The Nature of Predators 2-98

Memory Transcription Subject: Tassi, Bissem Alien Liaison

Date [standardized human time]: September 14, 2161

There was no magical solution to the lingering hostility between the three Bissem subspecies, due to the war that had engulfed our planet, but I felt that we were all moving toward cooperation for the first time. Enjoined Flippers was a supranational organization formed to set out a single agenda for Sapient Coalition matters, which was modeled after the humans’ United Nations. We followed up the treaty to end the war with an agreement to work together in alien affairs, and to maintain peace within Ivrana’s circumference. We could’ve lost our planet in multiple ways during this debacle, between the ghost Farsul, the environmental crisis, and ourselves.

Lassmin, my country, had emerged as a leader and a prime example of Sapient Coalition ideals. We took in a multitude of Farsul and Krev Consortium refugees to vacant Nelmin, and raised Enjoined Flippers first initiative at its first meeting. Using the same methodology that the Terrans had used to revive the Osirs, we’d start a genetic restoration effort to bring back the extinct fourth Bissem subspecies—natives killed in a violent conflict between colonial powers long ago. It passed the assembly by unanimous vote, and from there, the humans were more than willing to help when we approached them.

The humans have become the enlightened helpers I looked for when we first came to the stars, daring to fix the galaxy’s problems no matter how bleak they were. Adam was right not to give up hope. I believe we can follow in their footsteps.

“Naltor,” I ventured, leaning out over the balcony of the hall where we’d hosted that disastrous feast. “Do you remember that first day, when you came and abducted me from FAI?”

The Selmer offered a gruff chuckle. “How the fuck could I ever forget it, Tassi? I was a grounded man who liked simple solutions, before all this; I needed a Hirsdamned dreamer. I was in way over my head. Dealing with people from space—who the fuck would’ve thought I could ever get used to that?”

“That we got used to it, and this is just a normal part of our lives now; it’s amazing. It makes me reflect on all that happened since then and now. We learned there were people-eaters, and here we are now, dining with them and their insurgent canid friends.”

“Hmph. I think Zalk and his wanderbird comrades took a shine to Aulan. The Tseia have the biggest victim complex in ‘Orion,’ so it’s no wonder.”

“Whatever their reasons, I’m glad the Jaslips are a part of the Carnivore Alliance. We’ve got ourselves a nice little trading bloc and a few niches to cover. I’m much happier to be running point on diplomacy of that sort, without species genocides at stake.”

“Without our own genocide at stake. It’s nice to have the ghosts taken off the table, since they painted a fucking bullseye on us. It makes my skin crawl to think about Ivrana getting attacked on my watch—that’s what ate me up at first contact.”

“There’s nothing to be worried about. The humans handled them with little struggle, and they’re protecting us now.”

“I’d like to be self-reliant. You can say it was never a real fight, but I think that’s fitting as fuck; there was no glamor in their underhanded playbook. The Farsul were always working quietly in the background, and that’s how their radical psychos went out. Like a fizzle of smoke. Not even the main event. That was the Consortium.”

I studied the grizzled veteran closer, noticing the creases by his beak. “You’re still angry at them.”

“Of course I am. I can understand a species killing us for a cause, but the one whose cause is themselves and nothing grander; those are the people who deserve no mercy. They deserve what sick shit Zalk would’ve dreamed up for Dustin. Do you ever think about that nerd?”

“He was a kindred spirit. Of course I do. Dustin would’ve risked his life for us, and the spooks twisted his desire to help. He still knew I needed him and left. We talk from time to time via text, but I don’t see our friendship coming back.”

“What about Haliska and Nulia?”

“The entire mission was a political stunt. They were blackmailed, but then passed that blackmail onto me. They hurt me to serve their own needs. Our friendship is over. Adam and even Loxsel were better friends.”

“I’m not a better friend?”

I shove the Selmer, chuckling. “You’re not an alien!”

“Maybe I am. Maybe the Krev replaced me, and I’m roboNaltor, the big and round!”

“I can’t deal with you today. Let’s get back to the feast, shall we?”

The two of us retreated back to the hall, enjoying the ambience as we waited for the main dishes to be served. The Jaslips, hailing from a frozen biome, would be trying fish for the first time; some high-ranking Arxur had sampled oceanic cuisine at human meals, with many remarking with flared nostrils that it had a tangy aftertaste. The unsaid part in that was, ‘like Yotul,’ according to Onso. When the middle-aged Rinsian remarked that, I’d almost spit out my drink. That was not something I could unhear, or kick from the back of my mind every time I…savored the flavor.

Clearly, not all carnivores are built the same, because I could never look at a sun-bleached, clearly sapient Yotul and chow into him—no matter how desperate I was. It makes my skin crawl.

“Thank you all for the invitation,” Aulan, the leader of the Jaslip Brigade, said as we re-entered. “Jaslipkind remembers those who help us. I’m glad that we were the second carnivores to join the Sapient Coalition, not the first; you trailblazed the past for us to be equals among a union of aliens. I hope we can help the Arxur’s bid in return, with it looking promising.”

Kaisal’s eyes gleamed. “The humans have finally backed us, and recognized how we stepped up when they and others like them were threatened. The Arxur will be free, just like the Jaslips.”

“You’ve carved out a new legacy,” the meek Farsul representative, Creqi, said. “I hope we’ll have the chance to do the same. I thought we might never be a part of anything again, and…I thank you for your kindness.”

Onso pinned his ears back. “The Bissems don’t know what kind of ‘uplift’ you would’ve done on them. You have so very much to make up for.”

“As do we,” Chauson said, a kind twinkle in his Zurulian eyes. “It’s not our place to judge others; only to do better than they have done. It costs us nothing to offer mercy and compassion. Let us grow as healers.”

“We could all uplift each other.” I could feel all of the same awe and wonder I’d experienced on first contact day coursing through my blood, with thousands of fantastical possibilities at my flippers. Bissems had the chance to make that dream future a reality, as active participants in the process. “Everything that we’ve all been through: we’ll make sure the next species we find doesn’t have to. We’ll be the interstellar visitors they always hoped for.”

Onso snorted. “You really want to go bumbling into another species’ civilization, after everything that’s been done to yours?”

“You looked up to aliens once, and thought there were so many wonderful things to learn. I want to look them in the eyes and tell them that whoever they are, whatever they’ve done, we’re no better than them. We’ve just had a bit more time to learn from our mistakes. Isn’t that a message of acceptance that you would’ve loved to hear?”

“Yes, Dr. Tassi. It…most certainly is.”

Sitting among the founding members of the Carnivore Alliance, with all of us having gained a slow acceptance into the galaxy’s predominant forum, I could feel a peace settling into my spirit. Bissems had the opportunity to enjoy the galaxy to the fullest, during a time of tranquility. We’d settled our own affairs, elevating our focus to what really mattered when we looked beyond petty squabbles. We had a host of unconventional friends in the outcasts and freethinkers seated here who were emboldened together, and were ready to decide what we’d stand for. There was a familiarity with the aliens that I couldn’t have imagined.

A galaxy that could’ve belonged only to the humans belonged in equal parts to all of us—and I wanted nothing more than to work with every alien species I could in the spirit of unity.

A/N - Tassi reflects on all that’s happened since first contact, with the Bissems making their own UN and getting comfortable within their Carnivore Alliance—now including the Jaslips, who became the second carnivores to gain entry to the SC. Those two plan to help the Arxur’s bid in the long-term, and Tassi sets the tone to include the Farsul at the table and to set a good example for the next uplifts. 

What do you think of the end point for Ivrana and Bissemkind, with things trending in the right direction? Do you think Tassi will be able to preserve the next uplifts’ awe and wonder?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!