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The Nature of Predators - Gojid Refugee (1/9)
🕑 Added 2024-02-10 12:00:06 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Talpin, Gojid Citizen
Date [standardized human time]: September 21, 2136
They didn’t know I could lipread.
Granted, it was a skill that I’d only refined as I got closer to adulthood. My lipreading wasn’t a perfect system, of course, but it didn’t have to be. Certain shapes corresponded to certain words in the Gojid tongue, which could grant me insight into what people were saying with moderate accuracy, as long as I focused on their lip movements. It was how Berna, my sister, relayed information to me, often exaggerating her mouth’s shape to convey the words. That precluded me from visual eavesdropping on alien races, who had their own languages which I couldn’t discern. Still, I could guess what they were saying, believing I was oblivious, just by knowing what my species thought of me.
Blessed Fields was a small village which, in its founding, was created to honor the memory of the Great Protector. The symbolic claws, carved out of stone by a religious artist, still hung over the fields and formed the city gates. This township was firmly rooted in a history of traditions, the proud legacy of following in the footsteps of others and preserving the cradle’s prey-ordained beauty. Most families had been here for generations, and passed down their knowledge to each successor in their lineage. That also meant that everyone knew everyone else, and while that might’ve led to most residents feeling like a collective herd, it made me a clear outsider. My situation—my deafness—was the focus of much gossip, for a variety of reasons. My father was the town’s plant musician, as part of the ancient Gojid belief that crops bloomed better with tunes gracing their leaves; he excelled at playing the clawpad, the whistlereed, and the Protector’s Harp.
There were obvious reasons I couldn’t take up that profession, as was our familial tradition. Whenever others delighted in music’s beauty, or marveled at my father’s talents, I felt left out. I witnessed the pitying remarks of the townsfolk, lamenting that my dad had a son that couldn’t carry on his legacy. Shit, his kid couldn’t even go to school to get a proper education, since he wouldn’t hear the lessons; after not being taught by the herd, it was possible he had predator disease. I guessed some thought my brain didn’t work at all, along with my ears, given how they spoke like Berna was stuck coddling an imbecile. She deserved a “real sibling”, they said, but instead was saddled with a liability. Then, there were the sympathetic comments like I was receiving now at the fruit market, talking like my life was miserable.
“Can you imagine living like that? It’s hardly a life at all,” Salcic, the store clerk, commented to a coworker, as he bagged the citrus fruits I’d been craving. “Talpin can never…talk to people. Can’t hear birdsong…or predators coming up right behind him, snarling! It must be so lonely, soulless, and terrifying.”
The coworker studied me, as I watched in mute silence. “It’s a sad story. I feel sorry for his parents, having to raise a child that can never be a full Gojid.”
“I can’t imagine the strain it puts on his whole family, Kittia. It’s sick irony, a musician’s child born deaf. Talpin will never even know how much of life he’s missing. Hell, he doesn’t have a clue what we’re saying now.”
As a matter of fact, I do. I hate how people act like I’m not even here. They look right through me…and the patronizing looks, when I write down what I want to say on paper. I wish someone would treat me normal.
Kittia passed me the bag, hardly able to look at me as I scanned my credit strip. “On the bright side, hopefully he doesn’t have a clue what anyone’s saying…about those nasty predators, on their way as we speak. Coming to take us all as cattle, and already having…dissected our space outposts. It could be worse than an Arxur raid.”
“If I was Berna, I’d take Talpin, and use him as bait for the humans in case she needs to get away. I know it sounds harsh, but it’s not like he can escape from a sapient predator. His weakness makes him the kind of prey they’d target by their nature,” Salcic commented.
“The humans wouldn’t guess he’s deaf in the first place to target him. Predators cull such weakness. It’s not like they’re capable of empathy, or caring for each other.”
“Maybe we should let them know about his condition, since it’ll take their attention off of us. The weakest member of the herd could slow them down. They’d have to stop to eat their morsel…perhaps even fight over the honor. In many ways, they’d be doing him and his family a favor. Who would want to live like that—with that?”
“I sure wouldn’t. We all know who contributes the least to the herd in this town, so if someone has to be eaten, then it’s best for everyone if it’s Talpin. Still, I don’t want to outright pass him off to the predators; that’s cold. You know what they’ll do to him, Salcic.”
“Yeah, yeah. I was being hypothetical; I’m not a monster, like them. I just wouldn’t risk other Gojid lives for him, if it comes down to it. He’ll slow any valuable individuals down. Leave him to his own devices, and he won’t last a day!”
Fury bubbled in my chest, along with a healthy dose of fear. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the receipt, scribbling words out in rough script. “Is this what you call empathy? Leaving me to be eaten by the predators?”
I slapped it down in front of the two, noticing Salcic and Kittia go slack-jawed as they read what I wrote. It wasn’t often that I tipped off that I knew what they were saying, but it just wore on me: nobody had anything positive to say about me, or how I managed in spite of my disability. Despite what these two store employees might think of my faculties, I was more than capable of reading the news articles on the internet. My eyes were more than capable of looking at the bone-chilling images of those human flesh-beasts. Imagining them on the cradle, ravaging through Blessed Fields, as I was deafened to the screams of Gojids ripped apart alive…that was something I could picture. It was wrong that I’d be a weakness for my family to tote around.
What if I get Berna, or my parents killed, because I can’t hear something at the wrong moment? What if the humans do figure out there’s a prey adolescent who can’t hear them coming, and make it their cruel pastime to toy with me? Their bloodlust will be tickled by my singular weakness! I’m a mockery, even to my own people.
“Talpin, you can tell what we’re saying? I’m sorry…I didn’t think you would know the difference,” Salcic sighed. “We didn’t mean it, of course, we’re just frightened…of being hunted by these things.”
I waved my claws at him in a hostile gesture, stomping off with my bag in tow. The town greenhouse stood between me and a return to our home, where I could break down sobbing and nobody would see enough to critique my mental state. Farmers from multiple families tended the plants in the massive greenhouse, which took up several blocks, and I often found myself thinking they were more fond of the vegetables than of me. What the store clerks said about me not being a full Gojid…it was something I was plenty aware of. I wasn’t sure what our family was going to do if the hideous new predators made it through to the cradle. However, perhaps I should set off on my own, to avoid burdening them or getting them killed while we were being hunted.
Tears welled in my eyes, as I hurried back toward our home; I couldn’t remember passing the greenhouse, or turning right down the dirty path. Berna was out on the porch, playing the whistlereed, as my father listened with pride. Pride that I would never see on his face, at least not directed toward me. Maybe I shouldn’t have let my lack of hearing be a hindrance. I could’ve learned the intensity to blow into the whistlereed, along with the feel of air and where to press my claws, which elicited contentment from them. Even if I couldn’t enjoy it, I should’ve asked them to let me try. Being able to do that might’ve quelled some of the townsfolk’s gossip over me being a disappointment, or their misconception that I was a dysfunctional Gojid.
Berna lowered the whistlereed, hurrying over to me. “Tal. What’s wrong? Was someone rude to you, or…”
I passed her the groceries, before walking over to the whiteboard pinned on the outer wall to write. “I’ll get you killed, or make you a target, when the humans raid us. I don’t want to be the reason you get eaten, or singled out for your weakness. I’m enough of a burden.”
“You’re not a burden.” My sister shook my shoulders, trying to emphasize her words. “We won’t let anyone hurt you. I love you, Tal, and I’m going to protect you from these savage monsters.”
“You can’t. And you shouldn’t have to.”
“Whatever any Gojid that doesn’t know you says, I’m your family, and I like having you here. Let’s not go panicking. These humans are primitive brutes, and we have some of the best defenses to stop a raid, ever since Sovlin’s Stand. Anti-air defenses to shoot down their ships, if they try to land. Fortified bases outside the cities. Exterminator squads deeper in, ready to burn those scum if they somehow get inside. It’s not like the humans can surprise us. They won’t get to you.”
The board was getting cluttered. I erased the previous words, feeling tears continue to drip down my cheeks. “And if they do?”
“They won’t.” My father moved in beside Berna, speaking slowly for my sake. “We’re the ones the Federation calls in to defend other people. Besides, we’re excellent at keeping predators away—just like we learned from the Great Protector. We have Her blessing against these filthy, cursed beasts; this is a sacred village. We’ll hunker down in our homes, and trust in Her.”
“But what if the Protector doesn’t keep them away? What if they get in? You didn’t answer my question.”
Berna pressed a paw to my shoulders. “Then, knowing what atrocities those monsters are capable of, w-we’re all doomed. They’ll wipe us out, like they’ve done to their own kind, or take us captive as belongings…like they’ve also done to their own kind, who weren’t prey. Humans are cruel and evil beings. With or without you, Talpin, we’d be as good as dead at that point.”
“I don’t want to give up. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“We’ll get through this, Tal. Pa’s right; I have confidence in our defenses to hold up, just like they do against the Arxur. If it comes to that, we’ll hide together. Thanks to you, we have the food to stay indoors for a while. Hunkering down is the best option, unless we have to make a run for it. Protector knows, Gojids can’t outrun any predators.”
“You don’t have to outrun them. You just have to outrun me.” I struggled to fit the last words on the bottom of the board, and furiously erased once she’d read it. “You know it’s true.”
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s not supposed to be.”
My father clapped a paw on my shoulder. “Why don’t we try to think positive thoughts, and pray to the Protector? Let us have faith, and continue on as if we know She is going to keep us from harm. Whether they’re sapient or not, She is more powerful. She is capable.”
I flicked my claws in agreement, not wanting to agitate my old man. Secretly, I wasn’t very confident in the Great Protector’s abilities, after she’d allowed Arxur to storm through neighborhoods and eat people on the cradle not too long ago; it was the renowned Captain Sovlin who put a stop to that, not our deity. Besides, I didn’t exactly feel blessed, given my lacking of hearing; my father couldn’t see this village as anointed, when he’d sired a deficient child like me. Berna was a worthier successor in every way—not that I envied her for it. I was sorry to hold her back, and to make her the object of everyone’s gossip alongside me. She’d be too hurt by losing me, but if it came down to saving her life or leaving her stuck with me, I’d make that decision for her.
Their plan is just to hunker down anyway. I’d scout out hiding spots in the house for us, and try to help, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. Predators can smell us—the incentivizing aroma of our blood—from miles away. Best to stay inside and pray, like my father says.
I decided that it would be best to leave Berna and my father to enjoy their music sessions—something I couldn’t partake in, and could only interfere with—and ambled inside to the living room. My claws switched on the television set, in the hopes that some of the moving images would give me a visual update on how close the raiding fleet was. Instead, I saw more images from that Terran ambassador’s speech, with a Venlil standing alongside of it. It seemed that the feeble species had just surrendered to those demons, and were going along with whatever deceitfulness they asked for; no prey lifeform would ever trust something with those features. Maybe Gojids should submit to these creatures, and spare ourselves the visceral horror of their cattle squads roaming about, murdering citizens indiscriminately.
Or perhaps, since the Venlil hadn’t even tried to fend them off, we’d be able to pull off another miracle. Heroes like Captain Sovlin were still out there, willing to risk everything against abominations to protect the cradle. Berna’s thoughts about trusting our defenses…that was best thing I could do, rather than dwell in anxiety about becoming coveted prey for the humans. If the Terrans didn’t get through our walls, then I wasn’t a problem. Blessed Fields could go on as normal, without any predators defiling our lands, and I could go back to my primary existence as a social pariah. Between getting ripped from limb to limb, or hearing Gojids talk about me like my life had zero value, I wasn’t sure which was the slower, crueler death. What the clerks said at the store about me being bait wouldn’t leave my head.
I jotted down notes to myself as a grounding tool, worried that panic would interfere in the moment. “Act as bait if predators come into the house. Get them to chase you. Don’t let your fear win, until you need to run from them.”
I affixed it to the back of my holopad, and sucked in a deep breath. There wasn’t much to do but wait until the humans arrived at the cradle, and do everything in my power to prevent my family from getting killed because of me. I wasn’t going to be the reason people pitied my relatives, should the invasion reach our village. Berna wasn’t going to go down protecting me, or trying to compensate for my deficiencies. I’d be a hero, just like the selfless Sovlin…and maybe that would finally change how Gojids talked about me. I could be remembered as more than the deaf kid who’d never be a full sapient.
A/N - A new miniseries, going back in time to the start of the NOP1 era! We see the first canon look at what the cradle was like, before its destruction, and also catch a glimpse at life for the disabled. Talpin is the subject of gossip, pity, and disparaging remarks, as the plant musician's son who can't continue the family trade; Berna tries to reassure him, after the townsfolk suggest that he's a liability and that humans will eat him first. What will our narrator think after the Gojid defenses don't hold up? Will his family be able to survive what comes next?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
autotheftgrand
If you're going to talk about somebody behind their back, don't. Do it from farther away than that.
Wesley Rigg
Even if it doesn't provide new lore it can still be fun. I don't know about you, but fun is what I'm paying for here.
Bri
Excited to see how they ended up in NY!
Michael Morse
I need a name for that fic
Yannis Morris
@Edward Ward I gotcha
Mr Mopp
I don’t care if this goes back in time, we’re getting a deeper look at another character.
Edward ward
I think you might have missed my point. What I was saying is that Talpin and his sister likely learnt ASL because of who the UN brought in. You even point out that the translator can't work on sign. Tiping this I just realised that you probably think that I meant a translator machine. What I actually ment was that the UN hired a person that can hear and speak audibly as well as knowing at least one sign language. This person's job would be teaching Talpin and his family a sign language (likely ASL because they were in NY) as well as telling him (in sign) what people are saying to him. The moment I point to on skalga is when Sovlin says to "ask the humans why they are being so nice I don't get it either" Talpin looks to a human that starts signing to him. This is the translator I was talking about. Sovlin turns to Sam and asks her "you know language for the deaf. What are they saying?" And she tells him. My issue is that she (knowing Auslan) shouldn't know ASL. And to just assume that she does is a big ask because for one Auslan and ASL have different grammar rules. It's like assuming that someone that can read English can read French just because their alphabets share some letters.
TheBlack2007
At the very least it provides further world building for the hundreds of hobby-authors out there using this universe for their own stories. And sure, while it certainly doesn't take a genius to see where this story is going I'm still exited for how it will pan out and where Talpin will be by the time NOP2 begins.
RaptorRed
moar please and thank you.
John
“Savages Savages! Drive them from our galaxy!”
Vladi Vladi
I mean, I honestly see this story as pretty pointless if it doesn’t primarily continue from the last time we see Telpin in the main story. I’m fine with like 2 or even 1 chapter in ‘48-‘50. But I don’t really see the point in telling a story we can already guess, the prologue, when we can see how his life changes after he starts learning sign language or getting an implant.
TheBlack2007
This "predator"'s honest thoughts upon reading she sheer vileness of the gossip spread about Talpin based solely on a disability: "Savages! Savages! Barely even sapient!" Just goes to show how brainwashed this society is on all its levels. The main thing setting them apart from supposedly uncivilized "predators" is their capability to feel empathy whilst they themselves choose to withold it from anyone not fitting into the "herd" - it's sickening!
Alekss Žukovskis
source
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
One of the other gojid involved in Talpin's scenes with Sovlin
Yannis Morris
Nope. If it takes sign language at all (which we know it doesn’t because of that very same chapter) it would take Auslan as easily as ASL as easily as any verbal language. (It’s got a s**ton of verbal human languages)
Edward ward
Something that bugged me in the mane story around Talpin was the sign language over-site. Sam and her family are from Melbourne. So, they would learn Auslan. And IIRC Talpin and the refugees landed in New Youk. Meaning it’s more likely than not that the sign language teacher/translator that the UN brought in “spoke” ASL instead of Auslan. Meaning that Sam shod not have been able to read what they “said” on Skalga. So, I’m hoping that gets cleared up here.
Edward ward
who is Rumi?
Willie
Oh this guy is one of my favorites!
Greg Gougeon
Even though I know exactly what happens on cradle. It's really tense reading this I love it.
ColdBlooded Network
Usually I don't like The side series as much. But this one seems really interesting and i'm very excited about it.
PhycoKrusk
I had an eye on the Federation as having fascist elements - specifically that the state, or in this case, the herd is the source of all morality all therefore anything that the herd does is inherently moral no matter how horrible - but honestly, I think it being childlike actually fits better into what we see from them. I know this possibility has been mentioned elsewhere, but this is what made it really click for me.
Roscuro
Glad to see more of the boy. Felt like we didn't get enough of him in the main series.
BoxBoy
Woo, more gojid content! Love to finally get a look at the cradle pre-raid, and even a call back to Talpin. Very interested in what their perspective of everything'll be, especially when he learns of sign language and other ways to communicate with the deaf.
EliasArt2Life
My understanding is that it IS a brain implant. What I believe it does is trigger the “dictionary” part of the brain. Essentially, when you hear someone refer to a cherry, your mind triggers the neural pathway that corresponds to what “cherry” means to you (a small red berry, with a sweet taste, subtle tang, and stem). If you were to hear the word “cereza”, the Spanish word for cherry, you hear “cereza”, translate it to “cherry”, and THEN your mind defines what “cherry” means. It’s only after years of using a language that the definitions become natural, and you stop having to translate it. I think the translators bypass the translation entirely; you hear “cereza”, you have no idea what it means, but the translator triggers (a small red berry, with a sweet taste, subtle tang, and stem) in your mind. My guess is that these translators don’t work for deaf people because the translators only translate things that occur in the auditory center of the brain. Basically , you have to hear it and be able to make out the sounds for the implant to translate anything. Otherwise, it’s liable to send you signals when you don’t hear anything (which is a paranoia hazard if I ever heard of one). So it won’t work for Talpin because his brain never signals that he’s hearing anything.
Gumcel
As for the blatant hypocrisy with how empathic they think they vs how they act, the problem is obviously fed ideology, but more specifically: Federation ideology is inherently child like at its core, there are good groups that have good people who do good things, and there are bad groups that have bad people who do bad things. The Gojids are a good species, so whatever they deem an acceptable treatment of the disabled is good. Fed species never reflect on their behaviour in any meaningful way because they’re already inherently good, so why bother? Side note, I wonder if we’ll see Rumi? Dude showed up, got a name and was only relevant for like 2 or 3 chapters before never being seen again lol.
Tyler Ellis
Hope we get to see a bit more day to day life of a Cradle citizen! The peeps into how ordinary citizens act and alien culture are always great!
Gumcel
“I thought this during NOP1, but I REALLY hate how the Federation claimed that predators culled the weak and disabled, but they really have never been that much better. The mentally disabled are tortured to death in Predator Disease Facilities, and the physically disabled are pariahs. Talpin is allowed to live, but it’s clear that most people would be okay with removing him from the gene pool, or using him as a tool with no inherent value (arguably WORSE than just killing him), if they didn’t have to keep up the pretense of morality and empathy. They are a space age civilization and have apparently put ZERO effort into helping people with Talpin’s condition (or other conditions) live normal lives.” Because at its core federation ideology is simple and child like. There are good groups, that have good people who do good things, and bad groups that have bad people who do bad things. The Gojid are a good species, therefore whatever they deem to be an acceptable treatment of disabled is good. They never stop to reflect on their own behaviour because they’re already inherently good, so why bother?
Yannis Morris
@NextMan Shhhh
Gumcel
I feel like the odds of Beethoven being mentioned in this story are very high.
NextMan
That’s because of exhaled CO2. It’s not the sound or music directly. You could accomplish the same thing by breathing on them.
T___
"Even in the Middle Age we did better"? I haven't researched that yet, but I have the now, 2024. And it's sad and infuriating: In Ghana, physical disability is a spiritual sickness or curse. The treatment include chains, beating, starvation, and worse like putting burning powder to their ears, eyes, and mouth, and shackling the mentally ill to trees and depriving them of food. In India, many people believe disability is caused by bad karma as a result of wrongdoing in the disabled person's former or current life. Others view disabled persons with negative attitude and apathy. Teachers are often unwilling to accept students with disabilities. Disabled people might not have any property rights. In some areas of the countryside, children with physical disability are killed at birth. In urban areas, infanticide of disabled children is practiced. Conditions that are termed 'disabled' include also conditions like low vision, hard of hearing, dwarfism, chronic neurological conditions (Alzheimer's Parkinson's, MS, migraine, epilepsy, Tourette), specific learning disabilities, sickle cell disease, leprosy cured person, and acid attack victim. In South-Korea, even family members often think that the disability is detrimental to their social standing and try to hide the disabled person. USA and Japan, and Pakistan exexute people with mental or cognitive disability. Kanada just allowed the euthanasia of a person, who listed as his reason: hearing loss. The case is not unique. The Netherlands practices euthanasia of disabled babies. One doctor and the parents must agree on the diagnosis, prognosis and confirm unbearable suffering. This is not abortion of a child in the womb but living babies expected to live and breathe on their own. The practice of ritual killing and human sacrifice of disabled children (seen as "mercy killings to spare the children from enduring painful disabilities) have been reported from Nigeria, Uganda, Swaziland, Liberia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Mali. Disgustingly, it involves the practice of extracting body parts, blood or tissue from a living child.
Andrew Boivin
Then the humans came up with the neck one in the head?
BigSneppy
I’m hoping someone tells Talpin about Beethoven
T___
I think we all need to know where he ends up.
EliasArt2Life
@PhycoKrusk Technically, I would argue we don’t fall into herd OR pack creatures; our ancestors lived in communities closer to herds, but with some pack behavior, then that pack behavior developed as we became nomadic predators, but then we settled down and adopted more herd-like behaviors again. In other words, I think we are a combination of the two/somewhere in the middle. I wonder if there’s a word/term for that…
un_pogaz
I recently had this epiphany: In fact, Talpin's treatment is normal in a herd, because herds are selfish formations. Yes, it's a gathering of individuals to protect themselves from predators, but there's no attachment between individuals. No member of the herd will act to defend or help another member of the herd (with the exception of parents). Also, a herd doesn't defend itself against predators, it flees them until the weakest can no longer keep up, "abandoning" them to the predators to stop the hunt. There is never any real mutual aid between its members. The word "herd" that he uses and boasts about is not hypocritical: it perfectly matches the behavior of the individuals in the Federation. They really are herds, in all their selfishness. For me, "Herd" is now part of the list of words that will disappear under the Coalition, along with "Prey", "Predator" and "Predatory disease". A strongly pejorative words, with strong connotations of the distopian Federation tyranny.
Yannis Morris
Okay since we know of at least one human-made movie meant to be distributed to alien life: Do you think there was some guy who was like “Okay just plug me into your closed captions so I can install the translated dialogue” and then someone’s like “Plug it into the what?”?
sticksnstones
Aww, the sign language part is gonna be great
EliasArt2Life
@Yannis Morris He’s probably going to cry when a human, someone outside of his family who doesn’t have a genetic responsibility to do so, treats him like an actual person, and not like he’s “less than” a complete Gojid.
PhycoKrusk
@Elias Thank goodness the human herd has people (incidentally like me) who believe in survival through expansive knowledge and superior firepower: Figure out how to make the herd unattractive to predation, and if that is not possible, make the herd too dangerous for predation. Why sacrifice the elderly, the infirm, or the disabled if we don't have to? Let's face it: We're humans. Even if we have to sacrifice them, we're still going to put up a fight over it, and I hope it stays that way for a long time.
EliasArt2Life
That is why I feel the Federation has put zero effort into helping people with permanent physical disabilities. How much does it take to think, “we have a computer that can write things down, and an app to take notes, why don’t we use that to write down what we’re saying to the deaf kid? Apparently too much, because despite how they say that predators consider the disabled a waste and strain on the gene pool, their actions show that they think that way too. @PhycoKrusk Agreed 100%. The thing about herds is that the are (primarily) formed to create a large group so that if predators DO attack, each member has a decreased chance of dying. Survival through the misfortune of others.
PhycoKrusk
That's just it, and I think something that was not well understood (or understood at all) until very recently: The translator _doesn't_ hook into the brain at all. It's implanted into the ear, translates what it hears, and then repeats the translated speech back to you. It's basically a hearing aid with Google Translate built into it, which is why Talpin doesn't benefit from one: He might well have one (all Feddies get one), but since he can't hear anything, he naturally can't hear it either.
Amanda Chowning
Humans clearly already have this technology. So I feel this is less of a reflection of the Federation’s technological levels or a plot hole, and more of a reflection of how little they care about the disabled. Even if it’s a human speaking, it’s still coming in on a Federation TV and they probably simply never bothered to get CC.
Blake S
I wonder if we will get to see what happens to them after cilanys interview, as far as i can remeber they were ejected from his office and never brought up again. I assume thier okay since no one expresses any concern about them in later chapters.
EliasArt2Life
I just want to mention how powerful the first line is: “They didn’t know I could lipread.” That… immediately just hit hard. It is rare I find opening lines that summarize everything I’m about to read so effectively.
Yannis Morris
Do you think Talpin’s going to cry when a human says something like “The entire point of society is to support you”?
EliasArt2Life
I have a problem with your use of the SINGULAR tense in this comment. (Joking)
EliasArt2Life
Unfortunately, that is a common reaction to physical and mental disabilities even with humans today. And I’m not saying that anyone will outright say it, because only something like .3% actually would. I know that I’ve experienced that reaction to my autism. It’s not like they say anything; in fact if you asked, they’d probably say that’s not true at all, and I think they believe it, but their actions tell the real story. People will treat you in ways they wouldn’t treat other human beings. Sometimes they’ll just act like you don’t have feeling to hurt, or treat you like a simulated human. Simply put, there’s a reason that lots of inhuman characters (androids, robots, aliens, AI, etc) are coded based on mental disorders. Luckily, not everyone is this way, but it does weigh on you over time.
EliasArt2Life
I glad we get to see more from Talpin again. He was one of the minor characters I really wanted to know more about. I thought this during NOP1, but I REALLY hate how the Federation claimed that predators culled the weak and disabled, but they really have never been that much better. The mentally disabled are tortured to death in Predator Disease Facilities, and the physically disabled are pariahs. Talpin is allowed to live, but it’s clear that most people would be okay with removing him from the gene pool, or using him as a tool with no inherent value (arguably WORSE than just killing him), if they didn’t have to keep up the pretense of morality and empathy. They are a space age civilization and have apparently put ZERO effort into helping people with Talpin’s condition (or other conditions) live normal lives. The chapter when Talpin was introduced in NOP1 was when it really hit me that humanity ISN’T actually that far behind the Federation in terms of medical technology; we just invested research into other fields, like disability research, rather than the Federation which went all in on mainstream medical tech. Finally, I really, REALLY hate Talpin being called a “burden”. That is one of the worst and most hurtful things you can say to ANYONE who is disabled.
Andrew Boivin
Dude, hope you keep this up past where the humans show up and show him sign language. I know a lot of stuff is from fanfics (like subtitled translators, etc.), but I’d figure with the translators hooking into your brain that they’d have something to help deaf people. Though it makes sense they wouldn’t even try.
mitsos_pr
Oh, a reply from the author himself! Thank you for this great series, it is one of the best works of art I have ever seen :)
Space Paladin
My plan was originally to have time skips, but I’ve been inspired by the cradle happenings and the camps. While I’ll have at least one that takes place post-67, I’m not sure if I’ll tackle it as more of an epilogue just to show where he winds up!
Space Paladin
Thank you!
Space Paladin
Thank you! It is a bit of a vintage feel; I enjoyed going back to this time frame, especially realizing we never got a look at the cradle before it was destroyed or a POV of a Gojid refugee!
mitsos_pr
This story seems awesome! Makes me a bit nostalgic for the start of NOP1 :)
PhycoKrusk
They are one big herd, and "proper prey" recognize that the elderly, the infirm and the disabled must, when the situation demands it, be sacrificed so that the rest of the herd can go on living.
PassengerNo
The lack of closed captions for Noah's speech greatly upsets me. My grandmother was born deaf. I knew that tv got closed captions after she had children (she was in a newspaper article about it). But accorded to wikipedia, CC was not mandatory until 1996!! The tech itself was debuted in 1972. And I thought CC was made mandatory in 1980s. :/
Apogee
I love it! Excited for this mini series
Elliott
This must be the one we saw at the refugee camp all the way back in the early chapters. I actually love the gojid so this'll be a small treat. Also "not fully Gojid" Jesus Christ, imagine being called less than human because you're deaf or blind or mute. These gojid aren't just unempathetic, they're practically Nazis.
Lokyar
Talpin was the deaf gojid the humans rescued, and brought Sovlin in to figure out why he was being sheltered and hidden. This man is predestined to be pissed.
Yannis Morris
If Federation observations overlap with humans having better Disability care than the Federation then this man is going to be pissed
Tazeell
Ah back to old federation eh? Quite the horrid hellhole as always. Should be interesting to watch the invasion from the Gojid side.
Adam Myers
Did it though? Or did it use the humans to purify its message and create for itself a remnant? (There is a good fic that explores this) A Mothers Lament (I didn’t write it)
Adam Myers
I loved it too.
Adam Myers
As far as scanning tech, it isn’t like they have transcription. Further, their ideology is centered on doing things for the “herd”. For people with disabilities, it is the responsibility of the herd to look out for weaker “prey”. Independence, like that granted by having even a sign language (tail language being not designed for this purpose) is outside the realm of things the fed sees as worthwhile.
Thrownawaz
Oh, you noticed!
Sobek
I remember this Gojid. Having him as the focus of a miniseries is a damn good idea.
Almatty
I hope that gets included. Would be so fun.
BiasMushroom721
Ooooooo! Yea! Also just a funny thought but the great protector wouldnt lift a finger against humans who had no desire to hunt. But it did fail to stop the Predatory actions of both the Federation and Dominion
Rick VanHoute
It is very sad to see what he has to go through from his people in his own hometown.
Rick VanHoute
I love this story already. I always wished we got to see more of their character and what he went through. My significant other is currently teaching me ASL and BSL, so it lines up perfectly for me. Will we get to see what happens to him after Cilaney's interview?
Yannis Morris
The Federation: Where your optimism and trust are betrayed! (AKA: “It can’t be that bad” “It absolutely is”)
Byron Ritchie
>says the deaf and blind shoudl be left to die >then talks about how predators can’t feel empathy unlike them Yeah even the imperium of man ain’t that hypocritical They’re close though
Ottwo
Ah the Federation, where the official slogan is “No matter how bad you think we are, it gets worse”
Paperclip
Yeah. I meant thay he'll flip fast like Mallin and not take forever to get over Fed brainwashing
OctupleThreat
Was, past tense. Thankfully. The Federation and the world after the Federation is written so well, with just enough context, to really feel like a history lesson and nonfiction set in the era of that lesson.
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
I mean, we know he winds up starting liking humans and even speaks in their defense later after he gets his aid
Yannis Morris
Okay so there is a severe problem in the Federation
Yannis Morris
Truueeee
Yannis Morris
“ My father was the town’s plant musician, as part of the ancient Gojid belief that crops bloomed better with tunes gracing their leaves” I mean they do tho. Also talking to them
Jason Young
There was a fanfic I liked that has the Protector watching what has happened to her children cause of the federation like a mortified mother
Ciberj1
Human made cochlear implants say hi
Ciberj1
Yeah they're gonna love that. After it breaks them fully
un_pogaz
September 21, 2136, 2 days before the Cradel attack. We couldn't be more in line with the definition of "initial situation before the disturbing element". And holy shit, what an asshole village. Didn't a single one of them think to use their pad? Did they even take the time to teach him how to read and write?! And the comments, god, the comments. Even in the Middle Ages we did better. What a merciless, empathy-less, monstrous predator we are. I'm mad as hell. Fuck the Federation and its speech "We're all one big united herd", what hypocritical bullshit. ... Oh my god, I wrote the paragraph above before he suggested using it as bait. Finally, I think the fact that the Cradel was glazed is a good thing. I'm so mad. >Heroes like Captain Sovlin were still out there, Hero who proposed to bombing cities for mercy the inhabitant. It just came back to me right now. It really sucked from him, even at the time. >I’d be a hero, just like the selfless Sovlin…and maybe that would finally change how Gojids talked about me. I could be remembered as more than the deaf kid who’d never be a full sapient. And there, a mischievous god heard this prayer and leaned in with a smile "Oh, you will."
Swan
I do hope this series goes a little further then cannon; I'd like to know what happend to Talpin and his sister
Diosjenin
Ahhh, I’m glad to see these characters getting picked back up! Always felt like they were a loose thread in the main story after rescuing Cilany. Looking forward to more!
Jason Young
Cant wait for Talpin to learn what one of the most famous Classical Terran Composer Mozart's disability was Edit Meant Beehtoven
Delta
I just finished catching up on the rest of the series legitimately 10 mins ago Perfectly timed. Thank you!
oobanooba
Looking good, will have to see where this goes.
Reno Miller
Up at 0500 surprising day for me
Corporal Chunk
Now i just cannot wait for the invasion
Paperclip
The Feds had brain scanning technology and didn't even try to get this guy a hearing aid or just ANYTHING, really. But I don't know why I'm acting surprised. Poor Talpin thinks he's worthless! I bet he's gonna pull a Mallin and quickly switch to liking humanity (at least after he gets his aid, but idk if this miniseries will go that far and I don't remember the dates) since he's already an outcast and not being killed immediately.
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