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The Nature of Predators - The New Arxur (1/10)
🕑 Added 2024-08-28 11:00:08 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Raza, Arxur Collective Operative
Date [standardized human time]: August 17, 2154
The yellow gaseous shape of Wriss’ moon was the only lighting in the dark night. Every scent gave me pause, trying to detect any traces of rebel forces were lying in wait. As Chief Hunter Isif’s official courier from the front lines, with messages too great to risk interception, peril was always imminent; our adversaries had sympathizers and agents within our own ranks, after all. Uprisings were the inevitable result of rallying Betterment’s most vicious soldiers and corralling them by the Collective’s liberal, tolerant laws—by tolerant, I meant not executing me for gagging at the bodies I’d stepped over in the field. This land was Ilthiss’ province of Sefturna, and these building husks, where a dozen skirmishes had been waged, were once its capital: called Cruelty’s Maw. That nomenclature was a solid indication of why the Provincer had run afoul of our government.
Ilthiss and Usliff, former Chief Hunters that still believed in Betterment’s tenets, had been eyeing any opportunity to make a power grab for a long time. After controlling entire sectors, a province on Wriss and a seat on Isif’s military council wasn’t enough to sate their ambitions. The Collective declared amnesty for defectives, like myself, over a decade ago. However, Ilthiss’ Sefturna and Usliff’s region of Kiznith were turning a blind eye to that decree, since the Chief Hunter Isif had promised them mostly autonomous rule. Our government pressured the Provincers to comply with the laws, but they respected one thing: force. We sent a battalion to prevent the execution of a defective child, and the rest was history. The Battle of Cruelty’s Maw became a horrific bloodbath, with tank brawls unfolding in the streets and missiles pelting the city. There was still an ongoing fight over its rubble, wrestling for control.
Ilthiss proclaimed himself to be a younger, fiercer alternative to Isif, and swore that his forces would resist any incursions into his sovereign space. Usliff sent support, an act of open defiance. There was nothing for the Collective to do but put them down, with a show of force that would impart a lesson on any other would-be insurrectionists. However, the Chief Hunter feared that any word of Betterment revolt would reboot our progress toward our ultimate goal: gaining acceptance to the wider galaxy. Broadcasting our victories, while ensuring that the Sapient Coalition diplomats present on Wriss didn’t get wind of the conflict's extent, was tricky. The humans were sneaky in prying into our affairs; it had taken years to prevent a certain “General Jones” from eavesdropping at will. Another reason for couriers: unhackability.
“Keep our movements low and slow,” I reminded my two-soldier posse, as we wandered through the city. Passing through a devastated battleground wasn’t ideal, but it offered more cover from enemy drones and soldier encampments than the open fields. “The Sefturna Sniper has tallied hundreds of kills against us, some believed to have been from over a mile away. They are a herald of death.”
One traveling companion, a skeptical male named Zefriss, scoffed. “How do we even know the Sefturna Sniper is all one Arxur?”
“The ballistics match to the same gun, so unless that firearm is being mailed from one shooter to the next, it’s all attributed to a single person. Someone that can make shots that no other living being can; there’s a reason Isif assigned us here, to retrieve intelligence on who they are.”
“What good does that do? The only way to fight them is with snipers of our own, and we have none on that level!”
“Zefriss, there’s always another way. The most sublime sniper on Wriss can’t parry a deluge of bombs on their position. Knowing where they are gives us a chance to take them down, and protect ourselves.”
“I don’t see how we’re supposed to protect ourselves now against a sniper that we won’t even see. Thermals will give us up, so crouching…”
“Walls and glass can cover us plenty from thermals. Besides, the sniper prefers to hit the open roads, supply routes. It’s just better safe than sorry. It’s not like our enemy’s best shooter is the only threat that could be lurking. Even after three nightly bombings this week, there could still be enemy soldiers afoot, ambushing us.”
My subordinate fell silent, as we all took whiffs of the air in search of enemies. The stale blood, corpses, and explosive residue made it difficult to detect anything; it burned my throat to think that the rations I’d been fed, up until the time I was two years old, were sourced from sapient livestock that bled like this. Why would a true hunter mangle their prey, for some twisted pleasure? Strength and cruelty weren’t one and the same. When I told my mother that much at the age of six, expressing disgust in Betterment’s cattle farming, she’d sent me to Isif’s command palace. It was her hope that the defective daughter she birthed would be executed; my disposition wasn’t openly accepted, at the time. Instead, the grizzled veteran had taken me in, and allowed me to stay in his halls “to train.”
I didn’t understand the purpose of learning tliskis, even as I became the Collective’s rising star in the former blood sport. It wasn’t the same as its prior rendition, since the deadly swords were replaced with cudgels; broken bones healed easier than lacerated ligaments and punctured organs. The real lesson wasn’t continuing on through pain, or physical grace. It was studying the arena’s terrain in an instant, and anticipating the opponent’s moves—twisting their weaknesses against them. There were mental games to both leading an empire and winning battles, which necessitated the collection of knowledge. There was also the defensive element of protecting your own kweshua crystal from being broken in the fray; blind aggression lost bouts. Here in Cruelty’s Maw, my small team were that crystal, and my job was to keep them safe.
I care for many of them, as other defectives that I was raised around, who’ve had my back on many missions. They understand my story, because it is theirs also. I’m merely Isif’s chosen confidant, the one in charge, since I was the most promising pupil for spycraft and statesmanship. Perhaps, when he retires, he wishes me to be Kaisal’s second.
“I’ve been working on some new jokes, while we walked!” Hysran butted in, to my immediate dismay. While I was eager to be molded into a stateswoman, she seemed to be gunning for a court jester position, as humans called it in medieval times. “Why did Betterment remove the heaviest elements from the periodic table?”
Zefriss hissed in irritation. “Because they used them all to build bombs?”
“No! To cull the masses.”
I groaned. “Hysran, your jokes make me understand why most Arxur prefer to be solitary.”
“I have more. What did the sword say to the tliskis crystal?”
“Take a break,” Zefriss and I growled at the same time.
“You already told us that one.” I lashed my tail against the ground, hoping it’d get her to knock off the terrible jokes; intimidation wasn’t my strong suit, but Hysran made me willing to try. “If I hear that quip one more time, I’ll have you ‘take a break.’”
Hysran bared her fangs with pride. “That’s fine, that’s quite alright! I have lots of other jokes, Raza. I know I haven’t told the one about the moon and—”
I slapped my tail into her mouth, shushing my squadmates as I spotted movement by the burned-out Betterment office. While Giznel’s government had been torn apart after it was discovered that they colluded with the Federation to starve us, Ilthiss had been happy to keep the geneticists and cullers employed. Within the building’s lobby, I could see two of those eugenicist pricks—the fact they were in the profession was evident, from how reverently they rummaged through the blood vial cabinets. Obviously, Arxur needed to study which bloodlines were superior, or else how would the supreme hunters be separated from the empathetic riffraff? How would we cull the diseased to prevent their ailments from spreading? That was Zefriss’ tale: he had a disorder that gave him an extra, deformed toe, which was hardly more than a stub, on his left forepaw.
Polydactyly doesn’t even hinder him from being able to use weapons; it’s an extra digit, just there without much impact on his functionality. Prophet forbid any physical abnormalities exist. That might dilute the gene pool.
My eyes zeroed in on the Betterment officers, knowing full well that we might be able to sneak around them. However, my posse could take two lone Arxur, who were trying to scavenge the blood to maintain cruelty’s purity. They were armed, so if they spotted us creeping past, we’d still get into a firefight—just without the element of surprise. For all of the logical reasons I afforded myself, I couldn’t deny that this was personal; I wanted them dead because they would’ve killed any of us. If they were left alive, they would go crawling off to Ilthiss’ army, or return to killing infants that had any defective traits. A sharp claw was pointed at the duo, with hunger swirling in my eyes. This ambush had to be swift and silent, since they might not be the only scum on the prowl here. Zefriss and Hysran’s nostrils flared with understanding.
Hunched over, we slid over the peaty ground; the silencers on our guns would’ve been a symbol of cowardice in the old Dominion, hiding from a fight. The Betterment bastards were lucky that our discipline mandated we keep this as quiet as possible, because my “defective” emotions would’ve loved to make them scream. The old Arxur deserved the cruelty they dished out; it made my scales crawl to be part of the same species. Raw energy built up in my chest, a wrath that threatened to spill out in huffs that’d give away our presence. I contained the fury within my maw, since the volatility wasn’t something I could afford. We had a mission to complete, and this was just a short detour.
“Now.” As soon as I hissed those words, with Zefriss and Hysran holding barrels a few paces away from the back of the scientists’ heads, my companions pulled the trigger; they hated these sick monsters as much as I did. “Make sure they’re dead.”
Hysran cackled. “They came to retrieve blood vials, but instead, they’ve become one. Well, two.”
“Was it worth risking our lives to spill their brains?” Zefriss grumbled. “Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait for their corpses to attract flies, but it raised our chances of detection. Getting our intel back is the top—”
A blood vial erupted right behind my comrades, and I recognized the sound of gunfire zipping through the shattered-out lobby window. I dropped to the ground, tackling Hysran; Zefriss followed, crawling for cover. An eight-person enemy patrol had surrounded the front of the building, but some aggressive grunt had taken the shot prematurely. My skeptical comrade might’ve had a point about our diversion, given that this appeared to have been a ruse; the enemy didn’t care about lives under their command, after all. Either the scientists got their precious blood vials, or Collective assets in the area would take the bait and show themselves. I fired several shots out toward the street, as hostile soldiers aimed for my head. I rolled on instinct, feeling the breeze of a bullet inches away from my spine; craters now marred the wall behind us.
“Deeper into the compound!” I shouted, despite knowing full well they would’ve encircled the building. “Go!”
Hysran deployed a smoke grenade to obscure us, before I even had to ask. My claw tugged on the trigger of my gun, as Zefriss set a timed charge by a support beam, in the lobby; Betterment wouldn’t be getting this office back. If they tried to follow us deeper inside, we would bury them. That could compromise the entire building’s structural integrity too, which meant we needed to find an escape route quickly. I scurried away from the blood lockers, and heard a sudden yelp behind me. The scent of Zefriss’ fluids caught my nose before I saw where it’d hit him, and I feared the worst for the Arxur who questioned everything. Relief flooded my chest, seeing that it’d just blasted clean through his tail. That must hurt terribly, but it wasn’t a critical organ.
They’ll have fired dozens of shots within seconds; blind or not, odds are they’ll hit one of us again should we linger. If I’m injured, I must make sure one of my squadmates grabs the communique for Isif.
The damaged remains of torture chambers and eating areas, conveniently adjacent to each other, greeted our eyes as we ran deeper into the Betterment office. More gunfire sounds echoed by the back of the building, while we were beelining toward a gap in the exterior wall, but there was no turning around. Crumbling sounds echoed through the roof fragments overhead; slabs of stone crashed behind us, alongside the screams of a few Arxur soldiers who’d waltzed into our own trap. I strained my ears to try to discern where the shots were coming from. Perhaps I could pass the message off to Hysran, and create a distraction so they could escape. All I had to do was obstruct the shooting angle with my body, so they could make a mad dash.
My heart sank, realizing that the shots were coming from everywhere; some were blasting new holes in the rumbling wall. We couldn’t dawdle, with this office seeming to be on the brink of collapse. I thought of my companions, and steeled myself to signal for us to split up. Without the Collective, I would’ve died at the age of six for my feelings; a leader would accept that she’d been living on borrowed time, and gotten an extra thirteen years because of Isif’s cause. I had to be willing to lay down my life for the people I cared about—that was true strength. A glance back revealed that Zefriss’ tail was leaving a trail of blood behind him; he’d need first aid. I’d have to give them the kit too, so they could mend his wounds properly.
There’s no fighting back against a full unit of soldiers; they were expecting to ambush an entire patrol, not three operatives. We certainly can’t be taken alive. Wait, what’s that sound? Why are there yelps from outside? Are some of those shots…being exchanged with someone else?
Finding a new burst of speed, as a faint hope crept in, I herded my companions through a tiny gap; recognizing that the enemy had their backs to us, thanks to their engagement being focused elsewhere, I was able to bury several shots in the backs of the remaining handful. Hysran was right behind me, covering any hostiles that turned in our direction. It seemed that Collective forces were mobilizing in a few nearby alleyways, wearing urban armor with the Arxur skull logo Isif selected to represent the defeat of his enemies. It showed strength and brutality, which were the same to his challengers. The unexpected allies dispatched the last of the hostiles, before advancing. We’d made it out only because of them, so I knew I owed them thanks—and an explanation, given that we weren’t wearing gear that showed our allegiance.
“Friendlies! We’re friendlies!” I shouted, holding my arms above my head. “There’s three of us: me, Hysran, and…wait, where’s Zefriss?”
“I. Hate. Cities!” Zefriss toppled out of the office, just as the exterior wall imploded inward. He panted, with his injured tail curling gingerly around his legs; blood was also dripping from a cut on his skull. “Nice of you two to come back for me. A piece of plaster knocked me right upside the head. I could’ve been buried.”
“Sorry, we, er, didn’t notice you weren’t with us. I’m glad you’re alright,” I replied. “They’ll have a medic that can look at you, but it doesn’t look too serious.”
“Doesn’t look too serious? You try getting shot and brained by debris!” he roared.
Hysran put a palm on his back, coaxing him forward. “The only thing that doesn’t look serious here is me, but then again, when do I ever? Let’s not make a bad first impression on our saviors.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about my subordinates, sir,” I offered, as the Collective commander stalked toward us. “I’m—”
“Operative Raza? We know; the Chief Hunter sent us to collect you, and ensure your safe return. He said he had an urgent matter, for your ears only.”
“Oh? Thank you for the help then; you came at a fortuitous time. Take me to Chief Hunter Isif.”
“Right away, Operative. We cannot risk vehicle travel, as the main roads are a death trap and the skies here would have us shot down in seconds, but we’ll ensure you’re brought to the extraction site before the sun sets on another day. Let’s tend to your injured man’s wounds, then get moving. If he won’t be good to walk, we should leave him behind with a contingent of my men. We must not be slowed.”
“I’m fine,” Zefriss spat.
I snickered. “You weren’t acting like it a minute ago.”
“I just wanted an apology, Raza. And I do have a massive headache: not solely due to Hysran’s jokes, for once.”
Hysran snickered. “I’ll be happy to make your headache worse. I’ve got some new material to tell you on the road.”
Despite the banter between us all, I knew we’d been lucky to escape this warzone with our lives; I couldn’t be so reckless in the future. As the Collective medics patched up a hissing Zefriss, I stood next to the commander with a brooding expression. I wasn’t sure what Isif wanted that was so pressing that he’d accept a greater risk of exposure with a full squadron like this, especially with the gravitas of my intel on the Sefturna Sniper. Whatever it was, I could only imagine that it had something to do with the aliens. That prospect both tantalized and terrified me, with the realization that the day to be molded in a stateswoman might have arrived.
A/N - The new, highly-anticipated series! The Arxur Collective is facing a civil war after Ilthiss rebels against Isif, after Collective forces try to stop him from executing a defective child. Raza, a defective operative who was saved and raised by Siffy, is leading a team through hostile territory to bring back intel on the Sefturna Sniper—a legendary shot who’s responsible for killing hundreds of Arxur soldiers. While crossing through Cruelty’s Maw, the war torn city where it all began, the trio spot a pair of geneticists salvaging blood vials from the Betterment office and execute them. This proves to be a trap, narrowly escaped since Isif sent personnel to retrieve them, because of some urgent matter…
What do you think that Isif wants to discuss with Raza and her team? What are your thoughts on these “defective” Arxur, and how life has changed under the Collective? Will the intake be able to locate this Sefturna Sniper—and how might that affect the course of the civil war?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
kabhes
Well not just one child, more that he was the straw that broke the camel's back. He had been killing people for a while.
Some Lvm
@Phyco: well, if you are going to be all realistic like about it... That is how things works, isn't it? If you are the kind of government that actually cares about the legitimacy of your wars in the eyes of others, you need an excuse. Like freeing some country of communism. Or stopping them from using WMDs. Etc. But the excuse you choose still speaks volumes about you, even if it is only an excuse. Would a Batterment Arxur really need an excuse at all?
PhycoKrusk
We may have a difference of opinion here, but I disagree that Isif decided to roll tanks to save a child. It is my opinion that he rolled tanks because there were regions that were all but in open rebellion, but there wasn't much he could do about it because they were supposed to be autonomous regions. The planned execution of a child simply gave him the pretext he badly needed, because _now_ it's not a matter of Isif ignoring promises of autonomy, but of enforcing the laws that Ilthiss and Usliff had agreed to follow and were deliberately breaking. But that's neither here nor there, because it is the Coalition's discussion of Arxur confinement that matters more than ours, and in the Coalition's discussion, all that matters is that the suffering of a single innocent was what took the Collective government from "Your autonomy is our highest priority" to "Cowabunga it is then."
Neu5Ac
Oh man, pulling out museum pieces! I'd love to see how a human would react to seeing the Arxur equivalent of an M4A3 Jumbo trundling down the road, especially since they would know what a modern tank would with 200 years of development over the Arxur model would be like.
Guardian
Hahaha, "eating good"; I see what you did there.
TheBlack2007
@Some Lvm, Shaza did eat a human to prove a point to Giznel (not knowing he already signed her death warrant and sent Isif to execute it) but her crew was having none of it and mutinied about the same time Isif showed up to take command over her forces. It's still not much of a stretch to think particularly famished Arxur might try to go after a human, but mostly even those firmly in line with Betterment didn't go that far.
Daru Arura
I got crabs!?!?
Some Lvm
@TheBlack2007: to be fair, some of the more radical Arxur have been know to it humans as well. Remember whats her face Chief Huntress that was sent to the UN in pieces after her forces rebelled and handed her over to some enthusiastic UN soldiers?
Some Lvm
Isif sent a tank battalion to save a child??? Let that sink in people, and remember it next time we discuss Arxur freedom in the main story!
Wingit98
That is exactly what I was imagining. It's not her fault she has to start from scratch rediscovering comedy for her entire species. It would be the Arxur equivalent of Tarva's daughter rediscovering running and competition for her's.
Matěj Habarta
I mean, I see some Yotul or Venlil merc hating betterment enough to risk it. Epecially the cured ones, say a Venlil whose parent was sapient cattle.
TheBlack2007
I can see humans but considering the enemy is betterment, using any prey species in any capacity that would put them in direct enemy contact would be incredibly reckless since you’re risking them getting eaten alive.
Space Paladin
I will try to update tonight
Matěj Habarta
It'd be intersting if Isif employed mercenaries or secret spec ops from SC. Like say Yotul, Venlil and Human mercs. Epecially since the reformed Skalgans would love to take on some of the old betterment forces.
Aured
Yay! I'm excited to see what the Arxur have been up to.
Iris Rodriguez
Hi, haven't read this one yet. Just commenting here since unsure if you get notifications on Patreon. Could you please update the stories list on the "Welcome from Space Paladin" page? I'm catching up and noticed that stories such as "Venlil Foster Brother" isn't there, along with some other recent ones. It makes navigating here so much easier. Thank you!
un_pogaz
I hope that humanity has helped to hide these fights. Another option is that it would be tragically ironic if humanity didn't help the Arxur because their were hiding their predicament too well. And now that you point out it, with this recent uprising still fresh in everyone's memory, I understand better the Kaisal's virulence about "humanity never helping the Arxur and abandonne us".
PhycoKrusk
Honestly, I would prefer the latter, especially a Venlil. Lambo: First Cud (It's fine, Hysran said that I could!)
PhycoKrusk
It would be a waste of finite resources; better to use those resources to get spies into the government and quietly sabotage efforts to get their act together. A rebellion is too loud, too messy; breaks too many eggs. For all the things I dislike about Jones, she's not a sloppy cook.
PhycoKrusk
... know what? After the Battle of Earth, Zhao's entire outlook was, "Not one more," in reference to Human lives lost at the whims of autocrats. And here is Isif, saying, "Not one more," in reference to the culling of "defectives" at the whims of autocrats. We have come full circle.
PhycoKrusk
The grizzled veteran who's trying to set an example, but who also knows he's got one more fight left in him and wants to die in battle so he can go to Valhalla.
PhycoKrusk
There's primarily three reasons that "tanks" would be developed: 1) The need to resist machine gun fire while crossing contested terrain in order to eliminate emplaced weapons so that infantry can follow (heavy tank/land ship) 2) The need to rapidly move large cannons around the battlefield to provide short-ranged artillery support, replacing dragoons (light tank/self-propelled field gun) 3) The need to constantly move machine guns or small cannons around the battlefield, especially to target and harass the enemy's flanks while looking for an opportunity to punch through their formation, replacing calvary (armored car/infantry fighting vehicle) So far, the Arxur haven't demonstrated any great propensity for siege warfare, so my money would be on option 2 or 3, leaning more heavily towards 3 given that an ambush predator would naturally favor hit-and-run over stand-and-fight.
Space Paladin
Siffy is forever a chad!
Space Paladin
The horror!
Space Paladin
Jones is many things, but she usually doesn’t do stuff that goes against (what she perceives as) humanity’s interests!
Space Paladin
Hm, I’d think of them as old-school kinetic siege tanks, since it’s stuff they’re bringing back from before Fed days in their final world war before first contact. Back to their roots!
Space Paladin
Hysran would adore that! She’d probably want to perform at one, though she might bomb with a human crowd 🤣
Space Paladin
It’s been a long time! This should be the deepest exploration of their culture we’ve ever had; even more than Siffy’s main storyline! Arxur fans gonna be eating good 😅
Space Paladin
Thank you! Lots of fun stuff to explore ahead! 🙏
Liam Heston
Ooo this is promising, Way to go SP.
EliasArt2Life
The SC never once mentioned these fights… something tells me that humanity had a hand in making sure they didn’t find out. Smart. Isif is right that they’d take it as proof of the Arxur’s violent nature, and hold it against them. But I’ve got to say, it’s really sad to see this. This is an ideological battle between the Betterment’s “Arxur and strength first, only rely on yourself” beliefs, and the Collective’s hopes for equality and unity with other species while simultaneously moving AWAY from the strength and “predatory” traits that made up the Arxur for so long. Simply put, the SC SHOULD be on the Collective’s side, but wouldn’t be. In this war, the ones fighting for the belief for friendship with others finds itself alone as those “others” watch on. Even if Isif wins, it doesn’t prove his point as much as reinforce the Betterment’s stance that only strength matters.
AlphaAllNight Gaming
Lmaooooo
DemonVee
Linguistic convergent evolution... All language in the Galaxy, in some way or form, eventually turns into English. This means that English = crabs.
Gumcel
Crack pipe theory: that nevok character you mentioned is the sniper. Source: dude just trust me But more importantly: “I have more. What did the sword say to the tliskis crystal?” “Take a break,” Zefriss and I growled at the same time. These damn arxur are speaking English man, even the aliens are becoming anglophones smh. Either that or the person who translated this transcript decided to translate the joke into something completely different to have it make sense. Or coincidentally these words have the exact same meanings which allows this pun to be made in both English and the arxur language. Gumcel try not to focus on an unimportant line of dialogue for one post challenge (2024 degree of difficulty: impossible)
DefaultyTurtle
Escape from Wriss
Wholesome Redditter
Watch as Jones becomes the boogeyman of Arxur society
T___
I think, being obligate carnivores, the Arxur get their nutrients, vitamins, fat acids, and trace elements almost purely from meat. Pre-slaughter stress reduces the quality and composition of those. A (rather recent) learned preference to adrenaline, cortisol etc. does not change the nutrient content.
Assailant
I can’t wait for Hysran’s inevitable death! I know you’re going to do it, SP, you can’t fool me!
Seamus
Love the arxur POV’s!
Neu5Ac
I wonder if the Arxur developed suppressors on their own or if they got the tech from the humans. Or possibly, they may have had them, lost the tech, and redeveloped it after encountering humanity. I suspect the latter: if they use internal combustion vehicles (and I believe they do given Kaisal's disdain for the electric tractor), they probably have mufflers, and an engine muffler and gun silencer are practically the same thing. On the note of weapons, I'm willing to bet the Arxur use high caliber, smoothbore weapons: larger rounds have some inherent stability so are fine unrifled at shorter ranges, and larger rounds can dump their energy on impact more quickly, making them better for wounding and maiming. If that's true, then I have to wonder how they reacted after shooting a human in the plate carrier with the Arxur equivalent of a smoothbore .44 Magnum carbine, only to watch him sit up and shoot back. And yay, tanks! I wonder what unique design features they might have? Do they use a kinetic weapon for their primary gun, or do the have small plasma railguns? Are the turrets manned or unmanned? I'm willing to bet they're designed to favor speed and milage over armor, given the nature of their fighting over the centuries. Then again, maybe they're more like siege tanks, with thick armor and massive howitzer cannons for busting into heavily defended bunkers. I'm excited to get a description of one.
E Martinez
It contradicts what we know of her motives
DDDragoni
It's been 20 years since the last story, so he would have been in his mid-50s then
Wingit98
Oh damn, he was way older in the previous story than I realized. I thought he was like mid 40s or 50s and that was considered elderly to the Arxur.
Wingit98
I really do hope this generation of Arxur gets to join wider society one day just so that these specific Arxur can visit a comedy club and see some stand-up.
Elliott
Prediction: Either the Sniper is a CIA goon merc, or a random cattle survivor who found a gun and is taking shots at any Arxur they see. Only use one eye to see through a scope after all.
Elliott
Give me non-CIA proof the Betterment rebellion wasn't Jones-funded. I'll wait.
Alekss Žukovskis
okay, hear me out. the humans land on Krev planet in diplomatic garb with the whole UN plastered all over them and talk about how they brought Feds to their knees. Krev think its Theater and cheer them on. UN doesnt realize that, leave a bomb of a statement *flies away* everyone continues going about their way
DDDragoni
Oh God. The Arxur may have stopped eating people, but now they've developed an even worse form of depravity- *puns*
DemonVee
Plot twist, Siffy not using electronics traumatized Jones back, resulting in her memory scanning fiasco with Tassi 🤯
REDemon14
Also, something I forgot to note. Isif started the conflict in the name of saving a single arxur child. That is development
DemonVee
Heh, now an Arxur themed Enemy at the Gates would be class, but I doubt Maya would return to combat due to her ptsd discharge (Unless her ptsd was solely about abandoning Kaisel than the combat, than it might be an incentive.)
Space Paladin
Can always be used for fanfics going forward, or even going back! 😅
Space Paladin
In his mid seventies by this point!
straw salmon
YES MORE ARXUR LORE 🤩 Also i gotta ask how old is isif in human years?
Thrownawaz
So!... Is Raza seeing anyone?
Byron Ritchie
Something tells me something bad happens to isif in this series
REDemon14
Her* but same :)
Neu5Ac
In fairness, Arxur are obligate carnivores. It may be that they're immune to the diseases brought on by stress in animals and that the flavor is improved by their tastes by them being stressed out.
REDemon14
Understandable. If be traumatized too, having to deal with *that woman*
DreamEnvoy
You set the scene of a battleground during a Betterment rebellion and our group up against a highly skilled sniper, only for the tension broken by Hysran's "bad" jokes. I like him already.
Michael Halpern
damnit Jones
Fergon
I think they're using messengers, because Isif got traumatized by Jones. Can't hack the transmission, if there's no transmission.
Fergon
Now that you mention it, Maya was sniper. Hmm 🤔
Sci-fi reader
A PMC owned by a former chef?
Sci-fi reader
Nice. An Arxur Syria! Please don't kill off Hysran.
un_pogaz
Yes. Yes! YES! A story in the Arxur Collective!!!! And Yes. Yes! YES! Exactly what we want from the Collective!!! I don't have the words to say how much of it's a pleasure to see the Arxur act like people and not like psychopaths bogeyman on the verge of ripping each other's throats out. All their interactions are so human, so normal, fucking YES!!! And Damn, what a force it was to learn that Isif had taken in several "defectives" under his protection and raising them as his own children, but also preparing them to be potential future leaders. Fucking Chad! Else, who isn't surprised by Ilthiss's betrayal? Besides, as horrible as it is to see certain people trying to perpetuate Betterment, we can note that this uprising is relatively limited and that the main risk is that information leaks out. The Collective is holding up well overall. For the reason Raza is recalled, you had shared that this story implie a Predator-Diseased ex-Feddie Sociopath, so little suspense. But of what species... I'm curious. It's going to be strange for Raza to find herself the liaison agent for such individual. However, the fact that you mention the sniper in the A/N suggests that this plot will probably come back. Will our new 'Prey' friend prove useful in flushing out a hunter? I'll make a note of that.
REDemon14
Raza was/is very brave to stand up to her mother at such a young age. Did he mother not get the memo that Siffy doesn't kill detectives? 2154 and the Arxur are forced to use WW1 style Runners. Very interesting. A sniper with over 100 kills? Quite impressive. Considering that in actual war, snipers have the clearest view of the battlefield *and* their kills, I'm not surprised the Arxur do have snipers. "To cull the masses!" Ok. That got me XD Betterment Arxur really don't know that the "purest bloodline" can still give birth to an individual with a mutation huh? (That our they just don't care) The torture chambers right across from the cafeteria. Morbid. I personally never understood the whole "Make them suffer before/as we eat them" mindset in some settings. Humans discovered quite a bit ago that an animal that suffered before being "harvested" actually makes poor quality meat and increases the risk of disease due to the abundance of stress hormones. That's why some of the best meat on Earth is "humanely" acquired from a relatively happy animal that has plenty of space, kept healthy, and is treated well. Raza and co. are saved! Now to see what Siffy needs of her. Very interesting to see an arxur war, since what they've been doing over the past few centuries has been over-complicated hunting if we're being honest
Swan
Your idea sounds the most plausible; but I kinda like the idea of it being some fed exterminator who just wants to kill Axur (they are actually killing both sides, but the collective doesn't realize) Edit: Maybe it is actually a human doing it with the same motivation
PassengerNo
I like Hysran's jokes! “Why did Betterment remove the heaviest elements from the periodic table? To cull the massese.” lol
DemonVee
Ooo, I was waiting for something like this for a long time. That sniper is an awful good shot for a group that is reverent of close combat, and I imagine would see snipers as cowardly. I have a feeling that a certain flavour of Human mercs no longer found fun on Earth once peace became more wide spread, smuggling themselves to Wriss and not caring who they fight for, or for what cause. Raza seems interesting, it's interesting to see Arxur that haven't been raised under oppression, not to the same extant anyway. I imagine she'll make an appearance in the main series down the line if she's really aspiring to be second in command. (Hope that Maya appears somehow...🙄)
Byne
Shots from a mile away would be less than half the current human record. I'm thinking Betterment has some human mercs.
Quiidek
I knew this was gonna be epic. Civil conflict breeds the bloodiest of battles. I bet there's gonna be some crazy shit.
Sroni
So a mere 6 years before the Bissem first contact, Wriss was a warzone, and Isif was still alive. And in just a few short years, they have rebuilt their planet, and thier fleet.
Swan
damm, I'm curious if this conflict is still going on in 2160
BiasMushroom721
Holy shit. We actually getting Wriss lore. Fuck I needed this like a month ago! Muh fanfic man!
Quiidek
Third
Rusty Deviant
First
pogman
Second
