotl journalist. ¡ªOh his screams were delightful!¡ª I inhaled sharply, calming my tail before it betrayed my inappropriate rush of excitement at the memory. As I idle, contemplating everything I thought this paw would bring, I heard the muffled voices of my flock conversing with the various other congregations of Venlil Prime. It was indeed breathtaking to see so many denominations joining one another after so many centuries of infighting and feud. I was amazed when the Church of Ediphid answered my hail earlier claw and agreed to join us in this ceremony. Though I was a little less appreciative of their sly quips and sense of self superiority. I was even more elated when so too did Yiddith¡¯s Offspring. Even the Knights of the Shades sent a few Cardinals as representatives. Yet¡ª Why was my meat eater not overjoyed!? He was supposed to be giddy with excitement! What kind of predators were these?! Today was supposed to be his special day¡ª This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. -* M?y? ?D?a?y?!?*- He was to rid us rid me of these accursed Exterminators and conniving Federation loyalists! When I saw the massive beast on screen in Velinek¡¯s office, I knew he was the pack lead. I knew he was to be mine! -* M?y? ?M?e?a?t? ?E?a?t?e?r?!?*- He could at least pretend to be happy with the colossal efforts we undertook to get him here! It weren¡¯t hard to make my escape from the governors chambers, once those mewling pups lost themselves to their own commotion. It also wasn¡¯t difficult to catch him alone. Once word had spread that a race of intelligent predators had descended upon Venlil Prime, most guards and staff found themselves either distracted or rushing toward our divine guests. Mewling pups indeed! You cannot comprehend their magnificence without losing yourselves! You merely think this is a chance encounter with a new exotic species, rather than the forthcoming of his divine¡¯s will! ¡°Is okay,¡± the large predator began, yet again derailing my thought chain, ¡°so long as it is between consenting adults and you are not of kidnapping peoples!¡± He shouted at me while tugging on his restraints. I needed to explain myself to him, he needed to understand why this was all necessary. ¡°Here you can be yourself!¡± The words flung into existence from me before my mind had time to contemplate. Though I did now have his full attention. ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide anything from us, it¡¯s alright.¡± I started again with a hint of desperation. Just give me something to work with! ¡°There are many out there who will not accept you but for all of us,¡± I gestured to the crowd in the dark corners of the room, suddenly realizing that he probably couldn¡¯t see them. ¡°We embrace you for what you are!¡± ¡°Girly, what are you on about?¡± The predator barked back. ¡°I study medicine for a living, not Freudian fetishes!¡± ¡°You promised us blood this claw Yasna! Where is my dead exterminator!?¡± Someone from the darkness yelled. ¡°Our dead exterminator!¡± Another corrected as the offer upon the floor renewed his writhing and muffled plees for help. This was becoming too much! I was not prepared to take on this burden by myself so soon! I suddenly found myself feeling so very alone in this crowded room. Normally I¡¯d be under the guidance of one of our elders¡ª T?h?e? ?e?l?d?e?r?s? ?a?r?e? ?d?e?a?d? ?Y?a?s?n?a?.? ¡ªI know¡­ I just wished¡­ Y?o?u?r? ?p?a?r?e?n?t?s? ?a?r?e? ?d?e?a?d? ?Y?a?s?n?a?.? I know¡­ W?h?o? ?t?o?o?k? ?t?h?e?m? ?f?r?o?m? ?y?o?u??? Without further thought, I inch toward the puddle of flesh and sobs laying on the floor. W?h?a?t? ?a?r?e? ?y?o?u? ?t?o? ?d?o?,? ?y?o?u?n?g? ?p?u?p??? I¡¯m not a pup anymore! ¡°Come on guys, Yasna clearly isn¡¯t priestess material!¡± A member declared. ¡°Yasna, it isn¡¯t your fault,¡± a voice began gently, ¡°your right of passage was never complete.¡± ¡°I am still the eldest of the Covanent of Maltos congregation!¡± I answered back. ¡°The Covenant of Maltos is no more,¡± a voice filled with sorrow said. ¡°your elders are dead, your flock has fled. Yasna, look I¡¯m sor¡ª¡° ¡°You¡¯re a pup Yasna.¡± Another voice interupted. ¡°I am not a pup anymore!¡± I shouted, growing closer to my sobbing oppressor. ¡°And our guest clearly isn¡¯t enjoying his stay with us,¡± someone began. ¡°You can lead a Gopplesnark to clean water but you can not force him to drink from it.¡± Another said. ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± I said in a snarky tone. ¡°I am very well acquainted with the scripture.¡± ¡°You should let a real follower of the old gods¡­¡± ¡°Silence!¡± I yelled, echoing through the halls. My initiation, with the arrival of my seventeenth year, had been so close. To finally be welcomed into the ranks of the priesthood. A priesthood to a congregation that, as of recently, barely existed. My big day had been so close before it was suddenly and violently stolen from me. Stolen from us. I was sure this ceremony would allow the other denominations to see, that even without the elders, I could still take lead and save Maltos¡¯ Covenant. Yet none of that mattered now, only revenge. Now within a claws length of the exterminator I could vaguely make out a prayer behind his hood and gag. I reach down, undoing the sack over his head, revealing the face of a young Venlil. I felt a sense of satisfaction when I saw his eyes quell with fear. My tail began to sway with happiness as I realized he likely still remembered me. ¡°What¡¯s that you were saying?¡± I ask as I remove his gag and he let loose with heavy breathing. ¡°Inatala keeps! Inatala protects!¡± He shouted through a rugged and raspy voice. Inatala, what has Inatala ever done for me? Aside from leading me to a life of loneliness, a life without purpose! A life where, everything I come to admire, be taken away from me! ¡°Say that name again.¡± I demand as the fear in his features was suddenly replaced with fury. Oh yes, he remembers me. ¡°You loathsome cunt!¡± He began, ¡°may Inatala¡¯s fire r-¡° I didn¡¯t allow him to finish before I plunged my dagger into his lungs. ¡ªThen again. ¡ªThen again¡­ ¡ªThen¡­
Somewhere in my own tempest of fury I lost myself. I didn¡¯t know how many times I had delved my dagger into his being, only that when a strong pair of tri-toed paws pulled me away and I began to come to again, not much was left except a cavity of ribbon. ¡°Easy big girl.¡± A low but gentle voice reassured me and I found myself in the embrace of a familiar Takkan. ¡°He certainly can¡¯t take anyone from you anymore!¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Another voice asked. Suddenly becoming aware of my own body, ¡°My arms are numb.¡± I replied. ¡°Yes,¡± the Takkan chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re all plenty certain of that.¡± I look up to see the members of the other congregations had closed their distance with me, now being Illuminated within the light I was in. I look to my beast to see if he were in the least bit satisfied. ¡ªHe was not¡­ A wash of fear lave over his face. ¡°O-okay¡±, the predator''s voice began shakily. ¡°N-not a sex cult.¡± I bow my head in shame and defeat. ¡°Well stars be damned, maybe you do have some hope after all.¡± Someone said. ¡°Do you feel that fire in you big girl?¡± My Takkan friend, Roogie asked. Oh I felt it alright! He must have read my body language as he started with an all too familiar prayer. ¡±O¡¯ Maltos, sing in me. Impart your wisdom upon me!¡± ¡°Through me tell thy story.¡± I began, picking up where he left off. ¡±Tell me the story of the greener fields and the forests that were no longer receding.¡± ¡°Tell me the tale of the river banks that were no longer eroding.¡± Another chimed in. ¡°Tell me the tale of the waterways that weren¡¯t growing stagnant with nature¡¯s dysentery and the seas that weren¡¯t acidifying.¡± Someone else picked up. ¡°Tell me the tale of the times when predators lay down with prey.¡± Came another. ¡°And shepherded us to those greener times.¡± I finished and began reminiscing on all of the horrors us prey had afflicted upon the galaxy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Every world we descended upon was brought to ruin. Trampling and burning everything afore us. A Sivkit Grand Horde, devouring planet after planet. Mazics and Gojids carpet bombing entire continents in the name of ¡®cleansing¡¯ Yulpa spreading a cruelty unmatched by the prey idol gods themselves. For some of us it became clear that we were never meant to lead. For those of us in that mindset we found refuge in the tales of the Old Gods. It was time for a new era, an era led by predators. And these new beings shall be our heralds! ¡ª¡ª¡ª I felt my deity''s presence enter the air of our room as all of the anxieties of earlier claw fade away. There you are! I shall cherish every second of this mome¡ª ¡°I call dibs on his shiny boots!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°I want his blood stained trousers!¡± ¡°I just want a few of his teeth!¡± Another chanted. ¡°A rib or two will do for me, would do nicely for my effigy!¡± As me and Roogie watched the congregations descend upon the exterminator¡¯s corps we both shared a light hearted chuckle at the wondrous spectacle. Things were finally beginning to look up for me. Maybe this was to be my day after all!¡ª ¡°Speh!¡± A voice cried. ¡°That¡¯s not what I think it is, is it?¡± ¡°Luz was supposed to check him!¡± ¡°Wait, why me, he was your catch!¡± ¡°He was your captive!¡± ¡°Oh Yiddith¡®s good name! They¡¯re probably already here!¡± Someone began braying. ¡°The brahk is going on!¡± I demanded, growing impatient as I saw a sheepish looking Venlil stand, holding a bloodied holopad plucked from the carcass¡¯ remains. ¡°Ugh!¡± I groaned. ¡°You damned Ediphites! I¡¯d at least be somewhat understanding if it were a hidden transmitter, not a stars be damned holopad! This is why no one takes our kin seriously!¡± ¡±You all know what to do!¡± Roogie interjected, shouting impatiently. ¡°Disperse! Shed your cloaks and cast yourselves to the winds! Melt yourselves back into the loyalist population. We will deal with whose at fault for this, obvious oversight at a later time!¡± Collectively and calmly, the crowd started to scatter without protest. I was amazed at just how swift yet organized this sudden evacuation had been. Certainly much more professional than the chaos that occurred in Velinek¡¯s chambers earlier. As the last of our kin left, me and Roogie shared a glance at our honored guest, still tied to the Venlil upholstery. ¡°What are we to do with his divine¡¯s gift to us?¡± Roogie began. ¡°We can¡¯t leave him for the exterminators yet I doubt he¡¯d be cooperative as he doesn¡¯t seem convinced of us¡± ¡°Well I¡¯m not drugging him again.¡± I began, still feeling a tinge of shame for having to do so earlier. ¡°Not only does it seem shameful but it took six of us, a laundry cart, and an act of parliament to get him here the first time.¡± ¡°Then we need to take him back to the palace.¡± Roogie answered. ¡°Y-yes! The palace!¡± Master Sergei chanted. ¡°B-but this time, you do things my way. T-this predator demands it!¡± He said, gesturing to himself. I couldn¡¯t argue, I had put him through too much already this paw. Not only did I grossly misunderstand his desires but I¡¯d subjected him to a stars awful ceremony earlier. He even didn¡¯t seem to like my mental breakdown and execution for Maltos¡® sake. ¡°I promise, we do things your way this time.¡± I began. ¡°Just as I always should have.¡± I admitted with guilt. I made my way closer to his divine¡¯s messenger, feeling his predatory aura radiating through my being the closer I bore near to him. I began unfastening his restraints one by one. As I unfastened the second to last buckle I met his eyes. Heavy brow arching downward in an expression I would very soon recognize. I wrapped my paw around the last buckle, connecting to his right hand, and with one final click I was immediately met with a most magnificent wall of flesh and fury. Sparks flew in every direction of my gaze as well as fragments of my porcelain mask as I entered into a dreamy field of zero gravity and stars. ¡±He just attacked Yasna!¡± I heard in the distance over the ringing in my ears. I felt my blood and tears trickle down my face as I lay upon the floor. ¡±Somebody get her up! He¡¯s gone feral!¡± I lay on my back, sobbing. I failed¡ª ¡­ ¡ªAgain! Part 6 [Content Warning: Childhood trauma. Depictions of self harm.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Memory Transcription Subject]: Yasna, Covanent of Maltos Preistess, Venlil Prime. Date [Standardized Human Time]: July 12, 2136. (Note: At the time of transcription recording, subject was experiencing: Grade-1 concussion.) (Accuracy and validity of MT: Pending). Shuffling beneath my covers, I tasted the scent of Spritecakes in the air! I quickly bounced out of bed and down the hall, realizing the special occasion that the spritecakes were for. My day! Bounding down the stairs I went, happily bapping my tail against the rail each step of the way to alert my family of my incoming presence! ¡°Ba-dadadun-dun!¡± I sang, attempting to mimic a trumpet. ¡°Your princess has arrived!¡± I declared with pride as I was greeted with happy whistles from my father and older brother. ¡±Now that the princess is awake, she can help us set the table.¡± Came my dad. ¡°Nope!¡± I decreed. ¡°Princesses don¡¯t have to do what they don¡¯t wish on their birthday!¡± I argued as I took a seat and poured some fizzy pink juice into all of our glasses. With a laugh my father continued, ¡°Alright, just this once I¡¯ll let it slide. You only turn nine once in your life.¡± I whistled in agreement just as big brother was taking the Spritecakes out of the oven. ¡°Where¡¯s mom?¡± I ask with a bit of concern. ¡°Had to work a double shift I¡¯m afraid,¡± my dad began, ¡°said she couldn¡¯t give me details but she was going to be here as soon as she could princess!¡± Feeling a bit sad now I nestled into my seat. ¡°Alrighty!¡± My brother began, placing nine candle sticks into the main cake, my cake, and lighting them with a match. ¡°It¡¯s ready!¡± ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind if we start without mom,¡± dad began. ¡°She said she didn¡¯t want to keep you waiting and honestly, neither do we! You deserve this!¡± Brother placed the cake before me on the table as the two of them took a seat. ¡°Alright, you know the drill kiddo,¡± brother began, ¡°make a wish and blow them out!¡± Happily, I closed my eyes. I wish one day to be successful enough that mom, dad, and big brother, don¡¯t have to worry about funds anymore, don¡¯t have to worry about rent anymore. I hope one day to give them back for all that they¡¯ve given me! I want us to all live happily ever after. With that wish, I shut my eyes tight. I took a deep inhale, sharper than any I could remember and blew as hard as I could with a merry whistle escaping my lips! To my surprise however, I felt my face begin to heat up and I could see a glow behind my shut eyes. With shock and denial, I opened my eyes. Before me was fire. Our ceiling was on fire. Our walls were on fire. My house! It¡¯s on fire! I realized! I look to the table and¡ª ¡ªdad and big brother¡­ With the roaring of the flames and the yelling of my own kin, I felt myself fall into a blind panic. I threw my pink juice across my flaming table, turned on the faucets, opened the refrigerator, looking for any form of liquid I could, but with every douse of liquid I poured on my burning home and closest of kin, the flames only grew larger. ¡°No!-No! I¡¯m sorry!¡± I screamed at the two of them. ¡°I Don¡¯t Know What To Do!!¡±¡± And as suddenly as it began, the flames and the yelling were gone, and I was left alone in a charred and smoldering home. I look to where my dad and brother were only to see a silver demon standing atop their contorted forms. Face hidden behind a reflective mask, body hidden beneath a metallic suit, and a flamethrower in his hands. ¡°Alright kid, you¡¯re coming with me.¡± He said in a most guttural voice and the demon took grip of my arm. Instinctively, I fought back. ¡°Dad! Valik!¡± I screamed. I was gripping onto anything that was in the path that the silver demon was leading me down, yet everything I touched gave way and became ash in my paws. ¡°You can squirm all you like,¡± the demon in the silver suit spoke to me. He leaned in close to my face, so much so I could nearly taste his breath through his mask. ¡°I like it when they fight back.¡± ¡±Yasna!¡± I looked to see who was calling me in the distance but saw nothing except more silver suits surrounding me before suddenly I found myself hurtling through the air, landing in the back of a truck. ¡±Wake up big girl!¡± Before me were dozens of other children, packed tightly in the confines of a moving vehicle. Some sobbing, some openly crying, others just kept their heads down so as not to be seen. ¡±We have to go big girl!¡± I kept searching for that familiar voice yet everywhere I looked I saw more and more children being poured into the confines of our moving cage. We began piling on top of one another and I felt the air being squeezed out of my lungs. I was being punched, kicked, clawed and bitten as us children began a confined stampede in the claustrophobic truck. Through the ringing in my ears, I clawed my way skyward until I was nearly at the surface. I looked up and could see open air shining down from above through the layers of frightened children. Suddenly, an all too familiar Takkan face was peering down at me. His lips began to move. ¡±It¡¯s time to go big girl!¡± ¡°¡ªRoogie?!¡± I responded. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª (Note: At this stage of the recording, subject¡¯s cognitive awareness has returned. Accuracy of this memory transcript is now deemed reliable) (Continuation of MTS): Yasna. Venlil Prime. Date [Standardized Human Time]: July 12, 2136. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I found myself laying on my back in a large, dim, quiet, and empty room. My head pulsating, my ears ringing, my face was damp and buzzing, and my mouth was filled with a metallic liquid which I instinctively spat out, discovering it to be my own blood. Along with a single tooth. I sat up, lifting my paws to my burning face. Gliding my digits across my features, I felt several sharp pricks of porcelain shrapnel embedded in my fur and flesh. My Mask! I scan my surroundings to see it shattered into an unsalvageable amount of pieces. ¡°He decked you pretty damn good.¡± Roogie began, kneeling beside me. ¡°By Maltos¡¯ grace you¡¯re even still breathing.¡± I looked around, noticing we were still in the same room the ceremony was taking place though this time it was void of life, with the exception of the two of us. ¡°The others¡ª¡° I began before Roogie cut me off. ¡°They made it out just fine. No doubt they¡¯re well mixed in with the civilian population by now.¡± I look to the empty throne where our honored guest once sat. ¡°Did he¡ª?¡± I started. ¡°I suspect he¡¯s long gone by this point.¡± Roogie picked up. ¡°Dipped in the opposite direction of everyone else as soon as he cut your lights off.¡± I felt relief, guilt, and embarrassment wash over me at this realization. I couldn¡¯t blame the predator for doing so after that awful performance I had subjected him too. I began rubbing my buzzing, sore snout again. Gliding my tongue through the freshly made gap of my missing tooth. I deserve this pain. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to carry you out, I don¡¯t know much about medicine but I feared your neck might be broken, plus it¡¯d be hard to explain to the civilians outside why I¡¯m carrying an unconscious, bloodied Venlil.¡± He said to me. ¡°I considered loading you up in the laundry cart we wheeled him in here with.¡± He said gesturing to the empty throne. ¡°But uh¡ª¡° he trailed off. ¡°¡ªhe went in the same direction of this facility that we left it in and I dare not risk his wrath upon me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± I said, still shaking the ringing from my ears. ¡°Regardless¡±, he began again, ¡°we have to go now. I¡¯m surprised the fire worshipers haven¡¯t made their way here yet.¡± He finished yet at this point, in my miserable life, I actually didn¡¯t think I¡¯d care if I got taken by them again. ¡°Let them take me,¡± I started, ¡°you need to go.¡± ¡°Looks like he gave you a concussion too I see.¡± He chuckled, poking at my skull. ¡°No, im serious.¡± I said feeling the utter embarrassment of the dibocle that was this ceremony. I made a complete fool of myself, before my company, before my God. Damnit damnit damnit! We sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the buzzing hum of the single light in the room, the only source of noise as the ringing in my ears finally began to subside. Roogie gazed off into a dark corner of the room, completely unaware of how to respond to my request but obviously reluctant to leave me behind. ¡°You know as well as I,¡± Roogie began, ¡°that Maltos is a most forgiving figure. He redeems. Unlike Yiddith wh-¡° ¡°I¡¯m a fool Roogie.¡± I interrupted. And a freak, and a fake, and a fraud, and a¡­ ¡°You got desperate.¡± He offered. ¡°Considering your¡ª our, circumstance, who could blame you?¡± ¡°If our elders could see this, how embarrassed would they be?¡± ¡°They¡¯d applaud a young Yasna, priestess-to-be, for taking such quick initiative!¡± He counter argued. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault!¡± I said while looking toward the mangled carcass of the exterminator I had mauled not so long ago. ¡°Fire worshiping traitor!¡± I yelled! I started pecking into the sores on my face with my claws, hoping to tear off this flesh and reveal another girl underneath. Another girl who wasn¡¯t such a failure! Another girl that wasn¡¯t such a colossal let down! ¡±Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!¡± I yelled as I felt myself tumble down the staircase of madness. I began pounding my own face with my paws. ¡°Shhh¡ª and stop that.¡± He said while restraining my paws. ¡°And not so loud big girl. ¡° He gently said as he pulled me in close for an embrace. We sat there as I buried my face deeper into his chest in the hopes of hiding my shame from the world, and from my God. ¡°It really is just me and you now isn¡¯t it? A church of two.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°At least now, because of you, we know that we have allies.¡± He countered. ¡°And they seemed impressed with you!¡± He finished, looking at the exterminator¡¯s corpse. ¡°Was that before or after I got ran through by a predator¡¯s fist?¡± ¡°Mmmh, mostly before, after I think they just got scared.¡± We shared a brief but much needed chuckle. I felt the same feeling of peace as I had earlier when I partially avenged our elders. I sighed. ¡°I really thought I was doing the right thing by him, I mean it worked with that Mudmaw remember?¡± ¡°Oh-ho yes! I remember that, self professed, Krakotl ¡®journalist¡¯.¡± He finished with a light laugh. ¡°These predators are nothing like we¡¯ve experienced before.¡± With a sudden feeling of joy, I stood up, feeling much better than before. ¡°You ready to go big girl?¡± ¡°Yes, but first, I¡¯d like to find him.¡± ¡°W-what!? Yasna no! Look, I know you want to bring the church back to its former glory but this mission,¡± he paused before a look of sorrow filled his features and his voice became much more gentle, ¡°it was a failure with these predators, I say we cut our losses and get out of here before the fire worshipers arrive.¡± He must have read the defiance on my face as he continued. ¡°He never saw our faces anyway.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting. Those, stars be damned, Ediphite¡¯s said my real name.¡± Roogies eyes became plastered toward the floor in both realization and horror. It were policy that we should never use our real names during ceremonies, just as we shall never reveal our face during them too. Doing such would be a breach of security. Should Sergei return reveling the name of his kidnapper, I¡¯d have to return back to a life of hiding, undoing the years of work it had taken me to land a position at the governor¡¯s palace. I must bring him to my side! ¡°I am not moving to another planet again!¡± I stated flatly. Looking upon his features, I could tell he agreed. ¡°Besides, I shall very much like to redeem myself just has Maltos has redeemed me. From here on out I will prove to my Sergei that I will do things his way and never mine again.¡± It was then that the old proverb rang in my skull, a sudden spark of realization. ¡°Predators lead, and prey follow, remember?¡± Oh Maltos, you were speaking to me this entire time! A sudden crash echoed far down the facility¡¯s halls, followed by the loud reverberation of heavy boot-steps and things being thrown about. ¡°Well big girl,¡± he began, jumping to attention, ¡°no time to argue, the fire worshipers are upon us, if we¡¯re going to go we best get moving now!¡± Giving him an affirmative era flick, Roogie took off. Before I could leave however, I took one final look at the pile of meat that was my dead exterminator. H?e? ?w?a?s? ?o?n?l?y? ?o?n?e?,? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?m?a?n?y?,? ?r?e?s?p?o?n?s?i?b?l?e? ?Y?a?s?n?a?.? I am well aware, little voice. I¡¯m aware. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª [Memory Transcription Subject]: N¡¯midia, Government Palace Intern Princess N¡¯midia, Venlil Prime, in Orbit of Planet Glaxamor IX. Date [Standardized Human Time Royal Glaxamor Time]: July 12, 2136 Month of Never-Ending Rain, 17th Day, CCVII. ¡±RAH--HAHA-HA-HA!¡± ¡±What is a lowly prey to do?¡° Sang the vile Arxur known as Captain Ilithor. ¡±Once your pathetic federation sees the raw POWER that is the Arxur dominion¡±, he began once more, ¡°you¡¯ll have naught left but to abandon all hope!¡± He finished while flexing his, rather impressive, biceps. ¡±You¡¯ll never win¡°, I shout at him, tugging at the restraints binding my arms and legs against the wall of his illustrious and heavily accented command room. Unfortunately however, I knew better, I knew that he was right. We prey stood no chance against the amazing power that was a predators might. How could we ever hope to defeat a predator?! He motioned his toned form over to the viewport and opened its shutters wide. ¡°OBSERVE!¡± He yelled. Before my view was my beloved homeworld, Glaxamor, and a ravaged fleet of federation ships in its orbit. ¡°First gunnery officer!¡± Ilithor began. ¡±Fire the laser!¡± ¡±Fire the laser!¡± Another officer croaked. ¡±Fir¡¯n the laser!¡± The gunnery officer called before interrupting himself. ¡°Uhm, sir, the laser is only at 79%, wouldn¡¯t that just¡­¡± ¡±Just fire the fucking laser!¡± He shot back to the officer and before my very eyes I witnessed a most magnificent white light of destruction as my homeplanet blinked out of existence and into a flaming field of debris. ¡°Ha-hahaha-ha!¡± Ilithor cackled while clutching his claws before his face. Through my tears I began. ¡°You waited until we had a good view in order to do that didn¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°I mean,¡± he began while caressing his triangular snout, ¡°I guess I could have done that like¡­ three rotations ago or something like that¡­¡± he started while trailing off, pacing his command room. ¡°I mean those lasers have a COLOSSAL range after all.¡± He looked at me. ¡°Was it all really worth it, come to think of it? I could have totally skipped that monologue with Captain Sovlin and just blown up your homeworld just like that. Wouldn¡¯t That Have Been Halarious! Ha-hahahaha-ha!¡± He finished, his tone suddenly changing to one of manic desire. ¡±You¡¯re right,¡± I began through my sobs, ¡±we prey really don¡¯t stand a chance against predators. We are powerless!¡± He chuckled at my latest response. ¡±What is it that you want?¡± I cried. ¡±Our submission? Our servitude?! I¡¯ll give you anything you want!¡± He crooked his head toward me in that most uncanny of ways. His red eyes and vertical black slits piercing my very soul. His hand shot forth, six powerful digits gripping tightly around my neck. ¡±Die. I want you to die.¡± He said in a slow growling tone while his grip became an iron vice. Just when I truly believed that all was lost and the universe I¡¯d come to love was to be no more, the command room before me became a blinding orange flash of light, hate, shrapnel, and fury. Smoke filled every crevasse of the room as so too did dead Arxur and tracer rounds. I look to the furthest wall to see the source of the sudden explosion and from within the freshly flaming cavity in the bulkhead strode a most familiar figure and my heart leapt with joy! ¡±Malicore!¡± I yelled. ¡°I¡¯m saved!¡± ¡±Glaxamor may be no more my sweet and I am sorry for our tardiness, for we were saving the children of Eridon VII!¡± The Terran, Malicore roared, ¡°Do not forget, Glaxamor lives on in your heart and that, I am here to save!¡± He was wearing his traditional Terran power armor, covered airtight from head to toe. Decorated in the finest Terran metallurgy. Energy shield in one hand and hand-cannon in the other, he tore through the Arxur bridge as his pack of Terran shadow stalkers, raced into the room with guns blazing. ¡±RAGHHH!¡± Came Captain Ilithor, ¡°You bald ape pack hunters are no m¡ª¡°, but he never finished as a 23mm round of Malicore¡¯s hand-cannon tore a cavity into his chest! The Arxur began to be cut down in mass, they never stood a chance against the might that was the Terrans! Our predators! Our guardians! Our heroes! Some Arxur pleaded for mercy but they found none against the BULKING forms of the primate pack hunters. Their BULGING muscles desperately trying to break free of their power armor! Their MUSCULAR bodies ready to lay waste to any Arxur before them to save us prey. Their¡ª ¡±N¡¯midia?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°¡ªEEEEEEP!¡± Escaped from my mouth as I felt a paw land on my shoulder. Through reflex I slapped my laptop shut, shielding prying eyes from my latest work of online literature. ¡°You giving someone a verbal beat down on that thing?¡± Trade advisor, Narnir asked, gesturing to my, now closed, laptop. ¡°W-what?!¡± Was all I could muster as I felt my face begin to bloom. ¡°You were pecking away at that keyboard like you were angry at it¡±. I look up to see many curious snouts of my fellow cabinet members, now directed toward me. Ohhh, what do I do? What do I say?! What would everyone here think if they found out that I was the infamous writer v/PetitePredatorPlaything888 on MyHeard? ¡°Leave her alone.¡± Came a familiar voice. ¡°She¡¯s just excited like we all are and sharing this paws experiences with the rest of our world.¡± Finished Zyvimyra as she approached the two of us, giving me a wink as the tension in my chest flattened. Gently, I put my laptop back in its case. My fanfic will have to wait until later. I will be the first author to include this new race into the Nature of Predators fandom! ¡°Besides,¡± Zivy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we have anything better to do.¡± She said gesturing around the room full of my fellow colleagues. Most were lounging, a few were playing a game of kriddith in the corner, and the rest were doing whatever foolery they could get involved in just to pass the time. Just as she said, it wasn¡¯t as if we could simply leave. In the three claws since the predators landed on our world and made their way into governor Velinek¡¯s private study, the governor¡¯s palace had been laid siege to, on all sides, by a horde of news agencies, reporters, paparazzi, various other onlookers, food vendors, excited civilians, and a sprinkling of exterminator squads scattered about for good measure. Taking a peep out of my periphery, through the windows, I could see a sea of people just beyond the palace gates. With the arrival of sapient predators, any thought of continuing with our regular work vanished and we found ourselves wandering aimlessly around the palace. We were desperate to pass time until governor Velinek had either finished his private conversations with the galaxy''s newest guests or when the crowds beyond the gates subsided. All of us, eager to leave, but none of us brave enough to wade through the deluge of people outside. The perimeter and gate guards were on full alert, not allowing anyone into the palace. ¡°It¡¯s been three claws already!¡± Shouted Narnir, thankfully changing the subject. ¡°What in the brahk have they been talking about in there in all this time?¡± ¡°Well this is the first actual interaction any species has ever had with a race of predators,¡± Zyvi flared, ¡°so I imagine there¡¯s a lot to talk about. ¡°I¡¯m calling it now!¡± military advisor Putzel shouted. ¡°They¡¯re dead! The predators couldn¡¯t contain themselves and now Velinek¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªdon¡¯t be rediculous!¡± Interrupted another voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear them? How civilized they were? I know it¡¯s hard to hear when your head is so far up your own a¡ª¡° ¡°Civilized people don¡¯t eat meat!¡± Someone loudly interupted. ¡°I say we give them a chance like they¡¯re giving us a chance.¡± Rang out another voice. ¡°A chance? I¡¯m telling you, Velinek and Vikiah are dead!¡± Putzel rhetorted. ¡°Perhaps they¡¯re just long winded.¡± Started someone else. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing right? Means their social creatures!¡± ¡°They were dissecting us with those eyes!¡± A man cried. ¡°Now they¡¯re in there dissecting the governor!¡± ¡°Shut it. Shut it!¡± Shouted Narnir, now taking stage in the center of the room. Now with all eyes on him, he raised a paw to his face, pretending to put on an invisible pair of glasses. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± He began in dramatic, playwright fashion, pretending to hold a piece of paper in front of his gaze. ¡°The first predator sapients and they¡¯re¡ª¡°, he paused, gasping sharply for dramatic effect, ¡°highly intelligent, social, kind, and empathetic? No, this can¡¯t be.¡± He finished, returning to his more serious demeanor. ¡°I swear, it¡¯s almost like you guys are disappointed that they¡¯re not here to conquer and enslave us!¡± ¡°Well what if I am!?¡± A familiar woman yelled. ¡±GIRL!¡± ¡ª We all shouted in unison toward the brightly blooming Venlil lady now holding a paw over her mouth. ¡°Just asking the real questions again, eh Pema?¡± A voice chuckled as she bolted out of the room, trying to outrun her embarrassment. That¡¯s the second time this paw that Pema¡¯s made a fool of herself. I¡¯m going to have to comfort her later. ¡°I am going to pretend that i did not just hear that!¡± Someone said. ¡°Agreed.¡± Came another. ¡°Moving on!¡± Began Narnir. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the important stuff first, like how in the brahk are we going to leave the palace? It¡¯s been three claws and I ain¡¯t staying here any longer!¡± ¡°We could try the sewer sys-¡° one started to say before being cut off by a barrage of curses and disagreement. ¡°Has anyone entertained the thought of just leaving?¡± Our computer technician, Jisu began. ¡°I mean, no one¡¯s seen Yasna in three claws, she must have found a way out. Speh! She¡¯s probably already at home.¡± Narnir stormed over to the large window to the opposite side of the room and flicked the curtains apart. Unlatching the lock he flung open the windows, ¡°Observe!¡± He said, lifting forth his paw. Observe we did, just a short distance from our view point was a gate patrolled by guards, beyond that, was an ocean of onlookers. Citizens from all across Dayside City gathered in the thousands beyond the palace gates. From my elevated view I could see that quite a few visitors were holding signs, a few of which had a good sense of humor. ¡°¡ªPredators welcome!¡ª¡°, one sign read. ¡°¡ªWhy are we all here again?¡ª¡±, read another. ¡°¡ªSingle prey in your area!¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªInterlopers go home!¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªWe¡¯re not as tasty as we look!¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªI¡¯m just here for the free booze.¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªDo you come in peace?¡ª¡° ¡°¡ªThey¡¯re going to take our jobs!¡ª¡° ¡°¡ª Government Mandated Predator Girlfriends Now!¡ª¡° The last sign earned a chuckle from me until two other signs nabbed my attention. ¡°¡ªFuck the federation.¡ª¡±, one said. ¡°¡ªExterminators = Occupiers.¡ª¡±, said the other. Such sentiments would not be tolerated in the core worlds, nor would they be tolerated by the exterminators but the crowd was simply far too large for the exterminators present to police properly. The guild wasn¡¯t as popular in our corner of space as they were used too being in the more centralized federation. ¡°T-there must be t-thousands, no tens of thousands out there!¡± I heard someone say to Jisu. It was likely that many businesses closed for the paw after hearing such momentous news of sapient predators making contact with us. I didn¡¯t doubt that many had indeed gathered because they were merely excited at the prospect of seeing sapient predators and wanted to be a part of this moment of history, though I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that many others were taking advantage of such a large gathering to further a certain agenda. ¡°And here with us live is a witness who said he saw the craft come down.¡° we heard. At this interruption we turned our gaze to the far side of the room to see that someone had turned the television on. Bottom of the screen reading ¡®Dayside City News Network¡¯. On screen was a flashily dressed Venlil woman surrounded on all sides by people. In the distance was the governor''s palace that we were residing in. She was holding a microphone toward a disheveled and dirty man who looked like he had just been released from a PD facility. ¡°That¡¯s right! I seen ¡®em!¡± The ¡®witness¡¯ began. ¡°Came down all like WwOoOoOoOoooosh!¡ª Ka-Pow!¡± He said with exaggerated gestures of his paws, causing the reporter to flinch. ¡°Oh it was chaos!¡± He finished. The reporter backed away before beginning, ¡°yes, erm¡ª well you heard it here folks, a ¡®wooosh¡¯ and a ¡®ka-boom¡¯.¡± She repeated awkwardly, quickly turning to another interviewee. ¡°And you sir, what¡¯s your take on todays events?¡± She asked an ancient looking, gray Venlil who snatched the microphone out of her paws. ¡°I¡¯m telling ye!¡± He said, getting far too close to the camera, ¡°this is all a ploy by those lying Kolshian bastards and their Farsul lackeys! They got them tentacles in all that genetic engineering wizardry! They sendin¡¯ them latest experiments to us in the outer federation to subdue us!¡± Suddenly, the man was tackled to the ground by a pair of ¡®Silver Suits¡¯. ¡°We must pursue secession from the Federation!¡± He said while unsuccessfully fighting the two exterminators detaining him. The feed then cut to a finely dressed Venlil man sitting behind a desk. ¡°Well¡ª¡° the news anchor began. ¡°That sure was interesting. Uh¡ª for the record, Dayside City News Network does not condone sympathies with anyone wishing to secede from the federation.¡± ¡°Meh,¡± Jisu began while muting the TV. ¡°We¡¯re not getting anywhere watching all this drivel. I am going out there, I am cutting through that crowd, and I am going home!¡± With this, he stormed out of the room. All of us gathering near the window again, eager to see if he would succeed. We watched as he made his way out of the palace, making brief conversation with the guard who reluctantly gave in to his demands and opened the gate. Off he went. I heard many of my colleagues gasp as not a tailswidth past the guard shack, the paparazzi and journalists descended upon him enmass. ¡±I¡¯m not answering your questions, I am going home! We heard him yell in the distance. ¡±Hey! Get your grubby paws off of me!¡± His voice began to be drowned out by the deafening roar of hundreds of journalists and news reporters. Cameras flashed in all directions like a high frequency strobe. We at the windows and the guards in the guard shack looked on in helpless horror as he screamed over the mob that was assaulting him with a verbal beatdown of questions. ¡±Pleaaaaase! I don¡¯t want to be interviewed!¡± He screamed over the commotion. ¡±Hey! Put me down!¡± He took one last look back toward us, fear washed over his face, as the tidal wave of paparazzi and journalists swept him away like an undertow and suddenly we could see him no more. ¡°Oh my Stars! He¡¯s dead! He¡¯s actually dead!¡± One of my collueges yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t be so dramatic, he¡¯ll be fine.¡± Someone began. ¡°This is just how the paparazzi works. I¡¯ve seen worse.¡± ¡°We really s-should introduce a bill c-criminalizing such harassment.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Narnir began while taking the center of the room. ¡°We¡¯re trapped here it seems. Nobody panic, we need to stay calm.¡± ¡°How the brahk can we stay calm,¡± began Putzel, ¡°when the governor is being eaten just a few doors down!¡± ¡°You know what,¡± began Narnir while pacing to the opposite end of the room, ¡°I¡¯m sick of this. Today I ought to start a new political party. Everyone who thinks the predators are here with the best of friendly intentions, on my side of the room.¡± He barked. ¡°And anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together,¡± Putzel began, ¡°and knows this is some kind of predatory ploy and that the governor is most certainly dead, my side, now!¡± My colleagues began marching to their respective side of the chamber as I made my way beside Narnir. From where I stood I could see that our two new political factions were pretty much an even split. Oh stars. Just what else did this paw have in store for us?!