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The Nature of Predators - Archives Lore (One-Shot #8)
🕑 Added 2023-06-28 11:00:07 +0000 UTCBlurbs on the Archives…
The humans had quietly assembled 31 species as allies, not counting the ever-troublesome Duerten, or the two that got away (the Thafki and the Sivkits). You could tell an optimist from a pessimist by seeing whether a UN analyst would mention those two alongside their allies; bless their hearts, some Terrans still sought friendship in earnest, even after Earth. It was a little sad, but one can’t help but admire someone who doesn’t lose their morals in times of trouble.
The summit required a lot of planning, though extending the invites was made easier with the FTL network. In a glaring example, the Paltans were a month of travel through hyperspace away, yet the recently-completed network between Earth and Tellis, their homeworld, allowed the Secretary-General to wire a message in an instant. Each species’ invite was personalized with the findings in their Archives chamber. How little they knew themselves was a hard-hitting blow; every world had a unique identity, and that foundation was crumbling across the board.
To list the cumulative findings would mean the parts the Terrans wanted each recipient to see…those would be buried beneath sheer volume. Everything found could be uploaded to the internet instead, along with a summary of the key points for the public’s viewing. Zhao tailored the neatly-packaged info sent to prospective guests, and passed careful messages along through government channels. Earth’s intelligence community pieced together reactions from key powers, and listened for who would arrive at their shores soon.
Suleans (103-B) and Iftalis (104-A)
The dual species of the planet Jild, while not being one of the initial pro-diplomacy voters, had become movers and shakers on humanity’s behest. The Terran alliance’s growth, modest as it was, was largely due to their efforts wining and dining neutral parties, and persuading them that the “predators” weren’t monsters. The Sulean-Iftali Alliance were responsible for putting humanity in contact with the Duerten Shield; its infusion of manpower, from 44 worlds, made attacking Mileau plausible. Whether the United Nations’ staffers would thank them for that…depended on whether they’d interacted with Ambassador Coji.
Of course, earlier additions from former neutrals were more amicable. The Suleans and Iftalis brought the more-pleasant Drilvars, Angrens, and Letians to humanity’s team too. Jild was grateful for humanity sending its finest archaeologists to their aid, and that gratitude only increased when they saw how right the team had been. Furthermore, the peculiar surge in local civilians identifying with Terran religions, especially Jainism, made it easy for them to RSVP in the affirmative.
“Sulean explorers found the Iftali in each civilization’s infancy, and the Iftali soon migrated north to share more fruitful lands,” the Farsul archivist said, mirroring the hypotheses humans created from their observations. “The desert was a harsh environment to the Iftali, so they’d eat any potential meal that became available. Unfortunately, those attitudes carried over as they wandered to more fertile, Sulean settlements. They were a cooperative species, and spreading the Consecrated Order was easy because of that factor. We taught them to be more appreciative of their home’s blessings.”
The Suleans didn’t take kindly to the official confirmation. The Iftali were their sister species, and neither had any tolerance for slights against the other. Human intelligence thought they were as safe a bet as any to be amenable to joining a partnership.
Duerten (121-F)
Ambassador Coji couldn’t stand humans, simply because that was the Duerten Homogenity’s position. She was representative of the group consensus, and she couldn’t risk humans misinterpreting the slightest warmth. It was a Duerten’s role to be the face of an institution; the constant efforts to be personable by Noah, who wasn’t their friend, were insulting to her culture. The humans had the audacity to accuse her species of being former omnivores themselves—as if! It was lucky that the official belief of her homeworld was that Mileau’s capture was a crime against sapience. Glim was right; rescuing the Dossur was more important than bending over to the filthy predators.
We won’t end up subservient to them, like the Venlil, was the talking point circulating at every table. There was no room for counterpoints. Accepting one directive from Earth, or allowing them to command Duerten assets, would spell the end. The 43 other races comprising the Shield were less-unified, but also grateful not to stick their necks out, and thrilled to leave interacting with the foul beasts to the Duerten.
When the invite communique from Earth arrived, Coji was livid. The Terrans were supposed to contact them only for official business! That was the deal. She thought about discarding the message, but wanted to show it to the rest of the embassy staff so they could share her outrage. Any action she took was supposed to invoke a collective response; the Duerten needed to pass along common information.
“The predators want us at a summit, despite knowing we want nothing to do with them. They attached some data file from the Farsul homeworld,” Coji had announced in a briefing room.
Playing the clip proved to be a mistake, which stopped the dear ambassador from denying the fact that Duerten were among the cured.
The Farsul archivist recorded a standard overview, which said all too much. “The Duerten are a verbose, argumentative species, with a government that we class as near-anarchy. The village where we docked for first contact—they gathered to debate whether to meet us at all. Everyone speaking up with their opinions is not how a proper society operates, of course; what happens when they question the Arxur? When we install the exterminators and predator disease facilities, and are faced with constant questions?
The Kolshians agreed that the central issue was this individualist philosophy of speaking your mind. We must be careful, since they’re a large species…and we know how dangerous birds can be from the Krakotl. Disastrous if we don’t watch ourselves. The Duerten have similarities, occasionally going for fish, and even have natural camouflage to boot. On our aggression scale, they’re just shy of being lumped with 45-G and 243-G; however, the cure worked on initial test subjects, and they aren’t regular about seeking meat or violence out.
We have a three-point plan to squash their personalities, which begins with teaching the children not to voice opinions that go against the herd. Our installation of local internet will facilitate the rest, allowing each person to weigh in for group input. We’ll actively filter opinions that are not beneficial, and flag necessary targets for predator disease. After a hundred years, I figure we can step back.”
Coji was silent. A part of her wanted to think for herself, but she didn’t have a clue how to do that. The Duerten in the room looked at each other, before someone voiced the question of whether to accept the summit invite. Conflicting answers arose amidst clashing emotions, and instead of being deferential to the loudest voice, an argument erupted. It wasn’t clear how the decision was reached, but an answer eventually was sent to Earth declaring that, while the Homogeneity couldn’t speak for its Shield allies, the Duerten would attend.
Thafki (97-B)
The death of one ambassador is a tragedy for any species. A race with 12,000 members in the wild felt that loss on a different level. The Thafki had voted to ally with humanity as a shot in the dark, a last chance to preserve their species from the ever-hungry Arxur. A shuttle of diplomats blew up from sabotage, and that hope was washed away with it.
But suddenly, after Shaza’s sector fell under human control, there weren’t 12,000 Thafki left. There were millions, and the promise of a sustainable populace brought Thafki channels back to listening tentatively. Of course, they were little more than an advocacy group for the interests of their race, sprinkled into a few societies and lacking any major territory. (The handful of communes donated by other species were prime targets for the Arxur.) But the United Nations mourned the loss of a willing friend, and still wished to help rebuild their society from scratch.
Most documentation of the Thafki homeworld was lost to the ages, after it was hit by the Arxur centuries ago. Humanity forwarding the meticulous recordings from the Farsul Archives gained the blue-gray “otter”-like species’ attention. Perhaps it was time to risk one more life on this Hail Mary? The Thafki now knew with certainty that their semi-aquatic nature carried over to their architecture. It wasn’t uncommon for dwellings to be built on riverbanks, halfway extending into the shallow water.
A curious way to craft an internal swimming pool, if you asked the humans. Thafki pups were drawn to the water; it was in their blood. The Farsul remarked that they hadn’t liked that tendency, and that no amount of tampering had gotten rid of it. They tolerated it by working around it, discouraging exploration of deeper bodies. The avoidance of the oceans made sense, knowing the Archives had been buried out at sea.
It was the final note that gave the Thafki pause, and perhaps made them long for a shoulder to cry on. The United Nations appended a note warning that the last recordings were haunting. The Thakfi had sent a simple message… We’re under attack! as they fought back against the Arxur onslaught. No aid was forthcoming from the Kolshians. The Farsul lifted no claws to help either. Not a single ship came from the Federation, while a member race’s homeworld succumbed to the grays.
At the time, the Federation claimed that they never received the distress messages. For some parties, that was a true statement, because it seemed that the conspirators had scrubbed them from the record. The Farsul’s self-righteous morality wouldn’t have allowed them to wipe the Thafki’s slate clean themselves, for such a petty offense as being drawn to the water. Yet if they stuck around, they’d make things difficult to conceal down the road.
The Thafki association finally sent a response message, asking the United Nations how anyone could allow an extinction event to happen. The humans’ three-word reply was, “I don’t know.”
Zurulians (63-A)
Of the three herbivores who came to Earth’s rescue, the Zurulians were the unsung heroes. The Venlil had been humanity’s first ally, and millions of Terrans lived on their homeworld. They were the topic of media discussions, the originators of the exchange program concept, and even appeared on some newer entertainment. The Yotul’s story was documented and well-known, since their uplift was recent enough to exist in living memory. The marsupials helped with rebuilding Earth, and during cross-species interactions, they proved to not fit the Federation stereotype. They were the most similar race to humans, by merit of the Kolshians and Farsul not having worked their magic yet.
Chauson and his brother, Prime Minister Braylen, were enjoying a modest lunch on Colia. The planet had opened several doors to predators. The Galactic Institute of Medicine had begun welcoming human doctors, and the Zurulian exchange program had eventually brought willing pairings into the capital city. A Terran embassy was carefully placed to keep to itself. There was a small populace of people from Earth inside its premises, and the largest metropolises were learning to tolerate the sight of humans.
There might be more refugees from the Sol system if not for how diminutive Zurulians were. Quadruped-designed cities in general were difficult for bipeds, more so than the other way around. Can anyone picture humans crawling on all fours to go through doors or use equipment? What about awkwardly trying to fit into chairs? Terrans were limited to the areas around the Galactic Institute of Medicine, which was designed to accommodate any species. Buildings there catered to xenoform clientele.
When Chauson saw the invite, the Zurulian ambassador pranced around with excitement. He missed going to Federation meetings, even if he was the one who’d pulled the strings with Braylen for their withdrawal. The Prime Minister sending ships to Earth was Chauson’s doing, and part of what landed them in the United Nations’ good graces. In their message to the quadrupeds, humans revealed that the Farsul employed a separate strategy. Rather than pushing them away from natural inclinations, the Zurulians were molded to be only good at one thing.
A common story, for the more “inoffensive” species in the Farsul’s eyes. The conspirators liked having races fit into predictable boxes; perhaps it made them easier to manipulate. A telling excerpt from the summary message left by the archivists?
“The Zurulians are unusual! They discovered antibiotics in their dark ages, before steam power or gunpowder; disease didn’t assail them the way it did for most species. Understanding germ theory allowed unparalleled progress with surgeries and sanitization in their cities. Doctor is a beneficent, prey-like occupation, so pushing them toward a singular focus on healing seemed wise. We simply complimented their natural abilities, poured funding into institutions and research on Colia, and within a short period, they became model citizens.”
The Farsul almost seemed to like the Zurulians in their natural state, yet outside influence warped Colia’s natives into a caricature of themselves. The conspirators hadn’t liked it when Zurulians started healing predators, despite that being an extension of imposed stereotypes. Braylen and Chauson had no intention of ripping the Galactic Institute of Medicine apart; they loved what their planet was renowned for. Hell, Chauson was a physician himself. He’d been the one who added courses on human anatomy to the staff’s mandatory curriculum.
But the Zurulian Prime Minister had begun to feel a genuine kinship with Earth, and was long past his fear. Joining a predator alliance would’ve sounded insane a few months ago. That was before it became apparent how the Kolshians and the Farsul stripped free will from every species they came across. As the United Nations had expected, Braylen and Chauson were among the first to RSVP for the summit.
Tilfish (233-E)
Governor Birla had been placed in charge of her homeworld by the United Nations, upgraded from being the lone general that had voted against the raid on Earth. She was doing her best to help Virnt; the soldiers at the local UN garrison had a running joke among themselves to send fruit snacks. When a proper diplomatic message arrived from Earth, Birla was surprised. Why would the humans want to extend full relations and courtesies? Sillis was a vassal state, and the Tilfish gave Terrans the creeps.
The message was a simple one. The Tilfish were not just omnivores, but there was evidence that the reason they laid so many eggs was to eat some of them! That was repulsive, a thousand times worse than anything humanity had done. Words didn’t encompass the depth of wretched emotions that surged to the forefront. Birla’s mandibles trembled with sheer disgust, imagining putting a precious egg like the one that hatched Virnt in her mouth. They had no right to call Terrans monstrous predators.
Birla, it’s time to bring Sillis back to galactic relevance. I know we haven’t met, but I think now is the time to open a path to autonomy. The United Nations never intended to occupy Sillis forever. Please, if you wish, come and hear our pitch to launch our own amalgamation of species. We’d like the Tilfish at the table, as friends and equals. It is your choice; should this not be your desired course of action, we can discuss your separation from UN oversight. ~Secretary-General Zhao
Virnt read the last part over her shoulder, and understood enough to bounce with excitement. “HUMMA FEDAWATION!”
Birla winced from the volume of the child’s scream. Love for little Virnt surpassed the depths of despair and disgust she’d just combed through. Just absorbing his delight, she felt compelled to attend. Regardless of how they looked, Marcel, Tori the entomologist, and the other humans she’d encountered had seemed like good people. Being a proper ally of Earth sounded better than being a subject; it was a much fairer bargain than she’d ever expected. She’d expected to see her people conquered and oppressed in perpetuity, after what they did in the raid.
Birla realized she was lucky to have been given an offer, rather than a demand, to attend. It wasn’t compulsory to join on to the alliance, from the sound of it, and she didn’t expect the humans to inflict harm upon her. What reason was there not to listen to their offer?
Krakotl (1-F)
Most of the parties on the invite list were allies of Earth, or otherwise affiliated states, such as the newly-minted governments of Fahl and Sillis. A strange decision, one kept under wraps by Secretary-General, was the quiet invite sent to the Krakotl rebel faction on the holdout worlds. With Nishtal destroyed, the Krakotl Alliance’s government was gone—along with their stranglehold on local space. One general, who refused Ambassador Jerulim’s infamous order to bomb his own people for being omnivores, had headed a movement denouncing the conspiratorial meddling.
This general, a female named Nuela, invited anyone who opposed what happened to the Krakotl, or to Earth, to join her loose government. Cities within various colonies pledged their allegiance to her cause, breaking away from the main governance. Making peace with humans seemed like a pipe dream, however, since Nuela was nothing like Birla. She puffed out her feathers with delight when the extermination fleet set sail. Zhao knew this, and Krakotl were a species many humans despised regardless.
Yet Nuela received a communique, the first message she’d ever received from Earth’s government. The Krakotl general was elated; she’d do anything to atone for the raid that now haunted her. The news from the Farsul Archives brought nothing she didn’t already know. It only repeated what Nikonus had boasted about Krakotl aggression, but with documentation. The conspiracy had been young and clumsy then, forcing Nishtal to accept the cure at gunpoint. It was a tired story to her, at this point.
To be recognized by Earth, and to have the chance to beg for forgiveness on behalf of her people? Nuela couldn’t accept that invitation quickly enough. The United Nations conveniently tucked her acceptance at the bottom of the list, where nobody would see; when the summit unfolded in a few weeks, it should have dozens of parties ready to consider locking arms with the human race.
A/N - The promised lore one-shot, delving into the findings from 7 species! Lots of fun tidbits in here, ranging from Krakotl separatists to the lovable Zurulians. It feels strange not to focus on characters and feelings, but I hope you guys enjoyed the different findings. Which excerpt was your favorite, of the species? How do you think the summit will play out?
As always, thank you for reading and supporting! A brand new series launches Saturday, and I'm already looking forward to it going live. Also, thank you to the people who helped with the survey this morning; you guys rock!
Comments
Michelle Brooks
What bonus story Is Nuela from
Rob Goldman
Agreed! Virnt is probably the inspiration for baby Yoda.
Jevon Gray
Everytime I see something to do with Virnt, I love the little guy that much more. He needs to be protected at all costs, and if anything ever comes to happen to him, I'll never forgive you, OP.
Space Paladin
Just try to learn, grow, try new things, and craft fun character moments as time goes on! Thank you for the kind words 🤣
Space Paladin
I plan to make it free some time after public release of 129, per the patrons’ wishes in my discussions with people 🙏
Space Paladin
Thank you! Maybe in the future I’ll play with these type of stories more 😅
Cosmic Bananas
I love getting bits like these when its a story I enjoy such as this one
Cosmic Bananas
I must say your dialogue and general over arcing story is fabulous. Only complaints I could possibly think of are heavily outweighed by the gripping story that makes you think, btw the only complaints i have is that it seems a little fast going and that you aren't great with technical bits like explaining military structure You have definitely grown and the dialogue (Which you are a expert with) has grown with it glad you have a logical excuse for incompetent aliens unlike other stories on hfy and humans are space orcs. plus humanity isn't wildly genocidal
urbanlegend
Very glad to see this lore drop, loved every minute of it. On a different note, I feel as though your writing is substantially improved in this chapter- it flows much more naturally.
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
He mentioned in the discord what the letters meant (aggression index) back when chapter 128 was released on the patreon so now that 128 is out in the wild it should be free information.
jetpacksuperman
Nah we shouldn’t hold the general civilian populace responsible for the evil actions of their government. They didn’t even know what was going on and were brainwashed
Flinty Flakes
I thought the lettering system was to mark how hard it was to integrate them. A's like the Gojids were easy, as they only had to show up, tell them what their views were, and fake an archeological find. G's like the Venlil and humans (we're 243-G I believe) are either a monstrous pain to integrate or they can't be integrated. Assuming you've caught up to the latest chapter on Patreon, the Venlil are G because they required a complicated scheme involving forced deformities, constant heavy doses of propaganda, and kidnapping an entire generation of children to raise offworld to assimilate. We're G's because the Farsul couldn't work out a cure that didn't kill us, and you can't have uncured omnivores running around. You can see that in these rankings. Duerten got a low ranking (D) because it took a long time (they predicted a hundred years) to totally turn around their argumentative, undesirable culture and get them to the point where they didn't need the Farsul actively moderating everything. Zurulians got a high ranking (A) because all that was needed was for them to be funneled in a direction they were already going.
Mike Barth
At this point when finally do take down the kohlshians and Farsul their home worlds should be put in the forever timeout corner by shredding tons of debris in their orbits. That way everyone else can say we were merciful but we make sure they never leave their world again to commit crimes against the galaxy.
unknown_stranger
I wonder how the classification systems works - do the letters represent how heavily modified the species currently is? Basically acting as their version-... well, not number, but letter, I guess. That would fit the D-F-G pattern laid out by the Duerten-Krakotl-Venlil. I wonder then who the 243-G were, to warrant a similar treatment or classification as the Venlil. Poor saps. Or is that the Arxur? The Thafki make me think of the Gojid - sure, the Cradle is no more, but there should still be living Gojids around as prisoners of the Arxur, no? If we can save the Venlil and the Thafki, why not the Gojid too? Maybe, just maybe...
Unknown
Can I post the name of the Paltan homeworld in the subreddit? Also what's your policy on saying what the letters (A-G) mean? When will it be appropriate to let non-patrons know what that means? (I'm guessing Saturday at a minimum).
Hello There
We know a thing or two because we did a thing or two basically
John Benjamin Cate
It’s noted that several species are extinct! Imagine if those were the most inconvenient ones to the story…. In fact, how do we even know if the Arxur were actually the reason all of them went extinct?
Gabe
I, for one, welcome our "new" Skalgan allies, let's show them old school warrior music. The kind with drums that beat like a heart and thrum with string instruments. Viking, Mongolian, hell throw in some Native American.
Jonathan Cardoso Mota
1: No we did not! The closest thing was the failed MAD deal with Kalsim and that was a desperate move, nobody expected the man to be so insane. Sillis and Fahl are occupied but nothing even remotely like extinction level events and even the moon on Talsk isn't a big enough object to do more than taken down a city.
Cartoon dinosaur
Did the federation ever discover a fully aquatic species and just didn't try to uplift them? and if not what would they even do to them, its not like a fully aquatic species can be "cured" of that. they have no way of supporting themselves on land.
Piittis
Good to see annoying aliens like Coji have all their pride ripped to shreds as they find out their whole society was manufactured by the Federation.
Some Lvm
The humans’ three-word reply was, “I don’t know.” Oh, we know! We know all to well, we just don't have the heart to tell you...
Cartoon dinosaur
depends. Most mammals are colorblind which is why most big mammals are grey/brown and why tigers are well camouflaged from mammal prey despite being bright orange. While birds are tetrachromats, so they can see color even better then us which tracks with the brightly colored Krakotl. So as far as I'm concerned the color of the species isn't of any suspicion.
Lord Tvlor
It's funny how they immediately got back to bickering with each other as soon as they found out that's how they used to behave.
Flinty Flakes
1: Didn't we just do/attempt an extinction event against all the species that were part of the extermination fleet? Why are the Thafki asking why anyone would do this? Do they see a big difference between extinction events committed against those whom you are at war with, and those who are not? It seems that the Federation doesn't have much of a concept of fighting wars that don't aim to end in the extinction of one of the parties, so maybe that's why. It still seems strange to ask that. 2: Why is Birla so distraught over the Tilfish eating their eggs? Didn't they throw out all the ones they didn't eat? I know it's cannibalism of one's own children, but 'a thousand times worse than anything humanity ever did' seems extreme. 3: Is this supposed to be something in-universe, or is this just a birds-eye summary entirely for the audience? I do love this, and it's fine if it's nothing in-universe. I'm just wondering, if it's supposed to be something in-universe like the memory transcriptions, what it is. Overall, though, I loved this oneshot, and it's my opinion that the more lore we have, the better. I would absolutely be in favor of this going public eventaully.
pfreya
Completely with you on this! Anarchy has been the victim of centuries of moral panic PR attacks, but there’s something to be said for the free and willing engagement in consensus-based decision making. I’m not at all surprised that the Farsul feared the practice — self-organizing communities that know how to cooperate can be powerful!
pfreya
This summit is really going to let humanity shine I think! All these species who are used to being told what to do, whether overtly or covertly, are bound to stumble some when presented with the chance to explore their own wants and needs. All those voices could easily turn chaotic, but cooperation and empathy have been two of humanity’s strongest defining traits since before we were even Homo Sapiens — hopefully all the players learn to think independently while working together!
Joshua James Feenstra
So I know the Zurilians like how everything turned out, but I wonder if the Venlil will be angered enough to change back to how they were. I meant it seems to just be a positive to change back but...
Jackson Urwin
I love this, I would love to see an encyclopedia of every species someday and what happened to them. But the part I like most about this is how it leaves you with different things to think on. I’m gonna be wondering about the Duerten for weeks now.
Unknown
I wonder if their wanderlust is Fed programming too, though that doesn't seem like a trait the Feds would want.
Mr. Walker
I don't know if "Empire" is the right term. Confederating, perhaps?
Mr. Walker
"Duerten; From what I gather, Coji is legitimately trying to be a dispassionate face for her species, but is inadvertently letting her feeling take control. The Federation’s treatment of them is terrible; a shadow of what they did to the Venlil. They turned the Deurten into the exact opposite of what they were; from an individualistic society to a collective." I said this elsewhere below, but I think "individualism" is too strong a term. The Duerten did value individual opinions, sure, but they still got together and discussed what to do instead of any individual acting of their own initiative. I think that their old system represented a balance between individualism and collectivism.
Mr. Walker
The Duerten getting together and discussing before acting doesn't sound like toxic individualism to me. It sounds like a healthy balance between individualism and collectivism. They value the individual enough to make room for everyone to contribute to the decision making process, but they also are aware enough of how an individuals actions can affect the group so that they discuss before acting. Toxic individualism would be one individual striding up to the newcomers on their own initiative without regard for the consequences. Honestly, this kind of concensus-building and horizontal democracy is close to what I understand anarchism to actually be. The Farsul did not mislabel it, but they definitely judged it too harshly.
Andrew Lechner
I hope you make this one free one day, perhaps after Zhao's summit starts and all species listed here attend.
DrewTheHobo
Look at Zhao moving up in our approval ratings! Loving this empire building for the humans and their Allie’s. Hopefully the Krakotl are amenable (and the Duerten chill the fuck out)!
Byron Ritchie
Jeez both jerlium and the kohlshians are just on another level of dickery
John Krause
Wow i loved this, if you feel comfortable id love more oneshots and series like this covering lore and diplomacy even retroactively on these broader scales, you did a great job paladin
EliasArt2Life
Waitwaitwaitwait! I just remembered something from the Wiki; the Sivkits are quadrupedal. It’s stated that the Federation supposes that they were bipedal at one point, but devolved that trait after they were technologically advanced enough. I hate to say it, but based on the current information of the Kolshian-Farsul MO, it’s very possible the Sivkits were adept at warfare, or something like that, and the Kolshians made them quadrupedal again so that they couldn’t use their weapons/tools, while also making them much more timid and fearful than other species.
Seamus
Slapping a moon out of orbit’ll do that 😆
Space Paladin
Thank you!
Space Paladin
It’ll probably go public eventually after 129 and before the summit, since patrons mentioned wanting to be able to use the lore in fanfics 🙏
Space Paladin
It’s my pleasure! Glad you liked it 😅
Davis R
I enjoyed this chapter and I believe one’s like this are completely necessary. Having character pov’s and feeling is good, but sometimes for stories of this scale it is good to “zoom out” and get an impersonal but factual view on the big picture. It helps out context to the rest of the story and events our characters are going through. Loved it, excited for the summit!
Michael
INB4 the Kolshians and Farsul realize humanity flipped every species to their side in a new Federation and now they're the two species on the dot for being royally fucked up by a fleet of very angry sapients. EDIT: maybe just the Kolshians now because the Farsul don't seem to be having a good time with their homeworld at the moment.
EliasArt2Life
My thoughts on each section: The Suleans and Iftali; Nice to hear from them! I find it amusing that human religions have caught on there. I really feel that the Kolshians-Farsul treatment of the Iftali was terrible. Luckily, their kind temperament made the transition less inhumane. Still unacceptable, but at least there wasn’t much more than the basic stuff… Duerten; From what I gather, Coji is legitimately trying to be a dispassionate face for her species, but is inadvertently letting her feeling take control. The Federation’s treatment of them is terrible; a shadow of what they did to the Venlil. They turned the Deurten into the exact opposite of what they were; from an individualistic society to a collective. The Thafki; The Thafki may be one of the biggest victims of the Kolshians and Farsul. They were set up for extinction not because they were once omnivorous, not because they were violent, not because they were particularly resistant to indoctrination, but because their nature drew them to the water, and that posed a non-zero risk of them upsetting the balance the Kolshians and Farsul had made. That information should be sent to the rest of the galaxy. The Zurulians; I shudder to think of just how much of their culture was wiped out in order to give them a singular focus on medicine. Not just the Zurulians; this treatment is apparently common. Tilfish; Ooff! That’s a tough pill to swallow. Common enough in nature, but from their perspective it’s a pile driver. Ironically, since they’re already discarding the unwanted eggs, they ended up in a place that’s not too far off from what they used to do. And the Kolshian-Farsul were okay with that. Glad the Tilfish are officially allying with us. I, personally w the Spider Ants and Virnt! Krakotl; Yay! We’re bringing the Krakotl into the fold! Maybe we can get that scene of the Krakotl and Duerten delegates arguing! Also, glad to finally get some information as to the state of the Krakotl government. I’m sorry that it’s in upheaval, but glad that something exists. Nuela will come as a shock to non-Patreon members, so I think she may be presented as more of a wild card than she is here, so that her intentions can be a pleasant surprise. Great chapter as always, but here especially, Space Paladin!
Nicole
That would be a lot of fun
Doctor Worm
This makes me *really* want a one-shot of Skalga before the Feds found it. See the Venlil society organically before the Feds arrived. I don't know how it could serve the story, but it would be really fun anyway!
se05239
Such a smart move. Just send the Farsul files, in raw unedited format, to everyone.
Dcluigimario
I guess if there was anything good to come from the Krakotl attacking Earth would be that most of their kind who supported the attack died on that failed mission. I can imagine it made it much easier for them to start a rebellion.
Peter
This is some gooooood lore. I could read so much more.
ToddlerLeft
I love the characters and the character developer ofc but I'm so happy you did some political intrigue and lore!! This universe has so much good lore and complicated politics and I'd love to see more of it!!
Unknown
No mention of Dossur or Arxur, but I'm guessing we're going to see those in the next Isif chapter. Looking forward to what happens next. I hope that someday this chapter can be made public.
Danny Luca
Has anyone noticed a lot of species lack color in their fur? That has to be a Fed gene-edit. Plenty of animals develop bright colors to scare predators off or to attract mates. Doesn’t make sense most sapients would be mostly gray
Nicole
This was great, I love a good lore dump!!
Nicole
They did WHAT TO THE OTTERS!! I didn't think I could be more pissed at the federation but here we are.
Danny Luca
I think she changed her mind after the Krakotl past came out but that there was no Birla for the Krakotl. Personally, I’m confused about the part that she was the one general that refused to bomb their homeworlds. So does that mean the Krakotl literally exterminated most of their own worlds?
Michael Klim
"She puffed her feathers in delight when the extermination fleet set sail." Something is wrong, I thought she opposed the extermination fleet. Loved it! This format was wonderful. I love the main story but there is so much happening in the NoP universe that I feel like strictly first person stories leave something out. I want to hear how the other races are doing and this is perfect.
richfiles
The turning a blind eye on the Thafki plight, willing their genocide, and the Deurten will 180 manipulation REALLY struck home with me... The Feds are the pure embodiment of evil I can understand what drives an Arxur to commit their evils. The Arxur rebel faction is proof that if offered a better way, they are willing to take it! No mental gymnastics can wrap my brain around this Federation evil... Just... Incredible... Also interesting to see a non memory transcription entry
Pyroraptor
The Thafki association finally sent a response message, asking the United Nations how anyone could allow an extinction event to happen. The humans’ three-word reply was, “I don’t know.” Man fuck everyone involved in this conspiracy. Thanks for the chapter!
Quin Reiss
They're people, not fucking animals
Quin Reiss
Also side bit, I hate the (presumably Federation in origin) wording of "12,000 *in the wild*"
Danny Luca
I think the ruling caste would make lovely sannakji (the live octopus with soy sauce).
Danny Luca
It made stop hating the space ducks (I’ve decided they no longer need to be called geese). It’s fucked to take away their love of democracy/individualism just cause it was inconvenient
Quin Reiss
This is awesome, thank you
Danny Luca
SPACE OTTERS! PLEASE MORE SPACE OTTERS! I swear, every week there is a new reason to hate the damn Feds. How could they hurt these poor space otters? I hope the UN can help them reclaim their homeworld from the Arxur and help them rebuild their civilization. Maybe even have some on Earth. Plus they would make perfect Archivists Also, one day would be great to hear about species that went extinct due to Fed wiping them out or allowing them to go extinct (cause of inaction like with the otters or maybe something like asteroid)
Ana Fiser
Now just gotta release the Nikonus - Giznel Convo and federation is officialy Joever
Nuclear Cowboy
God, SP, you just don’t miss dude.
T___
The Thafki information was very sad. I will be thinking about them a lot for sure. Virnt is a star as always, and I've always liked Birla. Duerten part was fun. Still, my favorite part was the Krakotl because of Nuela's genuine repentance.
Rick
Space otters are offical!
TruChrono
Completely fantastic, I still adore following your content! I cling to every word!
EF_stream
Wait what survey, I haven't seen any survey
Found&Lost
drat, it stopped accepting responses before I finished
HiMyNameIsFelipe
Hell yeah, Krakatol allies! Also, the Duerten were the exact oposite of what they are now? Damn Also, was kinda hoping we learned mor on the Mazics. Maybe they had no issues an just joined, but seeing how big they are, I expected them to have a story
BigSneppy
Just when I thought I couldn’t hate the Kolshians more I find that they were complicit in the genocide of space otters, looks like calamari is on the menu
DemonVee
Haha love it, I'm a sucker for lore so this was nice to read. Also interesting seeing you write in a 3rd person perspective :D I really hope we get some more in the future for any species that won't have discoveries tied to the main story. The Duerten one stung, twisting them into the opposite of what they use to be. A small part of me is sad we didn't get so see anything on the Sivkits (definitely not for selfish fanfic related reasons.) :D ----------------------------- This does make me wonder again though: The Farsul/Kolshians have shown themselves to be very vindictive. Twisting people to be the opposite of what they are, wiping out cultures for the crime of swimming or even shoving "perfect species" into specific molds. What the hell did the Sivkits do to piss off the duo so much? Most likely made into wondering nomads who don't even have record if their capital world is their homeworld or not. (The fact that they messed with the Venlil and Thafki in the same vain for a "transgression" makes me think they had to do something, rebel maybe? Or were a space faring species already?) Or was it a case similar to the Gojids and they were just remolded for a new role, specialized explores for new colonies? Forced to forget about their world to not get attached to one place culturally? Or again, it could be a case that there was something about their world that was inherently against Fed propaganda, though I wouldn't know what that could be. History maybe? Something buried deep beneath? (If their capital isn't their homeworld at least and they just weren't forced to be confused about that.) --------------- Or it could have been as simple as them loving their home enough to not want to spread out. Attempting to refuse the Kolshian's offer to join the Federation.
EF_stream
The gears of change are starting to turn, time holds still in preparation for the brave new future, fate throws their gloves off, and lady luck tosses her coins It's all going down folks! This bonus chapter throws so much coal into the embers of the hype train, it should go public
Sobek
Ah yes L O R E
Roscuro
I like the duertans immediate disent into chaos. Also, the survey says it's no longer accepting applications?
Luke Reinhardt
This story just hits different 🤤 ❤️
Michael Morse
Wooo!! New species mentioned I hope we get to see more of them. Sad we didn’t hear about the mazic. Definitely one of my favorite chapters. Thank you SP.
Michael Morse
The governing caste is responsible for all this. The rest of the kolshians were presumably the first to be oppressed.
ethan
Loved this! Kinda hope a few more are sprinkled in going forward from here. Also, Space Paladin. Might I ask what the purpose of that survey was for?
John Benjamin Cate
Makes you wonder about the species that HAVE gone extinct, doesn’t it?
pogman
General Nuela is like Charles de Gaulle and her government is like Free France during WW2 innit
John Benjamin Cate
Good lord, they let a species be killed just because they like water. Holy shit. Makes me wonder about the others that went fully extinct. Now I am a little curious about what the Harchen info is like. They might have had even better camouflage. Tilfish eating eggs! Thought so! Ha! Krakotl civil war! I was right! I am SO looking forward to that being explored in fics! This is so much lore that I think it would be a shame to leave it in the patreon. I really hope you make this public!
Dookus Maximus
Yeah, I was just thinking I could go for some fried chicken.
Jack Skorupski
The feds are so bloody condescending to everyone they meet. Even if a species is already acceptable by their standards they still mold them to be a single homogeneous racial profile. Its disgusting. Theyre so bigoted and authoritarian that they ONLY see species instead of individuals. They go around stealing peoples agency because they are CONVINCED they know best about everything. Hell, they hung the Thafki out to dry because no matter what they did the otters still liked swimming. And not because swimming is bad but because the Farsul dont like folks snooping. Meanwhile, their day to day society is hellish for basically everyone but the bigwigs, and the “stability” and “purity” they try to enforce is BTFO after less than a year of humanities involvement. These bastards dont deserve mercy even though the UN will probably give it to them. Slanek was right.
Cakeb
Epic time
towerator
*reads the Thafki entry* Heads will roll...
Ana Fiser
Birbs are gonna become based soon. Now this is epic
Samuel Sukovsky
Damn, we're in the endgame now
The furry in your walls in your walls
I say give the rebel birds a chance!
Violaceum
Very glad to see Krakotl on our side, finally! Also, I'm surprised the Federation somehow keeps getting worse. It didn't seem possible...
Kaiser Marcqui
Yes! I love anthologies. Great bonus chapter! And I'm so glad the Krakotl are joining our side!
Loke
Ooooooo interesting…
Yonael Blackwood
Us. SP said so on discord.
Cooldude101011
Who the fuck is 243-G?
Anthony Mears
3
Jeffrey McLaughlin
2nd
O5-69
Elevendy-seventh
