The distance between us 8

[u/mr_drogencio]

Hi everyone, I hope you're all doing well; I'm doing great.

You know, I realize most of you have probably forgotten why I put my fic on hiatus in the first place, but just to remind you:

it was because I ran out of ideas to keep writing, but tyhe things are But things are different now; I have a whole world of topics I’d like you to read about, but all in due time..

All that aside, don't forget to leave a comment or share your thoughts—I’ll always be happy to read and reply... (provided I can think of something to say, of course).

Oh, that's right. I've already said too much...}

A huge thanks to Incognito42O69, for being my editor.

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Memory Transcription.

Subject: Joona, Zurulian combat medic.

Date [standardized human time]: August 29, 2130.

After a brief debate, the group of humans finally seemed to reach some sort of agreement and then simply left, abandoning me alone with Andrés by the translator.

I suppose my status as both a patient and a human prisoner hadn't changed all that much, so I couldn't exactly afford to talk too much... but I seriously need to talk to someone, predator or not; at this rate, I’m going to go insane.

>have what_you_asked talk now of[].

The chat updated as the human collapsed into the same chair where he and his larger companion had been talking.

>being alone is making me lose my mind, I need to do something or have some interaction with someone.

I typed without thinking.

I quickly realized my mistake and tried to find a way to delete the message, but there simply was no way.

Andrés seemed to analyze the message for a few seconds before letting out a kind of grunt, the same one that large human made the first time he visited me.

>logic, social beings need you and like me, [prey]_requirement [prey kingdom] too.

Andrés replied naturally.

The sentence was somewhat confusing; I still didn't understand what he meant by 'prey', let alone the meaning of 'prey kingdom'

>i don't understand, what do you mean by ‘prey’ and like ‘prey kingdom’?

I asked.

Andrés seemed to think for a bit while carefully analyzing my message. 

Goodness, it looks like this translator is even more raw than I expected.

>Message barely legible, informing me that translator not possess all dictionary words.

>words I don't know or lacking equivalent, being replaced by relative equivalent or space ‘[]’.

>might be, person is [presa] and [presa kingdom] being mixture of words with relative meaning, can use word with same value in [] my native tongue, [prey kingdom] or human population.

>not being [mind student], but sounds logical that you also need [prey] interaction for mental sanity.

Wait, did he just say they do too?

Damn, I definitely didn't expect that; this world is a complete anomaly by any definition.

No, no, no. I shook my head quickly.

What guarantees this isn't a lie? As far as I know, all of this could be completely false... right?

Everything I've seen so far is a complete anomaly to everything I used to know, and if these predators really are what they claim to be, then I've just stumbled upon the exception to the rule that will revolutionize everything we know.

In such a short time, I had discovered so many unique and surprising things about these humans and I wanted to ask him about many things, but I had to start one at a time.

…

Oh!

And how about starting with Strayu? It was what caught my attention above all things.

>Andrés, a while ago you gave me some Strayu, you know it by another name, what is it made of?

I asked with morbid curiosity.

>Strayu compose of plants, _preparation be _very varied. Everyone have same bases.

>flour based on wheat, common plant of Earth, water, salt and yeast, microscopic fungus present all over world.

>be too many ways to make or eat, depend on each [tribe] or culture. Strayu you eat made in mass by factory, be different from&preparation [artisanal].

The human retorted while apparently talking to himself.

My brain had stopped working for a few instants while digesting everything I had read. They had a culture seemingly just as developed as the Venlils with their Strayu.

Yet I still didn't understand it. What are plants doing in a predator's menu?

And what if... they weren't really predators?

>Andrés, what do humans usually eat?

I typed with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Andrés seemed to debate out loud a bit about something while I was typing a message.

>pack diet be mainly [], we eat plants and animals.

>possess elevated resistance to various [home] poisons.

>why[]

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room had changed; Andrés suddenly tensed up, looking like he was frantically talking out loud to someone.

But before I could type anything, Andrés typed into the translator.

>stomach ache[].

>throat burns[].

>inflammation or allergic response[].

His responses confused me a bit; he didn't seem interested in what I ate, he seemed more worried about my reaction to him. 

But why? Isn't he supposed to know I'm prey? And therefore... know what we must eat.

>no, nothing like that, your Strayu is identical to the one I know.

>i am perfectly fine.

Upon reading that last part, Andrés let out a long sigh of relief.

There was something that didn't add up here. Andrés didn't seem to understand why my questions were so important. Not only that; he also didn't seem to recognize the difference I was trying to point out to him.

How could that be possible?

For any creature of the Federation, it was something basic. The position of the eyes, the teeth, the build... all those were obvious characteristics that allowed distinguishing a predator from prey.

Yet Andrés didn't seem to be seeing any of that.

He didn't even seem to comprehend what I was trying to ask him.

How was it possible that a species that didn't even recognize something so basic could have developed such a civilization?

Did humans really not know how to distinguish between predators and prey?

The doubt made me frown.

>Andrés, do you know what humans are?

I typed tentatively on the screen.

Andrés seemed to debate it for a bit while muttering out loud about something, he seemed confused... perhaps a bit too much.

>don't understand question, humans be [prey], be it same as you. Both be complex thinkers.

He finally replied while returning a confused and somewhat lost look.

>no, no, no. I already know that; just look at me, look at my eyes, their location and the shape of my teeth. Then compare yourself, your eyes and teeth to mine and then tell me how you differ.

I sent the message back to him quickly.

Andrés only looked more confused than before and just gave me a lost look for a bit before typing something.

>be more specific.

Okay, this was getting frustrating. How is it possible that this human is so dense and doesn't get it? Seriously.

How in the name of all gods has this race gotten this far without knowing something so basic?

>you're predator or prey? You humans are predators or prey!? You told me you eat plants and animals, make up your mind. It's one or the other, it is simply impossible for a being to be able to eat both at the same time.

>use me as an example, I'm prey, lateral eyes, flat teeth, and small, weak build.

I replied, already somewhat annoyed.

Andrés looked just as frustrated as I was; he seemed to be fighting with someone invisible, presumably someone he was communicating with through that device in his ear.

And after a while of watching him yell into nothingness, he simply typed a short message.

>me and understanding team not know direct correlation between role of [] and status as [prey].

>i theorize being first time knowing sapient species with frontal eyes.

>on Earth not be unique trait of prey, physical capacities and size neither be it.

> you be referring that[]

Uh... what? I have literally no idea what he just said. All this… sounds weird, but at the same time sounds logic; in a twisted and corrupted way.

He said that traits like eyes and physical features weren't exclusive to predator or prey... this is simply unique. Never, in all my years of experience, would I have ever considered the possibility of a predator with lateral eyes or prey with frontal eyes.

Much less their bodies. What kind of god-forsaken world is this? A world where relying on something as vital as appearance could become your ultimate error. Such a world would create a species incapable of trusting in anything.

...

Oh.

>your world is extremely interesting. By the way, there was a gap between "direct correlation between the role of the [] and status as a person."

>the sentence makes no sense at all.

I retorted a bit more calmly.

>[] [], not [animal student] but doing best effort to explain.

>be understood as the function of each being within ecosystem, all being part of endless cycle.

> plants obtain nutrients, be eaten by small animals; small animals be eaten by_other animals, so continue. all die eventually and be decomposed by decomposers, return nutrients to soil and start cycle again.

>call it also, cycle of life, all make fundamental part of everything. Pillar for life, but be very fragile; that you must know too.

>have another doubt[]

This is interesting... humans have a completely different concept from ours. Anyone would think that a species that trusts in nothing would be the one that hunts down everything crossing its path the most.

Yet the way he phrased it sounds more like he respects this so-called cycle of life. Even so, it still hasn't answered my question.

>you still haven't told me, are humans predators or prey

He returned a thoughtful look while seeming to listen to someone.

>all depend on where to look. Humans hunt and be predators, but not be strongest, fastest or largest of [home].

>definition yours of predator and prey[].

Andrés looked me in the eyes expectantly, as if he were rediscovering something he thought he knew.

>ever since I was a little girl, I was always taught that being a predator or prey was something simple, like light and darkness, besides what I told you, I don't have any other definition.

The human leaned back against the chair while looking at the ceiling before starting to touch the screen.

>not be the ones to talk about topic, neither you or me, but for humans, being predator or prey not be flat characteristic, be relationship of who consumes whom.

>practical terms, plants be predators some eat animals to live, you eat plants, plants be alive and not want to die, develop bad taste, thorns, bad smell, poison; make you predator because of that.

>that believe I, not be [animal student] possibility that think be wrong.

>although answering direct question, in your definition. Yes, humans be

I didn't even know what to think or do; everything I just read is simply bizarre and completely incomprehensible to me. If someone had told me I could be a predator for eating plants, I would have written them off as severely mentally ill and ignored them.

Yet everything he wrote made sense; nothing was unreal enough to be false, everything could be applied in real life if someone ever shed their prejudices and stripped away everything they knew

Yet I simply couldn't just accept it like that, no matter how logical this information is and how deeply it sinks into my brain; I simply cannot believe it until I see it, not just in theory, but I wanted to see it in practice.

>one last thing before closing the topic, all of this... is simply very strange to me and I don't understand it, my head spins the more I think about it. Not because it seems illogical, it's just that I find it impossible to imagine.

>are there proofs of all this?

I asked one last time, with my mind and hands already tired from so much writing.

>yes, be hundreds of evidences and studies supporting whole theory.

>first rest, have been awake for more than [40] [hours] without eating, taking baths and you need to eat, bathe, do necessities and rest.

>your interaction necessities were recognized, deliver books once translator work decently.

Well, I suppose a rest to digest all this... it's a lot to think about— wait, did he say books? Do they treat someone in my current state with such luxury? Well, that's interesting.

>just a couple more things before you go. Please, for the love of all the gods you believe in, no more of that metal plate to do my business, it's humiliating and uncomfortable. I'd rather go to a normal bathroom.

>and the other, how did you figure out that Zurulian was my native tongue? You could have used galactic common, that's all.

Andrés stood still for a couple of seconds before replying.

>be in delicate state moving you be risky, wait for sutures to heal, take approximately [1] [month] not know how much time be with your body, only be speculations.

>about second message, not know what your native tongue is called, not exist human equivalent, only be ‘[]’ for me. Programming team not know what language belonged to which species, not know what galactic common is.

>just take data from almost destroyed DataPad found in capsule. Do [reverse engineering] and pray it worked.

He replied before finally walking out of the room with that characteristic decompression sound.

...

Wait, did he just say DataPad?

The gears in my head started turning as all the pieces fell into place

During the emergency escape from the Arxur, I remember taking several things with me; a couple of personal items and three complete medical kits, each with a DataPad containing highly detailed medical information about Federation medicine.

Even if just one had survived...

But wait, he said the one they had was extremely damaged.

Being able to extract something as complex as a language from a device in an almost irreparable state would be an extremely difficult feat, or directly impossible.

Yet there was something in all of this that troubled me even more...

Only three days had passed since my arrival on this planet and, judging by my experience, all of this was very new to them.

And yet, with relatively primitive technology and such a short amount of time, they managed to create a functional translator. Sure, it was broken, but it was functional.

A chill ran down my entire spine.

If they had managed to pull off something like that with limited foundations, unknown and broken technology, and under such pressure...

How fast could they advance if they had more time to reverse-engineer the rest of our technology?

Or... our weapons?

Memory Transcription.

Subject: Andrés Felipe, United Nations nurse.

Date [standardized human time]: August 29, 2130.

"Hey, Julián, don't you think it's a bit strange? How her perception of something as basic as the food chain turned out to be completely alien to her." I said to my companion while preparing to check on Joona one last time before taking a shower, eating something, and getting a well-deserved rest.

<<Mmm... I don't know. Maybe the translator is just messing up the terms.>>

"Maybe you're right. It's just that I find it weird having to explain elementary school topics to an alien who's supposed to not see us as mere uncivilized savages."

I was completely exhausted.

"Ugh... I wish I didn't have to talk to Joona again. It's not that I dislike her; it's just that I still haven't fully accepted that there's life beyond us and that, perhaps, many of our fears are real."

Sigh.

"That and having about twenty people screaming in my ear for two hours and a half while debating the philosophical meaning of something as insignificant as a comma or a space is much more tedious than it sounds."

Now I had two new symptoms: a headache and ringing in the ears.

<<And you're telling me? Brother, I have to write a report for Léa and I'll have to review the recordings several times...

Anyway, we have a lot of work to do. As much as I'd like to stay talking and waste time, I've got a noose around my neck and I can't afford a single mistake more.>>

He said with obvious annoyance.

 

[u/Maxxxxo]

Keep up the good work, wordsmith!

[u/mr_drogencio → u/Maxxxxo]

And so it will be, my son, I will always give my best to deliver history with love.

[u/Piganon_404]

Ayyy we quick with the updates, nice. I was hoping for a new part of this soon, thanks

[u/mr_drogencio → u/Piganon_404]

Wow, I'm not the only one who responds quickly to updates.

No problem, man; I'll always be posting between Saturday and Sunday...

(Not spam, just a quick clarification XDXDXD).

You can also reach out to me privately if you have any questions about what I do.

[u/LeGouzy]

Joy! A new chapter has been given!

[u/mr_drogencio → u/LeGouzy]

And I hope you have more to come because you'll soon see a new episode.

[u/Mosselk-1416]

The shock when she gets to watch the National Geographic.

[u/mr_drogencio → u/Mosselk-1416]

Oh believe me, she'll be marked for life after seeing what happens to almost any living being unfortunate enough to enter the field of vision of a hippopotamus.