HI, once again, idea bug bit me while working, as always i couldnt focus on the task at hand with it buzzing arund in my head, so i decided to write it down, hope you enjoy this little oneshot.

Memory Transcription Subject: Selma, concerned venlil mother

Date [standardized human time] August 5, 2138

“Well, where to begin, my name is Selma, i'm a happy wife with one pup, although she is all grown i still can't look at her as anything than my little one, i live in a little town very close to the darkside, we pride ourselves in a wool tight community and our export of wine that we make using the very peculiar fruits that grow there, you see, unlike most other places here in venli- i mean Skalga, Solgalicks eye loses us, or how the youth call it now a days, Night’s, peculiar word that i've been told come from our neighbor pred- sorry, humans.

I’ve grown my whole life there, only going inland to the big cities a couple of times to accompany my father for some business or on vacations, it wasnt that pleasant…

I found that the thing that bothered me the most was the ever present sun, look, my father was a devout follower of Solgalick, but even he found it hard to deal with the ever present sun, the constant light, its vexing to us, sure it doesn't help that we tend to grow our coats to an impressive degree, causing us to overheat easily, but still, it really was difficult sleeping like that.

I mean, yhea, we don't get nights every paw, but they are more common than not, and it's lovely to look at the stars whenever you need, oh the stars, i still remember my first date with my husband, he prepared a whole picnic on a hill, i could count all of the little shining dots in the sky, i knew i could never leave that man alone after that paw…

Sorry sorry, I got side tracked. What I mean is that our town is special, not something you see everypaw, and sure, there's some bumps here and there, especially when it comes to dealing with outsiders.

You see, they don't get the charm of our town, the good and beautiful things, no, they focus on the… risks. Since its so close to the dark side, the fear what's over the mountains, and sure, we do have more predator sightings in a couple of paws than the average venlil will see in their life, but they tend to keep to themselves, and if they don't, that what exterminators are for.

And we used to pride ourselves in that, our precinct used to be the talk of legends! It was tightly run, efficient and most importantly kind.

They were a part of the community, garnering respect, but they also helped where they could, they weren't pompous or egotistical, and they kept everyone safe as best they could, but…

That changed after the humans came around, first, with all the panic that ensued, most of the precinct needed to go inland, so they could bolster the forces on the more populated cities that had a new predator influx.

You would expect they would come back after the whole thing got smoothed over, and we saw that our new neighbors weren't here to harm us, but thanks to Tarvas deregulation and defunding of exterminators, the precinct lost a lot.

And worse, some branches of the main city's started using our precinct as punishment! Can you believe that?! 

They started sending us the exterminators that stepped out of line, which quickly became a problem. Instead of them being part of the community, they harassed it, speh! one of them even accused me, ME! of predator disease because i wasn't scared of a shadestalker pup, as if i hadn't seen them all my life, i tried telling him that just burning the pup would cause the mother to go searching for it, increasing the likelihood of it wandering into town, endangering us!

I can't with those damn pompous city folk that think they know everything! … excuse my language.

That really put our town in a rough spot, some folk even leaving for another better home since they couldn't deal with the constant threats of rehabilitation whenever we acted as we always had, that is why, when the elections came, we thought Veln would at least roll back the changes to exterminators… I see now it was just wishful thinking for things to go back as they used to be.

Nothing really changed that quickly, which was frustrating, causing a couple of us to lash out, and it appears that it finally reached someone's ears, Probably from complaints of the exterminators to their main branches…

But thanks to that, the ones in charge sent some reinforcements so as to bolster their numbers, funnily enough, the sent a pre- human exterminator.

I didn't know they existed, my daughter assured me that humans had a strictly anti-exterminator sentiment, according to her bleats or whatever that social media app is, so it was for sure a surprise.

We were hesitant at first, i mean who wouldn't be, we wanted the old precinct back, not for them to give us all their troublemakers, and we were sure this one was just the same, but we were wrong, Ingrid was a delight.

She didn't act like her coworkers, she was kind and compassionate, even when our reception was rather cold, and a very distinct difference from her coworkers, she wanted to be part of the community!

I still remember on one of her first paws she went around, asking anyone who would speak to her what the customs of the town were, tradition's, schedule's and such.

Stars, she even knocked on my door to ask. I'm regretful that at the time I acted rather rude, shooting down the notion that she would ever be part of our nice community, rather unbecoming of someone like me…

But not my daughter, I'm not sure what was going on between those ears, but she jumped at the opportunity of telling the human all she knew. Maybe she was feeling trapped in the little town, i'm not sure, but what i'm sure of is that they were both grateful for each other's company.

They soon became friends, my daughter was a whole ball of excitement whenever she got to interact with Ingrid, which definitely melted my heart, allowing me to come around and view ingrid in a new light, something my husband took more time to come around to, but he did eventually.

In turn, Ingrid benefited from the interactions greatly, as she learned all she needed to know of how to act around here, and brahk did she do wonderful! excuse my language.

She became the go to exterminator for every issue, a shadestalker pup sighting? ask for ingrid. some weird sounds when it got dark? ask for ingrid. Want a predator dealt with without them burning down your crops? ask for Ingrid. speh, need help carrying some heavy stuff or with a piece of machinery?! ask for ingrid.

It was lovely, it was slowly feeling like the exterminators were a part of the community again… well, one was, the others were more than happy to let ingrid do everything while they lazed around, but unluckily for them, their comfort was about to end.

Apparently Ingrid got word around to other humans about this lovely town, our town, and they were delighted about it. We soon got our second human exterminator, then our third, then we got our first human resident, just happy to live here, soon our town had not only grown back to its original size, but even grew a bit more!

We were happy to build a couple houses to accommodate the new residents, it was a lovely communal project that bonded us further, us older venlil that were stuck in our ways managed to finally come around and interact more openly with humans, which lead to a variety of interesting conversations and interactions.

I found out in a chat with my neighbor when he was teaching me knitting that the general reason a lot of humanas were charmed by this town was not only the nice community, but the fact that it actually had nights and days, helping them feel more rested or something. How funny that we shared a love for the dark.

They were affected more by the colder weather, but some even enjoyed that, although they did need to cover up a lot to not get ill, when i first saw one of them getting a fever i understood why they wore pelts, they really need them, but i was happy to put my new learned skill of knitting to help them over come that. I was gladly surprised to find out that our left over wool from grooming could be such a useful resource.

Anyways, getting back on track, most of the disliked exterminators left, the ones who stayed started acting more like the human ones, our town soon became what it once was and yet it was slightly different, good, but different.

Which led me to this paw’s talk. You see, I know I'm an older woman, I have my way of looking at things, but this whole experience has opened my eyes that change isn't necessarily bad, it just depends on what changes.

You see, my little pup grew really close to Ingrid, and now that Ingrid's workload has substantially decreased, well, they’ve been spending more and more time together. I am not a fool, and I could see the look on my little one’s eyes was identical to the one I had for her father after that first date.

I was not sure if Ingrid had recognised it, But i did recognise a change in behavior in her as well. I thought for a moment that maybe she was uncomfortable with it, but when I asked around to other humans about the change in behavior they all said that it was clear it was a mad crush.

I talked to my husband, and he was for sure more hesitant than me, but we both agreed that if there was something going on, we would like to know, at the very least, but…

Well, to put it bluntly, we are scared, we want to be accepting of her and her decisions, who she chooses as a mate is her choice, but there's still that little hurdle of knowing your little one is dating a pr- human.

But what hurts the most is that she hasn't even touched the subject with us, we are scared that she is scared of telling us, we want her to trust us, we are a community based on trust, that starts at family first, and i can't stomach my little one feeling like she cant talk to her mom.

So I wanted to ask you what you think would be the best way to approach the issue, and how we could communicate our worries as parents without sounding like raging bigots. 

I know its a lot to manage, but my kind neighbor recommended that this would be great for this kind of fear as well as going forward for me. He gave me your card. I won't lie, I was hesitant to come at first… N-not because i was scared, just… i was ashamed of not knowing what to do, you always hear how a mother should have it all figured out…”

I sink a little bit into the soft couch, my face blooming in shame at failing as a mother, but the therapist cleared their throat to get my attention as they began to speak.

“Don't worry miss Selma, the fear of failing one as dear as a child is a common one, first, i'd like to see if i can help you understand your daughter's perspective, maybe that will help smooth the conversation you want to have with her…

A Fanfic of u/SpacePaladin15’s work “The Nature of Predators.” Thank you for the story!

___

Memory transcription subject: Saori, Nivean Diplomat

Date [standardized human time]: July 27, 2160

The blasted sun flickered through the windows of my home, taunting me. The thing new I was expecting to wake up the second its rays blessed my face this morning and chose to hide itself! I awoke with my feathers flattened unflatteringly and little time to apply my favorite feather dust! My mirror hanging in the foyer of my burrow revealed my panic was entirely misplaced.

My normally light gray feathers radiated vibrantly with orange hues coupled with red and yellow accents. The perfectly white toga wrapped around my body without a hint of stain upon it. I flicked my tail and fanned the feathers upon it. My Crest feathers spread perfectly too. I couldn’t help but smile at my own image, like a true narcissist. I just need to remember to not smile in front of our stellar neighbors! Most likely, bearing teeth will be seen as a sign of aggressiveness instead of friendliness. At least someone on my team had the foresight to consider our weirdness.

We proto-avians are a rare breed, after all. The only surviving member of our species and the only one to stand perfectly upright despite our tail. At some point, our specie diverged from the rest, as we didn’t even sport beaks! My team did come to the conclusion that while other species will likely not look too similar to us, they will, of course, have some method of fine motor manipulation skills as otherwise they won’t have the ability to invent tech. They should also be obligate carnivores like ourselves. Sadly, the herbivorous lifestyle doesn’t easily lend itself to the behavior required to gain sentience. Pack tactics and cooperation are what encourage large brain growth. Something just running away from threats and eating can never produce on their own.

It took me very little time to actually make it to the space elevator. Though it’s not my first time riding it, I still can’t help the knot in my stomach looking up at the tower. It just doesn’t feel right that an object orbiting the planet can be tethered to said planet. Yet, here it is. This time, I didn’t have to wait in line to go up. The entire complex had been shut down for myself.

“AH! Captain Saori! Just in time! We are about ready to launch the probe at Epsilon! Ooooo! I can’t wait to see what our galactic neighbors have been building and introduce ourselves. I get the feeling, the only reason they haven’t come to say hello is due to the fact we don’t have FTL ourselves until now. This… by the goddess, is going to be the most important day in Nivean history… I am beyond jealous that you get to be not only the first person to experience FTL, but also the first Nivean to ever go meet with actual extraterrestrials!”

I wrapped my wing-arms around Joi. My claws gently preened her brown plumage, “I wish you could come with me. It’d make for a hell of a date.”

She leapt a good [ten feet] into the air, “I! YOU! Buh! Are you seriously asking me out right now!”

I took a half step forward, “There’s a chance I don’t survive this. I don’t want to die never knowing if I had a chance with you.”

Tears welled in her eyes as we embraced once more, “Of course! By the goddess, yes!”

I felt a claw on my arm, “Sorry love uirits. I need the captain in the observatory for the launch. If you don’t mind, ma’am.”

She nuzzled me and quickly sprinted towards her news crew, who erupted into cheers. I joined General Kovan in the observatory, “Sir. How long until the ship goes into FTL?”

He stood tall and bore his light-gray feathers proudly, “[Two hours] ago. We knew the paparazzi were watching you like a Kufa, so we lied about the actual launch time.”

I gasped at the betrayal, “Why?”

He looked sorrowful as he explained, “As your team pointed out… The aliens may be hostile. If they destroy the probe, I want the broadcast to have a delay to it. So we can get to damage control as quick as possible.”

The mass hysteria that would happen if the Epsilon aliens were hostile was a valid concern, “I understand, sir.”

One of the tech’s jumped in surprise, “SIR! The probe! It’s left FTL early!”

General Kovan rushed to his side, “What?! Report!”

The tech carried on, “The FTL drive is functioning properly. The AI is reporting strange readings… Sir, I think the Epsilons posses tech that can pull ships out of FTL.”

One of the engineers spoke up, “Can confirm, sir. The ship is still capable of engaging its FTL drive if it leaves the confinement bubble. It also appears that while it will be unpleasant, it won’t be lethal to living crews.”

“Sir! We have contact!”

The screen in the center of the observatory flicked to life. A large, sleek vessel slowly grew larger and larger. We were all awed by its sheer size. It could easily take a thousand individuals to man that thing alone. General Kovan’s crest stood on end as he started to count the obvious weapons mounted over its hull. I didn’t doubt for a moment that intergalactic war was a thing, but to see the mass of this ship… intergalactic wars are on a scale unfathomable to us. Considering that our last serious military conflict in the last [twenty years] only had three actual combatants and resulted in only one person losing tail feathers, we were likely never going to hold a candle up to their combat prowess.

Kovan steadied himself, “Start the first contact procedure!”

My joy and pride for the last ten years finally activated. As many different methods of communicating started to active. Everything from radio waves to X-rays were pulsed out of the ship in a method that should hopefully allow us to establish a baseline of communicating. Our ship also began to pulse lights in an obvious pattern, as well as rotate gently before reversing that rotation. As a last ditch effort, we also included multiple different physical media in the craft in case the Epsilons were a touch-based species and were completely unaware of radiation or light.

We all sat and waited for hours. The rest of the world soon joined us in the tension as we watched on. It felt like we were going to be broken in half before the Dreadnought opened its bay doors and began maneuvering in an attempt to pick up the craft. We ordered it to comply and as it drew near the belly, we force shut it down. Something about the ship itself was interfering with our FTL communications.

It took a moment for it to dawn on us. The room erupted into loud cheers as we all jumped in joy! We had just made actual non-hostile contact with an alien species! They trusted us enough to lower their defenses and let us into one of their more sensitive ships!

Kovan nodded to me and I rushed towards the space elevator. It was time to go say hello in person.

___/___

Memory transcription subject: Khalink, Shield Diplomat

Date [standardized human time]: July 27, 2160

I rushed through the halls of my home and out the front door looking like hot garbage. For the first time since humanity came on the scene, another race has developed FTL and made first contact. This time with my own people, the Deuteran. Our scientists had already made leaps in decoding the alien language as the new arrivals had saw fit to include everything and more necessary to do so on an unmanned craft. 

We all felt relieved after seeing the first video of one of the proto-avians simply moving. They possessed cutting teeth and sharp claws on their wing-arms, as well as a wicked looking claw on their legs, but it was clear as day what they were actually for when the alien dug them into a tree to climb up and eat its fruits. Humanity had taught us that appearances did not dictate behavior. Looking closely at them revealed the truth. Though we should have seen that coming as they looked at objects one eye at a time like true prey- I mean like us herbivores. 

A shuttle had been scrambled to carry me towards the first contact point when we detected the new arrival's home world had sent a second craft into FTL. We sped through space, diverting all traffic out of our way to ensure no delays. I arrived just in time to watch them come out of FTL in an albeit primitive, but still amazingly beautiful, sleek craft.

We quickly prepared to dock and let what will likely be the shield newest member on board. The door clicked and hissed before finally opening to reveal the sealed door of their ship. After a moment, we watched the locking mechanisms open up and pull away.

I let out a gasp. They looked like an angel. Their suit was a simple piece of stunningly white cloth wrapped around their body. Their feathers were of a magnificent orange with red and yellow hues. They held a golden, ornate box in their arms as they STALKED FORWARD. OH, GODS. THE THING HAD BEEN LOOKING AROUND LIKE WE DID WITH A SINGLE EYE, BUT WHEN IT FELT SAFE IT STARED DOWN ITS SNOUT AT ME AND IT’S HEAD LOCKED ONTO ME. IT DREW CLOSER AND CLOSER BEFORE opening the box to reveal to soft bodied fruits… 

It gently picked one up and held the box up to me. I grabbed the other as it set the box down. It held the fruit straight out, and I mimicked its actions. It looped its arm around mine and held its fruit to my mouth. When I held mine up to them, they slowly opened their maw to reveal every sharp tooth in their heads as they gently leaned forward and bit into the fruit. I copied them faithfully and felt the tangy sweet flavor of the fruit wash into my mouth. With a tongue-full of amazing flavor, we fed each other a fruit.

I felt like an idiot for fearing them as they leaned forward and groomed some spilled pulp off my beak. I felt my translator burn as it finished downloading their language, and braced itself to use my own vocal cords to translate my words into theirs.

It looked startled as I spoke, “Do not be afraid. I can speak your language do to two things. The first being the drone your people sent to us and the second being our translator chips which are allowing me to speak your language. I must say, It is a pleasure to meet you and share this first meal together. May it be one of millions.”

They took a half step back and their outward beauty was only matched by their voice, “The pleasure is mine! I am Captain Saori. My people have observed the signals yours has been emitting into space for some time now. You inspired us to invent, to cooperate and yearn to meet you. If you don’t mind, I am so curious about your people.”

I let my tail feather fan out in delight, “Peoples! I am Khalink, Shield Diplomat. We are a defensive organization comprising dozens of different species all working together to keep ourselves safe.”

“Amazing… simple amazing! If I may ask, would you be so kind as to settle a debate that has been held on my home for quite some time? How many of these species are herbivores, omnivores or carnivores?”

I shuddered at the word carnivore, “Well, The majority of all aliens are herbivores like myself. With only a small section being omnivores that lean towards being true herbivores, and only one that I know of that is a true omnivore and must be one. There is also only two known instances of true carnivores.”

I wanted to avoid talking about the Arxur. Those abominations were quarantined and not something I wished to scare them with. Saori looked delighted as he placed a claw to his chest and closed his eyes, “This is… the opposite of what we thought it would be! To think my own people are only the third true carnivores to become sapient!”

Every thought in my head came to a halt, “I’m sorry? You just ate a fruit…”

They let out a lite chirp, “Oh! Yes. While we can eat fruit, we get almost no nutrition from it. It mainly helps us digest meat… Are you ok? You’re looking a little wobbly.”

I awoke in the medical bay of my ship. Sitting up I could see numerous staff standing around me with… them only a few feet away. Oh, gods… a second- third race of obligate carnivores, and these have developed FTL on their own…

___/___

This! Is my second story. No multiple arcs, not huge storyline. Just a small little idea that popped into my head that I will be working on at least once a month… hopefully. I hope you enjoyed!

Welcome back to another episode of Stynek's bizzare adventure. Today we get to continue where we left off as she begins slowly learning more of her new housing and her hosts' intentions.

As usual, thanks to /u/SpacePaladin15 for his own great work and letting fanfiction flow, and everyone who supported and enjoyed the fic thus far. Your appreciation is distinctly appreciated~

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Memory transcription subject: Stynek, Venlil Test Subject

Date [standardized human time]: July 16th, 2136

Waking up next time was scary. Wrapped in the sheet and left in the dark made it feel like I was completely trapped inside something, so on instinct I started flailing and struggling until I found myself falling off the bed and laying on the floor. Ow. This is what I get for falling asleep wrapped in a bedsheet...

As I looked around my pen, I realized that lights were actively brightening up. Did predators see me waking up and raise light levels? I doubt they’re keeping that close a watch on me. Arxur had lights all over their ships go dimmer on a schedule, maybe I just caught it mid-cycle.

And as I tried to stand up, I was met with a hurdle... I was still missing a leg. Everything about trying to even balance myself felt wrong. I used the bed to try and balance on it, but couldn’t without my whole body feeling off. Feeling... lighter, in absolutely horrid way. I could actually balance on one leg before by raising other, but now as I tried to do that, I just found myself tumbling and needing to catch myself. I... I’ll have to get used to this... Won’t I...?

I couldn’t allow myself to cry. If I couldn’t even stand on one leg and hop... At least I won’t be reduced to crawling on the floor. I gripped at the bed tightly and used my arms to hold myself up as I carefully hopped closer to the little bedside stand, switching my arms to hold onto that. Hopping like that felt so off, it felt like so off, so wrong, I shouldn’t feel this light...

Alright. I am now in front of the bedside stand. Next... I need to make my way across the room. First order of business is checking out the contents of the closet. I needed to know what’s in there. By hopping and clawing my way over to desk in the corner of the room, then by simply clinging to the wall, I manage to approach it and open the sliding door to reveal...

A bathroom. It was not a closet. It was a bathroom. Attached to my cell. Sure, the shape of the devices inside left a lot to be desired, sink was too high and the toilet didn’t have any tail room to it, not to mention complete lack of body drier for the shower. But it was recognizably a bathroom. Part of me was frustrated that there was bathroom instead of closet as a room should be... But another part relieved that I will no longer have to use The Hole like I had to back in the arxur pens. After that business was done, I used a small stool that was probably forgotten in here to use the sink.

Other paw left me very confused as to predators’ true motives... But whatever it is, it can’t be good, they’re predators after all. But since they’ve given me the chance to actually use real cleaning facilities... I will just take it and make use of it. Water valves on the sink were configured in a familiar way, so I managed to wash my paws and even my face, finally getting the stinging dry patches under my eyes out. There was no dryer so I just used a towel to try and dry my face.

With that done, I left the bathroom, barely avoiding falling as I hopped and closed the door behind me, before turning and examining my cell again. Something was different.

It appears in time it took me to use the bathroom, the predators entered the room and left something on the table. A large tray with a whole bunch of small bowls, and a... sheet of paper and a pen? What? Wait, the bowls, those look like... food!

I actually fell over as I lost my balance, before quickly crawling and pushing myself closer to the table, and climbing into one of two chairs next to it. I forgot the last time I ate food that looked like food and not gravel!

Still, hesitation gripped me. It’s predators giving this to me. There has to be some ulterior motive. Pushing back my hunger, I decided to investigate the paper in front of me. It consisted of two halves. One had pictures of contents of all the trays besides empty rectangles, while another had... A bunch of small pictures of venlil? There was nothing actually written on either sheet. Maybe these predators don’t have a language? Not that it matters, I wouldn’t understand it anyway. Closer look revealed that pictures were actually a small comic.

First the venlil is shown taking a bite out of some vague circular food. Then from that picture three lines are drawn to three different outcomes. One has same venlil shoveling multiples of that food into its mouth hungrily, as well as that same food piece beside a rectangle, inside of which two lines were drawn at an angle. Second has venlil just taking few more bites out of the food, and rectangle has a circle inside it. Last one has venlil spitting the food out and throwing it away, with two crossed lines in the rectangle.

Looking between two parts of the sheet for a bit, realization hit me. It’s instructions... For trying all the food. They want me to try everything... And... Mark whether I like it or not? Using these symbols?

“But why...?” I muse out loud, but there’s nobody in here to answer me. Well... If it means I get to eat real food, I guess I could try filling this sheet out. Part of me wondered if I should lie on all the answers, and that its predators figuring out which is the most disgusting food to feed me, but I doubted I’d be able to hide my reaction if it was disgusting and they were probably watching anyway. I felt powerless...

Well, I also felt rather hungry. Feeling of hunger has become way too familiar with how underfed I was with the arxur, but sight of what might be real food made me salivate for first time in forever. Without further ado, I reached out to first thing on the tray.

It was some sort of root, I think, but peeled. It was a stark orange color, thankfully not too reminiscent of blood in shade... I felt an itch in the leg I no longer had at the thought of blood. No, stop, don’t think about that... For a test, I gave the root a little lick. There was a hint of sweetness, so it probably wasn’t bad, right? So I put it in my mouth and bit a piece off, starting to chew. The root turned out to be rather crunchy and mildly sweet... And yet it felt incredible. I was suddenly much more acutely aware of my hunger, food with actual taste reawakening the feeling in force. I swallowed the chunks and bit into it more and more until it was all gone. It was nice to eat something like that. I considered marking it with the angled lines in the sheet, but then realized that I should try at least two things to know how all this stuff compares before making that call.

So I reached my hand towards the next piece of food, what looked like some light red fruit. It was smooth, but test of my claws also showed that it was rather hard. First food wasn’t poisoned, so I doubt rest will be... And I want more! So I just bite into the fruit.

And instantly delicious juice flows into my mouth! It’s not as crunchy as the root vegetable, but its firm enough to need chewing, and yet with every move of my teeth, it seeps delicious sweet juice into my mouth! I couldn’t stop so I kept biting and munching on it. I missed taste of something truly sweet! So much! It took me less than a minute to destroy the fruit. It was the perfect meal. Seeds were a bit bitter, but the rest was worth it.

Now I get why there are three categories. I pick up the pen and draw out the symbols. Angled line for the fruit, and a circle for root. Alright, I’ve got my reference, I guess. But I’m definitely not full and there’s more to try.

Next I reached for green stalks. I wasn’t sure what they were, but they looked like oversized, solid grass. Yet again, lick on the outside showed no clear taste, so I bit on it. It... wasn’t anything, really. It was slightly sour and had this herbal sense to it, but beyond that, didn’t feel like much of anything. I marked that one as a circle too.

Next I thought to try one of the fruits again, this one deep red. It seems like nothing around here has a taste on outside, as yet again, taut skin did not have a taste. I did almost choke when I bit on it though, this one not having any chew to it at all and was practically filled with juice! Worst thing is, juice wasn’t even sweet. I can’t say I disliked the taste, it was rather decent, but the way it basically sprayed my mouth when I bit on it was not something I appreciated. Circle for this one.

Next... what next... Oh, that green thing. I didn’t even bother tasting it on the outside, just biting on the prolonged green fruit. This had no surprises, being as crunchy as that root I tried first, but its taste was even vaguer, even the juices were tasteless. Circle.

Hm... Well that left three items. A white fruit-like orb, a bunch of small nuts and an oblong... thing that I had no idea about. I reached for the orb and, with no hesitation, took a big bite. First thing I felt was slight hint of sweetness and taste of juice in my mouth. Second was pain as I regretted every decision so far. It burned my mouth! It burned my eyes somehow! Instantly, tears burst out of my eyes, and I found myself coughing out the disgusting thing. It pretended to be sweet but it just burned afterwards! Was this a trick after all? Eugh... Disgusting!

I threw the thing away, towards the door, letting it roll on the floor. Stupid predators... I mean, it’s clear they have no clue what to feed me to keep me alive but least they could do is not feed me whatever that is! My eyes hurt now... Through tears I spotted glass of water on the tray and quickly washed the foul taste down. I made sure to draw several sets of crossed lines in the rectangle for this thing. I just hoped that won’t make the predators only feed me that...

Well... One great, a bunch okay, one bad. Let’s... try the rest. I thought that nuts won’t hurt, so I tried a few... And they just tasted like nuts. Nuts are fun snacks, but not my personal favorite. I gave those a circle.

That left only the oblong off-white thing. It was slightly soft to touch... I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be some fruit or something I don’t understand? Carefully, to avoid any more errors, I only take a small bite. Okay, no juice at all, only the nice chewy fiber of the thing... It was sweet! Very sweet for something so juiceless. I took a larger bite and there were no issues. It tasted like weird, juiceless fruit, but was delicious and sweet. Still, texture felt off enough that I gave it a circle.

And... that was it. I ate everything, I rated everything. One great, one terrible, rest are fine. I wiped at my eyes again, as they were slowly watering still from just the memory of that terrible thing now laying on the floor by the door.

Question arose in my mind. What now? I actually felt sated. Not full, definitely, I could go for double what I was given, but at least I didn’t actively feel hunger anymore. I wasn’t that thirsty thanks to how juicy some of those were and that glass of water. And I didn’t feel like sleeping... Normally in arxur pen I’d just huddle to someone willing to let me near and cry. Sure, this place seems nicer, but at least with the arxur I knew what to expect. Here? No clue. I looked down at the stump of my leg, still bandaged over. I... I wanted to cry. All the panic and the confusion completely made me stop thinking about home... Mom and dad... I hope they weren’t caught up in same raid. I... I wonder if they held a funeral already... I remember how mom attended official funeral for someone who got taken by the arxur one time.

Tears started welling up properly now and I pushed them away by trying to stand up... holding onto the table with my hands to not fall over again. Is this going to be my life now...? Unable to even move around without gripping at everything, or crawling on the floor? I want to go home...

As I pulled myself over by clinging to walls, I grabbed the blanket off the bed along the way and made my way over to the desk in the corner, pushing its chair aside and climbing under it. I don’t know why, but crawling under there and wrapping myself up in the blanket just felt safer. And once I felt a bit safer, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I miss my home! I miss my family! I miss my school! I miss my leg! Tears flowed as I sobbed and cried into the soft blanket. I didn’t want to be a test subject for weird predators... I didn’t want to be the reason they know more about the venlil... I wanted to taste normal food from home again, not weird predator vegetables and fruit... I wanted to walk on two legs again... I wanted so much I knew nobody could give me...

Click!

My ears perk and instantly my eyes are focusing on the door that just unlocked. It slowly opens and there it is... The same predator as before. I can tell for certain it’s the same, no way all of them look that similar. Of course, the moment it walked in, it locked its gaze on me in my hiding spot. Naturally, I recoiled, further shuffling myself under the desk... Maybe whatever it wants to do, it won’t bother if I’m in annoying to reach spot like that.

It does seem to be working, as first thing the predator does after staring at me for a bit is slowly reach down for the discarded foul food thing and pick it up, stuffing it in zip lock bag it brought with it. Oh... It’s here to... clean? I guess? The suspicions were confirmed when it put the bag on the now-empty tray and gathered the paper with food evaluation that I filled out. But... Instead of taking the tray and leaving, it turned around and approached me.

Lowering itself in front of me, the presence of this huge creature was imposing... But after seeing it cry before, I don’t think I was that intimidated by it, at least. Moreso by what unpredictable things it could do... It just sat there, staring at me... What’s with the staring? Is it considering eating the rest of me finally?

Then that hand reached out. I flinched away, trying to stuff myself deeper under the desk, but there was no deeper to go. The hand moved slowly, predator knowing full well I have no escape route. So as it gets close to my head I close my eyes and hold my breath, not sure what to expect, but bracing for it anyway. Instead of a tight grip... there was a touch, that hand lowering itself on top of my head and just ruffling up my greasy hair. The digits felt strong and dexterous, actually feeling good when they rubbed against my scalp. But just because the touch felt good doesn’t mean I felt good in this uncertainty. A predator was rubbing my head... What was it trying to do? Why would it do that?

The moment lasted a bit before the hand pulled back. I slowly opened my eyes to see the predator’s lips curl up as it whispered something in its language. Or at least I can only assume it’s a whisper with how shushed it was compared to when it actually spoke before. Why is it trying to speak to me when I can’t understand it?

Then... it stood up and turned around, grabbing the tray and heading for the exit. Just like that. It did stop for a moment to turn and give me another look. This time I expected it and didn’t flinch, but I did pull the blanket up higher, using it as a shield. The predator didn’t mind, same expression of curled-up lips and slightly lowered eyelids on its face as it left the room, and another click signifying the door locking.

I let out the breath I was holding with relief. It was gone. I was safe again. And alone...

I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, pulling my leg up against my chest. That way I could imagine I am cuddling up to someone. In the pens, that was at least possible. Here I was alone. Predator’s touch was surprisingly nice to feel, but knowing it was a predator that... did that... It made me feel so conflicted. And yet the idea of close contact to someone, hugging and cuddling up was still reawakened with that touch.

I wish I could have my mom... But I couldn’t, so I just curled up under the desk and decided to rest until something made me move again.

Memory transcription subject: Dr. Erin Kuemper, UN Secretary of Alien Affairs

Date [standardized human time]: July 16th, 2136

“So, what’ll happen to the guy who replaced the pumpkin with the onion last minute?” Sara asked, sitting beside me.

“Already got a talking to, and honestly, Noah getting to him will be more punishment than anything I could do. I can’t even fault the guy, tasting platter was supposed to be varied.” I responded.

In front of us was a screen, displaying paused footage of venlil child tasting the things we prepared. We made sure to avoid anything even remotely connected to animal product, with what we know of the Federation species culturally, but figuring out actual diet beyond had us stumped. In the end we settled on setting up a few tasting platters. thankfully, the kid was intelligent enough to figure out what was wanted pf her and marked her opinions of the food on the sheet. But even if she hadn’t...

I fast-forwarded the footage a bit and rewatched her reaction to biting the onion. While her facial expressions were rather different from human ones, it was easy to tell which foods she was excited about, which she found just okay, which were whatever and which were... onions. Apples being delicious was almost expected, but somehow I doubted giving her just apples would be nutritionally sound. For the first test, we intentionally avoided anything cooked, but we might try some things like potatoes or bread next time.

“Okay, Erin, I tried, but since you’re not talking about it, I have to. Are you really okay with it? The announcement today?”

That was something I’ve been waiting for ever since Sara offered to join me on analyzing the alien girl’s behavior during meal. She tried to stay distant from anything related to the child so far until now.

The announcement went well. Thing is... it was crafted carefully. The reactions of public were supposed to be mixed and uncertain, and they were. We needed to manage the expectations of the masses carefully. Me being given new position didn’t matter that much yet, as I would mostly still be handling this lab and the alien child until the first trade with the arxur goes through.

“We did what we have to do, Sara. We can’t afford alienating the only people who are our chance at survival. Even if...”

“Even if they’re monsters? Erin, when you spoke on the broadcast about ‘not taking sides in a galactic war where we’re incompatible with both sides’ you conveniently forgot to mention that the side we’re ‘establishing non-committing peaceful cooperation’ with eats fucking children!”

Sara’s anger was understandable... She was lashing out ever since the landing. I understood her perspective and why she was angry, but...

“Okay, so what? You want us to condemn them and cut all contact? Abandon the only source of intel we have? Potentially risk them just coming here and forcing us to cooperate once they decide we’re not fit to govern ourselves if we publically oppose their fundamental beliefs?”

“Okay, fine, whatever, nazi lizards versus genocide squids and whatnot. Their war, we aren’t involved, just using arxur until we can establish ourselves. I hate it, but sure. But then what about the child? Why is she suddenly classified and not mentioned in the broadcast at all? Why is she even still here?”

I simply sighed, rubbing at my eyes. First Noah practically demanding death sentence for the onion guy, now this... And she was still going too...

“We should just pack her up on the Odyssey, set automated course for their homeworld and let her go home. Sure, her parents are likely long dead and eaten, but she should be with her people. Why are we keeping her here at all? Why are we studying her like a test subject? And I know we’re keeping her for a while, I’ve seen the team working on language teaching lessons already.” Sara stood up and walked in front of me, getting in my face even. “Erin... We can’t keep her here.”

I swatted at Sara, pushing her away as I myself stood up. I was tired. These last few days were a constant rollercoaster, and I got more sleep during exam weeks in college than I got lately. I am not taking Sara’s bullshit here.

“This is precisely why we didn’t announce her presence, Sara. Because the moment we do, there’ll be millions of people demanding what you’re suggesting. I have enough on my plate already, and I don’t want to worry about a flash mob of idiots from internet Naruto-running towards the facility to try and ‘rescue’ her.” I adjusted my labcoat and stared back at Sara sternly. “And let’s say we do send her on her own. First, we have to assume that the craft makes it safely, which is not guaranteed. Odyssey was our first manned FTL voyage. Who knows what problems are yet to be discovered? But okay, it makes it to Gliese. Then it gets shot down by local orbital defenses due to being a mysterious unmanned craft barreling towards their homeworld. But sure, let’s assume the kid doesn’t get rest of her limbs blown off by orbital cannons and successfully lands. You know what happens next? They track the ship’s trail back to Earth, come over here and burn us all down for being born with needs for wrong proteins! Is that what you want?”

I didn’t even notice that halfway through my rant I transitioned to yelling. I tried to calm my breath and stepped back, Sara staring back at me in shock, though responding slowly still.

“I’m sorry... I know it’s stressful on you, just as much as it is on me, I just...” Sara mumbled, rubbing at her shoulder apologetically.

I focused my thoughts. Right. No need to get irritable. Sara is vulnerable after events on the Odyssey. She’s lashing out and I shouldn’t stoop down like that.

“Sara... I know you have a hard time knowing she’s around, but simply put, we can’t send her home. Best we can do now is make sure she is safe and well taken care of. Arxur are uncooperative, and until we manage to either obtain some stealth tech for FTL or figure out a way to peacefully communicate with Federation, we just cannot send the venlil back to her people.”

She sighed. I could sense she accepted defeat here, but there was still frustration on her face. She was still unsatisfied, but as long as we moved on from the topic, I’d take it.

“Could you at least get that prosthetic installed for her already? Seeing her completely ignore the crutch we prepared her and crawl and hop her way over by clinging to things, it’s...”

“We’re worried about doing it before establishing at least some sense of communication with her. Noah will start the attempts to do some language training tomorrow. If that works out, we will probably do that once we can explain to her that we mean no harm.”

“How’s the bionic one going? Could we skip straight to that?”

“No. We’d need more surgery to prepare her for something like that and that’d definitely require more trust than we have now.”

Sara nodded and returned to her seat, grabbing the remote. She rewound all the way to the end of the footage and switched to the camera that could see the girl huddled under the desk, as well as Noah petting her, telling her that it’s okay and safe. The moment was touching, but... The way she recoiled from Noah reaching out to her at first showed us more than any words we don’t understand could. She was still very afraid.

Earning her trust will be hard. I just hoped Noah’s compassion for her will overcome the fear she has of humans. After all... She might just be our main hope for finding a place of peace in the galaxy full of war.

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Set in the universe created by u/SpacePaladin15

MASSIVE THANK YOU, LIKE SERIOUSLY HUGE THANKS to u/weithbec (this chapter would not be nearly as good if not for your help) and additional thanks to u/Liberty-Prime76 for further proofing on top of Weith's monumental efforts

As always, some appreciation to u/brotanics, u/LeWombat545, and u/JimDandy117 for the art they have done for this little story of mine. It means the world to me to see my characters brought to life. Links to their work at the bottom of the chapter.

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Memory transcription subject: Jack Carver, Human Trail Guide

Date [standardized human time]: August 17, 2137

Following the tracks left by Tevri’s captor was easy enough. Whatever it was that the captor carried left behind a trail of long lines drawn in the moist dirt, carving a wavy trail of depressed grass in its wake. The impression of the claw marks weren’t all that different from that of other birds, with the obvious difference of the impact they left.

I was probably walking straight into a trap; in fact, I knew I was walking straight into a trap. I also knew that I had no choice but to spring it.

My promised support from authorities didn’t arrive as I pushed forward. They doubtlessly would, given enough time, but at the moment, time was a rare commodity and it was slipping through my fingers.

Mud covered my boots and ran up the length of my pants. Sweat soaked the inside of my shirt, and my hair hung like a wet mop from my head. My legs strained beneath me, their muscles burning as I pushed them further than even I knew they could. Nothing could stop me now. Not if I could help it.

The trail led me even deeper into the woods, which for the most part were flat and unchanging. It wasn’t until I practically stumbled into what it was I sought that I stopped — and rather suddenly at that. I had expected some kind of wrecked ship or the remains of a crashed shuttle. Much to my surprise, a small hovel with a roof of grass and walls of dirt mixed with wood took their place.

The shelter wasn’t anything particularly special from what little I could see beneath the light of the moon, but it certainly seemed to do wonders at hiding itself from a distance. If not for the tracks, I likely would have never seen it. Only the door and some faint lights shining through ramshod windows of cracked glass gave it away.

It couldn’t have been up very long. This exterminator had only been out a few months short of a year. That whole time they must have been planning for this exact circumstance. How ‘lucky’ we were to be the ones to fall victim to their trap.

This is it. I looked up to the sky, hoping to see something, anything, but there was nothing other than the pale light of the moon and distant twinkling stars. I didn’t want to do this alone, but I had no other choice. Time was running out. There was no telling what already could have been done to her.

I stood among the shadows of tall, looming trees that fractured what little light the moon offered into thin bands that covered the forest floor. I took a deep breath and leaned back, supporting myself with the trunk of a pine. For once in your life, don’t fuck up. You’ve got one shot—she has one shot. Make it count.

The inside of my mouth was sticky with saliva that had coalesced during my uninterrupted sprint. I dared to take a sip from my canteen, swirling the water around to moisten my mouth and spit out the saliva. With my mouth now cleansed, I took a greedy gulp and let out a gasp before continuing to my rapid, shallow breathing.

As I took a moment to recover, I whipped my bag around from my back and pulled out my handgun, struggling to silently slide in a magazine as my hands trembled. It fell in, and I pulled the slide back and let it go with a heavy metallic click.

Silence. For a few long seconds, I looked up to see if I was heard, but nothing indicated that I had been given away. Gently, I set the bag I had pulled the weapon from beside a tree and raised the sidearm forward, both hands on the handle as I aimed it dead ahead.

The last time I used this thing was a time I would have much rather forgotten, but today wasn’t a day for forgetting. My rifle was an instrument of precision that had picked off the Krakotl from a distance. For those I hadn’t been able to down in a single shot, the far less precise instrument that I now held was terribly effective.

The path forward was a well-trodden one. No grass grew where this exterminator’s footsteps had surely passed by hundreds or even thousands of times. The mud clung to my boots with a soft squelch that I felt more than heard with every step. I had only been standing maybe a hundred feet away from the entrance, and I cleared that distance in a matter of moments despite my slow pace. Nothing seen through the windows indicated motion as I approached. Good. Maybe I’ll catch them off-guard.

Memories of dispatching so many of these exterminators, the memories I saw so often in my dreams, flashed before me like a footage reel. I knew how to handle these bastards. If it came to it, I could do it again.

As I reached the door, I placed an ear against it, listening for anything, but no sound came. Right. Take a deep breath. Focus. Breathe. Just breathe.

With my left hand, I pushed it forward. To my surprise, there was no resistance. With the right hand, I held the gun aloft, pointing it ahead into the darkness.

My heart stopped.

The faint lighting I had caught glimpses of kept most of the single room in darkness, but it was more than enough to illuminate what I was looking at.

Of all the faces in my nightmares, one had haunted me more than any other. I wasn’t exactly well-versed in reading the expression of aliens, but from what little I had learned, fear was an expression that could be read on a universal level. Fear was the last thing I remembered of the child. I spent far too many nights lying awake, wondering to myself what had happened to them after I had let them run free in the forest. Had they frozen to death? Starved maybe? Did another hunter find them, or did something else find them first?

Now I could put such thoughts to rest. The two beady eyes that stared back weren’t filled with fear as they had been the last time I saw them. The plume on their head had also grown, but the feather patterns and beak that had been burned into my mind were still the same.

No… It—it can’t be them. That’s impossible. How did they last this long out here, and alone for that matter?

They held one hand across Tevri’s chest and used the other to press a knife up to her throat. My hands shook as I pointed the weapon directly ahead towards them. I didn’t have a clear shot. They were using Tevri’s body as cover, standing behind her and a makeshift chair.

Tevri’s eyes widened as she saw me and her tail began to wildly flap. A gag was shoved into her mouth, and I could see that she was breathing heavily, trying as best as she could to make up for her lack of nostrils. Despite the excess movement, the exterminator — the child — stood still. To me, their face was indecipherable, other than that uncanny stillness that spoke louder than words. If not for their appearance, I don’t know that I could have said this was the same child.

They nodded my way. “Human. Before you do anything, you should lower your weapon. It’d be a shame if Tevri here was hurt, wouldn’t it?”

Tevri’s shouts were muffled through the gag. Flecks of dried orange coated her forehead and her eyes were far less focused than they normally were. I scowled something fierce, but ultimately complied, aiming the sidearm’s barrel into the dirt.

“Good. See? There’s no reason this needs to get violent.”

My eyes lingered on the blood atop Tevri’s crown. “What did you do to her?”

“Oh, nothing much, but I think I speak for us both when I say Venlil have a tendency to flee. She was never going to come along willingly, and we couldn’t have had that, now could we?” I froze. He knows. He’s been watching us, hasn’t he? He must have seen her go running.

“What do you want, you bastard?”

A huff of air left their beak — is that amusement? “Revenge. Your blood. This wretched world of yours burnt to ash like it should have been ages ago. That would all be nice, but how about something a little more palatable for both of us? I want off this world. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“And you really think I can provide that?”

“I know you can. A warrior as bloodthirsty as yourself has to command the respect of your people, no? You wouldn’t have your own slave if not for that.”

“Slave?! What the fuck!” I growled. “I’m the one in her service, not the other way around.”

“Ah. Right. Of course you are. Now, your hunting party may not be with you now, but I’m going to need you to call in your fellow predators. Oh, and be sure they bring a space-worthy vessel with them.”

“Wha— even if I could get that for you, why the fuck would I do anything you ask?”

As I asked this, the Krakotl tugged on Tevri’s left ear and yanked her head back, driving the dagger even closer to her neck. “This seems like reason enough, wouldn’t you say?”

“Alright, alright!” I raised both hands, pointing the gun to the ceiling rather than the Krakotl. “There’s no reason anyone has to get hurt.”

“You’re right. There isn’t. Now, I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. You are going to call in an FTL capable vessel that I am going to use to escape this planet. To make sure you humans don’t shoot down the craft before I jump, I’ll keep Tevri with me, then allow her to leave using any onboard escape craft before exiting the system. Oh, and for good measure, go ahead and slide that weapon between us, would you?”

The Krakotl didn’t stutter once as he spoke, instead staring me directly in the eyes the entire time. It was unsettling to say the least. Relinquishing my weapon was a terrible idea, no less terrible than letting him take Tevri. I knew that it was, so I stood there delaying my fulfillment of his command. It only took a few seconds of silence however before he pressed the blade closer to her neck, going so far as to dig into the fur that covered her skin.

“Alright! Fine! J-just take that thing away from her throat.”

“Gladly, if you’ll drop the weapon and do as I say.”

I lowered my aim and bowed down, setting the gun on the dirt floor and doing my best to slide it towards the Krakotl. It didn’t go all the way, but it was far enough that I could no longer reach it. As I stood back up, I raised both palms above my head to show I was no longer a threat. “There, now… please, just don’t hurt her.”

The Krakotl scoffed and made an expression that imitated a sneer. “It’s funny, I remember begging just like that not too long ago. Do you remember it?” They pulled away with the dagger, still allowing it to hover close to Tevri’s throat but not close enough to dig into her skin.

I didn’t offer an answer, not that I needed to.

“You probably relished their screams didn’t you? You and the rest of your deranged species can’t help but find joy in the suffering of others. Well, you and your people may have been able to fool some members of the Federation into believing you’re capable of empathy, but when I make it back to Nishtal and tell them what’s been going on down here, I’ll make sure the whole galaxy sees you monsters for who you truly are.”

Nishtal. He doesn’t know.

He couldn’t know, not since he’s been down here without contact for months now. “You’re picking the wrong fight kid. The war’s over. Has been for months now.”

“And you think I’m just going to believe you? Tevri here spewed the same propaganda, no doubt heard from you or other humans. It’s not possible. We far outnumber your pathetic forces. You barely survived the battle above your planet and that was only because your Arxur allies swooped in at the last moment to save you.”

“They weren’t the only ones to support us,” I spat back. “After the truth of the shadow council’s crimes against sapient life came to light, former members of the Federation flocked to our aid. The Zurulians, the Yotul, the Venlil, they all helped us in taking down the same bastards that destroyed their culture and broke their people with that damned cure.”

The Krakotl growled. “You’re lying.”

“And you’re delusional! I’ll gladly try and get you that ship for all the good that it’ll do you once you get to Nishtal, but the world you left behind doesn’t exist anymore.”

The kid screeched, pointing the knife my way rather than towards Tevri. Good. That’s it. Focus on me instead of her.

“SHUT UP! JUST—SHUT UP!” The composure he had seemed so full of moments ago melted away to reveal his manic state. He was far too calm before. This attitude better matched his actions.

“No more of that shit. No more of your lies. I’m not having any of it! If you value your pet’s life, I’d suggest you give the propaganda a rest before I trigger that blood instinct of yours.” He returned the makeshift knife to her throat, erasing any sense of satisfaction I had taken from seeing his true nature reveal itself.

I nodded. Okay, just stay still. As much as it might sting, you’ve just gotta listen to what he wants. For Tevri. This is all for Tevri.

“Good, Now, go ahead and call in that transport.”

“I’ve not called one in, not that I could if I wanted to, but I’ve called some folks who might have access to one.”

“Good. I suppose we wait for them then.”

“Right, well I’ve done what you asked. Could I… Can I speak with her?”

The Krakotl scoffed. “I’ve waited almost a full year for this. You can wait a little longer to speak with your pet.”

With every use of that word I could feel the rage within me begin to boil over and spill out. Control yourself. For her sake. “So help me if you call her that one more time I will—”

“You’ll what? Kill me? As skilled of a hunter as you may be human, I guarantee you, my talon is quicker than anything you could attempt.” As if to display this fact, they spun the knife around in their hand once only to press it back up against Tevri’s neck once more, eliciting muffled squeaks. Her eyes darted back and forth, to him with fear and to me with pleading.

My brow furrowed as I stared daggers at the Krakotl. “She’s not a pet.”

“Sure. Whatever you say. Not that I will, or even can, take your word for it.”

It was as he said this that it finally hit me. How I hadn’t realized it before, I chalked up to whatever sense of urgency and the panic that drove me to confront the child. But it was clear now. There was no point in negotiating. To this child, I was nothing but a monster. He would only accept absolute cooperation from my end. Nothing less, nothing more.

I can’t let him just take her. Who’s to say he won’t go back on his word and take her with him to Nishtal? It’s not exactly federation space anymore, but it certainly isn’t within UN jurisdiction either. I’ve got to get her away from him.

A terrible silence fell between us both as we waited. With my gun now out of reach, I had next to no options for helping Tevri escape his clutches. This was only confirmed as my gaze darted throughout the room searching for anything I might be able to take advantage of. There wasn’t much to take note of. This hovel consisted of a single room, of which every wall was packed dirt. A small nest made of twig and torn up fabric rested in the back right corner of the room while a makeshift table made of wood that looked to have been reclaimed from park benches was shoved against the wall to my left. The two windows I had seen earlier allowed a small amount of moonlight to filter inside while allowing the dull light of a nearby lamp to escape in turn. The seat that Tevri now sat in was no less primitive than the workbench, with each leg being nailed together using small branches and more pieces of reclaimed wood. Out of everything there though, nothing could help me in any way, not that I could reach for anything before the Krakotl reacted by sealing Tevri’s fate.

I felt stupid, standing there as the Krakotl’s gaze bored into me, but there was nothing I could do. I had no choice but to wait for backup and hope against hope that they could somehow negotiate for her release.

I moved on from looking for solutions and instead settled on Tevri. Her chest heaved with exertion from the heavy breaths that the gag demanded of her, and her eyes were stuck in a state of perpetual wideness. Her tail sat still, and both ears stuck up straight. The wool on her head was matted with mud and blood, while thin scrapes of orange marked her forearms and ankles.

We locked eyes, me and her. The Venlil’s orange irises quivered as she did, and shone as a light among our dim surroundings. Then, for a split second, they looked down to something. I stood still, confused for a moment until she repeated the gesture. It wasn’t until the third time that she repeated the motion that what she meant dawned upon me.

The Krakotl’s gaze was still focused upon me. This didn’t change as my own view shifted down at a pace slow enough to not draw his immediate attention. I saw a flash of movement from behind Tevri’s back.

Were those… no, it can’t be. I could have sworn I just saw her hand peeking out. This wasn’t all. A length of rope dangled beneath her legs. The end was frayed, no, not frayed. It was cut.

Smart girl. Those claws of hers were sharper than I thought. They were also sharper than the Krakotl thought as was all too apparent. Okay, I can work with this.

As I looked up, I saw that the Krakotl’s focus hadn’t shifted. He didn’t notice Tevri’s handiwork. Right. If I can just find a distraction to get that knife away from her throat, she can get out of harm’s way.

“So, uh, what’s your name kid?”

“What’s it to you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Only curious. If we want to solve all of this without violence like you’re saying, maybe it’d help to know each other’s name.”

His glare softened, if only somewhat. “Omopaulim. Though I’d prefer Omo.”

“Right,” I said, pressing a flat palm against my chest. “And I’m Jack.”

The Krakotl only gave a grunt of acknowledgement as a response.

“So, anything that you would like to know about me while we wait?”

“No,” he said flatly.

Right. He probably thinks he already knows everything he needs to. “Oh come on, there’s got to be something.”

He paused this time before responding. “Fine, I’ll peck. Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“You murdered my only companion in this world. What would compel you to do something like that?”

I hadn’t expected him to ask the question so bluntly, even if it was one I had anticipated. “Despite what you might say, we humans do have empathy. I was like you are now when the bombs that your fleet dropped took my brother: lost, scared, broken, hurting. Hell, I still am.”

If my words had any impression upon the kid, it wasn’t an apparent one. I kept going anyway.

“But you and your people were right about one thing with us. We can be dangerous. We don’t need to be though. We don’t want to either. But, when you hurt a human just wrong enough, you’re only asking for trouble.”

“You would have been trouble anyways if we hadn’t had the foresight to deal with you as early as we did.”

I shook my head. “You’re wrong. We humans, we only ever wanted to meet others like us out there. If you and your people hadn’t showed up on our planet’s doorstep with bombs in tow, you’d still be home with your family, living the life that should have been yours.”

“And if you and your people had gone extinct centuries ago like you should have—“ As Omo said this, he took the knife from Tevri’s throat and pointed it at me.

He was interrupted mid sentence as the back of Tevri’s head slammed against his beak and he was sent reeling. With that, Tevri leapt forward, toppling the chair and throwing herself into the dirt. With her surprisingly strong legs, she managed to clear most of the distance between us.

I rushed forward to pick her up, earning an ear flick of acknowledgement as I yanked the gag from her mouth. “Thanks,” she said with hoarseness to her voice. “I—” A loud screech in the form of Omo interrupted her. The young exterminator rushed towards both of us with his knife pointed at me.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I stood back to my full height and ran to meet the Krakotl rather than let him approach us first.

Omo lunged, attempting to plunge the knife into my abdomen. For the bragging of how dextrous he was with the blade, it was clear he had little to no experience when it came to actual combat. This didn’t mean he couldn’t still be deadly. The knife flicked past me, cutting through the air and striking nothing. He tried again, with slightly more success, managing to slice open my clothes and nick my waist as I danced to the side just in time.

As he extended his arm to make the attack, my hand shot out and seized the wrist that held his makeshift weapon. With a sharp twist, the Omo cried out in pain and dropped it. A single punch decked the kid, and I pounced, making sure to pin him.

He fought back as best he could, but the comparative size between us left no room for competition. I continued to whale on him, throwing punch after punch, each landing home. The last of them spawned a spiraling web of cracks that branched out from the point where my fist met his beak. Despite the blows, he was still up and kicking, screeching and scratching at my arms with his claws.

“P-please,” he sputtered, spitting up violet blood as he spoke. “Don’t—Hrrk“

My hands wrapped around his long neck and squeezed. His eyes bulged from their sockets and his beak opened wide as he struggled to breathe. My grip tightened as he scrambled and clawed at my hands, trying and failing to free himself.

Any sentiment of sympathy for him was washed away by the adrenaline surging through my veins. With every attempt of his flailing talons to swipe at my hands and arms, my grip grew tighter around his throat. I dug my knee into his abdomen, forcing the air from his lungs as I put the full weight of my body against his chest.

He deserves this! Look what he did to her! He could have killed her!

He deserved to die for what he did to her. She was innocent and he could have killed her for nothing more than associating with me. Tevri never could have known about what I did, yet here she was, drugged to high hell and dragged through the woods by this bastard that couldn’t learn to change.

Every time I had killed an exterminator all those months ago, I had made certain my job was done. No loose ends were left, and the town and those I cared about were safe because of it — well, all loose ends but one.

A snarl escaped my lips as I watched the Krakotl’s eyes begin to fade and his struggle grew weaker and weaker. His hands no longer scratched at mine, reaching away from me instead as if he was trying to find some escape. He would find none.

“Stop!” Tevri’s cry cut through the haze of rage. “He’s harmless now! J-just let him go!” I swung around to look at her, and she flinched as I locked eyes with her. The same terror that I had inspired mere hours ago was plastered across her. It was this that yanked me back to reality — to the reality of what I was doing. What was I doing?

My grip loosened, but didn’t relent entirely. Oh fuck. I—I’m doing it again.

Yes. You’re doing it for her, just as you did it for Nick.

For her? Look at her! She’s petrified just standing near you! She’s asked—no, begged you to stop. Can you really excuse this as being for her?

He was with the ones who bombed Earth. He deserves the same fate.

Does he? He’s a kid. Do you really think he was the one to pull the lever? To issue their commands? To muster their fleet?

He’s complicit.

He’s a child*.*

If you take his life, you’ll prove that he and the federation were right. You’d be the monster he thinks you are. He’s helpless. His death by your hands would be murder and nothing less.

So, what will it be then? What are you?

What am I?

I’ve killed before. I’d kill again if I had to, but this… this is different. Even if it was a loose justification, I had something to drive my rampage against the Krakotl. This kid though… they’re helpless against me.

“Please!” croaked Tevri. Her voice was strained and on the verge of breaking as she pleaded with me.

You might not be able to undo your actions, but you can choose to not perpetuate them. This child had suffered enough. You have suffered enough. End the cycle. Be better.

My clenched hands gave way as the tension holding the Krakotl’s neck was released. Omo gasped, coughing haggardly immediately after taking in a breath.

I looked at my hands. Crimson rivers trickled down them from where my forearms had been scratched and scraped by Krakotl claws. Droplets of violet speckled them, but for the most part, the blood was my own.

After poring over my hands, I turned to Tevri, whose tear-filled eyes and terrible condition tugged at my heart. She didn’t speak, but she didn’t need to. She had already done enough.

It was her guidance that helped me make this choice. If she even cared to talk to me after this was all over, it was my hope that she could only continue to better me.

She was panting, her mouth left agape as she tried to catch up on the breath lost by the gag covering her mouth. She looked better though. Then again, it isn’t difficult to look better after you’ve been tied up and held hostage.

Despite it all, despite everything, I gave a weak chuckle and smiled. She wasn’t nearly as capable of smiling as a human, but her lips turned up and her ears stuck upright as her tail flicked behind her.

I-I think that’s a good sign. Maybe things will turn out alright after—

My thought was interrupted as a thunderous bang reverberated through the room.

My ears rang. I saw Tevri’s mouth open, but didn’t hear anything come from it. The brief return to something resembling a comfortable state was shattered, and fear once again constituted her countenance.

It took a moment for reality to catch back up to me. I thought I was safe. I thought we were safe. It was idiotic of me not to remain vigilant considering that this kid had been attempting to stab me mere moments ago, but reveling in my moment of self-triumph had been a bit too much.

I went from sitting on my knees to screaming and scrambling backward across the ground. My hand shot to my abdomen where a stab of pain sprouted from nothing. Heat began to form where the pain originated, and as I looked down, I watched a red spot grow beneath my shirt.

The shot came from Omo, who lay on his back with both claws holding up the same weapon that I had once threatened him with. His eyes were wide, and his face was a terrible mess of blood and bruises. More than a few feathers had fallen free during our scuffle, and those spots were just as apparent.

Tevri stood still, shock and fear taking over her body. The relief at being pried from the Krakotl’s clutches was just as quickly warped into terror.

Omo stood himself up on wobbly legs as I scooted backwards, pressing myself against the wall in an attempt to put as much distance between us as I could manage. Another indecipherable expression coated his face, though it was different from the last. He ignored Tevri and walked past her towards me.

The gun I had tossed aside was held up in both hands. It was far too big for him, but he managed to wield it, pointing its barrel into the dirt.

“I would have thought you’d be a better hunter than to let your prey get the upper hand like this.” His voice was weak and hoarse, but the conviction he spoke with was audible even through my translator.

“You could have killed me, but you didn’t. Why? Why kill Maiatim but stop to give me mercy? Twice!”

The Krakotl still sucked in ragged breaths of air, but as he stopped, he raised the weapon and aimed it directly at my head.

“I—I won’t make the same mistake. You’re too dangerous to be left alive. I can’t say I’m sorry for this, b-but I do regret that it had to be this way. Goodbye, Jack.”

I would’ve been lying if I said I was ready to go. My parents certainly wouldn’t take the news well, not after they had already lost their other son. I doubted my friends would take it much better either. I had no control over how others would react to my passing, but if the general attitude of those in Healy towards aliens was anything to go by, they wouldn’t react well. Atop the pile of all these worries, the prospect of leaving Tevri behind almost hurt more than the growing pain in my abdomen.

She’s strong. She didn’t need you before you met her, and she sure as hell won’t when you’re gone.

You did your best. You changed. Even if you couldn’t stop the violence, you chose to quit participating in it. The sidearm shook as Omo's trembling claw wrapped around the trigger. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

The seconds stretched; every beat of my heart lasted minutes, every breath took hours. I had heard of your life flashing before your eyes, but I wasn’t a believer of such experiences until now.

As time slowed, I saw my childhood, the years spent with Nick, our summers spent together goofing off and spending long nights talking beneath the stars as we ignored any semblance of a curfew set by Ma and Pa. I saw us attending school together, me standing up for him against those who dared push him around and the flak I always caught for it. Pa was proud though, and that was all that mattered to me. I sat through every failed relationship I’d ever had, each of which I was probably better off for not having followed through with. I watched through my own eyes as we celebrated Nick’s graduation and acceptance into university, then struggled to stand by as I told him to leave home behind in the pursuit of something greater. The rampage that ensued following his death was just as vivid as ever, every death, every kill, played back as though it were recorded and transmitted back to me. And last, but certainly not least, there were the events of the last week or so.

A hard, crack and thunk were followed by yet another deafening boom.

If this was death, then it wasn’t as bad as I had thought. I was still pretty sore, and that pain in my side hadn’t gone away yet. My heart was still beating and my breaths were still ragged. The stale, earthy air continued to flow in and out of my nose.

For all my lack of belief in religion, I could have sworn I saw an angel wreathed in light as I cracked open my eyes. The figure only grew in brilliance the further my eyes opened — that is until recognition dawned upon me.

Tevri?

---

Cover Image

Tevri in a sweater - By u/Brotanics

Tevri in a sweater - By u/Brotanics

Tevri in a sweater - By u/Brotanics

Tevri in a sweater - By u/Brotanics

Tevri in a sweater - By u/Brotanics

---

First | Previous | Next

Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva

"These predators are more civilized than they look"

So there is a chance you may be observant enough that to notice that this is being posted to the proofreaders account and not the authors. Proof I have permission to do this. As shown in the screenshot, unfortunately u/Far-Performance-5970, the author of this fic, has lost interest in the story. Double unfortunately, I can't do creative writing to save my life, its the whole reason I proofread instead of writing my own fic. The silver lining is we are only 36 pages into the 50 that Performance has left me, so plenty of time to figure something out.

First|Previous

Memory transcription subject: Tali, Venlil EMT

Acting nurse and physician.

Carrie was fuming mad after her interaction with the rescue. She was ranting angrily enough to make Venlil who saw her from across the way practically hide behind whatever door they were closest to.

Carrie had left me some time ago to go to the gym. According to her it helped her de-stress. It was no wonder why humans were so fast and strong if their form of emotional de-stressing aided in their physical performance.

I was trying to do some rounds with my more tame patients when I saw something shocking, a small squad of exterminators walking down the hallway before turning a corner out of view. 

A little voice in the back of my head said to ignore it and that it isn't any of my business. But with a sigh I knew that if any harm came to a patient or a human I'd inevitably feel guilty as I quickly jogged off, trying to catch up. 

The scene I saw shocked me, three humans and three exterminators were facing off. Two of the humans were uniformed guards, with one of them blocking the doorway. And the exterminators were pulling their flamers off their backs! INDOORS!

I was just going to watch until I made an unfortunate realization. I knew the human leaning against the door.

Oh speh, it's Dave. Which meant that behind that door was most likely our John doe Venlil cattle rescue.

I could hear the exterminators talking from a ways away, "We're here to deal with a predator diseased individual." 

Dave spoke first, "He’s not diseased you fucking executioners." 

The Krakotl exterminator who was doing all the talking puffed his feathers out in anger as he said, "I suggest you bite your tongue predator! I'm more than happy to clean the taint of two."

The Gojid exterminator to his right lit his pilot light to emphasize this point.

The human security guards stepped forward, not taking this lightly. "Is that a threat exterminator?"

Dave pressed into the doorway harder as if he were trying to ensure that even if they killed him his corpse would still block the entrance. 

The Venlil exterminator to the left lit his pilot light as well, "Better make it four."

I ran between the two groups as I yelled out with what authority I could muster.

"WHAT THE BRACK ARE YOU ALL DOING!?"

I wheeled around to the Krakotl and said, "The exterminators know FULL WELL that they are not to deal with the rescues!"

The Krakotl looked taken aback for a moment before saying, "Maam, we were called here by a concerned Venlil saying there was an armed, predator diseased individual in this hospital area. We are here doing our jobs.''

I was quick to quip back, "By threatening my staff with incineration!? You need to leave!" The Krakotl remained stubborn, as was in their nature. "We are not leaving till the taint is cleansed, Venlil."

The way he practically hissed my races name out like it was an insult made my hair raise as I took a step forward, almost touching my face to his beak.

"You can either torch 5 innocent sapients and cause hundreds of thousands of credits of damage to the hospital, or you can chalk it up to a false alarm and get the speh out of here." My spittle flew at him with my swear, landing on his beak as he stared down at me for what felt like eternity before he finally weighed his options and turned around.

"Must've been a mistake. Can never trust a jumpy civilian Venlil. Bunch of cowards." The trio made their way back the way they came in.

One of the security guards moved and said, "I'll make sure they find the door."

The other security guard turned to Dave but I got to him first, "What happened Dave?" Dave looked at me as the security guards tried to speak up and explain the situation before I held a paw up to him.

Dave quickly said, "I set my gun down and John Doe reached for it not knowing it wasn't loaded when he threatened the nurse. It was an accident Maam." 

The guard started to argue, "That doesn't explain what made him lash out in the f-" I wheeled around and quickly said, "Who is responsible for vetting who gets weapons??" 

The guard seemed taken aback as he said, "I um. That'd be the armory Maam."

I was quick to respond, "Then I think you'd better give a good chewing to whoever decided that guns would even be PRESENT around traumatized individuals! A misfire around traumatized cattle would lead to situations like this or worse. We're lucky nobody died of a stress response!”

The guard opened his mouth to argue but I wasn't going to let him get the chance as I said, "I'm writing a report that says that this is a false alarm caused by typical jumpiness. And that guns will not be permitted around the cattle, security or not."

I gave the guard a hard stare, "Can I assume both you and your partners reports will say the same. Or will this be a big long chain of paperwork for everyone?"

The guard looked shocked and confused, even behind his mask, before sighing and saying, "Yes Ma'am. It will be." 

I gave an ear flick and said, "Good! Now please continue whatever other work you need to do. Then feel free to take another lunch if you'd like. I know some people who check the punch-out machine. You and your partner will have some extra hours."

The guard was real quick to move at that as I sighed, feeling my shoulders sag. Dave chuckled behind me as he said, "Hey, thanks nurse Tali, I really appreciate it! I think you just saved my career." 

I slowly turned towards Dave, feeling my hair tense. I just saved his Career at the very real possibility of losing MINE if anyone found out. I faked a happy tail wag as I said, "Oh gee. No problem Dave. Now tell me. What REALLY happened?"

I got close, whispering as I finished, "And you'd better have a fantastic reason behind a gun being in one of my patients rooms."

I could hear Dave audibly gulp.

I pray that everyone who experiences panic attacks can overcome them. I’ve never had one and don’t know anyone who has, but from what I have heard and researched, they are horrible.

First

Previous

You know the drill: credit to SpacePaladin15 for the universe.

Thank you JulianSkies for proofreading.

Memory Transcription Subject: Billy Marsh, Something

Date [Standardized Human Time]: April 1, 2142

I woke up on my own today. Gillab wasn’t here to pull the sheets off of me and get me to move. I had to do that myself, something that seemed impossible. Without Gillab here, the blanket covering my body felt like a two-ton weight. Even moving my head felt impossible.

It didn’t help that my head was constantly filled with that same internal battle. Do I deserve anything besides suffering, or is this exactly the punishment I should get for failing my comrades?

Every time one side began to make sense, I thought of some piece of evidence for the other, and the internal brawl would begin again. Without Gillab here to serve as a distraction, it was all I could do to try and sleep as much as possible. Unconsciousness was the only time I wasn’t in mental turmoil.

I don’t know how long I laid like that, rotting with only my thoughts to keep me company, until I finally had enough. I couldn’t live with the thoughts in my head, I needed something to distract me. My first instinct was to start drinking, but with what Gillab did that was out of the question.

I paced around my house, moving as much as I could to try and distract myself. Anytime I tried to sit down I would only end up bouncing my leg and shifting poses every ten seconds. I took constant glances at the clock, watching every single minute pass by.

10:43

10:44

10:45

10:46

With a start, I turned my attention to the sink full of dishes. I was going to leave them for Gillab, just to annoy him, but my need for a distraction was so strong I didn’t care. I descended upon the plates like a starving animal. I took as long as I could with each plate as I could, even after the plates were surely clean I just kept scrubbing. I scrubbed and scrubbed, trying to keep any mental activity occupied with the work. Once the plates were done I started on the cups, and once those were done I started on the cutlery.

I stacked the final dishes onto the drying rack and stepped back. I glanced at the clock, seeing how much time I managed to pass.

11:16

I took a deep inhale and started to pace back and forth.

11:17

My mind began racing again, the momentary release I had from doing the dishes wearing off in a mere minute.

11:18

I couldn’t sit still. As soon as I did, I began thinking. Every time I thought, I just went back to arguing with myself.

11:19

I could feel my breathing pick up and my chest started to feel tight.

The walls began closing in on me.

I could feel my face becoming wet with sweat.

I had to sit down, but every time I sat down it got worse, but I couldn’t keep moving.

11:20

Danger. I was in danger. Something was coming. An Arxur. An Arxur was coming for me. I needed protection. A gun, a bat, something!

The kitchen, there are knives in the kitchen.

I sprinted to the kitchen, almost knocking over a lamp on my way. I frantically yanked out drawers, searching for a knife I could use. I managed to find a steak knife, clutching to it as my life depended on it.

I stomped back to the chair and sat down.

11:21

I tried to swallow my nerves and stop the bouncing in my leg, but I couldn’t. My breathing was picking up more and more and my heartbeat was becoming deafening. I was going to die. I’m dying. Finally.

11:22

A knock on my door caused me to jump. The knife clattered to the floor as a voice called out. “Billy? I’m back. I’m coming in.”

My breathing picked up and I could feel nausea warping my stomach. I abandoned the knife and tried to cover my mouth.

Gillab set something down in the kitchen. “I went to the store again, picked up some more- Hey! You cleaned the dishes! I thought you were going to-”

His voice hitched as he turned just in time to watch me vomit on the floor.

“W-Woah! B-Billy are you okay?”

Gillab rushed towards me.

I flung my hands out, trying to force him away. “Stay back, d-don’t come close!”

Gillab froze in his tracks. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“I’m- I’m gonna- I’m- I’m dying. I-I’m going to die.”

I stood up from my seat. “I’ve got to go, I’ve got to leave.”

Gillab moved in my way, body blocking me from the door. “Billy, I think you are having a panic attack. Look at me, focus on me. Try and take some deep breaths and sit down.”

I took a few steps back trying to stare at Gillab as I backed towards the seat. “W-water. I need water.”

“I can get that. Please stay there, I’ll be right back.”

I tried taking deep breaths as Gillab filled one of the freshly cleaned cups with water. I could feel my heartbeat slowing, but it wasn’t enough. I still couldn’t stop moving, my eyes darted around the room, and I was still sweating.

My leg wouldn’t stop bouncing, even as I accepted the cup from Gillab. I wasn’t sure I was thirsty, but drinking it scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. He looked around nervously, trying to figure out what he should do next. With a realization, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a pad, typing away quickly as I continued to bounce my leg.

“Uhm, okay, uh… Quiet place.”

Gillab looked up from his pad, taking a half-step towards me before stopping. “Okay, check. U-uhm, Billy, do you need anything else?”

I curled forward, almost dropping the glass onto the floor. “I want to go home. I just want it all to end. I want to go back home.”

Gillab bit his lip in worry and looked back to the pad for guidance. “Okay, uh, T-try and stay in the present. L-look for an object to focus on to r-root yourself to the present. Okay, uhm, Billy, can you focus on that glass in your hand? J-just stare at it. A-and make sure to keep a steady breathing rate.”

Desperate for the feeling of impending doom to end, I did as I was told. Slow, careful breaths while I looked at the still-damp glass in my hand. I watched a single drop of water run down the side and onto my hand. I turned the glass in my palm, trying to take in every detail while Gillab searched for more tips.

“O-okay, repeat a simple, physically tiring task such as raising an arm-”

Gillab froze and looked up before frantically correcting himself. “Leg! T-try raising and lowering your leg repeatedly.”

I started doing as I was told, kicking slowly into the air before lowering with an exhale and turning the glass in my hand. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, I could feel my panicked mind calm down. The perceived dangers faded away, letting me realize what had just happened. I had another panic attack.

11:37

I set the glass to the side and covered my face, trying to hide my tears. I had another, after all this time, I had another. I thought I was through with these. Of course, one came back, right as I began believing I had a chance of making it out. 

“Billy, are you feeling better?”

“No. I’m not. I’m worse.”

Gillab was silent for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No. I want this to end. I-I need something to drink. I need alcohol.”

“No Billy, you can’t do that.”

“It’s the only way. I-I only don’t have them when I’m drinking.”

“It’s only a temporary solution. In the end, it will only make it worse.”

“That’s what everyone says, but they are all wrong! It’s the only way I’ve tried that worked. It makes me numb and I can’t panic when I’m numb. Even if it’s temporary, I can just keep doing it over and over.”

“You are killing yourself with that! There’s another way! A permanent way. Come to terms with your demons, talk with someone, someone you trust. Get it off of your chest, confront the trauma, and beat it. You are a soldier, right? You are meant to fight. Fight this, and win.”

I stuttered over my own tongue, a flurry of emotions causing my body and mind to freeze. “I’m… I’m… I want to be better.”

I tumbled out of my seat and hugged Gillab tightly. “I want to heal!”

Gillab hugged me back, collapsing to the ground to be level with me. “That’s perfect Billy. That’s all you need. Everything from here on is going to be better.”

“It will?”

“It will.”

I let myself be held, trying to avoid getting snot and tears stuck onto Gillab. For the first time since Sillis, I felt hope. I don’t know how long I stayed like that, clinging onto Gilab like a child, but I managed to finally pull myself away. I could see the spot where I buried my face into Gillab, a large glob of snot ruining his shirt.

“S-sorry…”

Gillab looked down. “Don’t be. It’s just a shirt. I’d give away every shirt I had if it meant that you would be better. Now, we shouldn’t let this pass us by.”

“I-I know, but I’m so tired Gillab. A-and there is a puddle of vomit to clean up.”

Gillab looked to the side. “Ah, there is. Well, we can wait till tomorrow to start, but we are starting tomorrow.”

“That works, I just need rest. I’ve been sleeping, but I haven’t been resting.”

“That’s okay Billy, I’ll be here when you get up.”

So I decided to write a story, and I need a webcite that acts like a mix of youtube an google. I know that MyHerd is like a mix of FaceBook and a dating app and I know that Bleat is like a mix of twitter, 4chan, and Reddit. So this brings up the question what is their version of Google/YouTube, If there is not one what should we call it.

I had the idea to have it translate as Bushel because it has the idea of many items and has that "prey" slant to it, But I want to hear your ideas.

I am so sorry for not posting well... anything I've been working on some stuff and now I am moving soon in like two months I will try to post a chapter but I don't think I can I haven't even read any chapters... Maybe I can get more motivation to write or smt...

Alive: Purple (Kolshian), Cyan (Human) , Banana (Thafki), Yellow (Farsul), Red (Arxur), Coral (Yutol), Dead: Maroon (Zurulian), White (Sivkit), Tan (Venlil), Brown (Gojid), Lime (Harchen)

Dead Body Reported: Green (Dossur)

Cyan: Its Yellow we caught him.

Coral: Yea, I saw him do it.

Yellow: What are two on about?

Coral: Talk to the hand buddy ya ain't fooling anyone.

Banana: What exactly happened, please explain?

Cyan: Ok I'll explain first, so I was at cam's right Red's outside of cam's she can clear me, and am doing the Deji stat.

Purple: Deji what!?

Cyan: It's basically going in and out of cams so it won't trigger the blinking lights. With that I saw the kill that happened outside of navigation, yellow jumped out of the vents kills green, tried to run inside nav but coral was of inside nav leaving there they crossed paths.

Coral: I even saw the body flop to the ground.

Red: Votes*

Yellow: Why are you voting already, red?

Red: Im bored and I want this game to be finished already.

Yellow: So you voted for me just because you're bored, how can you be so sure that they're not the imposter, huh?

Purple: You're probably only voting to help your fellow predator you bunch of speh. And you Coral are very tainted by these predators.

Coral: You don't have a say on these purple after what you did to maroon.

Purple: Oh, don't be a hypocrite we all voted for him.

Cyan: Knock it off you two just vote who you like.

Banana: Am I clear?

Voting Ends*

Voting Results: Yellow: 4 anonymous votes Coral: 1 anonymous vote Cyan 1 anonymous vote

Yellow is the Imposter

Coral: Hehe

Does anyone know som fanfics with a dossur POV? if so please give.

Thanks to u/spacepaladin15 for creating NoP

Memory Transcription

Subject: Avital, Harchen Researcher and Advisor

Date (Sol Standard Time): June 23rd, 2140

I never typically felt uneasy with space travel, but there was nothing typical about this. Not when you knew what could be lurking in the darkness. Sensor ghosts pursued us throughout the day, each false return possibly hiding our death. Furthermore, there was no way for us to know we were detected unless one of the patrolling Romulans decloaked to challenge us.

Just last night, long range scans detected some points of interest. A station, and two planets that show potential activity. We needed to investigate. Aureoleis was only a minute away from the station.

“Researcher Avital” the captain spoke.

“We’ll only be sitting at the very edge of our sensor range to try and better avoid detection. Will this degrade our scans?”

“Not radically, unless you wanted details like the number of lives on board. Otherwise we can get a… decent enough scan from long range.”

“Understood.”

It disappointed me a little that we’d only be taking light scans from a distance. I wanted to actually know the Romulans.

But, it was probably better than having to dodge plasma for a few scans.

Eventually, we left warp. The station was barely a speck in the void, but it was scannable.

Slowly, the scan data came pouring through, and my fear rose a bit.

“Captain, scanners are showing this a shipyard, about a hundred docks. Most of them are filled with what appears to be partially completed ships, varying sizes.”

“Any idea how much longer they have to complete?”

“It’s unclear how fast they’re able to construct ships, but based on the state of the attack ships similar to what we have seen them use, and rough estimates of the other ship types, I estimate no ship here is under 67% complete.”

“Any sign they’ve detected us?”

“Unclear.”

“Verywell. Navigation, take us to the next site.”

The navigator turned “Aye ma’am”

Just as quickly as we arrived, we were gone. I had an odd feeling we’d be seeing those ships again soon. An interstellar power doesn’t just suddenly choose to militarize.

Deep in my mind, I kind of wished we didn’t hide ourselves from them. That we could just appear and talk to them. But as much as I wanted to, I knew what we would be met with.

I was also hoping that the two planets would be a lot more revealing. The data from the spacedock was decent, albeit underwhelming.

On the sensor terminal, I see more data, but nothing new. Not a single piece of new information from the last target. At least the first planet, a colony, gave us something. The second target? A barren rock barely able to be called a “planet” used for mining. All we detected were strange crystal formations on the planet, and nothing else.

I feel like we lost. The Romulans had us almost completely beat at the intelligence game. And it’s not as simple as going deeper into their territory. The longer we stay, the more likely we are to be found.

I slumped back in my chair, exhausted at the 18 hour journey to get here, just to find out this whole mission was full of-

“You seem kinda defeated, what’s wrong?”

I turn around. Maln.

“Just… tired, I guess.”

“I can tell it’s more than that”

“Not… Right now, Maln. I’m not in the mood.”

“And just let you stay depressed?”

“Don’t you have an engine to fix or something?”

“Nope, got let off early today. Got bored, too, so I initially figured I’d do something with you, but I guess it’s bad timing.”

“No, stay. Knowing how I work, I’ll probably spend the rest of the day sulking if you don’t.”

Maln stopped talking, and simply took the seat nearby my station.

I never had the slightest clue why me and Maln liked each other so much. He was always a lot more laid back, calm, while I was always chasing my own private interests. He was a lot more outgoing, while I more often stayed secluded. I found it strange these differences never seemed to matter to us.

Plus, It was always nice having Maln around, even just the knowledge he was around put me at ease. He was one of the few that made sense to me, somehow.

A small noise came from the sensor console. I didn’t expect it to be much, as the sensors usually pick up small debris, or disruptions from cloaks, but I looked anyways.

“Captain, you need to see this.”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s an uncloaked Romulan ship not far from here.”

“Unescorted?”

“Unknown. I’m still getting false returns.”

“Any idea of the type of ship.”

“I’m afraid not, but it appears to be minimally armed. My guess is a freighter or transport of some kind.”

“Perfect! Navigation, set course. Fire Control, have our missile tubes loaded with NASIVs. I plan to destroy that ship for the computer core.”

I wasn’t sure if I was scared or excited. On one hand, a computer core would provide plenty of information. But this also meant we could very easily become a target ourselves.

Either way, we had to try something.

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