spacepaladin15
patreon
The Nature of Predators 180
🕑 Added 2023-12-21 12:00:05 +0000 UTCMemory transcription subject: Ambassador Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Date [standardized human time]: April 7, 2137
As I turned to stroll back into the auditorium for Zhao’s resumption, I noticed that Noah hadn’t followed me. Immediate concern blossomed in my heart, knowing how unusual that was. Ever since I’d begun my pregnancy, the astronaut had stuck close to me, like I was a fragile object that might fall apart, if left unattended. Mere moments before, the former Ambassador Williams had been comforting me after the Farsul topic stirred up my sorrow for my species. Was the human having sudden medical complications? I whirled around to check on him, and found that the predator had inexplicably lost his footing.
Noah was hunched over on one knee, extending a velvet box in his hands. His binocular eyes peered up at me with love and sincerity; he popped open the container to reveal a metal band, with a sparkling gemstone atop it. I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding what the predator was up to. Was this some Terran ritual I was unfamiliar with? Despite my lack of recognition, I could sense the charged aura of emotion between us. The astronaut’s lips curved upward, as he gave voice to the unspoken question that had been in his mind.
“Tarva, nobody has ever made me feel as complete and sure-footed as you. You are my world, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” the human rumbled.
“W-what?” The tears that had been spilling from sorrow renewed, but this time, it was from an overpowering deluge of love. It seemed this was a tradition for how the predators proposed to their loved ones; Noah wanted a commitment, to uphold our relationship until our final days. “Yes. Yes! I can’t wait to start a family together, as husband and wife.”
The human rose and clasped my wrist with a gentle hand, before carefully sliding the ring onto my toe. It felt a bit strange and tight, but it must be some sort of symbol of commitment. I’d seen humans wearing similar objects before, and come to think of it, all of them were in long-term relationships. We hadn’t talked about marriage rituals between our two species at all, though I was sure we’d have plenty of time to plan and mingle our traditions. When my ex-husband proposed to me many years ago, it was with the storied tail signs of “Marry me.” The ceremony was our traditional fusion of the families, where relatives and friends symbolically swapped sides between bride and groom.
I commit to this union, two souls merging as one. The goals of the other are my goals, and their desires are my desires. I will stoke the fires of love in rain and sunshine; I will rebuild it from ashes or cinders. For the remainder of our lives, we will move forward together, the Venlil vows read.
I hadn’t fulfilled the letter of my first promise, after the devastation of our daughter’s death made it impossible to spark anything from the ashes. With Noah, I believed I had a chance to start again—to live up to those vows. It would be not just the merging of souls, but the merging of two cultures; I intended to integrate Terran customs with Venlil rites. The words should amount to supporting my human through both hardships and good times. Together, after all we’d been through since first contact, I knew we could make it through anything.
“I’ll tell you all about our traditional weddings…we can swap stories, so that we’re clear what marriage means between us,” Noah growled. “For now, we need to get back to the meeting. I just couldn’t wait a second longer to ask you.”
I nuzzled up to his side, as we ambled back to the auditorium. “Unless your weddings are solitary affairs, we definitely need to think of a guestlist. Family, friends, and people we’ve worked closely with?”
“Yeah, I’d like to limit it to those close to us. Just don’t ask Glim. I wish him well, and I’ve directed him to get help, but he made it personal by selling us out. I know he thinks we betrayed him first by letting Isif speak, and he’s…a very traumatized man, but he spat on our love. I don’t want to work with him, and I certainly don’t want him at our wedding.”
“I agree; what he did burned bridges between us. I imagine that means, just for appearances, we should make sure Sara Rosario doesn’t bring Haysi. Sara belongs at our wedding, and I’m happy that she and Haysi have stayed close…but besides not sticking it to Glim, we don’t want anyone there who might diss predator traditions.”
“That means we’re definitely not inviting Coji, regardless of how much she’s changed.”
“Why not? I think it’d be hilarious for her to cut you off at each word of our vows.”
“Hilarious is one word to describe it. I can think of another, but it’s not very diplomatic. Anyway, it looks like Zhao’s about ready to resume his speech, so we can hammer out every detail on the ride back to Skalga. I’m right here, if you need any support over the Farsul or the war—just reach out, and don’t over exert yourself! Please.”
“I’ll control my stress levels, for the baby.”
“And yourself.”
“And myself. Don’t worry, Noah, I’m fine.”
The astronaut steadied my chair as I sat back down, while I tried to focus on the Secretary-General despite my giddiness and excitement. There were serious matters to attend to, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted; however, the prospect of marrying my soulmate had caused my earlier pain, over the Farsul discussions, to evaporate. I was ready to tackle difficult subjects with a clear mind, and to iron out the final details of peacetime. Whatever put an end to the war and the death, with humanity ushering in a harmonious era, I could live with it.
What’s left for Zhao to discuss, aside from the two-hundred Federation powers? The Dominion? I wonder how Isif’s rebellion has held up…and whether humanity finds it appropriate, for the Arxur to be punished at all for their unthinkable cattle farms.
The Secretary-General’s eyes swept across the room, ensuring every diplomat had time to filter back in. “Alright then. Before I fully move past the Farsul issue, I want to raise two topics I intended to broach in our internal meetings—to emphasize that we hate our friends’ suffering, and that we intend to address every issue discovered from the Archives. You know about the gene reversals, but we haven’t gone over our ‘Project Chronicle.’ In short, we’re recruiting historians to sort the data from each species’ chamber.”
“Only human historians?” Laulo, the Yotul ambassador, called out with suspicion. “I trust your people, but I don’t want more aliens handling our history. Respectfully.”
“Of course, and at our internal meeting, we’ll be discussing what each individual race sees as important and wants in their curricula. We’ll be requesting professionals from your planets to work with us, and ensure that everything is fair and aboveboard. What we’ve started on is…incentivizing some archivist prisoners to help us, and large-scale sorting. I intend to involve each of you in your own stories. Humanity’s commitment is to undoing not just the gene mods, but every lie they’ve ever told you. Please understand that.”
I flicked my ears, recognizing that Zhao was addressing me. “I do, and I’m grateful for your efforts to expose the conspiracy for all of their crimes against sapience. Truly. They won’t control us.”
“They won’t be out abducting potential uplifts either. I recognize that some member states have welcomed back citizens from the past—who could be helpful with Project Chronicle. I recommend using them as windows to a lost era, but also setting out provisions to address their…unique circumstances. We recognize both the benefits and the dangers of advanced cryotechnology, and intend to discuss laws on cryopod usage next week. We take what they’ve done quite seriously.”
Mazic President Cupo flared his trunk. “Then destroy the technology! Nothing good can come of preserving sapients like frozen fruit, for hundreds of years.”
A few calls of assent came from the gathered diplomats, and I found myself wondering if Cupo was right. The abductees who’d been transported into our time had difficulty adjusting, and lost their lives and their families. There were zero positives to rendering people obsolete on their own worlds. Cryopods would facilitate similar experiments done by anyone who bought into Federation ideology, and tried to reinstitute the cure on live subjects. If even Zhao recognized the potential dangers, why not just outlaw cryopod usage in our territory?
The Terran leader cleared his throat. “There are many valid concerns, but technology is often a double-edged sword—that is to say, it can be used for good or for evil. If someone has a terminal disease, and chooses to be preserved until a cure is found, cryopods may save lives. It could allow astronauts to hibernate through long voyages. Even with warp drives, it would take vast amounts of time and supplies to travel to neighboring galaxies. It takes years just to cross the full breadth of our own. We can have this debate at length at our next meeting, where I’ll lay out scientific research on the positives this tech might achieve.”
“Very well. We will listen to your arguments then,” Cupo acknowledged.
“That’s all I ask. Now, let us move on from the issues surrounding Talsk, and address what we should do with the rest of the Federation. As you know, the UN launched a cyberattack on all Kolshian-aligned principalities. Let me preface this by saying that this was the move that won the war; if those two hundred parties had come to Aafa, we would’ve been slaughtered. However, the cyberattacks had the regrettable consequence of civilian loss of life, due to socioeconomic collapses.”
The Dossur diplomat, Alar, twitched his whiskers. “These species picked their sides, and they supported the Kolshians after everything. The Federation didn’t regret picking off Dossur civilians—some of whom were only just recovered from the shadow caste’s basement, in terrible condition.”
“The treatment of the captives from Mileau was criminal, and worsened by the fact that it was simply for standing with humanity. However, I reiterate our desire to limit loss of life, and not to radicalize civilians; we seek healing. We want these two-hundred-plus parties to surrender, so that we’re not forced into this war any longer. That means that we’re willing to send humanitarian aid and put the lights back on, for anyone who capitulates. It’s also important to note that not all Federation members are in the same category.”
“Forgive the interruption,” Coji began, with unusual tact, “but how so? I just heard Ambassador Alar point out that they supported the Kolshians after everything—including the attacks on Mileau and Kalqua.”
“The Duerten Shield originally hesitated to side with humanity, due to fears of opposing the Kolshians. Kalqua shows that there was true peril in challenging the shadow caste. Many parties were afraid of retribution, if they broke away from the Federation. There were quite a few who voted for neutrality, after Noah’s speech, but didn’t want to hop sides. You were in that same position once, Coji.”
“I…concede that point. I believe I once told a Venlil counterpart that it was hard to stick our necks out. It was why talks with humanity hadn’t achieved results before us.”
“Precisely. For parties that weren’t involved as aggressors, I believe we can come to terms. Their existence as neutral powers doesn’t threaten us. Honestly, if they so desire, I don’t feel this changes anything about our diplomatic efforts before. We still wish to sway potential friends. This might open the door to new members of the Sapient Coalition, should they seek that avenue in good faith.”
“Um, what about the ones who…don’t act in good faith? Who acted against the SC?” Tilfish Governor Birla hesitated, recalling how her species had once been a hostile power. “I recognize the value of parole and second chances, after Sillis has received one. However, not everyone can…be trusted, or should escape punishment.”
The Harchen ambassador raised an appendage in support. “I don’t speak in defense of Fahl’s actions any more than Birla stands by what the Tilfish did. I agree that we should separate those who helped from those who were captive bystanders. Yet the truth is, there are true fanatics in the Federation. Many of these people have had ample opportunity to break from the ideology, but couldn’t even see anything wrong with…omnivores’ treatment.”
“Humanity is aware of the aggressors, such as the Malti; a species who’d practice orbital exterminations on sapients, at the Kolshians’ behest, and see it as a normal military duty. We’re informed about the most concerning subset, the ‘fanatics’ as you say. The difficult aspect of these is religion, something the Federation tailored to control worlds—something seen in many cultures, such as the Gojids’ Great Protector, the Krakotl’s Inatala, or the Iftali’s Consecrated Order.”
“Why don’t they see from the Archives that their religion is a lie?” an Iftali diplomat piped up. “Even before we had hard proof, Cilany caught Nikonus bragging about co-opting omnivore religions.”
“Hm…for the ones who weren’t omnivores, such as the two most…egregious examples, they believed their faith was natural. Even with proof, some wouldn’t accept their beliefs as false. The reality is that cultists such as the Yulpa, who have actively sought human sacrifices, or the Drezjin, who worship the Federation as divine avatars, will fight to the last. We’d like for absolute peace, yet these races must be treated as hostiles.”
“Are you going to wipe them out?” the Takkan representative asked.
“We don’t seek extinction, but the only solution we see is to rebuild their society, from the ground up. We don’t wish to allocate troops for an occupation, or to directly engage more than needed. We’ll ramp up cyberattacks, forcing them back to the technological drawing board; we’ll target their leadership, religious and political. Then, we drop pamphlets and combat misinformation, in the hopes of an eventual surrender. It may take years, and after we’ve had time to recover, we may need to kickstart change by force.”
Zurulian Prime Minister Braylen raised a paw. “So the war’s not ending?”
“Not altogether, but the threat to our safety is finished. There will still be cleanup for years to come; even on our own turf, we’ll be rebuilding Kalqua, Earth, Nishtal, the cradle, and many more through titanic efforts. I regret that this is the only way to bring peace to the SC. This is seeking the path of least violence, yet it’s still an ugly one that forces the compromising of our morals. We’ve done the best we could to adhere to our ethics, while staving off enemies who don’t afford us any rights. I take no joy in the suboptimal choices we’ve been left with on several occasions.”
There were no ensuing challenges from the assembled diplomats, while Zhao shuffled his notes. It was obvious that the final enemy, the one who’d yet to be addressed, was the Arxur Dominion: the carnivores who had terrorized us for centuries. Isif had offered a non-aggression pact during his speech at the Summit, but some diplomats had been quite vocal about his species not deserving a continued existence. Either that conversation and the Nikonus-Giznel video had a lingering effect on the Coalition, or humanity would have to dig their heels in if they wished to spare their troublesome ally.
I’m willing to fight with Governor Veln, despite his undoubted concerns about how the public will react to him “tolerating” the grays. As long as Isif keeps to himself, and that his kind is punished at the first instance of…reverting to old ways, I’ll vote to allow it.
“I’ll gloss over the unaffiliated Sivkit Grand Herd, who never reestablished diplomatic connections with us or the Federation. If they want to be isolationist, after learning the truth, we should respect that and leave them alone,” Zhao explained. “So that leads me to the ‘elephant in the room’, which is the Arxur. The Dominion surrendered after their humiliation, and there’s a new government now. As I recall, after Isif’s speech, certain diplomats believe that we’re partial to predators, and you have staunch stances on not treating an Arxur as a person. Many of you have trauma…some of you have even lost your homeworlds to their raids. Let me say, I don’t expect you to forgive or forget.”
The Thafki diplomat’s silver-gray ears twitched with anger. “We had no world to ourselves, until you helped us carve something out. There were 12,000 of us in the wild, until you freed millions of our cattle…millions of damaged, battered, broken people, just like those who have strained other worlds’ resources with their predator-diseased states. The Arxur shouldn’t be left alone, to do whatever they like without supervision! If you’re not going to kill them, take away their damn ships.”
“Their bombers ravaged Nishtal; something humanity played a role in. You know what the Arxur do with their ships,” Nuela squawked.
Gojid Minister Kiri flicked her claws. “Isif presided over the raid that left the cradle in ashes, and my species as a mix of sparse colonists and refugees.”
“I understand how they feel,” I whispered to Noah. “Isif was responsible for that raid, targeted at Venlil schools. My little girl would be alive if not for him. I was willing to work with him, but with the war over, he shouldn’t keep his bombers. Those aren’t used for good.”
The astronaut grimaced. “I can’t imagine the grief, and I don’t know how you put it aside to cooperate with Isif at all. Nobody would’ve blamed you for wanting outright revenge. I won’t tell you to change how you feel. I wish we lived in a galaxy where everyone could disassemble their bombers, us included. War is hell.”
The argument raged on, with the Thafki ambassador Telikinn’s voice growing more heated. “They view the Thafki as a delicacy! I don’t care if the Kolshians let it happen; the Arxur still did it. They should be locked in a ‘Kessler’ cage at a minimum. They can’t be trusted, and I certainly don’t foresee opening relations with a race that remembers eating us.”
Laulo strained on his hindlegs. “The Arxur were quite helpful at Mileau and Kalqua. Our commanders were able to establish a cordial, working relationship with Isif, who helped save prey lives by the billions. I have no reason to believe he’d want to raid or eat anyone. He risked his own head to bring about the opposite, and expressed remorse to us.”
“This is about a better future!” I shouted, deciding that the Yotul couldn’t argue for Isif alone. “Isif always wanted that. He said something quite powerful to me long ago, that, ‘One can be both a victim and an oppressor.’ That is what that Arxur is. To everyone’s surprise, we now know that the grays are capable of empathy, so I stress giving them a chance to change, just like the galaxy’s other monsters.”
“Their entire culture is based in cruelty,” Cupo challenged. “If that’s not evil at every level, what is?”
Secretary-General Zhao tapped the microphone. “That is enough! Nobody is expected to even think about forgiving the Arxur for generations, but we also know they were warped into monsters. The United Nations has every intention of monitoring them, and forcing them to live by civilized standards. Without purposeful starvation, there’s no reason for raids. Isif was crucial in liberating cattle, overthrowing the Dominion, and gathering allies against Aafa. Despite his past, we can’t argue that we owe him our victory.”
“If there’s no reason for them to raid, why can’t you take away their bombers? Keep them out of our space!” Telikinn yelled.
“We have negotiated terms to keep the Arxur out of our space—in a twenty-lightyear bubble, leaving the SC be. The Dominion’s cruelty-based legacy means that Isif will be seen as weak, without maintaining a military. His government, the one that wants change, would collapse, so it’s a necessity to allow him to keep his fleet. It’s all for show; the UN will police him. Should the bombers vacate their territory, we have multiple cyberweapons ready to destroy the fleet. If Isif can’t be trusted, he won’t get past the SC’s welcome mat. Will that satisfy you?”
“Not really. However, nonaggression is an upgrade over our…former circumstances. We’ll trust humanity to handle it, for now, but we’ll be watching them closely ourselves.”
“The United Nations welcomes assistance monitoring all powers confined to their territory, not just the Arxur; we don’t trust them ourselves.” Zhao was hasty to pivot away, not allowing any further debate over his chosen resolution to Isif. He’d baited Telikinn into agreeing so smoothly, that other SC members might not realize it. “That settles everything. We’re quite grateful for the cooperation of our allies, to finalize the war’s resolution, with the Treaty of Sol. I look forward to discussions of our internal affairs next week, and I wish you all safe travels. Farewell.”
As the human leader dismounted the stage, I relished in the knowledge that the centuries-long war was over. The predators had laid out a step-by-step process to steer the galaxy in the right direction, and to handle all parties that fell outside SC bounds. Noah’s loving gaze studied me from the periphery, a warm blanket of security that drew my focus back to the band around my foretoe. His fingers traced over the ring’s cool metal, which my brain had somehow normalized wearing. With today's ambassadorial duties complete, I didn’t have to worry about protecting Venlil-human interests anymore.
My attention could center around our personal life together, with a wedding to plan and two children on the way. Now that I was starting a new family with such a remarkable person, I felt an eagerness for the future that was unmatched by anything I’d experienced before.
A/N - Chapter 180! First off, Noah pops the question to Tarva, and gives her a ring: we learn some juicy lore about Venlil marriage traditions. The Treaty of Sol is completed, after discussing how to handle the 200+ Federation powers; despite some regrettable side effects on civilians, the cyberattack won the war, and will have to continue against aggressors and fanatics like the Yulpa, who would never surrender to us in their present state. However, neutrals or those who were just afraid of the Federation can be given second chances, and the UN has no problems with their coexist or gaining them as allies.
Project Chronicle is also mentioned on the agenda, with species coping with the Archives intel. There's the further matter of how cryopods will be handled, and the dual uses of technology: something the SC will have to be diligent about. Last but not least, Zhao cleverly gets humanity's allies to agree to leave the Arxur alone, allowing Siffy to have a chance to revamp his world...and fulfilling our promise to help in return for all of his aid.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting! What do you think about everything that unfolded this chapter, and the SC's post-war resolutions...as well as Tarva and Noah's personal future together with each other, and their coming family? Was every thread wrapped up like you hoped?
Comments
Jacob Garcia
Bruh, a Texan Arxur would be powerful enough to take on all 200+ powers alone.
Cooldude101011
Or worse, Japan in WW2. Perhaps the Yulpa will be the Operation Overlord invasion of the Japanese Homeland?
Cooldude101011
One possibility is to disarm the Arxur’s bombing ships but to leave their non-bombers (cruisers, destroyers, etc. Basically any ship dedicated to destroying other ships) intact
Cooldude101011
Indeed, religious fanatics are dangerous, we have plenty of experience in dealing with religious fanatics and well, fanatics in general. The Japanese in WW2 for instance were very fanatical.
kindtheking9
Maybe a story of venlils discovering voyager and reacting to the records?...
Space Paladin
The Venlil did pick up voyager! I always found it a fun thought experiment to think about aliens seeing our golden record 😅
fuzzball
The rest of the SC capitulated too quickly on the Arxur issue.
pogman
Unrelated but will the Venlil pick up Voyager? Tarva mentioned that she will once
TheBlack2007
Nah. He deserves it. If Tarva's stance on the Arxur really bothered him that much he should have just resigned from her campaign team. Instead, he not only decided to stay on their team and sabotage the campaign but also dragged Noah into it by selling his and Tarva's relationship out to Veln. IMO - if anything it's unfair to exclude Haysi from the wedding "to keep appearances." At least she's putting in an honest effort to undo lifelong Federal Indoctrination on top of her Trauma.
Man. I feel for Glim
Edmund Lam
Space Syria.
Apogee
I am of the theory of an intergalactic version of a whale fall. Some giant space creature died in this region of space, seeding life there.
Dragonman461
Gonna be a hell of a mess to clean up after the socioeconomic collapses of 200 some-odd species' worlds being crippled, and I sincerely doubt the Yulpa will be anything less than a significantly bloody hill for the SC to trudge over.
Edmund Lam
Space NATO, I mean, UN, will have to spend the next 100 or so years, as the Galaxy's police, with the attendant huge miliary budget. Earth will also require a huge amount of rebuilding. There will be continuing conflict with the Human First idiots, and a variety of human and xeno terrorist groups. Lots of space for more stories. I image Venlil as space UK and Yotul, with their engineering talent, as space Germany. Those will be humanity's best friends, along with the Thafki, who will spend the next 50 or so years recovering. They will be the space "country of people who were being exterminated by the Nazis". SOL will change. With the influx of other species seeking better lives and opportunities, the definition of "Terran" will change within a generation of two. Who knows, in a 40 years, the secretary general of the UN may be an Arxur, whose parents emigrated to Earth after the war. An Arxur with a Texan accent.
TheBlack2007
Thinking of it, the "density" of sapient life within the Milky Way must be staggering. We've met dozens of named and hundreds of unnamed species all within a bubble of maybe 1,000 light years in the Orion Arm alone. It's either that or the density within our Galactic Neighborhood has been unusually high compared to other regions - which if that's the case would of course prop the question as to why that is the case, with the answer probably being the mother of all Sci-Fi Tropes: "Ancient Precursor Race doing stuff for reasons before vanishing"
Tyler Ellis
“It takes years to travel the breadth of our galaxy” and all of this took place in just under 1 year. I know the universe (or in this case the galaxy) is vast but this really puts it into perspective. We haven’t so much as seen 1% of it.
Apogee
I just had a thought. I love how you have Tarva appreciate the dotting but is also confused by it. For humans pregnancy and child birth can be quite dangerous and our young are completely helpless. This is not the case for most herbivores. By how Tarva reacts I would say this is true for the Venlil and pregnancy doesn’t bring danger or vulnerability in the same way it does for humans. Can’t wait to see Noah trying to understand a Venlil newborn that’s already able to run about within hours(or a few days) after birth, especially since it won’t be crippled. I love this little cultural difference.
Terry Yu
Automation can build stuff fast, but we're talking about less than 3? months in-universe between the invention of warp drives and then having automated factories capable of putting out brand new ships of completely new designs. It could be believable with massive automation, but the harder part would be finding and training all the people to crew the ships. The amount of tech advancement would be like taking people from WW1 and giving them a booklet and 2 weeks to learn how to fly a B2 stealth bomber.
Adam Myers
I think the issue is that the typical narrative structure deviated from the most realistic situation given what we now. SP seemed to have prioritized realism at the expense of the troupe, which I think is good for what he seemed to be going for.
Adam Myers
I understand where you are coming from, but the story is set a century forward with massive automation. This lends a lot is credence to the notion.
Namel909
Now the real question sss, when does this setting get turned into a mod for stellaris ? :P sss
Lako
Thanks for the chapter!
Some Lvm
Very powerful chapter! And a clever, even if difficult to swallow (from an in universe perspective) resolution to the remaining problems. I will be honest: I was disappointed with the final few chapters of the Aafa arc - from the point Tyler and the gang landed, and concluding with when they found Slanek. I am not sure how to precisely describe it: It felt... too simple, too easy, too convenient? Almost as if SP was running out of steam or something. The road to Aafa it self was long, perilous, full of surprises and moral dilemmas, action, suspense. But after the landing, it was just a strait walk to the leader, a simple story of a prion that started it all, and another quick walk to Slanek. The shadow cast basically didn't make an appearance. No resistance, no traps, no nothing. The regular civilians either ignored them or were even cooperative to a degree. They didn't even have to figure out how to trick or subdue Slanek to get him to their ship, because they could just call Marcell right up from the depth of the secret underground prison, and the call fixed everything. It all felt like some kind of switch was flipped and changed the difficulty level of the story... Once we go back to the treaty of Sol though, it looks and reads like regular NoP, so I am just going to discount that conclusion as a temporary blip. I do wonder if anyone else feels similar, or if it is just my tastes? I will point out that the bonus content never faltered, the Yulpa story and the foster program were great!
Tyler Ellis
I was hoping the UN would give them a colony world where they could slowly rebuild their numbers and old society.
Alekss Žukovskis
You cant tell them what to do (;
Terry Yu
That's probably the hardest part of the story for me to suspend my disbelief. I work in government/military and I can 1000% bet you that if aliens showed up on my doorstep and gave us the plans for warp drive and all sorts of crazy tech; we wouldn't be able to make anything with it for at least 5 years. Factories and raw materials just don't work like that, even with space magic. Can't magically poop out 5000 combat ships in the space of 3 months and then expect to find 5000 trained crews.
Byron Ritchie
that’s good to hear!
PhycoKrusk
8 months, 5 days
PhycoKrusk
@TheBlack We all know what must be done: Introduce them to David Hasselhoff.
PhycoKrusk
@Adam I suppose it was just so long ago....
Space Paladin
This isn’t her last chapter either! She has one more in Ch 183!
Space Paladin
Haysi is working in the Venlil Museum of History for now, unless she gets sent to work with unfamiliar humans on Earth (which honestly isn’t a good idea with her trauma 😬)
Mundane Purpose (big E)
I hope it’s a wedding chapter. That’d be beautiful and wholesome. I’m sorry for bugging you about this here and in Patchat, I just think it’ll be an amazing moment to read
Space Paladin
The public will know eventually!
Space Paladin
We still have one more Tarva chapter before NOP ends!
Adam Myers
@PhycoKrusk, I know. Tarva was talking about the Harchen and Krakotl (she also thought the same about Sillis)
Amanda Chowning
I second this, we definitely need a one-shot for the wedding. Or a chapter of their mini series we know we’re getting. Regardless, either way, we need to see the wedding.
Mundane Purpose (big E)
We need a Nova wedding one shot. Noah takes on venlil customs (where applicable) and Tarva takes on human customs in a beautiful merging of cultures. The happiness of Tarva finally being remarried after so much tragedy will be wondrous to read
Mike Barth
Considering they have all been coddled, shaped to be submissive and told to completely destroy even minor threats it shouldn't surprise that they lack the empathy. We also have to take into account that even though most of them have the same kind of feelings and actions as humans we can't forget they still have alien minds that may think slightly differently. So you have a bunch of basically differently wired, mentally messed with, genetically tampered adult children. Were lucky we don't have worse.
Jacob Garcia
About time they got married, I've been expecting it for weeks now!
Yannis Morris
In universe it hasn’t even been a year!
Terry Yu
This galactic war and love story was an epic speedrun. Kindof crazy that all this kicked off in-universe only about a year and a half ago. People get around!
Yannis Morris
@Lunam Alright. Now this looked like a promising colony. Of course, bureaucracy is hell so we’re five years too late but still. What could happen in that ti-Oh dammit it’s the Sivkits
DemonVee
They would be set in their ways, and it would be harder for people to achieve progress in their lives if they don't already come from an influential family but gears would still be moving.
DemonVee
We could be underestimating their abilities. They've been made under educated not bio engineered out of their intellect, so the problem is ignorance in the general populace. But it's possible that their leadership is still competent if they exist in a meritocratic society.
DemonVee
Might be healthy for her.
DemonVee
The only test Isif got was when Tarva arrived on the station. What she didn't inform Zhao about was their intelligence activity.
Gumcel
There’s only a handful of frozen arxur, like 20 max. Certainly not enough to make a new faction.
Lunam
It's probably going to be a plot point in the sequel.
Joe bro
It should also be mentioned that likely all the frozen Arxur would refrain from having anything to do with the current Arxur Collective. I wouldn't be surprised if they integrated into living on Earth or where sequestered off to a quiet colony of their own. This could mean that we could see two very different factions of Arxur.
Joe bro
It should also be mentioned that likely all the frozen Arxur would refrain from having anything to do with the current Arxur Collective. I wouldn't be surprised if they integrated into living on Earth or where sequestered off to a quiet colony of their own. This could mean that we could see two very different factions of Arxur.
Gumcel
Wait does the public know about Tarva and Noah’s relationship? Also pls let me see some reparations I’m literally on my hands and knees begging sp😔
Gumcel
4, not 3
Gumcel
Final chapter is kalsim so kinda.
Tazeell
Tarva marriage! Yes! Perfect to go with the Tarva babies! Perfect ending unlocked, all is well with the universe. Glad Arxur are sticking around, the Yulpa will certainly be a thing that needs dealing with still of course. Curious how the remaining fed members will respond, they are very up in the air still.
richfiles
Tarva: " Oh no! Noah has stumbled... Over his emotions!"
richfiles
To answer Anthony's question... One might say... NOP... I'll see myself out... XD
Yannis Morris
@Adam Meyers @PhycoKrusk Yeah in the summit that formed the SC we had Tarva look at species who just had their worlds under Arxur assault or worse, got their planets glassed, and said “No they need to suffer more. But I guess humans can be nice to them”.
Yannis Morris
@Adam Meyers This is the biggest issue with the Duerten Shield
TheBlack2007
After 300 years of denouncing anything unrelated to cruelty, I imagine Arxur culture to be pretty barebones. And what's left has probably been co-opted by Betterment and needs revision in order to not collide with the goal of leaving Betterment behind for good. I don't think the Arxur Civilization as it was before Planetary Unification can be restored though, even if Vysith does decide to help her people after all contrary to her prior statement. So they likely will have to create something new altogether.
PhycoKrusk
That may not be up for negotiation, depending on general attitudes. Remember that a fleet of bombers was considered an essential part of a powerful air force, and it may well be the same with Arxur.
PhycoKrusk
Would need to be supplement content. There's only four chapters left in the main story, so it would not be a good time to introduce new characters. Unless that occurs in the very last chapter, mind you.
PhycoKrusk
Aafa and Talsk; Nishtal was the Krakotl homeworld, Fahl is the Harchen.
PhycoKrusk
No, but she also didn't inform Zhao of the results of Isif's empathy testing and let him sit in lock-up. He only got free thanks to the timely arrival of... Ohhhhhhhh....
EliasArt2Life
Now that the war is essentially over, it might be nice to have a chapter or two dedicated to how the Federation species react, sort of like how we got those chapters on how species reacted to the Archives findings. It would be a nice, concise way for us to get a general impression of what the rest of the galaxy thinks of this.
Adam Myers
Yeah, but this isn’t a shock. We have known this behavior for quite some time. It was foreshadowed with the reveals, but made explicit during the first conference. I made it quite clear when discussing the punishment of the Farsul, that we had to keep in mind the necessity of placating the genocidal desires of the rest of the SC. Even Tarva was still on “glass Nishtal” “glass Fahl” mode at the time.
Adam Myers
Jones isn’t that bad. She was actually honest with Isif and didn’t intend on making him blow his cover. She is doing the best with what she has.
Adam Myers
Keep in mind that there are severe limitations on how far humanity can press the issue. Consider that the Leshee will absolutely oppose any changes to PD facilities on their worlds. Humanity has to make the choice, is peace more important than virtue? We know that many people suffer in PD facilities on those worlds, but we also know that a war with multiple races (particularly right after a grueling war with the Kolshians) isn’t a good idea (not to mention it would rapidly shatter the goodwill toward humanity painstakingly built up). Much like irl, we have to negotiate with those we see as monsters, and we have to keep in mind that it is frequently the least evil to leave them alone.
Shajenko
Though the wording is unfortunate, any society would have major problems handling an influx of refugees/POWs that VASTLY outnumbers the existing population.
Danny Luca
Is anyone else wondering how this era of peace will affect Arxur culture? Going from perpetual starvation to an abundant food supply, I expect very THICC Arxur pop artists to come about!
Stueymon
That wedding is going to need a good bartender, don't serve the Venlil booze to humans!
Mark Baculna
So the nazi bird is still alive? Lol
BigSneppy
Tbh, I don’t think the Sivkits should be left alone. They can’t just be left to destroy planets like a swarm of locusts, and given what we know from the archives I don’t think they’re mentally competent to govern themselves
Mark Baculna
Is NOP2 still in this patreon or like its on another accountv
Yannis Morris
Yeah how they described the cattle rescues as “Predator-Diseased burdens” sent up some very red flags. Speaking of which, I can see a lot of rescues (particularly the ones born in captivity) who see the situation as Glim did for a second. Where humanity is just a “kinder master”
Yannis Morris
“Congrats! Your future husband just arrived!”
Yannis Morris
I wonder if Haysi would be at all involved with Project Chronicle.
Yannis Morris
Huh. I thought referring to all their digits as toes was a Harchen thing. And maybe I’ve just been blind but it’s been a while since Tarva’s referred to humans as “growling” when they talk, right? Zhao: Regrettably this attack hit civilians as collateral. // SC members: Hit them harder! They don’t deserve mercy! // Zhao: :| But for real, it seems that humanity is the only one with any desire to avoid bloodshed and that is f**king concerning.
Byron Ritchie
Huh I thought her last chapter was well her last but anyways this is a good send off to tarva and Noah and I can’t wait to see how their family forms! Also glad to see coji continue on her journey to being a chadette and cupo is based as always
Space Paladin
Very close! I’ve already started workshopping NOP2: Patreon will get some unique wiki teasers before everyone else!
Space Paladin
The internal affairs are occurring at a separate meeting where Zhao has promised to expand on every internal issue, pertinent to each species
Space Paladin
The story ends in Chapter 184, then will be followed by NOP2!
Youre a swedekisser arent you
Zhao's charisma is umatched. He could negotiate a dragon out of its pile of gold. Thank god he doesn't have a more sinister side like Jones or the galaxy would be screwed. Also nice to see Cupo still being based and disagreeing on something but being open to hearing the arguments for it. We should all strive to be like him.
Anthony Mears
is this the end? was this the final chapter or is there more to be tied up?
Wesley Rigg
If I were Zhao I would try to satisfy the no Arxur bombers request while still keeping Isif powerful by doing a trade, The UN gets bombers, the Arxur get exoatmospheric dominance fighters. Still dangerous, but without much in the way of ground attack capabilities.
PiñaPiloto
YOOOOO, between diplomatic conferences regarding the the future of the entire GALAXY is crazy. I don't know if I should be upset or not, that was, quite possibly, the single least romantic place to propose, and Noah pulled it off.
Invariance
"nonaggression is an update over" upgrade?
Paperclip
We've got three more chapters. Sovlin, Onso, then the Nazi bird
John Benjamin Cate
This was amazing! The proposal has happened, and I wish them all the love and care! Now, I understand that this meeting was about how they deal with the former Fed and the Arxur, but I can’t help but feel disappointed that they didn’t touch on internal affairs. Because there’s a lot to touch on, like the correctional facilities, the exterminators, environmental damage, rebuilding efforts, and how people handle the rescues. I don’t expect a solution right away, but I was hoping that there’d at least be something in the context of “this is something we need to address.” Just to give a sign that they aren’t being forgotten and people are working on them. But if this is Tarva’s last chapter, I now fear that isn’t going to happen. And as I have been told by a lot of literature, if it isn’t mentioned on the page as happening or having happened, it isn’t.
ToddTheSquid
So, is this it? Is this the end of NoP?
Invariance
Lol, Noah taking a break from discussing the fate of hundreds of billions to propose. I wonder what Tarva would've thought if she was told it would end this way back at chapter 1.
Random Guy
1% battery I did it
Paperclip
Cant wait to see what Kalsim is up to while rotting in that cell. I really hope he's still as bitter as he was during his trial. It'll be fun to see his reaction to everything that happened since the BOE.
Serpent_Bon 274
Wow, I thought that Noah had already proposed!
Jackson Hazeltine
Yo!
