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The Nature of Predators 2-89
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 12:00:13 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Quana, Jaslip Soldier
Date [standardized human time]: February 16, 2161
It all felt a bit too easy how we’d been able to gather Jaslips from the first three enclaves: the Trombil, Ulchid, and Resket worlds. There hadn’t been much resistance mounted by the locals, allowing for quick stops and collecting Jaslips on the Resket fleet with ease. Kaisal chalked that up to the Krev Consortium losing the backbone of their military operations, but something about it smelled rotten to my nose. Furthermore, I didn’t trust Radai as far as I could throw him. We couldn’t leave the Independence Brigade’s newly-recruited army with those birds (often the most discriminatory of all toward us.) Perhaps we were being tricked into letting them capture every insurgent, taking care of the KC’s little problem.
I remembered the time spent training under Radai’s supervision. I could give the general some acknowledgment for standing up to Mafani and choosing to ignore my jabs about their defeat on Esquo, but he was still the Consortium’s lackey through and through. I understood with each reflection that he cared about sapient lives. However, the honorbound avian talking about Tanet’s freedom, as if they were oppressed, then acknowledging our own captivity in the same breath—I found it odd, to say the least. I could see that the Arxur and the Reskets related to each other deeply, as two proud species that wouldn’t back down in the name of their reputation.
Avor is the world at the heart of this all, where I imagine the Krev will mount a resistance. When we get there, whatever is hidden in their scales will make an appearance, and we’ll see how much of a fortress their Cage in orbit really is.
I turned to Zefriss, since Cherise was paying me little attention with Hysran next to her. Humans. “Why do you think Kaisal called a meeting? We know the plans to demand the release of the final enclave on Avor, then we leave. It’s the last one before we can start anew…rebuild Esquo. Perhaps the Sapient Coalition will take us in.”
“After you allied with us?” the operative hissed. “Since they’re still raising ‘Osirs,’ that may be a possibility. Hss, it would shock me if they would ever accept us into their ranks. We used to think one day, we’d be able to right our past and live among the galaxy’s other peoples.”
“You’ve made allies of us and the Reskets. The bad blood from this—the Krev are a bitter species. If Radai is genuine…”
“The other Consortium species will loathe the Reskets for marching an army on their worlds. It could disband the organization. I imagine that the avians would hate hiding as much as most Arxur, though I appreciate the finer arts of stealth and ambuscades. The shadows are dark and quiet, where I achieve the most functionality.”
“I fight dirty, from where they’d never expect, because I have to. It was the only way to hurt our enemy, when we were so outmatched. Look at Cherise. Does she seem like she cares about sending a message anymore?”
The human had taught Hysran some stupid game called “Charades,” and was hopping around in a stupid way. I pinned my ears back, watching as she mimed ripping through the dirt and seeming to devour whatever she picked up.
“Sivkits!” Hysran decided.
Cherise pointed with a grin. “Yep. It’ll be strange to have them on Tellus, pretty much everywhere past our settlement; and I can’t believe that Taylor Trench managed a successful negotiation without folding like the wet paper towel we all know that boy is.”
“Humans are all wet paper towels to us, once we have you in our jaws drenched in saliva! Haven’t you heard that we eat anything?”
“Then you have that in common with the fucking Sivkits. You know, I heard a weird rumor that we need to have lots of orange farms ready. I wonder if the bunnies have scurvy or something.”
“And I wonder if you’re replacing your current white-furred friends with the herbivore version,” I growled, interrupting their conversations. “Tellus won’t side with us in the civil war. Humanity won’t directly interfere. You’ll go running back to your people, won’t you?”
“Quana? Go fuck yourself. I’m done with you, for good. You’re the most toxic, self-centered—”
“Says the species that hid behind masks for twenty-four years. It’s your fault we didn’t learn that the Federation was dead sooner! Everything that Tellus pities itself for, you did to yourselves!”
The human’s eyes smoldered, and she curled her fists while I laughed at her. “I could say the same about the Jaslips. It’s not like you did anything to help yourselves. You had to have the Arxur and the Reskets carry you, you fucking asswiping—”
“Enough!” Zefriss hissed. “I’ll remind you, the Arxur saved Earth too, though you do not acknowledge that we carried you at all. This does not have to be a competition about who was hurt by a lousy organization more!”
Hysran pulled Cherise back, as she scowled at me. “Come on. She’s not worth it. She’s just a sad, hateful person who wants a reason to resent everyone. I’ve known my share of her type.”
“I am not!” I growled.
Aulan stormed over to the incident, hackles raised. “We cannot fight among each other—not when we’re so close to victory! If you have a personal disagreement, settle it however you wish; the Reskets would facilitate a duel, should you desire to be so dramatic. All I ask is that you do it after all is said and done, because distractions are costly. We’re staring down the world of our true enemy. Kaisal has something important to share, and I think we all should listen.”
“She is a human, Aulan!” I bared my teeth, tail fronds lashing with overzealous emotions. My binocular eyes shot toward the Arxur leader, looking for validation. “They only help themselves. Kaisal said so.”
Kaisal blinked, staring out at the crowd without amusement. “Well, here’s some shocking news. The humans have offered to send ships to aid our efforts in destroying the Consortium. Do not spread this news to our Resket colleagues, as they may have Underscale spies in their midst. I have brought General Radai here to reconsider our plans in light of what the Sapient Coalition told us. The Terrans vouch only that he can be trusted.”
My head snapped in the direction of the towering avian, who looked out of place at the heart of the Jaslip rebellion’s ship. Radai had been the head of the Consortium military, and now, everything that had occurred under his supervision was supposed to be forgiven? I didn’t trust him to keep our plans under wraps, if it was that important. I was shocked that the United Nations had volunteered aid, after how certain Kaisal had been that they wouldn’t offer direct aid. As bitter as I was at Cherise, I did know how useful the aid of the Sapient Coalition’s dominant power could be. They would change everything, though I didn’t know that we’d even need their help taking Avor. The primates were coming in at the last moment.
Perhaps humanity sees how handily we’re orchestrating the Consortium’s collapse, so now they want to retract their precious peace treaty, migrate to the side of the winners, and take all the credit. That seems like the sort of self-benefitting play they’d make.
General Radai ducked his head to me with respect. “Quana. I failed to protect you, along with my own people and the Consortium. That was all that I…ever wanted, and I did not know then how misguided my actions were. I will find an appropriate punishment for this dishonor at the conclusion of these events, to shoot down any doubts over whether I feel guilt. I apologize for my part in serving them with the deepest sincerity and regret. I knew not what they were.”
“Neither did I, when I was willing to work with them against the Federation remnants. I admit with a grudging surprise that the humans uncovered quite the…damning information, which might’ve saved us a hasty defeat,” Kaisal grunted. “The Krev backed the very organization that attacked our allies, the Bissems, for being carnivores. The Arxur Collective protects meat-eaters from the insanity of herbivores in power who love to discriminate against us, wherever they might be! It’s far more sinister than just the Jaslips.”
“I’ll be direct. What Chief Hunter Kaisal is saying is that the Krev Consortium backed Farsul extremists with the goal of rebuilding the Federation. They knew all along that humanity had won the war, and was the species living on Tellus. They even knew that Tellus was once the Sivkit homeworld. Yet they still let me and the wider military plot to expel the ark colonists, attack Sivkit vessels, and strike ‘Federation’ worlds, dishonorably concealing this information. They worked to turn public opinion against Jaslips in particular.”
The yowls and gasps that spread across the chamber were immediate, as the Resket shared the files containing this information. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, that the scaly bastards knew everything all along and decided to fuck us over anyway. Holy hibernation! The Krev Consortium backed the fucking new Federation, the very organization they claimed to be hiding from? Jaslip lives somehow mattered to them even less than I thought. I’d at least thought they were bumbling around in amoral ignorance.
Cherise was holding her head to her hands; it was as if I could see any guilt that she felt over bombing the delegates blink out in an instant. The Tellish miners had been extorted for all those years, with the people in power having full knowledge that they were refugees. They could’ve been told that Earth survived years ago. No wonder the United Nations was incandescent to learn that the drone assault on their space, and the prevented return of their refugees, were intentional transgressions. Even humanity wouldn’t sit idle, when a superpower backed an organization that had it out for predators.
I growled at the Resket general. “How could you not have known?! You were a delegate!”
“They know my character, and I do not think all of the delegates compromise the real government. I am appalled to have been…used to such ends. I am a fool,” Radai sighed. “At least I am not a…willing participant. That is all I can say in my own defense, though I am certain that I will not be judged with kindness now or by the history books.”
“You’re helping us now,” Aulan offered diplomatically, to my chagrin. “You can help us see that everyone knows what the Consortium did to us, without shame. Not just, to the entire unwitting public. It was all a facade, and it seems now, we’re fighting for every species’ liberation from that narrative.”
“I agree. The humans have cautioned us that the KC may have a backdoor into our ships. I believe they may wish to lure us to Avor, then turn my fleet on you. Until we learn how to remove that override—and that would tip our wing—we shouldn’t make a move. We should wait for the Sapient Coalition. Perhaps make a show of scouting, but…find a way to dump those files everywhere. All I can advocate now is to reveal the truth, though anything done over internet won’t last a second.”
“Then we drop physical data disks, unconnected to anything. We make it so the Consortium can’t wipe it,” Cherise spat. “I’m sure the United Nations will get word to Tellus; I trust our people. Aliens, not so fucking much! All scheming, conniving—just why?”
“I understand your fury, human, and I share the anger at how they mistreated you too. We did always care about you as fellow predators, even when our most wicked elements were in charge,” Kaisal said. “Your plan is much in line with my own. We will turn the people on them. The Consortium will fall beneath the combined wrath of the galaxy. When the truth comes out, a minute few will be left on their side.”
I snapped my head toward Zefriss, demanding that the snarky Arxur said something. “So we’re not going to free the Jaslips on Avor? It’s the last enclave! You’re an operative; send in a rescue squad, like you did for us!”
“I do not make plans, nor do I want to,” the greenish-gray reptilian responded. “Patience seems wiser than giving into temperament. The Sapient Coalition is sending aid which can ensure success. You must see the wisdom in going when we are strongest.”
“Humanity is so far away! Of course they can help, but—”
“Your insubordination has gone much too far, Quana,” Aulan snarled. “You will stand down and support the cause, or you won’t be a part of this movement. Whatever you’ve done for us, it doesn’t excuse your volatile behavior. Get a hold of yourself!”
I slunk back into the shadows, seething that the Independence Brigade leader had told me off for concern over the Jaslips still under the Krev’s claws. This changed both the nature and the urgency of our rebellion; we were fighting for all of the species that had been lied to, though our plight exceeded anything they’d endured. General Radai was keen to expose the truth, at least, so I supposed he’d been sincere enough digging into the Consortium’s underbelly. His fleet was good for nothing though, by the sound of it. Was it really worth keeping the avians who’d helped oppress and put us down in our inner circle, if he couldn’t even cough up a working strike force?
At least every Krev Consortium citizen would know just how justified we were in calling out the organization’s malevolence, rather than buying that we were extremists. We needed to find a way to take them down! After how Cherise had turned on me, I wasn’t sure I felt good about relying on the primates as our salvation. I hoped the humans remembered how to wage an offensive campaign, and could grind the Krev into the dust. They’d been fended off at Tellus the last time they went on the attack, so they’d need to put a better foot forward than their muted effort in the past.
A/N - 89! The Reskets made it a little too easy to free the enclaves, but thankfully, humanity sends word of what they just discovered and averts a potential hack at the big moment. The Jaslip rebellion and the Arxur decide to try to spread the word to the Consortium by physically dropping the data. Do you think the information will make the KC break apart, if they can share it? How do you feel about Radai’s reaction? What do you think about Quana’s increasingly dangerous temperament?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
AlphaAllNight Gaming
Wait, there’s a discord?
kabhes
It was mentioned that the manned ships are surrounded by drones.
kabhes
I feel bad for her, she has some extreme abandoned issues. And thinks everyone is constantly finding a reason to ditch her.
kabhes
No worries, we understand you're a human and already work at a ridiculous high pace.
Elliott
Imagine if Chairman Mao, blessed be his name 🙏, came up and lectured people about landlords after being a CEO of a gigantic hedgefund or something. Kaisal needs to gtfo of here with that carnivore exceptionalism shit, he's literally in the room with herbivore allies whenever he does it too!
Elliott
I always find it amusing when Kaisal gives a speech about herbivores being discriminatory and all. Bro YOU ATE PEOPLE. Not just the Arxur at large. YOU SPECIFICALLY ate people, dude has the gaul to lecture anyone about morality.
Space Paladin
Hi, I posted on the Discord but it was just too grueling to move it back, I may have to leave the schedule on the current moved date for the time being. Between holidays and lingering issues from my “cold,” ahem, it’s a lot/a struggle just to keep it on the normal pace. Sorry 😞
Alekss Žukovskis
hmm, i wonder if the krev shell planet can be dismantled with their own sun. shoot a few particle beams, out comes a mass of charged plasma coming your way.
Alekss Žukovskis
will the shell close in around them?
Matthew Mclemore
Everything ok Paladin? I thought I read that the normal schedule would be back on the 25th. No rush obviously, hope you're good. Not hearing from you is worrying! Take your time and be well!
Some Lvm
I am starting to think the real reason Mafani singled Quana out back in basic wasn't because he was a racist a-hole, but because he could sense she was a fellow psychopath, just like him. Speaking of Mafani, I had a theory about him, until last chapter: I thought that it was likely he was never explicitly ordered to murder the kits. Instead, he was given some general order to sabotage the negotiations, and being the unstable psycho he is, chose to do it by murdering the poor kits. That would explain how he ended up training new recruits in the middle of nowhere: His handlers realized he wasn't suitable for "delicate" operations any more, but for some reason could not, or would not, just dispose of him, so they "shelved" him out of the way. Only, they miscalculated how far gone he was, and it backfired. But now that I know the Underscales weren't above giving a whole fleet to the Feds, that theory doesn't really work, so I have to wonder: What was Mafani really doing in that boot camp, and why did he break down so rapidly? Surely if an operative with his skills and experience wanted Taylor gone, he could have done so in a way that would never be traced to him, nor allow for a rescue. And even if things went South, surely he would have a better contingency plan than cornering himself in a bunker, especially one he knew his bosses didn't want discovered!
Mr Mopp
“Toxic” and “Self Centered” are very appropriate ways to describe Quana. Man, I just want her to shut up!
Kevo
I’m just wondering if anyone ever sent a spy drone to the north sentinel island, I wonder what they doing over there.. lol or did the bombs reach them. Oh no, what if someone implant them with a mind reader?! What’s life like on earth these days
PhycoKrusk
Main Character Syndrome
PhycoKrusk
We have our new Slanek! At least it's (ostensibly) still early enough that she can be pulled back from the brink, before she's fully consumed by her Main Character Syndrome.
Space Paladin
The Cage can have an artificial day/night cycle
Byron Ritchie
Agreed
Matthew
Quana has totally lost her mind.
EliasArt2Life
So, I’m going to give my two cents on what Zefriss feels about humanity. Okay, the basic stance he has is that he doesn’t like humans because he, like a lot of Arxur, want to be free of the quarantine and feel like humanity isn’t doing enough to get them out/is holding them in. They also feel that humanity doesn’t show enough gratitude for the help they provided during the war. Tackling that first part, yes. They DO have a point; why should they have to pay for the sins of their ancestors? Especially when said ancestors weren’t even in control of what was happening; it was their government, which THEY overthrew. Why should they be punished? But the thing is, there’s a number of things wrong with this stance from the get go. First, if the Arxur had to answer that question from the outside, what would they say? If you asked them if the Krev populace should be spared from punishment because their government manipulated them into doing evil things, I’m pretty sure the Arxur would balk at that idea. I know that the Jaslips (or at least Quana, who Zefriss has been chumming it up with) would give a definite “no”. And if you asked the Arxur if they felt that the Kolshians’ quarantine should have been lifted ages ago, they'd no doubt give a FURIOUS “no!”, despite the fact that the government and Shadow Caste have been killed off by the Duerten; all that are left are civilians who were manipulated into doing evil things by their government, and a mew generation that had NOTHING to do with the evils of the Federation. If the Kolshians shouldn’t be released, why should the Arxur? (I DO believe that the Kolshians should have been released, but that’s a tangent) The fact that they would expect treatment that they don’t feel another species is entitled to shows the REAL issue with releasing them; they still subscribe to the “Arxur are superior” philosophy. THAT is what all the other species are afraid of if the Arxur get out. It’s something for humanity to worry about too, since they’re allied with a lot of those species that the Arxur consider “lesser”, but it’s REALLY worrying for the rest of the species who ARE the “lesser”. If I could imagine Zefriss answering the question about the Kolshians with “yes” or “no, and neither should we”, I would say that the Arxur ARE ready. The other issue is that Zefriss thinks that humanity is holding the Arxur in quarantine. That’s only partially true. The full truth is that after the war, most species wanted to finish the Arxur off, or at least disarm them. Humanity had to use their diplomatic prowess to convince them to agree to the current quarantine situation. Anything less would have probably resulted in another Extermination Fleet, this time headed towards Wriss. And that’s been on the table ever since. Ending the quarantine risked the other species declaring war on the Arxur. Now, Zefriss probably would say that we should have ended the quarantine but then fought the dissenters. See the previous point I made. Overall, the Arxur’s inability to understand why they’re still in galactic timeout is a clear example why they are not ready to leave it yet. Like that little kid who pouts about being punished and then 5 minutes later asks if they can go now. As for the respect for what the Arxur helped with during the war, yeah. I have to agree with Zefriss on that. However, in humanity’s defense, most of them have alien friends. Aliens who lost friends and family and worlds to the Arxur. Bringing up the Arxur in ANY positive light to these species is, understandably, a HUGE social taboo. Besides that, there’s a lack of empathy here for the mixed emotions about the event; it’s essentially like having your planet saved by baby killing Nazis; you don’t exactly like talking about it. As for the rest of the Arxur’s help, most of them were helping, but for selfish reasons, and they needed to be talked down. Besides, I don’t see much acknowledgement about how much humanity helped the rebellion. Once again, expecting something from others that they are unwilling to do themselves. Overall, I’d say the problem with the Arxur is hypocrisy. They make good points, but they don’t follow their own points.
EliasArt2Life
Safety comment incase you’re someone who’s app/browser shows the first reply to every comment, like mine does.
EliasArt2Life
Thoughts on Arxur in the reply to this comment.
Waffle man
Honestly? Yes. Because he was at least actually dealing with discrimination during that period. It was still immature, but there was a tangential reason, Quarna is just going "this human isn't constantly kissing my ass and crying at every time I frown, THEYRE SO SELFISH"
EliasArt2Life
Yeah. Her getting called out more is legitimately an enjoyable part of this chapter.
EliasArt2Life
Worse than William Kane in Human Exterminator 2?
EliasArt2Life
@Gumcel From what I’ve read, it seems that most of the Arxur ships (the ones the JIB and rescued enclave Jaslips are on) are manned, while the Arxur drones are in Remnant space. At least, that how I interpret it.
EliasArt2Life
FINALLY! Kaisal shows SOME common sense and tact! Okay, I’ll admit that he’s not THAT bad, but it certainly feels like he is at times. Also, I’d like to point out that he, an Arxur, who’s forte is ambushes, nearly blundered into the Consortium’s ambush. I’ll give the Consortium credit, though; get all the Jaslips in one place and then destroy them with the Arxur interlopers and traitors, leaving just the ones on Arvor, where the Consortium has the most control over them. Hopefully, the data drop will keep the Krev too focused on maintaining order on their own world to seek retribution against us, at least until we knock the Ghosts and Remnants down a few pegs or bump our fleet size up an order of magnitude. Quana is insufferable. Cherise and Hissran both hit the nail on the head with her. It hirts, since we can see that she has reason to be angry and bitter, but that doesn’t make her choices any less toxic, and she’s getting worse. “we were fighting for all of the species that had been lied to, though our plight exceeded anything they’d endured” Even when she can’t deny that there are victims other than the Jaslips, she still tries to put her and her species on a pedestal. Arguably, that’s not even true! The Kolshians ALSO lost a sizable chunk of their population as a direct result of both the Consortium targeting them to keep up the facade and the Ghosts manipulating the Remnants to try to tear the SC apart. I can see why Aulan is getting so mad at her; I still feel that he’s an extremist, but he can tell that this self-centered hatred is weakening his movement and chance to gain allies. It’s getting legitimately hard to empathize with her, and normally I can’t stop empathizing even if I want to; her POV is just becoming so removed from reality that there’s less and less of a common ground to relate to her on. She’s constantly rewriting her own world view to try to find some reason to hold onto her hatred of others, and not have to empathize with them. Meanwhile, the situation is quickly becoming one where you have no choice but to empathize with others. The result; her POV is becoming increasingly disconnected from reality, which is normally not a problem, but when we ALSO have other POVs which are GROUNDED In reality, it amplifies the whiplash that Quana gives us. (@Space Paladin, that’s not a bad thing, just an interesting observation)
Gumcel
Aren't they drones? at least the vast majority of them?
Gumcel
Jaslip fan copium
Gumcel
Furthermore, I didn’t trust Radai as far as I could throw him. Throwing? Translated idioms? no clearly she too has learned english. "though anything done over internet won’t last a second.” Frankly this seems a bit absurd, they may be a powerful organization but they're not omnipotent; the idea of them being able to completely censor any attempt to share the information is a little crazy. “Patience seems wiser than giving into temperament. somewhat hypocritical but okay lol. And of course Quana is acting extremely unlikable as usual. It's amazing how she manages to be so easily detestable despite the fact that we should be more sympathic since it's her pov.
Alicja
lol Taylor being called a wet paper towel 🧻 I hope there’s gonna be a strong human-rebel alliance in the future
Roscuro
Hope Quana gets a down to esquo talk from someone. Don't know if Zefriss is the arxur for the job, but they might have to do. Just hope she doesn't go the way of Slanek. (Wonder what that empty plot thread is up to.)
Heroman3003
Well, looks like the reactions on this side of the fence are just as shocked and outraged. Though the Rebellion itself is going well, at least. I am surprised that Trombil gave up easily. I wonder if the whole idea that Krev might be luring the Rebellion into the trap has merit, and Trombil are in on it. We know Ulchids, Reskets and Smiglis at least didnt want any part in it anymore, but Trombil been real quiet. Might still be scheming together with the Krev behind the scenes, they are the ones behind all the technology used for that surveillance after all... And humans are full on coming. Though I wonder how the war on two fronts will be handled. Between dealing with Ghost Farsul's fleet and subduing the Underscale government in Consortium, they might be stretched thin. Though the Krev military is weakened, I can see this being a case of "chase two rabbits, catch neither" (forgive the predatory metaphor). And good to know that humans warned Radai about the backdoor into the ships. Hopefully they can get something done about it by time humans come. I am somehow doubtful that the plan to turn population on the government will work, they have too many ways to control their people, but it'd be wonderful to see it happen if the Rebellion did succeed at that. Would also prevent any need for giving the Krev the KolSul treatment. On the more personal level... Quana is spiraling more and more with every chapter. At this point, she refuses to trust anyone, I feel. She is one of the few Jaslips with the most reasons to trust Radai, having known that he is genuine from personal experience, and yet she trusts him less than Aulan does; she has been through hell together with Cherise and yet because Tellus, a small colony of a few thousand people with entirely borrowed military, is avoiding involvement in the war that could annihilate them in a moment believes that Cherise is betraying her. She is starting to embody the good ol' Federation "actions of the governments represent the thoughts of all individuals" with her bitterness. Hopefully she can get a wakeup call for that rather than continuing to spiral... Though with Cherise being alienated from Quana, I have no clue who could possibly do that. ...maybe she winds up having a reunion with Taylor who slaps her with some sense by pointing out that she is acting same way he was acting when they first met? She was originally Taylor's acquiantice and friend, after all. Regardless, her pain is frustrating to witness, but it's not un-understandable. Abandonment and trust issues are deep with this one. Not much in terms of revelations this chapter, but, between last and this chapters, its very good to now know where everyone stands and what everyone's plans are. Except the enemy, of course. Well, let's see how those plans play out and whether they work out and what surprises and wrenches the Underscales and the Ghosts yet have to throw into the machine... Good work as usual, looking forward to more~
Xilacnog
That's a really good idea! "this St. Valentine's I got you... A data disk that shows how our government is really an autocracy to oppress us."
Xilacnog
Honestly? I'd take a page from Legend of the Galactic Heroes when they hit the Artemis Necklace
Mike Rees
Grow up, Quana
Jagger
Makes you wonder if many of the Jaslips express possessive canine like behavior. Quana was always a little toxic, but ever since her besti Charise stopped clinging to her side 24/7, she's gone way down hill attacking everyone around her. Someone needs to put the fussy puppy in time out; maybe after things settle down (and she survives) some therapy or something could help. At this rate, maybe something will happen that will knock her back to reason (hopefully not at the cost of life).
DreamEnvoy
I'm embarrassed to admit that I did indeed forget about Lecca and the ex 😓
Michael Halpern
AM lasers and casaba howitzers and probably stealthy drop ships.
DDDragoni
The idea of the Underscales remotely hijacking the Resket fleet is terrifying. Not only would it be a massive reduction in the rebellion's strength and an increase in the Consortium's, but anyone crewing those ships instantly becomes a hostage. They can't even shoot the ships down without killing their own people
Waffle man
Quarna is unironically probably the worst character I've ever read. They have the maturity of a child
Alekss Žukovskis
oh, no! expect some deaths
Michael Halpern
well its February and the Krev love everything human related, distribute valentines day cards with the disks. the Krev wouldn't be able to resist, it's a holiday designed for optimal cuteness
Michael Halpern
paranoia spiral. she's so used to everyone being out to get her, that she can't accept anything else.
[REDACTED]TMA
I hope Cherise and Quana can finish their conversation. I could read two whole chapters of nothing but Cherise grilling Quana for the way she's been behaving.
Byron Ritchie
Man quana is a huge jerk at least she’s getting called out for it and the others are grateful for radai’s assistance despite his past
Xilacnog
Quana is forgetting that the humans did destroy 2 of the invading fleets with weapons developed AFTER their offensive on Tellus. She's also going to eat those words when "retired" Jones gets to work on the Krev, hunting down every collaborator and Underscale asset. Can't wait to see what kind of weapon the UN and/or Yotul will develop for the Avor's defensive cradle. @SpacePaladin, I'm not sure if it was written somewhere else but what happens if all the sections close around Avor? As in, will the station emulate the day/night cycle?
Swan
I'm curious if the SC's plan is to sneak in a strike team with Taylor and Gress to hold open the sphere or something during the attack on Avor
Xilacnog
You're forgetting that Gress and Taylor are trying to get Gress's ex-wife and kid out? If the UN insists on sending a ship to pick them up, they could bring the data disks in.
DreamEnvoy
“Tellus won’t side with us in the civil war. Humanity won’t directly interfere.” Eh, don't speak so soon. “Quana? Go fuck yourself. I’m done with you, for good. You’re the most toxic, self-centered—” That was a long time coming and I'm glad Cherise finally said it. Shame the argument was only so brief, but they ARE in a war. “Well, here’s some shocking news. The humans have offered to send ships to aid our efforts in destroying the Consortium.” There we go. "That seems like the sort of self-benefitting play they’d make." It's rather annoying to see Quana insist humans are self-serving given the work the SC put into protecting both their allies and former enemies from the drone strikes. "Cherise was holding her head to her hands; it was as if I could see any guilt that she felt over bombing the delegates blink out in an instant." Yeah, I didn't support the bombing considering how poor the original reason was. But now I guess I guess I could say it's retroactively justified(?) “Your insubordination has gone much too far, Quana,” Aulan snarled. “You will stand down and support the cause, or you won’t be a part of this movement. Whatever you’ve done for us, it doesn’t excuse your volatile behavior. Get a hold of yourself!” I'm glad even the Jaslip leader will call out Quana's bullshit when she displays impatience and irrationality. Anyways, dropping physical data disks is the best idea. Can't be tampered with from a distance. Though I wonder how they can be effectively delivered and spread. Guess we'll see soon enough along with civilian reactions. As always, this has been a fun read.
Alekss Žukovskis
"and I do not think all of the delegates compromise the real government" should say comprise.
Soldier Lsnake
Love the human Arxur friendship
DemonVee
How im reading her: She's the antithesis of Cherise atm. Both went through very similar things at the same time, becoming at risk of being consumed by hate and xenophibia for aliens. However, while Cherise seems to be taking steps into healing from her wounds, Quana is falling further down the pit. Both started pushing their loved ones away from themselves, but Cherise seems to be seeking new bonds, while Quana is is so consumed with hate (maybe at the edge of breaking down) that she’s a step away feom burning her very last bridges.
Rod
"I hoped the humans remembered how to wage an offensive campaign"... Oh my sweet summer child, you have no idea
Michael Halpern
Quarna, you have no idea. you are talking about persistence hunters, they'll keep going until there's no underscales bastard left, and do it with minimal bystander casualties
REDemon14
The Jaslips have only one enclave to liberate and I agree that it seems to be going well...too well. Something is up. Perhaps the Underscales want all the Jaslips in one place? Quana does have some trust issues with Radai (or any Resket for that matter), however he seems to be the more trustworthy of allies for the Jaslips. She should give him the benefit of the doubt. Quana still seems jealous of Cherise and Hysran I can see the UN/SC accepting an independent Jaslip Esquo. No other species has the same blood on their hands like the Arxur (Well, the Kolshian and Farsul have a good amount of blood in theirs) The Arxur have wronged so many lives. However, the UN needs to start reaching out to "The new Arxur" (TM) to truly make a difference in the galaxy Ah, a fun game of charades. Add on some casual sivkit slander and you have predators getting along! I wonder how long this orange trees will last against the white fluffy horde. Quana is so consumed by hate that if she sees someone have *any* moment of positivity or reprieve, she sees it as a betrayal or indifference. To the point where she burned the one bridge she had with her only friend. "Quana? Go fuck yourself." Quana *needed* to hear that. She has be on a relative downward spiral since the bombing and has been dismissive of Cherise ever since it was discovered that Earth survived. She has such a warped view of reality, that she blames the Tellish for hiding their appearance after they fleet people who wanted to genocide them for how they looked! Then she wanted Tellus to help with the Jaslip rebellion. How? They only have a few hundred, maybe a thousand combatants that aren't as experienced as the rest of the KC military forces? Now she sees all of humanity as scheming primates. She expects everyone to sacrifice themselves for the Betterment of Jaslips. While Zeffi mentions how the Arxur saved humanity, the UN picked itself up rather quickly by having allies, something that Quana is pushing away. For a rare moment, Hysran in all seriousness described Quana down to the buttons and she didn't like that. Radai is present to hear that truth about the Underscales and the Farsul. It's nice that he singled Quana out so that he can apologize directly to her. Though I don't think it's sinking in for her Needless to say, our group of rebels are appalled by the revelation. Quana learns that the Tellish were exploited by the KC gov't, but it doesn't seem as though she has changed her stance on Cherise or Humans Cherise may feel that her guilt was lifted but here's the thing, if Radai was ignorant to the conspiracy, who's to say the others weren't as well? while everyone else is thinking of ways to enlighten the KC people, which would give the rebels a massive legitimacy boost, Quana is so focused on the enclave, that she seems to have missed the fact that the Avor enclave may be a trap. She's going too get someone hurt or killed and I think that's why Aulan put his foot down. She's out of control It's sad to see Quana and Cherise fallout like this, but it's best for Cherise if Quana is gonna be so selfish. I hope Quana has a coming to light moment, especially if it comes with great guilt. Love me some guilt arcs.
Dookus Maximus
I think there is improper word usage in this sentence: “They know my character, and I do not think all of the delegates compromise the real government... " Compromise should be comprise here, I believe.
Dookus Maximus
Can anyone play devil's advocate and try to explain Quana's attitude? I'm sure she has reasons for feeling like she does but I just don't have a grasp on her as a character, and she comes across as annoying instead.
Quiidek
Quana is giving off Slanek vibes.
John Benjamin Cate
Quana has been in her situation for so long that she can’t function without someone to be angry at. And unfortunately, every target of her anger has been revealed to not deserve it in one way or another, and so she gets so frustrated she directs that anger at those closest to her. And now those people have had enough and are cutting her off. Tragic. This chapter was a fascinating character study
Kingarthur
That husky needs to stick her head in the snow and chill the fuck out before she does something stupid and stop trying to act like literally everything is a personal betrayal
Willy
First
