The Nature of Predators - Archives Lore (One-Shot #8)

Blurbs on the Archives…

The humans had quietly assembled 31 species as allies, not counting the ever-troublesome Duerten, or the two that got away (the Thafki and the Sivkits). You could tell an optimist from a pessimist by seeing whether a UN analyst would mention those two alongside their allies; bless their hearts, some Terrans still sought friendship in earnest, even after Earth. It was a little sad, but one can’t help but admire someone who doesn’t lose their morals in times of trouble.

The summit required a lot of planning, though extending the invites was made easier with the FTL network. In a glaring example, the Paltans were a month of travel through hyperspace away, yet the recently-completed network between Earth and Tellis, their homeworld, allowed the Secretary-General to wire a message in an instant. Each species’ invite was personalized with the findings in their Archives chamber. How little they knew themselves was a hard-hitting blow; every world had a unique identity, and that foundation was crumbling across the board.

To list the cumulative findings would mean the parts the Terrans wanted each recipient to see…those would be buried beneath sheer volume. Everything found could be uploaded to the internet instead, along with a summary of the key points for the public’s viewing. Zhao tailored the neatly-packaged info sent to prospective guests, and passed careful messages along through government channels. Earth’s intelligence community pieced together reactions from key powers, and listened for who would arrive at their shores soon.

Suleans (103-B) and Iftalis (104-A)

The dual species of the planet Jild, while not being one of the initial pro-diplomacy voters, had become movers and shakers on humanity’s behest. The Terran alliance’s growth, modest as it was, was largely due to their efforts wining and dining neutral parties, and persuading them that the “predators” weren’t monsters. The Sulean-Iftali Alliance were responsible for putting humanity in contact with the Duerten Shield; its infusion of manpower, from 44 worlds, made attacking Mileau plausible. Whether the United Nations’ staffers would thank them for that…depended on whether they’d interacted with Ambassador Coji.

Of course, earlier additions from former neutrals were more amicable. The Suleans and Iftalis brought the more-pleasant Drilvars, Angrens, and Letians to humanity’s team too. Jild was grateful for humanity sending its finest archaeologists to their aid, and that gratitude only increased when they saw how right the team had been. Furthermore, the peculiar surge in local civilians identifying with Terran religions, especially Jainism, made it easy for them to RSVP in the affirmative.

“Sulean explorers found the Iftali in each civilization’s infancy, and the Iftali soon migrated north to share more fruitful lands,” the Farsul archivist said, mirroring the hypotheses humans created from their observations. “The desert was a harsh environment to the Iftali, so they’d eat any potential meal that became available. Unfortunately, those attitudes carried over as they wandered to more fertile, Sulean settlements. They were a cooperative species, and spreading the Consecrated Order was easy because of that factor. We taught them to be more appreciative of their home’s blessings.”

The Suleans didn’t take kindly to the official confirmation. The Iftali were their sister species, and neither had any tolerance for slights against the other. Human intelligence thought they were as safe a bet as any to be amenable to joining a partnership.

Duerten (121-F)

Ambassador Coji couldn’t stand humans, simply because that was the Duerten Homogenity’s position. She was representative of the group consensus, and she couldn’t risk humans misinterpreting the slightest warmth. It was a Duerten’s role to be the face of an institution; the constant efforts to be personable by Noah, who wasn’t their friend, were insulting to her culture. The humans had the audacity to accuse her species of being former omnivores themselves—as if! It was lucky that the official belief of her homeworld was that Mileau’s capture was a crime against sapience. Glim was right; rescuing the Dossur was more important than bending over to the filthy predators.

We won’t end up subservient to them, like the Venlil, was the talking point circulating at every table. There was no room for counterpoints. Accepting one directive from Earth, or allowing them to command Duerten assets, would spell the end. The 43 other races comprising the Shield were less-unified, but also grateful not to stick their necks out, and thrilled to leave interacting with the foul beasts to the Duerten.

When the invite communique from Earth arrived, Coji was livid. The Terrans were supposed to contact them only for official business! That was the deal. She thought about discarding the message, but wanted to show it to the rest of the embassy staff so they could share her outrage. Any action she took was supposed to invoke a collective response; the Duerten needed to pass along common information.

“The predators want us at a summit, despite knowing we want nothing to do with them. They attached some data file from the Farsul homeworld,” Coji had announced in a briefing room.

Playing the clip proved to be a mistake, which stopped the dear ambassador from denying the fact that Duerten were among the cured.

The Farsul archivist recorded a standard overview, which said all too much. “The Duerten are a verbose, argumentative species, with a government that we class as near-anarchy. The village where we docked for first contact—they gathered to debate whether to meet us at all. Everyone speaking up with their opinions is not how a proper society operates, of course; what happens when they question the Arxur? When we install the exterminators and predator disease facilities, and are faced with constant questions?

The Kolshians agreed that the central issue was this individualist philosophy of speaking your mind. We must be careful, since they’re a large species…and we know how dangerous birds can be from the Krakotl. Disastrous if we don’t watch ourselves. The Duerten have similarities, occasionally going for fish, and even have natural camouflage to boot. On our aggression scale, they’re just shy of being lumped with 45-G and 243-G; however, the cure worked on initial test subjects, and they aren’t regular about seeking meat or violence out.

We have a three-point plan to squash their personalities, which begins with teaching the children not to voice opinions that go against the herd. Our installation of local internet will facilitate the rest, allowing each person to weigh in for group input. We’ll actively filter opinions that are not beneficial, and flag necessary targets for predator disease. After a hundred years, I figure we can step back.”

Coji was silent. A part of her wanted to think for herself, but she didn’t have a clue how to do that. The Duerten in the room looked at each other, before someone voiced the question of whether to accept the summit invite. Conflicting answers arose amidst clashing emotions, and instead of being deferential to the loudest voice, an argument erupted. It wasn’t clear how the decision was reached, but an answer eventually was sent to Earth declaring that, while the Homogeneity couldn’t speak for its Shield allies, the Duerten would attend.

Thafki (97-B)

The death of one ambassador is a tragedy for any species. A race with 12,000 members in the wild felt that loss on a different level. The Thafki had voted to ally with humanity as a shot in the dark, a last chance to preserve their species from the ever-hungry Arxur. A shuttle of diplomats blew up from sabotage, and that hope was washed away with it.

But suddenly, after Shaza’s sector fell under human control, there weren’t 12,000 Thafki left. There were millions, and the promise of a sustainable populace brought Thafki channels back to listening tentatively. Of course, they were little more than an advocacy group for the interests of their race, sprinkled into a few societies and lacking any major territory. (The handful of communes donated by other species were prime targets for the Arxur.) But the United Nations mourned the loss of a willing friend, and still wished to help rebuild their society from scratch.

Most documentation of the Thafki homeworld was lost to the ages, after it was hit by the Arxur centuries ago. Humanity forwarding the meticulous recordings from the Farsul Archives gained the blue-gray “otter”-like species’ attention. Perhaps it was time to risk one more life on this Hail Mary? The Thafki now knew with certainty that their semi-aquatic nature carried over to their architecture. It wasn’t uncommon for dwellings to be built on riverbanks, halfway extending into the shallow water.

A curious way to craft an internal swimming pool, if you asked the humans. Thafki pups were drawn to the water; it was in their blood. The Farsul remarked that they hadn’t liked that tendency, and that no amount of tampering had gotten rid of it. They tolerated it by working around it, discouraging exploration of deeper bodies. The avoidance of the oceans made sense, knowing the Archives had been buried out at sea.

It was the final note that gave the Thafki pause, and perhaps made them long for a shoulder to cry on. The United Nations appended a note warning that the last recordings were haunting. The Thakfi had sent a simple message… We’re under attack! as they fought back against the Arxur onslaught. No aid was forthcoming from the Kolshians. The Farsul lifted no claws to help either. Not a single ship came from the Federation, while a member race’s homeworld succumbed to the grays.

At the time, the Federation claimed that they never received the distress messages. For some parties, that was a true statement, because it seemed that the conspirators had scrubbed them from the record. The Farsul’s self-righteous morality wouldn’t have allowed them to wipe the Thafki’s slate clean themselves, for such a petty offense as being drawn to the water. Yet if they stuck around, they’d make things difficult to conceal down the road.

The Thafki association finally sent a response message, asking the United Nations how anyone could allow an extinction event to happen. The humans’ three-word reply was, “I don’t know.”

Zurulians (63-A)

Of the three herbivores who came to Earth’s rescue, the Zurulians were the unsung heroes. The Venlil had been humanity’s first ally, and millions of Terrans lived on their homeworld. They were the topic of media discussions, the originators of the exchange program concept, and even appeared on some newer entertainment. The Yotul’s story was documented and well-known, since their uplift was recent enough to exist in living memory. The marsupials helped with rebuilding Earth, and during cross-species interactions, they proved to not fit the Federation stereotype. They were the most similar race to humans, by merit of the Kolshians and Farsul not having worked their magic yet.

Chauson and his brother, Prime Minister Braylen, were enjoying a modest lunch on Colia. The planet had opened several doors to predators. The Galactic Institute of Medicine had begun welcoming human doctors, and the Zurulian exchange program had eventually brought willing pairings into the capital city. A Terran embassy was carefully placed to keep to itself. There was a small populace of people from Earth inside its premises, and the largest metropolises were learning to tolerate the sight of humans.

There might be more refugees from the Sol system if not for how diminutive Zurulians were. Quadruped-designed cities in general were difficult for bipeds, more so than the other way around. Can anyone picture humans crawling on all fours to go through doors or use equipment? What about awkwardly trying to fit into chairs? Terrans were limited to the areas around the Galactic Institute of Medicine, which was designed to accommodate any species. Buildings there catered to xenoform clientele.

When Chauson saw the invite, the Zurulian ambassador pranced around with excitement. He missed going to Federation meetings, even if he was the one who’d pulled the strings with Braylen for their withdrawal. The Prime Minister sending ships to Earth was Chauson’s doing, and part of what landed them in the United Nations’ good graces. In their message to the quadrupeds, humans revealed that the Farsul employed a separate strategy. Rather than pushing them away from natural inclinations, the Zurulians were molded to be only good at one thing.

A common story, for the more “inoffensive” species in the Farsul’s eyes. The conspirators liked having races fit into predictable boxes; perhaps it made them easier to manipulate. A telling excerpt from the summary message left by the archivists?

“The Zurulians are unusual! They discovered antibiotics in their dark ages, before steam power or gunpowder; disease didn’t assail them the way it did for most species. Understanding germ theory allowed unparalleled progress with surgeries and sanitization in their cities. Doctor is a beneficent, prey-like occupation, so pushing them toward a singular focus on healing seemed wise. We simply complimented their natural abilities, poured funding into institutions and research on Colia, and within a short period, they became model citizens.”

The Farsul almost seemed to like the Zurulians in their natural state, yet outside influence warped Colia’s natives into a caricature of themselves. The conspirators hadn’t liked it when Zurulians started healing predators, despite that being an extension of imposed stereotypes. Braylen and Chauson had no intention of ripping the Galactic Institute of Medicine apart; they loved what their planet was renowned for. Hell, Chauson was a physician himself. He’d been the one who added courses on human anatomy to the staff’s mandatory curriculum.

But the Zurulian Prime Minister had begun to feel a genuine kinship with Earth, and was long past his fear. Joining a predator alliance would’ve sounded insane a few months ago. That was before it became apparent how the Kolshians and the Farsul stripped free will from every species they came across. As the United Nations had expected, Braylen and Chauson were among the first to RSVP for the summit.

Tilfish (233-E)

Governor Birla had been placed in charge of her homeworld by the United Nations, upgraded from being the lone general that had voted against the raid on Earth. She was doing her best to help Virnt; the soldiers at the local UN garrison had a running joke among themselves to send fruit snacks. When a proper diplomatic message arrived from Earth, Birla was surprised. Why would the humans want to extend full relations and courtesies? Sillis was a vassal state, and the Tilfish gave Terrans the creeps.

The message was a simple one. The Tilfish were not just omnivores, but there was evidence that the reason they laid so many eggs was to eat some of them! That was repulsive, a thousand times worse than anything humanity had done. Words didn’t encompass the depth of wretched emotions that surged to the forefront. Birla’s mandibles trembled with sheer disgust, imagining putting a precious egg like the one that hatched Virnt in her mouth. They had no right to call Terrans monstrous predators.

Birla, it’s time to bring Sillis back to galactic relevance. I know we haven’t met, but I think now is the time to open a path to autonomy. The United Nations never intended to occupy Sillis forever. Please, if you wish, come and hear our pitch to launch our own amalgamation of species. We’d like the Tilfish at the table, as friends and equals. It is your choice; should this not be your desired course of action, we can discuss your separation from UN oversight. ~Secretary-General Zhao

Virnt read the last part over her shoulder, and understood enough to bounce with excitement. “HUMMA FEDAWATION!”

Birla winced from the volume of the child’s scream. Love for little Virnt surpassed the depths of despair and disgust she’d just combed through. Just absorbing his delight, she felt compelled to attend. Regardless of how they looked, Marcel, Tori the entomologist, and the other humans she’d encountered had seemed like good people. Being a proper ally of Earth sounded better than being a subject; it was a much fairer bargain than she’d ever expected. She’d expected to see her people conquered and oppressed in perpetuity, after what they did in the raid.

Birla realized she was lucky to have been given an offer, rather than a demand, to attend. It wasn’t compulsory to join on to the alliance, from the sound of it, and she didn’t expect the humans to inflict harm upon her. What reason was there not to listen to their offer?

Krakotl (1-F)

Most of the parties on the invite list were allies of Earth, or otherwise affiliated states, such as the newly-minted governments of Fahl and Sillis. A strange decision, one kept under wraps by Secretary-General, was the quiet invite sent to the Krakotl rebel faction on the holdout worlds. With Nishtal destroyed, the Krakotl Alliance’s government was gone—along with their stranglehold on local space. One general, who refused Ambassador Jerulim’s infamous order to bomb his own people for being omnivores, had headed a movement denouncing the conspiratorial meddling.

This general, a female named Nuela, invited anyone who opposed what happened to the Krakotl, or to Earth, to join her loose government. Cities within various colonies pledged their allegiance to her cause, breaking away from the main governance. Making peace with humans seemed like a pipe dream, however, since Nuela was nothing like Birla. She puffed out her feathers with delight when the extermination fleet set sail. Zhao knew this, and Krakotl were a species many humans despised regardless.

Yet Nuela received a communique, the first message she’d ever received from Earth’s government. The Krakotl general was elated; she’d do anything to atone for the raid that now haunted her. The news from the Farsul Archives brought nothing she didn’t already know. It only repeated what Nikonus had boasted about Krakotl aggression, but with documentation. The conspiracy had been young and clumsy then, forcing Nishtal to accept the cure at gunpoint. It was a tired story to her, at this point.

To be recognized by Earth, and to have the chance to beg for forgiveness on behalf of her people? Nuela couldn’t accept that invitation quickly enough. The United Nations conveniently tucked her acceptance at the bottom of the list, where nobody would see; when the summit unfolded in a few weeks, it should have dozens of parties ready to consider locking arms with the human race.

More Archives Lore

A/N - The promised lore one-shot, delving into the findings from 7 species! Lots of fun tidbits in here, ranging from Krakotl separatists to the lovable Zurulians. It feels strange not to focus on characters and feelings, but I hope you guys enjoyed the different findings. Which excerpt was your favorite, of the species? How do you think the summit will play out?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! A brand new series launches Saturday, and I'm already looking forward to it going live. Also, thank you to the people who helped with the survey this morning; you guys rock!