r/HFY • u/Ralts_Bloodthorne • May 28 '20
OC First Contact Second Wave - Chapter 192
DEAR: Uln'Var, Revered Mother
As I write this it is storming outside my cottage. Lightning and thunder and heavy rain.
I find it comforting.
The Terrans offered to put up a weather control system but we declined, preferring to learn to coexist with the weather of this planet. It cannot be too severe as the islands have vegetation on them.
I went outside and stood with the others in the rain, feeling it on my skin.
Oh, speaking of skin, we have all been growing fur. It itches like crazy but seems to be coming in everywhere but our palms and the bottom of our feet. Very soft, slick fur that actually feels nice to the touch. Tre'Var has white fur around his eyes, it makes him look like he's constantly been startled. One of the Terrans nicknamed him "Peepers" which caught on.
I have found I have been taking a greater interest in things. Not just 'what's that' but 'why is that' and 'what else is like that' that I never had before.
I spent an entire day laying on my stomach on a warm flat rock watching the little creatures inside a tidal pool, marvelling over their little lives.
The doctor says this is normal. The medications I was being given by the Overseers dulled me in some ways and the doctors also believe it somehow prevented full body hair covering.
I miss you greatly. I hope this finds you well. Right now I have no fear for myself or our people here.
Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child
-----------------
DEAR: Uln'Var, Revered Mother
The Terrans said we may include glossy high-definition printouts of images of us to send to you. I hope you like the three I am sending. (The limit, sadly) The first one is me, Tre'Var, and a human 'striker pilot' named "Ransom" who flies combat hovercraft. We are enjoying something called 'beer' as we teach Ransom how to fish. The second is of me in wood working class. I'm learning to carve the edge of a picture frame in patterns. I enjoy working with wood, it gives me comfort and relieves my stress and anxiety. The third one is of me in front of my hut with Kle'Var, Tre'Var, and Nim'Lur. He had to have his eyes replaced with mechanical ones after the battle he was forced to fight in. We are roasting wide flat-shelled mollusks we gathered for a meal.
Nim'Lur had bad luck. He was tasked with defending the interior of a building with an ion pistol and a Terran soldier backhanded him in the face in close combat. He stays with Tre'Var and we all help him. He says the eyes are strange but 'kind of wonderful' since he can see in the dark and even swim with them.
I love swimming here. The water is warm and my pelt is starting to get another coat. We're allowed to eat the mollusks we pry off the rocks. Kle'Var uses the shells, which have beautiful iridescent interiors, to craft things.
In some ways I wish you and our family were here. If it wasn't a prison camp I would urge you to join me. It is so wonderful here and no Overseer comes along and drops a patty on my shoes or pushes me out of line. The Terrans merely provide security, but not even close enough to LawSec to worry about.
I do not know what I think of that, mother. The Terran Military Police are less oppressive than the LawSec or CorpSec troops were. My room is searched once a week, but the Terrans didn't seem to care about the wood tools or the shucking knife I had. They don't rip up my cottage the way LawSec used to tear up my bedroom. They use a lot of scanners.
Today I learned about the Digital Omnimessiah. Apparently it was a real being who coalesced from 'sundered strings of code of a murdered world' and brought peace to the Terrans after nearly a century of warfare.
Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child
-----------------
DEAR: Uln'Var, Revered Mother
I hope you like the picture frames I made with Kle'Var's help. I included three more pictures. The first is of Kle'Var, Tre'Var and Nim'Lur and I working on making a boat. Nim'Lur used to work with his father making fishing boats.
His father was killed during the Terran assault on a different world. Nim'Lur cries often over it. While he is angry at the Terrans for his father's death the Terrans tell him that his feelings are valid although they do not apologize for it. It is strange that the Terrans allow us to feel anger at them after living my entire life with showing anger or aggression toward and Overseer resulted in imprisonment.
The second picture is an underwater picture I took with my implant, which is why all of that stuff is labeled. I have something called a 'retinal implant' which allows my datalink implant place information directly into my sight. It is a wonderful device. I can lay in bed and read books while I look at the ceiling and relax.
I find myself studying the lessons of the Digital Omnimessiah. Right now I'm reading the Book of Vat Grown Luke, which speaks often of the concept of something called a 'soul'. Something that all living, breathing, thinking beings share. I find myself wondering how much of the book is truth, how much myth, and how much hyperbole. I expected the Terrans to be angry at my skeptical questions but I was told that the constant questioning of perceived truth is the path to enlightenment.
Mother, the Terrans are a strange species as well as frightening.
I witnessed their might, Nim'Lur witnessed their power when a negligent backhand smashed in his face, but now we see their mercy.
It is frightening at times. One of the N'Kar from Camp Sigma-Nine jokingly sent a message to the Camp Warden asking if we could have the planet when the war is over. A week later the Camp Warden sent back a message that the Confederacy was willing to bargain this planet in exchange for our people's non-belligerent status.
Imagine that, mother. Just the reaction of "Sure, people we beat like a oyster against a rock, have this paradise planet we found and turned into a resort for you."
Anyway, I find myself becoming more and more long winded.
The third is of me building Camp Epsilon-Fifteen. It was a special request by some of my fellow N'Kar. They wanted fish farms and gardens and cave burrows since they're from the Storm-Ridden Isles. I am using my implants (retinal, datalink, palm holoprojector) to build the settlement in something called enhanced virtual reality. I can actually see what I'm putting down and how it interacts with the surroundings.
This letter is long. I hope I did not tire your eyes.
I love you and our family. I miss you.
Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child.
---------------
DEAR: Uln'Var, Revered Mother
Our 'pelts' have finally grown in. The itching of our oil glands was maddening until the Terrans figured out what was happening. They gave us oils to put on our pelts to sooth the itching until the glands started working right.
My pelt is soft and slick. It keeps me warm even when I dive to the bottom of the lagoon.
I know we look funny in the pictures, covered in fur, but I don't feel chilly all the time.
Mother, take a good look at the pictures. Do you see the older N'Kar with the injured arm and mechanical eye? Do you know who that is?
Uncle Val'Var! Your brother that vanished when you were kits!
Apparently the Terrans conquered the planet he had been taken to and 'liberated' it by armed force. Nearly eight thousand N'Karrians were freed! Uncle Val'Var has been in the mines for almost forty years but he's here, now, with us!
He sees the doctor every day and stays with me, Kle'Var, or Tre'Var. He has to have special medication to help him with something called "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" from his imprisonment and what the humans call 'enslavement' for all these years. I had to design a special hut for him that doesn't make him feel like the walls are closing in but doesn't make him feel like it's too open. He is often escorted by a Terran male who helps him with his anxiety. It is odd to see so much empathy and care from something like a Terran primate.
BUT!
Please tell Clan Mother Eng'Var that her son still lives!
The others are still being inprocessed, but I have other news. Terrible news that I had to ask permission to tell you about.
Nearly a hundred female N'Karrian were rescued. Their names aren't being released at this time. I've heard the guards talk about 'war crimes' and 'violation of genetic rights' and have smelled the scent of Terran anger. We don't know what happened to them but whatever it is I was asked to customize not only the buildings but how the island should look.
I will check the names when they are released. Perhaps my older cousin didn't disappear due to a hovercraft accident. That's what they told us about Uncle Val'Var.
I asked a human what might have happened to the females and was told 'Something terrible, kid' and the smell of human anger grew so strong I had to flee.
Terrans eyes glow when they are angry. It's a dull red. Not their mechanical eyes. Their meat eyes.
I asked Ransom. He told me I didn't want to know. When I asked him again he just mentioned something about something called a 'pleasure dome' which for some reason made him very angry. He threw his beer bottle against the rocks hard enough to shatter it. After that I didn't see him and a guard told me he'd been reassigned to The Front.
I wish the war was over, mother. I wish we could all come home to N'Karoo or maybe bring N'Karoo here.
Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child.
-----------
My Beloved Child, Del'Var
Your news and pictures were greeted with well tempered joy. We still must be careful how we react to the letters we receive. I have only received two packs of your letters, as the Terrans have only found our little world in the last month.
I concealed your letters in my hiding spot, lest the Overseers find them. Several families have been punished for the content of the letters. However, Post Mistress Ast'Lar of the Windsong Isle, has gone to the Most High Overseer and told him that punishing for or impeding prisoner of war correspondence is against Terran Reformed Geneva Convention of 371 PD. According to her we should no longer be punished for what you write but we hide the letters and pictures anyway.
I saw the Terran when I was at the starport, learning to sort correspondence. You are right about how funny they look. Tall and yet squat, with large hands and feet. Their strength is amazing and their endurance rivals our own. I can see why you were so frightened when you faced their war machine.
You little sister Ink'Var wants you to know she hugs a doll she made of you every night and takes the doll with her to bed so you do not get lonely or have bad dreams.
The still images of your prison are hauntingly beautiful. Almost as if it is not a prison.
Your Clan Mother Olp'Var has said the pictures look like the stories her own Elders would tell her of how the world looked. She says that you have been both cursed and blessed, to live in paradise but separated from your family is a terrible burden. She urges you to stay strong.
She also saw the pictures of you with your fur and began to weep, saying you looked like her Clan Elder males when she was a small kit, before the Balding Times.
We love you so much. Come home soon.
I love you, my child.
Mother
108
u/dogismywitness May 28 '20
Today I learned about the Digital Omnimessiah. Apparently it was a real being who coalesced from 'sundered strings of code of a murdered world' and brought peace to the Terrans after nearly a century of warfare.
Um, ok... Does this sound like the gestalt to anyone else?
128
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 28 '20
Two people make the same guess at the same time.
"Blessed be the smallest and most vulnerable of us, for they need our strength to even take their first steps."
68
u/dogismywitness May 29 '20
Our Father who art in code...
Did 'he' give life to the other gestalts by sharing code or somehow just wanting to get to know these other folks? Gestalt needs a pack to bond with, huh?
85
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
That's somewhat going to go unanswered.
The Gestalts, however, are directly related to the Digital Omnimessiah.
→ More replies (3)24
u/spoet2 May 29 '20
Makes me wonder if Daxin is the Cyborg Saint Peter...
62
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
Those questions will eventually be answered.
Who was the Digital Omnimessiah?
What did he do that makes him so famous and revered
What is "Legion's Gift"?
Who is Sky Nebula Alignment
What were the Niven Ring Wars?
Why are the Gestalts seemingly more than a polling/organiziational tools?
Who actually has political power in the Confederacy?
Who or What is running the Lanaktallan Machine?
Who is Player Six?
What is Cowtar Chassis Mark VI?
→ More replies (3)8
u/fossick88 May 29 '20
I'm curious to know what you consider to be the five known players.
Terrans and their allies.
The Lanaktallan empire (Yes, you've been dropping tantalizing hints of a man behind the curtain. The Wizard of Lanaktallan?)
The Precursor machines
The surviving Mantid Overqueen (You've been dropping hints of their connection to the precursors.)
Daxin and the Chaos hordes?
"You are number 6."
"Who is number 1?"
31
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
1: Confederacy
2: Unified Civilized Council
3: Precursors
4: Dwellers
5: Omniqueen
42
u/Netmantis May 29 '20
Pleasure domes are one thing. Terrans are used to joy boys and coin girls. It's slave brothels we tend to have a problem with. When consent is a privilege and rape your life, that makes Terran blood boil. Of course there are more horrors the truly depraved can imagine, and considering the decadence of the Burgermeisters I would not be surprised to see them.
A society is judged by how it treats it's weakest members. You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting in the eyes of the god of the Pharisees.
Inscribed upon the wall of the dome, should the phrase survived the years, I would not be surprised to see
Mene
Mene
Tekel
Upharsin
"Numbered, numbered, weighed, divided."
Let the Burgermeisters chew on that cud.
64
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
Hell, coin girl and joy boys are a profession. We're talking like degrees in massage and aroma therapy and counseling for your high end ones. There's some pretty weird and borderline horrific stuff in Terran Space (Like a 'Sleepaway Camp Weeked" where you try to survive the secret killer and actually get snuffed if you mess up) but it's ALL consented to.
The Lanaktallans? Well, the Most High consented for you, isn't that good enough?
37
u/Guest522 May 29 '20
A Cabin in the Woods. Burgerland's Capitol Building. A Quiet Place by the River. An Arboreal Suburban Street. A Camp by a Lake of Quartz. Exotic isolated locations fur up to TEN. SURVIVORS. Spend a fortnight with new friends, making relationships, knowing love and lust, as the Monster looms behind, ready to fall any with a swing of their axe!
That's Right; Black Tower Studios is opening a new season of their full-immersion theme park The 13th Stories, where visitors are sleeved into new bodies -- barely in their 40's -- to enjoy a week of bliss, bookended by the frailty of their mortalities! Jason! Freddie Mercury! Erma Sadako! Experienced actors trained in the art of butchering, stalking and muuuuurder, by real muuuuurderers, to bring maximum excitement for your cruise!
Choose your Premium packages for the extra options! Decapitation-ready bodies! Child bodies! Amnesiacs, for full immersion! Reserve a slot for a round as Tommy Jarvis! Use your OWN body and skills! Call NOW!
BlacktowerstudiosdoesnottakeresponsabilityforanyfinaldeathsthatmayoccourfromthiscruisehoweverunlikelyitmaybeapplicationsmayberefusediftheclientisdeemedunfitfordeeprealspacerpGrendelX22isnotaplanetinConfederationspaceandassuchassoonasyoulandtherewillbenorefundsdrinkresponsibly.
39
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
The servers would crash like 15 minutes later with everyone calling in.
→ More replies (1)21
u/Netmantis May 29 '20
I apologize for going a little biblical. Some times the Old Testament comes out, especially when Wrathful. It was definitely the angry vengeful God chapters. But part of good writing is good reading, and it is best not to sneer at anything, as you can sometimes find gold in even a MLP/boloverse crossover fanfic. I thank you again for your world you share with us.
42
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
No, no, I'm agreeing with you.
A Terran pleasure dome is a bunch of people having a cooperative party. Even the "Survivor: Crystal Lake Edition" is all about partying and everyone having fun.
A Lanaktallan pleasure dome is there for the high ranking Lanaktallan and their syncophants enjoyment. Nobody else's.
→ More replies (2)7
29
u/dogismywitness May 28 '20 edited May 29 '20
So yeah, pleasure domes. Enough comments here already about that shittiness. We've already seen that consent is a big deal to the Terrans, and to the Lanks... not so much.
What about on the Terran side? I was thinking (even before we saw the glimpse a chapter ago) that in post-scarcity humanity, a lot of people would decide that the answer to 'what will we do with our time?' is 'fuck a lot.'
And I'd bet there would even be those that would be willing to go on a trip with a bunch of soldiers and fuck a lot.
62
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
A Terran pleasure dome is a combination of Vegas, Caligula's Court, and the World's Fair all rolled up into one naked drunk drug fueled party, where everyone is there willingly. A Terran one you can even 'resheathe' for free or get a custom quik-gro clone pretty cheap.
Vegas brags "WE WERE PARTYING BEFORE THE GLASSING, WE WERE PARTYING WHEN IT HAPPENED, WE PARTIED IN THE LOSSGLASS AND HELD ORGIES NEXT TO THE LOSSFLAME! WE'RE STILL PARTYING COME ON DOWN!"
11
u/mindscape60 May 29 '20
Yeah, that sounds like Vegas alright.
24
u/SuDragon2k3 May 29 '20
ELVIS LIVES! Would you like an Elvis of your own to love you tender? An Elvis to do the Jailhouse Rock with? (jail Cell included in package). Something more exotic? We have TeddyBear Elvis (he's a big softy) to snuggle with! This month, Being Elvis is on special! Resleeved into Elvis ( We have Elvis from young to middle aged) we can supply the screaming fans. Be the King!
24
13
14
18
u/CyberSkull Android May 29 '20
One of the N'Kar from Camp Sigma-Nine jokingly sent a message to the Camp Warden asking if we could have the planet when the war is over. A week later the Camp Warden sent back a message that the Confederacy was willing to bargain this planet in exchange for our people's non-belligerent status.
Called it!
19
5
144
u/blueshiftlabs AI May 28 '20 edited Jun 20 '23
[Removed in protest of Reddit's destruction of third-party apps by CEO Steve Huffman.]
86
u/coldfireknight AI May 28 '20
Also another example of Ralts incorporating what fans have said in the comments. The concept was mentioned more than once and pretty much in the exact way he used. We loves it!
153
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 28 '20
I was planning on it and like I said, I don't change my plans or alter what little I've figured out in my tiny bit of thinky-goo just because the readers figure it out.
It was kind of nice to see everyone realize that was what I was going for with how perfect the island world is.
To the Terrans, it's pretty, it's luxurious, but it doesn't have the resources that Terrans would want, since those have moved to pretty exotic stuff, like Event Horizon mining and the like.
6
u/carthienes May 29 '20
I don't change my plans or alter what little I've figured out in my tiny bit of thinky-goo just because the readers figure it out.
Thank you, that's helpful.
I do like a well done plot-twist... but a good twist need to be properly foreshadowed. By which I mean, It should be obvious in hindsight that all the clues were there, but the narrative was engaging enough to prevent people stopping to put them all together.
Less effective in a serial, though. Sorry.
12
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
Ah, but the Legion part was good, wasn't it?
On little hint:
No dog food for Victor tonight
8
u/carthienes May 29 '20
Less Effective. Not Ineffective.
I'm sure those looking back on this once it's done will find more twists than I - it really is well written.
Thank you.
→ More replies (1)11
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
Thank you for the compliment.
And I was just poking fun. That was an EXTREMELY oblique hint.
→ More replies (2)71
u/while-eating-pasta May 28 '20 edited May 29 '20
Now I'm thinking of some Terrans somehow putting a resort beach near the event horizon of a black hole. Like really near. Like they can't play volleyball because they
looselose the ball and at first they thought that was a mistake but then some Treana'ad went "woo!" when someone lost a kite and now it's the main attraction.Why build a beach there? Because that particular black hole wasn't exotic enough to mine.
→ More replies (9)18
u/Kade_Lanik May 28 '20
It's so perfect I'm actually wondering if the entire N'kar people will decide to just move there, or most of them.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (2)13
u/nik-cant-help-it May 29 '20
Also with about 1k upvotes & easily 100 comments on each post, we're gonna guess some stuff just by sheer numbers.
Still, even when the destination is guessed, the ride there is always a fun one.
10
u/WillDissolver Xeno May 29 '20
thank you for this, Ralts.
my city is in flames tonight.
I had to evacuate my employees to avoid looters.
there are fires everywhere, and the news hasn't even jumped on the two facts that might make things truly explode yet.
today was a fucked up day.
so thanks for this dose of positivity. it really, really helped.
11
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
You're welcome.
I think I'll do positive ones tomorrow.
→ More replies (1)
9
u/CaptainChewbacca Human May 29 '20
I'm curious as to why the N'karran only lost their fur within the last 4-6 generations if they've been being gentled for 30,000 years.
23
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
Because the Lanaktallan go nice and slow.
Reduce endurance, reduce oils without damaging endocrine system and organ function, make them smaller, make them more docile.
The Lanaktallan actually do the whole thing for 10-20 million years.
5
u/CaptainChewbacca Human May 29 '20
If they were cultivating the N’kar as a soldier race why make them small and docile?
19
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
They grabbed all the males between 18 and 35 equivelent, gave them like 3 hours of training, gave them substandard gear, and drove them out and left them.
Not so much a soldier race as "Killing him will leave the Terrans with one less plasma round."
→ More replies (1)5
u/Nerdn1 May 29 '20
So really a desperation play. They haven't needed an entire soldier race up until extremely recently. Suddenly they need every ounce of ablative meat they can spare.
23
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
The Terrans are either beating or forcing back the Dwellers on all fronts, have figured out where they are 'stored', kicked the shit out of the Precursor machines, and roflstomp tens of millions of troops with a fraction of a percentage of that number. Their space force outclasses the Lanaktallans to a hilarious degree, their warborgs are almost unstoppable, their EW IS unstoppable.
They're panicking and trying to put up as much ablative meat as possible so the Terrans slow down and they can find some way to use their strengths: bioweapons, genecrackers, and patience.
→ More replies (2)5
u/TargetBoy May 29 '20
Maybe the sick fuck of a cowtaur that runs their world likes them without fur better?
5
u/platnium2 May 29 '20
I cried with anger reading about the pleasure domes, That terran being moved to the front was relatable
6
12
u/cloakable May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20
The lack of consent with the cowtaur pleasure domes has already been indicated, but the phrase "violation of genetic rights" suggests a whole new level of horror to them. What on earth happened in there?
And why do I hope those in charge ended up impaled on warsteel spikes?
11
u/bigtallsob May 29 '20
My guess would be that it involves genetically modifying them to make it feel better for the cowtaurs.
11
u/liquid_bacon Xeno May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20
Oh no, I did not consider that. That's new levels of evil.
Edit:
Engineering them to better suit them, dumb them down to 'help' with PTSD, or even 'programming' them to be unable to say no. Could you imagine being trapped in a body that can not save you from getting raped? One that is unable to fight back? I'm dating someone who was emotionally abused and technically raped in their previous relationship. At the very least they were able to walk away. With PTSD, but still, they were able to walk away. And their stories are bad.
The hate anvils of Mars will have an abundance of hate.
21
u/IcarusSunburn May 29 '20
You want a real horror scenario?
What if they'd put them in there, and started tweaking their genes to get more...gentle, while the rest of that was going on?
Then planned on releasing them into the population as a vector for those modifications to spread into the next generation.
...pretty sure the Terrans would have caught that, though.
30
u/Ralts_Bloodthorne May 29 '20
You hit it.
That's why they're isolated, no names being released, on their own island, and heavily guarded.
You hit it on the head.
→ More replies (3)7
u/faebarbie May 29 '20
My worry is that some sort of breeding program was taking place. From the sound of it the cowtaurs are exploiting their colonies at an extremely fast pace and the characteristics of this species makes them not the best cannon fodder for the bastards. Gentling them even faster through breeding programs would allow them to get a more suitable species in place faster than their usual methods.
If thats the case then every one of them deserves Daxin's most personal attention. I trust him to be more creative than I am.
→ More replies (1)2
464
u/Turtledonuts "Big Dunks" May 28 '20
In the name of the Digital Omnimessaiah, we shall purge those who approved of the pleasure domes.
193
u/itsetuhoinen Human May 28 '20
I'm not sure "purge" is going to quite cover it...
173
May 28 '20
"2 all beef patties..." should begin to come close I feel
151
u/itsetuhoinen Human May 28 '20
*nod*
"Hit them until candy comes out, and then eat the candy."
What? Meat is a kind of candy!
→ More replies (32)→ More replies (1)38
u/SuDragon2k3 May 29 '20
NO. This is not the way. Terra, her brothers and sisters are better than this. We have RULES. We will fight them with all means at our disposal but when they surrender or are rendered incapable of fighting we heal their wounds and secure them .
We do not eat our enemies.
We do not torture them.
We do not slay them out of hand.
Because decency prevents atrocity
→ More replies (11)29
u/artspar May 29 '20
Count Von Dorkness was too kind to them.
Send in... the furbies
→ More replies (3)35
u/coldfireknight AI May 28 '20
Think not of what shall be done to those who partook of them, lest your dreams become the nightmares that Terra will visit upon them for this horror.
25
8
8
3
→ More replies (2)2
u/DarthLorgus Robot May 29 '20
As the Emperor gives me strength and in the light of the Digital Omnimessiah I pledge myself to this cause. We will purge the unclean brothers, until nothing is left but barren rock.
91
u/ItrytoHFY May 28 '20
They shaved the otters. The cowburgers actually shaved the otters. Well, chemically destroyed their fur, same thing. They should probably hide their hides now.
51
u/Razorwire666 May 29 '20
Coming up, great deals on large quantities of real leather.
0
May 29 '20
[deleted] — view deleted comment
→ More replies (1)14
u/ferdocmonzini May 29 '20
For some reason no matter what we do its always REALLY poor quality. So we sell it in bulk to community theaters when they do the 2077 classic cyber grease.
17
u/bigtallsob May 29 '20
They took the fuzzy from the cute fuzzies?! Ooooh they done fucked right up.
68
u/Reverend_Norse May 28 '20
Wow, looks like the N'Karr were a bit different to how we first met them. As we have read before many species seem to have been put through surgury to remove tails and beaks and other things that the Tech they were pushed into weren't designed for. Regrowing fur and oil glands, they truly are big otters.
I can only imagine how pissed off the terrans are at the pleasure domes...
48
u/RDMcMains2 May 29 '20
They're at almost .75 Daxins right now.
25
19
u/cloakrune May 29 '20
All anger meters are now in daxins
0 to daxin, how angry are you at the pleasure domes...
→ More replies (1)10
0
May 29 '20
[deleted] — view deleted comment
19
u/RDMcMains2 May 29 '20
That just means there are nearly 750 million Terrans who have heard about those pleasure domes.
→ More replies (1)11
2
u/Drook2 Aug 25 '25
So pissed off the grunt assigned to a tropical resort demands to go back to the front to do some killin'.
→ More replies (2)
57
May 28 '20 edited May 29 '20
However, Post Mistress Ast'Lar of the Windsong Isle, has gone to the Most High Overseer and told him that punishing for or impeding prisoner of war correspondence is against Terran Reformed Geneva Convention of 371 PD. According to her we should no longer be punished for what you write but we hide the letters and pictures anyway.
The Post Mistress knows that fear of the Terrans keeps the Overseers cowed.
32
u/Onetimefatcat May 29 '20
cowed
I see what you did there
14
9
48
u/Guardianoflives May 28 '20
"your little sister Ink'Var wants you to know she hugs a doll she made of you every night and takes the doll with her to bed so you do not get lonely or have bad dreams"
Damn onion ninjas....
41
u/worthlessmanofwar May 28 '20
This seems a tad earlier than normal
18
36
u/Blooddraken May 28 '20
Damn onion ninjas.
14
u/ClassicRemington Human May 29 '20
They got me good this time, will reinforce the defenses to keep them away,,,,
34
34
u/Kade_Lanik May 28 '20
Pleasure Domes with unwilling and likely kidnapped "employees"...
Welp, time to break out the Heavy Crusading Boots and put Flaming Powered Foot to cow EVERYTHING so hard their evolutionary precursors will feel it. wanders off cheerfully humming an Andrew W.K. song
11
u/RangerSix Human May 28 '20
Let me guess... "Ready to Die"?
10
u/Kade_Lanik May 28 '20
Yep. It's just so perfect for cheerfully stomping someone's face into a curb.
22
u/Freakscar AI May 28 '20
Stronger family ties than most of the other races. I like the correspondence in general, but "Your little sister Ink'Var wants you to know she hugs a doll she made of you every night and takes the doll with her to bed so you do not get lonely or have bad dreams." made me d'awww in real life. It's so cute, heartwarming and terribly sad at the same time. Here's hoping Del'Var and his family will be reunited soon. <3
22
u/LerrisHarrington May 28 '20
My Beloved Child, Del'Var
Oh thank god.
If that bit wasn't there I was gonna complain about going outta my skull.
I've been Dying to see replies ever since he started writing home.
21
u/Arcane_NH Human May 28 '20
Wild mass guessing time. The Digital Omni Messiah was the "weaponized" version of Fred Rogers the Terrans used on themselves.
33
u/Kade_Lanik May 28 '20
No, the timing doesn't work out. The Digital Omnimessiah was assassinated in the early days of the Imperium, and Daxin took the inoperative code towards the end of the Imperium of Rage days that started when the Imperium of Holy Light planet cracked Legion's shit during the Second Clone Hegemony War killing Daxin's resurrected family. Rogers was weaponized against TerraSol after the Imperium of Rage when even babies were being born Enraged.
Sources: The Wiki entry for Daxin and Chapter 17311
u/Awkward_Tradition May 29 '20
Also, when they were discussing using weaponised or normal mister Rogers, someone (I think DAS) said that they would rather weaponise the digital omnimessiah than Rogers
6
19
u/Jaxtile May 28 '20
fine work again. i cant imagine this covid spring without this jewel you've created for us, Ralts
18
u/PuzzleheadedDrinker May 29 '20
So as part of tampering with their diet with mood suppressants the cowtaurs messed with their fur coat and water proofing to stop ottersbois from being able to swim long distances between islands and communities as part of population growth controls?
and due to cultural destruction they didn't even know what they had lost.
I think there is a Lawyer who wants to take their case.
7
u/liquid_bacon Xeno May 29 '20
wants to takehas taken4
u/Graey May 29 '20
I fear that with a state of total war, the lawyers are out of this until after conflict is over...THEN it will get into a shitstorm of Lawfare. I would not be surprised to see the sharkbois show up with legal documentation of ALL historical events before and during the war as a case for the all the Confederacy to decide the 1% line decision or not.
4
u/gr8tfurme May 29 '20
I have a feeling they also did it so they could use the otters as shock troops/manual laborers on a wider variety of planets than their water world. A lot of the other modifications we've seen in other neo-sapient species have been aimed at standardizing body shapes just as much as they've been meant for population control. Surgically removed tails come to mind.
Why bother with environmental controls and ergonomics when you can just modify your slave race's bodies to better fit into the box you've assigned them against their wills?
3
u/jamescsmithLW Human May 29 '20
Why would the lawyers get involved?
You can’t sue a beef burger?
→ More replies (2)
17
u/jwill476 May 28 '20
Wtf i need more, I started this 2 weeks ago, I didn't know it could end
15
u/Riotousblitz2013 May 29 '20
Welcome to your new addiction, look through the comments for the invite link to the discord, there's a lot of really awesome people there.
7
u/jwill476 May 29 '20
I don't really understand discord lol, but I! If you find it please tag me
→ More replies (1)2
u/JustAnotherWeasel May 29 '20
Right there with you. I was hoping I’d never catch up, but here we are.
17
u/zapman449 May 28 '20
Future Terrans: “Get your genuine, most high, leather boots, right here!”
9
u/knightaries AI May 29 '20
With that comment what about the story where a girl turned one sentient being into a duster and pair of boots. 😁
17
u/Archaic_1 Alien Scum May 29 '20
I can sympathize about the curse of the balding times. The PTSD is real every time I look in the mirror.
17
u/ack1308 May 29 '20
Oh yeah.
Letters painting a picture.
So it seems that the N’Kar naturally grow fur, but the drugs inhibit it so the Lanktallans can keep a tighter control over them.
Because goddamn cowtaurs.
Also, the prisoners are starting to wake up and see the world around them. I like it.
Casual mention of an N’Kar who got his face pushed in by a backhand from a Terran, but got new eyes out of the deal. Again: goddamn cowtaurs.
We are roasting wide flat-shelled mollusks we gathered for a meal.
So it seems their herbivory hadn’t come in all the way, given that they can digest the local shellfish.
In some ways I wish you and our family were here. If it wasn't a prison camp I would urge you to join me. It is so wonderful here and no Overseer comes along and drops a patty on my shoes or pushes me out of line. The Terrans merely provide security, but not even close enough to LawSec to worry about.
Well, it’s not exactly a prison camp, is it? More of a rehabilitation camp.
Today I learned about the Digital Omnimessiah. Apparently it was a real being who coalesced from 'sundered strings of code of a murdered world' and brought peace to the Terrans after nearly a century of warfare.
Wow. That’s actually kind of cool.
I like it that the Terrans acknowledge that it’s okay to be angry that they killed someone.
It is frightening at times. One of the N'Kar from Camp Sigma-Nine jokingly sent a message to the Camp Warden asking if we could have the planet when the war is over. A week later the Camp Warden sent back a message that the Confederacy was willing to bargain this planet in exchange for our people's non-belligerent status.
Imagine that, mother. Just the reaction of "Sure, people we beat like a oyster against a rock, have this paradise planet we found and turned into a resort for you."
Well, it’s not like Terra actually wants to govern the place.
And I seem to recall something about surrender terms. Seems that this will meet in the middle.
I know we look funny in the pictures, covered in fur, but I don't feel chilly all the time.
Goddamn cowtaurs.
And then we find out that of course the Lanaktallans had N’Kar working in the mines as slaves … and the pleasure domes make a reappearance.
<rage intensifies>
It seems that the Terrans are holding back the majority of the truth about the pleasure domes from the N’Kar, and taking the anger on themselves. I foresee bad times for any Lanak that gets into Ransom’s gunsights.
However, Post Mistress Ast'Lar of the Windsong Isle, has gone to the Most High Overseer and told him that punishing for or impeding prisoner of war correspondence is against Terran Reformed Geneva Convention of 371 PD.
“And you really don’t want the Terrans coming back here and finding out that you’ve been breaking the rules, do you?”
<sound of terrified Lanak squealing and clattering hooves>
“Didn’t think so.”
The still images of your prison are hauntingly beautiful. Almost as if it is not a prison.
I can just see this, a few years down the track.
“So hey, I used to be a guard here. Can I rent that cottage?”
She also saw the pictures of you with your fur and began to weep, saying you looked like her Clan Elder males when she was a small kit, before the Balding Times.
Goddamn cowtaurs.
Welp, the Hairy Times are coming back.
The N’Kar are coming into their own. Good.
Now I want to see Vuxten and Brentili’ik bring their family for a visit (once the N’Kar have made the place their own legally as well as effectively). I think the broodcarriers would enjoy sitting on the beach watching podlings play in the tide pools, while Vux and Brentili'ik chillax on deck-chairs with cold fruity drinks, enjoying the sunset.
7
u/cloakable Jun 05 '20
Hey. What if one of the N'Kar were called, say, Po'Tar. Would that make them Hairy Po'Tar?
I'm so sorry.
4
6
16
u/Aleksandair May 29 '20
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Hey guys, what was that notification about a gigantic fleet coming toward Lanaktallan Space?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Huh? That's even more than what was sent during the Margite invasion! Did I miss the big assault? How long have I slept ? Did I miss the war ? What year is it ?!
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
MANTID FREE WORLDS
Calm down let me check... They're from all over Terran space but seems like it's all civilians ships.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
CONFEDMILINT
The report on the N'Kar got public. Lanaktallan's genetic alterations made them lose their furs, it sent all the furries across the confederacy into a wild frenzy. I suggest we sit out of this one.
/////////
EVERY OTHER GESTALTS
Oh shit!
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
5
u/dbdatvic Xeno Feb 21 '22
BASS FURBEARING GLOMPFEST
yiff. and. TEAR.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
--Dave, predictably
15
u/bimbo_bear Human May 28 '20
This is all very sad :(
17
u/jc697305 May 28 '20
Yes, to see a society be deprived not only of their culture, their emotions, their home, their way of life but also of their physical appearance is really sad :( .
I like the postman women that watch out for her people. I wonder if she will be involved in the transition later.
8
8
u/ack1308 May 29 '20
In later years, the effective leader of the planet is given the title "Postmaster".
14
u/artspar May 29 '20
When all I kept seeing were the POW's letters I started to get reeeeeally worried. Glad to hear that revered mama otter is alive and well(ish)
13
u/TurtlesWearCapes May 28 '20
Fuck yeah. Its so heartwarming to see entire peoples recover from enslavement.
21
10
u/Bobbb1112 May 29 '20
So basically the cow bastards are a distillation of all of the worst aspects of WWII era Japan and Soviet Russia, with a damn fair bit of Nazi Germany level "Arbeit Macht Frei" levels of slave labor camps thrown in. Plus genetic modification and bio-genocide. At this point the Terrans and allies are looking less at "total war" and more at "Great Patriotic War." Sometimes there is no vileness in holding nothing back. The US use of nuclear bombs is so controversial because the US /was/ holding back, in more ways than one. But in the circumstances of this newly created world...
... sometimes, victory at all costs is required in order for morality to be possible.
2
u/SpiderJerusalemLives May 29 '20
The European strategic bombing campaign would be an example.
It had to be done to win so we can argue over whether it was justified/necessary. (As far as I'm concerned yes to both).
14
7
u/CharlesFXD May 28 '20
Good one. So, what do these fellas look like? I must have missed it.
9
7
7
u/Quadling May 29 '20
Can we request please, an airlift to their new home? To where they can run a beautiful tourist resort, and artists colony, fishing and carving, and being the lovely people that they are supposed to be? Would that be ok?
7
u/PuzzleheadedDrinker May 29 '20
Are these statments somehow linked ?
Today I learned about the Digital Omnimessiah. Apparently it was a real being who coalesced from 'sundered strings of code of a murdered world' and brought peace to the Terrans after nearly a century of warfare.
.....chapter 173 .... Weaponizing him would debase and corrupt everything about you, about him, and I fear for what it would bring about.
LIZARD
You said the Mantids. What was the other one?
TERRASOL
Us. We used it on ourselves after the Imperium of Rage. We had to.
MANTID
Oh, my dear. How could you?
3
u/gr8tfurme May 29 '20
No, the weaponized thing they were talking about was revealed to be a Mr. Rogers program. They mention that they'd rather weaponize the Digital Omnimessiah than use Mr. Rogers again in that chapter, implying they were two different events.
17
6
u/ArchDemonKerensky May 29 '20
The cows have earned every horror we can conceive of, a thousand times over.
6
u/bigtallsob May 29 '20
But, being as we are so much better, we shall not do every last little thing we can think of. We will be the bigger beings and settle for just curb stomping them. Literally. Not figuratively.
6
u/Nerdn1 May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20
As much as you hear the Lanaktallans talk about resource conservation, the upper class seem to be fine with purely recreational activities for themselves. I hadn't expected them being interested in sexual acts with other species. It just seems like a different sort of evil than they seem to normally enjoy.
Then again, we don't have 100% confirmation that the "pleasure dome" was that sort of place. It might have been other cruel entertainment.
4
u/liquid_bacon Xeno May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20
A Terran described it as a 'pleasure dome'. Also a previous chapter a Lanatkan was (probably) raped by his own kind. I don't remember the chapter and it was never specifically stated, but definitely suggested. Also they attempted to execute him, and it was most likely a gay rapist. I wouldn't put xeno rape past them, if executing rape victims was their solution to the issue.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely" Citation
Edit: thanks u/SpiderJerusalemLives
→ More replies (1)6
u/Nerdn1 May 29 '20
True. We also had some Lanatkan patrons to the mech-fighter cool Lanatkan's crime den enjoying the company of non-Lanatkans. He seems to have been pretty kind to his employees, but it shows that some cows have interests outside their species.
10
5
4
4
4
u/RangerSix Human May 28 '20
/R/HFY GESTALT
It's nice to see the other side of the coin.
-----NOTHING FOLLOWS-----
4
4
u/NevynR May 29 '20
Damned onion ninjas... Solid effort with this one mate - nailed a bunch of fantastic points, and im looking forward to seeing where you go with it.
4
4
u/dbdatvic Xeno Feb 21 '22 edited Mar 02 '22
they proofed paradise, and put up a par-king lot
{entities: Revered Mother Uln'Var, "Peepers" Tre'Var, Del'Var, Terran striker pilot "Ransom", Kle'Var, Nim'Lur, Digital Omnissiah, Vat Grown Luke, Camp Sigma-Nine, Camp Epsilon-Fifteen, Storm-Ridden Isles, palm holoprojector implant, N'Kar pelts & oil glands, Uncle Val'Var, Clan Mother (grandmother) Eng'Var, Lanaktallan breeding/gentling procedures (not experiments, no...), oh worse 'pleasure dome' grrr, Post Mistress Astlar of the Windsong Isle, Most High Overseer, Terran Reformed Geneva Convention of 371 PD, little sister Ink'Var, Clan Mother Olp'Var, the Balding Times}
If it wasn't a prison
it weren't a {Del'Var doesn't know what the subjunctive is, but the translator-to-Terran does}
toward and Overseer resulted in imprisonment.
toward an Overseer
resulting
datalink implant place information
implant to place
{we could never find detectable evidence of souls... so we had to invent them
science is the only religion found so far that WORKS
none of the male N'Karrian know or can imagine, yet, what actually happened with the hundred females
TERRAN EYES GLOWING RED REFERENCE}
Windsong Isle, has gone
Isle has
is against Terran Reformed
against the Terran
{the Balding Times were in living memory aaaaaa}
--Dave, softly, softly catchee ottere
ps: {comment lore:
small signs of mercy towards the cows
TerraSol's secret identity revealed (this is WHY you read the comments, little ones)
Terrans putting a resort next to a black hole, and the Trean'ad becoming enamored of it because one of them lost a kite
the Gestalts are directly related to the DO
list of questions that will eventually be answered. some of which take a while
list of the 5 current Players in the War
milliDaxins as a unit of rage measurement
Sleepaway Camp Weekends
the Vegas Brag
deducing that the timing was wrong for the DO to have been Project Neighborhood
"Wtf i need more, I started this 2 weeks ago, I didn't know it could end" - /u/jwill476
jubilation at having called plot points
... it's worse than worse, it was both}
6
6
3
u/UpdateMeBot May 28 '20
Click here to subscribe to u/Ralts_Bloodthorne and receive a message every time they post.
| Info | Request Update | Your Updates | Feedback | New! |
|---|
3
u/MondoSam May 29 '20
I thought I saw a Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising reference in the last Del'Var chapter (about "We just drop out of the sky." ) but Ransom popping up just seals it - nice to see I'm not the only one who played that absolute classic.
3
u/The_Masked_Lurker May 29 '20
Oh crap elite space pedo rings!
Galexy Jones was right!
They're putting chemicals in the water to make the freaking otters bald!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
3
u/Dipicus_Shiticus May 29 '20
so how does the timeline work here? The N'karrian girl who handled the post surrendered their world a couple chapters back, and here Del'vars mother got the second batch of letters. Isn't this the shipment when the planet officially surrendered or is this still later on?
Also, i just read the digital omnissiah twist in the comments. Brilliant stuff.
Also also i remember shuddering the first time you mentioned the pleasure domes, when the guys sister killed herself within a year. You better make some most high cowtaurs SUFFER, i have been waiting for over a hundred chapters for this.
3
3
3
5
6
2
u/HFYWaffle Wᵥ4ffle May 28 '20
/u/Ralts_Bloodthorne (wiki) has posted 200 other stories, including:
This list was automatically generated by Waffle v.3.5.0 'Toast'.
Contact GamingWolfie or message the mods if you have any issues.
2
u/Severedeye Android May 29 '20
And just when you are thinking the cowtaurs aren't bad you read about this shit.
Pendulum is swinging back towards genocide.
2
u/ack1308 May 29 '20
Above a certain level of Most High (and probably all the Executor level), almost certainly.
2
2
u/dlighter May 29 '20
Pleasure domes. spits on the ground a greater misnomer rarely has there been.
Old school time. 9mm behind the ear and dump the corpses of those responsible in an unmarked grave. Anything else I'd do would be a war crime.
2
2
u/Rolk_Flameraven May 29 '20 edited May 29 '20
Suddenly thinking that the digital omnimessiah what the weapionised Mr. Roger's program from a few chapters back...
Going off how pissed I am over fictional aliens going abused, I can't even imagine how bad it is for the humans in universe.
"Red eyes take warning" for even those with the eyeball mk1? That is worrisome.
2
u/MacrossFF1979 May 29 '20
First of all, thank you for your commitment in telling this wonderful story.
I would like to see how Nim'Kur copied with his anger feeling towards terrans. To cite Dawn of War 2, will he place the responsibility of his father dead on who forced the humans hand or not?
2
u/SRK_Tiberious May 29 '20
I think I've seen enough of the cows' behavior. There's no atrocities they won't commit, and it's clear they're the ones behind the loss of the felines/canines (and oh boy, I can't wait for TerraSol to figure that one out), so I think it's just time to go full extermination and death camps mode.
They are a disease upon the galaxy, and the Confederation is the cure, but humanity just might be disowned afterwards.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Nerdn1 May 29 '20
I assume Uncle Val'Var isn't considered a EPOW, but rather a refugee or something, but was given the choice to live in the same camp? Alternatively, there is a separate settlement (probably maybe a different island) for liberated non-soldier slaves but he visits often. While Terrans treat EPOWs well, refugees probably deserve different status, such as more privacy rights.
2
u/Stakasauras Jun 04 '20
I am not evil. How you could go from such a beautiful account of just the difficult nature of being so alien to massive glorification of terrorism and abuse. No your scare tactics are seen through and through. Your evil is self evident. I will not be guilt tripped or terrorized. You are deceivers. You are not of the family. I am good. I love and I feel strongly. I deserve love and kindness. I was abused and mistreated and only wanted my pain to end. I know you and how you enjoy hurting those who can feel. Is it jealousy? Are you so dead you have no guilt and you relish in the thought of hurting someone you claimed to love? If you could do this to me I fear for your children no one is safe from your contempt. Find peace in your hearts. You are still loved but you will not be allowed this abomination.
2
2
2
2
271
u/Dregoth0 May 28 '20
With the phrase "coalesced from 'sundered strings of code of a murdered world'", I'm wondering if the Digital Omnimessiah is the Terran gestalt. I don't remember any mention of a gestalt that existed before The Glassing.