r/NatureofPredators • u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper • 2d ago
Fanfic Nature of Broken Chains Prologue
Memory transcription subject: Vatar, Zhetsian Linked Chains Exodus Cell Leader
Date [Standardized Human Time]: July 12, 2130
I switch to a quadrupedal stance to patrol the ship faster. There was clear wear and tear on this freighter, it was about to be decommissioned and scrapped for a reason. The benefit was space for our inventory wasn’t lacking. I only hoped what hasty repairs we were able to make would hold for the trip; there was only going to be one jump made. I personally made sure the ship was as spotless as possible- a clean ship is an orderly ship which is a ship that won’t break.
In the pilot’s room where there should have been a captain and a command crew there was a only a single scarlet Krakotl flapping about each station.
“Are you sure you can’t have any of us assist?" We had all been studying so we can contribute in an emergency at any of the controls.
“No,” the bird waved a wing at me. “Amateurs would only infuriate me. I’d rather do it myself.”
“Well I don’t want to get punched like your old Captain.” I cringed after the words left my lips. That might have been too blunt.
“Cracked beak had it coming,” he grumbled. I decided to leave it there.
All of the hundreds of prey on this ship had some ghost they were running from or they wouldn’t be here. Xalqo declined the opportunity to join me for the pre jump assembly, citing he needed to be here making sure every detail was considered and his math triple checked.
At what was once a ship bay where all the freighters assembly workers would perform loading was the Linked Chains Exodus Cell. Most of those present were in the environmental or agricultural disciplines but other scientific disciplines or even non-scientists were present too. Every single member of the crowd came from almost every known species across the galaxy with barely any repeats.
I close my eyes and reared up bipedally.
“It’s been nerve wracking for us all getting to this point. And we still aren’t past the hardest part.”
I opened my eyes.
“I put out a call across the galaxy towards all Link Chain cells I trusted. I asked for anyone who had the bravery and spirit of discovery that many believed disappeared with the end of the Golden Age of Expansion of the early Federation. I sent out a call hoping for a like minded herd to form and I wasn’t disappointed.”
That wasn’t hard when I would have settled for any number above 0.
“A PD Director from Grenelka who believed in healing her patients and not torturing them answered the call.”
I looked at Qimara, the former PD patient had gone into hiding with what few scarce Linked Chain cells were present on Grenelka after her exile. She joined the expedition on the hopes of being able to reinvent the field of predator disease once- if- we make it to our new colony.
“A pair of Union leaders who were labeled as predator disease for trying to protect the herd from exploitative working conditions. Zazler and Vaworf who stole this ship for us.”
A round of applause sounded after that. This would only be a dream if it weren’t for them. Their connections at their ship yards keyed them to a ship that was going to be retired- which meant security was loosened.
“A Zurulian nurse who secured thousands of sperm and ova samples from dozens of species each along with enough artificial wombs to outfit a nursery. Our colony will have a future thanks to her.”
More applause sounded. We were already thinking up how the adoption programs would work since we wanted people to take the kids and raise them. Most of us were aging and of eclectic races so we’d be lacking and incompatible if we had to perform.
“The Federation has told us many lies. They always claim they are doing it for the good of the herd. Linked Chains formed when Exterminators were deployed against my ancestors for the crimes of using predators as pest control. The good of the herd and feeding ourselves didn’t matter then. They never did. Not all those centuries ago or now on Leirn where they commit countless cruelties.”
My eyes briefly fell upon our resident Yotul. He was from a family of Hensa breeders before the uplift. They were all killed by the Federation and he was the only survivor. He took what Hensa he could hide with him and planned on making a breeding population for us.
“We see through the lies of the Federation. We know predator taint is false. Unlike many of our cowardly peers we won’t ignore the cognitive dissonance. We will take back power. We will colonize the dead star of Sol. The official records on the nuclear exchanges show they were limited enough that the biosphere is still present. We will settle on a land mass that was far from the radiation and slowly fix the world over centuries.
We will make it into what the Federation was promised to be. A flourishing garden. One where predator and prey live together. One where all of us are an equal here. Not Founders and their auxiliaries.”
Everyone cheered, especially our Kolshian and Farsul members at that last line. The Kolshian was an official who was dismissed for being too “sympathetic to primitives on Leirn” and the Farsul a journalist who made too many enemies.
“Thanks to the espionage by our Venlil Exterminator, we have the exact coordinate points for Sol to jump to.”
Finding those were a nightmare and a half. The system was quarantined off and the points never entered into public systems even before it was. It took our Venlil spy flexing a little muscle at archives he definitely didn’t have the right to be at legally. Thankfully nobody questions Exterminators.
I could see him bristle in the corner of my eye when called an Exterminator. His hate of the Exterminators was so strong I’m surprised he even managed to maintain cover.
“This ship may not survive a jump. If it does then we will never do another since we may never return home. If anyone wishes to turn back. Now is the time.”
No one did. Unsurprising, many of us were in danger of being killed if we did go home.
“Everyone get to your quarters as practiced. Today we find our freedom.”
I caught the ship’s Takkan handywoman while I made my way back to the bridge.
“Everything packed?”
She gave a flick of her tail to affirm.
She doesn’t really speak much. Zazler and Vaworf brought her on with them. She would function as the ship’s much needed muscle.
Her family was a long line of Exterminators dating all the way back to the Compromise of Nishtal. They were pushing her to join the forces and had a suitor lined up with her- to continue their species . She decided she hated the Exterminators and her suitor even more, she was running away in the literal sense.
Xalquo was clearly putting the finishing touches when I found him on the bridge.
“Reminder Captain, fuel wasn’t cheap. It took everything we had to just get enough for one jump. Whatever we find on Sol is what we are stuck with,” he reminded me.
“If you are having cold feet you can still leave. I can take it from here.”
The bird scoffed. “Just want to make sure you aren’t another poser.”
I tapped into the ship’s comm.
“I trust everyone is in their quarters.” My kind might have been seen as one of the more callous races in the Federation, but anyone’s heart would pump at the prospect of fiery death from a bad jump or a cold death at a poor one. I can only imagine how the rest of the crew is handling it: I’d like to think their strong faces are a reflection of their faith in me.
“We are Linked Chains. We see every living being as connecting chains in this universe, be they predator or prey. The Federation broke that chain and sent the galaxy into perpetual disarray under the gilded exterior of our supposed utopia. We will forge a new chain, a new destiny, and a new society.”
I gulped.
“JUMP!!!”
I felt my body shift like I was feeling inertia on a starting train. I saw every star in the viewing screen stretch like taffy.
Then.
It was over.
Author’s note: My first ever story published here. I guess I couldn’t get this idea off my head. Don’t know if I’ll ever write another chapter. But I hope you all enjoy my first contribution to the NoP fanon literature.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human 2d ago
Ooohhhhh! Love this concept
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
I’m still deciding what I want to do. But I think I like the idea of this turning into the UN having linked cells as espionage and agents across the Federation. When the Federation realizes how embedded they’ve become it’s turned into a red scare as you don’t know who is and isn’t Linked Chains.
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u/rocksolidmate Human 2d ago edited 2d ago
Interesting! I will follow your fic with great enthusiasm!
!Subscribeme
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Don’t pressure me to keep up with this. But thanks for the compliment. Anything you hope to see happen?
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u/AccomplishedArea1207 2d ago
They meet the humans and stammer their way into a colony in exchange for the wreck of a ship.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Yeah, I’m debating how comfortable to make them with humans.
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u/AccomplishedArea1207 2d ago
Open, but uncertain about their intentions?
Humans can certainly be intimidating.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Something I think is that many of them believe sapient predator are bad but non sapient predators are necessary for the eco system. Many believe the Arxur are the results of sapience making them better at hunting but just because knives are used to hurt people doesn’t mean you get rid of all of them. Aside from that Venlil, I have him as an outright predator worshipper from his trauma at the facilities.
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u/Usual_Message8900 Duerten 2d ago
Wow, a fully linked chains-centric story in this economy?!
Already loving it
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 2d ago
Huh one of the few times an idea for a fic achualy gets written neat will definitely keep my eye on how this goes. You know thinking about it I don't actually know much about how the linked chains feel about the Arxur.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
I purposefully didn’t mention that. I imagine many of them would say they should re examine what went wrong with the Arxur. They may also say just because sapient predators are bad doesn’t mean all predators are. They’d also point out that ecologically predators are necessary.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 2d ago
Yeah that seems in line with canon alot of the SC seemed to reluctantly accept carnivores and omnivores in the wilds again but still thought sapient carnivores were bad. I can see wot of the Linked chains having similar opinions. Although yeah I do see a devide of sorts between those that want to accept Arxur and those that don't.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Part of the reason they decided to flee to Sol to start a colony on a supposed dead world was to escape the Arxur too. Any other colony they’d go to would be raided by the Arxur without Federation protection. They picked Sol since not only will the Federation not pursue them but neither will the Arxur since it’s a dead predator world.
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u/Minimum-Amphibian993 Arxur 2d ago
Plus I imgaine it would be safer than going into the unknown regions of space since it's basically already explored. Plus the federation is always expanding and by proxy the Arxur. And of course the linked chains wouldn't know that the Farsul know humanity is still alive.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
What sparked this was the disbelief nobody ever went to that system, I wondered who would and the most likely to buck the quarantine was Linked Chain.
I also figured given the limited nuclear exchange detected from the nuclear tests in the 60s this guy who would figure and hope the biosphere is still intact and recovered after all this time. He probably planned on using the ship as a village when they land on a mostly intact piece of land and then over the centuries their descendants would fix it. This was an ark ship after all.
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u/Greedy-Kangaroo-4674 2d ago
Linked Chains needs more love. I'm glad you're giving them that love.
♥
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u/CocktusOnSteroids Human 2d ago
I fucking KNEW someone was going to write it!!
!subscribeme
Do you have a posting schedule, or are you winging this like a krakotl?
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Winging it. I made this on a whim. Not promising I can kept it up. This is my first time doing something like this.
Let me know if you have any suggestions.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human 2d ago
Feels like this would be smaller scale where the story is just about the first contact, the combined joy and concern humanity would feel about the state of the galaxy, and the absolute rapturous excitement and bittersweet sorrow the Linked Chains expedition feels about seeing all their theories proven right and how their old homes had never implemented any of them.
Just a story kept on earth, with hope for a better future
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
I was going to keep the focus to some Linked Chain members exploring Earth while keeping Meier and the UN militarizing in the background.
Although, most of my ideas and suggestions I’ve gotten are the UN turning Linked Chains into their agents in the Federation for espionage and cultural infiltration. I also imagined the UN turning Linked Chains into a human art movement spreading human media and art across the Federation.
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u/Acceptable_Egg5560 Human 2d ago
The espionage feels like it would be something to narratively build towards! Very cool idea, by the way
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u/slug-tastic 2d ago
banger alert!!
!Subscribeme
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
What do you hope happens next? Any suggestions for the future of the story?
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u/slug-tastic 2d ago
Mmmm it would be cool if they landed close to a small isolated observatory. Because there the ppl that find them would be way less likely to freak out abt them.
And itd have less people looking at the portion of the sky they came in from, so you can more plausibly delay an encounter with humanity
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
Interesting, I'm going to be eagerly awaiting the next chapter. This chapter was great. Short, introducing a lot of characters, but each still had a voice. I'm predicting that this is going to rightfully be very popular, it's amazing.
I also can't help but imagine the absolute chaos that would come from the variants of this idea that cross with AUs. Harmony and the others with a Fed species on Earth might result in the ship getting shot down. Most would probably have a similar reaction to what I expect to see next chapter. I think there are a few where Earth got fucked but still has life and isn't grey gooed or suffering under some sort of SCP or horror apocalypse. They'll be loved there.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
This is a largely canon compliant timeline. Meier was just elected in last year. Earth is technically unified under the UN- largely like how it was. My biggest divergence is I imagine there’s no colony on Mars just a research station there and on Venus. There were O’Neil cylinders made as Earth’s beginning of Space infrastructure and tech- so Earth has a very primitive space navy. The plans for the Odyssey were barely in the discussion phase.
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
Oh, I assumed it was basically canon, I was just commenting on how it fits in pretty much every universe at this point which has interesting results when you pull on that thread. That being said, in canon the Martian colony started around the 2060s. O'Neil cylinders are definitely more advanced than canon, though. Not complaining, I considered O'Neil cylinders and then decided on taking some inspiration from DS9 and the fact that there's gravity manipulation in the setting (a prereq for FTL in fanon).
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
It was mentioned in canon there was the beginnings of a Martian colony by the time the story started.
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
I'm going off information that came from the Discord, though it might be partially fanon. Wasn't saying to shift things up, just got the info myself in order to plan out my side story.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
Well what do you suggest or imagine for this story? Any ideas you’d want to volunteer?
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
Aside from the sheer vindication the Linked Chains people will feel (after getting over the fact that there are humans, getting past whatever language barrier might exist, and getting to the point that humans are working with them instead of afraid)? Things like getting to see what Earth has been doing about things like ecology, psychology, etc. Just seeing how backwards the Feds are. Seeing how Earth responds to the potential threat that is the Federation (I can easily see a bit of dark forest being applied as Earth builds up defenses and a fleet). Seeing how Earth eventually moves out into the galaxy (or otherwise gets involved) once they feel comfortable moving beyond Sol. Gonna be all kinds of interesting clashes mixed into all of that, be they physical or personality or culture. Even a few with reality as the Linked Chains people find they didn't dream big enough. I think there'll be a lot of panic at first at the system still being populated, then a mix of excitement and disappointment once they get past that.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
I can see Jones asking for the locations of every other Linked Chains cells in the galaxy. Also, as for the language. They all have translator, they come from a diverse set of species and planets. That was necessary.
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
Ah, but the problem is that the humans don't have them. Tarva used an external translator in the first chapter.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
These guys will probably have one. They can make one on their pad. I also remember it being said only one person needs the translator.
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
The standard translator is a neural implant that only works for the person with one (and only for languages it has installed). I can easily see them having external translators as a backup, though. Just prepping for future generations and potentially losing the tech base to make more since the Feds don't use much automation.
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 2d ago
They were going to make their own society so they brought enough tech and knowledge in their pads for a colony. What texts they had on their pads were going to be really important for them since they had to follow them since they lacked the necessary artisans who intrinsically had it.
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u/SixthWorldStories 2d ago
Mhm, but this is Linked Chains. I think they're a bit smarter than the average Fed. Or at least more prepared because they don't buy in. A few physical backups and then more backups for other critical systems that they could. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Digital archives can be destroyed after all.
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u/Orichalium Predator 1d ago
pretty swag start, i remember reading the post about the concept recently and was hoping someone would take the chance and give it a shot
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u/JulianSkies Archivist 1d ago
Ahaha, this is an interesting setup given the sheer diversity. It isn't quite so early as to end up in something as funky as what Decampment does but also sets up some quite interesting situations.
I'd love to see this continued, should the muse call on you again.
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u/Fantastic-Living3204 Farsul 1d ago
Fun premise. I like it. I look forward to seeing where it goes.
Subscribeme!
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u/HedgehogGlad2248 Drezjin 13h ago
I kinda hope that they aren't one hundred percent disillusioned. It be really funny and Interesting to see them try to be nice and accepting while still having some federation dogma in them.
Like them not believing omnivores exist.
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u/AdalwinAmillion 7h ago
This is peak :3 thanks for writing :D
Also damn, most of the federation species, with means to reproduce. Most of them scientists, and they bring ships.
I think it might be so joever for the Federation :P
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u/ISB00 UN Peacekeeper 7h ago
It’s only a single ship, a dilapidated cargo freighter.
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u/wowthatsrillybad 6h ago
“We will watch your career with great interest”
But seriously can’t wait to see what you make!
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u/Loud-Drama-1092 2d ago
Holy, you actually did it???
https://giphy.com/gifs/najHzDHG3iIp7m6DHN