The Nature of Predators - Omnivore Miniseries (Epilogue)

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Memory transcription subject: Lyben, Sulean Police Officer

Date [standardized human time]: November 29, 2136

The disaster at the church was well behind us, with justice doled out to the responsible parties. Elka was charged with two counts of attempted-murder, and with the humans’ consent, took a plea deal. It wasn’t clear whether Jild’s appellate court would agree that a predator met the legal definition of a person, but the teenager was incentivized not to take that chance. He received a reduced sentence: a year in juvenile prison, with mandatory counseling included.

These were extraordinary circumstances, after all. True to my word, I reported Miztesh for improper discharge of a firearm. The Iftali was suspended from active duty, and ordered to perform weeks of community service. Part of his punishment was ferrying the stranded human archaeologists around, one busload at a time. The other option was to face criminal charges, so my partner went along with the chore.

Nadia and Jordan were treated by the Venlil, who’d sent medical practitioners in case of incident. Jild’s hospitals were full, and our doctors weren’t familiar with human anatomy. The Terran priest required extensive treatment, but Wullara was tireless caring for him. Their unlikely tale of friendship made planetwide headlines, improving public opinion on predators.

“Lyben, come here!” Nadia snarled with contagious enthusiasm. I’d lingered as the dig site’s “security” long enough that it didn’t bother me. “I want to show you some of our findings.”

I pranced over to the human. “You’ve been poring over artifacts for weeks. I’m concerned what evidence you’ve been compiling.”

The archaeologist showed me to a stone fragment, which had disintegrated over millennia. The Terran team spent painstaking hours verifying the authenticity of their artifacts, and documented their work on camera for skeptics. Predator interference was still suspicious, but they’d been as transparent as possible. I’d seen nothing to question their scientific legitimacy.

The humans are quite social and rambunctious with each other. Many seem to have worked together before, but they were happy to fit me into their pack dynamic.

Nadia passed me a sheet of paper, which detailed the mineral composition of the object. The humans must’ve sent a sample off for analysis. It matched the rock’s naturally occurring spots on a geological map; the likeness simulated Jild millennia ago, rather than today. The predators’ attention to detail and scientific rigor were impressive.

“This type of stone comes from these specific desert cliffs,” the black-haired predator explained. “The main location correlates with the ancient Iftali settlement, Alleigo. A prominent village.”

I tilted my head. “I don’t understand. What’s the significance of where a stone is sourced?”

“There was trade. Ancient trade between the Iftali and Suleans, long before the Federation stepped in. This is our smoking gun!”

The translator suggested that violent idiom referred to conceptual proof. Nadia was implying that the omnivorous Iftali had been our partners, despite inherent differences. I wanted to believe that was the truth, but I wasn’t sure about rushing to judgment. Perhaps it suited the human narrative to seek such confirmation.

“Couldn’t this tool be acquired through battle or theft?” I asked.

“Long way to go for a household object. Besides, look at the grip. It’s tailored to Sulean manipulators.”

“And you magically knew where to dig it up?”

“Ground penetrating radar. We scanned the site before we started digging.”

“And what about the other things you’re tampering with? Sulean bones, animal bones…Iftali bones at other dig sites, I hear. It’s more than a little creepy.”

“My speciality is lithic technology, not any biological materials. But we’ve learned plenty from the bones. Look at these photos.”

Nadia riffled through a folder, and pulled out a stack of pictures. The deranged predators had painstakingly assembled a non-sapient animal’s skeleton; they were unfazed by remnants of death. There was always a small reminder of our worrisome differences. Still, I was curious what value they could obtain from a long-dead critter.

Terran examiners had documented the bones under microscopes, magnifying their features. There were cracks in the skeleton, which to my eyes, might’ve stemmed from age. The humans also kept images of where each fragment was initially found.

Nadia tapped important oddities with a pen. “These cuts suggest butchering, which implies a sapient was extracting meat from its corpse. And this here, it’s a spiral fracture. They harvested bones, for tools and minerals, like us.”

“Suleans did? This is our territory,” I gasped.

“No. We found Iftali DNA preserved in the nearby sediments. It seemed to be a favored scavenging ground.”

“I don’t follow.”

“Our working hypothesis is that Iftali migrated here to find meat, since your territory is more fertile than the desert. Some may have lived with Sulean settlements, permanently.”

“Wow. A few weeks here, and you’re already piecing our history back together.”

“Yep. The larger implications, for other converted omnivores, are staggering. The few worlds we’ve investigated so far all hold evidence of scavenging behavior.”

“And our planet proves that meat-eating peoples can cooperate with others, on their own.”

“…I mean, Earth already proved that? But sure.”

“I’m talking about cooperation with herbivores. The Federation said it was impossible.”

Nadia nodded, and arranged her papers back in orderly fashion. This was positive news, learning that the Iftali and the Suleans had always worked together. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for priests like Wullara, though. Once the UN teams shared their initial findings, it would prove that the Federation manufactured Iftali herbivorism. Their religion was confirmed to be a fraud.

But the Iftali were a strong race, and now, they could rebuild an authentic culture. It was better to know the truth, than to be chained by ignorance. I was glad Nadia taught me the complexity of nature. Species weren’t good or bad; there were more factors at play than their ecological role.

Humans were a social, intelligent species with their own history; the predators understood the universe and its rules better than anyone. Perhaps it took learning more about our past to give theirs a second look.

A/N - End of the miniseries! A short epilogue which reveals our characters' fate, and gives us a glimpse at the archaeological findings. Humanity is on the path to untangling species' true histories, and unearthing evidence that mirrors our world. Hope you guys enjoyed this story!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! Bonus content will return Wednesday, with the Venlil bartender miniseries.