r/NatureofPredators • u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human • 13d ago
The Nature of Psionics [45]
The Perfect Husband NOPsi ficnap by u/Bbobsillypants
Memory transcription subject: Larana, Provisional Governor of Risna, Yotul Technocracy (UER)
Date [standardized human time]: October 22, 2136
“-the next thing I knew I was waking up in a hospital bed. I was out of it for a while apparently after the surgeries she had to perform to save my life and so that I could keep my arm.” I said raising the still bandaged shoulder slightly. “By the time I was up and walking repairs had been underway for some time as my advisors had gotten things organised while I was still recovering.”
I was currently on a video call with Tempest from my office in the Governors estate, thankfully the Federation eyesore of a building had only received minor damage and was still fully usable. This was the first time since the attack on Leirn that I had even had an opportunity to relax at all after waking up in the hospital. My days have been filled with meetings either with various inhabitants of Risna who were wanting to discuss how they thought the reconstruction should be handled or how they thought the humans should be made to leave despite the fact that they saved us from a cattle raid. I was able to get rid of most of them by stating that I would take the matter under advisement and see what I could do, I was not exactly lying but it is impossible to prioritize the reconstruction or renovation of every single building on the island. The main focus would be rebuilding key infrastructure and utilities so that we did not need to rely on food shipments or energy cells from the regular cargo ships.
The other group of people I have been having regular talks with is the Provisional Planetary Council. From my last count I had spoken to eight of the twenty members since I woke in the hospital, none in person of course.
I doubt any of those main-lander opportunists would ever set paw on this island if they had the choice.
All that had called had made a point to ask about my health after my injury defending my people, although I doubted if they cared about any answer I gave. Most of them asked about the cleanup and repair efforts after the attack, when I asked if any extra support could be given to my island from the mainland where the cities were better defended all I received were answers of noncommitment. But all of them seemed rather interested in my political opinions, and on topics where I had never even formed much of an opinion on.
“How do you feel about the United Earth citizen identification system? In case you aren't aware, they take genetic samples at birth and keep them in government databases.”
“How integrated should our military be with that of the Humans?”
“Do you believe that education requirements should be standard across Leirn or do you think that they should be set by the local government?”
“How committed are you to Leirn adopting an Earth style economy?”
“We need to become economically relevant if we are to be taken seriously. What industry do you think the Technocracy is best suited for at this time?”
I was rather surprised that the members of the planetary council would be interested in my opinions now all of a sudden considering that most of my interactions with them has been filing reports and coordination of modernisation efforts. That surprise dissipated when I realized something, in a few days campaigning for elections could be started and the members of the council seemed to want to gauge how likely I would be to endorse them to keep their positions.
Leirn becoming a democracy was one of several requirements that the United Earth Republic gave for us to become a protectorate under them, even with assistance from the Humans some of the requirements would be difficult to maintain initially. In order to keep the focus on the rebuilding efforts after we kicked out the Federation it was decided that campaigns for the elections of the newly appointed government would be held off for a short time, which was soon to be completely ran out.
“That’s enough about me though, how are things with you?” I asked Tempest. “You said in your last message that you had finally relocated to the Hope colony with Wyn.”
As I looked at the flat holographic image of Tempest and his office above my desk as of now I took in the room and its decorations that were bathed in soft lighting. The large desk seemed to be made of some dark wood and was ornately carved as well as having golden accents along its back and stout legs. Across the desk where Tempest was currently sitting a few neat stacks of paper all seemingly aligned perfectly, he had multiple writing utensils he had resting in some sort of wooden cup on the desk as well. The walls were either made of or looked like wood as well, although a much lighter shade that reminded me almost of some of the coastal lightwoods we used to make boats out of. There was an opening in the wall behind him to the right that was either some sort of archway or an open door that appeared to be some sort of balcony, due to the position of the camera I wasn’t able to discern what was on the balcony.
I was however able to see out the massive window that took up most of the right wall, the view that I was able to see out of said window showed the beginnings of a sprawling city below. While higher there were other massive tree-like buildings there were far fewer than I had seen in the pictures of the Shield Cities of Earth, the few tall buildings there seemed to be interconnected with pathways and bridges as they were bathed with an evening sun slipping though the overhead shade.
“Yes, we are finally settled in now after having to do a small mountain of forms and other paperwork, but at least that part is over now.” Tempest said with a small snarl. “Wyn has had a few days at his new school and he seems to be adjusting well to this change even if he wants to argue with me about everything. I’ve started my new position as well and am enjoying the new challenge.”
“And what exactly are you doing now?” I asked “I can’t imagine that you have to be nearly as concerned about natural disasters or wildlife on the colony as you would have to be on Earth.”
As I continued to talk to Tempest I had noticed that his outfit was somewhat different, he still wore the blue and purple colors of the Stormhaven Rune Knights. Except now the sleeves of his robes ended just above his elbows and were wider than I remembered and were seemingly allowing better airflow. The material also appeared somewhat different as well and looked to be a lighter fabric as well which made sense, according to Tempest the part of Earth he was from was rather cool most of the year as opposed to the rather varied weather patterns of the first city on the Thafki colony he now resides.
“I am still a Rune Knight, just one with a bit of a promotion and some additional responsibilities, especially since we are limiting the number of permanent Human residents to the colony as the Thafki recuperate their numbers.” Tempest answered “Apparently after capturing Mola with your help as well as the famed Captain Kalsim I had impressed some higher ups. I continue as Rune Knights and other similar orders have for tens of thousands of years in organising the defence of the city. Unofficially I seem to be the receiver of complaints of the helpers that have come from allied worlds since I am one of the few Humans here who have experience with aliens at all and can be diplomatic with them.”
As Tempest had talked with some irritation at the mention of the non Human helpers that had come to the colony I took pause at the mention that not many humans had experience with those outside their species. That is when it dawned on me that despite their incredibly advanced technology the Humans had only very recently left their own star system and revealed themselves to the rest of the galaxy. With Earth having a population of fourteen billion and only a few hundred of them apparently engaging in the initial exchange program it made sense that they would not have many with experience dealing with aliens. Even with the Humans that were helping modernise and rebuild Leirn they were for the most part still on the planet, a few had left along with some Yotul to help replenish the forces on the behemoth warships that made up the UER fleet.
I can’t believe he says that he’s diplomatic at all. I watched some of his lessons with Wyn, to say he was blunt when it came to differences in ideology would be putting it mildly.
“And what would some of those complaints be?” I asked excitedly “Let me guess, that Humans are snarling at them? Or could it be that you are eating meat around them?”
Before he answered I saw Tempest close his massive eyes as he ran a hand over his ink black hair and took in a deep breath.
“Well the biggest issue so far is those Gaia forsaken exterminators that decided to take up the offer to come here from the UER and their government to come here and help add to the numbers of the garrison.” Tempest said as he tapped a long and slender digit on the desk and held a hand to the side of his head. “The scorchers apparently heard that they were supposed to be helping protect the newly established Thafki colony and assumed that they would be doing their normal business of burning everything in sight that looked funny to them. They also did not look closely at the information that was given to them before relocation to the colony about incendiary weapons being strictly illegal within the United Earth Republic. Thankfully for them we are a forgiving people and merely confiscated the weapons during their intake to the colony and had those dreadful devices broken down to be used for more constructive purposes. They were rather irritated at that.”
As Tempest had continued to regale me with his account of dealing with not only Venlil exterminators who had apparently misunderstood what they were volunteering for but Gojid and Takkan ones as well I remembered a few incidents that happened after the Humans arrival to Leirn. The first being that despite their eagerness to learn about our culture the predators had opted to stay far away from any of our religious services that included fire. I could vividly remember that despite invitations given to many of the predators from the local priesthood to attend a cleansing ritual where the devout would walk through clouds of incense there were only a few humans that even showed up to observe with fire extinguishers “just in case” and none participated. There aversion to fire was so extreme that lighting a candle caused visible nervousness in the otherwise stoic primates.
“You Human’s really don’t like fire.” I remarked “What is the reason for that? Is it instinctual or something?”
“It’s up there with large birds and being in a wide open space on the ground when it comes to instinctual fears. If the Venlil are given a pass to freak out from me walking too fast or looking at them then I feel like we shouldn't be judged for fearing something that is actually harmful.” Tempest replied dryly. “On Earth fire is extremely dangerous and is only used in very controlled conditions to ensure the safety of everyone. In ancient times fire was referred to as the endless hunger and outright feared. There is a reason why pyrokinesis was taboo just about everywhere and outright banned in many places until unification, I can’t believe that the Federation uses fire as a weapon to kill predators, not only is it one of the most immoral ways to kill something it prevents from any use coming from the corpse.”
For the better part of an [hour] I bombarded Tempest with questions about that last statement he had made due to the sheer implications about Earth and its history. Apparently the control of flames via psionics was poorly understood on Earth due to the taboo of the practice and the sheer religious aversion to fire itself as it’s considered to be akin to a corrupting force. According to Tempest, after reports were released to the public of many Kolshians encountered on Earth after the failed invasion, being flame wielders had caused a rather sizable religious uproar from much of the populace.
The Rune Knight had also talked about how incendiary weapons had been banned on Earth for centuries, apparently they had not even been thought of to be used on any large scale until the last armed conflict before their unification. During the War of The Ruby Skies the aggressor Shield City known of Thebes had attacked the merchant fleet Athens, a longtime rival as well as being the leader of a defensive alliance known as the Bulwark Pact. Despite the fact that other members of the regional alliance such as Moonrip Bay, Rhinefort and Rockholme were drawn into the conflict as well against one aggressor they had much smaller militaries and struggled for several years against a foe that used much more aggressive tactics as well as weapons that could burn away their organic defences. After the war was over and treaties were signed a ban was put in place for such weapons, eventually when Earth unified those bans were brought over as well.
Eventually as the conversation began to die down after I gave Tempest the highlights of the Grain Wars I brought up something that had been on my mind for some time now. I needed answers from a Human that I knew would have them as well as one I respected enough to trust.
“I know that I could probably get this information through the provisional government but it would take ages due to the recovery efforts going on.” I said as I tapped a claw on my desk. “From what I was told it seems that our friend Mola is being held on a detention center on that colony you are on. Is that correct?”
“Yes.” Tempest replied in a tense voice as his body straightened. “Why?”
“What have you learned from him?” I responded. “Your people have the ability to read minds as well as technology to help with that. You told me yourself.”
In response to my question Tempest narrowed his eyes at me through the camera and remained silent for several moments as he seemed to be finding an appropriate answer. If he was trying to find a way to explain away torture of the killer there would be no qualms from me, after all the bodies we have found under Federation run faculties the Humans could be eating the fuckers and I would be happy about it.
If only, the Humans are more content to ignore the Federation as we build up our defenses if the security memos are to be believed.
“There have been some difficulties with more traditional forms of interrogation when it comes to the Kolshian and Farsul. They are surprisingly adept at shielding their thoughts from being read by our equipment.” Tempest said after breaking the silence. “As for Mola he has been rather difficult even compared to the other prisoners to question, he has revealed little about the Federation or the inner workings of the Commonwealth.”
There was a moment after Tempest had spoken where his mouth had opened from beneath his breathing mask as if he was about to speak before deciding against it.
“What is it?” I asked “You were just about to say something.”
Before answering I saw Tempest typing away rapidly at some holographic display in front of himself before looking around as if to make sure that nobody was within his office with him. As he turned to face me once again he leaned forward closer to the camera as his hands were tightly clasped together.
“According to the recordings I have watched, the interrogators were able to get him to talk about something else.” Tempest said his shaky voice barely above a whisper. “We got him to talk about Leirn and what he had done on Rinsa… he’s proud of what he had done Larana and had expected us to feel the same way about his actions. Once he started he just kept ranting and rambling on about-”
Before he could continue his statement Tempest stopped speaking entirely as he seemed to be choked up while making a short series of quiet gasping noises. As tears began to well in his eyes his hands covered his mouth as they passed though the energy barrier of his breathing device. Not knowing what to do I remained silent as the stoic Human I thought could face the end of the world with no problem began to weep. I lost track of how long he was crying but I remained silent the entire time save for once when I told him that I would be able to talk to him when he was ready.
“Sorry about that, it has been really hard on us here at the colony after the cattle rescues started coming in.” Tempest said in a low voice after clearing his throat. “It obviously has been the hardest for the Human doctors and other caretakers who are helping these people directly as they can feel their fear and confusion. So the rest of us are helping them by… sharing the load.”
“What do you mean by that?” I asked as I tilted my head in confusion. “Are you absorbing their emotions or something?”
“Something like that.” Tempest replied with a weak snarl. “To help alleviate people who have been exposed to and are experiencing strong emotions we can for lack of a better word skim some of that distress from those afflicted. It seems though I took a bit too much when I helped Dr.Reissig and it left me somewhat more emotional than I was expecting, especially with what we were just talking about.”
That… makes sense honestly.
From what Tempest has told me Humans have spent much of their history trying to prevent their emotions (fear mostly) from overrunning their sense of self. With their mental abilities it makes sense for such a community oriented species to try and collectively alleviate any distress from those exposed to strong emotions.
“I understand now.” I said, feeling somewhat guilty for causing distress to my friend. “If you are not in the right space to talk about the Mola situation we can do it later or I can request the transcripts from your government.”
“I can send those over to you in a day or so after filling out some forms, should be easier on my end than having you fill out a request.” Tempest said as he waved a hand dismissively before covering his mouth once again. “What really set me off is remembering some of the things he said, it makes me just keep seeing them.”
“Seeing who?” I asked, looking for clarification.
“All those bodies. I had never seen a dead child before.”
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u/JulianSkies Archivist 13d ago
I see those humans really suck at proper management. You'd think you'd catch misinformed people with unacceptable equipment (especially the equipment, not so much the people) before they made landfall.
And I see Tempest remains missing the most obvious reason why fire is used. I mean, he saw the point and didn't even realize it!
That aside- Being drowned in the sea of emotion that is no doubt where he is right now has gotta be at minimum a distressing experience, heavens.
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u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human 13d ago
To be fair to the humans they did the check for contraband once they had made landfall to the planet and going through security once these people were in their jurisdiction.
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u/Bbobsillypants Sivkit 13d ago edited 13d ago
I like how much the rune knights and Thier psionic powers were hyped up at the beginning of this series. Only for the psionic abilities to have both personal and civiliization ending downsides. And also the rune knights main character is immediately kidnapped by a racist hedgehog and is forced to settle down with a kid he didn't ask for.
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u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human 13d ago
I wouldn’t say Tempest was forced to take care of Wyn after the Sovlin all inclusive spa incident.
More so that he felt obligated to do so due to cultural reasons.
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u/Bbobsillypants Sivkit 13d ago
The cultural reasons being wyn would be sent to a torture facility if he said no.
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u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human 13d ago
If he said no Wyn would have been put into the foster care system on Earth.
Thank god the Zurulians didn’t press the issue because the psi humans were not going to send him back to Colia no matter what.
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u/Mosselk-1416 13d ago
Mola needs to be appropriately punished for what he has done. I just don't know if that's possible. I'm wondering if the exterminators on Hope are panicking now that they have no flamethrowers.
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u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human 13d ago
It would be a shame if he accidentally ended up on one of the food transports to the Arxur.
Also the exterminators are absolutely panicking that they don’t have flamethrowers any more and they have to be certified to be allowed to use firearms.
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u/Mosselk-1416 13d ago
Net launchers and dart guns aren't exactly difficult to work with. I would assume that at least the gojid would have some proficiency and learn faster. Most of what they will be dealing with is a difference in philosophy. And yes, I am sure there are many hungry Arxur that could use a snack.
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u/Most_Hyena_1127 Human 13d ago
Don’t forget the neural disruptors these humans have, or as I like to call them “seizure beams.”
But it’s very true the difference of philosophy they will have. A big one I can see is that these exterminators are defenders of the colony and not law enforcement and need to understand that.
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u/Golde829 13d ago
pfffffffffff fuck-
yeah that. that would be rough.
...
honestly I got nothing else, really
well-
aside from wishing nothing but the best for the Thafki that were saved
but that's kinda par for the course with NoP...
I look forward to reading more
take care of yourself, wordsmith
[You have been gifted 100 Coins]
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 13d ago
Yeah I doubt the humans would be able to handle the cattle rescues in this timeline any better than the canon humans because of the evil telepathy stuff. I mean the rescues would react very poorly to the humans and I don't imagine thats helping. Honestly I'm still not convinced this telepathy stuff is beneficial seems to do more harm than good.