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The Nature of Predators 2-83
🕑 Added 2024-10-31 11:00:10 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Elias Meier, Former UN Secretary-General
Date [standardized human time]: February 11, 2161
The shock at the emergence of the hidden ships, which made the heavy-handed force we’d sent look insignificant, was evident in the faces of the SC leadership. The other humans within our section were buzzing with chatter, trying to determine what to do; losing tens of thousands of ships wasn’t something we wanted to commit to, and there was no getting our forces out. Their proximity to Grenelka, the very thing we targeted, was their downfall. As I grasped for an answer on who these mystery ships might belong to (certainly not the Yulpa), I landed on only one possibility: the ghost Farsul we’d been looking for all along. That meant…no wonder we couldn’t track them down. They were hiding within the Remnants’ space and spurring on their organization, taking up the mantle of the defeated Kolshians and Farsul!
Were the Yulpa and their allies conspiring this whole time, as far back as when their representatives heard my speech to the Shield? The Shield: they’re closer to the Remnants than to the SC. Did they know?
Secretary-General Osmani was calm at the lectern, though the creases between his eyes told me he’d reached the same conclusion. “It would seem that, much like the Krev Consortium, the extremist Farsul took it upon themselves to build many ships while in hiding. Perhaps they are present on…many Remnant worlds. We must factor this in to our plans, and also observe them to determine whether they have a centralized location.”
The combined might of Arxur and Terran armies began utilizing our munitions in the scramble, but I surveyed our private diagrams to determine what Hamza had meant about observing the Farsul; some of our camera feeds appeared to come from ships with cloaking capabilities, much like the hidden stations that Jones had deployed since our earliest days establishing protections for the Sol system. As magnificent as our initial push into Grenelka’s orbit had been, I knew this fight was lost for us. That surprise would only work on humanity once, so we needed to pivot into getting all of the information that we could.
This novel threat might work to mobilize the entire SC into total war against the Remnants, for fear that they too would wind up underfoot again, if the ghost Farsul got into control. It was the Shield’s allegiance that was in doubt, after most of them weren’t on speaking terms with us after the ark colonists’ involvement in the attacks was revealed. The miracle was that they remained neutral, though I would’ve guessed they swayed toward the Fed remnants—without wanting to get into a war with humanity. I had to find Ambassadors Korajan and Yali now, since the Leshee and the Duerten were the two who’d stuck with us. While I hated to consider the prospect, I had to consider that they might be a security risk, here to spy on us.
“What chafes at me is that Jones might know what they’re up to,” I muttered to myself, seeing the spymaster having a conversation by herself on a headset. “Maybe before we fire her today, we have to grovel for what she’s dug up…through her unscrupulous means.”
The Yulpa’s reinforcements were overwhelming our ships, with ten of theirs boxing one of ours in; these craft were more advanced than the manned vessels that had formed their prior engagements. Why had they not shown their hand, bringing the ghost Farsul into the fold, to storm Liberty’s Bastion, when they might’ve eliminated our entire colony had it not been reserved for defense? Was there something of particular importance in Grenelka, that would make the radicals unwilling to perform their callous sacrifices of lives? The old Federation would’ve traded Grenelka for a predator colony in a heartbeat. If Korajan had known about this, while claiming to be our friend…
“Our plan is to cripple Grenelka,” the Secretary-General told the audience, who were horrified to see the pulverization of a fleet that’d been so dominant moments earlier. “We’ll stay kicking as long as possible, and take as many of them with us as possible. We need to prepare a response immediately; we should contact the KC and inform them that we located the Farsul, so they no longer have to comb their space.”
“They must have a base of operations,” Bissem General Naltor suggested. “From what Ambassador Loxsel said, I would think it’s in the Consortium’s space, past Sivkit borders. It would be prudent to follow the signals or trails of any ghost ships; it might lead us straight to the head.”
“I agree, but the demonstrable threat is at Grenelka; these people declared war on us, for the purpose of our total elimination. It’s evident they’ve been preparing this for a long time, right beneath our noses. The battle is lost, so I find it unproductive to watch the final ships of Terra and her allies succumb. We plan to hit them back, now that they’ve shown themselves. Every SC member must send enough ships that the outcome is a certainty!”
“You have our support,” Onso remarked, vouching for the Yotul’s presence without hesitation.
Mazic President Quipa flared her trunk. “They came into our space first to attack Liberty’s Bastion. I’m not happy with what the ark ships did, and you don’t place enough blame on yourself, but the Presidium won’t let the colony we gave you be attacked. You have any aid we can offer.”
Governor Laisa flicked an ear with amusement. “Is it a question that we’ll send our ships? We are with humanity, always.”
“This is the new extermination fleet. We’ll be on the right side, this time,” Krakotl ambassador Kelsel said.
“Us also,” Harchen representative Nahley agreed.
My Sulean friend, the bright, bubbly Syba, took the speaking role for the Sulean-Iftali joint delegation. “The Iftali wouldn’t survive, and we stand with foremost our sister species, but also humanity! We’ll help convince as many people to help as possible; you will win again. I know it—together, we’re stronger than ever!”
“On behalf of the other sister species, the Verin and the Onkari will be here with whatever you need,” Verin Ambassador Hrone offered.
“To any delegates worried to commit to this skirmish, we cannot afford to sit back,” Tassi spoke from the Bissem balcony. “You know what happened to Ivrana; Bissems wouldn’t exist without the dumb luck of them flying close enough to be shot down, before they could report back. They’ll come in the night for the purpose of killing; that is predation. Please, help us.”
Excellent words from my Bissem friend, who I’m glad has returned, rather than giving up on endearing her species to the Sapient Coalition. It doesn’t seem she needs my help today. No pledge from the Duerten or the Leshee.
The Paltan delegate’s large eyes glimmered. “We’re rather far away, but we’re coming if called upon. Our military bases have been pointed toward the KC, and perhaps are better allocated that way: but if you summon us, we’re ready.”
“We’re ready to act right now. I’ve already ordered reinforcements to Grenelka, before they have the chance to slip away,” said the Gojid Prime Minister.
I stood from the table in a hurry, not waiting for Osmani’s blessing to confront the Duerten ambassador. The Shield couldn’t be neutral at a time like this; they mustn’t hide away in their fortress of a governance ship. I’d thought they hated how the Federation distorted them, but they buddied up to their successor—while unwilling to forgive us for the acts of one group of humans, perhaps they hadn’t been as keen on killing every last soul on Aafa for Kalqua. No, it didn’t make sense, when they were so adamant on their hatred for Kolshians. Korajan had cracked when he told the story of his bunker stay. He didn’t hope for my success or mean anything, if he concealed something of this magnitude.
I risked a last glance over my shoulder, seeing the last gasps of resistance on the Sapient Coalition’s screen; there were numbers where not even the greatest military technology known to man could defeat the odds. This ambush force was larger than the record-setting drone armadas that Krev Consortium had sent toward us. It should concern anyone who liked free thought, a right that’d been denied to the Duerten more than anyone—for the crime of being vocal. The last time I’d seen Korajan, he’d persuaded his government not to retaliate for the planned strike on Kalqua: perhaps helped when we confirmed they weren’t under threat. I wondered if the gray avian was on our side though, after our relations were on rocky ground. I had know whether it was worth asking the Shield for assistance.
I chased after the gray tail feathers I saw exiting the auditorium, and shouted the ambassador’s name. His corn-colored beak turned to face me, a deep concern in his eyes.
Korajan drew a shaky breath. “I imagine you’re looking for me to see what we’ll do. Neither Ambassador Yali or myself have the authority to declare war on the Remnants. I know they attacked humanity, but my government remembers that you didn’t respond to the outward declaration of hostility—the cruel intent—by the Tellish. We helped you against the Consortium once, and we’d been hesitant to do it again.”
“Then the Shield wants the Federation to take back over and play thought police,” I responded in a flat voice. “That’s what will happen if they win, after all.”
“There’s no reason you cannot win this on your own. Of your 82 members, it seemed that none were holding back in sending forces. We do not need to be involved.”
“We have no idea how many ships the Federation have. If you want to talk about a declaration of hostility, they were the faction that went through—endorsed and sanctioned—the unforgivable attack on Kalqua; they’d do it again, should you challenge or contest them past the point where we could protect you. We were never going to let any vessels attack Kalqua, but they don’t feel the same. If the Shield wants a future, side with us. Please, Korajan: I want to call you a friend.”
“I do call you a friend, Elias, but I cannot just agree with you and send the ships. I already was going to advise the Duerten Forum and the Shield to side with you, for the simple reason that these fiends would kill any former omnivores; it’s the only way to be sure. I know Kalqua isn’t safe with them out there, beyond the extent that the ark colonists give us those feelings.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Do you want me to speak with them? I’ve been there before, and—”
“No. While my government loathes the Farsul, I cannot guarantee that the Shield overall will…not side against you. Many of them are Federation-leaning, as you saw yourself. If the Duerten intend to help, I will be in touch and give you a read on the situation. I must make this call myself. I know your opinion of me may have been lessened by my past anger, but I hope you still trust me to do what is best for your people and mine.”
“I do. It’s Yali that I’d like to know where she’s at.”
“Elias, I’m two steps ahead of you. I persuaded Yali to help, on the grounds that you are protecting this side of the galaxy from the greatest threat of our time. She seems to believe the Leshee will, at the least, throw in their lot with you; amphibious species would never get a fair shot with the Federation. I hope it’s some assurance to know that.”
I ducked my head in appreciation, smiling. “It is. Thank you, Korajan. I’ve appreciated your guidance and your reasonability very much, and…I’m sorry I was worried. I shouldn’t have been.”
The avian cackled. “Precisely, you should not have been. Humanity taught me how to continue on in life, and I have a soft spot for you. I’d like to see a day where no species will fear you, rather appreciating your kindness and generosity as I do. I hope for a day where the Shield can enjoy the beauty—the relentlessness—of your devotion and friendship.”
“That has always been our deepest wish. It’s what brought us to the stars, and what encourages us not to give up on them. Good luck with your call…my friend.”
“My people are rather stubborn; you have seen nothing with me. I’ll need all of that luck.”
I watched as the Duerten walked away, relieved to see that the Sapient Coalition and our closest Shield allies were taking the threat of the ghost exterminators seriously. This took the idea of dealing with the shady elements of the Consortium off the table entirely; I hoped that nothing that was going on in their space would affect their commitment to deal with the Federation Remnants. Whatever our personal squabbles, the Orion Arm needed to maintain a united front in dealing with our hidden adversary. Humanity was going to put the whole of our strength into eliminating the new conspiracy, for the sake of our long-term future prospects.
A/N - 83! The ghost Farsul are the apparent culprits, which lead to many worrying conclusions Recognizing that humanity is numerically overwhelmed and the fight is lost, Osmani turns his attention to responding with similar numbers; all SC members begin making plans to send ships, and it’s hoped that the Consortium and the Arxur will take a stand against their common enemy. Elias goes to discover what the Shield, a neutral party in the war, intend to do about the radicals and their massive fleet. It doesn’t seem that Korajan or his organization knew, and the Duerten ambassador is calling to side with humans.
Do you expect the Arxur and Consortium to work together and focus on the ghost Farsul, especially with the civil war breaking out in KC space? What decision do you expect the Shield and the Duerten to make, when faced with the Federation conspirators they hated or the humans, who just brought massive attacks to Orion space?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
kabhes
The mazics seem to have always been very traditional. They're just more reasonable than the other traditionalists.
Some Lvm
Well, looks like Jones gets to keep her job. I wouldn't put it past her that she already knew of the extra fleet but kept it hidden to motivate the SC to come together. They clearly needed a kick in the hind quarters, and that is exactly what they got on the Grenelka show.
DemonVee
Hmm, I guess we'll get our answer with the Krev's reaction, it does look like the Reskets are following Radai's command so I'm guess they would have mainly embedded themselves in Avar, probably in the central building (The Feds do have a thing for pyramids) But I honestly wouldn't be mad if Kaisal manages to fail the task successfully here 😅 Given the themes so far, the Ghost Farsul being the ones who digitized themselves would also make sense. Maybe going so overboard with their belief in the hunger that they sought to shed their bodies entirely, and are now just completely puppeting the consortium from a far, maybe even puppeting multiple factions of the same size that we aren't aware of. I mentioned this before but it's just too convenient that the consortium's policy is to literally "cage" themselves, preventing colonization while also destroying their only carnivore member's homeworld. The fear of the stagnation coming from the brain scan technology manifesting itself within the more radical vestiges of the Federation, if you make yourself immortal, even if the "you" is symbolic, also immortalized your beliefs and bias, making it impossible for the galaxy to heal.
PhycoKrusk
@Elias Your past pondering of the Ghost Farsul now demands Consortium considerations: Are the Underscales the Devil, or is the Devil whispering in their ear? Because if they are, in fact, an extension of the Ghost Farsul, then it's not up to them, nor the Alliance, whether the civil war stops or continues. Also, I hate to say this, but Kaisal accidentally made the right decision. Getting trapped in a two-front war was likely unavoidable: There is more and more (admittedly circumstantial) evidence that the Consortium's intelligence apparatus is run ultimately by the GF. Once they had embroiled the Collective and the Coalition on battle, they would've struck from the other direction in a pincer maneuver. Kaisal engaging the Consortium out of the blue the way he did disrupted that plan. Just goes to show you that with determination, perseverance, and a shitload of luck, even a dumdum can ace the exam.
PhycoKrusk
Nothing quite like a face full of margarita salt after they jab one of those little umbrellas in your eye
EliasArt2Life
The Kolshians are aquatic mammalians whose culture has shifted to life solely on land, but yes, the Ghosts may see the Kolshians as intrinsically tainted like the Kolshians saw species like the Leshee and Thafki as being tainted. It would be an ironic fate, but one that’s just rubbing salt in the wound by now.
Roscuro
I'm hoping the consortium gives up easy against the arxur.
Gumcel
Brother what are the spies doing😭 how were they not prepared lol. “amphibious species would never get a fair shot with the Federation.” The kolshians are really screwed no matter what happens lmao.
Space Paladin
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Fixed 😅
Tobias Sumrall
Absolutely fantastic chapter, as they have been for many months. I can't wait to see how this starts tying together in the long run. One small note though: "I hope for a day where the Shield can enjoy the beauty—the relentless—of your devotion and friendship." I feel like that should read "the relentlessness" or somesuch instead
DDDragoni
I wonder if the Shield is going to survive as a faction or split- it's members seem pretty polarized
EliasArt2Life
Whether the Civil War is over or not also depends on the JIB and the Arxur. If the Consortium wants to end it, but the JIB or Arxur prefer to keep fighting, they won’t give the Consortium a choice. Granted, right now, their demands are the release of all Jaslips, which the Consortium will be loath to comply to but might do so anyway, but if they realize they have bartering power, they might up their demands to something too unreasonable. I HOPE the Civil War is over, but I’m WAY past the point of trusting in people in this universe to make a remotely logical decision.
EliasArt2Life
Yep! It’s the Ghosts. This completely changes the odds of the war… Something interesting that I noticed; we didn’t really get to hear about how advanced these ships are; they’re new and advanced, but the battle was dumbed down to their numbers overwhelming the SC forces. They won through numbers, rather than us hearing about better technology. That suggests that we won’t hear about how a SC ship and Ghost ship match up 1 to 1 until later. It would be funny if they end up being half as good, though I’m quicker to bet that they’re about equal. “Maybe before we fire her today, we have to grovel for what she’s dug up…through her unscrupulous means.” Sigh. You can bet that Jones will see through that and use it to barter for her job. I have an interesting thought about the Ghosts’ ship count; they disagreed with the Federation’s “curing” stance, and wanted to wipe out all predators. If they had a fleet that they knew could beat the Kolshians, they probably would have used it to throw a coup. So, I predict that they had ships approximately equal to the Shadow Fleet plus the Dominion Fleet by the end of NOP1. The Yulpa said that it took months (or was it years) to recover from the cyber attack, which lasted 6 months, if I recall correctly. So, I’m guessing that the Ghosts came in AFTER the Remnants recovered from the cyber attack. All in all, let’s estimate that they had 15 years to grow from what they had at the end of NOP1 to where they are today. Given that only the Kolshians Nevoks and Fissians were industrial masters (that we know of), I’ll assume the Ghosts had access to less industrial capacity than us. Even if they built their own industry, that would take additional years (lets say 5). We could be looking at a force this strong on every Remnant world, or a force roughly half this initial size on every Remnant world, or a few scattered fleets of this size. I find it more likely for the number to be smaller. I predict that the number of ships will err towards a few fleets if sizes comparable to this, stationed throughout Remnant space. I’m interested in what plot points are going to come up with the Ghosts. One that I’m especially interested in is seeing if they reach Irvana. Think about it; it’s a predator world, so they’ll want to bomb it, but it also holds the Farsul refugees, who sound like they’ve begun taking a liking to the Bissem. We could be looking at a situation where two groups of Farsul are opposing each other.
PhycoKrusk
What reason is there to assume the Ghost Farsul will eliminate all carnivore and omnivore species (current or former), and then just stop? It's a lesson that may not be learned until one of the species that joined the Coalition just because it was convenient for them is atomized, but it's a lesson that every member of the Coalition must learn and take to heart: We're next.
DemonVee
Also, something I forgot. I should have known that Jones would manage to make herself irreplaceable somehow. She might be bad around your allies, but she's also "bad" around your enemies.
Byron Ritchie
Said to see the Mazics regress a little (although fortunately not that much) at least the duertern have some reason for them to be icky over the tellish situation
DemonVee
Great chapter. Something I only now realized is that the Yulpa weren't just Fed brained idiots at Aafa, they followed their orders expertly. Destroying the homeworld of their new master's old rivals while putting the blame on Humanity. Which will probably sway a good bit of the shield against them. I suspect that as long as the underscales have some brains (if they aren't a Fed plant) and that Radai's stunt with the Arxur doesn't get him assassinated than the KC civil war is over before it started, presented with the very threat the KC was made to fight and that both the Jaslips and Arxur know is a far greater threat. The Ghost Farsul must have swooped into the remnants since the Kolshian's fall, they probably had better tech but no way to contest with the Federation's industry. Until now at least, so 25 years of plotting and building ships in secret. (Conspiracy time.) As for the Sivkits, I'm still kinda sure that Loxcel knows more than he can say. We might get a moment after his silly little play where he meets up with an annoyed Tassi... Dropping the act and saying that she was a good friend, before revealing that she should get a brain scan of his play because he hid information about the Ghost Farsul within, resulting in some deadman switch activating inside his brain. He could be implanted with some AI tracking his speech, vision and what he hears (A perfect unwilling spy that can't leak information at the risk of death.) and his obsession with obscure language could be a way of throwing it off.
Heroman3003
Well, we ain't taking Grenelka with this one, boys. One curious thing was that we did not get to see Kaisal's reaction to this. I imagine he might be particularly furious about this failure, and could possibly even attempt to blame the humans for it somehow, but hopefully he'll instead finally see reason in fighting side-by-side with leaf-lickers instead. It's curious that they think Jones knows something. I wonder what it might be... Though I wouldn't be surprised if it's nothing, or if she does have intel but it's somehow not on this new faction (which might not even be ghost 'farsul' but something else entirely, we still only have Loxsel's rather unrealiable info to go on there after all), but on secrets of Underscales instead. Which would be hilarious and unhelpful if true. I do like the dynamics of Elias and Korajan. They are both constantly politicking at each other due to their position, but at the same time find themselves too caught into the politics and needing to shake the diplomat mask off every once in a while to speak more personally and frankly rather than as representatives. It's a difficult friendship, but I am glad it continues persisting. Also the way Elias calls Syba in his mind is just aaawwwwww. SC entering total war with the Remnants is good, but with how little we actually know of our enemy, the real question is "will it be enough?". Especially now that Consortium has fallen apart into full civil war and cannot help against their 'sworn enemy the Federation' at the moment when help is needed the most. I look forward to seeing how things develop next, but for now will throw out a theory - the reason they came out was because humans were already about to discover their presence and existence by capturing Grenelka and interrogating yulpa leadership. This way they can keep their group's inner workings and motivations secret, even if exposing their general existence properly. Can't wait to see how everything plays out from now on, with the cards slowly turning face up one by one~
Alekss Žukovskis
it was a mistake to not offer a communique to the larger force
REDemon14
I wonder how long the Rogue Farsul have been present in Remnant Space. Ever since the cage went up around Talsk? The defeat of the Kolshians? A lot of unknowns that the SC/KC/AC can’t afford to stumble into. Jones might be useful for something, unfortunately. It does have me worried about the fact she is talking to someone in her headset. Either she is relaying new info to the one on the other end or she is *confirming* a suspicion. If she’s confirming, it’s troubling that she didn’t share any concerns, theories, or data with the UN leadership. *IF* she had intel about the possibility of the Ghost Farsul being present on Grenelka, she put the SC at risk by withholding said intel. Having a minor force attack Libastion instead of the full Ghost force is a legitimate strategy, hit the enemy with a probing attack to draw out their forces and gather intel, then when they enemy gives chase or launches a counter attack, you can hit them with hidden overwhelming force. Of course as mentioned, this usually only works so often (hopefully only once) until the enemy wisens up to this strat. If the battle is lost, might as well take as many as them with you. Especially if you have unmanned units. At least we have allies to stand with us. I’m still miffed by the Mazic’s attitude toward the Ark colonists, not like they helped to prevent the whole thing unlike the Venlil, Zurulians, Yotul, or Arxur, but begrudging support is still support. No surprise the Venlil and Yotul give their full support. No verbal commitment from the Zurulians though, I’m guessing that’s either because they mostly have medical ships or going through each ally’s pledge of commitment would be too much to type out and I agree XD. The Krakotl and Harchen pledging to help humanity in reference to their part in the past Extermination fleet is rather heartwarming. Syba, the ever bubbly Sulean, pledging for the Suleans and Iftali, nice to see how far they’ve come after the Omnivore side story. The Verin and the Onkari, also having an omnivore species (Verin) also give their support. No surprise there. Wise words from Tassi, so glad she’s here to talk more sense into the SC. I think it’s safe to say the Bissem are with humanity, even if it’s coincidental to their own survival. The Paltan’s pledge is interesting. They did say they would come if needed, but that their military is mostly focused towards the KC and are best kept that way. Kinda weird since the SC (or the UN at least) signed a peace deal with KC. Maybe they just want to keep an eye on them. The Gojid are all in having already called for reinforcements. Full reversal of our first encounter with them. I have *feeling* about the Deurten specifically. Their ideology and harshness related to the Tellish is very off-putting, considering that the Tellish have completely stopped all aggression and have not harmed the Deurten. They still wish to kill all the colonists, without mercy. The Shield itself is an unknown that could blow up in the SC’s face. They seem to not understand that the Federation, whose ideology *let* people get eaten and kept as cattle, are not good people. I understand the Remnant existing and bowing to the Ghost Farsul, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Shield being passive or neutral ends up backfiring. Now the big factions to think about are the KC and the Sivkit. The KC are obvious, they were founded specifically to defend themselves against the Federation. With the Ghost Farsul being a now active presence and backer of the Remnant, the KC should turn it’s attention away from the Jaslip rebellion and instead focus on the Remnant. (If they aren’t being secretly controlled by the Ghost Farsul, like some are theorizing.) Now the Sivkit are a bit more interesting. They want to be isolationists and merely be left alone. However, they don’t like the Farsul in the slightest and now there is a new Federation being led by a more extreme group. If Loxsel is to be believed, they actually already found one base and Loxsel may have knowledge of more. In fact, I could see the Ghost Farsul attacking the Sivkits *because of Loxsel*. Him being active is a threat to them as far as we know. I’m looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds.
Daniel Lewin
First yay
