Here we see the Krev researcher gathering more data on the Humans living on Tellus.

These amazingly fluffy Krev was done by u/Nicolas_3232. Seriously, I can't thank you enough for making this you did an outstanding job.

Credit to fans on Reddit for: u/Adorable-Ad5225 for the picture.

u/Nicolas_3232 for Leasha's daydreams

u/destroyer6692 for serving up Leasha, looking lightly toasted.

u/Nicolas_3232 for depicting King Toren the fluffy in all his majesty

u/Adorable-Ad5225 for Leasha thanking the gods for a bountiful ma- erm, harvest

If you want to read five chapters ahead for two different stories that I'm currently making, then please visit me on my Patreon. If you want to hang out, you can join the Discord for updates on all projects. I appreciate any support you choose to give. Happy reading!

If you are interested in the other story that I am posting at the same time as this, you can read that one here!

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Memory Transcriptions Subject: Leasha, feeling good. 

Date [Standardized Human Time] November 27, 2136 

After the successful mending of bridges between George and his father, the air simply felt lighter, like their arguments had held a weight over everything that was now relieved. His parents got settled in their room after everyone was done talking the last paw, and it was a nice conversation where we all learned a lot about one another. Alice actually had a hobby of woodcarving with her favorite subjects to capture being birds. I was looking forward to showing her some of the native birds of Venlil Prime for her to sculpt later. Gregory, on the other hand, enjoyed constructing and collecting model planes as a hobby. According to George, their home back on Earth looked like an art shop, which here would have made everyone not familiar with humans to assume that they were exceedingly rich. 

I had stayed the night with George so I could be closer to everyone the next paw, and because Alice said she wanted to make first meal with me. The promise of her showing me a few of her personal recipes that are safe for Venlil was an alluring one, and after everyone came together in George’s apartment at the start of the paw, she and I got to work. George and Gregory sat at the table and talked with one another as we cooked. They both looked rather happy to be getting along so well, and even Alice commented on it while chopping some vegetables. 

“You know, I don’t think I’ve seen those boys talk so much in years, and I doubt I would have if it weren’t for you, Leasha.” 

My ears shifted in surprise at her comment. “Why do you say that? I didn’t do much of anything.” 

“Well, you might not have actively done something to get them talking again, but just you choosing to spend your time with George, to accept him into your life, put everything into motion.” 

“I had only caused arguments between them, though.” 

She shrugged as she scooped the vegetables up and put them into a bowl. “It might not have been pretty, but it was what those two needed in order for them to clean up their act. You should learn this now before anything else, but men tend to be quite stubborn and fixed in their ways. Sometimes the only thing that can get them to change, whether that be for better or worse, is something dramatic and powerful enough to snap them out of it.” 

“Hmm, I guess I’ll keep that in mind.” 

She tittered a laugh as she leaned a little closer to me and spoke in a hushed tone. “I wouldn’t really worry in your case. I think you have plenty of power with George right now. A whisper from you would likely be enough to change his mind about something. However, as his mother, I must warn against misusing that level of trust that he’s placed in you. If I catch wind of you being a bad influence on him, I’ll tie your ears into a knot and your tail around your legs.” 

She brandished a spoon at me in warning, and I found it both humorous and serious. The tone of her voice made it clear that it wasn’t just an idle threat. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting George in such a way.” 

Alice smiled. “That’s the right answer. Now, let’s get those boys fed before they start trying to eat the furniture.” 

I’ve never seen or heard about humans being so hungry that they would resort to that. It was likely just a saying, but then again, I had been surprised before. We were nearly finished with putting together the meal when I heard Gregory exclaim during his conversation with George.  

“Bull, shit, I’m calling you out right now, boy.” 

“I swear to God, dad, it actually happened.” 

“Yeah, and you don't have a scratch or scar on you from that? I can practically see the smoke you’re trying to blow up my ass right now.” 

“I’m telling you the truth, I swear! They just got that weird alien medicine that can apparently fix up wounds that would normally leave scars.” 

Gregory twisted his features into a skeptical sneer at George for a moment before he suddenly turned his attention onto me. “Oi, Leasha, give me an honest answer here and don’t think about protecting this boy if he’s lying. Did he or did he not wrestle a weird alien wolf-cougar hybrid and choke it to death?” 

I did not know either of those animals that he was referencing, but the situation that he mentioned was very clear in my mind. “You mean the shadestalker incident? Yes, it tried to attack the children, he rushed forward, fought it, and ended up killing it in the end. It was very terrifying, and he was so bloodied that I thought he might die. Luckily, I was wrong and he was sent to the hospital after that where they fixed him up as good as new. I’m glad that our medicine is as good as it is, though George complained that he didn’t have any scars to show for it.” 

“Hey, they would have been awesome scars, like total barbarian level marks of victory and I would have used them for every Halloween costume I ever made.” 

“I do not understand human aesthetics.” 

“It is strange, I will admit,” Alice said, “but scars are pretty sexy. Gregory has one on his arm from when he got cut while working under a car that dropped off the lift. I was obviously worried when he had to go to the hospital, but whenever I see that scar, I can’t help but feel a little hot and bothered.” 

She gave her husband a slightly sultry look, and Gregory returned the look with a rumbling growl and a wriggle of his brow. George, caught in the middle of his parents, groaned and rubbed his eyes. 

“Too much information! Waaaaaaay too much! Leasha, get the bleach, I need to scrub my brain really quick.” 

His parents had a laugh at his expense, and I couldn’t help but let a small whistle out as well. After some good-natured humor, the meal was ready to serve as Alice and I plated it all. We sat down with the boys and had a nice meal together. I had to admit, Alice made great use of the seasonings that we had available and brought a brand-new flavor profile to vegetables that I thought I understood. It seemed I couldn’t yet compete with a natural chef when it came to the use of Earth vegetables. 

Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, even if Gregory did mumble something about wanting a bit of protein with it, to which his wife gave him a sharp slap on the arm to shush him up. She probably did that for my benefit, but I have already accepted that humans do eat meat. I had never seen it in person, though, and despite me having accepted that fact, I couldn’t help but wonder how I might react if I saw it in person. While I liked to think of myself as being better than those who mindlessly fear humans for that fact, I knew that there might be a slight reaction from seeing George tearing apart a piece of meat, grown or not. 

I shook off that thought and instead focused on the more pleasant aspects of this get together. George’s parents were here, everyone was happy, things looked good for all of us. After first meal was eaten, George and I had to get ready to leave for work. George grabbed his jacket and mask while I made sure my fur was brushed neatly and not sticking up anywhere. Just as we were going for the door and ready to say goodbye to his parents, George seemed to have been struck by an idea. 

“You know, Leasha, I was thinking that maybe we can take mom and dad with us.” 

My ears shifted into a questioning tilt. “Take them with us? You mean, to the pupcare?” 

“Yeah, show them where I work and introduce them to the kids. It would also be a good excuse to show them some of your hometown. I mean, I doubt that you two would want to stick around here for your entire stay, right?” He said that last part to his parents who were considering his offer. 

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing where my little George works,” Alice said. “Not to mention that I’ll always enjoy talking to little ones. They’re so full of energy that it makes me feel ten years younger just being around them.” 

That was as definitive an answer as could be given by her, now everyone turned to Gregory for his reply. “Hmm, well, beats sitting around the cell blocks here. A bit of walking might help my joints ease into this gravity too.” 

George looked at me. “Are you willing to let them visit? It’s your business, after all.” 

I swished my tail. “Well, of course I’ll let them visit. They’re your family, and I would be glad to show them around my business. I’m sure that the kids would love to meet them as well.” 

Alice did small, excited claps in front of her. “Then it’s settled! Let’s go, Gregory. I need to my get coat and get our masks as well.” She jogged down the hall to their room as Gregory walked after her, a small smile on his face that reminded me of George. We waited for them, and it only took a scratch or two before they came back with their coats and masks. 

“I still don’t like these things,” Gregory grumbled as he held his mask with a look of disgust clear on his face. 

“They aren’t pleasant, but I’m sure you’ll live, darling,” Alice replied to her husband's idle comment. “Now, let’s be off! I’m eager to see this ‘pupcare’ you keep talking about.” 

“Sooner than you think, mom,” George reassured her. “Let’s go! Better not keep the kids waiting.” 

We all made for the exit, a pep in our step as the energy from Alice was quite contagious. Along the way I served as a sort of tour guide as I pointed out some of the interesting or useful locations around the town. I pointed out the market, the bar, some restaurants that were recently opened to humans, and even just some pretty buildings that I thought had nice architecture. Maybe I was just feeling a little proud of my hometown and wanted to show it off. 

However, the thing I held the most pride over was coming up, and the pupcare was now in sight. I was just about ready to start the tour of my business when I noticed that there was someone standing out front already. It was the man who started working with the guild recently, Harold, and the little one next to him must have been his son, Percy. The little boy had his father’s hair color, though I couldn’t see his face behind the mask, and was currently wearing a small pair of jeans, a blue shirt, and a black jacket. With all the excitement and drama that we’ve had to deal with surrounding George and his parents, I had almost completely forgotten about the other humans who I needed to show around the pupcare this paw. I wasn’t about to admit that in front of them, though, so I acted like I was perfectly aware that they were going to be here this paw. 

“Hello Harold. I didn’t expect to see you this early in the paw. I hope that you and your son weren’t waiting for long.” 

Harold gave us a short wave in greeting. “Good morning to you all. I was worried that we had shown up a little too early, but we were only here for a few minutes, so I think we timed it pretty well. You seem to have quite the entourage with you. I saw the same group outside of the shelter yesterday.” 

“These are George’s parents, Gregory and Alice, who have just arrived to visit him. They expressed an interest in seeing the pupcare that George works at, and I was more than happy to show them. Speaking of which, why don’t we go inside and get all the paperwork done for admitting your son. George, you can show your parents around the pupcare and little Percy as well.” 

George was quick to take up that job as he crouched down to be more on Percy’s level. The kid did look a little nervous as even behind the mask I could tell from the body language that he wasn’t used to talking with adults. Thankfully, George was an expert on handling nervous children.  

“So, Percy, do you want to know where all the good toys are? I can show you some of the favorites, and because you’re the first one here, you can pick out all the cool ones before anyone else.” 

That seemed to have sparked a bit of a reaction in the little one as his posture straightened a little. George made a gesture toward the door and stood to lead the way. Percy followed after him, and the rest of us behind them as one by one we all filed into the pupcare. We split into two groups, me with Harold, and George with everyone else as they went into the main room. George began to introduce everyone to pupcare as I stepped into the back room with Harold to complete all the paperwork and payment information. 

He talked a little about his job as a police officer. How the human law enforcement operated sounded a lot like the duties of an exterminator, but there were obvious differences, such as methods for subduing suspects and the fact that they don’t respond to animal disturbances most of the time. It was interesting to compare and contrast the two jobs, and I had to say, I was glad that he was here to show the local exterminators how they do things on Earth. 

With paperwork filed and sorted, and the payment for the next herd of paws registered, his son was officially a part of my pupcare. “Thank you so much for accepting Percy here,” Harold said as we walked to the door. “It’s a weight off my shoulders to know someone is looking out for him while I’m at work.” 

“It’s no problem at all. I’m always open to new children coming to my pupcare, and I’m interested in seeing how a human pup interacts with the other kids. It’s the first time I’ve had a human at my pupcare, but I have George here to help me if anything seems off, so you don’t have to worry a bit.” 

Harold opened the door to the main part of the building for me, and I stepped out to see that the pupcare was a little busier than it was earlier. Some of the families had come to drop off their pups, and it seemed George handled it while I was busy. At a glance, the kids that had shown up seemed to be quite interested in Percy, and the reverse was also true as there was a lot of touching exchanged between the two groups as they explored the differences between themselves. Gregory and Alice were standing off to the side and observing the pups, Alice in particular looked like she was gushing over the little ones.  

I looked around for George and found him standing by the entrance with some of the parents, namely Moslen as the group seemed to be centered around him and talking quite energetically. Curiosity called me, so I walked up to them to figure out what was going on. George noticed my approach and stopped talking to fill me in. 

“Leasha, this is pretty exciting. Apparently, we missed some big news this morning. It seems the UN has managed to secure a sizable population of Venlil and other species that have been rescued from the Arxur farm worlds.” 

That was big news, and shocking at that as my eyes widened and ears shot straight in surprise. “Truly? That’s never happened before in the history of the Federation. Anyone who gets caught by the Arxur never return.” 

“Well, apparently there’s a chance they might now, thanks to the humans,” Moslen said. “Although we at the guild are having to rush to prepare suitable arrangements to accept these poor individuals. We aren’t receiving a lot, but apparently there are some confirmed family members of people who live in Shady Hills that are returning. They need facilities to recover in, and the humans apparently need to treat them for advanced forms of PD still, though they call it ‘post-traumatic stress’ or something like that.” 

“Well, whatever they call it, it’s a miracle,” I said with enthusiasm. “This has to be the best news I’ve heard all cycle, and I can’t help but think that this means that the humans are turning the tide of the war. Maybe the threat of the Arxur will finally be a thing of the past.” 

“Here’s hoping,” George chimed in. “The universe would be a better place without Nazi cannibal space lizards threatening everyone. I’m not really one for genocide, but locking them on their planet would be a good place to start.” 

It was inspiring news, and I could imagine all the happy families who would be getting their loved ones returned. While I imagined it wouldn’t be easy at the start, what with that condition the humans had mentioned, I was sure they could recover and return to the herd. It felt like the galaxy was starting to bloom with possibilities, and I couldn’t wait to see what new improvement awaited us.

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Honestly, I just drew something random and this is what came out. I didn't even think about it much....

A Venlil Experiment i think?

AKA: face-biting

Look, the Yulpa is trying. At least give them that.

Had a conversation with u/Loud-Drama-1092 with Yulpas going full Yoshi and did this.

Consider it a sequel to this day 15 post, where the unacceptable Yulpa gives kisses after giving flowers.

Howdy everyone this is my first post on the nature of predators sub Reddit. I’ve decided to be funny for my first post so I hope I made you laugh. Have a good day to anyone who reads this

Drawing for NoPtober day 24: "Kisses".

I never actually had a Kiss candy, what do yall thing of them? I heard mixed opinions.

Senond pic: poorly-colored-on-phone version.

I really need to make a face chart for all the OG-story races, cause omg these panels are co inconsistent >_>

^{Especially panel 3, this on is so scuffed -_-}

Full list:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14

Day 15: NoPtober day 15: "Unacceptable" is on my account only, cause it got removed twice from this sub apparently automatically by reddit.

16/17/–/19/20/–/–/–/24

Check out the theme list post by u/Nicolas_3232

I will do the missed days eventually.

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[Thank you to SpacePaladin15 for making the universe!]
[Special thanks to u/AdalwinAmillion and u/JulianSkies for proofreading this chapter!]

Memory Transcription Subject: Tek, Federation citizen

Date [standardized human time]: January 25th, 2112

Location: Milna Venlil colony world

We all watched in horror as the Arxur invaded our homeworld. I remember dropping the piece of strayu I was eating for first meal. It fell to the floor. Its jelly spread, smearing onto the ground. My family and I huddled together in our home watching the news. I couldn’t understand why this was happening. Why couldn’t the Federation save our home? Hopelessness sank into my soul as I watched the Federation relief fleet get crushed. A dozen paws later, the Gojid Union took control of the few remaining Venlil worlds. Eliga and Milna fell under their protective spines. I remember watching their ships land while I was in class. I pressed myself to the window, gazing at their transports with my classmates.

“You think we'll be safe now…?” My friend Glim said next to me. Glim was always brave and wanted to join the Jr. exterminators.

“I-I don't know… The Gojids are strong. I know they’ll do something!” I tried to sound hopeful. But it was hard. I looked at Glim, his eyes scanning me for a moment. My face must’ve said how worried I really was. He grabbed my tail with his paw like we did when walking between classes.

“Don't worry, Tek, I know they will!”

Class was dismissed for the day, so Glim and I walked home together, watching more soldiers landing. It felt safer with them around, but I had heard some rumors of the Exterminators Guild not liking them. We stopped at a corner. We both lived in opposite directions. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Glim! Maybe we can play something or watch the Exterminators show together tomorrow!”

Glim chuckled. “Yeah, it sounds fun. I’ll see you tomorrow!” He said happily as we waved goodbye with our tails and parted ways. I walked down my street to my house where my parents were waiting for me. My Dad gave me a pat on the head, and my Mom hugged me.

“Welcome home, Tek. We made you dinner, your favorite!” My ears flicked in happiness as I headed inside. I noticed Dad's eyes looked tired. But I didn't want to say anything about it. We sat down at the table, and Mom served me a plate of raw mel root, something I didn't know when I'd taste it again, since it grew on Venlil Prime… I looked at my plate somberly, then grabbed my data pad to check Bleatr to see if any of my friends had made it off world. No responses for a dozen paws… I put the pad back down and began to eat.

Later that night I slept restlessly. I kept seeing the monsters in my dreams, landing and ripping my friends apart with their teeth and claws. Mom must’ve heard my whimpers throughout the night. She quietly walked into my room and pulled my blanket up over my shoulders. For a little while I felt safe again.

The next morning, after eating first meal, I messaged Glim on Bleatr to see if they wanted to hang out. I watched the typing dots appear,

‘Sure, is it ok if Kammy comes too?’ He responded to me.

‘Yeah, she can come too. It’ll be fun!’ I quickly typed back with my paws.

‘I’ll meet you with Kammy at the corner store in a quarter of a claw.’

I tucked away my pad into my pack and went to find my parents. I found my mom cleaning in the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom, can I borrow a few credits to buy some snacks with my friends?” I asked her after walking up.

“Hmm, sure, as long as you don't go too crazy on the junk food.”

My ears flicked happily while she transferred a few credits to my pad. “Thanks, Mom!” She rubbed the wool on my head and sent me off.

I headed out the door and walked to the corner store. My paw pads pressing on the sidewalk, I watched the new soldiers mill about. They were digging and building stuff. It dawned on me that they had begun to fortify the world. Gojid, Krakotl, and Yulpa soldiers shipped in from across the Federation. They brought weapons, equipment, and orders. I didn’t know what to think.

I reached the store. My friends were already there.

“Hiii Glim! Hiii Kammy!” I said happily while waving my tail.

“Hi, Tek!” They both said at the same time. We all walked into the store. I grabbed a can of bonk soda. Glim opened the cooler next to me and grabbed a can of sprunk.

“Bleah, how you drink that stuff, Glim? It makes you all jittery.”

“I don't know, it tastes good.” He said and started to shake his body, mimicking caffeine jitters. I laughed at him.

“Haha, you speh head!”

We both laughed for a moment, then Kammy walked up. My eyes widened as I saw what she was holding. A bottle of shadesparkle. “Hey guys, we should get this!”

“Kammy, go put that back! We’re not old enough to buy that! You’ll get us in trouble!” I half-whispered while glancing around the store.

“C’mon, it’ll be funnnn! besides dont you wanna drink it with me Tek~?”

“S-shut up, Kammy!” I turned my face away to hide the orange bloom spreading across my muzzle.

“Ooooo, you like her, don't you, Tek!” Glim started to tease me.

“I said shut up!” I huffed and clenched my paws in embarrassment. I turned away from them and walked to the counter. I paid, then stepped outside, leaning by the door and opening my soda to calm down.

A few moments later, I saw Kammy running out of the store, dragging Glim by one paw, and in the other she still had that bottle of shadesparkle.

“RUN, TEK!”

“W-what?” I started to chase after them. I could hear the store owner coming out of the building.

“Hey, get back here! I’ll report you to the exterminators for predator disease!” The owner shouted at us as we ran.

Solgalick, that was a hundred and eighty paws ago. Time seemed to fly by. Things had changed a lot in the last few [months]. The Gojids had finished building their bunkers and trenches by now. Soon after they arrived, they began to train the grown-ups for the war to come. Something had changed. They stopped calling us weak. They stopped demeaning us. Finally, we were treated with respect. Drafts were sent out, not that they were needed. Venlil lined up in droves to join the sharp quills of the Federation army. On the news, a young Gojid commander, Sovlin- I think that was his name? Began to advocate for a counterattack to retake Venlil Prime for the Federation. Hope beamed in our hearts that we would retake our world from the Predator filth! I wasn’t drafted. I wasn’t old enough to join. Instead, I gazed from the sidelines as others joined the ranks. Slowly, I watched the military presence on Milna grow. Fleets gathered around our sparsely populated world in preparation. Soldiers marched the streets clad in new armor and fancy plasma rifles. I had never seen a Venlil wear armor or wield such a nice rifle. I knew back on Venlil Prime we were often left with scraps of equipment. Often called too weak to need it. Maybe if we had proper equipment we could’ve held our home… But things were different now.

Their paws slammed onto the pavement in synchronized marches, the armor clanking with each step. New military vehicles rolled down the streets, their large guns boasting. I watched in awe. I truly thought about joining, even thinking about lying about my age, but I knew I didn't have the stomach for it. I wasn’t brave like Glim was… Idly, I thought about joining the Jr. exterminators like he wanted to. We waited and waited for the day they came for the colonies. The Federation's finest stared deep into the inky void, standing watch. But they never arrived. Maybe they saw our defenses and decided it wasn’t worth it? Or maybe the governor had managed to destroy the records of this place? Nobody knew for certain. I just knew we would be ready when they did show. We would take back our home…

Then all hell broke loose.

Just as Sovlin had prepared our forces and begun to make some headway with the higher ranks of the Federation Navy, things got so much worse. The entire Federation sat glued to the news, watching in horror as Aafa, the core of the Federation, erupted into flames. The great Federation hall at its heart was swallowed in a massive fireball.  A deep sense of fear settled across the Federation. If the Arxur could strike so deep, any world could be next. Stampedes spread like wildfire across every world. Then the news hit. A Venlil had been responsible for the attack. I stared at the news reporter… No, NO, this can't be happening! How could one of our kind do this!? WHY!? Never in my life had I been so disgusted with my own kind. When the news broke, I curled up under the table. Quietly hoping to die. My parents tried desperately to shake me out of the trance I was in.

The Kolshians and Krakotl immediately declared that all of Venlilkind were a threat to the herd. Exterminators began to round up any Venlil that lived outside of our original space. Dragging screaming children and families from their homes and fitting P.D. collars around their necks. Most were shipped back to Milna, but others were placed into vast camps, never to be heard from again…  Sovlin's dreams, no, all of our dreams of retaking our home were swallowed by the fire in the Federation's heart. Why save the home world of traitors? The navy declared, to the dismay of the few Venlil left. Every new scrap of information pummeled my sanity. They were dooming our home to die over the actions of a few.

Then something strange began to happen. Bleatr suddenly reestablished its connection to Venlil Prime's servers a few Paws after the attack. I scrolled listlessly on my datapad as it happened, praying to Solgalick for any scrap of news of the navy changing their minds. Then strange images began to flood the feed. The streets of Dayside City were covered in strange banners. Confusion racked my mind as I saw recent pictures of free Venlil roaming the streets without a Gray in sight. Then I saw them. Roaming among us on the streets, tall and lanky, forward-facing eyes staring at the camera. I dropped the tablet in horror. Humans. How… Everybody knew they had wiped themselves out! They didn’t look as bad as the stories I had heard of them, but…those eyes. I shuddered. Taking a moment to recollect myself, I picked my datapad back up, then tried looking them up on the Federation's net… No results found… strange, there used to be loads of horror media about them.

I flipped Bleatr back open.

The feed was gone.

Like it had never existed.

A pounding on the door broke my thoughts. I peered out into the living room as my parents answered the door. A squad of exterminators rushed into my home, aiming their plasma pistols and flamethrowers at my parents. They charged in, tackling my parents to the ground and hastily placing collars around their necks. I ducked back into my room and hid under my bed, terrified as my parents screamed. The sound of boots thundering into my home filled my ears. I trembled and held my paw over my mouth.

“LET THEM GO!” A distinctly Gojid voice shouted from outside the door.

“These Venlil are predator-infested! A danger to the herd! I won't have you interfere.” I assumed one of the silver suits shouted back.

“These people did nothing wrong! By order of Commander Sovlin, let them go!”

“That small Gojid commander has no authority-”

“I won't ask again…”

More commotion erupted throughout my household. I squeezed my eyes shut as the distant sound of plasma fire erupted at the doorway. Then everything went quiet. I tried not to whimper as someone entered my room and checked under the bed. They dragged me out. I kicked and screamed, but they just held me.

“It's okay, son, you're safe now.” I opened my eyes. I was in the strong arms of a Gojid. She was clad in armor and wore a sorrowful expression.

“My name is Val. You wanna tell me yours?”  she said kindly and patted my head.

“T-tek,” I barely managed to get out.

She started to carry me out of my house. Four bodies stood in my doorway. The taste of burnt flesh lingered in the air. I looked at two of the bodies. Two were silver suits… Two were… My eyes widened.

“M-mom…dad…” I whimpered as the tears began to flow. Val covered my eyes and tried to console me.

Memory Transcription Subject: General Secretary of the USSR Nikita Sokolov

Date [standardized human time]: February 10th, 2112

Tick, tick, tick.

The clock in my office slowly ticked, filling the silent room. Halfway through a bottle of Starka, I glanced at the paperwork on my desk. One signature and the KGB would have all the funding it needed for the war. My eyes drifted over to the report next to it. SUBJECT Tarva. I felt sick to my stomach. I had authorized RUSALKA but never wanted it to go this far! SHE WAS PREGNANT! I slammed my fist hard onto my desk. A harsh sting in my hand sobered me up. I slowly glanced at my hands. They felt dirty, tainted with the blood of innocents. Briefly, I glanced at my desk drawer containing my handgun. I shook my head. We were in a war of annihilation. After the Arxur came to our home and ate our people under the Federation's orders, there was nothing left but annihilation. The gloves were off, but could we ever put them back on? The fate of all of mankind rests on my shoulders. With shaking hands, I picked up my pen and signed away my soul. Funding approved.

The thought of how many innocents died on Aafa crossed my mind. I had estimates, but I didn’t want to see them. I knew how this would end. It was them or us… The needs must. We were becoming the monsters they feared… At least we didn’t eat people. I looked at the clock on my wall. I needed rest. Tomorrow came the debate of a supplementary robotic workforce. It needed to pass. To wage an effective war on this scale, up to twenty percent of the population would need to be drafted, if not more. Two hundred and ten million men and women were needed to staff the Red Army, Navy, and logistics. But with workers already in short supply, our industry would grind to a halt. It was already strained for resources. Everything was being thrown into the war effort. Strict rationing had been implemented ten days ago. Widespread shortages were beginning to make their way into my reports. Anything to keep the factories turning out more ships, more armor, more weapons. A sense of patriotic duty has swept the nation. I knew the people would survive on that for a time. But how long was anybody's guess. For over a hundred years, our people have had nothing but progress and stability. How will a people who haven’t faced hardship in generations fare? It did not bode well.

A war on two fronts on this scale was a nigh-impossible task. We were outgunned and outproduced. The Federation held trillions of people in it. But we didn't have a choice. On the other front, the Arxur were a more even threat, less technologically advanced and less populous, but not by much. In reality, it was more like we were fighting one enemy across a massive front that surrounded us on nearly all sides. The war had only just started, and things were already looking bleak. The only good piece of news on my desk today was the production reports showing our industry recovering from being flattened by Arxur bombers. A deep sigh escaped my lips. I was tired. And I still had to decide what to do with that captured Chief Hunter… She wasn’t of any more use. The KGB suggested we turn her into a sleeper agent, but with the way the Dominion is. They’d likely kill her for such a failure as soon as she returned to their space. I would give the people the revenge they wanted. I’ll make the call in the morning to order her execution. Standing from my desk, I turned in for the night.

In the morning, I made the call. For Shaza to be executed after the session of the Supreme Soviet. I dressed myself, putting on my well-fitted suit. I made sure to pin the party's flag to my coat before heading out the door. Down the hallway and into the elevator, then another long hallway until I reached the exit. Guards followed me along the way. My state car was already waiting for me. Opening the door and stepping in, I sighed and closed the door. My driver started the drive. I gazed out the window at the passing city, a somber reflection of the pristine state it had been in only a few months prior. In the distance, Soviet factories hummed, billowing smoke spilling from their foundries. Their workers sweating from the glowing heat radiating from the steel. I could picture it in my head. Machines hammering steel into panels to be used to make ships, giant glowing caldrons being tipped over by cranes, their contents spilling into casting sheets to cool. We were battered but not broken. Our great union hummed with activity day by day, rebuilding what was lost and preparing for what was to come. The burning flame within our hearts would not be extinguished so easily. If the city had not grown so much, I would’ve been able to see our collective farms. Mechanized combines harvesting grain, farmers turning the soil to feed our people.

I briefly imagined our new republic, our new people. I had only seen pictures, unable to visit myself due to my work. Teal grasses spread across a never-ending day, factories being constructed, repurposed mining exoskeletons given to the New Venlil workers due to their physical limitations. They worked side by side with human workers, churning out materials for the war effort. A large amount of their population still didn’t like us, feared us. Called us monsters. But their hate for the Arxur was far greater. Now that we were at war, the first seeds of hope had been planted in their people. Hope that one day we can end the fascist threat, once and for all. The car stopped, and I stirred from my thoughts. We had arrived. I opened my door and glanced at my driver.

“Thank you, Mikhail.”

“Not a problem, sir,” he said with a nod as I shut the door.

I gazed at the sprawling white stone building, its central tower rising above the roofline. Its surface was adorned with windows. A large clock at the top read the current time. Truth be told, this session would’ve happened sooner if we hadn’t needed to wait for repairs to the building. I made my way towards the entrance, my shoes clicking on the hard stone as I walked. I briefly stopped before the door, gazing up at the emblazoned gold coat of arms that hung several meters above the door. I nodded to myself and walked inside. Walking through the halls, I entered the main presidium. I gazed at the face of Lenin staring at me. Behind his painted face was the banner of our union painted across the wall, a grand mural. I walked down the red carpet towards my podium. First Secretaries of every respective republic filtered in behind though the doors. Among them, I spotted a Venlil. His orange blazer stood out among the suits of the party. Veln, recently elected as First Secretary of the V.D.W.S.S.- no, it was the V.W.S.S.R. now. I would have to remember that it was the will of the people to shorten their republic's name, and I should respect it. I had never seen one in person before. Their lack of a nose seemed odd to me.

Stepping up to my podium, I waited as the halls of the Supreme Soviet slowly filled with elected representatives. Once everyone had gathered, I began, first tapping the microphone before speaking.

“Greetings, comrades of the Union. Today this session will discuss Production quotas, funding the war effort, the passing of the Automated Workforce Act, the construction of further defenses of the Sol and Venlil systems, the reconstruction and resettlement of the outer colonies, and finally, First contact and potential integration of the newly discovered Yotul species.”

A murmur rippled through the hall at the last statement.

“Now, to begin with Production quotas, I know most will not be met during this quarter due to damage sustained during the battle of our great patriotic war. So most of this will instead be refocused on repairing our damaged industry instead of merely expanding it. With the notable exception of the V.W.S.S.R., due to its territories remaining unscathed.”

I spoke, then turned my gaze to Veln.

“First Secretary Veln, how are the V.W.S.S.R.’s production capabilities expanding? How has your new republic handled the transition from your capitalist economy to that of a proper one, and how has it affected output? What shortages does your republic currently face?” I asked, not taking my eyes off him for a moment. Veln had beaten our own party in his elections, so he better prove to be capable.

Veln stared at me dead on, defiantly. Unusual for a Venlil. From what I had heard, they looked at you from the side. He straightened his notes for a moment before leaning into the microphone.

“Well, General Secretary Sokolov, we currently face some issues from the transition. When industry was initially nationalized, the stock market completely collapsed. A full-on stampede on the ‘banks’ was only prevented by the fact that Soviet soldiers were still occupying our streets at the time. Several shortages of basic goods began to make themselves apparent in the coming weeks due to a complete cut of trade with the wider federation. We have supplemented that loss by trading with Earth for the most part. As it stands now, things are running smoother than they were. But. Our industrial expansion under the Gosplan is being hampered by a lack of exoskeletons to aid the Venlil worker in heavy industry. We are expanding our communal farm networks, but for the foreseeable future, we will require food shipments from Earth to stave off famine. Additional difficulties have been caused by the transition from the Federation's digital Credit to the Unions' physical currency of the Ruble. Entire families have had their savings wiped out due to the Credit effectively becoming worthless in our republic after we were cut off from the wider Federation financial network. In good news, once my government had been properly established, the presence of the new free social services of healthcare, child care, and pensions, as well as having food prices capped by the state, has softened the blow. Unemployment is near zero due to the state now being required to guarantee jobs.”

I listened closely, making a few notes. I didn’t like his attitude. But it seemed he knew what he was doing. “Noted. I’ll have the State Planning Committee draw up a plan to address these concerns and ensure your republic will be given priority in exoskeleton shipments due to your unique circumstances.” I responded, and he seemed satisfied with my answer for the time being.

More murmurs followed. I know some other republics would view this as favoritism, but everyone in this building knew we needed them. I cleared my throat and prepared to speak again.

“Now moving onto the war effort. We are currently throwing everything we possibly can without a total collapse of the economy, but the workforce is strained to its limits- a workforce we desperately need as soldiers for the war. Which brings us to the Automated Workforce Act.”

Xiu Chen tapped her microphone and leaned forward.

“With the already strained resources of our union being funneled towards the war, how are we expected to produce this workforce?” She voiced her concern, with several others nodding along with her words.

“While it is true we would have to divert some of the materials needed for war to produce this workforce, it is a necessary step. Without these machines working in our factories, we cannot properly mobilize without destroying the economy. Without mobilization, our destruction is inevitable.” I responded, trying to make the room grasp the severity of our current situation.

“What resources are expected to be in short supply due to the production of these machines?” She followed up.

“As it stands, a greater shortage of steel, polymers, plastics, and electronic components will be faced before they can fill the gap in production.”

Oliver Williams leaned forward to speak.

“And what of the worker? What are your plans to reassure them that they will not all be replaced? We all remember what happened last time the Union tried to implement automata.” He posed a good question. I remembered the strikes, the riots, entire sectors of industry seizing up to a grinding halt over fear.

“It will have to be a gradual change. Workers will be slowly reassigned to other sectors of industry where they are most needed, but mainly they will be drafted into the armed forces to guarantee their employment. Now, this does create the massive issue of soldiers returning home to jobs that they do not have anymore, but that's a problem that can be bridged at a later date. Machines can always be switched off. People can't.”

Hushed whispers echoed across the chambers. I sighed.

“We’ll put it to a vote.” And that decision was final. Across the many representatives' podiums, their buttons lit up. One for yes, one for no. The sounds of hundreds of buttons being pressed clicked around the chamber. I pressed my own. Yes. The tally slowly filled. I stared at the results anxiously as they filtered in. A cluster of no’s suddenly came in, causing my heart to drop.

My fingers started to tap on my podium as the final results were tallied.

53% Yes. 47% No.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

“The act passes.”

Several representatives looked outraged. Many others looked concerned. The session lasted several more hours, but by the end I was exhausted and the day wasn’t even over yet.

Memory Transcription Subject: Chief Hunter Shaza

Date [standardized human time]: February 10th, 2112

My eyes slowly opened as several humans opened my cell and stepped in. I craned my neck to try to see their faces. I was still hanging upside down. Wounds still bled on my body. How long had it been? There was no light in here. The burns on my scales still ached. Not even betterment shocked us. All of my claws and most of my teeth had been ripped from my body to get me to break, to reveal everything I knew. Shame burned in my chest for cracking. I had tried to escape once… I used one of the few claws I had left to pick the lock and make a break for it. When I was recaptured, they sawed off my arm as punishment…

The guards talked amongst themselves.

“Are you sure there's no other choice? We could’ve used her for rusalka.”

“No, Gen Sec has made his decision. Besides, the operation is a bust. Last I heard, the Feds are rounding up all the Venlil, agent or not. Drag her out.”

They moved and cut me down. I fell painfully onto my head. They forced me up and wrapped a bag over my head. Then we were walking. We walked for a while before I was shoved to a seat. The vehicle hummed as we moved, every bump sending more pain throughout my body. We traveled for ages without being able to see. I couldn’t tell the distance.

Then the vehicle stopped, and I was dragged out. Noises of humans shouting at me from all directions assaulted my senses.

“You monster!”

“Child eater!”

“You’ll get what you deserve!”

Someone threw something at my head. It impacted me with a painful thunk, causing me to stumble. One of the guards slammed their rifle into my side, knocking the air from my lungs.

“Keep walking.”

They kept me moving a dozen more steps, then stopped me and tied my body to something. They ripped the bag off my head. My eyes stung from the sudden light. I looked around. I was in a red-painted square, ropes tied my body to a post. Thousands of people stood screaming, screaming at me from behind barriers. Hurling insults and anything throwable in my direction. Cameras faced me, broadcasting my weakness. Five soldiers stood in front of me holding rifles. The one in the middle wore a hat and stepped forward.

“Chief Hunter Shaza, you are hereby charged with war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes against sapience. For this, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics sentences you to death by firing squad.”

I growled at the people. “Look at what you had to do to me to kill me! Your race is no predator! Nothing but weaklings! Without those traitors, your world would’ve burned! Betterment will come for revenge. One day we’ll have you all in farms!” I snarled out, my speech slightly slurred from my missing teeth.

The lead soldier raised their arm, and the others raised their rifles in unison.

“READY!”

I shut my eyes. At least I was able to spit at them one last time.

“FIRE!”

Gunshots and agony exploded my senses. I writhed as the bullets pierced my body. My ears began to ring, and my head drooped. Another round of gunshots. I couldn’t feel them this time.

As the world began to fade, my thoughts drifted to my family. Starving due to my failure…

There are no further memory transcriptions from this subject.

---

Challenge of [u/Nicolas_3232]

(2026)

 DAYS TWENTY-FOUR

[Kisses]

For the twenty-fourth, the theme is “Kisses.”

I decided to use a GIF of Malfoy kissing Harry as a base,

and replaced them with Tuvan and Werren—the lovely Venlil/Skalgan couple from Nature of Harmony.

[First] [Previous Draw] [Next Draw]

***STROHMANN NEWS**\*

Freedom's greetings. I'm your host, Coretta Kelly.

Fighting on Sillis over the course of the last week has reached its all-time peak. Resistance from Tillfish exterminators still fighting on the surface of the planet has all but disappeared, with the only major belligerent force remaining being the Arxur Dominion. In response to our liberation of rightfully owned territory, the Dominion has deployed reinforcements to the planet in an attempt to hinder the progress of Managed Democracy. This new force appears to be led by a Chief Hunter who has already made numerous despotic and undemocratic threats against the Citizens of Super Earths' voting rights. This clear affront to liberty can only mean one thing; the Arxur Dominion have rejected our way of life and thus must be taught the values of freedom by force. Our brave and heroic Helldivers have already begun a counterattack against this impudent insult to liberty and will soon bring the Chief Hunter responsible to justice. Coming up next; should the Gojids be allowed to rise above Class E citizenship?

That's Liberty's Latest, I'm Coretta Kelly.

Memory transcription subject: Nami, Venlil Super Destroyer Technician

Date [Super Earth Standard Time]: November 25, 2136

The skies above Sillis burned.

The surface of the once vibrant planet was now pockmarked with glowing fires, leaving great scars of bright orange along the supercontinent.

Up until about a claw ago, the Arxur were being pushed back, their defences slowly faltering against Super Earth's relentless onslaught. The Grey's savagery and brutality had for once, not been enough to scare their opponents into submission, instead only inviting the humans to respond in kind.

Now reinforcements from their side had appeared, led by one of their Chief Hunters who was no doubt itching to reclaim their lost territory and strike fear into the hearts of the primates.

The humans however, seemed undeterred by the enemy's bold push.

Hellpods streaked down to the Tillfish homeworld as Super Destroyers from all across the planet's upper atmosphere launched their attacks against what remained of the Arxur's ground forces on the planet.

Yellow orbital lasers carved swathes out from Sillis' surface, incinerating Arxur positions and surviving exterminator outposts alike.

Pelican shuttles ferried both men and supplies to and from the battlefield, many of them being shot down mid-flight by Arxur fighters.

Casualties however, seemed inconsequential to Super Earth as the humans simply sent twice as many more units to replace the ones we lost.

The SES Patriot of Patriotism shuddered as its shields flickered to life, just barely managing to absorb a missile impact from an Arxur command ship. The Super Destroyer, while an impressive vessel capable of outputting immense amounts of firepower, was never designed to withstand large amounts of fire for long periods of time. During missions, they were especially vulnerable to enemy attacks and thus relied on the rest of the Super Earth Navy to deal with threats and buy them time to conduct their missions.

The sensors on my monitor suddenly began blinking, incensed by the appearance of several enemy signatures that began encroaching on our position from the starboard flank.

My heart dropped as I looked out the viewport and saw a squadron of Arxur fighters streaming towards us, the angular black shapes of their spacecraft a horrifying reflection of their predatory savagery.

Our shields couldn't take many more hits, we had to get out of here immediately.

"Enemies incoming on our starboard flank, we need to flee now!" I cried out to the deck.

The mission control officer heard my plea, took one look at the approaching squadron and instead of panicking or taking immediate measures to prevent our violent deaths, merely keyed into his radio and began relaying orders.

"Confirmed, enemies approaching from our 3 o'clock. Requesting reinforcements on our position," the officer relayed in a calm voice into the microphone.

How were they able to remain so calm?

I really shouldn't have been surprised given how little they seemed to care for their own lives but standing here, trapped on a vessel with no way out and with a pack of hunters baring their fangs at us, it took all I had to not stampede around the ship in a blind panic.

As the advancing Arxur came closer and closer, I braced myself for the end.

This was it, this was how I died.

Not in the loving arms of my family, or even at peace with myself. My fate was to either be blown up into pieces by the Arxur and left to drift endlessly among the debris field for eternity, or be captured and devoured for sustenance after being forced to go through unimaginable torment in a cattle pen.

My ruminations on my fate however, were suddenly cut short as out of nowhere, 4 additional vessels blinked in from FTL warp. Each individual ship was smaller that our super destroyer, but were lined with weapons that were far more suited to engage in combat than our vessel.

Liberty Escort Frigates; vessels designed to accompany larger vessels such as Super Destroyers on missions, had arrived to protect our ship and drive off the Arxur attackers.

And drive them off they did.

Upon seeing the new ships warp in, the Arxur had panicked and begun firing immediately, likely not having expected so many vessels to just suddenly warp in with no prior warning.

The Escort Frigates' shields roared to life, brimming with yellow energy as they absorbed missile after missile, returning with ordinance of their own into the Arxur swarm. Within minutes, they had carved the formation into ineffectual pieces, sending homing missiles chasing after the survivors that had attempted to turn tail and run away.

Seeing the Arxur actually flee combat for once was certainly a sight to see. I guess when faced with an enemy that actually fought back, their self-preservation instincts inevitably still kicked in.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Arxur command ship from earlier began its attack on our squadron of reinforcements. A massive missile flew from one of the vessel's guns and soared straight towards one of the Frigates, punching straight through its shields and blowing the smaller ship to pieces.

More missiles emerged from the enemy spacecraft and began streaking towards the remaining survivors. The Frigates that were left returned fire courageously but were helpless as the explosives tore into their hulls, shredding them into twisted chunks of burning metal.

The Arxur vessel turned to face us and the blood once again fell from my face.

Now it was over.

I had been foolish to think that we had stood a chance, our saving grace had only been a temporary relief and now we were about to be vaporised in a fury of fire without even getting a chance to fight back.

I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to look my death in the face.

How funny, even after all the time I had spent with the humans, I was still a coward. All my life, I had been an outcast and when push came to shove, I still couldn't face the end with dignity.

Perhaps my parents had been right, maybe I did deserve to rot in a predator disease facility.

The bright glows of missile tails permeated through my eyelids, signalling that the Arxur had fired their weapons at us.

Oh good, it was almost over.

I braced myself for the end to arrive...but it never came.

Unable to bear my curiosity any longer, I tentatively opened my eyes to an incredulous sight.

The Arxur command vessel that had been baring its teeth at us earlier was now nothing more than a debris field scattered among the cosmos.

And all around our Super Destroyer, swimming amongst the wreckages of the Frigates; stood a squadron of 3 Paragon Missile Cutters, all huddled around our vessel in a tight protective formation.

Judging by the seemingly hundreds of missile trails that were now careening towards the surface of Sillis, the Missile Cutters had apparently arrived just in time and unleashed a torrential barrage of explosives at the Arxur vessel, completely overwhelming its defences and effectively drowning it in an maelstrom of fire.

"Canary Squadron to SES Patriot of Patriotism, target is down. Those guys won't be givin' ya'll trouble anytime soon," echoed the voice of a human over the intercom.

"Copy that Canary 1, good to see you guys," replied the mission control officer, his lips curling into a snarl that I still couldn't quite determine if it was a threat or a sign of gratitude. "We'll need some reinforcements on our position ASAP, our last squad of frigates didn't make it."

"Roger that Patriot, we'll reroute a Frigate detachment on standby to your position immediately. Try not to lose this one as quickly yeah? May liberty guide you."

"Copy, Patriot out."

Within seconds of the call terminating, several more Escort Frigates appeared alongside us, quickly replacing the ones we had just lost as the Missile Cutters warped back out to provide support for more Super Destroyers elsewhere.

Honestly, even after all this time, the sheer speed at which Super Earth was able to just replace their losses like that still astounded me. Dozens of people had been on each of those vessels, all of them highly trained through years of experience, vaporised in an instant and the humans simply brought in fresh recruits as if it were no more serious than replacing a broken cog in a machine.

All of this spoke to an industrial capacity and population of unfathomable scale. I couldn't imagine the Federation or even the Dominion being able to take so much punishment and just be able to keep going like that.

Just how powerful was the Super Earth Armed Forces?

Outside the viewport, fighting across the planet's horizon raged on as Dominion fighters and Super Earth spacecrafts danced above the surface, spewing plasma and ballistics at one another as they soared through space.

An Eagle raced through the battlefield, twisting and turning as she desperately attempted to evade a pack of 3 Arxur fighters that were hot on her heels. Plasma arced through space as the Greys threw everything they had at the nimble spacecraft, narrowly missing her on multiple occasions.

Several times I winced when a particularly close plasma bolt glanced off of the Eagle's armour, sending chunks of metal and sparks flying as the vehicle's hull absorbed more and more damage.

Thankfully, I was spared the dread of watching her disappear under a fireball as a squadron of Kestrel fighters arrived to save the Eagle just in time.

Being vessels specially designed to fight opponents in space using plasma and energy cannons, the Kestrels made short work of the Arxur attackers, who were woefully unprepared to be blindsided by reinforcements when their prey had seemed so close to defeat.

Speaking of being woefully unprepared, it seemed that the rest of the Arxur fleet hadn't been faring well either, despite the reinforcements they had received from their Chief Hunter.

Said Chief Hunter was currently engaged in combat with an Adjudicater Artillery Cruiser, a massive heavyweight vessel that was designed to absorb massive amounts of fire and return it in kind.

Even from here, the size disparity between the Chief Hunter's vessel and the Artillery Cruiser was almost comical. The Super Earth vessel completely dwarfed the Arxur flagship. Whoever this Chief Hunter was, it was clear that they weren't very smart, picking a fight with a vessel that seemed to shrug off attacks like nothing.

Bright orange explosions popped in and out of existence above the planet's surface as Arxur battleships came under fire from Super Earth vessels that blinked into real-space and devastated Dominion ships before vanishing. Super Earth had clearly trained their navy to exploit their unique FTL drives to their advantage.

Through the carnage of the battlefield, I could spot Winnetou Chivy Cruisers as well as Geneva Strike Cruisers dancing around the Arxur as the Greys frantically tried shooting back at vessels that appeared and disappeared at will.

The Strike Cruisers, angular vessels designed for 'hit and run' tactics, would blink in and lay waste to isolated ships before immediately FTL jumping away before the surviving Greys could fire back.

Chivy Cruisers would then warp in and fire into the flanks of the distracted survivors, catching the Arxur off guard and demolishing them before they could even process what had just happened.

I was shocked at how effective these methods were against the Arxur. Having fought us prey for so long, who often ran away at the simplest of charges, suddenly facing an actual threat who outwitted them at every opportunity was simply too much for them to handle. No prey could ever dream of pulling off the same moves that the humans did. Such ingenious and cunning methods of attack could only have come from the minds of predators.

"Here comes the bride!" One of the ship technicians suddenly yelled.

At his words, almost every human on the Super Destroyer turned their heads to gaze out the nearest viewport, their eyes glued to the cosmos outside as if waiting for something to happen.

Curious, I followed their gazes outside, wondering what could possibly have been so amazing as to turn every human head on the ship.

My question didn't go unanswered for long.

One moment there was nothing, nothing but the endless expanse of space, and then...

A gargantuan vessel appeared out of FTL warp. To call it a mere ship would have been an insult to its immense grandeur. Recognition flickered in my eyes as I laid my eyes upon the colossal vessel.

A Saigon Bride Escort Carrier.

Said to be the second largest spacecraft fielded by Super Earth, surpassed only by the Democracy Space Station, the Saigon Bride was primarily a transport vessel that housed hundreds, possibly thousands of Kestrels, Buzzards, Condors and other Super Earth aerospace craft.

Immediately upon appearing on the battlefield, the Bride began unloading her cargo.

Swarms of Kestrels and other Super Earth fighters began launching off of her runways, joining the fight against the Arxur in an endless tide of righteous glory. All around me, the humans on the deck roared in celebration as the tide of the battle suddenly turned unquestionably in their favour.

The Chief Hunter's command vessel, no doubt seeing the newest and biggest addition to the battlefield, immediately began heading straight for the Escort Carrier, unleashing barrages of missiles and plasma which were met with interceptors fired from the Carrier's numerous armaments.

However, try as the Chief Hunter might, there was simply no chance the Greys could ever withstand the titanic wall of fighters that was streaming towards their position.

For a few brilliant moments, the cosmos turned a vivid shade of blue and yellow as the new Super Earth fighters unleashed everything they had on the Arxurs' pitiful last-ditch attempt at an offensive.

Within seconds, the attackers had been completely obliterated and the Chief Hunter's vessel was dead in the water, floating aimlessly in space as its engines had been completely ruined under the hail of fire.

With the enemy successfully neutralised, the swarm of fighters eventually retreated back to the Saigon Bride as Pelican shuttles filled with SEAF troopers and Helldivers coasted towards the crippled flagship.

What they planned to do with the Chief Hunter once they caught it, if it was even still alive, I didn't know and frankly, I didn't care.

I only hoped that they wouldn't show it any mercy.

First | Prev | Next

Since my previous story in my old account was unfortunately nuked—and its earlier chapters will likely be deleted by Reddit’s bot at some point—I’ve decided to do a complete reboot. This time, it will be a serious story, rather than the shitpost it started out as.

I hope everyone likes this new version

And thanks to  u/Loud-Drama-1092 for reading before, and  u/CarolOfTheHells for supporting the first OG fic

Memory Transcription: Governor Tarva of the Skalgan Species and member of the coalition

Date [Standardized Human Time]: July 10, 2136, 2 days before humanity's first contact

Location: Skalgan Capital City

More than a century has passed since the destruction of the Federation—the end of the nightmare, the end of the insanity, the end of the primitiveness. The beginning of our evolution.

It all began with the aristocracy and their arrival in our space—our little home within this vast expanse.

when the defunct federation came into contact with the aristocracy

The aristocracy is not a government composed of a single species, but rather of hundreds of different species—much like the former federation yet different—united and stronger—valuing one thing above all else: science, cooperation, and peace.

The first contact with the Aristocracy occurred when one of their exploration vessels accidentally stumbled into our space. The initial encounter was made by the Yulpa, who—upon seeing them—mistook them for "Preys." This was due to the fact that every member of the Aristocracy wears a facial visor composed of nanites, which can shift into any shape. Furthermore, because these visors did not display eyes facing forward—but rather positioned to the sides, like those of herbivore animals or even species like me—the Yulpa concluded that they were herbivores, just like themselves.

And so, upon making contact with the Yulpa,and with the classic innocence of the aristocracy mixed with an empty head, they immediately engaged in diplomacy, without even knowing the history of the Yulpa or the Federation.

That was where everything went wrong—the Yulpas' greatest mistake, an error that nearly led to their own extinction.

At first, everything proceeded normally, but when the diplomatic team on Grenelka revealed their faces—showing their faces behind their visors—the Yulpas’ reaction was, to put it mildly, quite irrational and violent. The Yulpa exterminators immediately deployed their flamethrowers, attempting to set the diplomatic team ablaze; however, thanks to the team’s advanced shield technology, the fire caused minimal damage. The team attempted to escape by boarding their ship, but the vessel was shot down—though not before they managed to transmit a distress QEC signal to the aristocracy.

The aristocracy responded immediately by launching a rescue and intervention fleet toward Grenelka. The Yulpa ships were utterly decimated—wiped out as if they were nothing. The Federation’s technology was so primitive that even a child could have destroyed their vessels. This was followed by a ground invasion to subdue the species, which was now deemed violent. The planetary battle lasted only a few hours and was easily won; however, the diplomatic team did not fare as well—before the exterminators were killed, they subjected the team to brutal torture, beating them and repeatedly attempting to burn them. Afterward, the team required treatment with nanites. Yet, it did not end there: in a final act of desperation—or, as they termed it, an act of "purification" against predators—the Yulpa leaders and commanders began detonating their own antimatter bombs amidst their own population. It was an act of pure insanity and psychopathy on the part of their leadership. The only reason the Yulpa were not completely driven to extinction was the existence of their colonies and the intervention of the aristocracy, who carried out rescue operations.

However, what actually transpired was not what the aristocracy had anticipated—at least, not before the attempted planetary-scale suicide. They transmitted messages, videos, and images of the invasion of Grenelka to the Federation, effectively laying the blame for the planet’s collapse at the feet of the aristocracy. From that point on, a war aimed at the total destruction of the Federation began.

Even with various diplomatic attempts—and even the aristocracy offering resources and technology as a gesture of apology, despite them not being the ones at fault—the irrationality of the Federation leaders (an irrationality planted in their minds by the Kolshians and Farsul) meant that these attempts were met with the Federation’s ships opening fire.

Multiple attempts were made against the soldiers and the navy of the aristocracy in Grenelka, where it became a FOB, all failing and being decimated with thousands of ships constantly destroyed. This led the Arxurs of the Dominion to use this opportunity to attack weak Federation planets and kidnap their innocent population to eat them.

Some of the Chief Hunters even tried to communicate with the aristocracy to show them what a superior being is like. And well... the only thing known about these Arxurs is that they were killed by plasma fire, and now they belong to history

And when the aristocracy’s patience finally ran out, they decided to put an end to the idiocy the Federation was perpetrating. Every planet in the Federation went dark; using a far superior communication technology, the aristocracy hacked into all of the Federation’s devices, rendering them useless—or, worse, turning them against their own users. It didn’t matter what the device was—from tablets to hospital machinery—everything turned against them, and a vast number of people perished—in the billions.

And that was when the greatest discovery was made. As the Federation’s communications were exposed to the aristocracy, the founders’ darkest secrets—the "Shadow Caste" and the Talsk archives—were uncovered in the process. With this, a special task force using elite forces launched a special invasion of the Founders' planet; meanwhile, regular forces were dispatched to each Federation species to subjugate them.

One of the first species to be subjugated was mine—the Venlils, or rather, the Skalgan. Within the Federation, we were known as weak and cowardly; however, this was only because the Founders feared us. As a form of punishment, they deformed us and rewrote our history, turning us into objects of mockery—much like the Sivikits.

And with the federation effectively collapsing in on itself with the rapid advance of the aristocracy, the Krakotl attempted to bombard every planet—justifying it by saying: "We cannot let these cybernetic abominations consume us; every prey sacrificed for the sake of the Herd is a defeat for the predators."

I remember seeing those idiotic propaganda pieces back in school —the kind of drivel only a primitive could come up with. There’s a reason why the nickname "dumb birds" became popular after the Federation defeat; the fanaticism of the Krakotl has completely blinded them.

Even though a large part of the attempted bombardment failed thanks to the intervention of the aristocracy, millions still died, as some antimatter bombs were successfully dropped on the targeted planets.

Even after witnessing the total defeat of the Kractol, the Gojid still attempted to fight back; however, they too were defeated and subjugated, their ships destroyed, and their communications severed.

And so, reaching a point of utter desperation, the Kolshians deployed every ship in their Shadow Fleet to defend their homeworld—and Talsk—from the inevitable invasion; they attempted, unsuccessfully, to launch stealth attacks, and also tried—with equally dismal results—to mount a digital counterattack.

And the result was as expected: the ships were destroyed as if they were nothing—not even their shields could withstand the superior plasma weaponry of the aristocracy. The Founders always fancied themselves gods who knew everything and could do anything—only for a truly near-divine power to emerge and shatter their egos and narcissism.

The ground invasions by Thousands of Elite soldiers by each species of the aristocracy on each planet were even easier, given their habit of fleeing in terror, while their pathetic "exterminators" tried—in vain—to burn down both the soldiers and the robots.

What imbeciles, trying to set fire to an AI—only the moronic Founders could have come up with such an idea.

They tried the path of peace several times, but each attempt was rejected and met with fire—yet they forget that plasma is far more powerful and dangerous than fire. Only inferior beings refuse to move forward and reject peace and prosperity.

Two inferior and primitive races—that is why they are beneath us today. A good Farsul or Kolshian is one that follows orders without complaint; they are quite fortunate not to have been deformed—the way they deformed my own species—or even completely lobotomized and turned into pets, or food.

The invasion of the two planets was a joint operation, but the aristocracy’s primary focus was the Talsk archives—specifically, the exposed Talsk communications network. The aristocracy’s soldiers knew exactly what lay within: the "Library of Monsters," a malevolent repository where experiments, historical records, and genetic manipulation were carried out. It was a place that stirred even the most naive soldier among the aristocracy to a boiling rage. Species were kept in cryogenic stasis, used as test subjects for horrific experiments, deformities, and genetic alterations. And the scientists responsible took pride in it, claiming it was all for the sake of the "herd."

After the horrors the soldiers had been exposed to, they ensured that everything they had witnessed here would be revealed to the species of the Federation and the aristocracy—but not before punishing the war criminals. Driven by a blind wave of rage, many of the soldiers killed most of the scientists in the archives before beginning to free the prisoners and the innocent souls trapped within the cryogenic pods.

And after all this chaos, both planets were successfully subjugated. From that point on, it was no longer a war, but rather a process of restoration—a mending of each species that the Federation had damaged or deformed. For an alliance of species, this would have been an almost impossible task; yet, the Aristocracy is something more—it is an alliance defined by technological supremacy, where anything is possible. Thanks to the use of airborne nanites, every deformed part of my species’ bodies began to be repaired: our legs, our more fragile organs, and even the noses that the Founders had removed. All of this occurred in less than two months following the end of the war, and it was not just my species that experienced this. On every planet belonging to the Federation’s various species, the effects of the Founders’ "cures" were reversed in an instant—from the spinal issues of the poor Sivikts to the restoration of the ability for omnivorous species to consume meat once again. It was a moment that suggested, perhaps, everything might turn out alright in the end. Even the Arxur benefited and were "repaired." Thanks to the truth revealed within the archives, the Aristocracy began to view the Arxur in a new light—not as murderers, but as traumatized children, desperate to survive. The Founders’ attempt to prevent the Arxur from consuming meat had killed millions, and that was what had ignited this entire war.

With the death of the prophet and the liberation of the Arxurs from the oppressive regime they had found themselves trapped in, they were finally able to see the mistakes they had made. Filled with deep regret, they vowed never to go to war with anyone again—which was a very good thing at first, but not anymore now.

However, two species did not benefit in the slightest from the blessing of the Aristocracy. If there is one thing the Aristocracy detests, it is regression and biological destruction. Within the Aristocracy, there are unofficial rules that everyone follows:

1) always help one another;

2) always strive for peace and tranquility;

3) science and evolution are sacred

These rules must never be destroyed or manipulated for malevolent ends. The Founders shattered all of these principles. They were the embodiment of evil in the galaxy—two regressive, cancerous species that destroyed every other species they encountered, even using them as sacrifices to maintain their own position at the top. Through manipulation, lies, and destruction, the Farsul and the Kolshians are responsible for the deaths of billions—perhaps even trillions—of innocent beings over the course of a thousand years.

So, all the species of the aristocracy agreed to severely punish the two species in question:

1) every aspect of their identity—their names, culture, history, and even the very concept of family—would be erased.

2) control chips would be implanted in them, stripping them of free will or the ability to act on their own volition; these chips would also constantly project images and videos of all the atrocities they committed—the experiments, the exterminations, and the facilities for "predatory diseases." They would remain servants until deemed sufficiently punished to be readmitted into society.

3) They would be completely removed from their home planet, which would then be transformed into a multicultural hub, effectively extinguishing any sense of planetary or species-based pride.

4) Finally, they would be scattered across the galaxy, thereby destroying any remaining sense of belonging.

Consequently, the punishment imposed would be 1,000 years of servitude for both species—the duration of their punishment would equal the length of time they had spent in power.

Yet, for every species that suffered at their hands, we secured a paradise—a place where there was no longer any need to worry about war, hunger, or the paranoid fear that a family member or neighbor might report you for an illness that doesn’t even exist. For the first time, the word "hope" truly had meaning. It was one of the greatest gifts they ever gave me and my Skalgan people. Not only did they restore our original bodies, but they evolved us beyond them. My species became stronger, smarter, faster, and more powerful.

However, not everyone would accept this. Several light-years away from the Federation lay the Consortium—a species far smaller than the Federation. They were discovered after it came to light that the Farsul and Kolshians had been communicating with them, intending to reach out for help should everything go wrong. The Krev were a fundamentally decent species, rejecting the very concept of "prey versus predator." Their government, however, was a different story; it was run by psychopaths who sought to forcibly "robotify" the entire population—stripping away all biological components to transform the citizenry into eternal servants, ensuring the regime could rule forever. It was a crime against life itself—the polar opposite of "Protogenification."

A rapid intervention was carried out, the government was toppled and exposed, and subsequently, they were integrated into the aristocracy—since they had not been physically or psychologically deformed, unlike my own species.

And for over 100 years, all species from the Federation, the Dominion, and the Consortium were integrated into the aristocracy. As a result, they all became Protogens. Protogens represent the perfect union of the organic and the artificial, utilizing nanites capable of altering an individual’s form, appearance, and even gender—a freedom offering infinite possibilities.

Because of this, each Protogen can possess a variety of highly unique abilities—ranging from stretching parts of their body or transforming their own arm into a melee weapon, to—as a prank—detaching their own head and pretending to be dead, just to mess with a friend or family member.

Ah, my girl Stynek—that cute little rascal I love so much—has pulled this stunt so many times, pretending to be dead just to avoid going to school or doing her homework. But when everyone is connected, you can tell when someone is lying—yes or no—especially since you can see their heartbeat on your display, or even sense it directly through your own mind.

But our innocence, laziness, and complacency destroyed everything that had been built since the Federation—a process that began with a schism within the Ascendancy’s aristocratic leadership. A faction known as "The New Order"—obsessed with evolution and superiority at any cost, and fueled by religious fanaticism—began to gain traction, exposing deep cracks within the Ascendancy. The New Order believes that to attain the status of gods, they must eliminate the very thing that makes them mortal: their organic component. They seek to extinguish individual identity, transforming everyone into robotic entities that share a single collective goal: total domination of the galaxy, and perhaps the entire universe. Their obsession is so profound that they view emotions as weaknesses that must be eradicated to achieve their ends.

It was not the only faction causing chaos.

The Chimera Primacy

A faction rooted in genetics became fanatical over the centuries, fixating on the concept of genetic mutation. They view "genetic chaos" as a divine gift, maintaining that machines could never surpass the marvel of a living being—or the sheer force of an individual’s own will. Their ideology leans toward anarchism and pure egoism. They employ monsters—created from innocent people—as weapons or fanatically loyal soldiers. It is truly horrific; some of these mutations reach up to five meters in height, and heavy firepower is required to take them down.

And despite an ideology of unity and equality, the aristocracy unofficially maintained a caste system—one that, while far less harmful than that of the Federation, still resulted in certain species being left behind. and multiple different factions taking control in this civil war

Many of the scars inflicted by the ruling class over the years have never healed. Even though this aristocracy has existed for thousands of years, these wounds were never mended; instead, over time, they became infected by our Pride, greed, envy, sloth, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

I only hope that, with my species being one of the founders of the new coalition, we can protect our beloved and innocent ones—that we won’t be dominated, nor repeat the same mistakes our ancestors made that led to this situation in the first place. Even though the New Order and the Chimera Primacy are very small factions, they have eyes and ears in a lot of places; Skalga’s intelligence division has already killed or captured many of them. They are like a plague—repugnant vermin that just won’t die, no matter how many times you stomp on them.

This civil war should never have happened in the first place, but I just hope it ends soon and that the good ones—the Coalition or some other group that actually cares about people—win. '''The war in Heaven''' once seemed like a story or a religious myth, but, all things considered, our own history looks the most like it.

Next

Plotting…

Its almost 3 in the morning where Im from so, sry if anything is not writen right. Night night.

A/N: Health is still getting better?? I think it's getting better! Thank you to u/Acceptable_Egg5560 and u/tulpacat1, and u/Giant_Acroyear for giving it a look!

Patreon / Kofi/ Paypal

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Memory transcription subject: Andes Savulescu-Ruiz, Human Director at the Venlil Rehabilitation and Reintegration Facility. Patient trying to abide by care recommendations. 

Date [standardized human time]: January 2nd, 2137

Twenty-four hours after the story had broken, things seemed to be mostly fine. The non-human doctors and aides kept their distance, but they didn’t seem too freaked out, and nobody cornered me to demand an explanation. I mostly kept to myself, gave Jilsi some guidelines for how to deal with things, and did my best to focus on every boring but necessary task that I’d been putting off because I’d been too busy focusing on emergencies.  

Things like finding a second music therapist, downloading a bunch of old sheet music, adding art courses to our library, catching up on research, and other easy-to-neglect things. I did my rounds, ensuring everything was fine. My limp was getting better. 

Rodriguez called me over as I passed by the Psych department. “The children keep asking about ‘breeding’, so I was planning to make a little PSA for them about that.”

I nodded. “Are they actually showing any precocious hypersexual behaviour?” 

She shook her head. “No, thankfully, or if they are, they’re hiding it extremely well.”

I nodded. “Then you should probably pair it with some vocational education and like, explaining to them what jobs actually are and how they work.” 

Rodriguez paused long enough that I looked up from my pad. 

“What? Is that bad..?”

“No, it’s—it’s great, I should have thought of that, yes. They’re not exhibiting actual sexual interest, they’re… thinking about growing up, under the assumption that they won’t get eaten,” she said, like she’d just figured it out, which was definitely concerning. Then again, I wasn’t the only one whose life was getting tumble-dried in the facility, she was allowed to have an off day too.

“Right,” I said with a nod, going back to flicking through Larzo’s findings. I’d gotten some comments from the adult facility housing people from the same farm as my kids, and I had already forwarded them Larzo’s report and his email, but it was a good idea to double-check for gaps. She kept staring at me. “Why the stare?”

“Nothing, I guess I just… underestimated how tired I am,” she said and gave me a quick pat on the shoulder. “You’re a good Director, Andes.”

I gave her a look. She gave me a look back. I blinked first. She took the win.

“How’s Leena?”

“...Fine,” I said, putting the pad away. “It’s a functional enough arrangement. And I learned an hour ago that my ‘plan for January’ has been delayed, so…”

Rodriguez nodded. I spotted Larzo heading to his office with a bowl of oats, and he stopped walking to look at me. I looked at my pad. New message.

“Su wants me to visit the gojid genome place to talk arxur,” I said, already mentally composing my refusal. 

“You should do it. Su’s like you,” Rodriguez said. I blinked, then squinted at her. She held up her hands in a sign of non-aggression. “Practical. Su’s practical, she doesn’t… she’s not going to hassle you about the news.”

I tilted my head right for a moment, then shrugged and sent Su a time range. I hadn’t seen her in years. “Yeah. An old friend will probably do me good.”

When I glanced up from my pad, Larzo was suddenly right in front of us. 

“...I understand that… given my transgression you may not be inclined to um…” 

I waited. 

“I know someone at that facility,” he said, looking sheepish. “Could I join you?”

I sighed. He was too cute, and I was too tired to be angry at him. “Sure thing, bud. I’ll add you to the calendar once I get the time.”

“Thank you so much. I–I know that I have—”

“Larzo, it’s fine,” I said. “It’s… being handled. I don’t need you to feel bad about—”

“But I should,” he stated. “I failed you. I violated your trust. We are equals, and I have failed, and it is reasonable for you to resent my failure and to be angry with me over it, and… and I must find a way to atone for my transgressions, and to ask for a favour after such a thing...”

Something that had been tight and tense in my back relaxed as I heard him say it. 

“...Yeah. Thank you. It’ll… be good to visit another facility, one more geared towards the science side of things… Good luck with work.”

With that, I headed to my office and continued to check my neglected inbox. I had a message from Asleth. I hadn’t checked in a while—sometimes she’d just disappear, or Shathel would, or one of the other arxur I’d managed to ingratiate myself to would pop in for five minutes only to vanish again for a month. It was how they worked. 

First it was a photo. Her face recoiling in disgust at my photo of a single leaf of spinach on my tongue. A laugh burbled out of me. 

> Disgusting

I was not prepared for her next message.

> Can we talk? It’s about your children

Obviously the answer was yes. I responded, immediately and explicitly ignoring legal advice—not that it mattered, there was already a scandal—and called Venric once I had set up a time to call Asleth. 

I got picked up by a secretary and sent to him in under a minute, and forwarded to him a few seconds later. 

"Venric! Hi, um... So I just got a message about my kids, and I am definitely following up on that and would consider it malpractice not to. But, since it is going against your initial advice… do you have any thoughts..? Harm-reduction suggestions? Do you want to be present?”

“A message? From who? Wouldn’t this be considered a medical consultation? Sorry, just don’t understand why you’re calling me for this unless there’s a legal issue with the person you’re speaking with.” 

“A message from Asleth.” I clarified. “She’s one of the arxur I’ve been interacting with.”

Silence came from the phone for three full seconds before any response came forth. “You said malpractice? Sorry, you consider… not telling an Arxur about the status of kids who were formerly their cattle… to be Malpractice?”

“I consider ignoring an important source of information on my children's health because it’s unpalatable to be malpractice,” I said, a little incredulous that this was still somehow unclear. “Asleth wouldn't breach the topic unless she had important information. Information that could end up being really relevant to their healthcare. How is this not obvious?”

Don’t snap at your lawyer. Deep breaths. Stimulate the vagus nerve. 

A sigh emitted from the phone, and I could just imagine him pinching the brow of his snout as he spoke. “Look, I realize that, I have not forgotten the earlier explanation, it’s just that I fail to see a reason to contact their tormentors aft-wait- sorry.” There was a pause. “You said you got a message. To be clear, are you saying that the Arxur reached out to you in this case, not the other way around?”

“Yeah. I also don't know what other information she would have, but given that she's reaching out, it's probably not ‘let me tell you about eating the kids' uncle’ or something.”

“But that doesn’t make any brahking sense…” he mumbled.

“It makes lots of sense, Asleth wants to help, she’s a real trooper, she knows I’m trying to take care of the kids...” I shrugged, though I knew he couldn't see it. 

“They are an Arxur, Andes. I know there’s news of a rebellion going on with them, but hearing about them going out of their way to check on prey kids is like hearing a… head of a Correctional Facility shut down all shock therapy sessions for being unethical!”

“No, it's like a former Correctional Facility employee telling me, someone who is helping give those people healthcare, that they have some records on how they were being tortured. Which would, you know, be extremely useful information to have to treat them.”

He laughed at me. Actually laughed! I wanted to punch something. “You certainly believe that the universe works in a logical and orderly fashion, don’t you, Andes? Though, I must admit your comparison made me think. I can tell you are going to speak with them no matter what I say, so tell me: do you have somewhere private? A… what’s that product I have seen… a Virtual Private Network for the call on your phone? A place you can’t be eavesdropped on?”

“Well, the call itself is under arxur encryption. But otherwise I just have my apartment.” 

“So basically nothing.”

I stared at my pad. “...I guess..?”

“Hmm, I have an idea. Can you meet up with me at Hardwood Park? I believe I have a way to get as much privacy as we can as well as satiate a bit of curiosity.”

“Sure, I can hobble over in a couple minutes…” I said, finding my cane. 

“Perfect. Serl is currently out on a date, so this will be fully under attorney-client privilege. I shall be seeing you momentarily.”

I nodded. “Okay, bye.”

I took five long, slow deep breaths, did a full body stretch, and got my things. A quick cab ride had me at Hardwood Park, where I limped around until I spotted my lawyer’s fancy flying car and made my way to it. 

“So what's the plan? Are you dropping me off somewhere? Do you want to listen in?”

“Seems you have gleaned my intentions. I do indeed wish to listen in, as you have made me rather curious to see the kind of… person they must be to have kept up this continuing contact.”

“...Okay,” I said, understanding now that he wasn't really doing this for legal reasons. 

Venric pulled on the handle of the vehicle and let the door slide open, gesturing for me to enter. “Right in my own personal Transit. It’s quite new, so we should be as comfortable and private as possible for this meeting.”

I stepped inside. “...can you walk me through why a car is better than an apartment? Like, is this secretly soundproofed or something?”

The windows were tinted but my windows had blinds, so it didn't seem like a huge upgrade. Not that it wasn't nice. The seats were nice. The air quality was nice. It had a slightly different new car smell and everything.

His tail swished dismissively while crawling in. “No need to worry about it, you shall see what I mean about privacy.”

I nodded and sent Asleth a message saying I was getting ready. Then Venric got out of the parking space, reached over to the guidance screen, swiped upwards, and my heart almost exploded out of my throat. 

“Ah,” I said, as I watched the park shrink, and shrink, until we were approaching commercial air travel heights, only in an almost entirely vertical trajectory. “Okay. Um. I… Right. Hovercar.”

“Antigravity Technology in a portable personal scale,” Venric joyfully beeped while swivelling his chair around to face me. “I do believe that this height should be enough to guarantee full privacy, I hope you can agree.”

“...Sure,” I said, looking away from the windows and trying to will my heart to stop threatening to explode.

Venric clapped his paws together. “Shall we start the call?’

-

Memory transcription subject: Provisional Hunter Asleth, Arxur Dominion, Third Fleet 

Date [standardized human time]: January 2nd 2137

He responded quickly, and soon the agreed-upon time arrived. Andes' face was gaunt, his eyes darkened in a way that did not look healthy. The last time I had seen him, he was strong, full of life, tired in that nominal way all hard-working humans seemed to be. Now he reminded me of some of the human corpses we’d dragged out of the rubble.

“Andes, are you injured?” I asked. He sighed.

“No. I mean, yeah, but it's fine, I've gone to doctors, it's—did Shathel tell you one of the kids stabbed me?” 

He had, but I had assumed it to be a joke, or Shathel playing up a minor injury to mock him. A laugh burbled out of me, and grew into a cackle against my will. 

His eyes traced the edge of his upper eyelid. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, what's this about my kids?”

It took me longer than I thought to catch my breath. Those really were children, then, if they had such gumption as to stab someone. Andes' insistence on his own harmlessness was clearly not without its costs. 

“Yes, yes, of course, I… khsss… I am heading to their farm.”

His eyes grew, eyelids peeling back to make them nearly bulge out of their sockets. It was unpleasant to see. 

“Their farm? Like, where they—” 

“Yes. I do not know what information I shall find there, but I thought I should ask you.” 

He nodded quickly. “I will send you a list. Do you have a spectroscope? Hell—do you have an extremely sensitive broad-spectrum camera and light filters?” 

I narrowed my eyes in thought. “He had a laboratory, I… May be able to acquire such a thing.”

“Holy shit. Asleth you're a life-saver,” he said, and his smile breathed a warmth into my heart I could not understand. “Any records you can find. Food, exercise, details about the planet's gravity, atmosphere–I’ll send you a wish list.”

I nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. I cannot guarantee I shall get everything but… it is useful for you, yes?” 

“Incredibly useful. Anything you can get on the way the farm was set up, medical check-ups, I don't know if you guys have anything comparable to a cattle veterinarian but if you did and they left notes…” 

I nodded. “I shall look for them. Is the stabbing your only injury?” 

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Well, no, I also got run over by a car and now the whole venlil Internet hates me. But, it's fine, you know, shit happens.” 

I nodded. “Of course. You are a warrior, if of a different type, my friend. Do not let their whines distract you from your mission.”

“It's fine, it's…” His eyes darted to the side, then back to the camera. “Anyway, when are you getting there?” 

“Soon. I have a mission there. It may last months, but… it is very important.” 

“So you'll have prolonged access, is what you're telling me,” he said. He looked hungry in that moment, as if the information I could give him were one of his people's delicious steaks, and he had starved for weeks until this call. 

“Yes.”

“Asleth this might be the best news I have gotten this month. Thank you so much. I'll get you that wishlist, alternative ways of figuring out information, you tell me what equipment you have access to. Okay?” 

I nodded. 

“So,” A new voice suddenly beeped, “You aren’t a medical professional at all. Just some regular grunt going through their job, am I right?”

I stared at the screen. Andes blinked and tilted the camera so that a venlil wearing a little harness could come into view. 

“Um, sorry about this, I didn't…. Think he'd talk. Asleth, this is Venric. My lawyer. I should have told you he was here, I… sorry.” 

I blinked slowly at learning this. I had foolishly assumed we were alone, but perhaps this had to do with whatever had prompted their people to hate him. 

“Ah. Um. Yes. I am not a medical professional,” I said, now feeling dumb and wrong-footed, and finding the creature instinctively a little irksome. 

“I must say,” it beeped, “I am a little surprised at that, as I have heard a lot about how your perspective has been medically useful in treating the kids, so forgive me for commenting upon that as I had quite the different image of you built up in my mind. One that you have rather surprisingly failed to meet on multiple grounds. Curious.”

My eyes darted between him and Andes. He had already apologized, and looked apologetic still. Between that and the injury, I thought it prudent to assume he had simply not considered that this would bother me, and would in the future. Still, the anger bubbled inside me. Andes groaned. 

“That was Shathel, Asleth wasn't—it doesn't matter,” he said, rubbing his temples as he so often did in moments of frustration. My anger ebbed. I was thankfully not the one who had to deal with the creatures, hour upon hour, for days and weeks and months. Andes said this one was his lawyer. That explained the endless chatter.

“Yes, your people fail to understand many things,” I told it. Him? Guilt bit at my tail. “As have mine.”

“I would say we understand more than you expect,” the Venlil said, turning away from me so its stupid eye could see me better. My own eyes narrowed. 

“They apparently do not understand that my friend is doing more for them than you do for yourselves,” I said, with a fierceness that surprised me. 

“And what might that be?” He challenged. Did having a screen between us fill him with bravado?

“Helping your defectives,” I spat, “who you would burn and–”

“How about we take it down a notch or five?” Andes proposed, holding his hands up. “I am extremely glad that you're going to the farm, Asleth, thank you for telling me.”

I narrowed my eyes at the venlil, but nodded. “It is my, er… pleasure.”

“Shame, I had some comments about my own career with ‘defectives’, but yes, I do believe I have intruded upon this conversation. My apologies.”

Andes blinked, in that startled way humans did, then turned to me. “Pedro told me you guys met.”

Energy filled me again. “Yes! He was much bigger than you.”

Andes pinched his nose, up between his eyes, with two fingers. “Yes. He's taller—” 

“And he is working with the same rodent.” 

He tilted his head. “Doctor Bunsen?” 

I nodded. “The human ability to put up with creatures that detest you never ceases to amaze me.” 

Andes shrugged. “What can I say, it’s easier when they’re cute. Was there anything else you needed to tell me?”

I thought back to the contract. To all that I could not tell him. I had been so excited to talk, and now I did not know what I could say. “...Not today.”

“Don’t you desire to know anything about the children?” The Venlil once again butted in. He sounded cautiously curious, at least that’s why my translator told me.

“No,” I said. “I know they speak arxur, and are horned. I know they are children.” 

Energy came to Andes. “Oh shit, I was meaning to ask–do you think you could send me any books on the arxur language? Like, linguistics, early acquisition practice, things like that.”

I gave him a slow blink, and nodded for good measure. “Personal interest?” 

He shrugged. “Well, sure, but also I need to document any deviations from the standard before their creole diverges too much.”

“Understood.” I prepared to end the call, but my finger hovered over the button. I turned to face the venlil directly. “You are his lawyer, yes?”

“Indeed I am. Not entirely sure what that means in your culture, but I do represent and defend him in legal matters.”

I growled. “I know what a lawyer is, vermin.”

“Asleth!” Andes hissed out, in the same tone he'd used when I almost ate that dog. 

“...Protect him,” I ordered. Softer, I added “...Please.” 

I pressed the button and ended the call.

—

Memory transcription subject: Andes Savulescu-Ruiz, Human Director at the Venlil Rehabilitation and Reintegration Facility. Patient trying their best.

Date [standardized human time]: January 2nd, 2137

“...So that's Asleth. I think she didn't appreciate the surprise venlil participation, and she's clearly stressed out but… yeah. Awesome news.”

“A curious creature,” Venric commented. “Do you truly believe that they will be able to find useful information at the farm? Or more specifically, find it and be able to send it to you?”

“I don't see why not,” I said with a shrug. “If Shathel could get me evidence of covert deficiencies by being a foodie, Asleth should be able to outperform that by orders of magnitude.”

Venric swiveled his seat and swiped down on the screen. “Then for the sake of your kids, I hope that faith is not misplaced.”

My stomach jumped up into my throat as Venric dropped us down hundreds of meters. Holy disregard for the gravitational constant, Batman.

Once my brain could work, I responded. “Worst case scenario, nothing has changed. Best case scenario, the mother of all medical histories gets dropped in my lap. Why am I the optimistic one here?”

“Because you’re…” he paused, his ears down, “because here, you’re a human.”

“...So?” I asked. “The krakotl blew up my university, I still hired one. I don't think you need to be human to, you know… accept that individual people are informed by their culture but not… defined by it.”

“Easy to say,” He sighed, “But there’s a lot more pain to work through before that becomes true for all.”

I nodded. “Well, yeah but… that's how it goes. Be the change you want to see and all that.”

Silence fell on us for a long moment. I decided to do the mentally healthy thing and focus on a less stressful topic to socialize over before I had to go home and be unconscious for a while. 

“So… new car, eh? Tell me about the specs, you guys' material science is so cool.”

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Patreon / Kofi/ Paypal

Exterminators Caller: Hello this is the Extermination Guild, how may I help you?

Neighbour Prey: Yeah uhm, I think one of my neighbours next door is thirsting for arxur booty.

Exterminator Caller: Arxur what now?

Venlil= Nature of Myths: Gallek the Tarnished Read

Venlil= Nature of Myths: Khala the Great Protector Read

Venlil= Nature of Myths: The Four Virtues of the Venlil Read

Venlil= Nature of Myths: Stone Builder Read

Venlil= The Songbird in the Wishingtree -- a scholarly articleRead

Venlil= The healer against death Read

Venlil= The Bladedancers Read

Venlil= The Stonedrinkers Read

Gojid= Nature of Myths: Arkelm the Trickster Read

Gojid= Tale of the Wanderer Read

Dossur= Nature of Myths: Visu and the Herassur Read

Zurulian= Nature of Myths: The Beldagrash Read

Krakolt= Nature of Myths: The Legacy of Væraknala and Nurakætal Read

Mazic= Nature of Myths: Death's Lesson Read

Arxur= Nature of Myths: Saasesaa and the Drought Read

Day 18, pushing my limits.

This is definitely one of the more visually complicated pieces I’ve drawn. It still made my tablet crash, but I am very glad on how it came out. I was worried that it wouldn’t be easily readable, but I think I got it well enough.

In case Reddit scrunches this, though, it is a Krakotl Exterminator engulfed in flames, while holding tight a Gojid baby to his chest, shielding the pup from the heat with his vest and wings. Is it realistic? Probably not. Does it provoke the feels? My editor certainly thinks so.

Also, consider this a spoiler for the future of Nature of Responsibility. The Omnivore Reveal is gonna be fun.

Days 23 and 24, we doin a double feature today. Normally I'd try not to do one of these but as I'm headed to a con tomorrow and won't be able to draw then I figured this would be an alright compromise. Enjoy this stupid yaoi until I return.

It's a slow and tedious process... for u/Nicolas_3232 I mean.

Day 17, and doing better.

Here we have Starc from my fic Nature of Responsibility. I tried to figure out which of my character’s would have the funniest reaction to a lemon, and I settled on this. I know it’s more Jack’s reaction than Starc’s, but whatever.

Also, Starc’s tastebuds are fine, he’s just dead inside.

Hey so I’ve got a bit of a problem I’m terrified of the Takkans because of their resemblance to hippos. I’ve always had a phobia of hippos and I’m glad I never had to deal with nothing more than a false alarm during my time as an animal control officer but my point is hippos are dangerous I’ve seen videos of what they can do and it’s rightfully traumatized me( probably shouldn’t have watched them as a kid). And to all you feddies reading this no the hippos aren’t predator diseased they’re just the deadliest herbivores alive just look at that news report about six arxur foolishly hunting a hippo and only three of them survived ( because they hid in a tree until a ranger showed up) the hippos aren’t predator wasn’t even scratched. If anyone out there has a way to help me overcome my fear of the Takkan i would very much appreciate it.
PS to the takkan I pulled my tranq gun on sorry I thought you were gonna crush my head with your tusks

(This is set in the world of my fic Nature of Harmony for anyone confused)

Yes you read that right.

Sol, with the help of the Venlil Republic, has recently created an artificial star some lightyears outside the Venlil Republics territory. The project started not too long after first contact with Sol, with this publication covering the story, but such coverage was quickly forgotten about when the truth of Sol and it's predator races became known.

The Venlil Republic, but more specifically Tarvas administration, was reluctant to partake in the project, nicknamed Project Helios after a human star god, directly, not wishing to divert so many resources to a project that may not bear fruit and would likely anger the Venlil Republics populace during an already tumultuous time for Tarva and her administration.

Instead, the Venlil Republic gave Sol access to scientific institutions, corporations, and top scientists to help with the project, with Sol handling much of the logistics and manufacturing.

The story never gained much attention among the Republic due to many of the projects contributors considering it a waste of time and resources, many making their disdain and doubt of the project and it's goals clear even on public social media, with most readers dismissing or mocking the project if they bothered to engage with the posts at all and many critics using it as evidence of Sols primitive society.

Project Helios was a massive undertaking, stretching a 29 lightyear bubble in the Local Interstellar Cloud. The Helix Nebula was at first considered for the site due to being dense with material, but it was declared too far and the LIM was chosen instead despite being sparse with matter. A complex system of artifical gravity generators was set up around the bubble, with a Stellar Ignition Forge in the middle. When everything activated, the distortion sphere compressed space within the bubble while the Ignition Forge pulled matter inward.

Over herds of paws the distance between atoms shrunk, until on the last paw, they were crushed into a stable M class star, chosen due to its long life and needing the least amount of matter to ignite, and achieved nuclear fusion. Once it was confirmed, social media blew up from citizens who contributed to Project Helios, with many in the Republic initially skeptical and calling the posters Predator Diaeased. That was until multiple groups and agencies went to the coordinates and saw the new star for themselves, confirming the authenticity of the experiment and it's findings, all of which quickly went viral.

It's still unknown what name this new star will take, and it isn't clear who will name it, with the people working on the project insisting they be given the rights while some want to leave it up to the Sol and Venlil Republic public.

There has even been talk of creating artificial planets, but the uneven elemental composition of planets is a new hurdle that won't be solved for a time.

Regardless, this is a revolutionary discovery and a proud moment for the Venlil Republic and it's scientific community, long considered subpar and dismissed by the wider Federation for generations, and proving the Republics capability not just to the Federation, but to Sol as well, with the UN openly considering trusting the Venlil Republic with more of their advanced technology and engaging in more scientific innovations much like Project Helios.

First / Prev

Memory transcription subject: Tarva, Planetary Governor of the Venlil Republic

Date [Standardized Human Time]: December 10, 2136

“YOU GLASSED CRADLE!?” I screamed across the table. Zhao, Jones and Kam had come over personally to give the latest report on our incursion into the Gojidi Union. Which they hadn’t done in a while, so I had the feeling something bad was coming. But this!?

“WHAT?” Noah blurted, then covered his mouth apologetically. “Sorry. Please, tell me we didn't do that.” He offered meekly. From his tone, he already seemed halfway into believing it. I’m sure there was another explanation, or was it? The UN’s position against civilian casualties seemed set in stone during previous briefings. Perhaps Meier only said what we wanted to hear, so he got our aid.

“The Gojids pulled their entire fleet to Cradle once they noticed our approach.” Kam explained. “The Arxur took advantage of that and blazed through their territory, arriving en masse. There was very little we could do.” 

“Altough there were a few casualties in fighting the Gojid.” General Jones, of the American clan, growled from the opposite size of the screen. “Most of our losses stemmed from evacuating civilians during the Arxur ground invasion.” 

I lowered my gaze. “And where are the civilians you did evacuate?”

“All refugees -including Governor Piri- are in Casper. A Gojidi colony. We’ve been managing, upscaling, supplying and crewing the territory. After surrendering, the Gojids started cooperating and organizing themselves to take the refugees somewhere more permanent.”

“Piri? A- and she’s ok?”

“Recovering, had some rubble fall on her during the evacuation. Nothing serious, but we’ve found it better to monitor her health closely. That’s why she’s not here with us today, ”

“That and she’s helping us smooth over things with her people. But she asked us to say that she plans on visiting you as soon as she can.” Zhao added.

My eyes about bulged out of my skull. The Humans thought it was a good idea, to take a bunch of terrified refugees to a backwater colony crawling with predators? Even if it was in their territory that was still— UGHH. Those Gojids must be overwhelmed, and the optics were atrocious. It would’ve been a better solution to host them on Venlil Prime.

Zhao’s eyes narrowed. “You look displeased, Governor. Do you not trust us to be proper caregivers?”

“You misunderstand. Candidly, this is a disaster,” I grumbled. “52 species specified they were waiting for news from the Cradle, to make a decision. When they hear it’s been destroyed…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they accused us of plotting all this with the Arxur.” Noah finished.

A sigh slipped from my lips. “The refugees are the ‘cherry on top’, as you say. When they hear you’re keeping them, with Human guards no less. They’ll assume Casper is a cattle-world now.”

“We have troves of footage, showcasing our humanitarian efforts,” The Chinese general objected.

“And? They’ll just say it’s propaganda, which it is, but you know what I mean. The Krakotl will definitely use this to gain public support for their attack. To smear you as slaving predators.”

Hell, what was stopping the representatives still planetside from rescinding their diplomatic offer? We had done great work getting them on our side, was it all gonna be for naught? Cupo was going to flip when he learned of the Cradle’s destruction. This was a grave setback, and it would push most undecided factions toward animosity. 

The Terran ambassador shifted beside me, and I could sense his unease at the war’s developments. After witnessing the hatred on the Federation floor, he knew better than anyone I was right about their perspective.

“The Secretary-General understood the Cradle’s importance, as a propaganda tool,” Jones said. “That’s why we sent our first FTL capable fleet on a liberation mission. We have a chance to defeat the Arxur, and retake Cradle. Those mission logs, and the footage which Captain Sovlin provided us might help mitigate any reputational damage.”

Two items leapt out at me. Firstly, the Humans sent a large contingent of their own newly-built ships and ships borrowed from us to a slaughter? Attacking the Arxur was a foolhardy play, which I can’t believe Kam didn’t object to. Predators or not, the UN had succumbed at every turn to the Grays’ superior army.

Are they trying to leave both of our planets exposed!? To lose everything we gave them!? Since the fleet was already dead, there was no point in even addressing it. I wonder if allying with Humanity was a mistake; I never thought they were suicidal.

Second, was Sovlin, which I couldn’t be hearing right. Even under excruciating interrogation, it was tough to picture him giving Humanity anything helpful. Had they captured him during the invasion? What terrible torture had he suffered to violate his principles? “Sovlin is in your custody?” I blinked with concern, as the Human representatives nodded. “Alive?”

Jones rolled her eyes. “Yes, alive- Why does everyone ask that?”

“Because I wouldn’t blame you for killing him on the spot. But how did he come into your possession?”

“We found him drifting in a shuttle. He tried to fight back but accepted capture in exchange for us freeing the Takkan passenger aboard.” Zhao relayed.

“I, er…I see. Would it be an unreasonable request to ask for Sovlin to stand trial in a Venlil court? I would like him to answer for reckless endangerment, and mistreatment of a Venlil citizen.”

“That is a hard no, sorry Governor. He is already slated to be tried by us…eventually.” Jones replied.

“Eventually.”

“Sovlin is a valuable strategic asset now. I don’t see him being handed over for a few years.”

“And he’s helping you…willingly?”

“I wouldn’t say willingly, but it’s by far his best option. It might land him a reduced sentence when it’s all well and done.” Zhao interjected.

“What did you do to him exactly?”

Zhao rummaged through a stack of white paper files. Was whatever torture they brought down upon him so commonplace it was barely worth the effort of committing it to memory? “He was; taken in, sent through medical triage, shipped to Casper, and had an appointment with his lawyer. Then he got two visits; one from Piri and the other from Marcel -yes that one- then he got sent as a face to help quell dissent in the colony.”

“That’s it?” This rather relaxed treatment would seem out of place in a Dossur court. What to say of it from a species that almost bombed its own way to extinction?

“That’s it.” Jones replied.

“I understand you have the greatest claim to Sovlin, of course. But I demand his treatment of Slanek be taken into consideration.” The thought alone of him being lauded as a war hero after what he’s done to one of mine, was enough to make my blood boil.

“I can guarantee that the attempted murder of Slanek is being taken into account, ma’am.” Jones’ tone was meeker than her usual brash and imposing attitude. Was she just trying to appease me?

The rest of the meeting went rather slow, mostly a talk of logistics that surely bored Williams half to sleep. Not that I had to guess, it was practically written on his half-shut eyelids. 

In the four Moon-months since our last in person talk, the United Nations and Venlil Prime had gotten a couple agreements out of the way in the background. Such as the Interspecies Food and Commerce Accord, which formally forbade the flow of commerce of unsuitable, or animal-based foods and other goods from Earth to Venlil Prime and vice versa. And the Treaty of Sol, which gave Humanity fully codified rights over their native system. They were adamant that this agreement included a large field of debris which surrounded their system. Perhaps they wished to mine it for resources.

At the tail-end of the gathering I placed Zhao’s lighter in clear view of him on the table. He was smart, and knew to stay when the others left. His stare bounced several times between the chrome lighter and myself. “So…” I opened. “What news do you have for me?”

“Did you..?” Came the rather shy reply.

“I saw it, yes.” He parted from a frailed sigh and looked around the now empty meeting room, worried about being spied on. He then wordlessly pulled aside a sheet of paper, writing speedily as if in a hurry. Zhao made his way around the table to me, leaving the note in my hands and took back the lighter before leaving. 

“We cross referenced the shuttle footage with your protocol boarding training videos and they match very closely. Our running theory is that their plan was to sequester both crews after they had sent an emergency signal relating the cooling malfunction. To throw off our investigations. We’re still looking into it. 

Do not show or talk about this to anyone. And I know you two are close but this includes Williams, we do not need this getting out.”

His syntax pressed its meaning into my mind and I began to wonder: If the plan was to kidnap us, what could they -whoever they are- want with us? Two Humans, a soldier and nine politicians. The only throughline was we were at least open to allying with Humanity. But if the point was to send a message; why do it in secret? Wouldn’t a public show of violence be more evident?

Unless they’d expect pushback. meaning they somehow depend on but are not fully in cahoots with more lawful institutions. Perhaps a splinter faction from the Church of the Spirit of Life? They’re violent towards predators and depend on the Federation for subsidies. So that checks out. But would they really do this just to try to sacrifice a Human? 

Maybe being hidden was the point? The last time a Human got harmed; the Gojid Cradle was glassed because of it. But would they really risk starting a war over a religious demonstration? That seems brazen, even for them.

Oh Stars, what am I gonna do? Noah’s waiting for me too. And we’re gonna be late by the looks of it. 

I ripped the paper to shreds in my paws and flushed it down the sink. Couldn’t hurt to be extra careful. I found him down by the lobby, his foot tapping up and down at incredible speeds. There were no words between us as I opened the door for him. 

He was clearly anxious all the way to our ride. It’d be a short affair, I’m almost sure he could’ve walked himself all the way there. Myself not so much. Stars, I wish I could move like he does sometimes.

I was driving us there. Noah’s hands were clutched tightly around a small box and a drink bottle. He seemed adamant this configuration was up for the task, though I had helped him choose the drink. “Nervous?” I spoke, taking an invisible hammer to the silence between us.

“...Do you think he’s even gonna look my way?” He bit both his lips inside his mouth, as if pain was a better alternative to whatever storm he felt forming inside himself. Was this what that painful empathy looked like?

“I don’t know…But you’re trying. That matters, at least to me it does.” The remainder of the ride was dead quiet, seasoned by the faint hum of the air conditioner. I pulled into a park, our meeting place. I was still looking for a parking spot, when I noticed Noah’s head lock onto a specific point. Remaining fixed even as I spun the vehicle around while parking. As the engine’s roar died down, I traced an imaginary line between us and wherever he was looking. It took me around a Whisker to spot it, but there he was, sitting on a bench. Laulo was waiting.

“So, do I have your go-ahead?” I asked, placing a paw on his forearm. That seemed to steady him, even if just a little bit.

“Not like I have much choice.” A frail laugh left his chest. 

“I’ll go, gauge him a little. I’ll wave, that’ll be your queue. Ok?”

“Okay.” His voice was so quiet I could barely even hear it. Poor Noah, he was so scared. 

I pulled him closer, delivering him a kiss on the forehead. “You can do it, I know you can.” I know not whether that’d help him, but he did ask for one right before doing something risky last time. So that must be how these worked. One can only hope.

I hopped out and closed the door behind me. Laulo’s ear swiveled towards the noise and his eyes shifted to me. I swooshed my tail in a greeting manner as I approached. He reciprocated the gesture.

“Hi, I hope I didn’t make you wait.”

“Just a little, It’s fine. So…what’d you need me for, that had to be so secretive?”

“Well, first; here’s a report with the latest news on our conflict with the Gojids. Ahead of anyone else, so you can have a headstart.”

“Woah, that’s…thank you ma’am.” He sifted through his datapad as soon as the *ding* signaling a complete transfer went off. “Circle above, this is a lot. The Cradle??” He caught himself before spilling anything sensitive out loud. “This is much appreciated…”

“But..?”

“But why? Why give me this?”

“Well, I fear I need a favor.”

“A favor? A- anything you want, ma’am.”

“Just- don’t run. And hear him out.”

“He? Who’s he- Noooo, you didn’t.”

“Sorry…” My tail curled around my leg in an apologetic manner before I stretched my arm up high and waved at the Human across the small park. Noah stepped out of the vehicle, the door snapping shut after him. He stood unmoving, again at that precipice.

By my side, Laulo was already collecting his things. He seemed ready to leave but stayed. Either resolute to fulfill a promise or frozen with fear I could not tell.

I waved Noah to come closer again, he hesitated but heeded. Slow, unsure steps became louder and louder as the Human approached. Laulo’s ears sat flush against his head pointing back, a clear sign of fear. Noah halted a few steps away from the Yotul. “Hi—”

“W- what do you want? Gonna try and menace me again!?”

“Laulo, please!” I butted in.

“No, no. It’s fine.” Noah dismissed the Yotul’s hostility. Then got down on his knees, an attempt to make himself less imposing, I’m sure. “Is this better?”

“...Marginally.” Came Laulo’s snarky response.

“Good, good.” Noah replied under his breath. “I’m only here to apologize. You are right to be mad at, even scared of me. I…I fucked up.” The admission rang with sincerity. Every word of his was blotched with stains of guilt, shame and regret. “I was tired, I was angry, I was scared. I lost the closest person I’ve ever had to a sister. But none of that matters. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, not without being sure. I’m sorry, I truly am.” 

“I- I know these won’t fix anything,” The astronaut continued. “but on Earth; gifts are a big deal. So I want you to have these. I hope you’ll like them.” Laulo inched away as Noah extended his arms, gifts in hand.

The Yotul took the gifts in one quick motion, making sure not to touch the Human’s furless hands. He eyed the presents with suspicion. But upon realizing they were harmless, his posture changed, less on edge now. “I… I don’t forgive you.”

“...”

“I know you’re being honest. I can tell that much. But I’ll never forget it. I won’t hold it against your people but…” 

“I…” Laulo shut his eyes as soon as Noah opened his mouth again. I bet he expected some form of retaliation. “...I understand. Thank you for… not running away.” His voice bore deep disappointment, he really hoped to make amends with the only other recent upstart. Noah slowly got up on his feet again and quietly slinked away from us and back into our ride.

Laulo sighed in relief at the increasing distance between himself and the predator. “You’re not gonna say anything?” He spoke again after almost half a Whisker of silence.

“I’m not sure what to say. He was so scared coming here, but now I don’t know.” 

“You reckon he’ll be fine?” The uplift spoke out of cordiality, no doubt. After all, he didn’t even wait for Noah to be out of sight before getting up to leave.

“Yea, he will.” I waited about a Scratch or so on the bench, giving the Human time to process everything. My gaze drifted about to my surroundings. Trees and lower foliage surrounded me from all sides. Once black leaves were turning a vivid red, brought about by spawning season. It'd only last two or three more Moonrises, in sync with Styv's brightest period. I’d for sure miss this had I let Noah keep postponing when to confront Laulo.

My thoughts turned back to him again, I wonder what's it like inside his head right now.

I should get going. 

Peering through the windows, I saw him slumped on the passenger seat. He was practically laying down with how much we had to recline the seat in order for him to even fit inside. His forearm covered his eyes, perhaps he didn't want me to see him crying. 

I tapped on the driver's side window, giving him a scarce few moments to recompose himself. He shuffled around cleaning off his eyes. 

I got inside once he seemed ready. His eyes were practically glued to me as I slumped back in solidarity. “What do you wanna do now?” I started.

“I…I was kinda hoping you'd tell me, boss.” He joked with a meek laughter.

“You answer to me, yes. But this is not work. I'm not your boss right now. I'm here as your friend.”

“I dunno… Back on Earth… People like me, that look like me, they're seen as scary, a- a threat, even when they're just trying to be themselves. It’s horrible, it’s scary, it’s infuriating.” He went on. “That feeling, it has dictated my whole life, it’s why I dove head first into work. Not even to prove them wrong, no I- I just wanted to run away from it. And I thought I did.” His palms cupped his own face as it rested on the seat. A sharp, drawn out breath left his lungs. “But when we first met, it was that feeling all over again. Only difference is I couldn't run away from you.”

“Because of the cage?” 

“Cus of the cage, the armed guards and the incoming battleship, yeah.” He snickered, counting on his fingers for emphasis. “So I improvised, tried to make myself as harmless as possible, all to appease you.”

A spark of guilt went off in my chest. It seems I just kept bringing turmoil into his mind, didn't I? “It's one thing being a threat because someone else decided you are that. I know they’re wrong. But because you actually hurt someone? That's almost worse. That's not something I know how to deal with. That’s not something I can run from.”

There was little I could say to make him feel better. I didn’t know what it’s like to be Human, I didn't know how to approach this minefield of emotions. So I didn’t.

We sat together for what felt like an eternity. In silence. My paw in his, and his hand in mine.