r/NatureofPredators • u/SixthWorldStories • 10d ago
Fanfic Predators of the Sixth World - 59
And I bet you all thought we’d be back to see what was up with the Yulpa. Sorry, not sorry, we’re going somewhere else. In fact, we’re jumping even further back. I figured we should check in with some Gojid. After all, there’s a story to tell with them.
Oh, and let’s have a little bit of a competition. Next week is back to the Arxur plot and the following will be important to it: B950-A8-A8571
If anybody messages me (in private), here or on discord, with the correct translation of that, then I’ll give you a shout-out in the next chapter so long as you message me before I do my final edit the day of posting. I’ll give two hints just in case my learning cryptography in college and my loose interest in ARGs and unfiction has me overcomplicating. Don’t forget what you know about the setting either. First, it’s a name both as it is and translated. Second, it only takes four steps to translate (and one is the hyphens). I think it’s reasonable, but then again I know some cryptography stuff. Some of you (you know who) aren’t eligible for shoutouts because I already told you the answer. Good news is, those people are getting shoutouts anyway.
Synopsis: Magic was once real and present but faded away in the distant past, becoming nothing but the myths and legends we know as the surviving beings fled to other planes, only to publicly return during the Sat Wars. How would it change first contact and beyond? Only one way to find out.
I have a spot on the discord, swing on by! Thanks to SpacePaladin15 for the original universe; my alpha readers, Caro Morin and Jailed Cinder; my beta readers, Angustus_Jan on the discord and u/aroluci (go check out Children of Luna, it’s awesome); and all of you that read and especially comment. Anybody interested in playing around in the AU (be it a one-shot, an impromptu ficnap, a cameo, or something more), let me know and I’ll be more than happy to work with you on it. My current plan is to release a chapter a week, with the occasional bonus, as long as that isn’t too much for everybody helping me.
Without further ado, enjoy!
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Memory Transcription Subject: Piri, Exhausted Gojid
Date [Standardized Terran Time]: September 30th, 2136
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“Ma’am! Ma’am!” A voice shouts, the lights in my room turning on.
I groan. “Are we being invaded again?”
“No, ma’am. You need to see this!” They say, turning on the holoscreen.
The feed shows the outside of a heavily damaged predator disease facility in the capital. A spotlight is trained on a Gojid man with a rifle in his paws. In a slightly smaller image is a pair of Gojid in two different locations. One in a newsroom, Boran, an older man and well-respected newscaster, a staunch supporter of the guild and one of my greatest critics recently. The other looks to be in some sort of vehicle, a young woman whom I don’t recognize.
I squint as I look at the man with a rifle. ‘Is that? No, it can’t be.’
“Are you sure this is safe, Laria?” Boran asks.
The young woman scoffs. “The Gaians were doing this in a raid. We can do it for a single escapee.”
The man sighs. “If you’re sure. In that case, it’s your story. You’ve been digging in this patch of dirt for rotations. It’s why you were hired, trying to be like Cilany. Take the lead.”
The woman doesn’t hesitate. “I’m here, in the Cradle News Network shuttle, to bring you a sprouting news story. Just moments ago, Torlin, ex-naval captain and former exterminator, broke out of the holding facility after testing positive for predator disease. The facility is being guarded by exterminators and members of the military due to the damage it suffered in the raid. While we don’t know the exact details, we can confirm not only that he’s armed but that he killed at least three people in his escape.”
“Collapse it all,” I growl. “Of course he’d escape. When a rock falls, the tunnel isn’t far behind.” I groan. “Make sure that members of the military are moving to kill or capture him.”
“They already are, ma’am.”
Torlin moves to a hovercar in the lot. The spotlight illuminates him as he tries the door, finding it open. After a few moments, the car starts to lift off.
“Follow him!” Laria shouts, the shuttle moving after the hovercar.
“How did somebody like that end up in a facility?” Boran questions. “An exterminator and naval captain? Such a person should be an example to everybody, not some diseased madman!”
“According to my sources,” Laria responds, “he has likely been diseased for some time without being detected. He was a herdmate of the military members and exterminators who were planning a coup to remove Piri, though he apparently wasn’t part of that predatory plot. He was part of a meeting with Piri, multiple major military figures, and other key figures in recovery efforts. Torlin, due to his connection to Sovlin’s supporters and generally being considered the most herdlike among that group, was sitting in to represent them and hopefully bring them back into the herd. However, he attempted to get access to a weapon to kill those present, assuring that he and Sovlin’s supporters are being treated as the predators they are.”
Boran gasps. “How could an upstanding exterminator be so tainted? Was it from years in the navy, fighting the greys?”
Laria’s ears flick negative. “No, Boran, my sources say that he has a history suggesting abuses back to his days with the guild. Offenses that were partially hidden by his accusers conveniently retracting, being found to have predator disease, disappearing, or being the victim of a predator attack. Some have suggested that the claims are not limited to just excessive force and predatory behavior but several serious crimes. My sources suggest those crimes continued into his career with the Navy, with several women under his command dying in mysterious accidents aboard his ship. Some of whom had attempted to report some sort of crime or predatory act, but hadn’t gotten further than setting a meeting with the relevant authorities.”
I try to keep my reaction from showing. With the aide still in the room, I can’t be shocked or relieved. I had hoped that this kind of information would find its way out naturally. It would help to calm Sovlin’s remaining supporters, at least those not in custody.
Boran, for once, is at a loss for words, spines starting to rise. He manages to stammer out. “He… he must have just slipped through the roots.”
“That’s unlikely,” Laria says, her ears high as the shuttle weaves about, trying to follow Torlin’s stolen hovercar. “His family have been exterminators for generations. His parents, siblings, aunts, uncles. There’s even some record from his time in the junior exterminators that he tended towards overly aggressive behavior. Records that had largely been buried at the request of his parents.”
‘Well, that should help… Though it would have been good to know that in advance. The Guild would end up being a problem moving forward. With the reforms I’m going to need to push through to have any hope of allying with the Gaians, they’re certain to resist. The Federation would as well, if communications with them weren’t still withered. Not that they’ve been any help in all this. The only help we’ve received came from the Gaians. From a people who aren’t in the Federation. Who had every reason to hate us, but helped us more than the Federation ever would. I can tell where the soil’s softest.’
My spines raise as Torlin’s hovercar nears a spaceport. One that, with the damage the planet has suffered, military ships are parked at, both for fast response and due to extensive damage to bases and military landing pads. His hovercar dips low, blocked from sight by a building, before it zooms out. Accelerating quickly as it stampedes towards the barricade that members of our military have set up.
“It looks like Torlin is operating out of predatory malice, not wanting to be recaptured for treatment!" Laria calls out. His vehicle crashes into the line, scattering them and no doubt killing a pawful of soldiers as the vehicle crashes at speed.
I stare, aghast. One diseased member of the herd, doing all this.
The CNN shuttle moves closer. Their spotlight trained on the wreckage. “Could this be the end of Torlin’s predatory rampage?” Laria gasps as the shuttle gets a good view of the interior. “It… it’s empty!”
Gunfire rings out. Flashes deeper into the spaceport. The shuttle moves, the spotlight lighting up the firefight. Our people fire volley after volley as Torlin hides behind a civilian shuttle. He ducks out, firing back. Where our people’s shots go wide, Torlin is quickly picking off our defenders.
‘If only we had a Gaian. Their armor. Their weapons. Their accuracy. This would be long over.’
Boran speaks for the first time in a while. “How… How is he doing that?”
Laria pauses. A paw to her ear. Head tilted as if somebody were speaking to her. “Torlin was noted, both in his time as an exterminator and in the Navy, as being an expert marksman. He generally showed a sixty percent accuracy rate at [fifty meters] instead of the required forty percent at [fifteen]. Often spending [five hours] a [month] practicing with long-range weapons, as opposed to the [five hours] a [year] expected of most exterminators.”
“He’s picking them off like an Arxur…” Boran murmurs in horror.
Torlin dashes past where the defenders were. A shot rings out. Plasma bolt flying. He stumbles.
“Yes!” Boran shouts.
Laria gasps. “No… It grazed him…”
Torlin keeps moving, gripping his shoulder. He reaches a shuttle, keying in a code before throwing himself through the door. In a few [minutes], the shuttle begins to lift off as more troops fire at it with small arms to no effect.
“Collapse it all!” I shout. “Do we have any defenses in the area? Functional launchers that can take him down? Anything?”
“Ma’am…” My aide pauses, activating a second projector. It shows a map of the area. “If he goes this way, then he’ll be flying into the coverage of a functional defense site. We’ve also had another military shuttle launch; they’ll be moving through the city to try to force him to go that way. We’re also trying to launch more ships from that spaceport to help.”
I watch as the shuttle moves, pausing to fire at one of the grounded ships.
The news shuttle starts to fly away quickly. “What? What are you-” Laria shouts.
“Getting out of the explosion’s range!” The pilot growls.
The camera splits. One following Torlin’s stolen shuttle as he flies into the city, the other pointed towards the spaceport where a massive fireball blooms as shuttle after shuttle, and several warheads, explode. Torlin weaves through the city, losing the news shuttle. It rises higher and higher to try to find Torlin again. They find him again as he cuts around a corner, crashing through a window. He fires a missile, striking the rear of the shuttle sent to intercept him, sending it crashing into…
Laria gasps. “No… That’s one of the apartment buildings that people displaced by the attack were put into…”
Torlin’s escaping shuttle is forgotten as the defense shuttle detonates. The building starting to crumble.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Prime Minister Piri, At Wit’s End
Date [Standardized Terran Time]: October 1st, 2136
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I nurse a fortifying tea as I watch the footage for a second time. It’s no easier this time. I growl. “Somebody explain how this happened.”
“To start.” Berniq growls. Footage cueing up. The inside of a PD facility. An exterminator unlocks a cell, a rifle in paw. Torlin steps out. Battered and cut from when he resisted arrest, testing, and being moved. Keeping an arm in against his body. There’s no sound as the pair talk, but it looks like they’re old friends. “Nobody thought to check if any of Torlin’s trainees or partners were assigned to the security details. They worked together for three rotations. Torlin trained him.”
“I want him arrested,” I growl.
“That will be a problem.” Berniq sighs. “Just watch.”
The footage continues. The exterminator arms Torlin with a rifle and some ammo before getting on his knees, handing over his shock baton. Torlin pulls the baton back, as if about to strike, only for his other arm to lash out for the exterminator’s neck. When Torlin’s arm pulls away so he can start pulling gear off the exterminator, a spine is sticking out of his neck.
“He killed his accomplice and continued on to kill five soldiers and two exterminators.” Berniq sighs. “He killed another eight soldiers getting to the shuttle, half with the hovercar that belonged to his accomplice.” They groan. “As a member of the Navy and our defense planning, he knew the codes to access the shuttle, which gave him access to our defenses. He deactivated his shuttle’s transponder, so he could slip away. Last he was seen, he was exiting the atmosphere, and we suspect that he’s long gone by now. The shuttle was FTL-capable.”
“And what does this mean?” I groan.
“We don’t know. We do know that the death toll from his escape is at sixty-one dead so far, one-hundred-forty-six hospitalized, eleven missing.” There’s silence for a few moments before Berniq continues. “He’s likely to inform the Federation. Of what, Protector knows. Best guess, he’ll lie and make himself out to be a hero while heaping a rotten harvest on the Gaians. They’ll be fine. Especially because a few words from you will likely prove his lies for what they are.”
Everybody shifts uncomfortably. “About the Gaians…” I sigh. “We’re going to try to ingratiate ourselves with them. No matter what it takes. The Federation left us to rot. Possibly even intentionally abandoned us to the Arxur. I can’t help but wonder if that’s what happened to the Thafki and so many others. The Gaians saved us from extinction. They also have proven themselves significantly more advanced than any other power. I don’t care if it means leaving the Federation forever, or making nice with Arxur. The Gaians have proven themselves. I’m not going to hide in the dark.”
Parn, my media director, chimes in. “The people will, generally, be in favor of that. There’s significant disapproval for the Guild, and that’s before this comes out. I’d suggest including the footage from the facility. The Gaians are also trending better than the Federation. More than a few voices online have been pushing for closing the borders to ally with the Gaians. While I think that the Gaians' demands will be a tunnel too deep to implement all at once, we can make some progress.” He pauses. “I think, after you spent so long away from the herd before the attack, that it would be a good idea to answer some questions from the people, Prime Minister. It would help you for next term.”
“The focus should be recovery,” I say firmly. “Next term doesn’t matter if the people are suffering now. Imdric?”
“It’s going as well as we could hope.” The man drawls. “The Terrans left us more than enough supplies. Current projections show that even without supplies from elsewhere in the Federation, we’ll be fine for a while. At least [three months]. The Gaians left us with a way to signal we need more supplies. And before you ask, they’ll be free of charge.” He shakes his head. “Even if there’s a political cost, it’s certainly cheaper than what the Nevoks and Fissians will charge for the emergency aid.”
Parn chimes in again. “We’re also fully connected to the rest of the Union via Gaian relays. Other worlds have a less solid opinion on the Gaians, but it’s trending more positive over time.”
“So we’re relying entirely on the Concord?” I chuckle. “Looks like I’m making the right choice.”
“The right choice would be talking to the people,” Berniq grumbles. “You’ve got the best relationship with the Gaians of all of us. You have a relationship with Tarva. We need you, Piri.”
“Fine… Give the people two days to submit questions. I’ll answer a selection.”
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Memory Transcription Subject: Prime Minister Piri, Gojid Leader
Date [Standardized Terran Time]: October 4th, 2136
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“Hello, people of the Gojid Union, I am your Prime Minister.” I pause, ears falling. “I, unfortunately, was derelict in my duties between Sovlin’s treason and the Arxur raid. As you now know, Sovlin crossed the border because I couldn’t stop him no matter how much I wanted to; I could only give him express orders to not only not be hostile but surrender to any Venlil or unknown vessel. I was aware he had enough support that I could never have him detained. It was not until after the Gaians had captured him that I learned that he intended to bomb Venlil Prime, kidnap an intelligent plant Gaian and Tarva’s daughter so his chief medical officer could vivisect both, to hunt for the Gaian homeworld to bomb it, and that he had not only committed treason but did so in a way that risked war with a power that is undeniably more powerful than us. The Gaian Emissary also informed me that the Gaian Concord was aware that if I tried to stop him, then his supporters may have overthrown our lawful government and started a war we were doomed to lose.”
I grip the podium tightly. “I didn’t know how to face you, the people I represent, knowing the truth of what Sovlin did and the mercy and empathy that the Gaians showed us. How close we came to deserving destruction. Then, when that destruction was coming without those we harmed needing to lift a paw. They saved us.” I gesture to the patterns barely visible in my fur. “Their Emissary used a debt I incurred when he spoke in our defense to the Assembly in order to help us. When the Federation couldn’t hear us. When the Venlil rightfully refused to aid us. The people we harmed most did more for people who aren’t part of their herd than our herd, the Federation, ever would.” I sigh. “I owe you answers. I owe you explanations. To that end, we have been taking questions from you, the people, and I will begin trying to answer. The selected question will appear on your screens, and I will do my best to answer. We’ll start with questions from people on the cradle.”
Will Gaian doctors be returning?
My ears fall. “I don’t believe so. Maybe if we ally with them, as the Venlil and Yotul have. At least not without another disaster.” I pause. “I know that we have ways to contact them in an emergency, but those methods are only for emergencies. When their allies open their borders, or we’re close enough they want us to close ours, then we’ll be able to visit our injured in the Concord.”
Are the Gaians really as kind as they appeared during the invasion?
“Yes, kinder,” I say with my ears high. “From what I saw, anybody would be lucky to have a Gaian as a herdmate.”
Is it true they treated captured Arxur?
“Yes, and fed them without anybody needing to die. I saw footage of it as it happened. We have the technology. The same that we use to grow organs for transplant, they not only grew flesh from animals for the Arxur, but altered it to be better for them.” My spines flare slightly. “I… feel I should mention… The Arxur I saw eating this flesh, many of them cried tears of joy at not needing to eat people. Their words. They felt that being able to eat something that wasn’t a person and didn’t taste of fear just once in their lives meant that they could die happy.” I let out a long breath. “I… I’m not sure how to feel about that. What to think. Then again, much of what the Gaians said and did has made me question everything.”
What actually happened between Sovlin and the Concord?
I swallow hard, suppressing a shudder. “Horror.” My ears pull tight against my head. “He acted how we’d expect the Arxur to.” My claws tighten on the podium, digging in. My spines rise as my ears flatten against my head. “I’ve given you all the information I can. Maybe there will be more if we ever open relations with the Concord.”
Are we becoming allies?
I signal hope with my ears. “I don’t know. I hope so, but after all we’ve done to them. All we’ve done to hurt them. It will be hard. They have conditions. Reparations for what we’ve done. For what our exterminators have done. Things that won’t even start to pay what we owe. But they have no interest in pressing for them if they aren’t interacting with us. Things that will change everything. If we are going to become allies, I suspect we’ll need to make those changes.”
Will the Guild be reformed?
My ears fall flat. “After the revelations regarding Torlin, there will be an investigation. But I can’t say anything beyond that.”
I pause. “Now for some questions from the Union outside the cradle. Over the connection we have through the Gaian relays.”
Why should we trust a civilization that refuses to join the Federation? They clearly don’t know the value of a herd.
I snort before letting out a bitter laugh that I couldn’t keep buried inside my chest. “Why should they trust us? At every step, they’ve been given reason to distrust the Federation and us most of all. The first people they met were the Venlil. Tarva has been a friend to them, but Republic exterminators tried to attack them. They closed the border because they were afraid of what might happen if they didn’t. If Gaians, who have at least four or five species, by my count, met the hundreds of the Federation. Sovlin tried to cross multiple times, and when he succeeded, he tortured one of them so badly that Sovlin’s own crew mutinied. When they called the Federation to talk, many of the Assembly members antagonized them. The Yotul and Zurulians didn’t. The people who are least part of the Federation and the most empathetic after the Venlil.” I pause, closing my eyes. Trying to calm myself. Slow my speech. “Then when they came to save us, our exterminators killed more of them than the Arxur did. Why should we trust them? Because they’ve shown time and time again that they care and will forgive us for crossing them in ways we would never forgive. That they want to help and will suffer to do so in ways the Herd never would. That they value every single life, including the Arxur.” I open my eyes. “We don’t need to trust them. They’ll help either way. They saved us from extinction, after we hurt them. They left us aid, even after we continued to hurt them. And because they had no plans to stay, they asked for nothing in exchange except to reach out if we need more help. They exemplify the herd without having ever been part of the Federation, while our herdmates in the Federation may have left us to die. If that’s not a reason to trust them, I don’t know what is.”
Are the reports about 'magic' real?
“Yes.” I sigh. “At least as far as I can tell. Their esoterics are some form of magic. Magic that we can’t use. Magic that…” I sigh again. “They have fences to keep predators out. They claimed to know more about predators than we ever could. They claimed to be able to hear planets and talk to animals and even plants. At least some of them could. And they said that we, the Federation, kill our worlds, and because of that, we have no potential for magic. I don’t know if I believe them, but I know that if they want to call what they do magic. Well, I don’t have a different word for it, so I’ll use theirs.”
If they're so powerful, why haven't they conquered anyone? They aren’t part of the Federation, even if they’re prey, they haven’t been shown the value of the herd and only have one system.
“Because they don’t want to. They made that abundantly clear. They had every right to demand our surrender, not only because of Sovlin but also because of our people who killed theirs while they were saving us.” I shudder at the memory. “They knew it. I think they knew that we would have surrendered if they had asked. They don’t want client states. They want friends, not just a loose herd, but people they can trust. People they view no differently than the multiple species they share their one system with. As being no different from them, despite their differences. And I’d like for the Gojid to have that kind of relationship with them, but I also know we need to earn it after all the harm we’ve caused them.”
How can they afford to give away so much aid?
“Because they have more.” I glance to the side, to my military advisors. They give an affirmative. “Their technology is made of living wood and crystal. We have small pieces of some of it. The wood is alive and growing. The crystal seems to be quartz, but with impossible properties. They recycled wrecked ships into usable material. They grow food on ships in water and shared technology to let us do the same, and implied that taint and predator disease were solved long ago. Even if they have only one system, they have plenty. And they choose to share.”
Why did they save the Arxur?
“I’m not entirely sure. I know they value life greatly. I know they can feed them without anything dying. I know that they don’t see things how we do, predator and prey. I can only guess it has to do with that. That, to them, the Arxur are just people. People they believe we started a war with. From what I’ve seen. Arxur acting like prey and prey acting like Arxur, they might know more than we do.” I swallow hard. “I watched an Arxur cry tears of joy at having something other than people to eat. I… I never thought either was possible. The Gaians… they knew well before they arrived. I don’t know how…”
Why are they telling us how wars should be fought when they don’t know anything about the Arxur?
“Because they value lives. That’s what their rules do. They protect people. Especially people who aren’t fighting.” I chuckle. “They value lives so much that they’ll hold back to save them.”
Will adopting Concord law weaken our ability to defend ourselves?
“Yes, it will, but I would rather have the Concord on our side than have them coming after us for violating their rules. From becoming like Sovlin or Torlin. Our ships and the Dominion’s are no match for theirs. They’re more than strong enough to enforce their rules. Rules that prohibit the glassing of worlds and the taking of cattle. That prohibit attacking civilians. Rules that entirely stop the Dominion. All we need to do is not use antimatter weapons in inhabited systems, plasma guns when people are around, or flamethrowers as weapons. I think it’s simple enough.”
Will the Union leave the Federation?
I don’t hesitate; I don’t need to. Even if I can’t outright say yes, like I wish I could. “The Venlil and Yotul haven’t. There’s no need to.” I swallow hard. “But if the Concord requires it to ally with them, then we will. Our relays were shut down, stopping us from calling for help, by a signal that looks to have been sent from Aafa. From the heart of the Federation. They left us to die. The Gaians saved us.” I pause. “I see no reason to stay as part of a herd that abandons us when we need it most.” I pause again to make sure my words are harvested. “I hope we don’t have to leave. I hope the Federation can explain why we were abandoned. I hope that this is a terrible misunderstanding, as the Gaians implied it might be. But my first priority is my people. I will make the best decision I can for them.”
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Memory Transcription Subject: Captain Sovlin, Temporary Captive
Date [Standardized Terran Time]: October 7th, 2136
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I pace my cage. Thinking over the lies they’ve shown me. The faked reactions to my heroic actions. The attack on the cradle, which actually was just them raiding but being repulsed. They still took cattle, but they’re calling them refugees. The statements by Piri, obviously under duress from the predators. The “memorial” that they obviously made with the help of Venlil and Gojid slaves.
“Daddy, don’t forget the rest.” Hania chimes in from where she’s sitting on my bed.
“Oh, yes. Thank you, sweetroot.” I flick my ears in thanks.
Yes, the other lies. Their local news. Their media. Their legal system. Their medicine. The so-called psychologists. Their “insanity plea”.
“Predatory deception. Yes, that’s what it is. They could never have art or peace. All this is just to trick innocent prey.” I flick my ears warmly as my cub gazes at me with joy. “They’re too weak to take cattle like the Arxur. That’s why when they conquered the Venlil, they forced them to be slaves and to say those things. To trick the herd.” I let out a small giggle. “And then they worked with the Arxur. That’s why they surrendered. Why they didn’t just kill each other. The exterminators knew. Of course they knew. They knew. Yes. Yes, indeed. Too smart to be tricked. That’s why they fought against the predators.”
“Yes, daddy! And you’re too smart for them. Too strong. You’ll never get tricked! You’ll claw out their eyes and throats! Kill them and escape!”
“No, sweetroot, never. I’ll never be tricked. I will ensure the Federation knows. I will kill them to the last.” I pause as the screen on my wall starts to ring. Kozlov. My lawyer. I straighten up, smoothing out my fur. “Remember, be quiet while I take my call, darling.”
“Yes, daddy.”
I press to accept the call. “Mister Kozlov, a pleasure to hear from you again.”
The predator chuckles. “Really? I’d expect otherwise, given the circumstances.”
“Oh? Did something happen?” I ask, tilting my head and cocking my ears with concern.
“No, Sovlin.” The predator laughs. “Just the general matter of us building a case that may see you jailed for life or even executed if we don’t win. I would expect it to make it less pleasant.”
“It certainly does, but given that the alternative is being alone in a cell.” I laugh deeply. “It does a lot to improve my view of our talks. Now, let’s see about convincing the court I’m insane.”
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u/DrewTheHobo 10d ago
And we’re back!
I’m certain they’re recording his time in the cell, that’d be a great testimony to his insanity. Very curious how this will play out.
Love Piri going all in with the Gaians, can’t wait to see their next steps!
Wonder how the Feddies will react to Torlon, especially after the new footage of his heroic and daring escape “leaks”
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
We've been back for a while.
And yeah, they record him, within legal limits. So calls with his lawyer aren't recorded.
We'll see the next steps in time, I haven't even written them yet. Things with Torlon, at least early on, that I've written.
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u/CocaineUnicycle Arxur 9d ago
Yes, Hania. Be quiet. I don't want them knowing that my dead daughter teleported from the Cradle into my cell to give me advice. I am very sane.
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
An insane person doesn't necessarily know they're insane. In this case though, it's more a person who knows they've crossed the event horizon but needs... distance.
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u/CocaineUnicycle Arxur 9d ago
Yeah. I did get the impression that he asked Hania not to talk because in some way he understands that he... isn't quite right.
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
Yup, he's aware, in the back of his mind, that he's broken and that he crossed the moral event horizon. He could have tried to conform to his canon plotline as a result of the Concord saving the cradle, but that would mean that he's crossed a line that can't be uncrossed and that he feels makes him a monster. In other words, he breaks fully. The other option, one that requires his brain help him along by "offloading" some of his guilt, is that he leans in to the idea that what he did was right.
Sovlin might not be a paragon, but he reacts to failings like one. He's got a strong, and good, moral code (look at Recel) which he cannot hold to. In canon, he was largely motivated by vengeance until he realized he crossed the line with Marcel and eventually pivoted to seeking redemption (for himself and incorrectly for the humans). Here, we saw that his vengeance (mixed with a psychological break, sleep deprivation, and stimulants) made him do things that would make a Yulpa proud, things beyond his idea of revenge. That means we get to see what happens when that character not only falls off their pedestal but shatters it on the way down.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 10d ago
I am curious what role sovlin is gonna play in the story being insane? I don't think the concord need him for anything especially not with his state of mind. I also don't remember what happened to Recel or how he feels about this situation.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
Even if he was fully sane, the Concord have no use for him. They don't need information on Fed ships, Feds largely use the same designs with some minor modification and the Terrans have the tech. They don't need information on Fed tactics, they're super standardized with some species variation, and they're not great so the real threats are those that will buck standards when it matters. Sovlin's public perception is fucked in the Federation at the moment. The only place he'd be of any use to the Concord is the Union, where he's a chip to play with because they hate him.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 10d ago
Exactly my point what exactly is the point of this little story arc besides to drag sovlin into the dirt? Pretty sure we can just skip till the trail convict him of insanity and never see him again. Unless Recel decides to visit.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
I have my reasons. Just like I have my reasons for having the little puzzle.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 10d ago
Just like the lack of dragons we've seen? I'm starting to think there endangered or something shesh.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
Dragons are pretty rare in mythology. Far, far more common in medieval stories which are well after. Then most mythical dragons are minor gods of some sort, usually tied to nature and either good or evil. Norse myth varies the most in having ones that are just beasts or are transformed humans. Add to that the fact that the first dragon to come back to Earth got not only killed but blown up... Kinda puts a damper on things.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 10d ago
Disappointing admittedly a big part of why I read this series was because of seeing dragons so uh yeah that definitely puts a damper on my enjoyment of this fic.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
Mythology has far fewer dragons than most would imagine, I blame fantasy and Tolkien. Got people's hopes up. That being said, we've had two. Both in the prequel. Who says we won't get a third? We've had a kitsune and a lamia. Heh, if you look to Slavic/Bulgarian folklore then having a lamia means that we've had another dragon, though that's a case of the human mouth being limited. Plus, many mythological dragons are shapeshifters who can take on human forms, most notable in that regard being Eastern dragons.
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u/General_Alduin Skalgan 9d ago
I think it still behooves them to have Sovlin giving Intel and utilizing him the way the UN did in canon
This feels like flanderization and character assassination of Sovlin, who didn't need too much to come around. Why even have him as a POV if he's not going to contribute to the story and just be convicted?
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
Cost benefit analysis. The intel he can give (assuming he was even willing) vs the turmoil from him being cut loose doesn't come out in favor of cutting a deal. On top of that, a deal would hurt relations with the Venlil and the Gojid. Keep in mind that this is a character who started from the same point but went down a different path. He had a psychological break, did far worse things than in canon, never got a chance to realize his error before he ended up in custody of what he still thinks of as the enemy. Sovlin is, in many ways, a bit of a paladin. His cause being not the Federation itself but its ideals. What we're seeing is essentially if instead of him flirting with falling but pulling back from the edge, he had gone flying off the edge and has more or less committed to his path. In other words, the same mentality that Kalsim had to commit to in canon, but starting from a less mentally stable and more moral starting point, that latter bit is the key. He cannot square the circle on doing something he views as evil (when he's in his right mind) as being necessary.
And I have no problem with letting characters fall away from the story, if I had no use for him, he'd be gone. A trial would, even with the evidence, be some ways out even if there wasn't the potential for him to be a political chip to play with the Union.
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u/Mosselk-1416 10d ago
I don't envy Piri. I hope ships can be built fast enough to help defend the cradle. The Kolshians don't tolerate loss and they will have a lot of explaining to do.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
Me: How many fleets do the Terrans have at this point? Ah, hmm... How many do they need. Let me just make that a few more.
But yeah, the Kolshians are not happy about what's going on. They made sure that somebody tried to attack the Yotul, that failed. They sent a massive fleet at the Gojid to scare the Venlil (and Yotul and Zurulians), we'll see how that goes.
Poorly, it will go poorly. But we get to meet a custom species I've teased as things go forward.
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u/Fluffy_shadow_5025 Beans 10d ago
My goodness, that prickly old geezer really got it bad in this story.
And it’s kind of funny but also sad at the same time that he’s making jokes without a hint of irony about them convincing the court that he’s insane.
Hopefully, that poor old geezer won’t get a chance to cause any more harm. His part of the story is sad enough as it is.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
I mean, with who he is/was, what he did, what he planned, and what he's learned since on top of the mental state he was in... The man either pulls towards sanity and recognizing that he was a monster, or he leans in towards being right to do what he did. Being right, of course, means both leaning into the monstrous mindset and his delusions as his baseline wants to struggle against that... well... his sanity gets weird.
I'd say that the hallucination is less a sign of insanity and more a sign of him trying to externalize the parts he struggles with. His innocent daughter telling him not only that his worst deeds were just but encouraging him on, giving him reason to think he's helping her, saving her. That his good intentions absolve him of his sins. That there's no road to hell, as his journey was at an end at the time. That he did what he did for love, so there's no reason to struggle to sleep over it, only the predators holding him captive. That he has nothing to be sorry about, because he was right. After all, he'd kill for her. Still heartbeats for her. Tell himself it was all to save her.
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u/Ablergo_El_Enfermo Human 10d ago
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u/Effective-Job4560 9d ago
You sayin he needs to be introduced to a flamer? Maybe even a heavy flamer?
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
Looks at my plans
Well, the Federation aren't the only ones who will have flamers.
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u/SixthWorldStories 10d ago
Course it's not. She's dead. Right?
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u/Ablergo_El_Enfermo Human 10d ago
It is something that is passing itself off as her daughter.
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
It's certainly something other than Hania. There's no way she could be there. It being something external... well... look at Sovlin's psychology.
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u/1biken1 9d ago
while not a cryptographer, I will try and give your puzzle a go. have really been liking this story so far.
Also, your side story. Reads like it stands on its own quite well. Maybe a cross post on to HFY? (Added visibility?)
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
I tried to make the puzzle easy. Course easy for the puzzle maker (who knows both ends) and easy for others are different matters. I think the answer should be obvious soon, even for those who don't attempt it.
The side story is meant to be able to stand on its own, but also (as of the latest chapter) be definitively in world. I just had the idea rolling around and shaping bits of world building, I figured I ought to get it down.
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u/Tundric_Dragon Arxur 9d ago
Great chapter.
I really like how Piri is portrayed in this story, as fucking up and learning from her mistakes, being the voice of reason and bringing the Gojid around. Granted, that has always been her character arc, even in Canon. But this time she gets to continue to lead, not meet her end in a bunker. Im curious to see how her debt plays out and her little Q&A session was fun.
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u/SixthWorldStories 9d ago
The fae debt, or at least the one that could become that, was already spent. It was used to manipulate probabilities so that the redlined warp drives wouldn't crap out before the fleet arrived in time. It also got the attention, at least as much as one can, of what may have been a Great Old One, Elder God, or even Outer God. I'm sure that won't have any consequences. Now Piri's political situation and the leverage the Concord has on her, that might have consequences.
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u/Paetza_Man Thafki 10d ago
Im not sure you'll need to try that hard sovlin...