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The Nature of Predators - The New Arxur (5/10)
🕑 Added 2024-09-11 11:00:09 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Raza, Arxur Collective Operative
Date [standardized human time]: August 19, 2154
In the centralized cities, many streets were lined with shadehangs; tall structures to block out the sunlight, for any drivers up late that traveled during the daytime. That was unnecessary in Tless, because these solitary Arxur had little interest in going anywhere or being connected to the rest of the world. There was scarcely a trace of automobiles or indoor plumbing—huts with darkened windows were sprinkled about. I could see a few of the hamlet’s citizens sharpening their claws on trees, or walking around. It reminded me of Zefriss’ remark, about eating, sleeping, and walking being the sole joys in life. How dull such a worldview seemed to me. The sense of adventure, and the mystery of the unknown, were what kept my gears spinning.
We’ll stand out just for traveling in a group. It might be easier to split up, except for the issue of Hossat; a Nevok belongs here even less than we do. He’ll have to go with someone, and I don’t trust him one bit.
The enemy patrols around the township prohibited us from skirting Tless’ premises. While my team was solid at being stealthy, there was no avoiding detection if we tried to pass through without any added factors. That left a single course of option at our disposal: creating a distraction. Zefriss carried explosives to every mission, and just like when he’d collapsed the Betterment office, I thought they might come in handy here. I thought we could siphon petroleum to amplify the effect, though there was only a single vehicle parked by the road to choose from. Hopefully, there was enough fuel in there to douse a hut in gasoline; an explosion and a house on fire should be a sufficient diversion. Ilthiss’ territory wouldn’t have firefighters or any kind of emergency services. After all, the idea of the government helping strangers in need was an empathetic absurdity!
“Hysran, siphon the gas from that vehicle. Zefriss, get a grenade ready to make the most of our combustible supplies. We need a massive blaze to direct eyes off of us,” I hissed.
Zefriss lashed his tail, growling. “Wouldn’t that draw more people out of their homes, and into the area—looking around?! A giant fucking explosion is exactly what would attract suspicion.”
“To everywhere we aren’t. It’s called hiding in plain sight. When Ilthiss’ troopers come rushing in here, we make a run for it; we won’t stand out for being in a group anymore. Nobody will look too closely with a fire burning; they’ll assume we’re either soldiers, or any other Sefturna citizen.”
“Are there even any hostile combatants left patrolling this area? I thought we saw them all tailing after the tank parade.”
“Ilthiss wouldn’t leave his territory unguarded. As I’ve told you, I suspect he has a surplus of new recruits. As long as Hysran shushes her jokes and you keep that paw close to your side, I don’t see why they’d suspect us.”
“The Nevok doesn’t give it away?!”
“Hossat will have to figure out his own way across. Worse comes to worst, they find him and assume he did this. We wouldn’t miss him.”
“You can say that again.”
The Nevok shifted under his cloak. “I prefer to work alone anyway. Your plan is stupid, and stupidity is an issue that’s impossible to fix. While I’d like to collect my bonus, I won’t die for being stuck with idiots like this wisecracking buffoon.”
Hysran looked up from where she was fashioning a makeshift siphon. “Who, me? A buffoon, he says. I appreciate the compliment!”
“That wasn’t—”
“You can hear all of my jokes first, for that morale boost: which you seem to have forgotten about! I’ll be much more likely to survive this trip if you’re the test audience for my lines.”
“I’ll do no such thing unless you pay me!”
“You don’t have a choice! What do Raza’s plans, the stories Hossat tells Isif, and Zefriss’ math homework have in common?”
“That they’re all as Venlilshit as your jokes?” Zefriss spat.
“No! They don’t add up!”
I flared my nostrils at the gleeful comedian. “We’re wasting time. Get the gasoline like I asked.”
“I’m working on it, Raza! I’m a multi-tasker. I can’t wait to see the explosions!”
Zefriss watched her skip over to the dormant truck, eyes narrowed to slits. “Bah. What does my math homework have to do with anything? Education is useless; when do we ever use math?!”
“When I’m counting how much neurotoxin I need for three lethal doses,” Hossat grumbled.
“Get them out, if we can give all three to you.” I gave the Nevok a kick on the side, making sure to knock him off balance. “Go figure out your own way across. Meet up with us on the other side, or better yet, get captured.”
“Sure, but if I do get caught, I’ll tell them all about you and your plans. Your mission will be fucked, and I’ll be laughing! Bye, gray.”
I gawked as Hossat scurried up to the truck, and wrested open the driver’s seat door. He wasn’t actually thinking to…that’d alert everyone here, especially the owner of the vehicle! The Nevok began fiddling with some of the wires, before the engine revved to life. Hysran returned to my side with a filled canister; I checked that it would be enough fuel for our purposes, before deciding to let the sociopath indulge in his folly. If he wanted to get caught, that was his prerogative; a Nevok driving a stolen vehicle would be extra bait to lure any prying eyes away from us. The scent of the acrid liquid burned my nostrils, as Hysran passed me the container. I splashed the accelerant on a wooden hut. To think Betterment had no building codes, or concern whether their materials were fire hazards.
With the fuel’s remnants, I made a small ring in the dry grass, hoping even the lawn would go up in flames. The yellowish moon was sinking low into the blackness—a reminder that we had to hurry. There’d be no waiting around for Hossat, since all I cared about was getting my two friends and compatriots through this village undetected. It would be satisfying to see this backwater hovel burn, on the way to our mission. It reminded me of my earliest memories, faintly imprinted in my brain, of the forested grove where I was raised. I couldn’t even say what city it was, and I never asked Isif for details about my past; my mother was dead to me. I didn’t care to know a thing about her or the shithole where she raised me. All of these rural cesspools could’ve been “home,” since they all had that same vibe of rot.
I’d rather be the lowest pauper in one of Isif’s cities than to live in a place like this. We’re doing Tless a favor; the more of it that’s razed, the more of a chance these Sefturna savages have to build something less shitty in its place. It’s time this entire province joined civilization.
“Remember why we fight for the Collective’s cause: to force the tide of progress to reach these shores,” I hissed. “This civil war started because Ilthiss refused to stop executing defectives; he’ll keep us in the old times, so we all have to live in a shithole like Tless. Whatever Isif has done, he won’t be around much longer—and he’s better than this. This is the best they have to offer.”
A growl rumbled in Zefriss’ chest. “This place is quiet, and you have room to walk ten paces without running into another Arxur or their massive, laziness-encouraging dwelling. Wriss shouldn’t ditch our entire culture, just because Betterment preferred some aspects. There’s wilderness and simplicity here, and I appreciate this village: it’s the dream.”
“Of course you say that, since all you care about is eating, sleeping, and walking,” Hysran prodded. “I don’t see how Arxur would’ve achieved any collaboration or communicated—had any societal advancement—if our culture had looked like this.”
I gave the comedian a surprised glance. “That’s a rather serious, well-conceived reply. Arxur are supposed to be the pinnacle of the food chain…sophisticated and intelligent. Simplicity and a solitary life goes against the very concept of power. A city is an empire, a tangled web of possibilities. They hold our finest creations, and that’s what gives life meaning!”
“Hrrr. Is this a social defective thing, that you two like having as many people packed into one space as possible?” Zefriss flared his nostrils, and weighed the grenade in his paw. “As far as I’m concerned, Sefturna gets points for not having clutter everywhere.”
“What you call not having clutter, I call not having anything. My point is that we’re going to burn that house there and feel good about it: end of discussion.”
“Oh, I like blowing these bastards up, much more than your chitchat. Hysran and I share the excitement to see the explosions…it’s, hrrr, primal. An actual concept of power. My sole regret is that you didn’t let me toss an explosive in the truck cabin with Hossat, so his guts could spray the wall. That would be a distraction.”
“If giving those orders wouldn’t destroy my fucking career, and perhaps get me executed, that would’ve been my plan. The bumbling Nevok will get himself killed; he got himself caught once, back on Ittel.”
“I wonder what’s the story behind that,” Hysran mused. “Imagine if one of those tall, floppy ears got caught in a door hinge, and Hossat’s just waving around at a 90-degree angle, like a flag on—”
“Who the fuck cares? We do this mission, and should he not die, I’ll find a way to get rid of that worthless burden. He won’t stay in our group, one way or another. Now, no more about the Nevok: he’s slowed us down enough. Set off the grenade, Zefriss.”
The grumpy Arxur released the safety pin, before priming and rolling the explosive right up next to the gasoline-doused hut. We’d bolted off a safe distance, and crouched behind a rock; the incendiary outburst latched onto the accelerant, with orange fire racing across the wooden exterior and unfurling out into the lawn. A piece of the wall had been blasted inward, as if it was punched out of its place; the fuel hung onto the fire, and spread to the interior. I heard some undignified screams from the lone occupant, despite the need for machismo in Betterment culture. An Arxur sprinted out of the cabin with his tail literally ablaze, and a few irate heads poked out of their homes to see the source of the commotion.
Blank stares locked onto the flames, confirming that nobody knew what to do about this; it would flush the entire village of Tless out within a few minutes, as its hungry expansion grew. Ilthiss soldiers came careening through the treeline in an all-terrain vehicle, and fended off any civilians who tried to hop in. They were spending their time speaking into a radio rather than acting, perhaps deciding whether this expendable hamlet was worth spending resources to save. This was our chance to make a run for it! I looked around to see where Hossat had gone with the hotwired truck, and noticed that it was slowly rolling down the hill. I had been a bit impressed that he’d known how to do that with Wriss vehicles, but it didn’t make up for how he was killing my team’s chemistry.
What’s his plan to have them not see the giant, stolen vehicle rolling toward the other side of town? It’s rolling very close to where the hostile soldiers are standing with their own vehicle, so Hossat’s asking to be seen—and making himself easy to chase!
No Arxur had detected the prey animal yet…until he mashed his paw on the warning horn, which was typically a threat to run over someone in a vehicle’s way. To my confusion, Hossat dove out the passenger side, and rolled under the vehicle. There was no sign of the Nevok after that, not even after it’d kept rolling past where I saw him disappear. There were only a bunch of Arxur without cars who were looking for a ride out, and now spotted one; they didn’t bother to question the empty driver’s seat, either not caring or assuming Ilthiss’ men had sent transport. I watched with disbelief as a young loner hopped behind the wheel, and sped off in the direction Hossat already had the vehicle pointing. Desperate citizens dove on top of the car’s hood and truckbed, or tried to throw themselves through the ajar door.
“That was his plan?” I demanded, outraged that something so idiotic seemed to have worked. “What does that Nevok think stealth means?!”
Zefriss sneered, the flames glowing in his eyes. “Hiding in plain sight. Wasn’t that how you rebuffed my valid concerns?”
“I don’t see where Hossat even went! He just…disappeared under the car. Is it too much to hope that it ran him over and flattened him into the grass?”
“Probably!” Hysran declared cheerily. “There’d be Nevok blood and guts everywhere, and that would be very noticeable. We’d smell it from here.”
“Raza’s shitty plans are getting outshone by a prey animal!” Zefriss lashed his tail, scurrying off toward the center of the village. “We don’t know if her version will work, and we have to walk, instead of resting our legs in a perfectly good fucking vehicle. We could’ve taken the car!”
I snarled ferociously. “Save your breath and run, you grumpy prick!”
The flames had enveloped the hut where the gasoline kickstarted the inferno, and no Arxur had arrived with so much as a pail of water. The brightness of the fire seemed to irritate the citizenry, making the nighttime almost as bright as day—and therefore, easy for us to be seen. It was fortunate that we blended in with every other panicked citizen, heading for the hills in all directions. The grass had passed the blaze onto another home, which made crackling sounds as the wooden frame was consumed. Perhaps this could spread further than Tless, if Ilthiss’ forces couldn’t get their shit together enough to stop it. Imagine if a single fire wiped out the camps in the vicinity; that would be a massive victory for the Collective! My plans were better than Hossat’s, because they weren’t just self-serving; I’d go the extra step to dismantle enemy assets.
Isif should appreciate what I bring to the table as an operative. I would’ve done whatever he asked to strengthen us, and yet he forced the greatest disrespect any Arxur has ever borne onto me. Just because I’m defective doesn’t mean I’ll let myself become a joke—I’ve had enough of being a joke from Hysran’s routines!
We hurried through the desolate hamlet, despite the strain of this pace and the smoke burning my lungs. I passed by a citizen running perpendicular to our path, who paid us no mind; his pupils twitched for a moment, but there wasn’t a slight acknowledgement. These fools didn’t even know who their neighbors were, did they? They hadn’t seen each other once, and avoided interacting if their paths did cross. Maybe we should pass through such remote villages more often—the fire might not have even been needed! I stopped to pant and catch my breath only after we were a few hundred paces from the last Tless’ hut. It seemed I’d have the last laugh, as I saw Hossat’s truck speeding down the road. The Arxur driver wasn’t going to stop making off with the stolen property until they’d expended all of the fuel.
“I assume the vermin got on the truck somewhere. Good luck finding your way back to Collective territory, Hossat. That road doesn’t take you to the mountains. Whose plan was the best after all? I guess we’ll be going on to Rissana Canyon without your lousy ass. You won’t even know where you wind up,” I laughed with vindictiveness.
A disdainful huff came from a nearby thicket, and a cloaked figure emerged. “What’s that? If I’m not mistaken, I beat you here. Therefore, my plan was objectively superior.”
“He has a point,” Zefriss commented.
I released a roar in the grouchy Arxur’s face, before turning my slitted eyes toward Hossat. “How?! How the fuck?!”
“I hung onto the underbelly. I let go when the driver slowed to head for the road. It wasn’t difficult,” the Nevok replied, whiskers twitching with cockiness. “You, meanwhile, were fleeing like prey. You sound quite out of breath. Do you all need to lay down and take a nap?”
“I’m fine! We are leaving. We’re walking toward the Canyon, and you won’t slow us down.”
“The issue is the other way around. I’d be much more efficient without you three idiots. Let’s go.”
The audacious Nevok forged out toward the white-stone canyon in the distance, without waiting; he dared to take the role of this posse’s leader? I used my longer legs to catch him, and placed myself directly in front of him. I blocked him as he tried to go around me once, while my tired teammates struggled to keep up with us both. We could use a rest, but our group had to continue hoofing it toward Rissana Canyon. The sun would peek out to bring the dawn in an hour, and we still had a lot of ground to cover. Besides, I wasn’t going to give Hossat the satisfaction of seeing he was right. That sociopath was going to fall in line…or fall off those gorgeous, tall, alabaster cliffs. The choice belonged to him.
A/N - Part 5! Raza creates a distraction by lighting a fire with grenades and gasoline, which does provide the cover to go running through Tless: a rural village she was happy to burn, though Zefriss spoke up in defense of its solitary qualities. The Arxur prove unable to deal with a fire and have no clue who their actual neighbors are. Hossat, meanwhile, can’t pass as an Arxur. After Raza leaves him to fend for himself, he drives a truck right through the open, and holds onto the underbelly long enough to stay out of sight en route. Our narrator is extremely unhappy that the Nevok outshone her…
What do you think of the total collapse of the Betterment village, and Raza and Hossat’s respective distractions? How does this reflect on our Arxur narrator’s ability to lead a team, with her pride front and center?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
kabhes
They do need plants for the cattle farms though.
Neu5Ac
I really appreciate the added scene setting in this chapter. Small details, like how the village is being lit by the glow of the moon, or the stench of the gasoline, really help the world to feel real.
PhycoKrusk
@Elias Hey, that one's pretty good!
PhycoKrusk
Also an exceptional elitist.
EliasArt2Life
@PhycoKrusk “I'm not going to try arguing that Hossat is better, because even if he's actually done less damage with his plans, I think that's less because he wants to, and more because he doesn't need to.” Honestly, that’s why I’M saying his plan is better. Raza and her team are operatives on a mission. Raza is trying to take care of things that aren’t part of her mission, usually while putting their main mission at risk. Raza is not putting the mission first; she’s putting HER agenda first. Hossat is focused on the mission, and the mission alone. His own personal agenda can wait until AFTER. I would not call Raza a sledgehammer, though, since that suggests that she’s unaware of how wrong her plans are. Her inner monologue suggests that she IS aware of the potential blowback from her plans, and that they are not what she’s been assigned to do. She just suppresses it, and that’s why she has to justify it to herself. She DOES think ahead, she just warps her prediction to suit her own biases. She considers every way an alternate course of action could go wrong, convinced herself that she can’t take that risk, but doesn’t devote as much energy to considering what might go wrong with the plans she WANTS to do. In short, Raza’s not a sledgehammer; she’s a sniper rifle with a jiggling scope. She has the potential to be a great operative, but her aim is always off. And the solution is easy; replace the scope with a good one (recognize her biases, and choose to stop listening to them). However, that would require her to admit that she assembled her rifle with a faulty scope, never checked the scope to begin with, and used that faulty scope in many missions (admit that she’s biased, never questioned if she was biased, and let those biases interfere with her missions). She doesn’t seem ready for that. I just hope she gets ready for that before it gets her or someone else killed.
Gumcel
“I’d rather be the lowest pauper in one of Isif’s cities than to live in a place like this. We’re doing Tless a favor; the more of it that’s razed, the more of a chance these Sefturna savages have to build something less shitty in its place. It’s time this entire province joined civilization.” Least murderous arxur
PhycoKrusk
@Ashlin In part, that's because she's an elitist: She doesn't want to deal with the things she is being forced to deal with because they are "beneath her." Just like she didn't think twice about burning Tless to the ground; it was a shithole, and by forcing the residents to either rebuild or leave, she is doing them a favor. She thinks she's fighting for some grand furture for the Collective, but the reality is that she can't see beyond herself, and as a consequence, herself is the only thing she's actually fighting for.
PhycoKrusk
I did notice that too. It isn't just hate; Raza actually and legitimately believes that fighting for the Collective and living in a city, away from the dirt and stink of the countryside, elevates her above the (now former) residents of Tless. She doesn't feel bad about burning their village down, because it's a complete shithole and she's doing them a favor by making them homeless and displacing them, obviously. She is the "better" Arxur, and those moronic provincials owe her. I'm not going to try arguing that Hossat is better, because even if he's actually done less damage with his plans, I think that's less because he wants to, and more because he doesn't need to. But in comparison to Raza, he is a scalpel: He is precise, his plans are considered and thought through, and he doesn't engage in any more violence than he absolutely needs to (because violence causes a mess, and messes tend to attract attention). Raza is a sledgehammer: Her plans are straightforward, she only focuses on what is directly in front of her, and she doesn't think much more than a single order into the future (so she is actually surprised when something she does causes her trouble or completely backfires, because she never thinks ahead to how something like that could even happen).
Greg Gougeon
I am certain that the sniper will turn out to be a human . With the better snipeing skill than any arxur and the ability to traverse terrain no arxur seemingly can do.
REDemon14
True. Unfortunately for the "Betterment Remnants" they aren't fighting that war anymore
wraith dino
the whole needing farmers bit isnt as relevant if your military simply eats their enemies
Ashlin Ferguson
Yeah for someone that wants to interact with other sentients outside of the Arxur, Raza is demonstrating a complete lack of capacity for dealing with things outside of her little bubble of experience.
Shajenko
Also, Kaisal is just not a good choice for a leader. He was likely chosen by default, or even staged a coup that an extremely old Isif couldn't win against.
PhycoKrusk
I'm honestly starting to wonder if part of the reason Hossat is there is to evaluate Raza's progress. Unfortunately, I'm also starting to wonder if the Collective we see in 2160 is the result of them not being able to get their shit together, and failing to create a cohesive culture in the wake of this rebellion. What if the Arxur under Kaisal are merely unified, and not actually united?
PhycoKrusk
It's important to keep something in mind, however. Why did they lose their homes? Because of an out of control fire; intentionally set or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the only reason that fire was able to rage the way that it did is because Ilthiss is pouring almost all of his... region's resources into the war effort, and is leaving nothing for infrastructure development or, perhaps more critically, municipal services; Tless has no firefighters, nor even the resources to support the creation or administration of one. In fact, this is actually a significant morale and social victory for the Collective, and it's all but guaranteed that at least some of those displaced are now thinking to themselves that stuff like this probably doesn't happen under Isif; those cities of Arxur working together probably have bunches of specialized workers for handling situations exactly like this one. You win a war by forcing your enemy to give up and sign a peace treaty, and you force your enemy to give up by eliminating their capacity to wage war. Can you do that by destroying their factories and roads, and by killing their soldiers? Sure. But you can also do it by removing the will of their civilians to support the war. Maybe not all of these poor souls, and maybe not even a majority, but some of them are seriously considering if having to start over from nothing again and again is really worth it, when the option to start over from nothing only once and then build something more is standing right there. And mark my words, when you have no home, are constantly on the move, and are starving because what little food you manage to get is confiscated to feed the army, that other option starts to look really inviting....
PhycoKrusk
It wouldn't have, and objectively, he must be fully aware of this fact. He's also fully aware that parading around his much easier time is pissing her off, and that's funny.
PhycoKrusk
So, exactly what part of the Nevok homeworld is Hossat from? Outer Heaven?!
EliasArt2Life
I’m beginning to see Raza’s major struggle; emotional self-awareness. She can understand how she feels, but NOT when her feelings are overpowering her rationality. She fell into a trap because of her hatred of the Betterment’s eugenics, justifying the risk as “these Arxur (unarmed scientists) MIGHT see us if we don’t take them out, so we should kill them without checking if there are safer options/this isn’t a trap”. She fights constantly with Hossat, far more than he provokes her, and is inches away from killing him, despite him not actually doing anything that threatens the team other than rough words, while she’s willing to toss away his chances at survival. Finally, she opts to burn the village to the ground, without ever checking to see if there were more options, because she hate villages like this. “Imagine if a single fire wiped out the camps in the vicinity; that would be a massive victory for the Collective! My plans were better than Hossat’s, because they weren’t just self-serving; I’d go the extra step to dismantle enemy assets.” No, your plans are WORSE because you’re choosing what to do based on your emotions and old societal grudges, rather than what is ACTUALLY needed to survive and succeed.
Alekss Žukovskis
i mean, the whole NOP was an analogy to russia in a sense. 1. an uncaring cult-like government (moscow, Aafa) 2. a false narrative for war 3. cultural genocide 4. Russia wasn't mentioned even once in NOP, which means im validated in my headcanon of split russian states by 2037.
Elliott
Hossat does not care lmao
Apogee
Well Aruxur society sucks even worse then i thought under betterment. Though Zif is right that a rual quiet life isn’t bad, I certainly prefer it over the city but for different reasons. Just existing isn’t enough we need a larger purpose than that part of what makes us Sapiens
REDemon14
That mental image Hysran conjured of Hassat getting caught is glorious! The citizens live in huts so the military can be bolstered. Problem with that is that no military can survive a neglected populace. A kingdom of spears will starve if there are no farmers to feed them. Every arxur for themselves. Such a society could never thrive. I do wonder if the explosion itself would cause a fire. I'm not sure how Hossat's plan would have worked *without* Raza's plan to complement it. The other arxur hoped onto the vehicle because of the fire. And now the walking is taking a toll on the group. Bet they wish they had that human stamina at this point.
Jhon Bustamante
muy astuto
Alicja
I hope something nasty happens to hossat
DDDragoni
When in doubt, arson.
Shajenko
I think Raza is missing the point of this whole exercise with Hossat. If she really wants to go to these strange new lands, be in a position of leadership and open up the Arxur, she's going to have to interact with non-Arxur of all types. This is practice. And she's kind of squandering it.
un_pogaz
Well, little war crime for Raza for this house and the village. Frankly, it's just sad. The inhabitants of Tless, who have managed to live far from the majority of combat, have just lost their home. Their lives were miserable, and now they're even more so. And the non-interventionism of Ilthiss soldiers, or even worse, the extent to which they took advantage of the chaos to pillage, is really shitty. I know this wasn't the objective of your writing, but there's a huge parallel to be drawn between the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, and when the Ukraine invaded Kursk.
Michael Halpern
first
