spacepaladin15
patreon
The Nature of Predators - Arxur Miniseries (1/6)
🕑 Added 2022-12-01 12:00:10 +0000 UTCContext: Occurs shortly after the Arxur raided the cradle in Chapter 23.
Memory transcription subject: Kaisal, Arxur Dominion Third Fleet
Date [standardized human time]: September 28, 2136
Military service was something expected of all of us, as soon as we grew into our adult bodies. There was no room for Arxur society to tote around liabilities. I had wanted to put off joining the infantry for as long as possible, but my mother had other plans. She was disappointed in my scrawny stature, and told me that the rations were going to stop coming. If I didn’t join the military, I think I would’ve been handed over to the Betterment office.
The training officers beat me worse than my parents had, disappointed in how I lagged behind the other recruits. There was no way I could hold my own in sparring matches; rations were withheld as punishment for my ineptitude. Having eaten a maximum of three times in the past two weeks, I could feel my muscles withering. Hunger pains stabbed at my stomach with such intensity, that I tried to swipe another Arxur’s rations. That was the final nail in the coffin, since we were not permitted to attack our own.
The trainers debated throwing me into an airlock, or sticking a bullet in my worthless skull. But it was decided that the best way to get rid of me, was to drop me off with a cattle patrol on the Gojid cradle. Someone who couldn’t fight was unlikely to last; I could be sacrificed in the name of the Dominion. Gojidi Union defenses had mysteriously gone down, leaving a straight shot to their homeworld.
If those prey idiots had a brain, I would think it’s a trap. But they don’t.
“Well, what do we have here? This runt is pathetic!” a feminine voice hissed from my left.
I tugged at the harness around my body, keeping my eyes down. “Hi. I’m Kaisal.”
My arms felt weak, and the lethargy made me want to nap. Images of our rations floated through my mind. Those of us dropped on cattle worlds didn’t eat for five days before. It made zero sense to waste limited food on those who could die. Supposedly, as the Dominion told us, hunger helped us to fight with a desperation.
Claws swiped across my cheek, earning a wince. “Fight back! Scared? You’re an affront to the Prophet’s teachings. You have the form of a syasara.”
Syasaras were burrowing creatures native to our homeworld, tiny prey that lived by riverbanks. Those morsels hardly did anything to sate our appetites, but had become common livestock anyways. The animals that could actually feed a hungry Arxur were wiped out by the Federation, with their plague tailored to our animals. Meager pickings were all that we had left.
“I’m saving my anger for the Gojid prey.” My stomach rumbled loudly, and desperation expanded through my chest. I was so hungry that I couldn’t think straight; there was nothing I wouldn’t do for a scrap of meat. “I haven’t done anything to you…your name is?”
“Naitha, a pure-blood from a line verified by the Great Laznel.” She slammed her snout into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. “It’s important to single out the weakest links before the mission. You’re going to exit the ship first…lead the way.”
I nursed my lungs, and curled my tail around my ankles. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than my dizzying need for fuel. It wasn’t clear if I could hold a gun without shaking, but Naitha wasn’t asking. The irritability of traveling with two other people could be adding to her temperament. Prolonged exposure and sociability was grating, like having bugs crawling up your spine. The fact that none of us had eaten was making emotional regulation more difficult.
Bursts of aggression threatened to explode, in between listless spells; I didn’t feel like I was in control. These Federation animals deserved to die, for making us live this way. Saliva watered in my mouth, at the thought of ripping out a Gojid’s intestines. The logical part of my brain told me I was about to be hurled into a warzone, and gunned down. My dreams, of becoming a great intellectual like Laznel, were unachievable. I was weak.
A scarred muzzle nudged my shoulder. “I’m your team leader, Typhith. Think about something other than the hunger. Now.”
“I can’t,” I whimpered.
“Get a grip, and quit whining like prey. The rest of us don’t want you burdening this unit. Are you going to cry, and let your feelings spill over?”
Tears were fogging my periphery, and I struggled not to let them spill over. Terror was lurking in the recesses of my mind, the simple call of self-preservation. The sooner we landed, the sooner I could be put out of my misery. Death would be a welcome reprieve, from this meaningless existence. I wished I hadn’t been born an Arxur.
I wish my squad had the disdain for taunting that we have for standard conversation. This is tiresome.
Typhith smacked his tail at Naitha, as our ship touched down amidst an orchard. The Gojid herbivores had a bounty of their food here, but even in my state, I wouldn’t dream of trying it. All attempts to eat fruit by Arxur ended up with an upset stomach, compounding dehydration and nutrient deficiencies. The Federation assholes had no idea what suffering was.
Typhith yanked me out of my seat, and Naitha shoved a gun in my hand. I barely locked my claws around one end, before I was thrown out of the ship. Two Gojid ‘soldiers’ were fleeing from a battle site into the thick treeline, while mushroom clouds ascended from the direction of the settlement. Panic flashed in their side-facing eyes, while their bristling spines showed their fear. My eyes dilated as I smelled their fluids on the wind; the scent was tantalizing.
I began firing blindly, all conscious thought evaporating in bloodthirst. Red spilled across my vision, and I charged toward them without any strategy. The prey duo panicked at my mere appearance; rather than fighting, both sprinted away from me. The slower Gojid panicked as its partner began to surpass them, and tugged at the frontrunner’s arms. It kept running, leaving the downed Gojid screaming for mercy.
In a sane state of mind, I might’ve felt a trace of cursed pity for the creature. It was left behind by its own kind, sacrificed by a backstabber. Its scent was flooding my nostrils, along with a hint of blood; I could taste its warm flesh through its aroma. My shaken rationality snapped, as I began devouring it with ravenous fury. I couldn’t even notice the spines in my mouth. It was a matter of crunching through bone and anything in my way.
Teeth dug into my neck, deep enough to draw blood. I screamed incoherently, and swung my tail at the Arxur dragging me away from my catch. That was food that I needed…so badly that it burned. My stomach begged for more than the handful of bites I’d taken.
“The weakest eats last,” Naitha sneered. “You’ll get whatever bones we leave. Or…fight me, runt.”
I snapped my jaws at her, reduced to little more than an animal. The extent to which I desired a full meal left my muscles quivering with wanton desire. Typhith tore into the Gojid’s throat, braying with pleasure as the blood whetted his maw. That prey was tracked down by me, while the rest of the cattle squad wanted me killed. Why should my share get taken by those lazy bastards?
Naitha ducked away from my bite, and thrashed me across the throat with her tail. She pinned me to the ground with superior strength, stepping on my windpipe. My breath was depleted in a matter of seconds; there was no energy left to fight her. I hated that I was such a pathetic Arxur, wasting away on a Federation planet. All I wanted was a slight respite from the throes of starvation…
Typhith finished off the best parts, licking his lips. “Here, Naitha. You can have the liver.”
He dug a purplish slab out of the prey’s stomach, and tossed the warm, nutrient-dense piece to my captor. She lightened her grip on me, turning her attention to the meal. She made a point of chewing slowly, savoring each bite with audible pleasure. The scent of the Gojid’s organs teased me, rendering me unable to string thoughts together.
“Typhith, what do you think of the strange reports?” Naitha asked, through a mouthful of food.
The team leader narrowed his eyes. “Our first landing parties met heavy resistance. Someone else got here before us; primitive ships rushed over to meet us in orbit. They’re outmatched, but they’re digging their heels in.”
“I’ve heard there’s signs of stampeding in the Gojid settlements, but it doesn’t look fresh. It happened before we landed. Have you considered the possibility that these primitives are like us?”
“I don’t know what to think. They’re wearing so much armor, that you can’t see their features. But they have armor…tactics…aggression. We might have a genuine first contact here. I want to try to recover one of their bodies.”
Through the haze of hunger, I processed the new information. Modern Betterment rhetoric claimed that the Arxur were a superior species, due to our unique nature. The Dominion grasped the benefit of potential allies, and searched in earnest for other predators. But every planet turned up a new band of herbivores, who fainted at the sight of us.
Typhith sneered at my languishing form. The remnants of the Gojid carcass were kept out of my reach; there were no doubts in my mind that my Arxur ‘comrades’ would stuff themselves. They would keep trying to get me killed, so they could have a laugh at the scrawny kid. I realized that I hated what I was, and the species I was a part of.
If there’s a chance that other predators are here, I have to try to find them. Life as their prisoner can’t be worse than another day as an Arxur.
I snatched my gun back up off the ground, and sprinted away from Typhith and Naitha. Their heads snapped around, as they saw me making a break for the forest. Deserting the posse was high treason. Hell, it was an idiotic decision, to run off because of a rumor that had never proven true before. It was likely I’d be shot by Gojids, or executed for treason if my pursuers caught me. My feet picked up the pace.
The grass underfoot was already trimmed down, with hints of Gojid on the blade…and something else. This animal’s smell was oily and salty, unlike any sapient species I’d detected before. The reason we encountered so few of the spikebacks, must be because the other invaders flushed them out first. I prayed to the Prophet’s spirit that these aliens weren’t just aggressive herbivores, or Federation breakaways.
Typhith closed the distance with powerful strides, and lined up his gun as I ran. “You’re dead, runt. You are a disgrace to your family bloodline, and to your planet.”
I risked a glance back, too panicked to point my own weapon at him. My eyes widened in surprise, as a red dot appeared on his chest. There was nobody in sight, and the Gojids weren’t clever enough to hide. Was he actually being targeted by a sniper? If these aliens could land precision strikes from long-range, they must have stereoscopic vision!
The thunderclap of a gunshot ripped through the air, before a bullet nailed Typhith in the shoulder. Naitha stopped in her tracks, looking around for the assailant. My own nostrils flared, searching for the direction of the sniper. The oily smell seemed to originate from up a tree.
Realizing their tactical disadvantage, my Arxur squadmates abandoned their pursuit. A cursing Typhith signaled for Naitha to fall back. The two of them ducked behind cover, before the alien could pick the next mark. I slung my rifle around my neck, and raised my paws in a non-threatening gesture.
“This is stupid,” I muttered to myself. “Every species we’ve met just shoots us on sight.”
My paws inched forward, taking every second I wasn’t terminated as a sign of encouragement. This alien had to be a predator, perhaps one that could be convinced to hunt together. Any prey species would’ve taken the shot by now out of panic. Even a weakling like me was a demon, to their eyes.
“I know you’re close to here, alien. Please, don’t shoot!” I shouted.
A melodic, yet powerful voice floated from above. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t put a round in your head, croc.”
“Uh…because that’s a terrible way to gather intelligence? Dead people don’t talk?”
“Good answer. Toss the gun, and get down on your knees.”
Our translators had their input ripped from the Federation database, though our archive was outdated. The prey animals must’ve known about this species for a long time. Their propaganda could’ve worked its way into these aliens’ heads. This sniper looked surprised that I was talking. Did they assume we were raving beasts?
I placed myself in a prostrate position, throwing the rifle away. A fleshy figure shimmied down the tree trunk with ease, suggesting an arboreal ancestry. The alien was indeed covered in armor, but they were otherwise disappointing. Federation species had bigger claws, than those pink pads on soft digits.
The creature seemed like a mammal, but their fur had fallen off in most places. Those slender legs weren’t able to generate pouncing power. The skeletal structure made me guess it was a female, based on weight dispersal. But the eyes that rounded on me were forward-facing, and rather discerning. There were no signs of fear; if any emotion was present, it was anger.
“Why were you running from the other two grays?” she barked.
I flinched, hearing the Federation pejorative. “I’m here because I’m weak. It’s a death sentence…I want to defect to your people. Look at me, I’m starving.”
“You are skin and bones, croc. Haven’t been able to murder enough children lately?”
“‘Children?’ You don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re being systematically starved by the Federation, because we’re obligate carnivores. You don’t want to be on the receiving end of the ‘predator’ treatment!”
The creature stroked her chin. There was no question that the Federation got to her government, after hearing the casual usage of “gray.” The fact that these people attacked the Gojids meant something, though. At least this soldier was listening to our side of the story; nobody ever bothered.
“We humans already find ourselves on the end of that predator treatment. That’s why we’re here,” she said. “You’re my prisoner now. Understand?”
I laid as still as possible, allowing the human to cuff my forepaws. She showed no signs of panic from our proximity. Maybe there was a chance here to prove myself a worthy contributor; an alliance with the new predators would be an asset to the Dominion. Convincing these people to join with us might be easier said than done.
All I cared about was persuading her to feed me, and escaping this shithole with a new lease on life.
A/N - A new bonus miniseries, with a new Arxur narrator: one who is ordinary, and has been labeled "weak" by his kind. In a desperate attempt to attain food, he threw himself at the mercy of a human...who for some reason, is alone...
As always, thank you for reading and supporting! I know you guys love Arxur content, so I hope this scratches the itch. Shooting for Part 2 Monday.
Comments
extraintelligence
It could be that the laser is used for range finding and automatic attitude correction.
S1nsational
Reading this for the first time while being up to date, Chapter 100, because knowing nothing like this is mentioned in the main story probably mean a not so happy ending
For future reference. If you want to use lasers as a targeting system for long range engagements, I would suggest the development of a different type of propellant. With modern ballistics, rounds travel in an arc. So a laser being used would only be accurate at a single point of a rounds trajectory. Lasers should be used for rapid target acquisition in a CQC (close quarter combat) situation.
ShadowDancerBrony
Great insight into the Arxur.
Apogee
I think you’re on to something DemonVee a secret like that would be very difficult to contain for so long, there has to be some sort of underground secret war that’s happened or still ongoing, the general public wouldn’t know but a secret society of those who know the truth working a covert feud with the Federation higherups is likely. They just have been losing.
DemonVee
What interested me was that it sounded like the Arxur discovered more species then the Federation, all herbivores, with a similar reaction to the Feds and possibly with no animals suitable for live stock. I assume they didn't just leave them be even though they aren't complicate with the Feds have done but maybe they were enslaved rather then exterminated. Since the species that they might have discovered are so similar to the Federation, this makes me think that the secret side of the Fed government sends out parties far outside their space to start the conversion process centuries before the public Federation "discovers them" or erase any sign of a pure predator species before the public knows about them. The discovery of the Arxur might have been leaked to the public, either by accident or internally. (Maybe someone felt guilt playing god or wiping out species. If that's the case their interpretation of Humanities destruction could have been intentional a well. This is getting on the level of conspiracy within conspiracy though so it might be far fetched.)
Pantheon
Thank you!
arthur D. gonzalez-martin
loving the chapter so far, kind of wondering why the sniper is alone or the other arxurs of kaisal's squid not taking the chance to fire back at exposed sniper/surendering arxur?
Evaisa
Well it's clear that if there is one thing humanity is good at it is information warfare 😂
Space Paladin
Yes, they do! The Venlil have adrenaline also (Tarva mentioned it after the bombing)
Pantheon
Hey, question about Arxur biology. Do the Arxur have adrenaline, or some equivalent?
Space Paladin
The Arxur might come around to cooked food! The subject will be broached again next chapter of this miniseries actually
Billybob
Thanks for your answer. The comment about the Arxur's diet was less about them being able to derive nutrients from plant matter, and more if human food would make them sick. A lot of primarily meat based foods also have some from of plant to go with it. Think of the breading on chicken wings/nuggets or the plant sauces on BBQ. I was trying to see if they could eat that without throwing up. Additionally, with cooked food. I wonder if the Arxur could get anything out of it? I know Coth thought it was strange, but studies with other animals have shown cooked food to provide greater energy when compared to raw. This could allow the Arxur to get by with less.
Space Paladin
Despite being called reptiles, the Arxur are endothermic (unlike most of earths) so they have caloric needs more akin to mammal land predators 🙏 they do not consume plant matter, perhaps there’s scattered exceptions but they don’t derive nutritional value from plants
Billybob
I have a question, How often do the Arxur need to eat? If they were like earth crocs, the 5 day period before battle would be nothing. There have been cases of crocodiles surviving up to 3 years without food. Additionally, how much of the Arxur diet can consist of plant matter? I know that they are obligate carnivores, and very much Hypercarnivores, but even some of the most predatory species will still consume some plant matter. If they can get away with 10-20% being plant matter, that opens up a wide variety of eath dishes for them.
ToddTheSquid
@byne It's not a complaint, it's an observation. As I said it's not a bad thing, just unexpected considering the other arxur we've seen in the main series, and even here, have a bit more of a different sound to them. That's all I was saying.
DemonVee
Great start to the side story, has me intrigued. Hope she doesn't end up being exchanged later to the Dominion or that the only reason we are getting her memories is because Humans and Venlil scanned her after dying.
Yonael Blackwood
No, thank you!
Space Paladin
Thanks for the kind words! Good luck with your writing 🙏
Yonael Blackwood
Holy hell this is amazing, and a great source of inspiration for how to handle the next chapter of Joint Exercises. Don't worry, I'll avoid story spoilers, but it'll help me better write arxur characters.
Byne
Yeah, exactly. There werent any complaints about Tarva or Slanek or Sovlin sounding 'too human', and Arxur arent some fundamentally different kind of being, despite what the feds would have you believe. We have to remember that not only is Betterment not an inherent Arxur trait, but that when it first arose, other Arxur thought it was so repugnant that they decided those preaching it had to be wiped out. Arxur are much more 'human' than many of us would like to admit.
Pantheon
I've seen some speculation on extremist Humans joining the Arxur for revenge against the Feds. This chapter makes me wonder what that might look like. It's obvious our psychology and cultural values would clash with the Arxur, but conflicts wouldn't arise around eating the enemy, even though some supremacist Humans might lose their personal objections to that. For one thing, we don't eat raw meat, and for another, as omnivores we can just loot Federation rations and eat those without issue. There'd be little point in fighting except for fighting's sake. But that projection assumes Humans would be integrated into squads with Arxur, and given the significant psychological differences between the two, the Dominion might decide it more efficient to make segregated squads. Honestly, with the Dominion's ideology, they probably already practice segregation somewhere in their society, so it wouldn't take much convincing to apply it to the military.
Strat
Arxur POV let's gooo!
sticksnstones
I'm excited to see where this goes! So far we've only seen the Arxur from the command side of their society, finally we get to see what their "civilians" look like... and survival of the fittest is never a pretty look. Thanks for the excellent content as always!
I actually see this as a wonderful narrative tool. It shows us that the Dominion, like all “good” fascist states, is built off the concept of racial supremacy and the backs of the “lesser bloodlines.” The Arxur as a whole aren’t bloodthirsty monsters, only the desperate lessers and the sadistic uppers. Having an Arxur that sounds “human” is probably the point, just as Nulia sounds “human” as well. It’s to show that without the harmful rhetorics of either the Dominion or the Federation, most species are pretty alike mentally, just conditioned to be what each space nazi government wants them to be.
Unknown
“One of the main reasons that distinctions between oppressor and victim are blurred in North Korea is that no one there has any concept of rights. To know that your rights are being abused, or that you are abusing someone else’s, you first have to know that you have them, and what they are. But with no comparative information about societies elsewhere in the world, such awareness in North Korea cannot exist. This is also why most people escape because they’re hungry or in trouble – not because they’re craving liberty.” - Hyeonseo Lee, "The Girl with Seven Names", North Korean defector
Mike Barth
May have been their just without speaking roles, or they where already dead.
oh my god I'm already invested in the wimpy croc, I want him to find a home among humanity, if it wasn't for the feds and this war he could have lived a good life. The lab grown meat is really going to be a huge game changer. I'm also really curious about the sniper lady, why is she alone did she get separated from her squad or what.
Weston Simmons
Ya think kaisal will become the mystery lady snipers best friend in time? Also snipers never are alone they always have a rear guard/sector security to keep there location secure in combat. In boot camp they drill it into your head to never be alone like cant even walk to the bathroom alone small nit pick can't wait for the next chapter.
Weston Simmons
Hmmm pacing is jarring at the beginning too many jumps in time too quickly speech cadence makes sense the wimp name is easy to miss kaisal is a bit close to kalsim he doesn't have the same presence of character like other characters but that fits i feel pitty for him if i were to describe him starving nerdrage fits arxur also live like its the hunger games from the sounds of it definitely feel ussr vibes from the food rationing alone and it reminds me of Guinea pig farming in asia but they use something like minks or otters which given the the size definitely is not filling sucks. the gator traits specifically the ability to go long spands of time without food is done fairly well could ise some expanding specifically to give consistent range of it the skips make it hard to gage but is it similar to gators ability to go about a year without food? Oh and hazing that's done pretty accurately. This entire scenario reminds me of Germans surrounding to Americans in ww2 with desertion punishable by death and getting caught by the feds is equal to the Russians in theme. How many meals are in an arxur daily diet to be healthy vs what there getting for scale of how bad its getting. So many questions. Also more alien slang. Great chapter still.
Xandar Greenwald
This is exactly what I wanted from an Arxur story! Amazingly done wordsmith!
TheDudeAbides
I don't know that I'd ever trust a bipedal lizard freshly slathered in blood.
Weston Simmons
That makes sense in reptiles females tend to be more aggressive and dominant they get bigger cause they lay the eggs attitude makes sense too
All of you sinners better stop replying to my comment, I have to read all this depravity.
DramaLama
@ToddTheSquid perhaps. but we didn't get a scalie dommy mommy until now. id call that greater bait than anything that has been thrown at us yet.
Michael Morse
I'm here for it.
Canonized Arxur - Human acquaintanceship? Yes! Hahaha! YES!!!
Sexy Space Babes all over again
Michael Morse
He had best request that we not hand him over in any prisoner swaps after committing treason like that.
ToddTheSquid
@dramalama be honest, this whole series is furry bait in general lmao. But in a good, non-weird way.
DramaLama
even though it's only the first part i'm already invested. seeing a wimpy Arxur is going to be an interesting story to follow.
DramaLama
Owo whats this? Scalie bait? the inevitable has arrived.
Rhuidean
Excellent part one! The new Arxur is a nice change of pace for their species
Skais
Ok, the second paragraph was the strange one but is was my fault being dumb, it's said his rations was being withheld and that he has eating 3 times the amount permitted and yet he was hungry, from what i got now it was because the 3 times is based on the limit he was put into and not the normal, but on my first read I dint get that.
ToddTheSquid
Lmao yeah, I hope we get to see an arxur woman in some kind of officer role in the main series some day
ToddTheSquid
There's something a little off about this chapter. About the way the new narrator and the arxur in general speak. It's a little too human. Especially the narrator, I get they're meant to be "weak" but they sound... Idk how to put it, a little too much like a nerdy highschool kid who just moved to a new school and is getting bullied by literally the entire class, teacher included. I know because I've been that kid. It doesn't really fit with the thoughts they have and the rest of their narration. That's not to say it's bad, just unexpected from an arxur, even a "weak" one. I kinda like it actually.
Good thing this isnt being released to everyone. An Arxur women showing dominance, r/NatureOfPredators would have a fucking meltdown.
It was brief, but we got a confirmation that the federation species don't have snipers. Cool stuff.
ethan
YEEEEEESSSSSS!!! How i have waited for this spin off. Can't tell you how excited I am for this. Grinning the entire time I read this. Got nothing more to add, just that I await the next chapter of this miniseries. Bravo wordsmith
Skais
Great chapter, the pacing was kinda strange in the beginning can't put the finger on it, I think it was because the exposition, but the rest was superb.
