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The Nature of Predators 2-28
🕑 Added 2024-04-11 11:00:11 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: May 14, 2160
It had been one thing to practice at the range with Cherise, and another to have a helmet providing real time trajectory estimates and corrections. The augmented reality feed could detect my inaccuracy patterns, providing an analysis on what to adjust. Quana proved able to handle a weapon, firing almost every shot into the center ring of the hexagonal targets—which were shaped a bit like Krev scales. General Radai watched with interest, correcting the techniques of any humans who couldn’t take the hints from their helmet. Where the Resket truly went ballistic was with trigger discipline, and keeping weapons pointed down range.
One Terran turned her gun toward Radai as he addressed her. In a matter of seconds, the towering pink bird twisted her wrist to disarm her, and jabbed the gun against the side of her helmet to make a point. He’d shrieked that she was doing the same thing to her squad, by pointing a loaded weapon at friendlies. It appeared that our headgear had built-in ear protection, judging by how it muted bullet noises; Quana suggested that it was to protect against sonic weapons or long-term ear damage. Still, the Resket’s voice was as loud as a tornado siren, so I imagined that the new enlistee wasn’t enjoying the audio assault. Aliens being aggressive and getting in our faces was novel.
Radai’s only comment was that I was too slow reloading my weapon. That’s not the worst critique I could’ve received, though Cherise certainly makes it look much simpler.
The Resket ordered us to return our firearms to the artillery cart, remarking that it was time to progress to the grenade range. We needed to become familiar with a wide array of weapons—especially close quarters ones, since Reskets were most likely sidelined for those deployments. Their nine-foot-tall stature didn’t make them a good fit for tight spaces, so other races needed to be qualified to function in those scenarios alone. From what I’d seen in the Federation, it was surprising that the Consortium crafted handheld explosives; an incendiary device that could riddle the enemy with shrapnel was supposedly a vicious, human-only invention. I was intrigued to know if the Krev had added some crazy tech to our version—maybe we could explode them with our minds.
“Alright, listen up! This is your crash course on how to utilize grenades in the field or in a tight hallway. Your helmets come equipped with anti-flashbang tech—so count your fucking blessings there,” Radai barked. “Back when I was trained, we had to get flashbanged to see what it was like and keep fighting. You have a much easier task. We’ll still be using these nonlethal weapons for the purpose of our training today. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” came the confident response.
“If you’re fighting around a corner, you want to roll it down the hallway with gusto. Otherwise, for further distances, we have grenade launchers right here to guide them…”
“They probably developed anti-flashbang tech for your helmets because of us,” Quana whispered to me. “We’d throw them when we ambushed them in the snow. They were already blind, between the envirosuits and constant blizzards. Our white fur already might’ve been invisible.”
I shrugged. “You talk like you were there.”
“My relatives were. They passed on their stories to me.”
“How the fuck did they get captured?”
Radai scowled. “Taylor Trench! I thought you came here to join the military. It seems you’re more interested in trading gossip.”
“Ooh, now you’re in trouble,” Cherise snickered.
I straightened, embarrassed to be called out. “No, sir. I didn’t mean to be disruptive.”
“Well, it’s too fucking late for that.” Radai stalked closer, angling his beak toward the top of my skull. “Tell us what you were talking about. We’re all waiting.”
“It really wasn’t anything important.” I can’t tell him that we were reminiscing on the Reskets’ great embarrassment. It’ll be bad news for Quana. “Just about how we don’t have anti-flashbang helmets on Earth. And that I’m glad we, uh, don’t have to take one to the face like you did…sir.”
“I should fucking make you get on the ground and take one. Maybe Mafani was right about you not needing a helmet.”
“Sir, this will not happen again! I did not mean to disrespect you.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. Did you hear any of what I said?”
“Roll grenades in hallways. Grenade launchers in open spots, and uh, yeah.”
“Good. You just volunteered yourself to go first. I didn’t think you heard any of my instructions on how to load the weapon—so figure it the fuck out on your own. Stand at the red line, and put a fucking grenade on the nearest burlap sack over the wall. Go on.”
Radai maneuvered behind me, shoving me forward before I could respond to his instructions. I swallowed, as I picked up a grenade launcher that I had no idea how to use. My fingers curled around a flashbang shell, and I stared down range at the puffy sacks Radai had mentioned. My feed displayed the distance to the target as 20 meters away; there were stacks much further down the range that would actually require the launcher, though the Resket general was easing us into the training with a closer target. Was this a test to see if I would fall back into using tools as a crutch? The avian looked amused as I reared back—like he thought I was throwing in the towel—but his expression morphed into shock as the grenade left my grip.
I watched my throw arc through the air, landing directly atop the aforementioned target. Radai’s beak was parted with disbelief; his neck bent forward like he wanted to be sure he’d seen the past scene correctly. I was confused about what was so remarkable; shit, would he view this as further defiance, since he’d clearly intended for me to use the launcher? I thought I was taking initiative, using a more efficient delivery method. My head swiveled back toward Quana with nervousness; the Jaslip’s binocular eyes had gone wide with awe. Every alien in our training group appeared stunned by my most recent action.
“Taylor. Was that dumb luck, or did you really throw that with that much power and precision…first try too?” Radai asked.
I pressed a palm to the back of my helmet. “It wasn’t that impressive. The throw wasn’t, uh, that far, sir.”
“We saw your sports, like baseball and whatnot, but frankly, we lumped that in with your other staged entertainment. Like your ‘superhero’ movies. We thought it’d be physically impossible for any species to be a natural at projectile physics.”
“I don’t know what to say, other than please, don’t start calling us scary predators or some shit?”
“Trench, that’s the first time today that I’ve been impressed with humans. Fuck it, you’re all going to be grenadiers,” Radai chuckled. “I need to notify the other Trainers, and rework the grenade regimen to fit your natural abilities. We’ll put our crowns together and think of ways to use this. Unit, you’re dismissed.”
Cherise and Quana walked up to meet me, as I turned away from the Resket. He’d dropped his ire toward my chattiness after my throwing demonstration. Radai didn’t take any shit, but he seemed fair enough; the way he cemented his authority was forceful and sometimes violent, but not mean-spirited. He hadn’t seemed to target my Jaslip friend, unlike our previous trainer. With Mafani ordered to stay away from us, I hoped that was the last we’d seen of the racist avian. I slunk off to rejoin my group, but stiffened as the general piped up.
“Taylor Trench and friends. Stay behind one moment,” Radai called after us.
Fuck, is he going to put me on latrine duty? I deserve it, but damn it, I don’t want to be cleaning up alien shit.
I turned on my heel, removing my helmet so he could see my regretful expression. “I apologize again for the disruption, General Radai.”
“Sir, it was my fault,” Quana chimed in, surprising me. I would’ve never snitched on her involvement, especially since Reskets might be looking for any excuse to single out a Jaslip. “I made a comment to him about why I thought anti-flashbangs might have been invented.”
“I’m aware, but thank you for doing the honorable thing, Quana,” Radai sighed. “I let it slide only because Mafani had been antagonizing you. I’d prefer we didn’t rehash a thirty-year-old skirmish, especially when there’s talk about going after our real enemy.”
“After what they did to Earth, I’d love for us to take those fuckers down. I’m here to do right by the humans. In my opinion, it’s time we stopped hiding, and stopped accepting that good people have to die to them.”
Cherise cracked her knuckles. “Much like Quana, I’d love a chance to make the Krakotl and all their pals pay. How well your army functions compared to theirs: night and day. Add in your tech, and I think we could take ‘em.”
“I do too, for what it’s worth. Your information shines a new light on the threat. It could be the catalyst we need to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we can win; that the shame of our cowardice is no longer a necessity,” the Resket commented.
“Going after the Feds? Fuck yeah! I’m totally in,” I cheered. “Oops. Too much? Sorry again, sir.”
Radai narrowed his large eyes. “You need to learn discipline, Trench. You do not come from a military background, but your inattention could cost lives in the field. That said, I didn’t keep you to punish you for your outburst—though if you don’t pull it together, you’ll wish Mafani was still here.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think I’ll ever wish Mafani was still here. I’m all ears for why you wished to speak with me.”
“Very well. It’s about your friend from the Avor visit, Gress. The famous negotiator. The Ulchid teaching his comms course messaged me that he never showed up to her class. It’s unlike him or his reputation. I was wondering if you had a better idea where he was?”
“That Krev?” Quana pinned her ears back with distaste; her hackle fur was up. “We don’t know, and we don’t care. Sir.”
“We saw him back at the hab module. He was on the base at some point,” Cherise volunteered. “Perhaps it’d be worth looking there.”
Radai shot a glare at Quana, before turning to my human ally. “Do that. Assuming Gress is alright, tell him to report to his superiors for disciplinary action.”
“I don’t want to deal—” I began.
Cherise stepped on my foot, breaking off my sentence. “Yes, sir. We’re on it.”
“Good. Whatever is going on between you, your personal issues will not take precedence over your duty again. Dismissed,” the Resket hissed.
I stormed off, stomping through the grass as soon as we’d ducked out of Radai’s line of vision. After how deeply Gress had hurt me, Cherise had no right to volunteer me to search for him; I wouldn’t interact with the Krev who’d strung me along as my exchange partner, lying about kids dying and genocide to save face. Quana bared her fangs at the female human, a clear indication that she also had no intention of tracking down the “kit killer.” The Jaslip was a better friend than Gress had ever been, just by admitting her wrongdoing to Radai, instead of letting me take the fall. She didn’t hide from her past or her actions.
If Gress thinks I’d choose him in an ultimatum between him and Quana, he’s nuts. I want nothing to do with that lying bastard.
Cherise crossed her arms, blocking my path. “Taylor, he was your friend for months. For your own sake—if only for closure—you owe it to yourself to find and confront him. I’m not doubting Quana’s story, but I never saw Gress as someone so impervious to life.”
“Maybe he feels bad about it now. Maybe his superiors pressured him to save the delegates. Does it matter?” I sulked. “I don’t want to hear excuses: not now, when he didn’t have the balls to be honest with me! After all that talk about me leveling with him.”
“You should never cut someone off without hearing what they have to say for themselves. You two talked daily for months; that has to count for something. I’d never seen Gress act like that before.”
“Neither had I. I thought he was my friend. Now, good people like Quana will associate me with that monster!”
“I don’t,” the Jaslip offered. “Not after you helped me with Mafani. It might be cathartic for you to confront Gress, and call him out for the monster he is. I guess you should try to find him, to cut those ties once and for all. So that Radai won’t ask you about him in the future.”
“It would be nice if I wasn’t forced to interact with him anymore. Someone has to tell him, in no uncertain terms, that he’s not my bunkmate anymore. I want answers…to call him on the carpet! How could he be such a rotten liar?”
Cherise patted me on the back. “Go on then. Try looking near the hab module; he has that obor shrieking ringtone for you. It’d be hard to miss if you try to call him.”
“Hmph. I guess I’m just an oversized obor to him. A pet. I’ll show him what I think of his false friendship. I’ll show him!”
I shoved my helmet into Quana’s threefold tail, and the Jaslip heaved a sigh—reluctant agreement to return it to my bunk. With righteous fury causing my fists to clench, I tore off down the pathway; I almost barreled over one human soldier, who shot me a nasty look. My glower must’ve caused him to back down, since I felt positively deranged on the hunt for Gress. There was a single person that I wanted to direct my wounded feelings toward. Had he even cared about how I would feel at all? Why had he zeroed in on me, out of every human on Tellus? Because I was in a vulnerable state? Perhaps this was all long-term revenge for clubbing him over the skull.
To think I liked him, and bought that young, easily flustered, kind-hearted dad act. To think I believed he had a conscience, or could be trusted to watch out for humanity’s best interests.
I jabbed his name in my call history, as my pupils jerked around the vacant space behind the hab module. Sure enough, I heard obor shrieks in the distance—by a thick set of hedges off the beaten path. Gress didn’t pick up my call, but I wasn’t letting that jackass send me to voicemail; by God, I was going to say my piece to him. I vaulted over the bushes with triumphant wrath, and faltered in my anger as I heard the softer sounds. The Krev was curled up into a ball, looking like a green, spherical pine cone. I could hear snot bubbling in his nostrils, along with pathetic sobs emanating from his chest.
In spite of myself, I felt sorry for him. It was difficult to unload my anger on someone who looked so broken.
“Gress,” I whispered, internally cursing myself for my sympathy. “It’s me. Taylor. Come out of the ball…please. We need to talk.”
The Krev uncoiled slightly, pointing a disoriented gaze at me. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I’m so sorry. I ruined everything. I saw her, I saw you with her, and she wouldn’t stop accusing me of all those awful things…”
“Pfft. Are you trying to tell me you didn’t let children die? Because I feel like that’s something I should’ve known.”
“How the fuck can you think I would do that? HOW?”
I flinched away from his raised voice. “Quana said it like it’s common knowledge. You said nothing to defend yourself.”
“Because I can’t! I can’t, Taylor, I just can’t. I’ve been trying to pull my life together, but that day follows me everywhere. You know what it’s like to see something whenever you close your eyes. I watch you flinch each time you see a miner’s helmet or hear anything that sounds like drilling.”
I snapped my head back even further, gritting my teeth. “Don’t you fucking mention that accident; use that against me! I’m trying to make up for it.”
“And I’m trying to wake up from a nightmare that never ends. I’m just in a good enough spot mentally to be able to tell you that those kids dying wasn’t my fault. Do you want to know what happened? Or have you already condemned me like I meant nothing to you?!”
“You were the closest person in my life since the day I took that mask off, but you let me down. I know how many ‘stragglers’ stayed on Esquo. You didn’t tell me!”
The Krev sighed. “You’re right. It was awful, and I never said it was okay. It really didn’t make a difference whether it was a hundred Jaslips or a billion. Murder is murder. They have a point, regardless of whether it had to be done.”
“You downplayed it, Gress. Don’t you fucking lie.”
“I didn’t want you to be afraid of us, after what happened to Earth. You’re completely right. My word choice misled you on the scale, and I can’t imagine how you feel, when you have trust issues with aliens to start with. I’m sorry.”
“What do you expect me to do with a months-late apology? You had every opportunity to come clean, or open up at all about yourself.”
“Let me tell you now what really fucking happened. You can choose to forgive me or not, but I don’t want you thinking I’d sacrifice children.”
“Whatever. I can’t wait to hear this festival of excuses.”
The Krev drew a shuddering breath, trying to give the impression that he was struggling to continue. My impatience simmered, though I held back any scathing remarks. This attempt to manipulate me through empathy wasn’t going to work. There was no way that Gress and Quana could have such disparate stories about the same event; the Jaslip had no reason to lie, while this guy had every reason to. Tears streamed down his scaly face, and he stared into the binocular eyes that I’d hidden from him for years. I wished I had my helmet to obscure them again, so he couldn’t see that I still felt for him.
“Look, Taylor, they nabbed five important individuals at a convention center. Holed up there for days,” Gress sniffled. “I knew there were kids in there, but I thought that was the parents bringing them along as some fucked up way to drag them into this hostage mess. Those Esquo’s Fighters radicals, that’s how they raise their children.”
I scowled at him. “How is that the kids’ fault? You—”
“Let me finish! It’s sad, but it’s not their fault. At any rate, listen, we thought they were roped in, because why the fuck would you think that parents would blow their own children’s brains out? I didn’t know what they were intending, and that’s how they set us up; the Avorian police force walked right into that propaganda victory. The Jaslips told us exactly who they had held hostage, and days later, they call me to request five hostages to leave by name. You know what I said?”
“No. This isn’t going anywhere. How could Quana blame you for what was done so blatantly, and I should believe you didn’t know?”
“Because the Jaslips filmed it all, and lined the kids up to look like the call to me was video streamed. It wasn’t. I couldn’t see that they had their own offspring mewling, crying through a gag, and with guns pointed at them. When they asked for five hostages to let go, I was exhausted—I didn’t know what to think, if it was a test or something, but I didn’t want to give them time to change their mind. I asked for all five, thanked them for doing the right thing. Out come the aristocrats; we saved the day. Time to go in and round up the criminals, right?”
I was quiet for a long moment. “You’re saying they staged it to look like you chose to let the kids die?”
“It makes for good propaganda. They wanted them and their children to be martyrs, and because I didn’t catch on, it worked.” The Krev’s claws twitched, as his voice was choked up with grief. “That…t-that’s when we heard gunshots. I’ll never forget it. My supervisor tells me not to go in there, but I just have this sinking feeling in my chest—and I know why, once I hear more gunshots than there are adults. The hostage takers have killed the kids and then themselves.”
“My God. That’s…awful.” My mind was reeling, but his despondent tone had the ring of sincerity; I could see the haunted, vacant look in his pupils, just like when I slipped back to Kabir’s death. “When you said you can’t talk about it, you mean…”
“I mean that I don’t want to, because it drives me mad. It hurts. The worst part is, when I get in there, one kit is still alive. Shot in the throat; fluffy white fur just oozing violet blood. I have some medical training—everyone on the hostage negotiator team does. I stick my claws into the little guy’s throat, and try to pinch the artery shut while we wait for paramedics. I try to push the blood back inside while his breaths get weaker, but there is so much.”
Not knowing what I could possibly say, I pressed a hand against his shoulder to comfort him.
“How could anyone do that to their own child—and for what? To make me look like…like a monster? I just…I would try anything to save him! But the fragile thing dies right as the medics arrive, with my claws in his throat. I feel the way the pulse stops beating against my claws, as the blood keeps coating them—I can see the way the medics look at me when I pull them out, and hold them in front of my face. All the dead bodies around me…wondering if I could’ve stopped it,” Gress spewed.
My eyebrows slanted downward. “That’s not fair to yourself. What I did was reckless, endangering people. You didn’t know what these extremists were going to do; I can see it now.”
“Of course not. I had nightmares about it all, became this irritable mess that everyone had to steer clear of. I couldn’t predict what I’d react poorly to. When I began to lash out at Lecca, my light, just because she was a child…I was a danger to her. My wife was right to leave me. The Jaslips say I’m a monster…the Krev think I’m a hero…you can decide what you believe, Taylor.”
“I believe you did the best you could. That’s more than I can say for myself. You needed help, not abandonment. I, of anyone, get PTSD, and if Quana triggers it, I understand. I shouldn’t have blamed you for how you reacted; I won’t cut her off, but you don’t have to interact with her.”
Gress snorted. “I can’t crumple every time I see a Jaslip from that enclave. I doubt Quana would tolerate me; she won’t care about the truth.”
“We can tell her what really happened. Either way…I’m here for you. I’m going to be a better friend, and…like you told me when I took off my mask, I’m glad you opened up to me.”
His eyes perked up for a moment. “Hug?”
“Just this once. Don’t get used to it.”
I winced as the Krev threw his arms around me, applying pressure right where Mafani had kicked me. Knowing his side of the story, everything about his life crumbling was all the more tragic in hindsight; Gress was tormented because of Jaslips who’d orchestrated the murder of their kids to look like it was his choice. For what it was worth, I thought good people like Quana needed to hear the truth. My best friend deserved better than that slander; he’d suffered more than enough already.
A/N - Chapter 28! Taylor draws Radai’s irritation by talking about the battles on Esquo with Quana during his grenade lesson, though his public embarrassment is interrupted when the Resket is wowed by human throwing abilities. The general tells Quana he doesn’t want to rehash old wounds after she comes clean about her role, and then informs them that Gress never showed to his lessons. Taylor grudgingly locates Gress to confront him, but finds him crying…and learns that he was unaware of the kids’ role, and is tormented by PTSD.
What do you think about Gress’ side of the story: whether it exonerates him, and how it has seemingly destroyed his life? Do you think that Quana will be receptive to his version of events?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Some Lvm
So, this chapter pretty much confirms what I suspected about Gress: He is a good person, and was a good cop, that go entangled in a supper shitty messed up situation that destroyed his life. I don't think Quana is going to believe him. I suspect she is a second generation fully brainwashed terrorist, fed from infancy a specific version of history. As for Taylor, I didn't think any human character in NoP would give Bahri the a run for her money in the "worst human ever" competition, but this one isn't even close!
extraintelligence
I looked it up to be sure, and I was mistaken, it's actually low infrared light. And yes, it's a laser, but it's method of action is different from a more direct laser weapon. Visible light lasers act on a target directly, ablating whatever material they hit and dumping its energy into it. The plasma it generates can't stop the lower wavelength beam. For the PEPs, it fires pulses from an infrared laser: the first pulse generates the plasma, then the second pulse is absorbed by the plasma. This excites the electrons in the plasma, causing it to expand rapidly, resulting in the aforementioned flashbang/emp effect. Using it to actually pierce armor would be a pain, as it would take a ton of energy for that to work, so any kind of tank busting weapons they have probably use visible light or shorter.
Star
He's just a silly little primate 🐒 🐒
DemonVee
So PEPs are essentially similar to a laser beam but they fire microwaves instead of visible light?
DemonVee
It's probably gonna be one of those "Hate to friends" type of deals
Alicja
“Hopefully thats the last we’d seen of Mafai” yeah right
extraintelligence
Good to hear about the obur breeds, looking forward to that. And if you won't go into the technical details, would you mind if I do, if I try to write or draw anything about them? I'll make assumptions about what they have, for instance assuming the SC have upgraded to ballistic railguns for their infantry (not more powerful than chemical ballistics, just easier handling and better performing).
Space Paladin
It would be cool lol
Space Paladin
There are obor breeds, Gress talks about a few of them in his upcoming series! I generally don’t go too hard into technical specifics, and yeah, there’s not a lot going on in between Taylor’s ears!
Michael Halpern
sure but even in staged sports there's actually people doing it, its just either with modified props/equipment or with cooperative "opponents" or both
Space Paladin
I’d be completely open to writing stuff like this down the line, a Krev exchange fic would be a great avenue for this…and I already had an idea rolling around
Space Paladin
Taylor is certainly…Taylor 💀
extraintelligence
In all fairness, staged baseball games where they just did silly or flashy stunts really were a thing, especially in the 1990s.
Michael Halpern
possibly more like WWE.
Mr. Walker
Wait . . . They thought baseball was just SFX?
Mr. Walker
He seems to be a "big feeler." All of his emotions are really intense.
OrangeSpaceProgram
As much as I love Taylor I cannot help to be angry at him every time he does this pendulum of opinion. This is like the third go around and he still immediately goes straight to the most extreme emotional reaction. There is no build up or checking of the information, just boom, angry human. I’m happy that he’s made up with Gress, but I can’t help but feel like this whole situation could have been easily avoided.
extraintelligence
Pulsed Energy Projectile. It fires rapidly pulsed beams of EM radiation (I want to say millimeter wave, but don't quote me on that). These pulses superheat a few layers of atoms off the first solid thing they hit, causing it to spontaneously evaporate into plasma. The plasma wave rapidly expands, creating a pulse of light and sound not unlike a flash bang, as well as an electromagnetic pulse that can affect electronics and nervous systems. At low intensities, it creates a stinging sensation on the skin and at best singes clothing, while at higher intensities, it can cut holes through armor with continuous fire, cause temporary or permanent paralysis, and, of course, kill.
DemonVee
She has no reason to believe it other than the words of the person she blames and two people she met today. For her the story is that there were 10 hostages and that the Krev picked the politicians over the kids without even skipping a beat.
DemonVee
What are PEPs?
Michael Halpern
its exactly what I sounds like, a sniper rifle that fires explosive shells
Michael Halpern
the bigger issue was cost and reliability with the 20mm grenades
NWOIT_93
I'd love to see more slice-of-life interaction between humanity and the consortium. What do different species think when they watch different genres of movies? What would a Resket have to say about their first time trying a well-made Terran meal? What happens when Humans join in on consortium games? Are there any novel ideas that spread like wildfire (like Jazz with its unique harmonies and improvisation, or games with a social element like Poker)? It would be fun just to see what the experience is like for the average citizen of either group
extraintelligence
I have a few things to say about this one. First, a suggestion: "incendiary" refers to a weapon's use of or ability to generate fire (for instance, flamethrowers, phosphorus tipped bullets, and thermite are all incendiary). As far as I know, incendiary fragmentation grenades have never been used. The adjective for describing something that explodes is "detonating." I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get to learn what kind of energy weapons these guys have. Lasers? PEPs? Plasma railguns, like miniaturized versions of the ship weapons? It would have been nice to know. If you're just not sure about which one you want to go with, I'd be happy to provide descriptions of each type of DEW I know of, how it works, and what it would look and sound like. As far as Gress and Trench making up, I think that's a bad decision on Gress' part. Trench is just a bad friend; his empathy is purely affective/emotional, with no meaningful cognizance or compassion. For instance, in the encounter between Gress and Quana, he became angry because they both became angry (affective empathy), but he didn't really consider why they were angry (cognition) or try to help them sort their anger (compassion). This is without even mentioning his impulsiveness, selfishness, unchecked aggression, etc. I have to assume Trench was entirely abandoned as an orphan on the Ark given how profoundly emotionally stunted he is, which is really weird given that (I thought) the selection parameters were very strict, and I figured they would avoid having children with no guardians of any kind. Finally, slightly off-topic, but are there other breeds of obur? I'd love to see a guard/attack obur that resembles a 50 kg baboon, a work/service obur with some quality that makes it better suited to a specific task, or a companion breed that's bred purely for temperament and cosmetics (I'm assuming Juvre is either a service or companion obur.)
John Krause
Well the us had grenade aks that could pierce walls and select a specific detonation distance say as soon as it gets to the far aude if the wall etc except they recalled them later because they realized it was a war crime(they counted as exploding bullets rather than grenades)
extraintelligence
No. Literally everything that he's done has either been a total screw-up or will obviously lead to an inevitable screw-up. I think what we don't realize yet is that Taylor's view is supposed to be a "villain perspective" segment. I would commend SP15 on this if it's so, if not for the fact that it requires every other human from the Ark to also be an idiot, since I can see no way how they wouldn't know that he (and in extension, Hathaway) are the source of most of their problems. I stand by my statement that if the Ark humans had a whole spine among them, they should have dragged Hathaway into the street and shot him.
GeneralLDS
“maybe we could explode them with our minds”
Raymond Crespo
My sincerest apologies compatriot for I do not know of the nature of that which you speak about pray tell of this so called “grenade sniper”
EliasArt2Life
@PhycoKrusk Narcissists lack empathy which Taylor has. Sociopaths have trouble empathizing with others (based on the degree of sociopathy). Taylor shows incredible empathy for Gress, considering that Gress’ crying cooled off Taylor’s rage. Sorry for the unnecessary correction, but misdiagnosing/labeling people with mental conditions (especially narcissism, psychopathy, or sociopathy) is a major pet peeve of mine; I find that it’s often used as an easy excuse to avoid understanding or empathizing with people. Besides that, it dads to the stigma that a lot of those conditions face.
EliasArt2Life
The fact that this is allowed… Red Flag. Again. Sigh… I’m just going to chalk it up to narrative convenience. Well, I’m going to HOPE it’s narrative convenience.
EliasArt2Life
There’s that one chapter where he took off his mask to Gress. Granted, he was antagonistic before that, but I’ll give him a little leeway with that.
EliasArt2Life
He’s a grown man who lost his home planet and parents when he was a young kid. I’d guess he never learned proper emotional regulation and social skills. He learned enough to fake it, but the more you get to know him, the more it becomes clear that he’s intensely underdeveloped in a lot of area. I pity him, and hope he gets help/grows, but his actions are rubbing me the wrong way.
EliasArt2Life
I hate to say it, but I’m honestly disliking Taylor more and more with every chapter. He’s got one character trait that I can’t stand, and it’s gone on long enough to run out my “benefit of the doubt timer”. That character trait is, Taylor just latches onto whatever opinion he hears and feels sounds the most agreeable to him. He has no REAL conviction to any of his opinions; he’ll stand by them to the death, until another one comes along and explains how his previous one was wrong. This isn’t just rapidly adapting, like we’ve seen before; this is flip-flopping every chance he gets. Characters like Taylor typically either grow or get tossed away in stories, because they’re useless to all sides (good or bad), when their loyalty can be flipped by a persuasive talk. In the real world, you never rely on people like that, either. Luckily, there is some hope for Taylor; if he learns how to reconcile opposing viewpoints and form stable opinions, even if just a little. Even more luckily, there’s a good opportunity for that coming up, because there’s one more flaw Taylor has; he not only grapples onto whatever persuasive argument someone says, he also believes that everyone else works that way, which is why he’s going to explain what Gress said to Quana. I do not think the Jaslip will be receptive to that story, and Taylor will have to find a way to mediate between them, hopefully learning how to do that with his own opinions in the process. (Or he’ll just turn on Quana for not dropping her long standing beliefs about Gress on Gress’ say so.)
Roscuro
He's very mentally ill. Ptsd confirmed if not more.
PhycoKrusk
I mean, he was always impulsive, but having a thousand tons of rocks fall on him probably didn't help.
Michael Halpern
Hmm their standards for grenade launchers would probably be mostly lower velocity, like what we'd use for UGLs rather than the high velocity rounds used for MGLs and AGLs, or the super high velocity rounds in things like China's grenade sniper..
pogman
brain damage headcanon
Yannis Morris
Taylor I don't know how to tell you this but sometimes people aren't lying, they're just wrong
Space Paladin
Taylor’s brain is just ping pong 🧠
TheBlack2007
Calling it right now: Taylor will become the Slanek of this story.
Michael Halpern
don't forget boomerangs,/throwing sticks
T___
Isn't that about the environment? Species living in trees or ground in the jungle wouldn't get much out of an atlatl because of distance being a problem ... Due to all the trees. Other than the atlatl there were slings, blowpipes, bow and arrows which development was inevitable, evidence of it dating back to 64,000 Years Ago in South Africa! China had The Chinese repeating crossbow known as Chu-Ko-Nu that dates back to the 4th century B.C. It could fire up to ten steel bolts in only 15 seconds. the Huo Long Cui Shui was the earliest form of multistage rockets and ballistic cruise missiles during the Ming dynasty in China! It would automatically ignite fuses of arrow rockets hidden inside the rear of the main rocket, which would shoot out of its mouth propelled by gunpowder. At aound 1320 B.C. the Hittites released infected rams and donkeys along a trade route used by their enemies, who brought the strays back to their villages. Only, along with the animals came tularemia that is considered a serious biohazard even today. So even with humans it wasn't just atlatl everywhere.
Gumcel
“There was no way that Gress and Quana could have such disparate stories about the same event; the Jaslip had no reason to lie, while this guy had every reason to.” Oh my god Taylor shut the fuck up lmao. Has there been a single chapter where Taylor hasn’t said or done something stupid?
Kevin Quintana
Sounds like it wasn't even that, they told him they had 5 hostages and showed the camera they had 10. He gets the 5 he knows about released and they killed the other 5 to paint his side as monsters who care more for aristocrats than kids. He didn't call a bluff, he just fell into a trap.
Jay Scott Raymond
Did Taylor get brain damage in the mine incident or was he always this impulsive?
arthur D. gonzalez-martin
Can't wait to see the un break the cages with there own moons
arthur D. gonzalez-martin
Well shooting at standard range, they haven't see the humans at long range yet
Quiidek
I can only hope Gress and Quana make peace with one another. 🙏
Mr Mopp
So basically, he thought they were bluffing and tried to call it.
extraintelligence
The baseball grenade you're referring to was called the T-13 "Beano," and it was only an experimental weapon. it was a contact grenade designed by the OSS with the idea that it would be safer than a regular contact grenade, since it could be pitched instead of lobbed. Experimentation determined that it didn't significantly affect safety of operation and was still too prone to early detonation. The Mk. 2 "Pineapple" grenade remained the US' mainstay throughout WWII and the beginning of Korea, followed by the M26/M61 "Lemon" for late Korea and Vietnam, and finally the M33/M67 "Baseball" in small quantities for Vietnam, and is now the standard US grenade. Despite it's name, it's slightly smaller than a baseball, and nearly three times the weight.
Wholesome Redditter
Taylor keep switching sides every time he gets new information, huh relatable
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
I mean, as you can see they all eventually developed ranged weapons of their own. And as you can notice not only did Quana catch that helmet toss (which is a very conspicuous thing to write) but also remember that they started developing a doctrine with grenades after the jaslip started using them. While humans might be plenty accurate with throws doesn't mean the other species didn't develop ranged weapons or even thrown weapons of their own.
Michael Halpern
also put warp engines on rocks and aimed them at the exterminator fleet.
Michael Halpern
no a missile is a stick, our other natural weapon, the first "fire arm" was the fire lance, which was a stick with a (originally bamboo but later iron) tube on it with one open end and a fuse hole poking through it, you'd stick the fuse in, pack in black powder, some form of wad, your shot (gravel most likely) some more wad, light it with a burning cord or something similar, and point it at the enemy and wait.
Wesley Rigg
An atlatl is a range/power enhancer, it is useless to any being who lacks an in built ballistic calculator to aim it.
Michael Halpern
they probably are, but short distances without much power, smaller primates and other arboreal mammals that do throw things mostly do so to deter predators, by being a bother, and for those that aren't primates, its usually more "power dropping" than throwing, however when our ancestors began hunting rather than just scavenging or going after insects, this ability evolved along with our thermo regulation to be far more potent. being arboreal requires the more powerful front/upper limbs needed for throwing projectiles which is why most primates can throw stuff- but as near obligate omnivores without effective fangs or claws and a pretty modest top speed (though insane endurance) that ability compensated for what we lacked in built in weaponry.
PhycoKrusk
We threw a Moon at the Farsul. When you get down to it, that's just a really, really, really big rock. Heck, even a guided missile is technically just a bunch of dumb rocks and some smart rocks held together by sticky rocks on top of an angry rock. It's rocks all the way down!
PhycoKrusk
The Sivkits are _gone._ As soon as the Archive data was dropped to everyone, they bounced. Nobody has seen or even heard from them for over 20 years since they left their "homeworld" and colonies behind. Honestly, that might actually be worse. The Consortium shows up where the Sivkits were and it's empty. Settlements, towns, and even cities just abandoned. "Think the Arxur got them?" "With everything still standing like this and nobody new moved in? If we're _lucky,_ the Arxur got them."
PhycoKrusk
@Elliott He's a sanctimonious narcissist. He sided with Quana immediately because, in his mind, it's always virtuous to side with the "oppressed," regardless of who, what, or why, for the sole reason that virtues are virtuous, because they are virtues, and that's what makes them virtuous. He's standing by Gress again because, "Hey, that's just like what happened to me!" Even though it really isn't. You know, I take it back: Taylor Trench isn't a narcissist. He's a sociopath.
PhycoKrusk
More likely she won't believe the story, because there's no way her people would do that. Because, at the end of the day, she had family members in the resistance, and when she thinks of others who upset the Consortium government, regardless of how extreme their rhetoric might be, that's the template she's going to drop on them because that's the way that most empathetic sapients think of their own people. Even misanthropes aren't immune to this; we're just more likely to assume that what we're being told is a lie in the first place, regardless of who's telling us. kiss
Dragon Writer Luc
Kinda surprising the obors aren't known for throwing things.
Cartoon dinosaur
... archer fish hunt by using water as a projectile... Have none of these species ever invented a atlatl? Space paladin I mean, each species would have to design a unique one for each of their anatomy, but fighting at a distance is such a huge advantage that as soon a sapient species evolves they would try to do that. Here is an example of a atatl for a raptor like sophet dinosaur for example. https://www.deviantart.com/rodrigo-vega/art/Dinosauroid-martial-arts-121132071
Elliott
I actually like us getting the 'Grenadier' or projectile specialist role because, despite what many HFY people will claim, we probably wouldn't be the best at most things especially combat. The Resket, from what it sounds like have us majorly beat in hand-to-hand and matched on shooting for the most part. Our niche can't be LotR Elves where we're just 'better' in every way when even by our own standards on Earth we aren't all that. I'm thinking back to the first NoP when that one gunner saved Sovlin and Friends' ship by eye-balling an incoming projectile. Put us on projectile duty and we'll be a critical asset for Consortium warships when the war breaks out against the Federation (Sapient Coalition). Which by the sound of things is going to happen soon and by my speculation will be against Yotul-dominated space. Which would allow the conflict to not only go on for longer but also expand and have them leave or fracture the SC due to their belief Humans were behind it. And BOOM, new Yotul SC w/ Arxur vs. Human SC w/ half of Irvana vs. Consortium w/ Humanity. All out clusterfuck.
Elliott
How do you get in the headspace to write someone like this?
Stueymon
He's not the best representative for humanity but I reserve judgement considering he's an Ark kid, he was rushed away from earth as a child. Probably suffers huge PTSD and a massive lack of emotional development. I mean, if I thought humanity was on the precipice of extinction and someone offered you a hand, I wouldn't care if that hand was sticky from the orgy of Satan, Hitler and Wynne Evans
Elliott
He is like my polar opposite, I cannot even put myself in his shoes, he's like a super emotional child. He believes everything as soon as he's told, he never reserves judgement or seeks the truth. He's always got a radical emotional state going from "We're best friends!" to "I HATE YOU!" He's actually the worst representative for humanity because no normal human is like this at all.
Michael Halpern
fun fact, regulation Sports javelins are designed to limit the distance that they can be thrown, changes made after someone threw one dangerously far. Also grenades are one of the first gunpowder weapons ever used.
Elliott
With the way things are, the Yotul being the other most powerful faction in the SC besides Humans, they might show up instead. And going off that, Yotul see Humans fighting with this new invasion force might be seen as an inside job to weaken them, using a separate power to scheme against them–then Yotul might pull out their trap card: The Arxur and Bissem.
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
If only the real military was like you were saying...
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
None, I bet. I don't think they'll get try to attack anyone before their internal situation boils over
Spencer M.
Maybe he can throw a rock and have it hit one after bouncing off another.
Wingit98
Unfortunately I know enough people like that irl that I can't even be mad
Michael Halpern
meet the natural weapon of many primates and a few other arboreal groups (squirrels for example) throwing things, we started with sticks and rocks, but a hand grenade is just an explosive rock
Space Paladin
Taylor is consistently inconsistent 💀
Sobek
He is way too impressionable and easy to sway. He is a disaster waiting to happen.
Michael Halpern
actually both stick grenades and stickless grenades were prevalent in both world wars, often using the same explosive charge about 40mm wide the difference was mostly ease of carry vs distance, the presence of grenade launchers, first in the form of a muzzle device on a blank firing rifle was what ended the stick grenade, the US just never bothered making stick grenades in ww2 and went for a grenade design that had built in fragmentation rather than one that was primarily concussion with an optional frag sleeve, largely for ease of production and training, but also because converting rifles into grenade launchers was easy enough. Add to that because a "ball" grenade takes up significantly less space and weight a soldier can carry them and a lot more other stuff, so they didn't need to be a designated grenadier to have them.
James
Ya, I think a lot of former feds are going to be attacked at once and humans will show up to protect then and the consortium is gonna be confused.
Melez
He could work at IHOP with how much he flip-flops
Mildrey
Sivkits, they are nearest to consortium
Quenten
Definitely the Sivkits. And no way they're going to be able to defend themselves.
Byron Ritchie
Well at least gress and Taylor made up and he (gress) explained his actions Also it looks like conflict between the consortium and the SC seems inevitable if unintentional
Conner Deese
Taylor is an unstable idiot he doesn't need to be anywhere near the military let alone combat. He needs to be discharged before he gets more people killed
pogman
Nah, who gonna fight for tiny Humanity if not unstable people?
Mark Baculna
Uhmmm did everyone miss the part that theyre gonna hit back at the feds? Whose planet gonna be first to be bombed?
Dragon Writer Luc
Fun fact: In WWI, grenades were on sticks because it was easier to throw them further. For WWII, the Americans modified them to be as close to baseballs as possible—in shape, size and even weight—so that they would be more familiar for American soldiers.
Youre a swedekisser arent you
@Jonathan Cardoso Mota True, but she might doubt just how much of the Jaslip cause is or isn't done by extremists, including the parts which she does believe in.
Mark Baculna
Loool
Mark Baculna
I was first
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
The thing is that Quana already had mentioned she didn't agree with the extremists to begin with.
Stueymon
I'm just gonna say I called it that Taylor needed to listen to both sides of the story before making a snap judgement. Taylor really needs to start looking before he leaps
Youre a swedekisser arent you
Man. Just, man. To call those Jaslip terrorists fanatics would be putting it lightly. I imagine Quana is gonna start to doubt the cause once she hears that, assuming she believes it. Also nice of Taylor to show off humanity's inherent ability to YEET objects. Now he just needs to throw a rock at Mafani to truly demonstrate how humans win against birds.
Wingit98
Man, the streak continues of Taylor blowing everything out of proportion, hearing some new info, instantly believing it completely and changing his stance entirely lol
DefaultyTurtle
I think everyone we’ve seen in both books need therapists
HiMyNameIsFelipe
Taylor you are a dumbass. At least you were willing to listen
Edmund Lam
Taylor is an immature idiot. Thanks SP for writing this, especially now, with similar situations to what Gress experienced being playing out in the world.
The Moist Crusader
Neither of these two should be in the military because of PTSD, but especially not Gress if he's triggered by the sight of that entire enclave of Jaslips. They need HELP, not to join the army
AFoxGuy
Goaddamn Gress needs a therapist.
Bas Donders
I'm going to share with you one of the greatest youtube videos of all time on the subject of humanity's mastery of projectile physics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MelvH3EMGR0
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