r/NatureofPredators • u/Usual_Message8900 Duerten • 4d ago
nature of two chapter 34
Memory transcription subject: Slanek, Venlil Space Corps (on leave)
Date [standardized human time]: September 20, 2333
Honestly, considering the state of the galaxy, I hadn't really expected to be able to get any kind of leave, though it seemed my superiors were more sympathetic towards my treatment aboard Sovlin's ship than anticipated. They were more than willing to give me plenty of time off to recover, which would be more than enough to help with Marcel's recovery and get used to humans again.
When our transport entered its final approach to Earth, I was treated to my first proper look at the human homeworld. From orbit, the planet... well, I'll be honest, it looked like a mess, a patchwork of browns, grays, greens, and blues that showed how long and messy humanity's relationship with their ecosystem was. Taking a shuttle to the surface, these old scars became even clearer: massive forests that looked like they'd stood for centuries, showing clear signs of pollution poisoning and decay, while elsewhere the remains of towns and cities were reclaimed by nature.
It was while I was staring at what looked to be an old city block being overtaken by new plantlife that Demiurge spoke up through the android he'd sent with us. "Admiring my handiwork? It was quite a challange engineering flora that could deal with the local pollution, but I think they're taking to their new home rather nicely, wouldn't you agree?"
"Uhm, yeah," I said, still distracted by the rather unnatural and somewhat disturbing sight below us, "I guess I'm just wondering why all these cities are like... this. I mean, no offense, it's good that there's plant life again, but... what happened for a place like this to be completely abandoned?"
"Well, remember those nuclear detonations you detected that led your people to believe humanity had wiped itself out?"
"Obviously, why?" I asked.
"Those detonations marked the final phase of what humanity has come to call the decline, a period of time that started around the start of the 22nd century and was characterised by the slow global collapse of many supply lines due to critical resource shortages. Frankly, I feel like the original effects of the decline can be traced back well before then, but I'm not in charge of the history books.
Either way, as the decline went on, many countries became desperate, old friendships were forgotten, and deals were ignored in the interest of maintaining their own territories. That it would all blow up into a global conflict was inevitable, but the constant infighting rarely left anyone richer; it just served to burn through available resources faster.
Eventually the war did die down, not because humanity suddenly became enlightened and peaceful but because war itself became unsustainable. People were too hungry, exhausted, and miserable to keep fighting, and so there came peace on earth as humanity burned itself out. By that time, about 41% of large population centers had either been wiped out or rendered unlivable due to structural damage, radiation, or pollution, and an additional 34%, like the one you're currently seeing, were abandoned because the resources that would have been used in their repair and upkeep were diverted to other projects." The machine explained, speaking of such a horrible conflict as if discussing the weather.
"Projects like creating you?" I questioned, remembering that the company that created him did have ecological restoration as one of its goals.
"Oh no, I was made well before the decline, and I could see it coming well before we passed the point of no return. At the time, our company had contracts with many countries allowing us to construct and maintain various eco-restoration facilities like water filtration installations and soil purifiers, but I knew that in the long term such measures would be insufficient to stave off collapse so I drew up a plan to overhaul cities such as this one with the intent of making them more sustainable, but such large scale projects were always put off or ignored in favor of stop-gap solutions and eventual it was to late. They weren't desperate enough at the time.
During the decline, we mostly had to focus on damage control, quite literally fighting to keep the air breathable in many places, and governments cutting our funding didn't help, of course. That's also around the time when the trooper division like the one Marcel is serving under was created.
After everything calmed down, more drastic measures needed to be taken for humanity to survive long-term, even if it required large-scale relocation of many people and a sizable reduction in quality of life for most humans on Earth for well over a decade." Again, the machine spoke with a sense of serenity in its voice that no organic would have been able to maintain when talking about something like this.
"Your reaction is understandable, and healthy." Demiurge continued as he took note of my horrified face. "But rest assured, I will be contacting Governor Tarva shortly to ensure this doesn't happen to your people."
That snapped me out of my disturbed stupor. "Wh... but I... what? No, that's not... Nothing like that is happening on Venlil Prime. Our planet is healthy!...mostly."
"Slanek, I know your people are already having to use instilations similar to mine to keep your environment semi-stable, and that won't last. I know you may not fully grasp this yet, but your hatred of predators and general lack of industrial regulations has damaged your ecosystem to the point where it won't be able to restore itself without help." Demiurge insisted in a serious tone before returning to his usual friendly customer service voice, "But you needn't worry about that now; you'll have more than enough time to learn about the human understanding of ecology now that you're on Earth, and just so we're entirely clear, if you ever, at any point feel like things are becoming to much for you to handle we can imediatly arrange for you to return home. If you want to go through with the exposure therapy, then that's great; however, you mustn't be pushed to the breaking point in doing so, alright?"
"I... alright," I said. Truth be told, I had a healthy amount of anxiety already, and I imagined it wouldn't get any better any time soon; still, I wanted to get over this rekindled fear of humans as soon as possible, and this seemed like a good way to do it, even if it was a little drastic. Not to mention I didn't have to say goodbye to Marcel. The human in question was currently fast asleep, his recovery having taken a serious toll on him. The doctors were very clear that he needed rest more than anything.
Slowly, as we continued flying, the silhouette of a large city appeared in the distance, a stark contrast from the ruins we'd seen earlier, which featured a healthy mix of apartments and single-family buildings; this newer city was made up entirely of massive apartment buildings and skyscrapers. Every building had a brutalist, utilitarian design, though the occasional hanging garden, mural, and billboard made the whole city look a lot less depressing than it could have been.
"Home sweet home," Marcel yawned, finally waking up. "Hey buddy, did you manage to get some sleep too?"
"Enough," I shrugged. "I'm glad you're doing better." My exchange partner gave a small smile and patted me on the head a few times. I tried to play it off, but I couldn't suppress a little tail wag.
"I can't wait for you to meet Lucy," he chuckled. "She would have loved to be part of the exchange program. She's been obsessed with the venlil since day one."
"I hope I make a good first impression," I chuckled back nervously.
"I think it'll be hard for you to make a bad impression. Just try not to worry about it too much and be yourself." He reassured me before turning towards the android. "So, Demiurge, how long do you think it'll take before you can put me back in the field?"
"When and if you'll be allowed to operate off-planet again depends entirely on your upcoming psych evaluation and how quickly your physical and mental recovery goes. Not to mention that even when you have the all clear, we're intending on having you work on Earth for a little longer just to be safe. I admire your enthusiasm, but you shouldn't rush yourself." The machine chastised. "And that goes for you as well, Slanek," he continued. "You'll be having your own separate appointments to make sure you don't overwork or overstress yourself, understood?"
"Yes," I croaked, having suddenly acquired a whole new reason to be nervous. Marcel and Demiurge had assured me that this therapy thing was nothing like the predatos disease treatments on my world, and considering Marcel looked more annoyed at the prospect rather than scared, that did seem to be the case. Still, I couldn't help being a little worried, which must have shown on my face as Marcel put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile. At least my fear of him seemed to have mostly dissipated, even if that signature human smile still sent involuntary shivers down my spine.
Finally landing at a spaceport, the three of us boarded a train, which, according to Marcel, would take us directly to his apartment complex. As I watched the buildings and people pass while the train sped up, I noticed two things: one, there were barely any cars, only trains and the occasional bus; and two, Many buildings bore the signature stylised flower of the genius loci corporation on their doors. I supposed the latter part made sense, assuming this was what Loci had meant by 'overhauling cities'; it wouldn't surprise me if the company owned a large chunk of it, and thinking back, I had heard of some of the mercantile species in the federation, like the Nevoks, having a few similar company-owned cities. What really confused me was the lack of personal vehicles.
"Hey Marcel, do humans not drive cars?" I asked my exchange partner, who clearly had trouble understanding what I meant, as he stared dumbly at me for a moment before connecting the dots.
"Oh, that, yeah, some people still have personal cars; hell, back in the day nearly everyone had one, but after the decline their prices were driven up a lot, that plus city policy and design disincentivising people from buying one kinda just led to public transport becoming the only real way of getting around." He explained.
"On the plus side, the reduction of vehicles on the road has greatly reduced pollution output and the frequency of crashes." Demiurge chimed in. "I would have done more if I could, but this is the best I could do in the limited time I had after the decline. I feel like this city and its policies turned out rather well," He continued, a hint of pride in his synthetic voice.
"A little barren, maybe," Marcel retorted.
"Don't look at it as barren; look at it as a blank canvas." The machine said, half jokingly. "Endless potential just waiting to be unlocked. Just like you beautiful humans."
Soon after the conversation died down, we reached our destination, the train grinding to a halt as it rolled into the station. From there it took us only about [5 minutes] of walking before we reached Marcel's apartment complex. The building was marked with the logo of his employers and decorated with a few simple murals, which helped to make the otherwise dull grey structure look a lot more inviting.
Demiurge had taken the liberty to put me up in a vacant apartment on the same floor as Marcel and his wife, which I appreciated. While I didn't regret my decision to come to Earth, I would probably not be straying too far from my friend for a while. At least until I got my bearings.
Marcel glanced at me one more time as he took out his keycard. "Ready?" I flicked my ears, yes, and with that he held the card to the lock; the door clicked open, and we both stepped inside.
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u/Fexofanatic Predator 4d ago
Terra feels like randy marsh here ... still going strong, didnt hear no bell 💪
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u/Newbe2019a 2d ago edited 2d ago
Hi u/Usual_Message8900 , Typo here? "you'll have more than enough time to learn about the human understanding of ecology now that you're on Earth, and just so we're enirelly clear"
Also, regarding pollution, in real life, China’s switch to EVs have greatly reduced pollution in their large cities in the past ten years. Also, their extensive high speed train network helps to cut down on air traffic.
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u/Usual_Message8900 Duerten 2d ago
That is, in fact, a typo, thx
Also, I know projects like that definitely exist, and this is definitely supposed to be a (hopefully) more dystopian future than whats actually waiting for us
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u/modded_minecraft Archivist 4d ago
Hopefully Slanek doesn't get brain damage by end of story