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The Nature of Predators 2-78
🕑 Added 2024-10-14 11:00:11 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: February 9, 2161
Earth. The Blue Marble in the viewport brought tears to my eyes, seeing the birthplace of my species in person. There were many conflicting emotions that whipped around my head, jockeying for control. I’d spent so many long nights mourning the loss of our civilization, and here it sat, stronger than ever. When the United Nations passed along my parents’ present whereabouts, it had been Gress who insisted that I came back. I didn’t belong here, even if the Terran government was permitting it. After two decades had passed since my family sent me off, the prospect of seeing them was overwhelming. It would be unbearable if they…spit in my face, had moved on, or…
Mom and Dad sent me away for nothing. I remember their last words—I’d sit replaying them as a reason to carry on, a tribute to their memories. They wanted me to be happy, and I sure as shit wasn’t, except for the brief span where Gress was my refuge. They said they’d be proud of me no matter what, but they didn’t see what I’ve done. What if that’s not true?
Strolling out of the spaceport smack dab in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip was sensory overload. The neon lights that flashed on towering buildings, the fountains that jetted up into the air, the grandiose hotels and casinos: so distinctly flashy and human. While Paris might’ve been destroyed in the bombing, preventing me from ever seeing the attraction that Gress had shown to me in virtual reality, there was a glowing Eiffel Tower that rose into the sky. Even the palm trees were a marvel from someone who didn’t remember a whisper of anything tropical, and had seen only the rocky walls of a cavern. The warmer temperatures didn’t bother me, since I was used to walking out on Tellus’ dunes dressed in concealment gear; that had been hot.
One thought stood out above all the rest, as I looked around at very curious passersby. I had never seen this many humans in my life. The United Nations’ diplomatic staff on the SC station paled in comparison to the tourists coming here to live it up. I could see billboards and advertisements for glamorous shows and entertainment, and teared up even further. This was unimaginable to have at my fingertips, in a place where performances and art had been written off in general. The kori dancing classes with Gress had been the lone expressive display I’d ever done just for fun. Speaking of the Krev, it was fortunate that he was basking in Terrans’ attention, since he was the first of his kind to visit Earth.
“Do they really call this Sin City?” Gress shouted at the onlookers. “It’s just like primates to want to get into trouble. I have to see some of this mischief, don’t—Taylor, what’s wrong?”
“It’s t-too much.” I squeezed my eyes shut, as the Krev cupped my chin and turned it toward him. I’m glad it’s just me and him. He’s the one person I’d trust with anything. “All these years, my home thrived without me. Our culture is so beautiful…”
“And so are you. Humanity’s spirit wasn’t stomped out, and you can live life at a hundred percent now. I don’t want you to feel tied down. You’ve always wished you could have your home, and you should be happy, Taylor. You should be able to breathe in the fresh air and look at the same sky that’s always looked down on your people.”
I startled. “What? I don’t want to come back here. This humanity’s spirit might not have been shattered, but mine was. I’m damaged goods, nothing but pain and regret. They don’t get me, and they shouldn’t have to.”
“I’m haunted by people that tried to hurt me in the past, and my own failures, just as much as you are. You’re not nothing but that, Taylor. You weren’t free to be who you really were, and you had to hide all the aspects that make you the beautiful man I love. I like you much better when you’re not a faceless, closed-off body under a mask—when you set aside that fear and hurt. There’s nothing anyone has to ‘get’ but that.”
“What do I even tell my parents about my life? What do I say, just walking through the fucking front door after twenty years? I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. I’m not letting you turn away now. I struggle every day with not saying goodbye to Lecca, and not knowing when I’ll see her again. Your parents have been feeling that for twenty years—you have been without them for years. If they love you, they will support you and embrace you with open arms.”
“I’m not fucking ready, Gress.”
“Fine. Then we’ll walk around the Las Vegas Strip until you are. I bet your casinos are so cute!”
I gave the Krev an exasperated look. “Literally how could a gambling hub be cute?”
“Primates find a way. Let me look inside one, and I’ll tell you.”
Gress curled his claws into the back of my hand and dragged me, not leaving me much choice in the matter. A place where humans went to wager money on games of chance—to think that had quantified as ruin before aliens came around—brought a sardonic smile to my face. I felt self-conscious as security and staff gawked at us, though there were no explicit orders barring Krev and ark colonists from the premises. I noticed there was an ample number of alien tourists mixed in with the crowd, and wondered what the herbivores had thought of predatory games of chance. Was it our hunters’ drive for domination that made blackjack value face cards, with binocular-eyed beasts sketched onto them, worth more than numbers?
Clubs and spades are both symbols of leaves, very prey-like suits, while gemstones and hearts don’t seem that predatory either. However, I know how the Federation thinks. Disregard all evidence that they don’t like. Gress, on the other hand…
Gress gawked at the blackjack tables, watching. “Aw, that’s so adorable—saying ‘hit me’ to draw more cards! It’s so violent, making cards into a form of playfighting.”
“Imagine what the Venlil over there thinks of that,” I grumbled, pointing a finger at a fluffy guest at the table. “Probably thought the dealer was going to strike the guy, and flinched when they said the words themselves.”
“I don’t see how anyone can find you scary. Smigli casinos would be so much better with primate dealers; Krev would gamble forever!”
“Hang on. The Smiglis have card games?”
“Do they ever! Those wiggly, pink shits have debauchery much more covered than your Sin City.”
The Venlil at the table hissed at a human server, after sipping a colorful drink brought for him. “I was told that there were complimentary drinks, but this is just juice. Juice! Do you know who I am?”
“We do, General Kam; you’re a regular. They…warn us when you’re here, you know,” the server replied.
“Then why do you give me this fruity shit?”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll take it,” I volunteered, until the Venlil shot me a blistering look. I coughed awkwardly. “Or not.”
“Paws off, interloper. What hole did you crawl out of?” Ouch. That hits close to home. “The only place this needs to be taken is back to the bar, to be filled with real spirits!”
The server sighed. “Alcohol won’t bring back the glory days, sir.”
The old Venlil shot a potent glare at the waiter, who relented beneath that withering look.
“The drink has moonshine in it,” the human said. “You just can’t taste it beneath the fruit juice. Just please, try not to bother the other patrons with rants about Veln? We’ve had…complaints.”
“There’s moonshine in this? Shit, why didn’t you lead with that? Bring me another!” Kam declared.
I closed my eyes to run through our history with the Venlil, before blinking them open. “Gress, I think that’s the military general who wanted to shoot down Noah and Sara’s ship.”
“What?!” the Krev hissed.
“Yeah. He came around to us being trustworthy, scared off Sovlin, and later helped with convincing the public. I…didn’t expect to see him chugging moonshine cocktails at a Vegas blackjack table.”
“It doesn’t seem like Kam is worried about phrases like ‘hit me.’ The staff seem more worried about Kam striking them.”
“Bro has one hell of a death glare. I drew his attention by trying to swipe his drink, so…I think we should move on.”
“Gladly.”
The two of us strolled past rows of slot machines, where a subspecies of furless primates called “tourists” happily tugged at levers to try to spin three matching symbols. Gress got melty-eyes after seeing fruit symbols, perhaps imagining us sitting on a forest floor chomping real predator foods like strawberries. We really were terrifying and apex, huh? The Krev loved the hordes of humans milling about down the aisles and crowding each game, though I was suffering from the disorienting lights and sounds. It was all I could do to keep up with his enthusiasms, gushing over every game. He pointed with a claw toward the roulette wheel, eyes gleaming.
“Look at the humans spin that big wheel! They’re all watching it with such fixation. Juvre would love to have one of these as a toy,” Gress fawned.
I narrowed my eyes. “Your obor would want a segmented wheel with colors and shapes, to bet over where a marble lands?”
“No, but he’d like spinning it round and round. Everything you do is so adorable!” The Krev had taken off to the next game, with a level of hyperactivity I didn’t know he had. The scaly alien was having a lot more enthusiasm for visiting Earth than me; it was going to be disastrous if his kind ever got to visit here en masse. “And then look over here—you throw dice inside this precious table with green felt! It’s in its own little basin.”
“That’s craps, Gress. It’s literally just throwing dice inside a table.”
The Krev bounded off with relentless enthusiasm, and I rolled my eyes. “Look over here! The humans keeping their cards to themselves like some big secret, and putting down cute, tiny circles like they’re trying to scare each other. Sizing their rivals up all serious and studying their expressions: you look so grumpy when you play competitive games! I love it!”
“Is there anything we do that you take seriously? If these exact actions were taken by a species that weren’t furless primates, would you feel the same?”
“No, but just look at those furtive glances toward their cards. Like scared, skittish obors: that’s what you looked like when you took off the mask. I wanted to scoop you up and—”
“Gress. You used to try to take us seriously and treat us like sapients. What has gotten into you?”
The Krev’s tongue flitted out. “Who, me? I’m definitely not trying to voice my unfiltered thoughts so that you’ll get annoyed, and I can prod you over to your parents.”
“So that is what you really think of Terran culture.”
“This is a genuine struggle, Taylor. You have sketches of primates in fancy fabrics on your cards, blinking lights and sound effects on machines, drinks in precious saucers that look like upside-down umbrellas—”
“Those are called martini glasses.”
“Humans even use fruit slices and skewers to decorate those drinks! You get my point. Love what I point out or hate it, you should enjoy all those little things too. I’m trying to help in a roundabout way, by bringing them to your attention.”
“It is something to see humans going about their lives, and all of the intricacies that are uniquely ours—not just out of reach on the screen. Seeing you like a kid in a candy shop, it’s adorable. The enthusiasm is both fucking annoying and highly contagious at the same time.”
“Exactly! Earth isn’t some scary, foreign place; you can find ways to have fun here. You don’t need to be away from home a second longer. It’s a lot to take in, but you will acclimate in time. I’ll be here the whole time. We just need you to take the hard first steps, and you can have everything you ever dreamed of. Everything the Federation stole from you.”
I nodded, sucking in a deep breath. “I’m just scared of what my parents will think of me…of how I’ve turned out.”
“And I think they’ll be happy to see that you’re okay; everything else won’t matter. Please, Taylor. Trust me. I want what’s best for you, and I won’t let you stumble into any more regrets.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t trust you with. What’s best for me is you. Maybe I…can do this with you beside me.”
“You can and will do this. Let’s go.”
Letting a much more reserved, reverent Gress usher me back out of the casino, I thought about the Terrans—the predators—here playing goofy games of chance. It was trivial and airy, compared to the concerns that weighed me down. I wasn’t sure how I felt being back on Earth, a planet as foreign to me as Avor. After coming this far, however, I couldn’t miss my chance to reunite with my parents for fear of rejection. There was a deep-rooted pain in my soul over being sent away to Tellus, and growing up without family or affection. I’d spent so much of my life alone, desperate for anyone’s approval, while becoming a bitter and short-sighted man.
It wasn’t a wound that I could deny the existence of forever. The Krev was right that I shouldn’t hide any longer from the society and loved ones I’d dreamed of decades.
A/N - 78! Taylor returns to Earth for the first time in 25 calendar years, and is overwhelmed by feelings at seeing humanity and its culture buzzing with life and whimsicality. Gress decides to go for a detour down the Vegas Strip, finding cuteness in every casino game in the hopes of distracting our melancholy narrator; the Krev tries to persuade Taylor not to be fearful of meeting his parents, and not to back out of the reunion now.
How do you expect Taylor’s family to react to their long-lost son, now a hardened and jaded ark colonist, arriving on their doorstep after all these years? What do you think of Gress’ reactions to Vegas, and how much of a nuisance Krev might be if they’re allowed on world? Did you enjoy our Kam-eo?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Sworishina
Personally, I enjoy the character-focused Taylor chapters even if they don't advance the main plot. They're good for the pacing and I like the side-plot of Taylor and Gress just living their lives.
Empi3
Ugh. I hate Taylor chapters. They bring nothing to the story.
PhycoKrusk
They weren't aiming for landmarks; they were aiming for population, and while the population density of Las Vegas is quite high, the actual population is not. Today, Las Vegas is the 24th largest city in the US by population, and even then, it's in the middle of the most inhospitable place in the country, so it's ability to grow is severely limited. Now, if _Sovlin_ had been in charge of the extermination fleet, Las Vegas would've been at the top of the target list; I challenge you to find a more wretched fornication haven of scum and villainy.
Some Lvm
Agree on the Kam front. Sounds like a hook for a side story!
Some Lvm
Of all the places Kalsim missed, Vegas is one? I mean, I guess technically its small compared to all the cities we know were hit, but if you are an alien targeting earth landmarks, you can't give up on Vegas!
pogman
Yeah, I agree
jetpacksuperman
LLLLLLLETS GO GAMBLING!!!!!!
kabhes
Las Vegas doesn't have that many people compared to other cities in the world. They went from big to small in what to bomb.
PhycoKrusk
No comment to add for this one. Wait....
PhycoKrusk
Being a little bit... I don't think "fair" is the right word, but it's the one I've got. I think it's worth noting that there is some implication that Gress intentionally pushes his cute response further than he actually feels it because he knows that irritates Taylor and he thinks that's funny (he always stops before Taylor actually gets angry). He's not nearly as obnoxious with people who aren't Taylor.
Soheils
wayyyyy too many lights. clearly predatory deception. even built copies of monuments to trick everyone into thinking that the big blob of lights is actually Paris-Egypt-Vegas
TheBlack2007
Here in Germany, the historic Mauser Kar98s used by our honor guards can’t even fire rounds anymore. They still have a few in working order for special occasions though.
TheBlack2007
@pogman You can restore things to a certain degree but it won’t bring back all the history that has been lost. Dresden‘s historic core got almost entirely leveled during WW2 and was painstakingly restored ever since. Doesn’t change the fact there’s lots of gaps, historic landmarks and regular buildings alike that won’t be and are all but forgotten. I absolutely do think the French restored their Capital, but it’s now a recreation, no longer the original.
fastinn
i am also curious with what happened to kam and would like to know more
Gumcel
I mean it’s not impossible that he would recognize his name but it’s still insanely unlikely.
Sci-fi reader
Off topic. An honour guard, guarding the memorial of the I unknown soldier was killed by a terrorist in Canada. Honour guards are now protected by the RCMP. The soldiers’ rifles are not loaded because of the fancy manipulations they do at the change of guards ceremonies. Also, there are legal issues with soldiers using force / detaining attackers on domestic soil.
Sci-fi reader
Hope General Kam doesn’t lose his pension!
Space Paladin
Thank you for the kind words! I absolutely understand how life can pile on and I hope that things turn the corner for you; I’m glad my stories could play a part in helping 😅 I’ll continue to try to write fun ideas going forward!
pogman
He was literally name dropped as "general kam" Also rebuilding a city makes it a different city, I think.
Wholesome Redditter
That’ll be a fun miniseries
Swan
Aid: I’ve also got a report of a Resket “dueling”, by which I mean randomly attacking, a royal guard to “reclaim their species honor”; He has since been deported Random general: Who won? Aid: Suprisingly the guard, apparently the Resket was cocky, pardon the pun, and didn’t expect to get stabbed in the throat with the mouth of an assault rifle; would have killed a human, and likely a Resket too, if the bayonet had been attached…
EliasArt2Life
Wait, you’re going to just drop Kam in there, but not tell us anything more?!? That’s… oh, that’s a dirty trick. At least with Will Kane and Rauln, we had enough information about their lives and character arcs to extrapolate. Kam was already not getting enough attention in NOP1. I am trying very hard not to get annoyed at Gress’ cute response, especially now that we know that the Krev apparently lack a “cute aggression” phenomenon, and this likely never developed control over that impulse, but he makes it hard sometimes. It’s like this; I’m a big animal guy. I like all animals, and think most of them are cute. I even think bugs are cute. But I DON’T think that EVERYTHING they do or make is cute. I don’t look at a beaver’s dam and think “aww, that’s adorable! They’re making little houses in the water with little doors in the floor!”; I marvel at their ingenuity, and how they naturally manipulate the water flow of their environment. I compare their building with ours, and notice the differences, and how it meshes with their own evolution. I look at a spiderweb, and I feel fascinated by the intricate designs, and the process through which it was formed. Even with animals that I have the strongest cute response towards, like dogs, I don’t immediately think “cute” with everything they do or make. That’s what makes the Krev so hard for me to shrug off; they don’t just think we’re cute, they think that EVERYTHING is cute, which as far as I can tell has to be intentional on some level. I really want to let this go, but until I know why they think EVERYTHING we do is cute and adorable, rather than just many things, it’s just going to keep bothering me and working it’s way back into my brain.
Gumcel
“While Paris might’ve been destroyed in the bombing, preventing me from ever seeing the attraction that Gress had shown to me in virtual reality, there was a glowing Eiffel Tower that rose into the sky.” “One by one, the Terrans rebuilt every last one of the major epicenters from the ashes” -Kalsim ch 184 I know he’s not the most reliable of narrators but this just seems like an outright retcon. Unless he just has a wildly different definition of the word “rebuilt”. “Gress, I think that’s the military general who wanted to shoot down Noah and Sara’s ship.” How in God’s name does he recognize him? “Bro has one hell of a death glare. I drew his attention by trying to swipe his drink, so…I think we should move on.” Oof. Kam’s curse is to get a couple lines of dialogue per book and then be left behind by our protagonists lol😔.
James Schoneman
There's a running Gag on the discord that Taylor is based off me. It all started because I jokingly said "hey sp can you base a character off me and give them the most embarrassing death" and it's snowballed from there. I'm from Vegas.
DDDragoni
No easing back into things for Taylor, he's jumping straight into some of the loudest and most vibrant human culture there is- no wonder he's overwhelmed
Quiidek
Gress is so sweet. He's too pure for our planet ong.
lostkerbal
the gayliens
TheBlack2007
Guardspeople are still soldiers - and at least in some countries they are absolutely permitted to defend themselves if a tourist gets too handsy. Not even mentioning how some of the horses may react towards bipedal Pangolins walking up and bothering them.
Aerowarrier
Seems like Veln probably screwed him over as good as he screwed those human prostitutes so I’m sure there’s a story there for us at some point in the future
Aerowarrier
Gonna be real awkward in NoP 3 when it’s like two or three centuries later and the Andromedan humans return with an entire galaxy of predators at their back since they went full on Anti-Prey after that many decades stewing on Earth’s destruction in the right confines of an ark ship and became the reverse Federation
Aerowarrier
Really hoping his parents don’t turn out to either be prejudiced against aliens, prejudiced against gay people, or both. Cuz Taylor is like the complete opposite of in a “normal” relationship and his parents are gonna get some serious whiplash upon seeing it xD
Jacob Ipharr
Yay, Las Vegas is mentioned. Never would have expected Kam being here.
Klusterfrag
I will live my days like general kam there is nothing better than alcohol
David Bollinger
Aid: And somehow they managed to do it even if countries that didn't! The poor guy was just on vacation!
REDemon14
I think SP said the others should be a third of the way to Andromeda, which does mean those ain't gonna be found
Dookus Maximus
It's not the first time I've seen someone suggest the UN could have searched for the ark colonists after surviving the BoE. This was impossible, by design.
Swan
I hope we get some snippets of the chaos krev tourists on earth are gonna cause Random advisor at UN meeting: "We've got to put some more restrictions on tourism from the KC; just this last week we've been flooded with cases of Krev getting arrested after trying to pet the Royal guards" Meier: "Which Royal guards?" Random aid: "ALL OF THEM! In every country which has them"
REDemon14
I've never been there, so I keep overestimating the size of it :)
Shajenko
You did such a good job of describing Vegas that I was reminded why I don't like the place!
Shajenko
> You know, I would've thought Vegas would have been hit by the bombs. Guess all the lights weren't a big enough target. I believe they were targeting based on population density, and Vegas really isn't that big. If you step off the Strip or look at it from the highway then you can see just how small a space it takes up.
Kristoffer grube
Hi space paladin. I just wanted to tell you what a lovely story you have written. My life has been rough the last few months, and these stories have been the perfect escape. Please keep up the good work. I promise I’ll buy the physical book at some point when I can spare the money and shipping costs. I also hope you will publish all the short stories and NOP2 when it’s finished at some point.
Blake S
Its a cool detail seeing taylor refer to the earth humans as Terrans, he really doesnt see them as his people anymore, their as alien to him as everything else.
Wingit98
I think only 3 or 4 cities in North America were hit
Willy
Yes.. Happy chapter arc from SP!!!!! We finally see our main characters experience peace and happiness after so much needless suffering and betrayals. Please keep more coming. I beg of you.
Michael Halpern
it was mostly coastal cities that got hit, more inland you got, the more likely the ships and bombs were to be taken out by GBAD
Space Paladin
It’s just very difficult to find anything in space, it’s huge and they could be 1/3 to andromeda by now!
DreamEnvoy
I'd like to think those ships were designed to be hard to track. Plus I think I remember hearing they're getting close to Andromeda, so it'd be a miracle if they ever contact with Earth. The only reason Taylor's ship landed so close was due to a system failure.
DreamEnvoy
You said you were excited to write this and had it planned since the beginning. Now that you open with Taylor returning to Earth, I can immediately see why. It's like returning to a childhood home and seeing how much it changed without you, and how you changed outside it. No longer feeling that you fit in. Though Taylor is feeling that on a much grander scale. Ooh! Kam! Haven't seen him in a while. Didn't expect to find him in Vegas. Or to become an alcoholic. Gress getting all excited seeing Earth (or rather, a casino on Earth) is like watching someone getting excited in a pet-themed shop. If Gress's behavior is anything to go by, the Krev will just see Earth as a puppy theme park. Anyways, glad you're safe. And I look forward to meeting Taylor's parents. Awesome chapter.
Swan
Next chapter is either gonna be incredibly wholesome, or sad; no in between. Also poor Kam; serving under Veln really did a number on you didn’t it?
REDemon14
You know, I would've thought Vegas would have been hit by the bombs. Guess all the lights weren't a big enough target. Poor Taylor and the rest of the Tellish for that matter. Feeling like humanity moved on without them and due to UN leadership at the time, they are kinda right. All those people carrying the baggage of believing they were the last of their kind while having to hide themselves and being exploited by the Krev, only be found by the UN and be all but told "Oh yeah. Those aliens that forced you to leave your home? They moved in and some have even been living it up. Also, we weren't even looking for you, even though we were at peace for 20+ years. All you went through? Pointless." In short; I'd probably feel just like Taylor. I do wonder if the relatives of the Tellish tried to petition the UN to find the Arks. That's the only way (that I see) for there to be any true healing between the Tellish and their living Earth relatives. Gress being the ever supportive partner. I hope everyone finds a Gress in their lives. "It's just like primates to want to get into trouble." We do be lil' shits. The Smigli being able to match Human debauchery? Finally, a worthy opponent! I'd imagine playing cards would be difficult having mittens for hands. Kam! Glad to see he's still kicking. Being a menace to the staff, as many retired people are. How old does that make him now? A military Venlil living long enough to retire, what an honor. Not a big fan of Veln. You and me both. It does comes off as more personal. Playing Black Jack against someone who doesn't emote like you must be a nightmare. I hope he's playing just for the fun of it instead of him having a gambling problem. A lot of people have a soft spot for him. Gress having a cuteness response is always fun to see. Hearing him describe all the types of games we have really does make it sound silly. Here's hoping everything goes well with Taylor and his parents. I wonder if they felt guilt after Earth was saved, sending their son off alone. God, what if they had a kid afterwards. That might when Taylor, thinking he was outright *replaced*. Really liked this chapter
Anthony Mears
Kam, Kam, Kam... he seems a little bitter. Has there been any mention of trying to find the other ark ships to head off this kind of trouble in the future? I'm surprised they families haven't patitioned for Recovery missions after the war was over.
Alekss Žukovskis
last time i heard, kam was acting as cheer-leader to Jones's army ideas, and Skalgans began taking over, soooo... hes out of his job.
DemonVee
Hehe, I suspected we'd see a cameo here, but couldn’t have predicted Kam
Alekss Žukovskis
An innuendo to krev losing their marbles at sight of apes (krev going apeshit? ape-brain?)
TheBlack2007
Can’t be Monaco or Macau for a change…
TheBlack2007
Oh Kam, time hasn’t been treating you kindly, I see. Gambling away your pension in Vegas, harassing staff… Wonder what happened to him.
James Schoneman
*sigh* of course it's Vegas...
NextMan
Kam has really fallen down the rabbit hole, spending his time getting drunk in Vegas gambling his money away.
Byron Ritchie
I feel bad for Kam
Alekss Žukovskis
i wonder what horrors i woke up to. hehehehe
Soheils
First
