The Nature of Predators - Bonus Chapter #1

Memory transcription subject: Cheln, Diplomatic Advisor of the Venlil Republic

Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136 

[Context: Takes place a few hours after NoP 4, when the Federation were driven off. Cheln passed out in Part 2 from Noah's smile.]

My eyes fluttered open, finding myself sprawled out on a couch in the governor’s mansion. My head pounded something fearsome, and I wondered if this was the aftermath of an extravagant party with some politicians. That would explain why I had zero recollection of my surroundings.

Grogginess ensnared me in a dizzy fog, and made my thoughts a muddled mess. My vision tunneled with my attempt to stand, twisting as though contorted through a kaleidoscope. The golden walls looked like a waxy mirage, as they glistened and shimmered in the natural light. Pressing my paws to my ringing ears, all willpower poured into squeezing some memory out of my noncompliant brain.

I don’t think I’m quite right. What is the last thing I remember?

Details trickled back in increments, but it only took a fraction of remembrance to elicit my horror. Predators had just commenced their occupation of Venlil Prime, right outside this very building. Governor Tarva restrained General Kam from mounting any resistance, instead concocting a wild scheme to mollify the vicious conquerors. She viewed it all as some sort of game we could navigate.

This was the most difficult instance of my career to support the Governor’s policies. I was an instrumental piece to maintain a diplomatic facade, so my attendance at the landing was non-negotiable. Of course, entertaining predators was psychosis. Our first glimpse at the creatures proved that they weren’t civilized.

“Ugly bastards were drooling at the thought of being near us,” I slurred.

There was a revolting candor in the humans’ introductory snarls. The lips betrayed what honeyed words concealed. The moment of their landing was one where I questioned all my life decisions, and stood paralyzed as the astronauts lumbered toward us. All I recalled was every instinct screaming to take cover, then nothing.

The damn humans must’ve attacked on sight, which explained why I felt like I’d been bludgeoned across the head. That “Noah” monstrosity seemed the most savage of the two, from his facial expressions. He was probably the first to suggest taking our envoy hostage, and the possibility enticed “Sara” as well.

Oh no…I was their prisoner now, wasn’t I? They must be selecting the sauces to lather my flesh in while I languished here, or mapping out some torture fantasies to enact.

I have to try to get out of here, I thought. Where are Governor Tarva, and General Kam? I wonder what gruesome fate has befallen them.

As my addled mind began to conjure up a plan, predatory voices rumbled down the hallway. Panic swelled in my chest, and the ache in my skull intensified. They were approaching from the only entrance in or out of the room, so there was nowhere to run.

Acting on primal impulse, I dropped to the ornate tile and rolled under the couch. Claustrophobia set in at once, as I realized how cramped the crawl space was. There was a creak as the door swung open, and the female astronaut sauntered in. When the other option was to fall into the humans’ clutches, being squished by furniture sounded like a picnic.

“We’ve got to check on Cheln,” Sara said in a firm tone.

“I don’t know that he’ll be happy to see us.” Noah’s gruff voice thundered through the chamber. “Especially given the Venlil were all hoping for the Federation to kill us, last time he was up and about.”

My heart slipped into my stomach, and the last of my hope evaporated with that statement. The humans couldn’t have unraveled our treacherous plot, and thwarted it that easily. What had they done to Tarva to extort that information? Had they forced her to rescind the distress signal? The vicious primates must be enraged by the treachery; they’d want to teach us a lesson. Our ultimate fate would be even darker now.

Tarva and Kam entered close behind Sara, flicking their ears at Noah as he lingered to hold the door. The pair of them didn’t have any ruffles in their fur, and looked much calmer than I remembered. That was enough to confuse me. The Venlil general exuded hostility during every threat assessment meeting; his demeanor had undergone a complete reversal in the time I’d been out.

“Where did he go?” the Governor said. “Cheln?”

Noah narrowed his eyes, pressing a hand to his chin. He scanned the room in a handful of seconds; the conqueror’s brown irises darted about in a disconcerting dance. It was the visage of a predator scanning foliage for signs of movement, and utilizing every detail to locate its food.

I tried to stop breathing, muffling all hints of motion or life. Somehow, the human’s eyes landed right on my hiding spot. It was as though some otherworldly sense tipped off of my location. He raised his brows, in a way that suggested hunger or intrigue. Every instinct howled that I was in grave peril.

He’s looking right at me. Those eyes…they’re so direct. He might as well be pointing a gun at me, with that ocular intensity.

Noah dropped to the floor, and I gaped at his massive forepaws. The lack of claws did little to ease my fears; those mitts were large enough to wrap around my throat. His digits were naturally attuned to gripping objects, in a way our rigid toes were not.

“Hi buddy.” The predator looked straight at me, analyzing my huddled form. “I’m sorry for scaring you like that earlier. I was just trying to be friendly, not to make you faint. We had no idea about the Arxur, and what you guys have been through.”

“You k-know about the Arxur? And the Federation is gone?” I screeched. “Oh stars, we’re finished. Please, just kill me quickly.”

General Kam cleared his throat. “Cheln, these pred…sorry. These humans don’t act like the grays at all. We told them everything, freely, and we decided not to involve the Federation.”

The throbbing in my head intensified, no doubt agitated by the delusional explanation I just heard. I couldn’t be hearing this right. The Republic prevented our allies from taking care of the predator problem, without any coercion?! Instead, Tarva elected to cozy up to these humans, and let them roam our planet unrestricted. Why could I not have just remained unconscious, for the duration of this fiasco?

I don’t imagine the task, of explaining this shit-brained decision to the public, will fall to anyone else. At least our apocalypse will be softened by some flowery words.

It was apparent that the plan the Governor outlined, about engaging in normal behavior and concealing our emotions, was an absolute failure. By all metrics, she failed to protect the lives of her people. Informing predatory scouts about what a soft target we were to the Arxur bordered on suicide. The incredible part was that the Terrans hadn’t gone for the kill yet.

This Noah apologized for frightening me, when he should be mocking me. The grays would’ve reveled in our terror, and done their best to elicit that reaction again. Predators just loved when their prey squealed and writhed at their claws; it made the catch all the more savory.

“They know about the Arxur?” I mumbled.

Sara tilted her head. “Uh, you just asked that. Governor, maybe I’m applying human standards, but I think Cheln might have a concussion.”

“His head did smack the pavement pretty hard,” Tarva replied. “I heard an audible thud.”

Noah slid a paw under the couch, and I shrank away quickly. My head whacked against the upholstery; a pained yelp burst from my throat. It felt like someone was inflating a balloon inside my skull. I flopped back in a daze, trying to blink the stars out of my sight.

“Let’s get some ice on that, shall we? You need to rest,” the male human growled. “Everything is going to be alright. You can trust us.”

I groaned. “Trust you? As if.”

The predator’s lips curved down. “What would it take for you to believe that we come in peace? I want you to get it, bud.”

“I’d need you to be a different species.”

“Well…I’m afraid I can’t shapeshift.”

The dry humor sparked amusement, in spite of myself. I was aware how unfair my statement sounded, when the implication was that I’d damned them on sight. Everything about humans repulsed me though; I couldn’t imagine a world where we had normal relations. Still, it was illogical to have no boundaries to change my mind.

Then again, these weren’t just any predators; they were a known, malicious race. Had Governor Tarva forgotten about the Federation’s records, which showed them gassing their own people in waves? Torching cities to the ground with “napalm”, and invading their neighbors with standing armies? Humanity sounded like an exact replica of the Arxur, from that dossier.

“Cheln, I can see you’re in no condition to be writing speeches,” Tarva said gently. “But the media has been summoned, and our friends are going to appear on television with me.”

Sara shared a glance with the governor. “I think your leader would like your help. We come from a very different culture, but we’d like to get this right.”

“There is no getting this right!” I spat.

“Can we at least give it a try?”

There was no sense in hiding, I told myself. These astronauts knew where I was, and if they wanted to, they could drag me out without any trouble. I was concussed, if the female human’s prognosis was correct. Where did I think I was going to go, cornered with my cover blown?

I crawled out from under the furniture, stretching my legs. Noah extended his arm, seeing how unsteady I looked; the offering must have been intended to help me balance. Touching the predator sickened me, but I didn’t trust myself to walk. It took all of my courage to drape one forepaw over his limb, and allow myself to be coaxed back onto the sofa.

Just keep your eyes shut, and don’t look at him. Pretend it’s a strong prey animal.

The male human guided my head onto a pillow, while Sara retrieved a pair of sunglasses from a dresser. She slid them around my ears, muting the harsh light around me. I gaped as she tugged the curtains closed on the windows; it was almost as though these monsters were sympathetic to my pain.

“How are you going to go on camera? Like that?” I whimpered.

Noah stepped back. “Like what?”

“Everything about you humans is so…predatory. You can’t have your eyes showing for a broadcast to the world. Not to mention teeth baring, the way your voice sounds like growling, how your head snaps around. You don’t want anything that’ll conflate you with the Arxur.”

Governor Tarva lowered her ears. “They are predators, Cheln. They can’t help that, and the Venlil people were already told that much.”

I palmed my aching head. “Do you want a bunch of scared people to like them, or at least to tolerate them?”

“Yes.”

“Your best chance at getting through to people is to make a quiet appearance. Standing there and doing nothing would rattle expectations, I think. Most importantly, the predators need to cover their faces.”

The governor flicked her ears in approval, then gave the humans an inquisitive head tilt. The predators began to chatter about retrieving their vac suits, and Noah scampered off with enthusiasm. Sara snickered as he stumbled, and the male responded by sticking his tongue out at her. Maybe I misjudged the chilling beasts; they hadn’t harmed me in this state of vulnerability.

What if they were just excited to meet us? They hadn’t even batted an eye at hiding their defining features, or not speaking in their own offer of friendship. I felt a small pang of pity, knowing how the media would rake them through the coals, all the same. The public would dissect and second-guess their every move, and I didn’t believe that a predator could withstand such scrutiny.

If this human and Venlil partnership lasted more than a week, I would be amazed.

A/N - First bonus chapter done! Thought a continuation of first contact would be enjoyable, especially with a new perspective. Let me know if you guys want to see more stuff like this, and if there's any formatting changes you'd like. 

I am open to requests, though that of course hinges on me coming up with an idea to work with. Some potential bonus content I've been thinking of too, if anything catches your eye:

1) A prequel narrative, either of when the Federation first found humanity, or after our presumed extinction

2) Slanek first learning about humans/talking with Marcel

3) Nulia adapting to Earth, possibly from a human POV

4) "Expert" testimony from the Federation floor, between Noah's speech and the final vote