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The Nature of Predators 2-84
🕑 Added 2024-11-04 12:00:12 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: February 11, 2161
It was a relief that I didn’t have to make a decision about which world—and which people I loved—that I wanted to stay with on a permanent basis. The time at home with my biological family had been an absolute treat, learning about my immediate relatives and what life in sunny Nevada was like; it would be moving from one desert to the next, so ultimately, there was some familiarity in that. I had so much to think about, and my heart was torn in so many directions. Either way, I knew it would be a painful decision, since I couldn’t bear to lose the childhood I’d missed out on all over again, or Gress.
The traveling the UN had been kind enough to permit came to a close after they got word that civil war had broken out in the Krev Consortium, which did push me to at least a temporary decision. I wasn’t going to forsake Gress when he was trying to ascertain whether his family was safe, and his home planet was in a state of unrest. I knew the green-scaled alien wouldn’t hold much sympathy for the KC, as he hadn’t since learning how sinister they were in setting him up with the Jaslip incident. Part of him seemed happy when the terrorists blew up Delegates Tower, though everything he voiced was to the opposite—the prim and proper. He thought he should be repulsed by the expression of violence.
Sometimes, I see that glint that I know all too well from looking at my own reflection, on those dark mornings where I couldn’t bear to go up and appease the Krev’s rent collection policy. Bitterness, a thirst for revenge after his life was ruined, which he knows to be wrong; he advised me against lashing out, with that sage wisdom. Yet now, he looks at the Consortium and thinks them uncaring, wicked beyond reproach. Just like the Tellish once did.
“I would rather spend this time on Earth, but we made a deal to be liaisons for our people. There’s no one else from our homes to physically stand in. Governor Laisa is the one who sent me a message,” I told Gress, finally having a chance to explain the situation as the spaceship took off for the SC’s station. “She said the person who kicked off the civil war was Radai. Radai, the freaking champion of hierarchy and order. He must’ve seen something investigating your files of misapplied justice, and found damning faults of corruption in the whole system.”
Gress blinked in surprise. “Radai was a tortured and paranoid man when we last saw him. He knows what I know in my heart—but he doesn’t know how deep it goes. I suppose this is his final battle to fight, before he turns himself in or…worse, for the shame of his crimes. What does the SC think about a top general turning on his organization?”
“The SC wants no part in it, and that was Laisa’s immediate concern. At my urging, General Radai was the primary point of contact. If the Consortium suspects that humanity put Radai up to this, the peace would be revoked. It couldn’t come at a worse time, after the Federation just pulled a few hundred thousand ships out of their ass and are looking like a real threat again; you know that news has me worked up.”
The Krev placed a comforting paw on my thigh. “I can imagine. Know that your species is strong—strong enough to push away our attack with a fraction of their force and allies. They only lost at Aafa because of in-fighting. The Consortium is beyond repair, so I have to agree with Radai. I hope humanity will have enough political will left to vanquish the Listeners and the Underscales. To give us the freedom they gave to their ex-Federation friends.”
“None want freedom more than the Jaslips. They sure got shafted, and I heard it was the Reskets themselves who were putting them down. I worry about them, especially if there’s a clamp-down for power. What do you think Quana is up to?”
“That Jaslip hates the Krev, and hated me until she realized that I was merely set up the same as the kits: ruined by an entity well above my paygrade. When she and Cherise were passing out pamphlets, they looked like criminals caught in the act, and sounded more conspiratorial than even myself. She’s fighting with the rebels. She knows the KC won’t ever care for her interests.”
“I guess that makes sense. I don’t blame the Jaslips for their anger, especially after seeing firsthand the racist comments they get, but the UN has a point about the Federation being a greater threat. The Remnants jeopardize the future for us all.”
“Yeah, but Radai knew the Jaslips would be done for if he didn’t act now. Is only caring about the war with the Federation Tellus’ position?” Gress asked.
“Probably. Tellus, as far as I’m aware, is much too eager to staple ourselves back to mainstream mankind’s government. They’ll do whatever the UN does or asks of them, apart from leaving. But that’s not an issue, since we negotiated that…bizarre deal with Loxsel.”
“You know, I’m actually looking forward to that play, Taylor! Whatever happens with our future, we have that together. Rehearsing, having the UN set up the production; I couldn’t believe that was all Loxsel wanted for a peaceful settlement.”
“Me neither. I would’ve cried happy tears if we had one performing arts event back in the caverns. I just question how it will go once the Sivkits try to reintegrate, and neither side likes sharing our world. The Grand Herd won’t find vegetation to consume like they’re used to; I wouldn’t be shocked if they pour in our streets like pests.”
“Maybe it won’t be so bad. The Sivkits weren’t always like that, and now, they have a fighting chance. I’m glad we were able to share that video we found of General Anxsel. Perhaps…the Tellish can help them reclaim the Grand Farmhood. Restore their intellect, and make it into a paradise that both sides can enjoy: not a long-dead, sweltering world.”
I snorted. “Nothing reverses time. If it did, I’d turn back the clock twenty-five years.”
“Taylor? If that’s what you’d do, then you know your wish is still to be on Earth. You can be honest with me.”
This line of conversation was beginning to grate on me, though I knew Gress was trying to do the noble thing and not chain me down. The family feeling that I’d had with the homemade lasagne scent wafting through the air, with all of us gathered around one table swapping stories and wolfing down the food, had told me I wanted that. Maybe I was beyond seeking it out for myself, rather wanting to foster a family of my own…or have someone to settle down with every night, rain or shine. I wanted the easy understanding Mom and Dad had with each other, a love that lasted through thirty years of marriage.
Earth is delightful, a cultural center unparalleled by anything else, and Gress was right; it’s not scary or foreign. I could get used to being taken care of and spoiled, after clawing, crying, and sweating for every scrap in the caverns. I could still have my parents in my life, with FTL communication; a relationship won’t work on FTL comms.
There were all of the little things on Earth, though, which made it feel okay to be human; there was a sense of normalcy and belonging that life in Tellus would never have. I’d felt like an alien when my parents took me to a barber shop, and I sat in a chair to get a few inches trimmed off of my long hair. It was so civilized, such a luxury to visit a professional to groom myself and care about my appearance at all. Gress watched, ensuring that he complimented my new look. There was a safety in the Sol system that Tellus wouldn’t have, especially since the Krev Consortium was embroiled in a civil war.
“There’s a part of me on Tellus with you, and a part of me here on Earth, the home I thought I lost. That’s the truth,” I sighed. “They’re too far apart to have both, but I don’t know if I can choose. I wish I didn’t have to. I have two good things in my life now, and I’d regret losing either.”
Gress hugged me tightly. “I would never stop loving you. Nothing would take away what we have. And there might be a temporary solution.”
“Oh? I’m listening.”
“I don’t want Lecca on Avor if there’s a war going on. I can’t be here worrying about the government cracking down on our own populace—martial law—or an invasion causing collateral. I need to get my daughter out of harm’s way while that’s still possible. The UN owes me no favors to facilitate this, but I can send the request through Loxsel.”
“Why do you want that unhinged Sivkit to plead for your daughter’s rescue? What stake does he have in it?”
“I suspect if I tell him it will distract from my performance, Loxsel will be willing to demand a diplomatic shuttle ferries Lecca and Nevi here—and send a message for why. I may not like my cira of an ex-wife, but it wouldn’t be good for my daughter to lose her mother. It’s never good for a child to grow up without a parent.”
Bitterness filled my heart. “Don’t I know it. It’s been great to be back with my family, but I needed them growing up. I could’ve used them twenty years ago when I was figuring myself out. If you can get your kid out of harm’s way, do it; I’d never wish for Lecca to grow up with a proverbial executioner’s blade looming over her head. She’s a brat, but she’s a cute brat. And yours.”
“I’ve never been good about not doting on people I love. The fault is my own. Lecca will love being around the ‘big obors’ though; and it means Juvre can be around to bother you!”
“On second thought, I’m leaving you.”
“Whatever you say, dear. I’ll talk to Loxsel and see what I can do. As long as the Consortium is at war, we don’t have to make any decisions about the future.”
But some day, we will. “Okay.”
Gress raised his paws in the happy claws gesture. “Excellent! Let’s start planning together how we’re going to deal with the Consortium contacts, because you know the UN wants us to smooth things over with them. We won’t have the luxury of dealing with friendly old Radai anymore. I guess it’s worth it, to keep Tellus out of this fight. They’ve been through enough.”
“Everyone in this whole fucking galaxy has been through enough. I hope there comes a day soon where this all can end, and where I’ll choose to live out a fun, joyful existence is the worst problem I face.”
“The worst problem you face is how much of your hair to cut-off. You know I love you, but I was worried you were going to go back to the buzzcut when we went to a barber’s shop. I mean, it was cute and stubbly, but I like you with those silky locks. It looks…regal.”
I laughed, doing a joking hair flip and modeling pose. “Regal, huh? I’ve never heard that word to describe me. It’s a shame I wasn’t like, a long lost British royal—find out I’ve got a title, and it’s the Duke of Lasagne. That would’ve been a homecoming I stayed for.”
“I may or may not have taken it upon myself to ask your mom for the lasagne recipe. Now that I know it’s your favorite, I accept the challenge of cooking human food. Anything to see your binocular eyes light up.”
“A predatory gaze lighting up at the thought of its meal. You should’ve run for the hills like a good herbivore, after you saw that.”
“Yes, well,” Gress gestured to his short legs. “Krev aren’t into footraces. It’s death, or curling up into a ball. Two choices.”
“You forgot your third option. Spray the predator with the stink gland on your tail!”
“I suspect doing that to a human would make it much more likely that they do kill me.”
I laughed to myself at the light-hearted conversation, relieved to not have to make an immediate decision about which commitment I wanted to choose for the future of my life. Maybe I could find a way to have Nevi and Lecca stay here, or at least close to Earth, especially if conditions on Avor deteriorated because of the war. Frankly, even Gress’ nasty-hearted ex-wife had to understand, much like her husband did, that it was best for the child to have both parents in their life; she might work with us on this. Either way, I would have the Krev by my side to grapple with Sapient Coalition diplomacy, and we could form more amazing memories on the homeworld of my people.
As distraught as I had been over wasting my life on a falsehood, being captured had led to me getting a taste of everything I ever wanted. Earth was a beacon of pride in my memories now, one that would never be taken away or overridden by loss again. There was a possible future out there where I could have total happiness, without sacrificing anything at all.
A/N - 84! Taylor and Gress are recalled as the SC seeks to avoid blame, after learning that Radai launched a civil war; Gress proves much more anti-Consortium and in favor of Jaslip independence than Quana thought of him in her point of view. Taylor is torn on where he wants to stay permanently, but there is a temporary fix. With the civil war ongoing, Gress is attempting to get his family out to Earth through Loxsel.
After hearing Taylor’s arguments for both Tellus and Earth, where do you think is best for him? How do you think it will go when the Sivkits move back to Tinsas/Tellus? Was Radai right to intervene now on behalf of the Jaslips, or should he have waited?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Some Lvm
Leave it to Taylor to solve his problems via civil war. I though this was suppose to be his redemption arc? Don't get me wrong - Gress should absolutely do anything and everything to get his family out of harms was, and it would be best for their daughter, given her age, if he and his ex wife could at least be civil with each other in front of her, but still... It kind of feels like Taylor is benefiting from a lot of needless death and destruction about to hit...
ProfoundBeggar
A small writing critique: when the narration says "the Krev" I always think it means "the species or government". Since this is Taylor's perspective, i wish it said "my Krev" or something similar, to differentiate.
Quiidek
NEVADA MENTIONED!!! RAAAAHHH BATTLE BORN!!! ALL FOR OUR COUNTRY!!! I'm stoked to see what happens next!
Aerowarrier
Gress I know y’all didn’t split up on the best of terms, and sure maybe she could have supported you better after what happened, but dude you’d been pushing her away and neglecting your daughter for years before you lost your job as a negotiator. Yeah it’s a difficult job that calls at unexpected times, but from the 3 cases we saw in that series, you flat out abandoned Lecca every time, regardless of prior commitments to your family, and threw just as much venom at your wife as she threw at you over it. Insulting her is not called for my guy
Heroman3003
:krev_aaww: energy is very strong with this chapter, I like it. Duke of Lasagne xD. The two are just trying to figure out a way forward in these uncertain times, for both of them, and yet it seems so unclear as to how they can stay truly happy without being split apart. I suppose it's pointless to think that far ahead with the war at the door... Taylor's own conflict is painful. Choosing between the new life and love that you found and built all on your own vs the past that you've been yearning to reclaim for years, and no option to take both. Perhaps there will be a third path, living both lives at once, it's just not quite clear yet... But that's just a maybe. Gress' issues are simpler and more complex at the same time. He wants safety for his family, and right now nobody has a clue what exactly is happening on Avor itself. For all we know, Lecca and Nevi might already be at Underscale black site for the connection to him, with them being aware of his current position as liaison to UN and wanting him under control. This chapter was a good little check in with our lovebirds. I am excited to see who they wind up contacting and how it will go! Looking forward to more as usual!
EliasArt2Life
Well, the next bit of setup is completed. We’re getting closer to the next arc of the story. Hopefully Taylor’s stay on Earth will give him plenty of time to heal. He needs it. “I may not like my cira of an ex-wife” Just a note; I believe that this term has only been defined in the Krev Exchange Program miniseries. People on Reddit probably won’t know what this means. “Frankly, even Gress’ nasty-hearted ex-wife had to understand, much like her husband did, that it was best for the child to have both parents in their life” Eh. Given what we’ve seen of her, and the threats she made in Gress’ miniseries, I wouldn’t be too sure of that…
PhycoKrusk
Given the situation, anything is possible. More alliances even seem likely.
Gumcel
It’s not too late for Taylor to become royalty. He can kill Hathaway and declare himself king of Tellus. Is this just a thinly veiled attempt to complain about Hathaway? Yes.
A B
Maybe Radai saw something in the files. I also feel like getting the order to genocide the Jaslips when all they want is to be free from a government that claims to be "protecting" them but obviously isn't could be enough of an honor thing to refuse the order
erickjosemolina
Me pregunto si en el futuro veremos más grupos de especies unidas, algo así como alianzas
DDDragoni
Gress worked in the KC government for a while- if he's worried about what they'll do under martial law, he's probably got a good reason. I'm worried for the civilians there
DDDragoni
Where did he do that in this chapter?
Aured
Nice to see Taylor healing and getting a healthier approach to life
Ezekiah Kane
He does it because he knows it annoys Taylor, its distraction, so Taylor doesn't worry about their future too much.
Byron Ritchie
I hope nothing bad happens to Lecca and nevi
PhycoKrusk
Impossibru
Dookus Maximus
Unless the war begins because you intervene on behalf of another faction, in this case the Jaslips
Daniel Guillon
A
John Benjamin Cate
So glad these two were able to sit down and just talk together after all they’ve been through. I do hoe Gress’ daughter is able to escape the consortium, she deserves a good life.
DreamEnvoy
I honestly see no reason the four of them can't move to Earth permanently (unless Nevi has some reservations). With a combination of a civil war, bad memories, and an obviously corrupt government, Tellus/Tinsas and the rest of the KC look like a crap show. For now, Earth is the obvious choice.
TheBlack2007
Could Gress please not compare his boyfriend to his pet monkey for at least one minute?!
Adam Myers
It is unfortunate that Radai probably lost an attempted coup (civil wars tend to be really nasty affairs and coups are generally better).
REDemon14
Well Taylor, your choices are either dirt or dirt. Pick you home XD It was nice that Taylor got to experience a bit of family time and feel “normal”. Both Taylor and Gress have that darkness when it comes to the KC, however so do Quana and Cherise. I think Gress and Taylor are handling it better in my opinion though. I do wonder what it was that had Radai go full out. Something in those files that Gress and Taylor gave him must have been the proverbial straw to break the camel’s back. I hope he chooses to live his life after the Civil war, if he isn’t killed first. The Ghost Fleet must be weighing on Taylor and Gress. To know that what they feared is, indeed, still active in a strength they didn’t anticipate. The UN is making the right choice to not get involved in the civil war. Just a little busy trying to stomp out the FR and the Tellish seem to want to be with the UN’s actions, but I’m not sure what a single city with thousands can do. It’s probably best if they just work with the Sivkits for now. Speaking of our favorite Funny-Bunnies; I’m looking forward to seeing how Loxsel’s play will go. Hopefully it goes well, for the sake of Loxsel, the Tellish, and the Sivkits. It will be rather difficult for the Sivkits to integrate back to their *barren* homeworld. It is good to know that the Tellish shared the recording of General Anxsel (Wonder if he’s an ancestor of Axsely). Hopefully that was able to give them a bit of a jumpstart to reclaiming their ancestry. I keep forgetting just how little the Tellish had when in the caverns. Taylor and Gress deserve a bit of theater time. It’ll be a good de-stresser for them and may help Loxsel in working with humans. It would be best for Gress to get his ex-wife and daughter off of Avor or away from the core KC worlds. They are *very* likely to become hotbeds of violence and instability or overreaching governments. (As if they weren’t already overreaching) Lecca would *love* being around the “Big Obors”. So many tall primates to climb! “My cira of an ex-wife” HA. I wonder what Nevi thinks of Taylor. I don’t think he’d be seen as someone who *took* Gress since they divorced years prior. Maybe she’ll try to “warn” him about things. Hopefully she isn’t too spiteful. Either way, here’s hoping Loxsel lets Nevi and Lecca come to Tellish. “And Juvre can be there too!” “I’m leaving you.” Fuckin’ lost it! I can see Gress imagining Taylor with long, flowing locks of hair waving in the wind and just being smitten while in actuality, it’s just inch long hair. If a Krev is ever running from a human, curl up into a ball. The cuteness of such an act will be disarming and distracting enough to let you get away. Roll down a hill if you must. DO NOT SPRAY THEM. They *will* kill you. “Everyone in this whole fucking galaxy has been through enough.” Truth. And all become some mammalian squids had a prions outbreak. Hmm, I'd definitely say Earth is the better option for Taylor. Tellus has too much baggage and pain linked to it. However, I think, in the end, he'll be where Gress is. Oh boy. I think the Sivkits are gonna have a rough go at it at first. It's a giant dirt ball of a planet with the only food being *in Tellus*. The humans are gonna find the bunnies approaching pretty soon. I think something Radai saw spurred him into action. Whatever it was, it had convinced him that he couldn't wait another moment.
Rod
A sports, to the game.
Willy
Firsty
