The Nature of Predators - Gress’ Cases (1/8)

Memory Transcription Subject: Gress, Krev Hostage Negotiator

Date [standardized human time]: August 2, 2156

It was fortunate that Juvre was so patient with Lecca, with her propensity to pull on his tail and hang on him as if he was a jungle gym. My little one had a motor that never quit, running around as a bundle of energy. I remembered how she’d chase the young obor, who was only a year older than her; the horror that I’d felt when she swung from the bars on the ceiling after him, and crashed with a cracking sound, had been immediate. The auburn-furred primate had hopped down from the ceiling, shrieking for our attention—poking her face with both his tail and his fingers, brown eyes wide with concern all the while. My daughter was on the mend in no time, and I realized that all of the high-altitude climbing apparatuses needed to go.

Nevi and I had just begun training Juvre when we discovered she was expecting a child, and shifted our focus to caring for her. Lecca complained about my unpredictable hours, where I’d take off regardless of what we were doing; Nevi, my wife, had also asked me to switch vocations, once she told me I’d be a father. While she believed it was too dangerous, I tried to explain to her that I was a mere negotiator. Patrol officers were sent in to investigate ongoing crimes at close range, while my role was mere chatting in an armored truck away from the epicenter. The level of jeopardy wasn’t comparable, and I was good at what I did. Why would I want to quit something that was rewarding on a personal and financial level?

My job is what ensures that Lecca has everything she could ever want, and that I contribute to our family’s well-being. Nevi wouldn’t quit the job she spent years training for, as a software engineer. I went through several programs to get my qualifications, and made the right connections to work up to where I am today. 

“Why do you have to go, Daddy?” Lecca whined. “You promised we’d watch the music cartoons together. You promised!”

I crouched next to her, patting her wrist. “Work called. People’s lives are in danger, and it’s my job to save them. I don’t get a say on when a case pops up; I’m sorry, my little light.”

“You’re not sorry! You don’t want to be here. You leave me all alone!”

“That’s not true. Your mother’s here.”

“That doesn’t count. She sits on the work screen all day, and gets mad if I interrupt her!”

“That’s because she’s working remotely. Grown-ups have to work, Lecca, because we need to take care of this family. Food, our home—it doesn’t pay for itself. Juvre is here, and he’ll be happy to play with you.”

“He’s an obor. I want you! Stay, Daddy. I hate your job so much. Pick me over work, just one time!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not a choice. You don’t understand how the world works yet. I’d do anything for you, and I spend as much time with you as I can. You know I love you.”

“If you loved me, you’d be here more.” A nasty scowl crossed her face, and her tail angled toward me in a telling posture. “You’d quit like Mom says.”

I leapt away, sternness overtaking my face. “Enough, Lecca! Don’t you dare spray me, young lady! That’s immensely disrespectful, and you won’t be watching any cartoons for a month if you do.”

“What does it matter? I wanted to watch them with you, and that won’t happen.”

“I have to go. Look, if you knock off the complaints, I’ll take you to the pet store to get Juvre some toys. You can get him a new rattlestick, or those cups that taste and smell like fruits…you can even pet the baby obors. Just behave, ok?”

The young Krev relented, lowering her tail. “Fine. Bye, Daddy.”

I hurried out the door, and breathed a sigh of relief as I made it to the emergency transit pod platform. Somehow, negotiating with my own daughter often seemed more difficult than dealing with desperate criminals. My eyes turned to my holopad, as the pod whisked off at a blistering pace; the incident site was an aquarium, a few blocks away from the gigapyramid that housed most of Tonvos’ activities. I scanned the case information that I’d been sent, absorbing it quickly. A CAR—that is, Citizens for Animal Rights—protest at the site had gotten out of control, and resulted in aquarists being taken hostage. The simple name of that organization prompted a groan.

Citizens for Animal Rights was an Ulchid activist organization, who were most active on Cieki, but were infamous across the Consortium for some of their demonstrations. The thing about an Ulchid protest was that it wasn’t like the assemblages of other species, with a few hundred, or at most, a few thousand people gathering to rally behind their cause. The tripedal mammals did nearly everything as a group (and their definitions of “group” were never small numbers), so if their ire was invoked, you’d have just about every card-carrying member of CAR turning up on your doorstep. With hundreds of thousands swarming the aquarium, it was easy to imagine how the protest devolved.

It also presents the unique challenge of negotiating with a group of individuals, since I doubt a hypersocial Ulchid acted alone. Every proposal I make will be a discussion.

“The question is what they’re doing on Avor, rather than Cieki, and whether they’ve made any demands,” I mused aloud. “I need to speak with them as soon as possible. At least they’re more than happy to chat.”

The coordinates transmitted for the pod’s destination placed it well away from the aquarium, the only place local police had been able to set up. The obvious consideration was that to push through to the situation’s vicinity, they’d need to vacate or bypass hundreds of thousands of citizens, who’d filled several city blocks. They’d managed to completely shutter access to and from the aquarium—trapping the employees inside, even if they hadn’t outright captured them—and to effectively shut down local businesses in the area. I wasn’t sure the CAR activists outside were even aware of the actions taken inside the main premises, since they looked mystified by the tactical police units arriving.

Maybe some of them can help talk their pals down, whatever happened. Ulchids need the support of their peers, and they’re here because they feel like part of the CAR group. That could backfire, of course, if these activists decide they support the actions taken.

I walked past a row of drone techs, and extended my law enforcement pendant: a chiseled piece of stone carved to look like a claw, encoded with holographic data to show my faction allegiance in augmented reality. The group seemed to have been expecting me, so I hustled into the control team’s truck to take charge of the situation. Commander Rameki, a Resket officer who never seemed to take a day off from commanding her tactical unit, was scrutinizing the array of monitors; surveillance drones were the only insight we had inside the aquarium. She flapped her pink wings in brief acknowledgment, without looking away.

“Gress. How wonderful of you to join us,” Rameki said.

I waved my claws dismissively. “I came as soon as I got the call—which was right in the middle of family time, of course. I’m a real winner in my daughter’s book, let me tell you.”

“It sounds to me like your daughter needs more discipline. Kids that don’t grow up to understand the importance of duty will be irresponsible and lazy.”

“This has nothing to do with honor, Rameki, but let’s leave it there. Fill me in. What’s CAR protesting here? Just general fish in glass tanks, or something more specific?”

“To make a long story short, a few yochids were injured by Krev research boats out on Cieki. They decided to try to nurse them back to health, but needed better resources, so they brought them back here. It doesn’t seem that the Tonvos Aquarium has any plans to release them now that they’re on the mend; therein lies the problem. According to CAR, they’re publicly displaying sapients as a spectacle.”

“Isn’t CAR the same organization that argues that uplifting yochids, giving them the tech of sapients, would infringe on their liberties?”

“CAR doesn’t think we should mess with the ocean, intelligent animals, or just animals in general. I’m not a fan of theirs, but I wouldn’t say it’s inconsistent, Gress.”

“Heard. So how did it turn violent? I saw there were two hostages—one of which is a summer intern, working during her time off from high school. Not that I’ll say it to their face, but I can’t fathom how someone could use a kid as a pawn…threatening or hurting them. I could never.”

Rameki heaved a sigh. “The CAR activists were entering the aquarium without paying admission fees, and started defacing the glass of the exhibits: drawing obscenities and lewd images, from what I understand. The intern and her supervisor intervened, and from what I heard, the argument got heated; one of them sprayed the group. They’re being held for ‘interfering’ and ‘supporting animal abuse.’”

“Your inflection is as if those are direct quotes. You spoke to them without me?”

“They called us through the emergency phone line. What were we going to do: hang up on them? An operator is keeping them talking, but the idea is to transfer them to you pronto.”

“Okay. Get them transferred at once! Have they given us any demands?”

“The immediate return of all yochid ‘captives’ to Cieki’s oceans. A ‘hostage’ for a hostage. It’s the same goal as the protest; they claim they won’t leave until it’s done.”

“Fuck, this is bad. They’ll only be emboldened with such mass support. I’m ready for that call; let’s see what they have to say.”

The aquarium had shot themselves in the foot by parading yochids around in their exhibit, and I was unsure if doing what the CAR protestors wanted wasn’t the best option for the venture. The issue of the Ulchids’ ancestors, who were believed to be sapient, and the Consortium had debated uplifting on multiple occasions, brought nothing but controversy. As a fully aquatic species, it was all but impossible that they’d develop a technological civilization on their own. However, most animal rights activists believed that they should be endowed with the same rights as other persons. My thoughts were racing, as I waited for the call to be transferred onto the truck’s speakers.

Once I get a read on the hostage takers, and how many are involved with this incident, I should speak to the aquarium’s management. I don’t typically endorse giving aggressors what they want, but getting rid of them might be the closest we get to winning. Forget Rameki’s tactical personnel; we’d need the Resket military units to drive them all off!

Several voices spoke on the other end of the line, several on top of each other. That was not going to work for negotiations; I didn’t understand how Ulchids held conversations in that fashion. I cleared my throat, waiting for a brief lull in the chatter to interject my own input. Then again, in their custom, it might not be so rude to speak over them—it was the sole way to get a word in edgewise when the talking was nonstop.

“Hi there. My name is Gress, and I’m here to listen to your concerns: to work on getting you what you want.” I spoke in a more raised, assertive voice than my typical projection of mellowness. “You’re clearly a cooperative bunch to have planned and been a part of such a protest, but I don’t think this was a part of your plan. I need you to cooperate with me to fix this, and that means speaking in a manner so I can understand you: one at a time, and in simple terms. I want it to be possible for me to listen.”

It took a bit of chattering among themselves to decide who would speak to me. “Very well, Gress. My name is Vinior and I will try to relay what my comrades have said.”

“Excellent. I want to see everyone happy, and walking out of here in one piece. It’s a matter of accomplishing it, and the fact you reached out as soon as this happened shows you believe we can work it out. You believe it just as I do. What can I do to make that a reality? What do you want us to do for you?”

“These people were exploiting the yochids, and got in our faces. If they feel that strongly in favor of keeping intelligent beings in a tank to be gawked at, then they can stay right here with them until it’s done! Free the yochids, and they can walk out of here today.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Vinior. I’m certain what you’re saying about those two is true; I respect the amount of passion you feel about this injustice, and I’m sure the workers were playing a direct part in the exploitation. What I will say is that they don’t know what they’re doing. Look how young the girl is; we all made mistakes in high school. I’m glad that I was shown grace for mine, and given time to grow as a person.”

“Those mistakes weren’t animal abuse; the girl involved herself by backing this disgusting institution and disrespecting us for standing up for what’s right! She placed herself here.”

The activist is getting riled up. Agree with him, and admit your “mistake”; then, try to reframe what you said in personal terms that might be more in line with his empathy.

“I didn’t think of it from that perspective, but you’re right, of course. It’s not the same,” I said hurriedly, as Rameki narrowed her eyes at me. She didn’t like me losing a handle on the subject. “There’s a new way of looking at things that we all could afford to learn from you, Vinior. I suppose I have a soft spot for kids, and I imagine someone with your level of empathy can understand that. My daughter isn’t even three yet, but no matter what she was a part of, I’d protect her and make excuses for her.”

“We love children. What’s her name?”

“Lecca. I really hope that she grows up to be successful, and finds happiness. I just imagine the heartbreak a parent would feel, hearing what happened to their little girl. It’s the worst kind of pain. The kind you wouldn’t want to inflict on your worst enemy.”

There was a pause, as Vinior’s voice became tinged with sadness. “We don’t want to hurt the student. We don’t want to hurt either of them.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. You campaign for animals not to be harmed, so of course you wouldn’t want to hurt Krev or see needless suffering. Even if they’re using yochids for selfish gain, you’re better than them. Letting them go would be a way to show that, and to have your message not get lost in the shuffle. That goodwill could speed up the yochids’ release; public support is crucial for movements. Stand with the people.”

“You can speed up the yochids’ release too, Gress, in a more tangible way.”

“I’m absolutely going to try. We’re working on contacting the aquarium owner. These things just take time, but I’m on your side; the system isn’t, to be frank. Just think about what I said, okay? I have faith in a man of conviction to do what’s right.”

Vinior chittered in affirmation. “I will discuss it with my friends, and we won’t take any rash action if you don’t. Just uphold your end of the bargain. I want to hear back about the yochids’ release soon.”

“You have my word that I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. It’s been a pleasure speaking; it’s not often I meet someone so reasonable and good-hearted in my line of work, so thank you. Take care of yourself, of each other, and of those at your mercy.”

“Goodbye, Gress.”

I disconnected from the call with the press of a claw, and turned to confer with Rameki on our strategy. The Resket likely had the same idea as I did, using the surveillance drones to tap into what was being said in their part of the aquarium. I’d also have any calls from that number routed directly to my holopad, so I could pick up the phone away from the control room vehicle. We also needed to contact the victims’ families. That line of reasoning seemed to have moved Vinior; if the CAR activists were monitoring social media or other broadcasts, appeals to sympathy might soften them up to releasing the hostages. This situation didn’t seem like it was unworkable. All in all, they didn’t want to harm anyone.

My first order of business was to track down the aquarium’s owner, and see if I could talk some sense into them. As far as I was concerned, common sense dictated that they should send the yochids back where they came from and be done with this mess. However, after my past dealings with business owners, I knew that pride and profits could get in the way…and that many people refused to bow to any demand made by an occupying force. 

Next

A/N - A new series begins, about a certain Krev’s old cases! Gress is forced to ditch his plans to watch music cartoons with his daughter; Lecca despised his work, but pipes down after he promises to take her to the pet store. Our hostage negotiator books it to the local aquarium, where Ulchid activists are protesting their aquatic cousins, the yochids, being held in an exhibit. Vinior demands their release before letting go of the hostages, who got tangled in an altercation.

What do you think about Gress’ negotiation strategy, and the hostage takers’ response? What would your idea be to try to resolve the situation? How do you feel about CAR’s current cause?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!