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The Nature of Predators - Nova's Children (5/10)
🕑 Added 2024-01-20 12:00:06 +0000 UTCA single act of mischief was, on occasion, the beginning of a chain reaction: something that snowballed to the point that it demanded explanation. Tarva hadn’t told her children the brutal manner in which her first daughter died: not out of dishonesty, but for fear that they were too young to understand that tragedy. It’d been heartbreaking enough to tell Ari about the existence of a bloodlusting predator species, and how people would equate humans to them despite a distinct lack of evidence. She was also afraid that the kids might judge her, for her decision to terminate her daughter’s life support…in essence, killing her child. Was it wrong of her to have another child at all? Did she deserve to, after snuffing out that first flame?
It wasn’t easy for Tarva to relive those memories, a wound that would never heal until the day she’d died. Her guilt was without accounting for the fact that she knew, in her heart, that she’d stood across from the Arxur responsible for that raid, and agreed to work with him. It was for the greater good, but it spit on her daughter’s memory. That had been an act of cruelty Isif targeted at her, as the Venlil leader: another reason it was her fault it happened. Another reminder of why her children could be in danger because of who she was. It might’ve been selfish to bring a new kid into the world with the risks it entailed.
Ari and Elia had met the extended family enough times to recognize their relatives, but one day, by chance, they found a single photograph, tucked away in a drawer and turned over. They’d been playing the human game hide-and-seek—a predatory game of trying to locate and flush out prey, if you asked some Venlil—and Elia couldn’t find Ari. The young primate had found a massive cardboard box, and placed it over his little body: to Elia, it might as well have not existed. The frustrated little Venlil refused to give up, checking and double-checking everything. She scoured drawers where there was no possible way Ari could fit, and came across the photograph.
After a few more minutes of searching, and finally locating her brother, Elia had brought Ari back to that finding to ask if he knew who was in the picture. It was Tarva with a strange, male Venlil she’d never seen, with tails interlocked like they were quite familiar with each other; the two were standing behind a Venlil about their age, who was holding a lunchbox to take to her first day of school. The children didn’t know that was a stabbing memory for Tarva. The joy of sending that kid off to classes had been dashed by what came not long after. The youngsters were clueless to how difficult their first trip to school had been for their mother—how she broke down, crying in Noah’s arms, several times throughout that day, and the ones that followed.
“Mom? Who is this Venlil kid?” Ari asked. “It’s not Elia.”
Elia snorted with derision. “Of course it isn’t me! I want to know why it’s hidden away. Who are these people?”
Noah glanced up from where he was sipping coffee, shooting a concerned look at Tarva. “I’m not sure your mother is ready to talk about this. It’s something that causes her a great deal of pain.”
“Why? She looks really happy in this. She’s looking at that kid like us…like it’s her child!”
“Stynek was my child,” Tarva whispered. “I loved her very much. Before I was married to Noah, many years ago, I was married to a different man. A Venlil who I was able to have a biological kid with.”
“You loved someone other than Noah? You left him even though you had a kid together? You’re…not going to leave me and Ari, are you?”
Ari’s eyes lit up, willing to gloss over the marriage detail entirely. “I’m not worried about that; you know they want us. This is good news! We have a sister? I want to meet her.”
“You…c-can’t, sweetheart. Stynek is dead. She’s been for a long, long time. Rellin and I…”
Noah stepped in, seeing Tarva struggle with her words. “If anything ever happened to you two, you can imagine how devastating it would be for your mother and I. I would endure anything to prevent anyone from hurting you, but that’s not always a given option. Sometimes, bad things just happen, but Rellin and Tarva both felt they were to blame. It took all of the happiness from their marriage, because they loved Stynek and missed her so much.”
“Was Stynek…killed because people hated her? Over Mom’s politics?” Elia whispered, fear igniting in her eyes.
Ari signaled “Stop!” in his rudimentary tail language. “It makes Mom sad to talk about it. We should drop it.”
“It’s alright,” Tarva managed. “You deserve to know. That predatory species that did awful things and ate people used to attack Venlil worlds. They…raided Stynek’s school to hurt me personally, as the leader of Skalga. If I hadn’t run for office, Stynek would be alive today.”
Noah’s eyes pointed at her with intensity. “Hey. It’s not your fault. It was an awful thing done by awful beings who wanted others to suffer. You’re not to blame for what they did, when you were just living your life.”
“Yeah, Mom. It’s not your fault,” the human child offered.
Tarva’s ears pinned back against her head, as tears rolled down her cheek. “I appreciate you saying that, Ari, but it’ll always feel like it is. I promised to do better with you two—and you don’t have to worry about it! The Arxur—those predators, they’ve been stopped from doing raids like that now. That’s why I haven’t told you to fear them.”
“But you said that other people might attack us. Put us in danger.” Elia’s ears twitched with apprehension, though another side of her mind wanted to fight the monsters that’d hurt Stynek. Nobody would take her brother away. “How can you stop that?”
Noah exchanged a glance with Tarva. “We both have plans to make sure that nobody can hurt you again. There are people that’ll watch out for you two. We want you to live your lives to the fullest, not in fear.”
“There’s nothing we won’t do to keep you both safe, and to limit the danger we put you in by being who we are,” the former governor added. “I have to trust that the steps we’ve taken…that the precautions we’ve agreed to will be enough.”
Memory Transcription Subject: Elia Williams, Venlil Athlete
Date [standardized human time]: October 2, 2152
There had been a stretch where I was too intimidated by Agent Wolf to pepper him with questions, but the curiosity was killing me. Clearly feeling like he couldn’t wash off the blood and guts, Ari had been in the shower for more than half an hour—most likely letting the water aimlessly run over his head. That left me alone in whatever this Terran safehouse was, which appeared like any other apartment near the old refugee camps: modestly furnished, unassuming, with a view overlooking a street. The camps had been rebuilt with nicer homes by Veln’s successor, Governor Laisa; she’d given incentives for Venlil to intermingle with the area, and tax breaks to businesses.
The Terrans were free to wander and welcomed in most residential zones now, but there was still a predominantly human presence here. It had less of a gloomy, hopeless atmosphere than its early days, with proper playgrounds and features from Earth. Governor Laisa turned a blind eye to any pets in this district, as long as they weren’t a safety threat. She gave blanket citizenship to anyone granted refugee status during the Battle of Earth, and generally improved the Terrans’ quality of life. Her administration was about as pro-human as Tarva’s, though I wasn’t sure she’d sanctioned this covert outfit. I really doubted Veln had, if these operatives had followed us for most of our lives. How were we going to explain any of this to Tarva and Noah?
I know Agent Wolf said he’d get in touch with our parents, but I don’t know how they’ll feel about human security stalking us. I’m just grateful they saved my brother’s life; if they arrived any later, Ari would be dead. I can’t imagine how traumatic it was for him, to have been knelt down for an execution.
“Does the Venlil government know you’re here?” I blurted.
Agent Wolf turned his head slightly to face me. “No, and they’re not going to. You’re not going to tell anyone. No social media posts…unless you want to create a shitstorm for humanity, your parents, and you and your brother. You should think very carefully about that. I don’t think Ari needs anything extra on his plate.”
“But then what the fuck are we going to tell Noah and Tarva? Ari’s really shaken up. I can’t hide this from them, for his sake.”
“Who said anything about hiding it from your parents? When we approached them, it was when you were both about to head off to school. They were quite receptive to the idea of protecting you from any nefarious parties. I imagine the reason they didn’t tell you was so that you wouldn’t try to ditch us; you know, out of some lesser concern that we see you misbehaving and snitch on you. Which isn’t our purpose, but we all know how kids think.”
I blinked in confusion, uncertain how to react to the human agent’s claim. Tarva and Noah signed off on us being tailed everywhere, without the slightest warning to us? These were stone-cold operatives from Earth, and judging by how they’d handled Ari and I being held as hostage, they were more than capable of eliminating threats. It was bizarre that my mother would let a foreign government lope after her children, without so much as tipping off the local government. How did this agreement work, during our visits to Earth? Did they follow us across planetary borders, and track us during our excursions there as well?
“I don’t know how to feel about being followed everywhere, and watched in my most personal moments. There’s…some things that I want to be private!” I lamented.
Agent Wolf’s face remained impassive. “That’s not an unfair sentiment. If it makes you feel any better, we’re not concerned with what you do, as much as the people around you. I think a jarring event like this would remind you that your safety overrules all other considerations, for your parents and for us.”
“Obviously, and I’m beyond grateful that you saved Ari’s life…but I’m just trying to understand. Do you follow us on Earth too?”
“We would tag along on any planet you traveled to, but our own is one of the easiest to make the arrangements on, with the United Nations facilitating our directives. There are humans who’d wish aliens harm, or have their own vendetta with Tarva or the Venlil. We’re here to mitigate any threats to you.”
My ears perked up, hearing tentative footsteps before Agent Wolf’s human eardrums could pick up a thing. Ari stumbled toward the couch in a daze, wearing a set of clothes left for him by the operatives. I stood to check whether he needed any help walking around, and my brother flung himself forward, ensnaring me with a hug. He buried his face in my fluff, and sobbed into it for several minutes; he clutched his fingers tighter into my spine, as if he wanted to rip out my fur. I hoped he wouldn’t, given how much that would hurt—similar to a Terran getting a wax treatment—but I’d have tolerated having my entire pelt ripped out if it meant Ari was alive.
To think that mere hours ago, my greatest concern had been running in a silly race that was a knockoff of a Terran idea, arguing with my parents about a college tour for some over-exaggerated sense of independence, and collecting test results for my brother. I didn’t need a piece of paper to tell me who his family was. Whatever insecurities were in his head, he belonged in the Williams’ residence, not with some humans who had given him away at birth! That’s what I should’ve told him when he first expressed his feelings: that he wasn’t going to be left alone by us, ever, and that I knew exactly who he was. I loved Ari not just in spite of his differences, but because of them.
If that’s still what Ari wants, I’ll help him…but he shouldn’t need that to find closure on his identity. What’s important is that we’re together, as inseparable family, and that he can get this out of his head. Something like this shows what’s important.
My brother struggled to speak through his unrelenting sobs. “They talked like I was a monster. I tried to empathize with them, but they just hated me more. I don’t belong on this planet, with these people: how can I not be scared of being burned alive or put down?”
Alarm sparked in my chest. “I know this was the worst time to have that predator spiel thrown at you, but they were fucking assholes. You belong here. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without my brother. I wouldn’t be me…and you wouldn’t be you, if you didn’t grow up with a Venlil sister. That’s the truth about your identity. You make our family whole, and I will headbutt that fact into you if I have to!”
“I…I didn’t want to survive instead of you, Elia. Don’t you ever do something like that again. I couldn’t bear the guilt, and I don’t need you to protect me.”
“How do you think I would feel, watching you lined up against the wall…having to watch you die? You have no idea how much that hurt in that moment. It was an absolute pit of dread. I never want to see anything happen to you, so fuck off: I’m protecting you whether you like it or not. And I’m going to do it better from now on.”
Agent Wolf raised a pointer finger. “Actually, it’s our job to protect you. Neither of you should be putting yourselves in danger. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s ours for not clocking these guys sooner.”
“I saw a Venlil with her brains blown out, practically on top of me! Do you know how sickening that was? That image—the feeling of blood spraying on my skin—I’ll never forget that. I don’t want your protection!” Ari spat.
I narrowed my eyes. “Uh, I do, in case any other exterminator psychopaths come around. You’re not being rational.”
“I know I’m not. I thought I was going to die. I was abducted just walking out in the streets, in broad daylight. I feel so dirty, like the blood soaked into my pores—maybe I do have predator taint. I feel like I do. Fuck!”
Agent Wolf walked over to the table, handing Ari the envelope that’d been removed from the bloodied hoodie. “You need a distraction, and then a nice warm meal. When we spoke to your parents, they were relieved you were safe. They asked us to try to comfort you. I know you were eagerly anticipating this, so maybe that’s a start?”
“That envelope wasn’t worth what we went through. I really don’t care anymore. Maybe it’s better if I don’t know. Throw it away. You’re good at disposing of things.”
My heart sank, watching my brother flop down on the couch with a distant stare. Ari looked more broken than when he confessed about the ancestry test on the bleachers; there was nothing that I hated more than seeing him in this state. It was difficult for me to accept, after what we just endured, but Agent Wolf might be right about those results offering a valuable distraction. Letting Ari abandon his mission at the finish line would be selfish, just because I’d realized how much I couldn’t bear for him to leave our family. His happiness and validation went beyond my worries about him choosing blood relatives over us. Maybe it would take seeing what was out there for him to grasp that, despite the difficulties living on Skalga, this was where he belonged.
“You told me this was something you had to do. That you don’t feel fully human. You should never have to doubt what that part of you means. After we did go through all of that to get that test, I’m sure as shit not letting you throw it away now,” I hissed with indignation.
Ari scowled. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, I’m just getting warmed up. I want to know more about my brother’s life. If there’s a picture of you as a newborn, I plan to send it to all of our relatives to embarrass you. It’s way too late to close that can of worms.”
“It was a mistake to open it in the first place. What good can it possibly do?”
“Answers. It removes your uncertainty, and it’s something we can finish together. I’m a little banged up, and I’m not sure how I’m supposed to run a stupid race in front of the world after this. Do you think I should just give up?”
“No, but that’s—”
“We’re not quitters. It can’t hurt anything, because I’m trusting that we love each other. Like Mom and Dad, I’m trusting that’s enough, and I want to support anything important to you. Plus, there’s not going to be a better opportunity; I bet Agent Wolf is very helpful with tracking people down and looking into them.”
The operative shrugged. “I don’t imagine it would be difficult. There’s many people who’ve done ancestry tests, and found family they never knew about. No harm in expanding your personal bubble.”
“What he said, Ari. I let you put it off once at the pickup station, but having a ‘later’ option isn’t a guarantee. Be brave. Let’s put something good in this awful day.”
The human mulled over our words for a few minutes, before extending his hand in a gesture that asked for the envelope to be passed over. The test that would point Ari toward any living relatives had traveled light-years to get here, and now it would provide analysis of the coding that made my brother a unique individual. I watched as his fingers ripped open the paper, and he read it in silence; Ari was scanning over something that seemed like words, so it must’ve pinpointed some names. Several names. With a sudden nervousness, likely related to the idea of him ditching us for them, I moved myself closer to my beloved sibling—to read the Terran script with my own eyes.
A/N - Part 5! We see how the children learned about Stynek's death and Tarva's old marriage, something which inspired her to go along with the UN's idea of a Secret Service detail; we also see a bit about how much the Venlil government knows, and what Laisa's administration is like post-Veln. Ari is traumatized by the deaths that happened right by him and the ordeal, but Elia persuades him to finish what he started; it seems the gene test has found a few names.
What do you expect Ari to find out about his birth parents? What do you think of the UN's protective detail and their setup?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Zachary J. Dom
It’s just a picture of wolf wearing the exact same outfit he currently is and giving a thumbs up. Lmao
William Stark
“I didn’t need a piece of paper to tell me who his family was” That hit just right.
RaphaelFrog
Dustin being portrayed as Bissem version of Chad because of his speech... My lord, that would look perfect XD Great job with another chapter my friend! I'm looking forward to see more of your works >:3
Space Paladin
It is the first time her former husband and her first daughter are named!
Tazeell
So when is Elia joining the secret service? Honestly a good fit and she'd be able to protect her brother better, could see her doing it.
everything very
Just makes himself a character who completely prophesied the entire events of the 2130's in the 2020's but it all got lost to history in the satellite wars 😔✊
everything very
And Taylor being born 9 years earlier and then sent away on an arkship instead of ending up in an orphanage happening potentially to the same mother
everything very
Bet he's space palladins decendent
everything very
That could follow that they are a quarter related given that ari is brown and Taylor is blonde blue eyes.
Search "fluff"
Corporal Chunk
More reason to bring in William Kane to the story ;)
Charming Cobra
I think so, hardly any mention of her first husband as well. I used to wonder what happened to him, did he ever remarry, or even what he thought of Tarva and Noah being together if he did know.
PhycoKrusk
It would be no closer than a cousin; Ari was born after the Battle of Earth.
TheBlack2007
Since Ari was conceived before the battle of Earth, it will probably be a story repeated 100 Million times over: Happy cople expected their first child, then the bombing happened. Father was killed, mother was in a dark place and saw herself unfit to care for the baby alone, so she surrendered him for adoption and tried moving on with her life.
Paperclip
Apoligies if I'm wrong, but this seems a bit aggressive for a simple question. I didn't argue against Laisa getting re-elected, I was going off of what is explicitly stated. Even if Laisa was explicitly stated to be on her 2nd term, it still doesn't answer the original question which was what I was intending to do. In my reasoning, a possible -but not confirmed at the time- variable was negligible. The wording in this chapter made it sound like Laisa was going a good job "so far", implying that this was her first term, and without any evidence that there was a second term (as I didn't know the term length), I assumed that we were on Laisa's first term, right after Veln.
Apogee
What if he’s related to Meir?
Lord Tvlor
I stg if it says "Agent Wolf" on that piece of paper...
Kevin Quintana
Calling it now he's related to Taylor Trench
Greg Gougeon
I bet hes related to me.
PhycoKrusk
Honestly, I feel like the next time we see Isif, it's going to be at a deathbed or a funeral, either his or Zhao's. I have my thoughts about how either might play out, but I'm keeping them to myself in case SP is already thinking of similar things; don't want to accidentally spoil things by guessing.
Hayden Hodge
I’m predicting it to be the guy who gets burned in the exterminators ark. The HF leader on skalga, i don’t remember his name.
everything very
Maybe on an arkship even
everything very
Or siblings
Some Lvm
Not floor, but something else that starts with f...
EliasArt2Life
It always amuses me that the description of games like “hide and seek” always focuses on the predatory aspect of it (It has been mentioned only a few times in NOP1 and bonus content, admittedly). Aliens seem to forget that humans always play BOTH the predator AND PREY roles in these games. I’d like to see ONE person (maybe Cilany) recognize and address how these games help kids gone BOTH predator AND PREY skills. Ari is definitely better at hiding from a predator than his sister is at being the predator (also, her looking in tiny drawers but never considering opening a big, child-sized box is adorable). I would have liked to see more from Noah and Tarva this chapter (during the first person section), rather than only hearing about their reactions to the event in a passing generalization. Once again, Ari and Elia definitely need some therapy. Please let them get some therapy soon.
Sap
I'm calling it, his bio dad is Marcel.
PhycoKrusk
Does it have to do with the floor?
BXSinclair
Is this the first time we are getting a name for Tarva's dead daughter? I don't recall it ever being stated before, but it's a long series so I might have just fogotten
PhycoKrusk
No parent effectively communicates what they mean to a 6 year old
Some Lvm
Who said she only ruled one term? The story does not actually count election cycles. If she was in fact such a chad governor, there is no reason why she wouldn't continue getting reelected multiple terms. Most countries on earth don't have a term limit for presidents, and the US didn't use to have one until Roosevelt kept getting reelected.
Some Lvm
It's only been 15 years since the end of the war. We don't know exactly how old Isif was back then, or what is average lifespan of an Arxur who isn't being used as cannon fodder, but chances are he is still around, in fact, he is probably still in a governing position, trying to reform whats left of the Dominion. I can imagine it now: Noah introducing Sifi to the kids: "This is Isif, former Chief Hunter, who brought his forces to Earth's aid when the extermination fleet was about to destroy us." Elia: "Wait! I read about Chief Hunters in history books - each of you used to rule a sector of space and send raids to prey planets withing it, right?" Isif: "Um, yes, this was a long time ago, and I am not proud of it, but it was the only way of life we knew..." Elia, getting in to headbutt position: "And which sector did you raid exactly?"
Some Lvm
Well, I am glad my comment on the last chapter turned out to be empty speculation... Couple of things do come to mind: 1. Why did Tarva named her firstborn an anagram of Skynet? Is it a Venlil - to English translation fluke, or are there other forces at play here? 2. There is a sentence in that chapter that would be very not wholesome if taken out of context. But I don't want to point out what it is. If there are others here frequenting same youtube channels they are likely to notice, and if not, better keep your innocence.
Anemoia
I sort of figured his parents were dead, or at least his father. Ari was born not long after the Battle of Earth, and his father could've been either in the navy and died in orbit, or on the ground and died in the bombing. He could've sent his pregnant wife to Skalga and from there, who knows.
Space Paladin
I believe 6 years is what I’ve stated in the past! We can assume Laisa won her first reelection 😅
Lokyar
Yeah, they did. Those are vague reassurances, nothing more. They could very easily mean the Skalga equivalent of "we asked uncle Olek to keep an eye on you through the bedroom window", and basically no one - especially children - would assume it meant "we have armed bodyguards following you 24/7."
Space Paladin
Thank you!
Space Paladin
The chapter’s more about Stynek, and Tarva knowing about and choosing a protective detail
Byron Ritchie
Hmm I wonder what the twist is going to be with ari’s parents?
T___
Their parents didn't keep it from them. They told them “We both have plans to make sure that nobody can hurt you again. There are people that’ll watch out for you two. We want you to live your lives to the fullest, not in fear.” They told them about having plans to protect them. They told them people would watch out for them. They told them they didn't want them to live in fear, pretty much telling them they would not see these 'people' unless necessary.
Corporal Chunk
Tbh William didn't really mention any cousins he just mentions his sisten and his parents but i dunno, maybe. Also has it ever mentioned what William's skin color is? They said Ari's was brown in the last episode i think, "She pressed the blade near his brown skin" or smt when the kidnappers was gonna kill em
Melez
It would be funny if it was William the human exterminator as a cousin. He’s still probably got a job and might be one of the few humans with relatable experiences involving exterminators.
Paperclip
Tbf we had a lot of prologue this time
Paperclip
I'm imagining the Arxur swooping in during the climax of NOP2 and giving that extra push to defeat the antagonists. Maybe Isif's protégé, Resiff brings a fleet of like, 30k to the fight (if that's where NOP2's headed, of course).
Youre a swedekisser arent you
Names for Tarva's old family and how humans on Skalga have been doing since Veln got the boot? A while bunch of juicy lore!
Charles Michael Santos
Oof, it's gonna be a while till Ari moves on from the trauma. On the topic of Arxur's, is Isif still around? If so, I'm curious as to if we would see him in a future chapter, it'd be great to get an update on my favourite space gator. Great Chapter as always SP(~˘▾˘)~
DemonVee
An ark ship relative would be interesting, but I have a feeling it's going to be someone on Skalga.
Vladi Vladi
Kinda of a short chapter… nothing happened
Corporal Chunk
Goddamnit why is there a cliffhanger, trying to guess who his biological parents are but i really dunno, maybe they went on the arkship? Well no then they'd bring their child... I dunno
Hello There
Poor Ari. He is going to need a very good therapist
Edmund Lam
Ari and Elia need to pursue their dreams otherwise the crazies won.
un_pogaz
Well, it's really complicated for Ari. Fortunately, he can count on a sister who will always be there, even in the deepest well. I wonder what Ari will become in the future. Elia, we can guess a little, but Ari, with all his emotional turmoil, I'm worried. We'll see. Otherwise, I wonder if they've ever meet an Arxur (unlikely) or if we'll meet one in this series?
ToddTheSquid
Dang cliffhangers! Excellent as always!
Lokyar
Well, fuck. They have both gone down some very deep and treacherous psychological holes. Ari has fallen into the obvious one, but Elia has fallen to the much more subtle one of burying her trauma to support someone else. Combine that with their parents keeping this from them, and there's going to be issues down the line. Therapy time! As for the birth parents, a lot is based on whether they got Ari from an orphanage or directly from the parents; at least if it was direct they'd likely be xeno-sympathisers. If from an orphanage and the parents are supporters or even high ranking members of humanity first... that's another shitstorm waiting to happen. And if that's the case and they're notable enough for Wolf to recognise the name... oooh juicy.
Paperclip
Elia being protective is wholesome AF, but as Lokyar said, it's probably at the expense of her own feelings. These kids need to talk to someone, yesterday. Also, how long is a Skalgan governor term? Veln was elected in 2137, and all the way in 2152 we're hearing about only one re-election with chad Laisa. My guess is 10 years, but that seems long. They could be going off a different calendar, though.
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