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The Nature of Predators - The Sacrifice (5/6)
🕑 Added 2023-11-22 12:00:06 +0000 UTCMemory transcription subject: Kippe, Yulpa Predator Catcher
Date [standardized human time]: March 5, 2137
The predator had orchestrated so much death, with so little time to prepare. My hopes of capturing the creature were shattered—rage was the only thing allowing me to suppress the current of fear. I shuddered to imagine what the Terran military could do, with millions of those things putting their sick brains together. Why would it even think of digging out pits along the path, and filling them with an excess of pointed sticks? By the time I had a moment to creep forward, and try to help Hulth, he had bled out from a number of perforations. Trying to wriggle free of the trap, on his own, had deepened the wounds and increased the spilling of vital fluids. It might be for the best that he was dead, since we already had to haul around one hobbled Yulpa.
Given how precise the predator’s aim with firearms had been, I figured it shot Ilne in the knee on purpose. It saw our authentic empathy as weakness, so it used that to burden us with dead weight. If the frightened Yulpa under my command wouldn’t have balked, I might’ve suggested to leave Ilne behind. I placed the two greenest members of my team at the wounded’s side; I would’ve loved to relegate Mallin to the task, but I was sure that idiot would find a way to fuck that up too. He deserved to be chewed out for cowering while the human was firing at us, instead of shooting back…but I couldn’t afford to admonish him now. We’d just seen the creature, and it couldn’t get away again!
“Stupid biped, so much better at getting down the hill. How many times have you all let it get away?” I grumbled.
Mallin hovered close to me, still clinging to that stupid pan. “Zero. We didn’t let it get away. It just got away.”
“Oh, you fucking idiot! Why couldn’t the predator have killed you? Does it know you’re a liability?”
“Liability. I didn’t know we’re getting sued. Wait…you wish the human killed me?”
I caught onto the offended looks from the other Yulpa, and decided to backpedal. “Of course not. I didn’t want it to kill anyone—we’ve seen too much death. Your stupid questions just aren’t helping me to…process what’s happened. I need some support in gunning this thing down.”
“It has a gun now too. The gunfire was very loud, and didn’t scare it off…so I guess it likes explosions. Wait, that did scare it off, ‘cause it’s run away every time we shot at it! Maybe other sounds would hurt it or distract it too! I know you think scaring it off is bogus, but if we make it yelp or startle, it’d give up its hiding place. Let me try.”
I can’t afford to be protecting Mallin. If he tries some stupid pan clanging and gets shot, instead of a competent Yulpa, I should just let him. The predator is banking that we’ll protect our liabilities, letting them drag us down.
“Huh. Maybe it does have some noise sensitivity,” I murmured, feigning intrigue. “Even if the creature is just confused, that could make a difference, Mallin. You know, you should try it, next time you see it. Might as well.”
“Yes! I knew it was a good idea. It won’t be able to think through all the clanging!”
I managed to mask the scorn in my expression; objectively, this was the best “help” I could expect from Mallin. Our saving grace for finding the human was the emerging pattern of it following us on two separate occasions. In my mind, it was a guarantee that the bloodthirsty beast would circle back for a third strike, biding its time to show itself. That meant it had likely returned to somewhere nearby. The creature had no intention of letting us retreat out of these woodlands alive; confronting it now was our chance to get the drop on it, for once. The question was where it was hiding, so the more Yulpa eyes actively searching for it, the better.
It was tempting to press on past the spike pits, since the predator must have something it didn’t want us to stumble upon down this trail. However, that would be doing what it wanted us to do, yet again. I could fake continuing along this path, then loop back and fire at the bushes; a lucky shot hitting the human, in its predictable hiding spot, might catch it off-guard. It’d revealed its strategic playbook, and I had those ideas figured out. Without its tricks and the element of surprise, this hunter was nothing a group of us couldn’t handle. Being afraid of this beast was irrational, even with its otherworldly talent for murder. I issued a tail signal for “double back soon” to the group, knowing the human couldn’t understand that.
I did my best to sell the act that we were moving forward. At first, I’d thought it was in Anla’s head that she could feel its binocular eyes on her, but I had that unnerving sensation too. My gut told me it was here, and it was maneuvering into position to swiftly take us out. That Terran would think we were oblivious, and believe that it was perfectly blending into the scenery with its leafy apparel. After the ordeal of the past few hours, my satisfaction over it succumbing to a trick would be off the charts. Predator catchers needed to adapt to sapient flesh-eaters, or we would never elevate our standing with the Spirit of Life. This was about proving that we—that I—could wrangle any foul creature that challenged our order.
“After we pass these pits, we should step forward with a single hoof, to make sure the ground is solid,” I announced, in the hopes the predator was listening. “Stay vigilant. This thing likely went back to its camp, and this is as good a location as any—”
I broke off my speech mid-sentence, whipping around to send several shots into the bushes, where it had grabbed cowardly Anla. Other Yulpa fired at separate hiding spots, but there were no yelps or blood spraying across foliage. I searched for any sign of it, before wondering if it had taken refuge further back. The predator catchers aiding Ilne set our wounded man down, and joined me in scouring the bushes. The only sign of any footprints were from when the human fled down the hill, rather than new indentations. Curses bubbled in my thoughts, realizing it was nowhere to be found…but then, one of my colleagues screeched.
I could see a tranquilizer dart, embedded in his hindleg. The Yulpa toppled to the ground as he was drugged into unconsciousness, but before he’d even fallen, another dart struck one of the catchers who’d left Ilne behind. I grabbed Mallin, as he raised his pan with triumph, and dragged the both of us to cover. The predator was somewhere here, but I couldn’t tell where the cursed beast was shooting from. If the darts struck my comrades on their hindlegs, that meant the monster had been waiting in front of the spike pits? There was no dense cover for the human to hide in that direction, so that couldn’t be the case. My plan was the logical one!
It was only when the third dart struck a Yulpa comrade, who was spinning around in a desperate search for the predator, that I noticed the direction the munition came from. It seemed to travel from directly above us. Somehow, that clumsy land mammal had scaled tree trunks without making a sound. Our numbers were plummeting; three of the nine survivors were unconscious, Ilne was hobbled and immobilized, and Mallin was being…Mallin. As my gaze shot upward, the ghastly beast fired what seemed to be its last dart; now, it was me and two competent others. I could see how swiftly it switched over to its firearm, and blew out a Yulpa’s brains with an impeccable shot. The tight angle from that height didn’t phase it a bit.
The humans claimed they’re arboreal, and by the Spirit, it shows—this demon was clever to run to the woods. I’ve never imagined such a large creature…navigating the branches like it was born to be there. It can pick us off from above like a hunting bird!
There was me and one other competent individual, plus Mallin and Ilne—but neither of those two counted. The predator had ditched its silent ammunition after it was already sighted. As long as it had two more bullets in the chamber, it was going to clean up my whole competent posse (including myself). I raised my gun to shoot the beast, but my teeth were chattering too frenetically to land anywhere near the predator. By contrast, its pale hands were steady around the trigger, as it executed my last useful comrade. My heart felt like it was about to burst from my chest; my thoughts were mindless screaming about my imminent death. It was like the creature had saved my demise for last, so that, just as I had intended for it back in the cage, I could dwell on what fate was coming.
There was a click, telling me that my ammunition had run dry, because of panicked shots that never hit the mark—and due to my prior expenditure, trying to nail it in the bushes. The fearless human had downed my last comrade standing, and shimmied down the tree with effortless steps. It walked over to Ilne, before pressing the gun barrel against the crippled Yulpa’s temple. The primate stared right at me with its forward-facing eyes, as it depressed the trigger. I averted my gaze, and fumbled to draw my dart gun. The predator was out of ammo in the seized weapon, presumably, since it tossed the firearm to the ground.
I didn’t have time to nail it with a tranquilizer, before its powerful strides cleared the gap. The human wrenched the dart gun away from my tongue, twisting my leg slightly as it broke the straps. The monster’s eyes glowed with hate as it turned the non-lethal weapon on me, though a calculating glint lurked alongside the vitriol. It seemed unconcerned by Mallin’s enthusiastic charge, and its lips curved up in a quirky snarl. The dumb Yulpa, who was the only other survivor, flailed about; he slammed the pan against a tree. The clanging noise didn’t make the predator bat an eye, which seemed to confuse my colleague.
The beast kept the dart gun pointed at me, but directed his guttural chuckle at Mallin. “You’re not right in the head, are you?”
“You left him alive for your amusement,” I posited.
“I’ll deal with you in a minute, you evil bitch. I didn’t have the heart to kill him; poor guy seems like a lovable idiot. Still, I’m not taking any risks. Mallin, put the pan down. Slide your guns off, and keep your paws low—nowhere near your mouth.”
Why isn’t it killing us? It enjoyed taking us out earlier; I saw its wicked amusement, and I know I’m the main person it’d want revenge on.
Mallin dropped the pan with dismay. “You can still think? But there’s so much noise, and your ears are sensitive for hunting!”
“Buddy, I’ve shot way too many firearms without ear protection to have sensitive hearing. I’m grateful you guys talk loud enough to be heard in a neighboring county. Stealth is not your forte. Now do what I said.”
Mallin complied with the beast’s orders, pinning his ears back. “Are you going to eat me?”
“For fuck’s sake. No. I just want to talk, at least right now.”
“Want to talk. I d-don’t even know your name. Do predators have names?”
The human’s growling chuckle reverberated in its chest. “Cedric. Cedric Flynn. It’s about time someone asked. Now I have one question of my own. I want to know why you became a predator catcher, Mallin.”
“Mama said I was dumb. Now she says I’m a predator catcher. Catching predators is supposed to be easy. Those animals don’t think much, besides about hunting, of course.”
I gritted my teeth in irritation. “This thing is sapient. You haven’t seen how calculating and murderous it is?”
“Not another word,” Cedric growled. “You kidnapped me. You faked a distress signal to prey on my sympathy, which was calculating as fuck, and your entire ritual was murderous. ‘Make it scream’ was the first thing I heard when I woke up. You dragged me from somewhere I meant to do good, and you intend to persecute my entire species for no reason at all.”
“You’ve proved what we always knew about your kind’s k-killing power. The Spirit demands—”
“SILENCE! I killed to survive, just like the animals in your woods. You Yulpa? You kill for shits and giggles. If you choose sacrifices for killing capacity, you should be sacrificing yourselves.”
Mallin, the idiot, seemed to be taking the predator’s words seriously. “Are we the highest tier of killing? I mean, we kill a lot of predators…probably more than they kill of us.”
“From what I’ve overheard about your religion, I’d bet anything the Yulpa used to execute your murderers to the Spirit. There are no killers like sapients—the very building blocks of a modern society, those fundamentals destroy our planets. Humans are predators, but at least we know it. Tell me, Mallin, do I sound like an unthinking animal to you?”
“No. Now that I think about it, the other things we catch don’t talk. And they’d definitely run from the pans. You’re different.”
“Say it louder for Kippe. Fucking hell! I didn’t want any of this—any of it! Please, will you help me get home?”
“Kippe told me she wished you killed me. I do know she meant that. That hurt my feelings. You don’t want me dead, so I’ll help you.”
Mallin is really stupid enough to side with a predator? Well, he couldn’t help a Sivkit find their way to grass! That’s a moronic choice for “help” from Cedric.
The predator had to be taunting me somehow, by recruiting my least favorite team member; it must be keeping me alive to savor its kill. Perhaps there would be some chance to distract it, or sabotage whatever its next escape plans were. The heresy, saying that natural transactions could be completed by sacrificing your own species…of course, that would be the first thought of a race that readily killed its own in mass wars. Its view of sapience was linked with being top tier killers, if I’d understood what it just said. Just because it could achieve higher cognition didn’t mean it wasn’t an animal. Proof: the copper-colored mane on its scalp was hidden beneath dirt and leaves, yet it didn’t seem to mind the filth it was ridden in.
Cedric could reason and charm prey with targeted lies, but this was the same beast that had set dastardly traps that eliminated eighteen Yulpa predator catchers. It could’ve wiped us all out if it wasn’t toying with me now. The day of its sacrifice should’ve been the greatest day in Grenelka’s history, when its blackened heart was pierced ritually. I still didn’t know what its scream sounded like, but at least I’d glimpsed its fear, in the cage when it first awoke. My devastation at such a monumental feat, being downgraded to my humiliation, hadn’t faded. I was ashamed that I was too frightened to defy this beast now.
The human pulled my radio from my satchel. “Call the Yulpa law enforcement guarding these woods, Kippe. Tell them I’m dead, and they no longer need to surround the area. I hear or sense anything off, and what I do to you in our final minutes will make your rituals look merciful. Trust me, I know how to inflict the maximum pain your mind can conjure. Agony for a perceived eternity, then, you die with me.”
“I get the picture. I’ll cooperate.” I grabbed the radio, knowing better than to plead for my life with a vengeful predator; the prospect of an excruciating death did terrify me. As long as I made myself useful, there might be a chance to undermine its escape plan and get away. “Attention, all law enforcement. The predator has been eliminated as a threat, though we were forced to use lethal action. Quarantine protocol is no longer necessary, so please return to your normal duties. Thank you.”
Part of me had gone along with the Terran’s request because I didn’t want to perish to a Yulpa bomb. Dying now would mean squandering the potential of my future, which I’d proved by taking the initiative to capture a human. I had so much left to accomplish; my legacy hadn’t been cemented in our world’s history yet. Even after it had all fallen apart, I didn’t regret capturing Cedric. It was a travesty the human had gotten away, but I proved it was possible to capture a sapient. I pioneered a path for every predator catcher’s aspirations.
“That should do it?” Cedric asked, after I disconnected from the channel. Its pupils bore into my soul, checking for any signs of deceit.
I shrank away from its foul breath. “It will. Mallin can confirm—he’s too Sivkit-brained to lie.”
“Why am I always related to Sivkits? I look nothing like them,” the clueless Yulpa protested.
“Mallin? Focus.” Cedric hadn’t pointed the dart gun away from me for a second. “Did Kippe tip them off at all? Or will they do what she said?”
“Hm, her words sounded right. Response chatter sounded right too. You know, this is the biggest quarantine I have ever seen! Other than that, it was handled pretty normal.”
“I guess it makes sense that you wouldn’t have a secret code, for a predator holding you hostage to make you speak against your will. Glad Kippe did that the easy way. Now, I need your holopad, and a visual translator if you have it.”
“Sure thing, Cedric. What are you looking for?”
“I want to know about Duerten Shield members on Grenelka. You’re going to help me find them.”
Should I help it for now? It is going to the city, where it can’t hide itself or set traps. I could push it right into the waiting paws of predator catchers—someone will see it, and help me!
I feigned a placid expression. “Alright. You’ve won. I’ll help you.”
“Oh, not you, Kippe. I’ve gotten all the help from you that I need,” the beast growled.
“What? No! You can’t kill me. I have lots of knowledge about Grenelka and predator catchers, while Mallin can’t tell his tail from—why are you showing your teeth again?!”
“Because honestly, I have a nice smile. The braces really paid off. Good night!”
Cedric’s pearly teeth remained on display in an unnerving grin, as it pulled the trigger on the tranquilizer gun. I felt a slight prick in my neck, just as it likely had when I knocked it out, while it was boarding my ship. My head turned woozy and my vision narrowed to a pinhole much too fast. The full effects of the sedative took over against my will, rendering me unconscious and beholden to the predator’s whims.
A/N - Part 5! Kippe tries to anticipate Cedric's ambush, but it turns out he's up above in the trees--and the two guns come in handy. Mallin is left alive and agrees to help him, while Kippe finds herself knocked out as soon as she clears the guards from the forest. What will Cedric do with both of the Yulpa survivors? Will he be able to find a way off-world...and would any Duerten Shield members even be willing to help him?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting!
Comments
Kevo
Keep banging them pots and pans Mallin, I’m rooting for you bud
kindtheking9
"I’ve never imagined such a large creature…navigating the branches like it was born to be there." Tigers
neon_ns
"You should sacrifice yourself... NOW!" *thunder sfx* - Low Tier Cedric
Cera Treascair
Mallin's just a sweet guy. Cedric might have a cooking buddy here shortly~
Johan / Phoenix
I kind of hope Kippe wakes up, each limbs pinned to the ground by three spears, and a thirteenth resting on their chest. A power-move from Cedric saying "I think you are a predator, and I could have sacrificed you your own way, but chose not to."
Johan / Phoenix
Nah, I think they'll wake up, nice and cozily tied up to a tree (or five) somewhere close by ... with only Mallin and Cedric knowing where. Cedric not telling until he's off-world, and Mallin haven forgotten.
Yannis Morris
Yeah why is the tongue a dead giveaway to a predatory past? It made me think of a scaled up version of giraffe tongues
harkange 585
Why is it a giveaway to predatory ancestry? From what i understand they're basicly zebras with big ass prehensile tongues to grab stuff since they don't have hands, i think it probably evoved to break off branches or something like that, or if you are banned from the exchange program you know some have other ideas as to what that tongue do
Blake S
Hes gonna have a new copilot after this
Yannis Morris
As far as I remember, Veiq is either the Archivist Lady or William’s Farsul coworker. I’m not asking for clarification, I wanna stay surprised at which road the oneshot takes. And I bet that that sequel will cover a post-Veln world for that family. Very interested to see what a couple of art students can do in the wake of that mask mandate
gilean23
I’m trying, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what you mean by “facist anti-empiricism” in reference to the Federation (or anything for that matter).
Apogee
@Adam Myers. There was a conversation about this between Solivin, Carlos and Sam when they were getting off the Harchen homeworld. Even if the public doesn’t think predators feel pain the exterminators definitely do. They were taught it was ‘the only way’ but it is to cause pain. A sort of revenge, or deranged justice in their eyes to cause the predators pain, just as much if not more pain that they believe predators cause. The Yulpa are just more obvious about it.
Tyler Ellis
I’ve been wanting him to use that tongue of hers as a noose. A little too sadistic but it would be ironic considering their tongue is a dead giveaway to the predatory ancestry.
DemonVee
Ooo, exciting :D
Some Lvm
@Thiccccccy you know "people" (why did you quot that?) can understand the deeper message of the story, and still take a simple pleasure in seeing the bad guys getting their comeuppance, especially in the exact same way they have been dishing out harm. I can't speak for anyone but my self, but I am willing to bet most people here don't actually expect SP to go off the rails and have characters do everything suggested in the comments, but musing doesn't hurt...
PhycoKrusk
Veiq! Yeah!
PhycoKrusk
Once more, the Human ability to empathize and bond with anything comes in clutch. Hell, wet have an entirely literary tradition around those who embark on things for the same of family prestige, only to change course midstream when they find something actually worth fighting for; when we find people who actually do this, they are almost always held on high regard (as long as they fight for good, at least). Mallin is going to be a mini-celebrity for this exact reason. ETA: I just realized, after thinking on your comment some more, why we all dislike Kippe so much. It isn't just because she's an insane cultist, or that she's an evil sadist, or that she's a glory-seeking moron; it's for the reasons you just outlined. She's the unit shitbag.
Julien Barrette
Mallin is based.
Adam Myers
@Apogee, that doesn't follow. Most likely the exterminators simply don't see predators as sentient, meaning that they view predators the same way we would view a TV, an object. Pain responses are probably 'predator deceit' in their eyes.
Danny Luca
I would like all the Mall in’s to be saved and protected from the dangerous and predatory Yulpa society
Cat rice
I guess a gang in Yulpa society would be a bunch of atheist… Predator catcher: Aag, those terrible ruffians are at it again. Look at them, having no respect for the order at all! The atheist: * first calms down the captured predator then snaps its neck painlessly, then screws there guts all around* Because let’s be honest here they would still be very messed up, but don’t care about making a show of their greatness.
EliasArt2Life
Yeah, let’s let Mallin get off world with Cedric. Mallin has earned a reprieve. Going with Cedric, he’s the Yulpa who broke the mould and helped save the captive human; he’ll be an ally, like Cilany. On world, he’s a Predator Diseased traitor, and will likely also have to pay when humans come to the Yulpa worlds. “Without its tricks and the element of surprise, this hunter was nothing a group of us couldn’t handle.” Kippe, this is at least the THIRD time you thought Cedric had exhausted all of his tricks. What makes you think you’ve seen all of his tricks? That YOU can’t think of any more? They wouldn’t be very effective tricks if you could predict them, would they? Also, she really showed her true colors in this chapter: wishing the “dead weight” had been killed, thinking about leaving the injured Yulpa for dead, admitting to herself this is about HER status, and admonishing Cedric for his actions despite him doing it for survival, when a little later SHE LIES and BETRAYS her people to save her own life, because of her own self interest. I love how in the end, her downfall is that she didn’t value Maillin, while Cedric did. (Also her stubbornness and obsession with her status, but aside from that.)
Space Paladin
Veiq one-shot and a Venlil foster program sequel! What better last NOP1 content than a continuation of the most popular series?
Space Paladin
It doesn’t outstay its welcome; just pure, fast-paced action!
Ryan Cox
The sadistic part of me hopes that Cedric ties Kippe to a stump and leaves them for a local predator to find.
Tazeell
Ha! Glad he came around, hopefully Cedric can somehow pull this off. Lotta tranq darted yulpa, wonder if he'll finish off all the ones tranquilized. Could harm the help he'd get from derpy mallin.
Vladi Vladi
If the Book of Stealth (as in the Shinobi manual of feudal Japan) states that hiding in trees is the best way to get a drop on a human, because they rarely look up, and humans are an arboreal specie… than imagine the chances that a quadruped land specie would look up. Usually such species can’t even look up, like pigs. The Yulpa never stood a chance
SimpleArtist
@Thiccccccy We can see the message in the story just fine. The characters we enjoy reading about is not necessarily a reflection of ourselves, otherwise, people who like characters Dexter or Jason, would secretly want to murder people in real life. Did... you use quotation marks when referring to me as a person? Now who's dehumanizing who? x'D
Thiccccccy
The whole point of NoP is that it is wrong to dehumanise people and sapients. Why does everyone (or a lot of “people”) here keep missing the point?
Brianreal
Hope Mallin goes with him, he deserves a better life than this
PhycoKrusk
There's definitely something different about his cognitive function versus everyone else: In a comment/reply elsewhere, I described him as "slow," although that was more in reference to what his mother thinks of him. "Simple" might be a better descriptor: He doesn't think very deeply about things, takes more things literally than he he ought to, and is generally uncomplicated. He's that friend or family member who is always happy to help and is very reliable, but that you have to give specific instructions to in order to avoid misunderstanding.
PhycoKrusk
I suspect we're going to find out very shortly.
PhycoKrusk
@Lvm Fair! Agreed though; I don't think the social importance of predator catchers can really be understated, or at least it ought not to be. We don't have canon evidence of this, but it is my opinion that the low end of opinion of them appears to be that they're loud braggarts but are important to maintaining order and social function, while the high end is that they are literal superheroes.
PhycoKrusk
@Lvm I personally choose to believe that everything he sees will be legitimately amazing to him, and that amazement will transform into joy that infects everyone around him.
SimpleArtist
Ah, Mallin, Mallin... I think he may actually be intellectually disabled, he seems nice. jaja, I was half expecting Cedric to use Kippe as a horse, them being more or less Donkey-size; would be poetic to see Kippe feel dehumanized (desapientized?) by him, but considering the Arxur already do that, it wouldn't break any of her preconceived ideas... I LOVE CEDRIC!!!!
Some Lvm
@Phyco I don't know, maybe I've been watching too many cop shows lately but seems like gangs might have a higher intelligence bar than most government positions. :P Ok, kidding aside, I admit the real reason I posted that is because it bugs me a bit that the predator catchers position in Yulpa society is being downplayed in some comments (its nothing personal, really!). A "cult" or a "gang" is some fringe group, even if they grow big they are still "outsiders", in most cases even outlaws. But predator catcher is as mainstream and respected as they come. Which I guess tracks with his mother actually being proud of him (I might have misread that dialog line as you pointed out in another comment). Most parents probably would not be proud of their children joining an actual gang.
The Walrus Transcendent
Awh, don't make fun of the lad. Frankly, if anything, I'd want to see him grow old on a potato farm, with a sharp-witted but similarly non-crazy wife, and plenty of kids and grandkids growing up with plenty of religions to pick from. The first yulpa edgy Reddit atheists will be proof that the galaxy is healing.
Some Lvm
@Phyco sorry, too lazy to look up the post to give proper credit :P But I am totally with you on the "come with me" thing - I bet Mallin will be excited to tour the wider galaxy. I have no idea where those predator catchers usually get their supply of sacrifices, but something tells me Mallin has never been outside his own solar system. Which I guess is kind of like a human never leaving the town where they were born, on the NoP universe scale.
The Walrus Transcendent
Mallin really is a hellova specimen. Being too dimwitted to construct the reality-warping mental bidonville needed for fascist anti-empiricism. Yeah; he's dumb, and often wrong, but he's not *crazy*.
Edmund Lam
Love the line about braces. 😀
Flinty Flakes
I thought that maybe the Yulpa were after the Venlil, and the Federation wanted to avoid another Venlil debacle, so they let the aggressive species be aggressive so long as they directed it towards predators.
Mike Barth
We've seen before that they will go as far as ignoring psychopaths who are actually dangerous if they become exterminators. Pretty sure they ignore that stuff if their stuffed into the equivalent of police/soldiers of the Federation.
Apogee
I disagree about the exterminators. It’s very much about causing pain and ramping up the hate of predators in general. This was pointed out in the story. That the exterminators could just as easily shoot the animal then burn it. So it’s very much about causing as much pain as possible, you could even say it’s religious. So there really isn’t much difference between the predator catchers and exterminators. The point about the Yulpa just being the off hardcore ones is interesting, I think that’s very plausible.
BigSneppy
They are separate chambers
DemonVee
Hey SP... What do we have in store after the Yulpa series?
Pay Me For NOTHING
I love Mallin. Mallin supremacy ftw
PhycoKrusk
@Lvm That might've been me (or at least, I was one of them), but not quite the case here. Mallin's words were: "Mama said I was dumb. Now she says I’m a predator catcher." He's slower than the rest of his class, and his mother was embarrassed by him, but now that he's a predator catcher, she's brags about him. The family might still have connections, because one would assume that becoming a predator catcher isn't easy, but who really knows? (Related, I get the feeling that if Cedric says to Mallin, "Hey, why don't you come with me?", he might do it. After all, mama only liked him when he became a predator catcher, but Cedric seems to like him no matter what) @Todd If you happen to see this, Patreon doesn't have a really robust commenting system at all, so you won't get notifications when someone inserts a username in their reply: We do it out of practicality because it makes it easier for everyone to see who we're responding to (this is also why I don't use full usernames unless there are two similar ones in the same thread; it's more practical)
Taliesyn
If he doesn't get off-world, he's going to be branded the greatest traitor in Yulpa history and a predator sympathizer, and probably die the death meant for Cedric.
PhycoKrusk
@Lvm We don't have any contact between the Yulpa and other Fed species, so you know what? You get my headcanon that I made up just now: The other Fed species are afraid of the Yulpa. Not in the way they're afraid of predators, but in the sense that the Yulpa give them the heebie-jeebies. Nobody is better at tracking than a Yulpa predator catcher (and no one who isn't a Yulpa can quite figure out how they do it), no one keeps a more level head in the face of a predator (they don't even flinch when confronted with carcasses and other signs of predation), no one is as unafraid of getting near a predator than a Yulpa is (almost as if they have some kind of resistance or immunity to contamination). There's just something "off" about them, and the fact that it's not predator disease makes it even weirder. It's kind of like us with HALO jumpers: There's just something "off" about a person who volunteers to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, free-fall for 4 miles, open their parachute with seconds to spare before they hit the ground, and do all that so they can be in an unfamiliar place where they'll be surrounded by people who are trying to kill them with machine guns, and all they take with them is a rifle and *maybe* some friends with rifles. And either way, the conclusion is the same: Glad their on our side!
Mr. Walker
Mallin should become a member of a comedy act. Like a Yulpa Three-Stooges!
PhycoKrusk
@Lvm Is there *really* any difference between what I said and what you said? ~ My buddy and meeeee ~
Some Lvm
More like: you are a moron son, go get a government job. Ok mom, look at me, I am a predator catcher now! I have to admit, he is kind of adorable. I do want more adventures of him and Cedrik.
Some Lvm
@TheBlack2007 I would think if anyone was able to make the Feds rethink their ways it would have been the Venlil, but without any pre-Fed knowledge of the Yulpa what you say is plausible. @Apogee your theory about a cleansing ritual may be correct, but there is still a big difference between the predator catchers we see in this story, and the exterminators we met along the way. The exterminators don't actually torture the predators at least not intentionally like the Yulpa do. They do kill them by burning, which is excruciating for the victim, but the reasoning for that is not to inflict pain but cleans the environment. We see even Kalsim, the worst of the fanatic exterminators, regret the pain caused, despite never wavering on his belief that all predators must die.
Byron Ritchie
Mallin shoudl become the emperor of the yulpa The trolling it will give to kippe will be the icing of the fake
TheBlack2007
Mallin probably needs to get off-world anyway after this stunt and I'm fairly sure the UN would be willing to offer him Asylum after saving a human from a fate even more cruel than being torched. So I absolutely do see some potential here. Hopefully, they also get their hands on Kippe as well. Kalsim needs some company in whatever tomb they tossed him into.
TheBlack2007
I agree that the Yulpa don't really sound nearly as brainwashed as many of the other species are. And their customs could very well be remnants of pre-Federation Yulpa Civilization. But considering how the Feds treated the Yotul, the Gojid and the Venlil during their respective "uplift" this leaves the question as to why the Federation allowed it? Maybe the Federation used to be much more "liberal" in the way they treated uplifted species and the Yulpa are actually the reason the Federation took on a much more hands-on approach in order to stifle such tendencies with younger races.
Youre a swedekisser arent you
Mallin becomes the first human-aligned Yulpa! May he be a loveable goofball for the rest of his days. Also glad to see Kippe get broken down entirely, that was deserved.
Apogee
They might have some cleansing ritual that hasn’t been mentioned yet. Because really exterminators and predator catchers are basically the same thing the only difference is keeping the animal alive long enough to make it into a public spectacle. Both still hunt down and torture the animal. I don’t think the Yulpa was used as a template, I think killing predators was a thing in the Federation before their discovery. It could be that the Koloshians really like the Yulpa’s ‘devotion’ and therefore tolerate more from them when it comes to things they made up like taint. This is really getting interesting.
ToddTheSquid
Unless they have double-barrelled pistols for some reason, or revolvers (some people refer to each spot for a bullet in the cylinder as a separate chamber), you're correct.
ToddTheSquid
@2nd reply (usernames don't show up for me for some reason), From personal experience, this is exactly it.
Some Lvm
He did mention his mom told him he was a predator catcher, so who ever commented on the last chapter Mallin had high ranking family connections to land him where he is was right... Plus I agree with DemonVee and sticksnstones as to why they may not consider him for PD.
Some Lvm
She will probably decide "it" just didn't have time to deal with them, as "it" was in a hurry to escape, and also believed Mallin will suffice for a road snack.
PhycoKrusk
Congratulations Mallin. The fact that you basically joined a gang just because you wanted mama to be proud of you means that all of us think you are a treasure, and we will demand your protection at all costs. Our demand may not be met, but will still make it. And now, please enjoy this musical selection to enhance your enjoyment of Cedric's adventures with Mallin: https://youtu.be/OdximU6Ao00?si=pEgxYyL9-PQYvgsT
Some Lvm
So here is a thought: The Yulpa are something of a paradox - all Fed programmed species work hard to clear all predators off their worlds. They don't just worry about predators hurting or killing them, they pretty much believe in "predator cooties" - some magical contamination that is not based in real germ theory. They think the very contact with a predator can turn them in to a predator. But not the Yulpa! They bring predators to their planet, on purpose! They keep them alive for some time, and when they do kill them, they do it in a messy way, spreading their bodily fluids all over the place. Unlike exterminators on other worlds who would torch any sign of "contaminant" instantly, the Yulpa seem to have no such compunctions. I am now curios how this arrangement came to be, and why did the Far-Kol allow it to go on? As far as I can remember, we never got an Archives entry for the Yulpa. Could their predator sacrificing religion predate first contact? Could the Yulpa, rather than some old Kolshian fear, be the actual model for the galactic reprogramming, and placing meat eaters as the great "control through fear" factor?
Apogee
Ah, the hypocrisy of the Fed brain. Good to know Mallin is incapable of it, he better live. I loved that interaction between the three of them. The only mistake Cedric made was mentioning where he intended to go before shooting her. If he lets her live that is, could just as likely pump her full of tanqs
Adam Myers
Please consider a one-shot where Cedric and Mallin just shoot the breeze and talk through the misunderstandings.
sticksnstones
Now why would they worry about him? He's the ideal prey! Easy to deceive, willing to do as you ask, and nonviolent! He doesn't have any of those icky predator-like tendencies like nonconformity or thinking differently, or wanting to be alone, he just thinks slower! The Federation only cares about persecuting neurodiversity when it throws a spanner into their plans for control. Remember, Kalsim was allowed to keep a psycho on payroll, so they clearly don't care about being hypocrites when it suits them.
DramaLama
awww Mallin is just adorable. i really hope he doesn't die, he's probably one of my favorite side characters now :)
kenneth Moore
My only criticism of this series is that it is only 6 chapters… More than a little disappointed it’s almost finished.
BigSneppy
Gun autism time “As long as it had two more bullets in the chamber” the chamber in a gun is where the round that’s about to be fired is housed, it can only hold one
DemonVee
It's easy to see when someone's actions are hindered due to intelligence. But to a society not conscious of mental health, something like ADHD or other similar stuff could be easily seen as the person intentionally acting out side the societal norms. Essentially, it's easy to see someone doing something "wrong" when they are stupid, but when their not it "must" be because their evil.
gooordy
Mallin my beloved.
Mutedmirth
I was expecting him in the trees and you didn't disappoint! Mallin is smarter in a different way, more empathetic and logical. Someone must've pulled strings to keep him out of a predator disease facility. I also vote for an epilogue about these crazy cultist race.
George Smith
Different populations one’s actively trying to be suppressed. The other seems to be fully on board with the Federation and revels in the cruelty
Mylax Kindflame
We’re gonna need an epilogue on what happens to the Yulpa after the Kolshians have been dealt with. They’re clearly much too dangerous to be left to roam free
S1nsational
I know it's a matter of narrative convenience, but it's still really surprising that Mallin hasn't spent his life in a Predator Disease facility on account of him being mentally disabled in one way or another. Like a Venil child with ADHD was sentenced to that life in hell, you'd think Yupla would be similarly harsh on anyone not neurotypical.
Paperclip
Next to Jimek and Narlem, I think Mallin might ne one of my favorite characters. Alongside his entertaining cluelessness, he just seems to be a really caring person, but just a bit misunderstood.
un_pogaz
>“Oh, you fucking idiot! Why couldn’t the predator have killed you? Does it know you’re a liability?” Kipple turns green with rage, it's succulent.
Izzet
I wonder how Kippe will twist the fact, that Cederic left all the tranquilized Yulpa alive and eating none of the dead ones into being evil and predatory.
HiMyNameIsFelipe
I like Mallin, indeed a lovable idiot.
Elan Stein
Cedric is an absolute menace, and I'm here for it.
John Benjamin Cate
The mistreated turns on its tormentors! Go Mallin!
Alekss Žukovskis
"good night" good show SP
Loco
Off-topic, but Mallin's shenanigans this chapter really made me laugh hard
Jackson Hazeltine
Ready for another chapter of Yulpa versus Predator! lol
Loco
GODDAMNIT
print Path
First
Loco
ha got it (nvm -_-)
