The Nature of Predators - Arxur Cattle World Battle (What If 1/6)

From the Original NOP Draft. Please see the plot explanation and list of canonical differences posted here!

Memory transcription subject: Zarn, Federation Infantry

Date [standardized human time]: February 26, 2137

Federation forces had fought to a standstill on this Arxur farm world. We held our encampments surrounding their cities, but never made significant progress into the actual territory. Their fortifications thwarted major advances, and their counterattacks dealt heavy losses to our troops. The war had become about holding our ground, in the hopes that one day, we would find the magic weapon to turn the tides.

Our food supply was running low into the cold months, and it was uncertain whether our allies could muster up an airdrop. Every person in our unit drew grass stalks to see who the undesirable task of searching for food would fall to, and it was just my luck to pick the blue one. I was a sleep-deprived, emaciated shell of myself, in no condition for a days-long trek. The Arxur were prowling about, looking to pick off any who strayed from our camps. This mission was a death sentence.

I gathered up my pack and set off anyways, resigned to my fate. The planet’s hot sun scorched through my scales as soon as I left the cover of our valley encampment. The desert’s punishing heat made me burn through my water supply within hours. I stumbled through the arid landscape in a delirious haze, hoping to see treetops in the distance. Golden sand was all that met my eye, in all directions.

The grainy ground wrapped me in a coarse embrace as my legs gave out. Specks danced across my vision, and the purple sky shimmered above me. My parched throat begged for water as I laid there, drifting in and out of consciousness. My brain conjured images of rain, tropical trees, and even the small cave I grew up in. It dreamt up everything I wished I had, with my dying breath.

When I glimpsed a creature, clad from head-to-toe in black, I thought it was another hallucination. That, or it was Death, here to claim my soul. The lean, muscular form didn’t match that of any bipedal species I knew. There was something unsettling in its gait too. It strutted about, shoulders rolled back with confidence. Despite how vacant the area was, it seemed alert, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

By the time I realized it was heading straight toward me, it was already at my side. The gloved appendage that shook my shoulder felt corporeal…but I couldn’t be certain. But when my translator hummed to life in my ear, I knew it was really there.

“Hello? Hey, wake up.” It removed its glove and pressed its graspers tightly into my wrist. Its furless paw looked pale and feeble, with no claws or natural armor. “Can you hear me?”

I willed my body to move, but my muscles lacked the strength to obey. It was all I could do to open my cracked lips.

“Water,” I croaked.

The creature slid a satchel off of its back. It crouched beside me, pressing a flask to my lips. I sighed in relief as cool liquid trickled down my throat. A bit of energy ebbed into my fried limbs, and I forced myself into an upright position. My savior leaned back on its haunches, studying me through its goggles.

I flicked my ears in gratitude. “Thank you. But um, who are you? And what are you doing out here?”

“Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing,” it replied. “Name’s Dawson. Male of the human species. As for what I’m doing here…my planet, Earth, just joined the war. They sent a few of us to do some recon. Now, what’s your story?”

The name of his planet jogged something in my memory banks, but I couldn’t remember why it sounded familiar. Maybe it was similar to a city or colony I’d been to? Whatever bothered me about that word, I needed to brush it aside. With how desperate we were for reinforcements, the Federation would accept help from any species.

I pointed to myself. “I’m Zarn of the planet Takka, with the Federation joint offensive. Our camp is running low on food, so I’m out looking for whatever we can salvage.”

“Zarn.” Dawson bobbed his head as my name rumbled in his throat. “Maybe I can help with that. Care for company? Perhaps while we’re at it, you can show me the lay of the land.”

“Yeah, that would be great. But I’m a bit weak so I’m not…”

“Don’t sweat it. I’ll pitch a tent and we’ll camp here for now.”

I watched as the human set up a fabric dome, supported by some stakes in the ground. He was still covered in dark attire, except for the ungloved hand. His face was concealed by a taut piece of cloth and bulky, reflective goggles. It would be easier to read his emotions without that, and to get an idea of what my savior looked like.

There was something off-putting about Dawson, and if I just got a glimpse in his eyes, it should ease my paranoid brain. I thought to ask him to remove the mask, but I didn’t know if his species needed that gear to breathe. Perhaps their eyes were sensitive to sunlight, or the dust in the air irritated their skin? Humans were a new type of aliens, so there was no telling how their biology functioned.

I would pose the question, but with tact. Discretely.

“Aren’t you hot in all that gear?” I asked.

Dawson turned toward me. “Not really. It has an internal cooling system.”

“Oh.” That explained why he kept the bulky outfit on, and how he avoided the worst of the heat. “Is this your first time meeting an alien? You’re very calm about it.”

“Yeah, it is. We found out aliens exist less than a year ago, and now, they’re shipping us off to war. It’s changed everything.” The human beckoned me inside the fabric structure, where two cots were laid out. An electric propeller was blowing cool air through the interior. “But I mean, talking to a real-life alien? Going to another planet? This is the best day of my life, Zarn.”

“That excitement has to go. You need to be more careful in the future. Your focus here should be on surviving, nothing else. How did you even know I wasn’t Arxur?”

“You’re not ugly, gray and fat. It was pretty easy.”

I laughed, in spite of myself. “Fair enough. I guess you’ll know them when you see them.”

“I’d hope so. The videos of them have been playing on every network back home.” Dawson folded his arms, as if to soothe himself. “Why are the Arxur so cruel?”

“Because they’re predators. They don’t have morals like we do. They hunt and they kill, and they don’t think twice about it. That’s their nature.”

The human was silent for a long time. I got the impression that he didn’t like my response.

“Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

He exhaled sharply. “You draw those conclusions about all predators, from a sample size of one.”

“It’s just common sense. The Arxur are monsters. Why are you defending them?”

“I’m not. Forget about it.” Dawson stretched out on his cot, turning his back to me. “Good night, Zarn.”

I wasn’t sure why the human was cross with me for giving the obvious answer to his question, but I decided not to press it. He would figure out the truth about predators soon enough.

Next

A/N - This is the first piece that’s ever been released from the fabled first draft! Any guesses on how Zarn’s travels with Dawson will go? Let me know what you guys think of the differences in writing, tone, and plot, as well as just how much more you’d want to see from this version!

(There are quite a few other deleted AU scenes, including one where Sovlin instead follows a human ship and gets captured on Earth that way. Rumor has it he might have spoke to Tarva…)

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!