The Nature of Predators - Kalsim's Trial (One-Shot #6)

Memory transcription subject: Captain Kalsim, Krakotl Alliance Command

Dates [standardized human time]: December 7, 2136-January 9, 2137

[Curator’s note: Sample size has been whittled down to the trial's key moments for historical emphasis. Any private conversations that fall under attorney-client privilege may not be released posthumously without written consent or authorization from the individual’s estate, per Laura Camrie v. United Nations, and Statute i.31(c), which was codified into interplanetary law in 2158. Educators are encouraged to retrieve the archival footage from live broadcasts of this time period, as a supplemental exhibit.]

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Opening Statements - Day 1

Driving to the courtroom in the back of an armored van, escorted by dozens of vehicles and a military detachment, I wondered why the predators required such overkill security. I caught glimpses of their cities through the tiny barred window in the back; I had razed hundreds of settlements like this one. Knowing that there was another option to save humanity, there was some regret in my mind. There were brief instances where compassion would show within the primates.

Maybe they truly try to suppress their instincts. They just needed help with what they are.

Earth’s government arranged for a Venlil lawyer named Mynek to confer with me, and lay out a defense. Supposedly, human “judges” (more like executioners, who loved sending people to death) comprised only half the panel, to ensure a “fair” trial. The herbivore allies of the predator homeworld were sending listeners to hear my case, and pass their own verdicts. Our goal was to convince them that I wasn’t deserving of the ultimate penalty.

The monstrous guards dragged me in chains up the court stairs. The pathway was flanked on all sides by barricades and armed personnel, who blocked jeering protestors and lobbed objects. A bedraggled predator reached for a weapon. I realized this one was unable to restrain the murderous instincts I knew humans were hiding. Security tackled the animalistic Terran, who was practically foaming at the mouth. It took seven humans piling on to the one to restrain it from enacting its killing fantasy.

This was the real humanity. It was truly a savage display.

After being stuck on this hellish, nightmarish planet for months, I wasn’t sure I wished to avoid a death sentence. There was little worse than being around such depraved creatures all the time, with no idea what they would do at a given moment. Besides, I hadn’t shown the Terrans mercy, since I’d been unaware of the cure. For a needless slaughter, that was something I would convict myself of.

Mynek leaned close to me. “You are not taking the stand, remember? I got them to disallow footage of your interview with Cilany in proceedings, since legal counsel was not present and you were not made aware it could be used against you.”

“What could they possibly offer you to make you come to their world?” I squawked. “You go out there, among all of those bloodthirsty demons?”

“Quiet! They’re…nothing like that. I came here to observe their laws and proceedings, in case of any intersocietal incidents—so we know what happens if a Venlil gets into legal trouble on Earth, and vice versa. Good thing we signed those agreements before the refugees came to Venlil Prime.”

“They’re going to take over your planet, and turn it into a murdering nightmare. They can’t help it. It’s the most basic of exterminator principles, that predators slaughter. They destroy everything around them by their mere existence. They won’t even consider trying to rid themselves of their sordid desires!”

“My offer to defend you was merely because I feel that humans should not have to defend the person guilty of their genocide. We agree that everyone deserves a fair trial. I’ll do my level best to defend you, but you are a monster even to me.”

The Venlil lawyer forced a composed look, and the two of us ambled into the courtroom. Unmasked humans were present along the walls, fixing terrible eyes on me from all directions. Twelve chairs were placed at the front of the vaulting cavern, six of which were occupied by humans. A Paltan, a Takkan, a Venlil, a Zurulian, a Nevok, and a Yotul were the other presiders, seated behind them. Allegedly, the verdict needed to be unanimous, but I was certain the Terrans would coerce the aliens into delivering the desired outcome.

This is a show to try and act like they’re civilized. I never hated them, I never was pleased to kill them…but humans are dangerous. I respected them enough to know they must be killed, or the galaxy would be lost.

Mynek led me to a table, which was on the opposite side of the aisle to a pack of predators. Stacks of paper rested within their vicinity, and some of these humans had gray hair. That was a wise choice, to use a senior Terran that could project mellowness; they could conduct themselves as learned professionals. Anyone who called them mindless primitives was a fool. They could run circles around many herbivores with their intelligence, and their care for each other was genuine.

That was how they blended in, and fooled people like my lawyer into believing they could control themselves. I watched as a human attorney walked to the front of the courtroom, and automated cameras tracked its movements. This grandstanding was only so that they could place some legitimacy on slaughtering me; like Noah on Aafa, I was certain they would deliver an excellent speech.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the judges panel, I am here to detail a case of a calculated genocide, perpetrated against humanity. The charges against the defendant are lengthy. Kidnapping, murder, even perpetrating falsehoods against his own people,” the predator began.

So it begins. At least it’s a female, so I don’t have to hear those animal barks of the lower male register.

“We’re going to prove that Captain Kalsim was wholly aware of our empathetic nature when he ordered the bombing. During his journey to Earth, he received footage of a human discussing their family back home, and pleading for the extermination fleet to halt. You’re going to hear testimony from his first officer, Thyon, stating that Kalsim drilled his own crew on the fact that Terrans feel empathy.”

My beak jerked with surprise, and Mynek shot me a withering look. Thyon was still alive, and not lining one of the Terrans’ stomachs? There was no telling how the humans planned to interrogate the Farsul in front of a live audience; perhaps they had a way to hide their torturous strategies. My XO despised their kind, knowing full well how predators ravaged worlds. He would never work with them willingly.

“Regardless of how you feel about humans and the perceived justifications for the attack on our home, Kalsim’s actions resulted in the losses of billions of Federation sapients as well. You will be shown that the Krakotl fleet was warned of an impending Arxur assault against Nishtal, and proceeded with the attack rather than defending their home. It was Kalsim who issued the command to proceed, and made no efforts to verify our claims.”

That was a sacrifice that had to be made, so that some non-predator species could survive. These humans had no right to talk as though I wanted my homeworld to perish. That choice weighed on me, equally as much as the sapient extermination I was compelled to carry out.

“The Krakotl species is reduced to remnants, because Kalsim wanted us dead, above saving his own kind. When given opportunities to address the public, he has proceeded to tell humanity that we should understand why our civilians were murdered en masse, indiscriminately! Upon crash landing on Earth, he kidnapped, gagged, and threatened a child. The fact that he couldn’t pull the trigger in person tells you he knows of our personhood. You will hear testimony from Arjun about the traumatizing conditions he was subjected to as well.”

My blood ran cold, as I realized I’d see the little human for the first time since that day in the clinic. Arjun hadn’t wanted me dead, when his father, Manoj, tried to finish me off. What had changed, that he would testify against me? Were the latent instincts kicking in full throttle, molding him into a mature beast?

The reality was that Arjun showed more emotional depth than the sociopathic Jala. I’d felt some sliver of protectiveness for the kid, unable to watch his death. It would’ve been worse than burning the baby animals on my first exterminator assignment. I wasn’t sure I’d done the right thing, sparing him. I had to hold out hope that the human hadn’t changed, and that he still remembered our connection.

I hated the prospect of having to refer to Arjun as “it” again.

Testimonies – Day 8

Human court proceedings dragged on for hours, with them summoning countless witnesses to the stand. The predators were exhaustive in their questioning; our cross-examination was broken up by frequent interruptions from the lawyers. What was the point of bringing people to testify, if they were cut off any time the human presider didn’t like their angle of exploration?! It was a mockery of a legal system, though Mynek seemed to have caught on.

After bringing in Terran witnesses to recount the devastation in the cities, hit by our ships’ bombs, Thyon was due to testify. My eyes turned to the back of the courtroom, as the Farsul was led in through the rear entrance. The first thing I noticed was that he had a metal arm, in place of the one the leopard chewed off. Upon reaching the stand, he went through some ritual oath the humans drafted…as if that would compel predators to be truthful.

Thyon looked uncomfortable as he was seated, but he seemed uninjured. The human lawyer, whose name was Alejandra Iglesias, had donned a face-concealing mask prior to the Farsul’s arrival. He was shaking from the overstimulation of being around predators; it was tough to tell if they were actively harming him, at this moment. He would appear more petrified if they had him strapped to a hidden shock device, right?

This looks like basic instincts, since Terrans are difficult to stomach, shall I say. Thyon was scared just of talking to one via hail, during our voyage to Earth.

Alejandra stopped short of the podium, clasping its hands together. “Good morning. Could you please state your name and rank for the record?”

“Thyon. Former…f-first officer of Captain Kalsim.”

The humans had provided a bottle of water to the Farsul, and he chugged the majority of it in swift gulps. The lawyer waited for him to draw a few deep breaths; it seemed to be reassuring him. I had no idea what they threatened him with, or if they had rehearsed this testimony before.

“Can you please explain to the court why you’ve agreed to testify today?”

“Well, um, when the…Cilany, the interview…the Farsul have been lying…”

“Objection, irrelevant!” Mynek barked.

The Farsul flinched, losing his train of thought. He seemed floored that the Venlil had interrupted him mid-sentence.

A human presider studied the Venlil lawyer. “Overruled. It’s relevant to the witness’s credibility. Please continue.”

Thyon struggled to regain his focus. “Um, realizing…our l-leadership lied…”

“Take a breath. No one will be allowed to harm you here,” Alejandra encouraged the Farsul. “Go on, when you’re ready.”

“…okay. My people lied to us. The very Captain we served under is from a flesh-eating race! The humans have been decent, and, t-they made me a new arm. I was stunned that they had doctors…you know, for healing? Why would they know how to help their weak and wounded? In exchange for taking my execution off the table, I’ve agreed to supply the Terrans with information and perspectives on the Farsul States, and to testify against Kalsim today.”

He saved his own hide, because the humans want to fry me before the whole galaxy. Of course.

“Do you regret your role in the genocide fleet? If so, why?” the human lawyer continued.

Thyon squeezed his eyes shut. “I do. I was critically wounded before we reached your world, but when I woke up, surrounded by…you creatures, missing an arm…I knew we lost. They had me watch hundreds of videos about the victims of the bombing. Not that I was f-forced, there was no other entertainment so, um…”

“Are you saying you regretted it because you learned about the human impacts of your actions?”

Mynek leapt up. “Objection, leading! Is the counsel testifying?!”

“Sustained,” the Terran presider decided. “Ms. Iglesias, please rephrase your question or move on.”

The predator lawyer frowned. “Withdrawn. Can you summarize Kalsim’s views on humans, as explained to his crew?”

“He said that you were a disease, that infects…infects everything,” Thyon whispered. “He continually tried to ‘educate’ the crew to his perspective: that you have selective empathy, since you’re pack predators. He chastised several crew members for taking joy in killing you.”

Mynek leaned forward with interest, and jotted down some notes. Thyon’s last line was helpful; it exonerated me of enjoying the bombing. The mission was a necessary imperative, and I heeded the call. Had I figured out a way to cure them, or let them live out their days where they couldn’t harm us, I would’ve done it. Perhaps my Venlil lawyer could latch onto this when we questioned the Farsul.

Testimonies – Day 22

The trial had been going downhill since the cross-examination of Thyon. The Farsul had spit back human rhetoric about my offer to capture that predator with the crippled ship, saying that I offered to let it watch Earth fall, as the last of its kind. No doubt he had been coached by Iglesias on that response. Mynek wandered right into that trap, like the foolish Venlil he was.

Of course humans would use trickery and predatory tactics. They don’t fight fair, even in battles of words.

The attorneys followed Thyon’s appearance with another cheap shot, bringing up that old “predator attack” case on Nishtal as “motive” for my hatred of humans. Mynek couldn’t get it disallowed, despite its irrelevance and disrespect to the Krakotl victim. Just to mock my former work, they proceeded to call in some William Kane buffoon, who supposedly worked at an extermination office on Venlil Prime. It glared daggers at me throughout its testimony, while claiming the Intestine-Eater was a Venlil.

Why were they allowed to spread falsehoods in court? Mynek didn’t push back, despite how sensitive that case was to me; the Venlil was an atrocious lawyer, and that proved it. Obviously, humans were being deceitful, claiming an herbivore could do such things. The most I was willing to believe was that Terrans conspired to frame a Venlil, just to get back at me. I was pleased that part of the trial was over, though the worst was still ahead.

A pit of dread settled in my chest, as I studied the room from my perch-chair. It was obvious what the last several witnesses had been leading up to; “Peacekeepers” (what a laughable name!) stationed near Bengaluru, workers at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, and MARCOS soldiers and predator doctors who spoke with Arjun after my capture. He hadn’t visited me in prison, so I had no idea what terribleness he’d been roped into.

The child didn’t even look at me as he entered, keeping his eyes on the floor. His walk was lethargic and clumsy, and I resisted the urge to squawk for his attention. Arjun didn’t seem eager to be here, which might mean that his mind wasn’t clouded by bloodthirst yet. If it was, he would be chomping at the bit for my execution! Relief flooded through me, watching the kid get sworn in.

The lawyer went through the customary procedure of asking his basic information, before launching into her true questions. “Arjun, can you describe your initial encounter with Captain Kalsim? Do you know why he chose to take you hostage?”

“Um, he said that I was a bargaining chip, ma’am. He said that humans value our children, so I was a useful prisoner. Then his crew member talked about using me as a living shield, and Kalsim ordered the doctor to sedate me…‘like Marcel.’”

The reaction of the herbivore judges to that predatory comment was apparent; their horror was starker than the Terran observers. The name Marcel triggered a certain imagery, after what happened on Sovlin’s ship. That was a misleading picture, given that I had objected to Zarn’s glee over that predator’s torture from the start.

That’s all wrong! I protected Arjun! I let him go…I stopped the others from killing him.

Alejandra gave an encouraging nod. “What’s the next thing you remember?”

“I…I woke up tied in rope…it was so tight, it cut into my skin. I was gagged, and Kalsim untied me so I could talk.” The kid’s brown eyes grew watery with tears, which spilled over onto his cheeks. His voice quavered. “Then he tried to convince me humans are vicious…and we needed to die. Because our growth is a threat.”

I flapped my wings in disgust. Arjun was recounting my words to frame me in the worst possible light. The Federation observers watched this performance, as his predatory features contorted with misery. This was the star witness, who was serving me up to certain execution. His testimony was supposed to reflect how I’d worked to protect him…how he didn’t want me to die!

The present testimony made it evident that I was going to lose this case. Sparing the human child had done me no favors; his predatory kin weaponized him against me, and he didn’t realize it. Why should I even bother to listen to anything else said in this guise of a courtroom? I was ready for the Terrans to get this pretend trial over with, and issue the preordained guilty verdict.

Second Half of the Trial - The Verdict 

A/N - The mystery one-shot, which is a topic requested many times! Kalsim's trial unfolds, and we see the core human arguments and the Venlil trying to defend him. Thyon and Arjun's testimony play out, with Earth seeming to have an airtight case. Is the verdict a foregone conclusion, as our birdbrain thinks?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting! New series launches Sunday, back on the VFP update schedule.