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The Nature of Predators 2-4
Memory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human ColonistDate [standardized human time]: March 14, 2160With the minimal amount of sleep necessary, I found myself back on the metro train to the mines: holopad curled in my grasp. Dusty stone walls passed by through the windows, as several weary faces joined me on the daily transport. I kept to myself in the back corner, finding myself listening through earbuds to Noah Williams’ speech on the ri...
The Nature of Predators - Nova's Children (4/10)
First | Prev | NextThere were more difficult explanations in store for Tarva and Noah to give to their children; this time, they didn’t want this next bit of information to be learned at school, as explained by an underpaid history teacher. Ari and Elia couldn’t fathom how unusual, how singular, their parents were. The time had come for the parents to impart the extent of their roles in the galaxy’s fate, and the impact that might have on t...
The Nature of Predators 2-3
Memory Transcription Subject: Taylor Trench, Human ColonistDate [standardized human time]: March 13, 2160The sound of an alarm clock detonating by my bedside jolted me from a dreamless sleep, much too early.I stumbled over to the sink and brushed my teeth, splashing some water in my face to wake myself up. The grimy mirror showed my binocular eyes, with twinkling blue irises, and the buzzcut attuned to the warm climate of this world. It was coole...
The Nature of Predators - Nova's Children (3/10)
First | Prev| NextThere was more blissful ignorance that once existed between the children, aside from not realizing they were from two separate species. Ari wasn’t raised to think of himself as a predator; the importance of his binocular eyes was lost on him and Elia. Aside from the occasional question about why her brother got different meals, there wasn’t even a hint at anything tangentially related to humans being predators. That would ch...
The Nature of Predators 2-2
Memory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem ScientistDate [standardized human time]: March 13, 2160The alien stood in silence after pronouncing those series of words in our dialect, waiting as we processed its message. Its two partners stood behind it, with the shortest one especially seeming deferential. I gawked at the visitors, setting aside all thoughts of approaching them with numbers and a slow exchange of vocabulary. Some of the clicks sou...
The Nature of Predators - Nova’s Children (2/10)
First| NextThere’s boundless playfulness within youngsters from any sapient species, but humans and Venlil are particularly high-energy. Endless afternoons in the woods were a rite of passage. With just the tiniest sliver of imagination, anything could become a fortress or moment from the past; a pillow fort against the base of a tree became the Archives, where the mischievous children would take turns storming in to find out about Skalga’s c...
The Nature of Predators 2-1
Memory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem ScientistDate [standardized human time]: March 13, 2160Attempts to send messages and search the skies’ radio signals for alien lifeforms usually entailed a quiet day at the office.I was one of the preeminent experts on how Bissems would react to a first contact scenario, having written several papers on the subject; the protocols that Fishing for Alien Intelligence (FAI) had were created by me and a f...
The Nature of Predators - Nova's Children (1/10)
Children are known for asking many questions. That wonderment over their surroundings and that zeal for learning about everything is like lightning in a bottle. Elia and Ari Williams were an experiment on what would happen when two different species—in this case, Venlil and human respectively—were raised side-by-side. There came a time when the children were old enough to recognize how different they looked, both from their parents and from e...
The Nature of Predators 184 (FINALE)
Memory Transcription Subject: Captain Kalsim, United Nations PrisonerDate [standardized human time]: January 1, 2150Humanity was a species that I had equated to a virus: something infectious that would take over everything they touched.As I watched the galaxy transform through news reports and a closed internet link in my cell, I saw that I was right on that front. Their culture became a dominant powerhouse, with entertainment franchises that bal...
The Nature of Predators 2 - Wiki Teasers!
Bissem - The Bissems are an aquatic race of flightless, tan-feathered avians with a contentious history. Their world has been plagued by wars and territorial disputes, due to the amplified differences among their factions: three main subspecies (tropical, temperate, and arctic) exist in the present era. A fourth subspecies went extinct during the colonial era. Bissems lack any international forum to settle their disputes, and are currently in the...
The Nature of Predators 183
Memory transcription subject: Ambassador Tarva Williams of the Venlil RepublicDate [standardized human time]: October 9, 2137Under an immense amount of pain, it was difficult to remember why I wanted to have a child in the first place.I clung to Noah’s hand as the contractions radiated pain through my body, finding it difficult to think. I forced myself to ruminate about how beautiful our family would be, and how much I loved my caring husband....
The Nature of Predators - Mallin Follow-Up
This one-shot is a follow-up on our characters from The Sacrifice, as requested by many of you!Memory transcription subject: Cedric Flynn, UN Space GuardDate [standardized human time]: May 29, 2137Not days after I’d left Grenelka on a Leshee ship, an extensive cyberattack decimated their society from top to bottom. There would be no more “luxuries” such as gathering in an arena to watch captive creatures die like it was the Super Bowl. For ...
The Nature of Predators 182
Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical SpecialistDate [standardized human time]: April 9, 2137Rather than settling down on Rinsa after arriving back at Leirn, I had duties to fulfill for my people before heading home. I was summoned to mainland Thysun, after requesting to speak to the Technocracy’s Intelligence Panel in closed testimony; departmental leadership, implemented when we drove foreigners and Federation sympathizers away ...
The Nature of Predators - Anorexia (2/2)
PrevCW: Eating DisorderMemory transcription subject: Crysa, Zurulian NurseDate [standardized human time]: April 27, 2137It was as if the weight of Colia was on my shoulders, as I forced my legs to carry me back to Adana’s room. This was going far outside the purview of what I ever dreamed I’d have to do to help a patient. However, Dr. Baranwal had been right; the only way to indicate that the human’s self-worth wasn’t tied to her diet was...
The Nature of Predators 181
Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, United Nations Fleet CommandDate [standardized human time]: April 9, 2137I wasn’t sure what I imagined human funerary traditions would be like. Not too long ago, before I grew close to the gentle-hearted primates, I wouldn’t have imagined a predator race would hold sincere burials at all.Carlos would be laid to rest in a funeral plot all of us chipped in to pay for, right in Tyler’s backyard of ...
The Nature of Predators - Anorexia (1/2)
CW: Eating DisorderMemory transcription subject: Crysa, Zurulian NurseDate [standardized human time]: April 27, 2137Learning human anatomy was one thing, in the emergency room.When the emaciated predator arrived at the hospital, with sallow skin that hugged her bones, I was a little terrified of her doubtless desperation. I really hadn’t been afraid of Terrans in months, after fighting to pull them back from the brink of death. I’d gone with ...
The Nature of Predators 180
Memory transcription subject: Ambassador Tarva of the Venlil RepublicDate [standardized human time]: April 7, 2137As I turned to stroll back into the auditorium for Zhao’s resumption, I noticed that Noah hadn’t followed me. Immediate concern blossomed in my heart, knowing how unusual that was. Ever since I’d begun my pregnancy, the astronaut had stuck close to me, like I was a fragile object that might fall apart, if left unattended. Mere m...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (6/6)
First | PrevMemory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 2, 2137There had been a time, long before Cylek’s torment or Dustin’s arrival, that I admired the exterminators. A guild job was a launchpad for young artists to make a name for themselves. However, since the officers abandoned me against a predator-diseased brat, I didn’t have much respect for them. Besides, I’d learned that humans...
The Nature of Predators 179
Memory transcription subject: Ambassador Tarva of the Venlil RepublicDate [standardized human time]: April 7, 2137The past few weeks had been packed with important events, falling alongside the stunning victory at Aafa. With the prototype cure set to be injected into my veins, Noah and I had taken the opportunity to visit Earth after the Skalga referendum. Both of his parents were deceased, but he introduced me to a few of his surviving relatives...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (5/6)
First | Prev | NextMemory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 2, 2137Rauln was blindsided by my mother’s tackle, before any of us could react. The smoke-furred Venlil crashed to the ground, and flailed to shed his attacker. He thrashed with what looked like a signature move, curling his hindlegs up to kick her away. Our maternal figure pinned her ears back, and stepped between the pyromaniac ...
The Nature of Predators 178
Memory transcription subject: Chief Hunter Isif, Arxur Rebellion CommandDate [standardized human time]: April 6, 2137After devoting hundreds of thousands of ships to the Kolshian cause, then having a large portion of those vessels turned against Betterment’s mandate, Giznel’s regime had all but collapsed as soon as humanity won. That selfish despot only wanted to save his own hide, at the end of the day; after an offer of exile to an uninhabi...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (4/6)
First | Prev | NextMemory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 2, 2137To my surprise, Rauln switched on the recording function of his holopad, angling it toward the spoiled child. That deflated my eagerness a bit, realizing that the officers were unlikely to take drastic measures while cameras were rolling. It would give too much fuel to lawsuits to catch violence on tape. There was a tranquil g...
The Nature of Predators 177
Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical SpecialistDate [standardized human time]: March 26, 2137When the lab became accessible, I could see excesses of equipment; shadow caste workers must’ve been cleared out, but the traces of their presence were still there. A dirty plate left out on a countertop, a chemical beaker which had been hastily put away, and crimson blood samples still on slates under microscopes. The Kolshian chief wait...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (3/6)
First | Prev| NextMemory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 2, 2137“Hey! Wait up! Wait for me!” a human voice shouted, followed by the pounding noises of sneakers.A panting Dustin chased after the exterminators and I, while we were hauling Cylek to the van. There was no need to slow our steps, since we were already taking a leisurely pace to accommodate the hobbled William. My adoptive bro...
The Nature of Predators 176
Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical SpecialistDate [standardized human time]: March 26, 2137I was glad to have a moment to relax and contemplate the city, rather than listen to Kolshian spiels. There were engineering advantages to building underground. Natural disasters aboveground wouldn’t touch the shadow caste, and the insulation of the encompassing topsoil entailed a constant temperature. It wouldn’t need excessive budget ...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (2/6)
First| NextMemory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 2, 2137The call with Callsi had been too close of a shave yesterday, and I wasn’t sure if she still had suspicions. When Dustin picked up, I had gone totally silent; how was I supposed to explain the two of us running off without any communication? The human, by contrast, had been cool and collected, as if lying about our whereabouts was j...
The Nature of Predators 175
Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, United Nations Fleet CommandDate [standardized human time]: March 26, 2137The captured Kolshian sentry led us up several flights of stairs, after the UN soldiers rejected taking the elevator, and I waited with unease for a trap to show itself. There was only a modest room where an elderly Kolshian, with baby blue skin and a pompous air about him, waited. The figure claiming to be Maronis gestured to t...
The Nature of Predators - Venlil Foster Brother (1/6)
Spoilers for Venlil Foster Program; this is a story focused on Jimek, and also follows what we saw of him in Human Exterminators 2. Other spoilers might be present for tangentially related stories such as HE1 and Predator Disease.Memory transcription subject: Jimek, Venlil Art StudentDate [standardized human time]: February 1, 2137The secret was eating me up on the inside, and it had only been half a day. I knew when Luala offered me a commission...
The Nature of Predators 174
Memory transcription subject: Onso, Yotul Technical SpecialistDate [standardized human time]: March 26, 2137United Nations soldiers were amassing by the governance hall, the very building where every Federation diplomat once gathered. If the shadow caste’s hideout was in that intricate construction, I could almost respect the brazenness to keep the secretive underbelly so close to every other race. There was a wondrous arrogance to it, the very...
The Nature of Predators - Veiq's Story (One-Shot #14)
Farsul Abductee - The following is a follow-up to the Farsul Abductee miniseries: spoilers ahead. To the enthusiastic fans of Veiq, as a complex character, this one is dedicated to you!Memory transcription subject: Veiq, Farsul ArchivistDate [standardized human time]: March 23, 2137When archivists volunteered for assignment to the human chamber, we received training on how to handle their species. Our knowledge was based on mistakes that were mad...
