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The Nature of Predators 2-19
🕑 Added 2024-03-11 11:00:09 +0000 UTCMemory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human Colonist
Date [standardized human time]: March 20, 2160
It hadn’t been evident what the Krev’s true power level was, or how they stacked up against the Federation. The talk of an automated fleet sounded more sophisticated than the prey-crewed, cowardly boats that stormed Earth, but I hadn’t seen the fruits of their labor; it remained to be seen what weaponry and technology they possessed, and how many ships they had to their name. When Gress transitioned his vessel out of subspace, and we got our first look at Avor and its surroundings out the viewport, I was astounded by what I saw. What in the blazes was I even looking at? Cherise’s eyes bulged in shock as well, so I knew she shared my sentiment.
Fortifications were littered around the system, not limited to massive particle cannons, missile defense stations, swarms of wandering patrol drones, and some kind of asteroid slingshot—and those were just the contraptions I understood. Our ship was heading in the direction of a planet with layers of superstructures around it: something that made my jaw drop. The metal casing around Avor reminded me of the pattern of a soccer ball’s stitching, with some patches opened up like a metal flower; others were sealed shut, limiting the flow of interstellar traffic. Was this what Gress had meant by a signal-dampening cage? I hadn’t thought it was so…literal. Wouldn’t enclosing the planet create other hassles, making it an absurd design for them to choose?
“Gress…what are we looking at?” Cherise asked, finding her voice before I did.
Unmistakable pride shined in the Krev’s eyes. “You’re looking at The Cage; the outer layer of defense for Avor. I might’ve understated its versatility. The panels don’t just dampen signals…we can open and close them, pulling the plug on all of our junctions if needed! Solar flares, asteroids…shuttering the doors if enemy bombs and ships are pointed at us.”
“Let me get this straight. Your whole planet can just, what, curl up into a ball?” I demanded. “Board up the windows and call it a day?”
“Hm, I liked your first metaphor. That’s what we evolved to do for threats; roll up into an impenetrable ball, shielding our vulnerable areas. Consider The Cage to be Avor’s scales.”
“This is something. You guys are much more advanced than the Federation, building shit like this. A futuristic paradise.”
“It must’ve been a colossal effort to get all of this up here,” Cherise noted. “To make it stay in place, and to power it.”
Gress waved his claws dismissively. “Powering it isn’t a problem, with sunlight shining down on it. I’m not sure if you have the technology to understand, so forgive me for my jargon, but it’s held in place through superconducting magnets and orbital rings, like the rest of our space construction. Just know that once you have one, it facilitates building an entire network much easier; getting to orbit becomes a berrywalk.”
I raised my pointer finger, scrunching my face in confusion. “Back up. What do you mean by entire network? You say ‘the rest’ of your space doohickeys like this isn’t all of it. Like it’s the tip of the iceberg.”
“I could tell you, but that would spoil seeing your faces light up when you catch your first glimpse of it. It’s adorable…er, wonderful, I mean…when you look happy, and just express yourselves in general. Maybe Avor can help you find some of that soul you feel humanity has lost.”
I leaned back in the passenger’s seat, kicking up my shoes on the console. Cherise shot me a look, though Gress didn’t seem to mind me using his ship controls as a footrest. The Krev’s statement had me intrigued on what we might witness here; my imagination hadn’t expanded its parameters quite far enough with Avor, it seemed. As far as ways to hide an entire society went, this planet-wide cage already seemed a great improvement to burrowing underground like mole-rats. Had Earth become aware of the Federation in time to save ourselves, it would’ve been a wise move to build a structure like this; then again, since the Farsul studied our planet back during World War II, I didn’t see how we could’ve known before they found us.
If the Krev can put something like this around Tellus, we need to pounce on that. With this kind of technology, we can stop the Federation from finding us again. Hell, the Consortium seems much more advanced than the Federation, just by virtue of having drones and supertech to start with! Have they ever thought for a moment they were capable of beating them in a fight?
It was a dangerous thought, one that just wouldn’t stay out of my head, gazing at this bounty of technological marvels. I decided not to voice that question to Gress just yet; those questions might answer themselves, if I could get my hands on more information about their military. If there was any doubt that the six species from the Krev could square off against hundreds in the Federation, I understood their hesitancy; aggressive action would put us back on the enemy’s radar, and could spell the true end for humanity. It wasn’t something I could even suggest lightly. Still, it was wonderful to have a major power, with a toolbox that exceeded those of our murderers, on our side for once. Just what else did Avor have in store, beneath The Cage?
The vessel drifted through a gargantuan panel, as Gress relayed the occasional check-in with traffic controllers; I found myself feeling a bit self-conscious, at the thought that an entire planet was about to get their first glimpse of us…through me and Cherise. It might be an uphill battle to be taken seriously, if Krev saw us as adorable little munchkins. There was also the complicating matter of our prior feuds on Tellus, where the Consortium had wanted us gone, and built up a lot of resentment toward humanity. Would I have to explain our secrecy? In light of that reality, what if the rent collector was wrong about the Krev’s willingness to help?
Gress poked a claw into my cheek, earning an indignant look. “Snap out of it. I can tell when you’re brooding by how your eyes glaze over, Taylor.”
“Don’t touch me,” I scoffed. “You could’ve just said my name.”
“And what fun would that be? Your puffy cheeks are as squishy as I imagined. Hey, does it hurt to be pinched? Like, just once so I can get the thought out of my head?”
“Gress.”
“It was a legitimate question, but um…”
Cherise laughed. “Yeah, the face is going to be an automatic no for most of us. It’s patronizing.”
“The humans back on Tellus said the same thing about belly rubs. I know you don’t have fur, but you have to be a little ticklish? I want to know some way to express affection that’s okay. Actually, maybe you should just, uh, look at the viewport. That’s why I was trying to have Taylor come to, but the temptation is just so…viewport. No talking for Gress.”
“Whatever’s beneath this cage better knock my socks off, if you want me to forget this exchange,” I grumbled.
“It will! Look: the view should be unobstructed.”
The Krev sheepishly buried his head in his chest, muttering what appeared to be curses at himself; rolling into a partial ball and hiding his face seemed akin to blushing for us. “Cuteness overload” had gotten the better of Gress a few times, which in a strange way, made me feel better about Avor hating us. If that was their gut reaction to us, they couldn’t hate us, right? I turned my eyes to the viewport, and searched for my first glimpse of the planet. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it wasn’t the massive sea of floating construction that met my gaze.
Beneath the protection of the Cage, dozens of rotating rings at different orbits were somehow propping platforms along their lengths—the buildings were levitating up above the lush globe, as if held aloft by telekinesis. The modules were much more complex than the ones we’d had back on Mars, and marked the outline of the city; other structures were built on the underside, hanging down in the planet’s direction. Ships like ours landed by the hundreds on different hubs on the rings, which also could act as slingshots for takeoff; it was clear that the Krev tended to launch up here, rather than needing to generate the energy to escape their gravity well. Certain platforms seemed devoted entirely to the military, just like many outposts on their two lunar satellites outside The Cage.
To enable transit between the surface and orbit, it seemed the Krev favored tunnels which extended all the way into the atmosphere—and likely continued on to the cities. The rings made it possible to connect with any city on the globe’s circumference; by rotating in time with the planet, the tunnels could stay in place. Gress was right about this entire orbital…metropolis, flourishing and bustling with people…facilitating transit both to the stars and the surface. It was one of the most magnificent things I’d ever seen; questions poured into my head, wanting to understand how it worked. I felt my mouth parting in an o-shape, as I tried to form words.
It's strikingly beautiful. Imagine the engineering that must’ve gone into this. Engineers like Kabir…no, don’t think that. Ask something about how it works.
“How do the platforms…” I fumbled.
Gress hummed in acknowledgement. “Stay propped up by the rings? I told you earlier. Magnets.”
“Can you walk across the entire circumference of the platforms?” Cherise asked. “I can see what looks like enclosed bridges, between settlements.”
“You sure can, and you can catch a ride between rings too! Inside the settlements’ system, there’s an entire artificial atmosphere…and being this close to Avor, there’s natural gravity. You can also go down to any surface settlement from here, which you’ll get to experience firsthand.”
I chuckled to myself. “This is something. How many people live up here?”
“A billion? There’s some Krev who like the view from space, and others who prefer a more traditional home. We don’t build colonies, but there has to be somewhere for us to move to…with eleven billion souls, on the last population census. That counts the Jaslips, all two billion on Avor, who have their largest enclave in Consortium space on our polar ice caps.”
“If I were them, I’d build their new digs up here, with some upside-down skyscrapers over a planet: not in some frigid wasteland. I mean, shit man. If you can scrounge up this much raw materials, you didn’t need those resources at all.”
“We most certainly do not. Asteroid trawlers give us all we need, and more. When we return your payments, with interest, perhaps you can at least see it as a good investment. Everything you see here, it can belong to Tellus. To humanity. If you wanted to live in the Space Rings, Terrans would be welcome, of course. I hope you’ll have diplomats in an annex by the Tonvos District.”
Cherise twirled her dark hair around her finger. “Tonvos District? You’re throwing a lot of words around, Gress. We’ve never seen anything like this. And for what it’s worth, I never liked you profiting off our work…but now, I see it was a pittance compared to what would be of true value to you.”
“Tonvos is probably just a name, like we use for any of our places. It didn’t translate, so I assume its meaning is as a title,” I said. “Nice to see you admit I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stand paying off the Krev, by the way. You haven’t offered Gress much commentary about your feelings throughout this saga.”
“It’s not appropriate, Taylor. My past feelings shouldn’t be said aloud, when they’re about the interstellar superpower that we need help from.”
“Oh, I like it when you’re yourself. That’s part of why I picked Taylor.” Gress reached over to pat my leg, before seeming to remember my directive to keep his claws away. “It was wonderful to see something open, and genuine. I felt like I learned more about him from his anger than the years prior. I was hoping to encourage him to come out of his shell…and to show him that, even if Mayor Hathaway likes disingenuous praise, the Krev don’t. I see potential in him…a chance to be better.”
“I don’t see what was better about attacking you, and giving you a piece of my mind. What are you even saying? Cuss out everyone I see…explode like a loose cannon? That was a low moment for me.”
“Taylor, you were raised to believe that all aliens would murder you, at the mere sight of you, and your entire species was almost killed. You were locked underground, to hide your face and toil on behalf of the colony, and raised without your parents from what I’ve gathered. Add on a head injury, years of resentment toward us, and guilt…anyone would’ve snapped. It’s understandable. I don’t know if I could’ve endured what you, Cherise, and all humanity have.”
Cherise slumped her shoulders. “Yeah. I was fortunate to have some family on the ark. I wasn’t alone. I have a few good memories, cooking with my uncle…watching drunken patrons get tossed by him, with his no-nonsense attitude for bullshit. Taylor had to figure everything out for himself.”
“Whatever my circumstances, I made shitty decisions that will eat me up to my dying breath; the drill explosion being the worst. I don’t think I should get a free pass, or bring others down with me by acting out on Avor,” I huffed.
“Of course not. I do hope you’ll find better ways to cope, and that I can help.” Gress stared out at the viewport, as we drifted closer to a ring—seeming to travel in the opposite direction to its rotation. “I’m just saying, don’t tell us what you think we want to hear, or sing our praises. Be polite on Avor, but be candid. Speak the truth, even if it’s unpleasant, and don’t worry about censoring your true opinions. Be done pretending, like you said you wanted to be.”
“Guess I can manage that. It’ll be nice not to have to tap dance around anything vaguely violent or predatory.”
“Would you like me to act afraid of your eyes, just so you can have something familiar to latch onto?”
Cherise groaned. “Please no. Unfamiliar territory is perfectly fine by me.”
Gress snickered to himself; I found it odd that an alien would tease us. It was nice that someone from another species found the Federation’s reaction to our eyes laughable. The Krev rent collector had liberated me from the burden of having to sweet talk the Consortium officials; it would be nice not to have to hide parts of myself, or pretend ever again. That was the only way to live with the things I couldn’t unsee—to stop feeling sick over what I’d done, on the Mayor’s behalf. From now on, I wanted to be a man of action, and an open book.
It did feel good when I finally got all of those feelings I bottled up toward the Krev out, whether Cherise or anyone thinks it’s appropriate. It’s time to truly stand for humanity, and to find a way to contribute something meaningful.
Our ship continued to drift opposite the ring’s rotation, leading me to ponder the obvious question of how we were planning on landing; this seemed to be a textbook example of complicating a task way more than was necessary. As I was about to vocalize some doubts about our heading, something latched onto the rear of our ship with a harsh click. There was a slight jolt, the sensation of being tugged backward. I chuckled to myself, finally recognizing the genius of how the Krev planned to slow us down. They’d connected some kind of harpoon to our vessel—presumably aided by a magnetic hook to attract it—and were using the massive ring’s rotation to slow us down. Once it’d begun pulling us in sync with the structure’s turning, they reeled us in via the cord.
Gress’ vessel was hauled into a landing pad, right up to the end of the tether. Clamps hooked onto the ship, securing it in place like a traditional docking port, before our host unfurled the landing ramp. He beckoned to us with eager claws, then snatched Juvre’s crate to carry the obor back to civilization with us. I exchanged a glance with Cherise, which granted me the resolve to stroll out alongside her, and give the locals their first glimpse of an unmasked human. It would be our initial peek at them as well; much of what we encountered up here could hint at how they went about their day-to-day lives. From what I could observe, once we disembarked, this hangar had been cordoned off in anticipation of our arrival.
Krev guards toted strange guns in their grip, which I doubted utilized kinetic munitions. Armed security, something that before meeting these particular aliens, I would’ve assumed was a human-exclusive tradition. They were sporting body armor too, though the plates looked a bit too thin to actually stop a speeding bullet; perhaps it was designed for comfort or as an authority symbol, rather than being tailored for effectiveness. Their scales varied in shades of green, from emerald like Gress’ form, to lime, grassy hues, mossy colors, and even turquoise. None of the personnel displayed any hostility toward us, though all eyes were turned on us. Cameras recorded the moment from the ceiling as well; the days of hiding beneath the sands were truly over.
A guard approached Gress, pointing toward a connector bridge. “We brought you in right by the train station, and as requested, we cleared the area and the next ride to Tonvos for you. The Planetary Board is waiting on the ground. Due to the nature of your requests, we must ask whether you think these cu…primates are a threat.”
“I don’t. However, the humans have serious issues on their mind, and I doubt they’d appreciate all of the unwanted attention. They’ve been through a lot, the poor darlings,” the rent collector answered.
“The story is making waves on Avor, and beyond. It’s incredible how quickly the narrative’s turned from the human invasion, into this. Seeing the politicians backpedal is quite funny, to be honest.”
“Even Felcin?”
“Somewhat. He grudgingly wants to send aid, to prevent the humans from digging out their tree hollows on our world, like the Jaslips.”
Gress snorted. “Sounds about right. Felcin will support refugees, so long as he doesn’t have to look at them. Well, I just wanted my new friends to hear where the Consortium stands. Thanks for the help.”
“Are you kidding? Saving a species like them, I’m glad to help. Have a safe ride down.”
The Krev rent collector waved us on. I followed him over the connector bridge, admiring how someone could stroll the length of the orbital ring—at least, we could manage it as persistence predators. It was doubtful any of the Consortium species could match our endurance. I waved an awkward hand at the guards, while Cherise offered a polite hello. The two of us pretended not to hear them whispering to each other about how adorable we were, as we trundled on down the tunnel. If Gress wanted my honesty, I needed to confront him about how irritating it was, being spoken of like nonsapient beings all over again—even if the reasons were altogether different. For now, I kept my eyes trained straight ahead.
The connector bridge took us up to what looked like an ordinary train station, apart from the fact that the tracks sloped down into a tunnel—one that was at a steep incline all the way down to Avor’s surface. I gulped, wondering if this was going to be the most harrowing roller coaster ride ever built. Cherise seemed to pick up on my anxiety, and tried to give a reassuring smile; I wondered if she’d seen how far down this train was heading. Gress boarded the car, oblivious to my unvoiced concerns, and tucked Juvre’s crate into a holding compartment. He slid into the first seat available, demonstrated how the harness worked, and cast an expectant look at the two seats opposite his.
“Gress?” I ventured, hating how tentative my voice sounded. “How quickly does this…shuttle go down to the planet?”
The Krev studied me for a moment. “I guess now I know your actual mannerisms for being nervous. It’s nothing to worry about, Taylor. It’s a short ride, less than half an hour: over before you know it. There’s inertial dampeners, and artificial gravity for emergencies. You won’t feel Avor’s pull, and it’ll be no different to flying a spaceship.”
“Millions of Krev seem to travel back and forth on these things on a regular basis,” Cherise ventured.
“We do. It’s a daily commute for some.”
“Exactly. That’s why I assumed it’ll be fine. They wouldn’t do this regularly if it was anything frightful.”
Nodding my head in agreement, I clipped my harness, and folded my arms across my chest. Inertial dampeners made sense as an available technology, but I didn’t want to think about what a long way it’d be to fall, if anything went wrong. Despite my apprehension over the ride down the vertical tracks, I was excited to see what marvels Avor’s surface would hold in store for us. Up here, in the Space Rings, I’d already seen technological feats I never could’ve imagined. The sooner we were on the ground, to request some of those gifts for ourselves, the sooner humanity’s new future began. That prospect alone was enough to motivate me to endure this train ride from orbit.
A/N - Chapter 19! We get a look at the insanity that is Avor, with orbital rings supporting cities all above the planet, and regular transit to and from the surface: explaining exactly why the Krev don’t need colonies for expansion. Their tech level is clearly light years ahead of the Federation, which gives Taylor the idea that the Consortium could wind handily in a fight. We also see how Krev are reacting to news of the humans’ real story, including backtracking politicians and Jaslip comparisons.
What do you think of Gress’ advice to Taylor, not to be disingenuous with the delegates? How surprised were you by the Consortium’s advancements…and its ramifications for how they’d stack up against the wider Orion Arm? Will the “cute” humans be taken seriously in Tonvos…and will there be any more technological surprises in store?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting! If anyone is confused by the new posting time, that would be daylight savings. Also, here’s another lore doc on the Ulchids; all Consortium species will get one, so this is a fun extra! Krev drops with 20.
Comments
Assailant
Okay, so I’ve been thinking about this since NoP1, but now I’ve definitely gotta say: I’m confused about how people take to the whole “omg you’re adorable” in alien sapients. Like, in NoP1, it wasn’t uncommon, especially with the Venlil and Zurulians, but it happened with others too, for humans to be like “oh you’re so cute I could just pinch your little cheeks” and it was never really depicted as all that strange or off-putting, except insofar as the occasional “oh no predator is paying attention to me” spiel. So I figured that maybe it just didn’t register as demeaning in this setting when it was coming from another species. But then it happens to humanity and it’s (rightfully) pointed out as demeaning and dehumanizing. So… why were so many humans given a pass originally? Is Taylor just more sensitive than the average citizen of the galaxy to this stuff, and it genuinely wouldn’t bother most humans? Or are humans just kinda hypocrites?
Dcluigimario
To me, this is such a wonderful way to write the second book. The first book was about first contact but from an alien's point of view, and now the second book is about first contact from the Bissem's point of view, other races being the aliens. I love the flipped point of views and situations! It's so fresh
Xilacnog
They can't know what the enemy plans are, if the enemy doesn't know them either or no longer exists!
Guardian
"What they don't know, won't hurt them."
Corporal Chunk
yeah we don't have that here so you basically just posted it 1 hour early... which ruined my second comment streak :(
Swan
Kinda hope the ark has some cat and dog eggs/sperm in storage so the ark can have their pets back
extraintelligence
How familiar! I wonder how their coevolution will manifest: if I had to assume, it will likely look to the humans like the Krev have an uncanny ability to glean information from obor chattering/behavior ("little Timmy fell down the well?" Style), or that obors will seem to preemptively react to something a Krev was about to do because they're responding to subconscious behavioral cues that are too subtle for humans to readily notice. Better yet, perhaps the humans will be able to read Krev better than most species, simply because they've evolved body language cues that are more readable to primates as part of their symbiosis, such as expressive facial muscle groups that non-primates simply aren't evolved to look for. On that note, I'm curious what the obor happy/friendly expression will look like. Apes and monkeys might not smile exactly like humans do, but they still have smile-analogues, typically called play faces. For most apes, this involves an open mouth gesture that reveals the bottom teeth but not the top (basically the opposite of a human smile, although the corners of their mouths still pull up), while many species of monkeys will chatter their teeth as a display of friendliness. Of course, obor are still aliens, so despite their similarities, their behavior might be completely different.
Lunam
.......Yeaaaaaaaah my suspicion towards the Intelligence networks of the Consortium "not knowing" the Feds have been upended is getting stronger.
PhycoKrusk
@Elliott The Coalition, we must remember, is not a unified military force, and in fact exists more like the UN in the present day than in the far future: It provides a galactic forum to discuss concerns and mediate disputes between member states, but that's about it. If the individual members have been wargaming, it's unlikely we would see that play out in the Coalition forum. (However, given what we see of the Yotul, it would seem irresponsible to conclude that they _haven't_ been wargaming, and we can reasonably conclude that they aren't the only ones, particularly since nearly all member states still regard the Arxur Collective as a serious and imminent threat) The Consortium, from what we can see, has overprepared for a defensive war, and while some of those technologies may lend themselves towards offense, many more will not. Additionally, they have been developing tactics and strategies for defense, and most of those will not lend themselves towards offense: It would be akin to getting really good at digging trenches, running barbed wire, laying minefields, and emplacing machine guns and anti-aircraft artillery. It's going to make holding ground relatively easy, but it's not going to help much for taking ground.
Yannis Morris
@Alekss It'd take a while for the sun to *look* like it's blotted out, right? Plus why wouldn't they just assume the sun died? I guess that's more a "We blot out the sun and when they notice it went dark, there's a non-zero chance they go investigate.".
Space Paladin
Actually, humanity knew about the WWII observation since Chapter 10 of NOP1. Jones was not happy with Tarva about that early omission. We only discovered the whole abduction and history altering archives crap in 126
Space Paladin
This’ll be explained in more detail in the Krev lore doc I’m dropping next chapter, but the obors have been domesticated since an ice age in prehistoric times!
Samuel Sukovsky
I may be very dumb, actually... Yeah
Gumcel
The aliens mentioned that they knew about that, multiple times. Long before the ark ships left.
Alekss Žukovskis
things would have been different if the lizards would have arrested the ship.
John
Oh ok.
Samuel Sukovsky
"... Had Earth become aware of the Federation in time to save ourselves, it would’ve been a wise move to build a structure like this; then again, since the Farsul studied our planet back during World War II, I didn’t see how we could’ve known before they found us."
extraintelligence
Something just occurred to me: how long have the Krev been domesticating the obor? Humans have been domesticating cats for about 10 thousand years, and the only meaningful genetic change between either of us (excluding selective breeding) is that cats are more sociable and chatty than their wild counterparts, and humans are more inclined to find them cute. On the other hand, we've been domesticating dogs for over 40 thousand years, and we've both deviated quite significantly in our coevolution. For instance, most humans can instinctively determine a dog's mood by the tone of its barking, while dogs have evolved eyebrows and a smiling reflex (apparently making them the only species in the galaxy besides Earth primates that actually smile), not to mention a whole host of other behavioral and physiological changes in both. I assume the Krev have been at it for at least a few thousand years since they're having such a strong reaction to the humans, so my question is; has it only been a few millennia, just enough to find primates adorable, or have they been at it for scores of millennia, to the point of full-on coevolutionary facultative symbiosis?
John
Wait where is that mentioned in this chapter.
Alekss Žukovskis
how many would love our cats?
Alekss Žukovskis
The googly conspiracy theorist knew what it was immediately too.
Samuel Sukovsky
I found a slight inconsistency here; the arc ships left way before humanity went on the offensive and conquered Talsk, where we actually learned that the Farsul were kidnapping humans for experiments. Taylor shouldn't have that knowledge. Loved the chapter otherwise.
Mark Baculna
Thank you oh great one
Space Paladin
No, they don’t
Space Paladin
They are not, I’m afraid I don’t know what that is!
Alekss Žukovskis
because that makes you be seen, when a sun blots out, someone goes: Hey is that a type 2 civilization there? is that a Dyson swarm?
Alekss Žukovskis
always
George Smith
Honestly, I think they might be hamstrung by doctrine. If you read about their main military branch, you’ll notice that they are obsessed with honor, and will invite their enemies to the field of battle. At some point humanity, would dig in and start dropping artillery on them.
Elliott
I wouldn't be worried. Every civilization has that xenophobic racist backwards crowd. It would be more worrying if they DIDN'T. It shows that they're genuine to me. In terms of security, this does feel more like mall-cop airport security. Possibly the armor is due to personal shields like you said or even just anti-energy weapons. I doubt people this advanced and paranoid would just not have proper protection for security personnel.
Elliott
Same, it's a shame we have to have Taylor's POV when he's the worst. It's like listening to Kalsim's brief POV but in human form. Interesting at first. But the novelty wears out after just how much of a douchbag he is.
Elliott
Oh how the tables have turned. Now WE'RE the yotul.
Elliott
Nah, Krev are overpreparing like America did with the Soviets. Though it seems they might be a bit smaller so maybe a Switzerland situation? I know I should be rooting for the SC but if conflict breaks out I kind of want the Krev and the Consortium in charge. A practically flawless track record over 100 years!? I'd trust that over a human government way more.
Elliott
From the sounds of it, not all of them are totally head over heels in love with us like Gress, seems xenophobic conservative people exist anywhere, even here. Also I'm sure the novelty will wear off before humans can set up Indian scam call centers for Krev.
Elliott
I agree on perhaps the first engagement, but I think the Consortium might kick us in the teeth a bit by the third or fourth. The Consortium overprepared like crazy and wasn't stunted like the Federation or Arxur, the only reason those two entities were so behind to be beaten by humans easily is because of it being set up that way. This is a situation akin to when the U.S. thought the Soviet Union would destroy us in battle so we pumped billions into preparing to fight an enemy 10x more advanced than they were. If anyone was preparing war games it's been the Consortium, SC has been focused on appeasement and diplomacy it seems like, not actual military growth.
extraintelligence
Like shark cages, built for the safety of the sharks, of course.
extraintelligence
Could you imagine if they just went in and glassed Aafa without actually seeing what was going on there, then took off again on an attempt to do a hit-and-run decapitation strike? That would be a serious WTF moment for the Coalition, and they'd probably start by assuming it was a former Fed race who decided to exact their own vengeance.
extraintelligence
100 years for an orbital ring is pretty reasonable, to be honest, especially if you have access to FTL and anti-grav. Honestly, I'm wondering why there's no mention of them building a Dyson Swarm; that's another project that could get done within a century with the aforementioned tech, and once you have one of those, any defensive war in that system is an auto-win for you.
Some Lvm
So my first thought was: How the F does Taylor know what a particle canon looks like, especially one of completely alien design? Those things were still science fiction when the Arc left earth. Also: that whole description, seeing system wide defenses from on board one little ship sounds a bit odd - there is no way he could see anything like that in the vastness of space unless Gress deliberately flew close to a bunch of their military installations and they just let him. My second though though: Aww, Gress went all grandma on Taylor :P You pinch away dude, he totally deserves it!
Gumcel
It’s posted at the end of this chapter.
PhycoKrusk
@John They don't seem all that convinced that they can win a defensive one, either.
Qwerty Smith
The Krev built a shell world then
Roscuro
I question how the cage lets sunlight through, or if it doesn't, how the world survives. Would have to be some artificial means. Also, very choice word in calling it a cage, something you use to keep something in, more than out.
Alex
I’m kind of in the same boat, I mean, I speak with a level of intensity that might make one on one not feel alone for them but yeah I’m not fit for 16 person discord calls nonetheless the crowded band width of going to hang out at the park would be with them.
John
Is there anyway to send a virtual hug?
Ebondragon
The lore doc dropped in a link at the end of the current chapter post.
Guardian
Straight-edge Ace here, so I swear my thoughts were firmly in the "You look sad; can I give you a hug?" category.
John
I’m so poisoned by my nightly asmr playlist that all I can think about when I see the phrase touch starved is well….my nightly asmr playlist.
Guardian
I have a visceral need to see an interaction between a human and a Krev in which they discuss acceptable/appropriate forms of touch. "Do you know what a hug is?" I honestly wonder just how touch-starved Taylor and the other humans may be; intimacy, or even platonic relationships, don't seem to be at the forefront of anyone's mind.
Mark Baculna
Where is this doc from? Link please
Guardian
Seconded.
John
@PhycoKrusk Correction. The consortium does not believe they can win a OFFENSIVE war against the federation.
PhycoKrusk
I wouldn't worry too much. There is, after all, one very important factor play here: the Consortium does not believe that they can win a war against the Federation. That means if they do decide to attack, it's not going to be with small drone fleets here and there. It would have to be a single, coordinated, perfectly orchestrated decapitation strike. We, the readers, know that there's nothing to decapitate, which means this scenario (including what I outlined above) can't really play out. But it's fun to think about.
EliasArt2Life
To give the Consortium credit, A) They’ve been assuming that the Federation has been advancing as well. They had no reason to believe that the Federation was technologically stagnant. B) They only have their home worlds, of a half dozen species, so any damage the Federation does would have been many times more devastating. Death by a thousand gnats is still death. But, yeah… I’m still bracing myself in case the other foot falls, even if I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt.
EliasArt2Life
This is why I’m so worried about the automated fleets that the Krev have. Automated fleets might not relay a complete record of the battle; it could be as simple as a “battle won/battle lost” message. Meaning there’s no guarantee that the fleets will send back enough information for the Consortium to realize that something is wrong.
Mark Baculna
Help what chapter was the ulcid discussed??
Mark Baculna
Yeah but the consortium would have their own war apes too.
Mark Baculna
It also depends on how fast the yotul techs and the human tech of the SC adapt to the technological superiority of the consortium. The consortoum has drones and tech that seemed to be in the development phase and first deployed during the fed-coalition war.
PhycoKrusk
There have been a fair number of questions about what always to be an inevitable Coalition-Consortium conflict, and there's something I haven't seen mentioned yet. The Krev observed the Federation long enough to discern how they were running the shop. It stands to reason that they had the opportunity to see Federation fleets in action. If they do get into a fight with the Coalition, it will almost certainly be with a UN patrol (anti-piracy, most likely), and it is more likely than not they will be expecting the group to panic and break at the first sign of trouble. They will go in expecting a flock of sheep only to be confronted with a pack of wolves. As others have said, there is a significant gap of experience between the two forces, and odds are that Coalition militaries, whether because it's good practice or because they're worried about the Arxur, have been conducting wargames in the meantime. If it should come to blows between them, I can't say how it'll end up, but the very first battle will be a serious embarrassment for the Consortium.
Taliesyn
Each of their ships is probably far more capable than anything the Feds could have thrown, but they might have still been ground down by, say, one or two hundred thousand old Federation hulls, especially if the Feddies sat back and just lobbed a few waves of a couple million warheads each at the megastructure.
RaptorRed
maybe they all ride something like segways around.
PhycoKrusk
If they've figured out high-temperature superconductors, that would do a long way towards explaining what we're seeing.
RaptorRed
i got my eye on felcin for now. who knows maybe it will be the well meaning ones that do more harm than good.
Gumcel
Do the signal dampeners prevent civilian communication between civilians on different planets? Cause if so the list of federation parallels get even worse lol.
PhycoKrusk
Tyler seems to be onboard with "Hey, hiding's worked out pretty well so far. Also, the Federation's only gotten bigger since the Krev saw them last, so fighting is probably not a good idea."
PhycoKrusk
By what we see here, sure, but that leaves the question of what we _don't_ see. Like, it's just about unquestionable that the Consortium wins when it comes to orbital megastructures. But what about cybernetics? Or especially genetics? I'd be willing to bet that thanks to Human innovation and Federation Science Unit 731, the Coalition knows more about biologics, genetics, cybernetics, and vaccines than any other species in the southern Milky Way. (Granted, they know a lot of that sure to some very bad reasons, but still) And thanks to the recent alliance with the Bissems, the Coalition may soon best out the Consortium in cryptography as well. Ah. I see now. This upcoming cold war will be between the Coalition and the Consortium, specifically over the "Federation question." Get ready everybody: The edgelords will come again, and the road to Aafa is open.
Ebondragon
It’s going to be one of those things that most humans will be all “nice folk but boy are they tiring”, a sub group would find them overwhelming and want nothing to do with them, but there would be a very small subset of humans that would actively love it. That last group I think most folks would consider actively crazy.
Yannis Morris
Yeah that was one of my first questions
Yannis Morris
I do not wanna be anywhere near Ulchid space. I like water but not that much
PhycoKrusk
Well, thanks. Now I'm concerned that the default Krev position will be, "It's only bad when _other people_ do it! It's ok for us.""
Tyler Ellis
I know it’s a long shot but SP, if you find this, I got to ask, are the Ulchids in any way inspired by the Tribbetheres from the Serina project? If so awesome! If not still awesome!
PhycoKrusk
Alternative headcanon: Ulchids, for religious reasons, will only move about by doing the Worm.
PhycoKrusk
Ours are bigger.
Gumcel
“An ambitious platform network, supported by several rings and enclosed to maintain temperature controls, was used to create an artificial ocean—complete with floating “islands” for habitation. Trombil engineers expressed concerns about what would happen in the event of structural failure. While any leakage would evaporate in Cieki’s atmosphere, the water’s immense weight strains any building material, and orbital ring habitation depends on the space ocean staying in place.” From the Ulchid doc. Gee, I wonder if this’ll be relevant. The Ulchid’s hyper sociability is interesting since humans are already like the most social species on earth (with primates in general being the most social animals) but I guess it’s considered the baseline? Or maybe humans are more social than the average alien, just not on the Ulchid’s level.
Gumcel
I think it’s just a one time thing because of daylight savings times :(
Gumcel
So they built this giant fuck off ring that has a larger circumference than their planet in 100 years, tops? Probably less? These Krev are efficient. Once again confirming that the Krev are based (Gress is based too).
Vladi Vladi
The Reddit sub had a story no?
Sworishina
That's cool but man idk if I could live like that lol
John
Where Krev sugar mommy?
Vladi Vladi
The amount of people who would rob Krev Sugar Daddies/Mommies blind if they were the first ones who found us. Many many many people fancy themselves a pampered lifestyle
Michael Halpern
they likely don't have the will or numbers for a drawn out conflict, that's after all why the UN/ SC did what they could to only focus on attacking or defending key systems, and even then it almost wasn't enough, but they had no choice. To win against such a numberical disparity, you need not just a tech advantage but luck and willingness to not play by the enemy's rules
Space Paladin
The Consortium by what we see here has a higher tech level than the SC!
Space Paladin
Yes, the Krev orbital rings system were inspired by that channel!
Space Paladin
They have artificial lighting so they can simulate normal brightness even with it closed
Space Paladin
Funny enough the tech was inspired by that channel 😂
John
The Krev have 6 species and a small amount of space. They are a VERY small high tech enclave they saw the federations atrocities and how big it was and noped straight out of their because even with their tech advantage they believed they were outmatched by sheer wait of numbers. They didn’t realize it was a house of cards.
TheDudeAbides
Ok well, now it's official, they can't be trusted. Seriously, if they have that level of technology how in the hell are they afraid of the federation? Either they way overestimate rhe feds capabilities or they're hiding something.
TheBlack2007
That read almost like an Isaac Arthur Episode. Also how a proper long-time spacefaring Civilzation's homeworld should look like instead of committing Ecocide based on eye placement...
Sworishina
This planet cage thing is super interesting, but I have to wonder, how dark is it on the surface?
EliasArt2Life
It seems to me that the Consortium has a talent for using superconductors. It’s not a big surprise that Arvor is so advanced; when all your technological advancement is focused on your home worlds (as opposed to the home world plus colonies), it’s probably going to be a lot more advanced. The downside is that all that infrastructure can be taken down in a single strike. I’m getting a little worried about the Krev’s automated fleets. Those fleets probably have no record of anything related to the Consortium. The Krev could wage war on the Federation (or in actuality, the SC) for a long time before the truth comes out. The Krev also seem to have energy weapons. That’s a new technology for the SC, which still primarily uses projectile weapons. This could actually be a point in our favor, since we have defenses against mass AND energy weapons (although limited), where the Krev might have forsaken most of their defenses against projectiles. I think it comes down to how big the initial strike is. That’s all assuming that Taylor convinces the Krev to launch an attack, but that seems to be what this is all leading to.
Anemoia
It's funny, in the first few chapters I was like "ugh, Taylor? I wanna see what Tassi's doing!" Then it completely flipped following the whole cute monkeys reveal, and now it's evening out.
Ladies and menfolk, we're CUTE and they have MEGASTRUCTURES. Now we've just gotta make like Onso and wield cute expressions for profit.
Rohn Carver
My thoughts on humans getting turned into pets by the consortium have gone from it might happen to now; how absolutely fucked they are if they try,
GeneralLDS
this is my favorite narrative. the Bissems are cool but this is just so much more interesting
Edmund Lam
Also actual combat experience. Humans are always fighting someone. War Apes.
Michael Halpern
aren't they always? the humans are going to be confused when they tap into feddie networks
Willie
Hi hiiiii
Edmund Lam
Typo. SC.
Michael Halpern
or while carrying something, ready to use, one of our earliest organized sporting events (that has since been modernized and revived) involved carrying a lit torch up the tallest mountain in the region and back, without it going out
Vladi Vladi
Freakazoid
Vladi Vladi
Taylor it’s the middle of the 22nd century. Did you actually use the term “power level” to refer to your host alien civilisation? This is something new. I cannot describe it. It’s like a cross between a normie and a dork
T___
Yes, reskit run faster and longer than humans. But reskit do best in open spaces. How about endurance running when the obsticles are hills, mountains, forests and swamps? Do they outrun humans even then? How about coordinating their endurance running among their peers, if they are sticklers to hierarchy? They have good eyesight and are tall, so they are often scouts. But they probably don't have human pattern recognition, since that is in the neocortex that is found only in mammal brains. And humans excel in that.
Willie
Space elevator move over its time for tge ASTRO cage So beam weapons... the armor sounds unefective unless they're made to resist energy blasts.... could they have personal shields? They clearly haven't been rotting technologically like the feds were... I am concerned about the um "I'll help refugees as long as he doesn't have to see them guy" And I'm obviously desperate for to see the other aliens I need details and lore
jetpacksuperman
Who knows what advancements the SC has gotten in 30 years. Plus we have more species. I don’t think they’d absolutely steamroll us at least
Michael Halpern
running is not the same thing as jogging, Running is max speed, which while humans can sustain longer than most animals, isn't what we excell at, jogging is slower but we can sustain it for significantly longer, while still being significantly faster than walking. besides the reskets are tall and pink. not exactly easy to camouflage.
Paperclip
Hallo
T___
On the other hand, humans won a war against so many alien species in just a little time after their first extrasolar mission. Humans were barely spacefaring. Humans adapt and innovate. We got some alien tech to play with and made our own (better) versions. More, we innovated further. Our cyber tech was already beyond the Federation. I don't think we'd had nothing to contribute.
John
SA?
Wingit98
I definitely see the pieces coming together for a big intergalactic misunderstanding where the Krev start hitting former Federation planets to avenge us before realizing humans are actually running shit now and the Federation is long gone.
Michael Halpern
true but it's the combination of abilities that make humans good at scouting, remember despite being evolved as Savannah Primates humans have thrived everywhere except for the polar icecaps .
Jay Scott Raymond
Based on the infrastructure descriptions, SP, I have to ask if you're a fan of the YouTube channel "Science and Futurism With Isaac Arthur". This looks like something right out of his megastructures series.
Michael Halpern
their evolutionary disposition is to hide with a heavy static defense the jaslips seem to be good at active defense but are seditary, human defensive strategy is to actively look for the threats and in many cases, eliminating them.
Andrew Boivin
Tyler’s totally gonna convince them to go up against the SC isn’t he? And I bet it’ll start with 2 mechanical fleets filing it out, so no loss of life, but no face to face communication either.
Ebondragon
So the land-phins are hyper-social extroverts that need constant interaction to be healthy. They sound like a lot of fun, in small doses.
Danny Luca
Please tell us the name of you do! I need to see that!
everything very
I’m not saying arboreal roots make a species good as scouting sorry for the misunderstanding, I’m saying that probably rules out ‘humans climb’ as a unique ability
Michael Halpern
there are different hunting strategies and just because a species is arboreal doesn't make them good scouts, scouts require endurance and good eyesight, a human without endurance training can walk 8-12 hours with minimal rest provided food and water, and jog for about half that. Also note lacking natural weapons (like other primates) we have evolved to be pretty good with projectiles. Feds didn't know the Krev existed.
Mark Baculna
Oh crap. Can the SC go toe to tow with the consortium on this one? If the consortium goes to war for the cute humans - woth their techonological superiority can we uhmmm
REDemon14
So long story short; they are Voltron's "Galra empire" levels without the magics.
everything very
I’ve been wracking my brain and the humanity that exists on arkship 3 just seems like cute and not super useful generalists to the krev consortium as far as I can see…
Michael Halpern
they are a true K1 civilization and could probably become a single system K2 civilization if they wanted to (K1 means a civilization that utilizes all solar energy that reaches a planet, K2 means using the entire output of a star)
Swan
Regarding the Ulchid: As an introvert, autistic person, remind me to never go to Cieki
everything very
But the krev have arboreal ancestors too (I assume as they are likely based off of arboreal pangolins- being leaf coloured and befriending monkeys makes more sense through this lens) , the resket are not obviously omnivores either so aren’t going to be seen immediately as a new predator species. Also a random holdout going into federation in a spaceship from a type 2 civilisation isn’t going to go over any would be feddies heads, maybe with ships disguised to look lower tech but even then the crew size will be very suspect
Jack
incredible
Edmund Lam
Love the orbital elevators. So is the Consortium at about the same tech level as the SC / UN? SA is much larger of course, and UN would have a much larger fleet, owning to being the galaxy’s policeman?
Michael Halpern
also remember if caught a human could be dismissed as a random hold out, where a resket would be a new predatory species. and Humans climb,
Swan
It'd be neat if the ark had some cradle vets; having them recount their experience of what it was like fighting the Feds (and the grays) would be a nice starting contribution to the consortium. Also, I'm curious if it's only the Kiev that find us cute, or if the rest of the consortium does as well
Invariance
Now that sounds much more like a long-spacefaring civilization. It's funny to think that the Federation probably could've had all of that technology 10 times over (or more), if they didn't just stagnate for millennia (culturally and technologically). I am now worried more than ever about what will happen when the SC & co find the Consortium...
Dragon Writer Luc
DST started yesterday
everything very
We’re outdone, our jogging isn’t special
Dragon Writer Luc
Only if you don't live in the US, which started DST yesterday.
Space Paladin
Daylight savings time: an abomination, I agree
everything very
Bro take it up with the lore doc
Space Paladin
Most Consortium species are around the five foot mark, at least the upright ones like the Krev and Smiglis. The Trombil are a bit shorter, Jaslips and Ulchids (being quadrupedal and tripedal respectively) have different heights in their natural gait. The Jaslips are about wolf size on all fours, so a little over waist height. Ulchids wouldn’t be very tall, imagine a beached dolphin flopping in the sand!
Michael Halpern
Not sure about that, in a sprint they'd absolutely out perform us, but a jog? probably not, they don't have sweat glands they will eventually overheat
everything very
The resket outperform us in endurance running and I think with their military culture that would translate into other areas of life. Also we'd probably be the worst scouts no?
Michael Halpern
not everything, persistence predators are very uncommon in nature, heck while we often count wolves as persistence predators, they are more pursuit predators, they can only persistence hunt in cold environments. Notably the Krev lack scouts. they don't know what's going on in Fed space
pogman
Ignorance
John
It’s not technically a war effort since they aren’t yet at war with anyone.
REDemon14
Your honor, if we look at my client's transcript you will see that he said "*somewhere* between Citadel and forerunner tech" while that is vague and has thousands of sci-fi civilizations in that bracket; the consortium still fall in it. (I'm aware of forerunners being near godlike in advancement. This comment is also not meant to be disparaging, just me being a silly billy.)
John
“Halos forerunners technology level.” You…you do realize the forerunners tilted the galaxy right? You realize they did that just cause they could?
everything very
I'm very curious what the humans will be able to contribute to the krevs war effort, all of the things that made us special compared to the federation the consortium seems to have already.
Dookus Maximus
Well, we're no longer the only ones with the idea to fire asteroids at our enemies
Alekss Žukovskis
politicians perhaps. i get a feel. that they will be kind of imprisoned one a planet.
Blake S
Man the sivkits are gonna be so confused
Blake S
Be funny when the krev stop a SC ship and their like "we are here to avenge the humans you stupid idiots" and thier like "humans? You mean like dave over ther, say high dave" ' "hello!". Krev:"What! You vile federation dog equivalents, i cant beleived you cured them!" Sc captain: "Cured, uh we dont do that anymore, we are actually having burgers later would care to join, oh and allso the federation was effectively destroyed like 30 years ago.What have you been doing all this time?" Krev captain: (is ded now)
Byron Ritchie
Good point lol
Blake S
Its a sheild world! With little baby halos inside!
Michael Halpern
well persistence predators are quite rare in nature, it's an exclusively pack predator strategy and I think only 3 or 4 species/families (that aren't extinct) on Earth use it, and that includes wolves that can only really use it effectively in tundra, the other species being orca when hunting whales. while effective, it's rare because it requires an animal to evolve both a large brain for pack hunting and either an environment conducive to or an evolutionary advantage for thermo regulation compared to the chosen prey, it is however one of the few strategies besides particularly potent poison/venum that can reliably take down significantly higher body mass targets. I suspect they'll want humans as scouts, once they arrange for some of the more athletic members to see how long it would take them to traverse one of the rings on foot
I'm genuinely excited to see this tech come in, and now left wondering in eager trepidation... just who are the villains in this story going to be?
Ella
I'm curious now... our the Krev and other Consortium species (other than the Resket, who we know are like 9 feet tall) as big as humans, or are they smaller, like most Fed species? If they were Federation-sized, I imagine that we're cute in that 'big floofy dog' way to them.
REDemon14
Oh, so the consortium is somewhere between Mass Effect's Citadel council races tech level and Halo's forerunners' tech level. That's cool. My bet is that the "armored plates" are capable of generating energy shields. I know it won't be for a while but, I wonder how they'll react when a species that barely had ftl for a few months ended their greatest threat.
Byron Ritchie
Ngl me trying to visualize the cage made me think of halo (in a good way)
Corporal Chunk
Ikr, i was expecting it to come out 7pm in my time
Corporal Chunk
This was... Early? The heck?
Bas Donders
With this level of technological advancement, the Krev must have a way to obtain knowledge about the Federation securely. Well they would have if they were humans, I suppose. Maybe they haven't weaponized intelligence about foreign actors quite the way we have. That said, really cool to see the Krev planet. Can't wait to see them interact with the Sapient Coalition and the rest of humanity. Let's see what the Yotul think about being uplifted AGAIN
Youre a swedekisser arent you
Wow, the Krev are advanced. The amount of stuff they've added in only a century is quite impressive to the the very least. The Consortium feels like the first true Type 2 civilisation we've seen in the series, able to harness their entire solar systems to their fullest potential. Even the Federation didn't do that, though they did control a lot of area. The SC, Shield, AC (Arxur Collective) and whatever Federation remnants that might be left are all in some weird hybrid of Type 2 and 3 at the same time.
John Benjamin Cate
They have a lot of defensive technology on display. And the kind that would very easily make its inhabitants prisoners if that was ever decided. Concerning. Though I will say that as major as this all is, it’s still unclear what the Offensive capabilities of the Krev are. Very interesting.
HiMyNameIsFelipe
Jesus they are a massive superower in technology and construction. And all of that for a threat that no longer exists
everything very
I think I’ll do a lofi girl parody with a krev studying with the moving rings visible from out the window
Joe King
FUCK YES! You're posting at 10P.M again, happy days
print Path
Damm it came out early today, I was expecting to come out at 8am in my time Congratulations on defeating me tho
print Path
Second
Sree Krishna Raja
Second
PS1 Hagrid
You win this round
Soheils
First
