The Nature of Predators - Something About Blue (1/4)

Memory transcription subject: Rivlia, Gojid Exterminator

Date [standardized human time]: March 2, 2137

Life was difficult enough for our small township, before the predators arrived to mark their territory.

The cradle, the homeworld which housed many of our families, was the only Gojid planet that fell. The Terrans annihilated our border defenses, which left us vulnerable to an Arxur raid. The bulk of our military, save a few ships that were insufficient to defend our other claims, succumbed to the onslaught launched by known human ally Isif. Without any forces to guard our people, most of the Gojid colonists packed up their bags and joined the other refugees, whom the filthy predators “rescued”…from their own invasion. I might’ve gone with the evacuees, had anyone other than those sadistic hunters offered us sanctuary. The Federation, instead, pretended we didn’t exist; I hated those heartless cowards too.

I was trying to be brave for the sake of the township under my watch, but I was frightened. Our exterminators’ guild was the amalgamation of the entire colony’s force, as most remaining citizens pooled into the city of Bithen Orchard. How fantastical was it that this village, with an updated census of 40,000 souls, was one of the largest settlements left in Gojid territory? Minister Kiri stayed to bring order to the lands, and with most Gojidi Union officials deceased, she was the de facto leader of our entire species. It felt as if we were doomed to fail, even before Kiri went off the deep end. Rebuilding under such circumstances was nigh impossible.

It somehow got worse, which seemed like the story of the last few months. The predators did something to lure Minister Kiri to their Summit, with the same deception they’d used to blind the Venlil and many others to the hideous nature dripping from their wicked faces. The Gojid leftovers cast our lot in with the humans, by no vote of our own; Sapient Coalition flags, which were an obvious galaxy map made to look like the “United” Nations emblem, were raised along the sacred icons of the Great Protector. Did so many Gojids truly forsake her teachings against predators, because of blasphemous defamation?

Predators are afflicted, no, cursed by bloodlust, and they exist only to kill. The Protector will punish them for defiling her creation; Gojids were given claws as a reminder of her ability to strike those monsters down.

The Priesthood wasn’t the only way to serve the Great Protector; I had joined the guild to be a tool for our goddess’ mandates, to annihilate the monstrosities that preyed on us. Minister Kiri was steering Gojids down a path that led to divine judgment, but I would never lose sight of what those creatures were. Despite the growling, teeth-baring appearances of these animals, Kiri had opened Bithen Orchard to so-called “human refugees.” Their presence had dampened morale within the exterminators’ office, and beleaguered me day in and day out. Those monsters strutted around like they were untouchable, scoping out meals they lived right next to.

“I can’t bear seeing humans in our city. They don’t belong here; we’re supposed to be protecting the civilians. Those filthy predators need to be dealt with, whatever madness Kiri’s fallen into,” I complained, for the umpteenth time this week.

My exterminator partner, Denna, nudged my shoulder. “You don’t believe the stories about them saving children and caring for our refugees? Some people say they can be nice creatures.”

“Pfft. If someone says something about a predator once, it must be true—we should uproot our entire lives, and throw ourselves into their jaws! You want to talk about nice? Blue is funny, he’s sweet, he tells great stories. No bloodthirsty beast could come close to being so adorable!”

“Gushing over this guy, again? You don’t even know his real name.”

“Denna, we talk every day. He says the most adorable things, and we just—we share everything. He doesn’t judge. I feel so understood, and…it’s like we can talk about anything! Hours vanish like a single second has passed. Maybe it’s silly, but I think about him a lot.”

“It seems like all you think about is hating humans and fawning over Blue, Rivi. You need to get out more, live your life.”

“Other people seem like cardboard cutouts compared to Blue. Every time I see his name pop up on a notif banner, it’s like, just for a moment, everything is okay.”

“Then why haven’t you met up in real life? You found him on the Bithen Orchard community boards—”

“In a post about feeding birds of all things. I know he’s here; I could pass him on the street and never know. I’ve asked him to meet up, but he seems…shy about it. We have only been talking for a month, even if it feels longer; ugh, I don’t know. It’s like I’ve always known him. Maybe I feel a deeper connection than he does.”

“Hm. Do you think he’s ugly?”

“I don’t care if he’s ugly! Blue is special, and the way he thinks is beautiful. I’ve never been this…addicted to anyone. All I think about is what Blue would say, or how much I’d rather be reading his words than whatever I’m doing. No detail he says is boring; he’s just magical and energetic no matter what we’re talking about.”

“Rivi? This is sickening. Laying it on way too thick, girl; I hope you’re not coming off this desperate to him. I need a break from the swooning over Blue show, so you’re on timeout for a few minutes. Go daydream about lover boy to yourself.”

I huffed an airy sigh, and tapped my claws on my desk. Our supervisor would have my head if I was caught on my holopad during work hours, but as I’d done so many times before, it was worth sneaking a message to Blue. When we first started chatting, he said he’d been “between jobs,” but he started a new gig this week with a moving company. With more and more people leaving the colony each week, that profession was in high demand. It was difficult labor, requiring a dozen strong Gojids to haul the largest furniture; no doubt it paid well, though. How badly was Blue hurting? What if he had to help predators move into their lairs?

My holopad dinged, as if on command; my online companion had been thinking of me too! Hey Rivi! Blue wrote. Just stopped for a water break, and I tell ya H2O’s never tasted this good. It’s hot as fuck with the humidity. Won’t bore you with too much work stuff, but my coworkers haven’t been the most friendly. I’m going about my day like it’s nothing, trying not to make waves. Would it kill them to be a little more welcoming?

My worry over the human occupation lifted in an instant. I didn’t know if it would seem “desperate” to answer right away, but I couldn’t help myself. I hadn’t told Blue that I was an exterminator, since I wanted him to enjoy talking to me for personality, not just because of my admirable profession. We could have conversations about our feelings, whereas once the secret was out of the bag, everyone expected a member of the guild to be brave and stoic. A true hero. I tried to protect the people, even if on the inside, I was none of what they expected.

Funny, I was just thinking about you. I really don’t know how anyone could be mean to you, but sometimes, people can be a little stand-offish. When I first started my job, many years ago, there were cliques that were tough to break into. You had to prove yourself. For difficult, stressful jobs, there’s a lot of new hires that don’t make the cut…who quit soon after. Sorry to write you an essay, but I just don’t want you to let them get you down. Show them you’re better than them, and someone will come around eventually. You shine, Blue, and people are drawn to that.

I scoffed to myself. “You shine? Fuck, he must think I’m an idiot.”

The typing icon flashed for a few seconds, as Blue hammered out a reply. Things haven’t been good in my life these past few months. I know they haven’t been good for a lot of people, but that’s shitty consolation. I’ve felt very lonely and out-of-place, everywhere I go. You have no idea how much it means to me, to have someone who’s kind to me and who listens. Someone who cares and sees me for who I am. I don’t know if I “shine,” but I try to be a good person and treat the world right. Thank you, Rivi.

My heart ached, imagining that someone as sweet as Blue could be lonely. I knew exactly what the poor guy meant, in reference to the past few months; they’d been a horrific nightmare for our entire species. He claimed to have moved to Bithen Orchard recently in his original post, like most others from around the colony who flocked to the city. Tack on the predators invading our city, and there was no refuge to get away from them and what they reminded us of: times were terrifying. We were living our last days, depending how long it took the Terrans to give in and feast on innocents. What if one of them were threatening Blue?

When I’d mentioned the furless beasts in passing, my online companion had requested a different topic; he said he didn’t feel ready to discuss Earth and predators. His exact words were “I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to confront it. I feel quite strongly about this topic, and I don’t trust myself to hold back.” We were on the same wavelength with that one; I couldn’t pretend that the humans weren’t sickening, slimy ghouls. Blue couldn’t feel safe in his own home either, and he didn’t want to deal with those things. I felt a little bit braver, when my exterminator duties were framed as protecting him.

I yearned to meet him in person, and help him feel less alone; someone needed to comfort him away from the screen. I wanted to hear his laugh as we talked about nothing, to hear his voice and absorb his emotions through the position of his ears rather than the nuance of a text wall. The thought of sitting in the overgrown Moonlight Park, under the shade in a tree-seat, and feeding gollabirds with him made me dizzy. Maybe Denna was right about me being lovesick. With the constant peril the colony was in, with those blighted predators afoot, how could I waste any time apart from him?

I want to understand why he doesn’t trust me enough to meet face-to-face. We met on the internet, sure, but doesn’t he think what we have is special? We talk daily!

Whatever self-consciousness was causing Blue to be leery of a meetup, I needed to take the initiative and help him work past it. We were both in our late-twenties, so unless that was false information, there was no great disparity in us. What reason would there have been for him to lie about such basic information? I trusted him, and if he shattered that…I didn’t trust many people. Other than learning about outright deceit, there was nothing that could alter how I felt about him; even if he had some deformity or scarring, it didn’t matter. In my soul, I believed that we were meant for each other.

I’ve got to get back to work, Blue messaged me again. So do you, I imagine. Don’t want to get you in trouble.

I texted back quickly. Will you be okay? You sound down, and at work or not, I’m here if you need someone.

Aw, don’t worry. You’re too sweet. I might’ve had a rough day, but I’ll survive. Takes more than this to keep me down. Know how close I am to being done?

Not close enough?

That’s the truth. Nah really, it’s just lugging this shit to the spaceport, and we’re done for the day. I can spend the rest of my evening enjoying the great outdoors. There’s nothing as naturalist and reverent as Gojid philosophy, it’s beautiful! I love the scenic photographs, taken to capture the Protector’s splendor, like you’ve told me you so devoutly believe. Maybe I could add to them one day.

Start today, Blue. We don’t know how much time we have. Live in the moment—don’t waste a second.

I know you’re right. Never gauged you as the platitudes type. Anyhow, I’m getting yelled at, so I really have to go; dawdling won’t make them like me anymore. I’ll talk to you later, sunshine.

I nearly fell out of my chair, seeing what Blue had called me. Was that in reference to me saying he shined? I’d never heard anyone use that nickname before, but it was so much more charming and natural than my own version. I rolled it around in my head, giggling to myself. Denna was staring at me with disbelief, before she stomped back over to me. My gaze tracked her out of my periphery, and I waited for her to prompt me first before spilling all the juicy details.

“What did he say?” my partner asked.

“He called me sunshine, and my heart skipped a beat. I want to meet him!” I blurted. “I need to know who he is, or I’m going to go mad, Denna. What in the Protector’s creation do I do?”

“How would you go about finding him? You need to have this conversation with him, and do it on his time. There’s no way to pick him out from a stack of thousands of Gojids.”

“I know how old he is, and he’s going to the local blessing tree in Moonlight Park, I imagine. Right after work, which is very soon! All it would take is asking around, looking for people about his age. Blue’s not safe out there, caring for easy prey morsels as predators prowl the streets. I want to go there, find him, and keep him safe! If I wasn’t still on the clock for hours, I’d go chase after him right now.”

Denna studied me for a long moment, before a sly expression overtook her features. The fellow exterminator opened our portal on her holopad, from the civilian side where anonymous tips could be sent. My partner’s devious eyes glowed, as her slender claws typed out a message that gave just enough clues in Moonlight Park to necessitate an investigation, but not enough to lockdown the area. She coincidentally pulled up the open cases on her display, and assigned the newly-logged tip to us for investigation.

“You just weren’t being clever about it, Rivi. Your brainpower’s all exhausted, replaying everything he’s ever said,” Denna chuckled. “Fortunately, you have me to watch your back and help you out. Let’s go find Mr. Blue.”

My eager claws couldn’t grab my gear fast enough. “Thank you. I owe you.”

“You sure do. Luckily, all I want in return is for you to stop pining over him.”

“I can’t promise that. I don’t know if I can be happy without him, so if he’s not on the same page—”

“Let’s go. Quietly.”

I clipped my holopad onto my belt, on the edge of my seat for the message he’d send when he was off of work. The moment I’d dreamed about for the past few weeks was finally almost here; the constant perils on this colony wouldn’t be as daunting, with him fully in my life. If Blue was visiting Moonlight Park like I assumed, I was going to be there waiting for him. Soon, I’d know him by his real name, not an impersonal alias. No stone would be left unturned in my search for the charmer who occupied most of my waking thoughts.

Next

A/N - A new series begins! A Gojid exterminator on a colony with a depleted population has become enthralled with her online friend, and is encouraged by her friend Denna to seek out this mystery man. However, if Rivlia were able to locate this Blue at the park, she might be in for quite a surprise. What do you expect to happen with this search party, especially with what we learned about the Great Protector faith? Do you think Blue shares Rivi's infatuation?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! I was asked for some wholesome, feel-good content, so I hope this new foray is exactly what the doctor ordered. It's been an idea I've had at the back of my mind for a long time. The poll has closed, so I'll provide an update on the promised one-shots that will follow this microseries with the next installment!