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The Nature of Predators 2-73
🕑 Added 2024-09-23 11:00:15 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem Alien Liaison
Date [standardized human time]: December 25, 2160
It felt strange to utilize a sideswim again, rather than walking around. Water was very much tied to Bissems’ relaxation, as evidenced by the flotation tank salons that passed by on every street corner. Sitting at home, watching the livestream broadcasts, had proven unconducive to my recovery. The screens were all too happy to plaster the darkness of the world and the aliens in front of my face. The two were often intertwined, as evidenced by a group of Zurulian-and-human doctors working for charities, tending to victims on both sides in the war zones. Even in a story as grisly as that, there were helpers. There were good people in the stars. I just had to remember how to be one of them.
Maybe the irony was considering why aliens had been so captivating. It was about us more than them—how much I wanted to escape the world I’d come running back to. Ivrana was a flawed planet that I’d hoped could change with the waggle of a flipper, yet reality wasn’t so simple. I bore some personal responsibility for losing sight of what mattered. My work became more important than my family, almost like scanning the skies was my religion rather than the teachings of Hirs. I remember listening to the verse readings from the pulpit, with one that had sat framed on my FAI desk.
“The mysteries of the heavens are not as strange yet as the mysteries of the soul.”
My work belongings had been sent to my apartment in a box, and I’d stared at that plaque for quite a while. The Tassi that sat in an office all day had died with first contact, but maybe her optimism could live on. All of the politics and exploration in the world wasn’t going to make me feel whole, when what I truly wanted was to form a meaningful connection with someone else. I hadn’t spoken to my coworkers at Fishing for Alien Intelligence in months: not one of them. That was why I was heading to the fish guts bar where we used to go and drink on special occasions, hoping to run into a familiar face. I wondered how they felt about everything that had played out. Were they excited over the ubiquity of extraterrestrials?
Sivkits and Farsul both living on our world. That makes them accessible enough to the public, even without a spaceship to hop on.
“What’s the idea with letting those long ears squat in our backyard?” I heard a Bissem voice ask outside the bar, which gave me pause. “I’ve seen a couple walking down the streets and made sure to take the long way around. For all we know, they’re dusting the air with the cure.”
His conversation partner bobbed her flippers. “It’s no secret what they do to meat-eaters. Rest of the galaxy had the right idea letting them flounder. I mean, what the fuck is our government doing?”
“Moving every alien right on in. I don’t trust them, and I don’t see why we’re paying for them to get free housing. I don’t see Lassmin ponying up for us. Never see a Farsul working long days and nights, missing their fucking kids for a couple pence.”
“Have you ever actually spoken to a Farsul?” the words spilled from my mouth, before I could stop myself. “They’re displaced civilians who were locked on their own planet for all the shit you just mentioned—which they had nothing to do with.”
The male Vritala rounded on me, putting his beak inches from my face. “What kind of alien sympathizing scum do we have here?”
“She’s one of them FAI bastards. Rode with that bald animal in the car—she brought them here!” the other accused.
The door swung open, and I recognized a Vritala named Klasso came to stand protectively in front of me. “Is there a problem? Dr. Tassi did not bring the aliens here; they contacted us. As I remember it, the Lassian military came to our offices, shut the place down, and dragged her there.”
“And I do sympathize with aliens. People that come from space are still people,” I spat. “You just want a scapegoat. Someone to blame and hate for all your problems.”
“Tassi, get inside.” Klasso pulled me backward, into the safety of the pub. He stared down the two strutting Bissems for a moment. “Ignorant fools. Why don’t you pick on someone your own size next time?”
The former FAI staffer slammed the door shut in their faces, and I ducked my head with gratitude. He herded me over to a stool adjacent to his by the bar, resuming the sipping from his glass. Klasso had been a specialist in identifying astronomical phenomena, often able to rule out strange signals as the results of pulsars, magnetars, or other celestial bodies. There was talk around the office that he was a bit of a neuroholic, but he was typically kind and thoughtful at work. The Vritala lifted a flipper to flag down the bartender, before ordering a round for each of us. I held the glass in my grasp with uncertainty, always having been too straight-laced for day drinking.
Reminding myself that I was here to relax and destress, I chugged the stringy fluids; the oil taste linger in my mouth, as the neurotoxins absorbed into my bloodstream. There was a fish called the Memlifin on Ivrana, whose flesh was supposed to be poisonous. In small doses, however, it could have psychological effects on Bissems. Alien races would not be able to consume it, since it could have lethal consequences. I’d heard of at least one instance of humans having to be forcibly denied access to it multiple times, as they insisted it would be fine. Perhaps they believed it was the carnivore equivalent of alcohol, and while that was true socially, it was a rather different chemical compound. The primates shouldn’t be too keen to order death in a bottle.
Leaning back, I glanced up at the TV screen and the picture of an orange ocean. It was then I noticed the fluffy white mammals on a boat, and tilted my head in curiosity. Klasso followed my gaze, snickering.
“Bringing the Sivkits here was ingenious, Tassi. Turns out they have a taste for all of that algae that’s gotten us into a doom cycle,” the Vritala remarked. “An undo button to an insurmountable problem. There’s already been a noticeable decrease in the waters nearest to Nelmin.”
I gawked at the screen. “You’re kidding me! In that case, I hope the Tinsas issue won’t be sorted out so fast. I’m almost willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that they knew who was behind the Starlight Incident.”
“They what?!”
“Oh. That’s…not going to make that duo out there like the Farsul anymore. It’s probably for the best that I don’t elaborate.” I could already feel some airiness in my skull, as a complete lightweight. I had to push the conversation off of me, before I started spilling classified information and inflammatory tales like how the humans tried to blackmail me. “How’s life been treating you post-first contact?”
“Well, I don’t get a FAI paycheck anymore. A lot of the staff moved to either running scientific studies on aliens, or working for the diplomatic corps that has…hundreds of these guys to deal with. Many won’t talk to us directly, but I hear you’ve been changing that.”
“You flatter me, Klasso; I don’t think I had that much to do with it. You said a lot of the staff. I asked about you. Are you chasing a Sivkit down a sideswim with a lab needle?”
Klasso chuckled. “My specialty is listening to radio signals and matching them up with stars, not lifeguard duty on Nelmin. Which is a thing too—there’ve been several drowning incidents from the algae craze, which is why they’ve been given boats. And still drown hanging over them. Not the brightest bulbs.”
“The Federation dumbed them down on purpose, and it sounds like they once were just like us. I got to read a bit of their old theater. It was highbrow, very articulate and polished with ideas—sane worldviews. I want to throw their ambassador out an airlock, but I do think their species could improve. If we help in some small way…and you’re dodging my question about your job.”
The Vritala lifted his glass, downing it quickly and signaling for another. “My knowledge is useless now. I have a job as bouncer here now. Clearly, I’m doing it so well.”
“Klasso, are you sure it’s a good idea to be…you know. Around Memlifin all the time? I have connections. I could get you a job super far away from here, exciting as could be. Maybe talk to some observatory on Earth that’d take the first Bissem astronomer…”
“Not all of us are ready to pack up and leave Ivrana at a moment’s notice. I’m fine, but thanks for offering, Tassi. If I really wanted to, Hirs knows they’re recruiting half the damn planet—qualified or not—to deal with the alien diplomacy shit. Everyone who wanted to landed on their feet.”
I studied him with concern, shooting the bartender a look before they could bring the next round. “Change is hard, Klasso. I know you’re a smart guy, and I know the aliens are…more complicated than we expected. I’ve come home to take care of myself, because I neglected my personal life chasing what I thought I had to do. We never talked enough for me to know your story, but you shouldn’t be holding yourself together with tape and glue either.”
“You can’t save everyone. I’m gone, Tassi. You think they want a perpetually intoxicated scientist with obsolete skills running point on diplomacy, especially with how fucked it all is. I’d just make everything worse. You…you’re doing good. All of us from FAI are proud of you.”
“Don’t say that. There’s nothing to be proud of; I achieved absolutely nothing.”
“No, you just didn’t do everything you hoped for. The small victories add up, and then you turn them into big ones. I’ll take it you unraveled the bit about, if I understood, the Sivkits knowing that the Farsul attacked Ivrana.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Exactly, and you got the answers. Shit, that could wrap up the war here on Ivrana, since they’ll all want to point their guns at the ones who attacked us. Peace at home again…a common enemy that isn’t a scapegoat might do us some good. Remind us that we aren’t that different. I already heard there were talks about a treaty going down, ever since Aafa—something good came of that.”
I recoiled. “An entire planet wiped out is not a positive thing, Klasso. It’s like I said about the Farsul; we should care. They were people.”
“That’s not what I mean. I just meant even in the worst places, there’s a reason for hope. If I was up with those SC delegates, I’d get wrapped up in all the large-scale catastrophes and world-ending shit too. There’s nothing you did or could’ve done with that. You’ve found a little wiggle room to work; that’s all we can ask.”
“I…I’m tired. There’s only so many catastrophes one person can watch.”
“So don’t watch. Just put your feet up, relax, and stop trying to stop the bartender from handing me my way out.”
I shot Klasso a stern look. “I’ve resigned myself to making things better in small ways. One of those is not letting you rack up any more organ damage for today. A lot of Bissem areas of expertise are obsolete or outshadowed now, but we have to reinvent ourselves. Catch up and learn. Take control of our future!”
“Start over completely from scratch. Right. That’s totally plausible.”
“You at least want to talk to some humans; you never got the chance. Let me reach out and see if there’s any observatories that would take you. No one’s going to make you commit and leave Ivrana, but it might be a good thing for you.”
“If you insist. A free vacation to an alien planet is too good to pass up,” Klasso replied. “Besides, I was always jealous that you were the only one who caught to chat up that curly-haired nerd. He and I are the same person practically.”
I found myself thinking about why Dustin had never ratted out Jones to the UN, and what Meier would do about it. “Dustin was…is a good guy. You’ll have fun with the humans, long as they show you their nice side.”
“Don’t tempt me. Now I have to bring out their mean streak: it’s an irresistible challenge.”
Be careful what you wish for Klasso. Just take the cushy observatory job and let them smile with innocence: trust me.
Engaging with a Bissem who wasn’t Naltor or Zalk, and had more grounded concerns than the developments of a war or an alien alliance, had been a relief. I felt like I might’ve been able to help my old colleague find his footing, after first contact had left him rudderless. There were flashes of ways that I could make a difference, even if the improvements to my surroundings were microscopic. It was assuring to know that my passionate cohorts at FAI looked up to the work I’d been doing, in spite of the tumultuous emotions I shouldered about how impossible it was. After a few days on Ivrana, I was ready to give humanity and the Sapient Coalition a second chance. My people were looking up to me to represent the average Bissem, and to pave the path for a future where we could thrive.
A/N - Break is over, and we’re back with a relaxing chapter on Ivrana! Tassi catches a glimpse of what the everyman Bissem thinks of the alien refugees, and almost gets into a fight after defending the Farsul; however, she’s saved by a former FAI colleague named Klasso, and is able to learn what became of most other scientists. She also is given hope through the reveal that the Sivkits have been dealing with that nasty algae problem—and remembers that she can make a positive difference on a small and large scale.
What do you think about the glimpse at Ivrana, and the attitudes on the planet? What do you think about the fish guts bars, and other bits of Bissem culture we got to see up close and personal? Will the trip to home rejuvenate Tassi, and help her join Meier’s cause with renewed spirits?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Byron Ritchie
It was in a g1 episode
kabhes
Where in MLP were racist penguins?
Aerowarrier
He never got to issue his complaint, that’s the entire problem. Unless she silenced whoever he told as well I suppose. But he likely would’ve been planning to go straight to the UN, not American authorities, since he’s smart and paranoid enough to not trust anyone in her government to actually care
PassengerNo
Sideswims instead of sidewalks. I didn't make that connection until I read your comment.
PhycoKrusk
They wouldn't have to report him; Jones would know exactly who any complaint had come from, and that's part of the problem. The actual scope of her control far exceeds her office.
Aerowarrier
That wouldn’t stop him from reporting Jones to human authorities though. She silenced him somehow, and he’s really only known by two other people who both helped Jones blackmail Tassi, so I’m hesitant to say they would care if he disappeared. Hell, they probably reported his plans to her in the first place
PhycoKrusk
@Vee I have to admit I am getting really interested in this line of thought. For as much as Sivkits eat (just look at the mountain of sugar Loxsel ate in the form of oranges), they have never been described as rotund or even as suffering from any of the symptoms of overeating. This strongly suggests that they eat as much as they do in order to get enough nutrients, because what they _are_ eating does not have high bioavailability.
Xilacnog
Jones may be disliked by most people but she got what she wanted from Tassi. A UN led by Elias, Zhao and Jones would have the run of the galaxy.
PhycoKrusk
She grew up in a militarily neutral country, worked for as militarily neutral government, and had a militarily neutral job where she did militarily neutral things. It would seem par for the course to me that she assumes that when things don't get done, it's because people simply didn't do them, rather than because some third party prevented them from doing it.
PhycoKrusk
Too messy to have him killed; he's got a high enough profile that it would be immediately investigated. But he's not so high profile that the UN can't function without him. Why kill him when it's easier, faster, and less noticeable to simply have his assignment changed to something where he doesn't have contact with alien diplomats?
PhycoKrusk
Contrary to popular belief, murder is not the first resort of an intelligence apparatus when it comes to dealing with governmentally significant persons: It's messy, inconvenient, and requires you to deal with other individuals who start to ask questions, and that only works so well in a large bureaucracy like the United Nations, because there will be an abundance of individuals you will try to silence who will not keep quiet because their desire to preserve their health is outpaced by their desire to spite and destroy you. Dustin is significant but unimportant: He is well known because if his time in first contact with the Bissems, but the job he does is not essential to the continued operation of the bureaucracy. Jones doesn't need to have him killed; she just needs to make a phone call and what do you know? His assignment was changed and now he's somewhere else where he doesn't have contact with foreign diplomats. Weird, right? An intelligence apparatus only resorts to the murder of a governmentally significant individual when that individual either is or will soon cause problems for the apparatus, and the apparatus doesn't know how else to stop them (i.e. reassignments, frame ups, and reputational damages aren't working). It's after character assassination has failed that regular assassination is pursued.
Aerowarrier
Reaaaallllllyyyyy worried about Dustin. He’s definitely being held somewhere, assuming he isn’t buried in a shallow grave or floating into a sun. Tho I really wouldn’t be surprised if Jones had him killed…
PhycoKrusk
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have helped them very much.
Aerowarrier
To be fair Tassi, the Sivkits had the word of a single, mostly crazy politician about where that group was and what they were doing. It’s understandable that they would be very hesitant to actually believe him
Space Paladin
Thank you for the support ❤️ I hope you continue to enjoy my stories!
TheBlack2007
If she hurt Dustin, Callsi will flail her alive.
Roscuro
The term neuraholic took me a while to grasp, even after reading that the drink is neurotoxin instead of alcohol. Very fun word.
JaxonJak
*Sigh* Tassi, I like you. Really, I do. But I have trust issues concerning people that are, at least a bit, overly positive. Imma keep my eye on you.
Emmanuel Morín
Just so you know spacepaladin, I really like your stories AND altough it's not much I gladly pay to support you in Patrón. Greetings from México PS: I now like to image Loxsel getting airlocked among us style
DemonVee
Perhaps their backs aren't truly "broken" in the same way as the Venlil, just malformed in growth due to edited genes blocking vital nutrients in development. Kinda how axolotls are just missing certain chemicals to develop like other salamanders. They could be missing something their bodies should have otherwise naturally produced on their own, but now can't and their instincts now what is missing. On the other hand, before the Feds the sivkits were exsisting under then "Farmdom" So the consumption of food has always been intergral to their identity. Just in a sustainable way.
Gumcel
Eating the algae. They got over their crippling fear of water. Godamnit I was wrong.😔
EliasArt2Life
It’s nice to get a short, more lighthearted chapter this week! I hope we get some more of this. Good to see the Sivkits being beneficial, rather than detrimental, to the ecosystem for a change. I’m a little worried about the Checkov’s gun in the room; what’s going to happen when they find out that the Farsul, who they’ve been allowing to stay on their planet, are the same species that attacked them? I also find it strange that Tassi jumps to thinking that Dustin never made the complaint, rather than the “Jones sabotaged the lines of communication” theory that more people jumped to. Is it referencing Tassi’s trouble trusting others, or hinting that what actually happened is far less straightforward and simple?
CountryClub
What did Jones do to Dustin... Jones I swear to god if you killed my boy because he tried to expose you I'll cry 😭
Guardian
I -- i can dig a Mister Roger's pseudo-'cult'.
REDemon14
Good point
PhycoKrusk
Mr Rogers is relevant in every universe; he is a constant. Now, of course, I've convinced myself there is a small but tightly knit group of xenos who are doing what they can to make the galaxy a better place because "that predator in the cardigan" was so certain that they could.
PhycoKrusk
@RED It wouldn't really even be "clueless" in that case; if entering into a circumstance where you are about to suffocate, the brain will actually attempt to override your body to get you out of that circumstance. Either they are able to preempt the override, or the override is not there anymore.
Guardian
"Even in a story as grisly as that, there were helpers." Not sure if Mister Roger's is still considered relevant in our beloved narrative, but I see what you did there SP. Thumbs up.
NextMan
I’ll bet he was the “good cop” to Haliska and Nulia’s “bad cop” on behalf of Jones, for whom all three are on the payroll. I guarantee they are all her agents.
DDDragoni
Sivkits getting ABSOLUTELY lost in the sauce
Apogee
I am starting wonder if breaking the skivkits backs wasn’t the only thing they did to them genetically. Mabey they removed an inhibitor, so they feel hungry all the time despite how full they are, or even a mistake where the genetic changes caused a nutrient deficiency where their bodies can’t make it themselves anymore. Culture has a big effect on behavior yes but with the skivkits it seems to be more than just that.
Shajenko
It's a Bissem Christmas, Charlie Brown!
Shajenko
"You just need to learn how to roll with the punches, or flipper slaps in your case. " Now I want a scene with a Bissem slap fight.
REDemon14
God, if your reading of the drowning situation is right, then the Sivkits are more clueless than I thought. XD
PhycoKrusk
Wouldn't help. They aren't drowning because they're falling out of boats. They're drowning because they row out to the algae blooms, shove their heads in the water to eat and just don't ever come up again. That's my reading, at least. Which also implies that their locust-like behavior is not strictly social, but is psychological or even physiological, as you suggest.
Kevo
They replaced him with a more cooperative AI
Cheesy Power
I really like the reveal that Tassi’s love of aliens had reached the point of being unhealthy- it really puts her spiral into a whole new light. And addressing it by seeking out one of those old colleagues and actually helping them out is probably going to be allegory for her taking a healthier approach now- and how everyone in the galaxy really needs to take a look at themselves and fix their unhealthy habits.
Swan
I feel like Klasso's skills might come in use again soon, considering the SC will want to find those ghost Farsul, arks, etc. once the current clusterfuck is dealt with. I feel more sorry for that one guy researching artificial meat production, or some other thing that the SC has already mastered. Also, do Skivits just like orange things? (Skivit vampires on Skalga story when?)
Assailant
Glad to see that some of Tassi’s optimism and hope is still there, even when she’s not *consciously* aware of it. She may not believe there’s much hope, but she’s still encouraging and optimistic to her friend. I see racism is a universal concept. Goodie. Not that that was ever in doubt. The Sivkit drowning themselves is something I never thought about, but is absolutely something they’d do. Little goobers. Side swims. Interesting. A much more practical response to their diminished walking ability than what I’d considered. Glad to see you got over this speed bump, SP. Sorry for suggesting it. It turned out well though, if that’s any consolation. Keep up the good work!
Anthony Mears
this is why I think something happened to him. it's not in his nature to just let that slide. my hope is he's locked up somewhere and not in a cement pylon.
DreamEnvoy
Ah memlifin. With that and Skalgan alchohol in mind, I have to wonder if there's ANY alien hard drink humans can handle. “Bringing the Sivkits here was ingenious, Tassi. Turns out they have a taste for all of that algae that’s gotten us into a doom cycle,” We were right! Anyways, great chapter as always. Having certain professions and skills become obsolite from alien first contact was something I never really considered before.
REDemon14
Welcome back, Main story SP :) Tassi vacation chapter, poor thing needed it. Someone should put a pool at where ever the Bissem are staying on Earth. Some of the locals don't seem too happy about the aliens. New insult unlocked; long-ears. Klasso to the rescue. Acting as a pengu bouncer for Tassi. Fugu for swim-birds where we also learn Tassi is a light-weight. "The primates shouldn't be too keen on ordering death in a bottle. " That's an uphill battle itself, Tassi. Someone should give the Sivkits floaties. Like what we give out children XD I still think something is going on with the sivkit diet. Like something is missing that's making them so locust like. Klasso may think his skills are obsolete, but the field of science actually quite fickle. New discoveries and methodologies are discovered almost daily. You just need to learn how to roll with the punches, or flipper slaps in your case. Also, there are still uncharted stars and nebula out there. Some may even have life. The SC could use someone like him to search for such signals. Tassi is slowly getting some of her optimism back. Here's hoping she can rebound fully from this. I'm getting rather worried for Dustin now. Hope he's ok.
Byron Ritchie
Never thought my little pony and nature of predators would have racist penguins as a commonality Good chapter btw
Byron Ritchie
I presume he’s been having a long talk with nulia and Haliska about their treatment of tassi
AnonymousDoge
What the hell happened to Dustin? I don't see anyone talking about it but the dude has been missing since Tassi brought up the blackmail to him.
Space Paladin
Thank you!
Logos
> long as they show you they’re nice side. Small correction, that they're should be their. That said, nice chapter. These are some of my favorite chapters of this story. No battles, no trauma dumping, just aliens being dudes. I also really love the Aliens exploring Earth chapters. My favorite side story you've done is of the Harchen reporter covering Earth.
Sci-fi reader
I have always enjoyed these every man POV stories. People’s lives go on while things of galactic scale happen, but events in an every man’s life can be just as interesting, and in the long term just as important. Looking at you Justin’s mom and Cara’s dad.
Willy
Good chapter as usually, Love SP
John Benjamin Cate
It was so much fun to see Tassi meet an old colleague. A little reminder of the scale of everything, and seeing how everyone has things going on.
RaphaelFrog
At least Sivkit's eternal hunger and locust mind set is being used in good way💀 Also welcome back from the break! I'm looking forward to see next chapters >:)
Heroman3003
This is such a great chapter. I am so happy to see Tassi in her element, among her people, struggling to fit back in. But also getting proper opportunities to just be herself. Seeing Ivrana be changed by the alien arrivals in real time is fascinating. I do love all the lore tidbits, from the guts bars, to the sivkits struggling with the swimming, to humans trying to eat the alien fugu, to all the tidbits about FAI from Klasso... It's wonderful little glimpse at what Bissem are about. There is strong sense of 'normality' to their way of life too, despite how alien it seems to us the readers. I like that. Also, this chapter does seem to set up some good mystery points. Like what happened with Dustin trying to report Jones' interference and how well will Tassi's attempt at returning to SC politics go. Seeing her realize that she needed to keep her optimistic outlook intentionally, in order to use it to make a better world, is honestly a great direction for her character arc. Her just becoming bitter and cynical would have been an easy way out, but this feels a lot more compelling and enjoyable to see happen. Great work on the chapter, as usual!
Danny Luca
First
