The Nature of Predators - Sovlin’s Transcript (2/13)

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Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, Federation Fleet Command

Date [standardized human time]: May 7, 2125

As a father myself, it felt weird to have a Kolshian who was only a few years older than Hania under my command. I wouldn’t want that for my little girl—the light of my world. Regardless of how all prey needed to unite and make sacrifices to defeat the monsters that’d devour us on a whim, something felt wrong about it. Recel had enlisted at the age of 9, which I don’t think I would’ve done at his age. Back then, I was enraptured with long summers in my father’s orchards, watching the fruit harvests fall to the ground; in another life, I would’ve raised my family there. However, my village had been destroyed by the Arxur the year before I graduated, and I went a different path. No matter.

The point was that I knew it wouldn’t be easy for Recel, especially since the adult crew may not wish to interact with him. I was determined to take the young Kolshian under my wing, and encourage him to become a virtuous, strong-minded soldier. There was nothing I could do to protect him from the horrors of predators, but I could mentor him from the ground up; he didn’t come with the bad habits many of my other crew had. My eyes softened as I saw the violet-skinned youngster, looking fearful and lost as he boarded the ship. I dropped to one leg, and tried not to appear imposing. This was what separated us from the predators: preyfolk showed compassion and went out of our way to help.

The Arxur pop out of their reptilian wombs ready to kill, whereas it’s never easy for us. Every impulse in their body compels them to torture people like us; they’d see Recel and my Hania as an easy meal. That’s why I’m up here, away from my family.

“Hi Recel! I’m Captain Sovlin. Welcome to Gojid space,” I declared, forcing enthusiasm. “Would you like to explore the ship? I can talk to you all about what to expect, and some cool things about your culture. First time away from home: so very much to see!”

The Kolshian ducked his head with shyness, but there was a determination in those bulbous eyes. “I’m doing this for my sister. She likes flowers. There…won’t be any flowers to pick if the Arxur burn our worlds, right?”

“That is not going to happen: over my dead body. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to the cradle, but Gojids are strong. We defend our home. We’ll be the first on the draw if anyone comes knocking at our space or yours.”

“I want to…keep people safe. My grandpa died, and that means he’s gone and never coming back. We can’t have that happening to Aucy.”

“We stand up to predators so that they don’t have to. That’s what it means to be a hero—erasing those abominations from existence, so that civilized people might live. It’s in their nature to be demented monsters, and you just have to understand that.”

Tears welled in Recel’s eyes, but he swished his slender tail in acknowledgment. “I understand, Sovlin. They eat living beings. They have instincts that we can’t imagine.”

“You have great wisdom for one so young.” I chewed at my claws, finding my spines bristling at the thought of chomping down on any of the prey that made up my crew. I was blessed to be born an herbivore. “Never forget what we’re fighting against, Recel, and you’ll be fine. I promise.”

[Transcript date changed to August 21, 2136]

Recel was shaking with fear, as he arrived at the bridge to survey the video briefing; the Kolshian first officer had wanted to see the captured predator with his own eyes, and had stared at the sedated monstrosity through the glass. I remembered my own heart palpitations, and could feel my claws crawling with contaminants after standing so close to Marcel. There were “new” monsters on the loose, in our space, who sustained themselves on other creatures’ bodies. It was a thought so depraved, that it should be obvious predators had no morality or emotions to govern themselves with. Most of the boarding party was still recovering from the sight of the human, but I refused to rest. That thing was on my ship, so I had to ensure my crew’s safety and maintain control over it.

“S-Sovlin, what the fuck happened?” the Kolshian demanded, pressing a tentacle to his stomach like he wanted to puke. “I’ve never seen anything that looked so horrid—and you brought it into our ship! Among us, among the crew.”

I raised a paw, knowing I had to maintain authority. “It’s under control, Recel. This is about protecting the cradle, since we have an unparalleled opportunity to study our enemy. We can learn their plans before they get off the ground; don’t you wish we had that chance with the Arxur?”

“We did know the grays before they sieged our worlds, and look how that turned out! We didn’t know what hit us.”

“We weren’t expecting the predators’ betrayal then, but we’re expecting their heartless, ruthless nature this time. Nobody’s going to look at that thing and be fooled, under the guise of sapience. Listen to me: they have Venlil Prime. Do you want to rescue the Venlil or not?”

“Of course, sir—”

“Then we need to know who we’re up against.”

“Irredeemable monsters,” Doctor Zarn added, strolling up to the bridge with Weapons Officer Jemic. “If we find out humans survived, we can complete our moral imperative to wipe them out. These filthy beasts can’t slip the net again. Look at what breathtaking ease they had taking our weakest planet out, in a flash, right beneath our noses.”

I narrowed my eyes. “It—Marcel—attempted to manipulate us. It’s devious, and it’ll continue to try that strategy. The human did a solid impression of talking like a normal prey species, though it snaps the second you look in those eyes; you can see it struggling not to lick its lips. We can’t fall for it.”

“It had a Venlil plaything with it, who I understand is still unconscious, and conquered a planet into withdrawing from the Federation; no one is falling for the humans having a merciful bone in their bodies. Obviously, we have to help Slanek. I trust Zarn to patch the poor guy up.”

“We can’t imagine what the Venlil have been through, so we’ll need to be patient. You all know how you felt with a glimpse of the creature; imagine being trapped in a spaceship, under its control, for days, weeks—who knows how long? Slanek’s psyche is probably shattered from the horrors he has seen,” Zarn remarked.

“Speaking of horrors…let’s watch the video, so we can ensure no doubts creep into anyone’s mind.” I saw the Takkan doctor snort in derision at my comment, knowing he’d never be suckered into something so laughable; I shared that sentiment, unable to imagine reading any personhood into those things. “The best way to avoid being drawn into a ruse is to see the truth for yourself.”

None of us in that room were prepared for the compilation of footage, from the Farsul’s records, that were burned into our brain. Terran soldiers rounded their own counterparts up like cattle, killing, starving, and enslaving them for amusement; it was evident they were drawn to the exact atrocities perpetrated against us with livestock pens. There were instances of this behavior in each faction, which showed how ubiquitous it was despite the humans’ “differences.” The footage didn’t stop there by any means, with all kinds of wars and killing machines that grew more brutal by the years. Entire cities set on fire, radioactive bombs that left victims in horrifying shape (though they were predators, so who cared if they did the exterminators’ work for us), and fighting in a jungle with grotesque traps.

Even outside the war zones, drug runners and murderers committed deeds that felt predator-diseased to watch. This was what life on Earth was like: a land of savage predators dreaming of how to torment each other. There was no reason Marcel shouldn’t get the type of treatment that was already customary for his kind.

[Transcript date changed to May 2, 2151]

The more I heard of the transcript results being read by my closest friends, the more I wished to destroy all records of my thoughts. Perhaps I should skip them to the later parts, where I marveled at humanity’s nobility and civility—and even pitied them. With that said, that historical footage hadn’t slipped my mind. Carlos Romero had explained how not believing enemies were people made monsters of us all, and I could relate to that. Still, the scale at which the Terrans dreamt up horrific atrocities was appalling; that their genocides occurred out in the open, without covering up what they were doing at all, was ghastly. Terrans made films and media about these occurrences like these were normal concepts to entertain themselves with.

“Let me guess: the Feddies used footage from The Godfather as if it actually happened? I doubt the archivists embedded themselves in the cartels or the mob,” Samantha quipped.

Tyler grinned at me, signaling his amusement. “Hold that thought. You would never read personhood into those pesky humans, would you, Sovlin? Oh, is us dreaming up torment what life on Earth has been like for you?”

“You’re fucking tormenting me now, so I’d say yes,” I grumbled. “And Hunter lived through your Second World War, so he knows it was bad.”

“I was a little kid when that was going on. Nazis suck though,” Hunter offered helpfully.

Samantha arched an eyebrow at him. “And the Japanese internment camps in the US? I’m fairly certain that’s what Sovlin was referring to. There were enough atrocities to go around—enough neighbors having an easy time turning on each other.”

“I guess we were, uh, worried they were traitors, since they attacked us at Pearl Harbor and…yeah, wasn’t right to judge them or anything.”

“You could say that with a little more fucking conviction.”

“It was before my time—well, basically! That stuff matters a lot less when there’s a giant crocodile hovering behind me and a spiky space dad pulls me out of an abduction tube.”

“I am not a crocodile,” Vysith objected, proving that she was still listening.

Trevor gave a noncommittal shrug. “Yeah, but you’re close enough.”

“By whose standards?!”

“Mine.”

“Seconded,” Hunter said, raising a hand.

Tyler smirked. “She doesn’t live in Florida, so she’s not a gator. Though I’d love to see the famous Florida Man wrestle her with his bare hands. That’s life on Earth.”

“Vysith, back me up. What do you think of their history?” I prodded.

The cryogenically frozen Arxur offered a long sigh, and set her jerky down with sorrowful reverence. “I think…the humans had two less world wars than we did. And they can mock you all they like, but having served in the last one…there’s no personhood for anyone in a war like that. Sovlin wasn’t wrong.”

The mood in the living room became more somber, as it dawned on me that this all might hit close to home for Vysith. At my encouragement, the female Arxur had gone through years of therapy to reckon with the atrocities her kind had been capable of. What I knew now was that an entire species shouldn’t have to bring past atrocities with them; not even the people-eating grays had set out to be monsters, until their cruel elements attained power. I wished I could go back in time to tell my former self that, for all of the depths of depravity Terrans were capable of, they weren’t that different from us compassionate preyfolk.

[Transcript date changed to August 21, 2136]

The three of us—Recel, Zarn and myself—were working ourselves up just to stand behind the glass with a shock collar trigger as Marcel awoke. The human’s abhorrent eyes opened, a hazel band constricting its pupils. Its mannerisms seemed confused at first, before the predator’s whites popped; it seemed alarmed when it realized where it was. The beast felt at its exposed skin, and next, its hands, perfect for strangling prey, shot to the collar around its neck. Its binocular gaze turned toward the glass pane, where I could sense the imminent threat in those abyssal depths; it was as if I was pinned beneath the weight of its malice. There was a reason for a glimmer of resolve: it looked desperate.

The predator realizes that we’ve trapped it, and it wants out by any means necessary. It can’t hurt any of us from behind these walls. 

Recel seemed queasy, hardly able to stand; he forced himself to stare at the abomination. “What an unbearable species to look at.”

“Imagine a million of these slimy critters running around on Venlil Prime. We must stay strong,” I implored my first officer. “Give me the shock trigger. I’m going in.”

“What? Sovlin, should I screen you for predator disease?!” Zarn demanded. “Are you trying to give yourself a heart attack: is that it? You were lucky to keep your faculties and stay upright in close proximity one time!”

“I don’t want to go near it, but I want it to suffer. After everything predators have done to us all, this human is going to pay.”

Marcel began to walk toward the glass, causing Recel and Zarn to stumble backward. I snatched the shock trigger in disgust, and unsealed the door to its cage. The current of fear was pulsing through my veins, and made my spines feel like they were about to eject from my pelt; however, I wasn’t going to give the human the satisfaction of seeing it. Hania’s screams echoed through my ears, and that was more unbearable than the eyes of any monster. This hunter should scream the way she did, after all of the pain that it wantonly inflicted. I thought about the violence in the Farsul briefing, no doubt indicative of what Venlil Prime was right now. These predators were turning our worlds into hellscapes just like Earth! I would die before I’d let the new Arxur run roughshod over us.

“Hey. How is S-Slanek?” Marcel croaked, as the door slid open. My claws angled toward the predator, as rage bubbled within me. “I don’t want any trouble, really; I won’t hurt you. You don’t have to, um, keep me like this. I know you hate us, but we’re not…”

I jabbed a claw on the trigger, cackling as the predator dropped and convulsed; I kicked it in the back several times, savoring its yelp. “Shut the fuck up.”

“I’m sorry!” the human gasped, as tears rolled down its face. It crawled away, while I stalked it, enjoying the reversal. “I’m not your enemy. P-please…let’s talk.”

I stepped over it, making it look at me, then jammed the back of my paw into its eye socket. The creature howled in agony, while I felt like I was restoring my very life force from this moment. The prey had the power; I could press a button and its screams would flow into my ears! The monster blubbered and pleaded, lying submissive in a heap on the floor. Finding myself loathing its horrible eyes and all that they symbolized, I bludgeoned the right one as well. I was tired of looking at those horrid pupils, which terrorized me and my crew with those unnatural movements. A growl rumbled in my chest, as I prepared to seal them shut one way or another.

“What are your plans for the Venlil?!” I snarled.

Marcel sealed its arms over its face, unable to retaliate. “We’re their f-friends. We knew you’d hate—”

“Wrong answer!” I dispensed a shock to punish it for its lies, noticing how its neck skin was turning red from irritation; this terror was going to learn its place, and I was loving teaching it. Recel might be inspired by my fearlessness in the face of evil—

[Transcript date changed to May 2, 2151]

“Please stop! I can’t take it anymore!” I screamed, interrupting Tyler mid-sentence. Tears rolled down my face, and I wept into my paws as shame encircled me; he was reading the words of a monster. It all came rushing back, how cruel and heartless I had been, never giving Marcel a chance. “Recel died because he had to save Marcel f-from me, and I never even got to apologize! I know I d-deserve it, but I can’t relive this. If you have to read it…do it without me, please.”

Tyler set down the holopad he was reading from, and gave me a concerned look. His long blond hair bounced against his shoulder as he stood, patting me on the back. I couldn’t imagine how he felt reading this firsthand description, when he was Marcel’s best friend. Even now, those predators were showing me sympathy, over my guilt for the sin I’d never outrun. Maybe I was right about my initial belief that I didn’t deserve happiness, though that sentiment had faded as I distanced myself from this. How was it fair that I was living a happy life on the Terran homeworld, with humans that cared about me for some reason? If my failings weren’t enough to deserve suffering…

They were the Venlil’s friends. They only wanted friends, and we tormented them; and Gojids were predators too, after all that I said about instincts and the incivility of eating meat.

“Hey, it’s okay. We were just giving you a hard time; we don’t have to read anymore,” Tyler said, wrapping an arm around the bald patch of my spine. “It was a real throwback to hear you talk about us like monsters, man. You’re not that person anymore.”

“It’s not okay,” I sobbed. “How many humans have read this—and it’s out there, forever! How can you even look at me?”

Hunter laced his fingers between my claws. “That’s enough of this, Dad. We should’ve read the happier parts, like when you met us.”

“No. I never made amends with my crew. I just…left them, and…there was no justice for how I treated them. There was a comms technician, Rumi, who told me humans wanted peace, but I wouldn’t listen. I had a chance to turn back and didn’t! The cradle’s fall is on my head.”

“You don’t have to think about that today. It’s your birthday; worry about it later. Let’s just change the subject. What do you want to talk about? What’d make you happy?”

I sniffled, chewing at my claws to try to stem the tide of tears. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen most of you. Why doesn’t someone else talk about their life story…what you’ve been up to?”

Samantha gave a coy smile. “Happily. Why don’t I tell you how I joined an exchange program?”

“You? You don’t seem like a prime candidate for xeno friend circles,” Tyler chuckled.

“The Verin exchange program is how we met,” Trevor remarked. “She never shared this when you checked in on holidays?”

“Nope.” I gawked at Sam, flabbergasted by this info. “Wait a second. You joined an insectoid exchange program? You were about ready to jump out of your skin when we first met the ‘creepy’ Tilfish!”

“That’s exactly why I did it. I didn’t want to be like you fucking people, looking at us and crying about what monsters we are,” Sam snapped. “Humans get over our fears. Now it’s late, and I’m not staying up past midnight. Do you want to hear this story or not?”

“I’d love to. It’d be an amazing birthday gift. It brings me joy to hear that you’ve…put your life together.”

The auburn-haired mother of two smiled, squeezing Trevor’s hand. I was relieved to have the focus off my inner thoughts and my past, and turned toward hearing an old friend’s story. It piqued my curiosity to hear how grumpy Samantha O’Brien’s life had taken such an improbable turn.

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A/N - Sovlin 2: the 200th piece of NOP bonus content! We get to see when Sovlin first met Recel, putting into perspective how old he wasn’t during NOP1; we also see what was on the Federation’s briefing materials, as well as the squad’s reaction. Sovlin has a breakdown after being reminded how he first treated Marcel when he woke up, and how Recel and Zarn were terrified just looking at a human within a cage.

What do you think about this look at Recel’s history with Sovlin, and his thoughts on predators long before his heroics saving Marcel? Do you think it was unfair to make Sovlin listen to the torture all over again? What do you think of hearing that Samantha joined the Verin exchange program; how do you imagine our favorite hardass soldier handled introducing a Feddie to humans?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! I am officially choosing to postpone Chapter 78 because of Hurricane Milton, it’s a chapter I’m very excited for and I don’t want to write it while rushing/stressed. It’s actually the one I’ve had in mind since I started Trench’s arc, so a little extra time to marinate I think will be worth it!