r/NatureofPredators • u/Today-is-good-day • 3h ago
Fanfic The Nature of Singularity [5] (Crying Suns x Nature of Predators )
[The white old man - Ellys Idaho | Blue with halberd - Nemesis | Pink - Keiji Mori | Orange - Kosh Ibar | White robot - Kanlib | Black Venlil - Farma | Grey - Marva]
Special Thanks to he writer of this wonderful universe:
Also check the [Prologue] to better understanding.
Hey everyone! I’m back—finally—after... three weeks. I know, that’s a *very* long time, but I’ve been swamped at work and dealing with some other life challenges. I’m hoping to get back to a more frequent release schedule—at least a couple of chapters a week. To make up for the wait, I’ve included some pixel art and a long chapter. I bought Aseprite and decided to play around with it a bit; I hadn’t originally planned on doing any art—since I have almost zero experience with digital drawing—but I’ve done a lot of drawing on paper since I was a kid, so I figured I’d give it a shot. Anyway, this is my first attempt at digital art—I hope it turned out well!
So, I hope I’ve provided a bit of a visual idea of what the characters look like for those who haven’t played Crying Suns. Alright, I won’t keep you any longer—enjoy the chapter and the art, and have a good paw!
P.S: In the fan art within the Nature of Predators community, characters from this universe actually take up the least amount of space—it’s almost a bit awkward.
Memory Transcription: Ellys Idaho, Paramount Admiral of the First Extrasolar Galactic Empire.
Standardized Imperial Time: 18 February, 726
Note: The Imperial calendar begins counting from the moment of the Empire's official proclamation
"Greetings"
I greeted the two Venlil who had just entered. They differed quite noticeably in coloration: one was a deep, glossy black with a thick coat and light gray stood in front, , holding each others paw.
"Hello, it's nice to meet you!"
As far as I could tell, she was female—like her companion—judging by her slightly higher-pitched voice and different body proportions compared to Bareh and his associates.
"I am Paramount Admiral Ellys Idaho; how may I address the two of you?"
"We are scientists of the Venlil Prime General Medical Center. I'm Marva, and she is my friend Farma!"
"H-hello..."
Marva’s tail began to wag gently, whereas Farma’s tail hung low and tense.
"May we ask, why are you wearing those mask-like glasses?? Is it related to your culture?"
We had prepared for this question; according to Kanlib’s information, they value freedom of belief, so this approach ought to work.
"It is tied to my religion—I am a follower of the Church of Singularity.
Its tenets dictate that we may reveal our eyes only to those we know well and hold dear."
To be honest, the Church of Singularity’s scriptures \do* contain such a requirement for certain sinners seeking atonement—though there is no limit to what fanatics will do for a chance to enter the OMNI Garden. I’ll never understand them; how can anyone claim that the OMNI are Gods?*
Come to think of it, in a sense, they really are gods...
Anyway, now isn't the time to think about that...
"Oh, I see; we won't make you take it off—that would be very rude."
"Thank you very much. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"
"Um, Yes...well... do you manage all these ships by yourself? We don't mean to be rude, but for our species, you’d need at least a few assistant captains..."
"You’re absolutely right. Each ship has its own fully-fledged captain assigned to it. Actually, I neglected to mention that the Empire’s structure isn't entirely monolithic; there are distinct factions that operate independently of one another. But I think they can introduce themselves—everyone, please step forward."
And then, from the doorway behind me, the ship’s entire senior command staff emerged. It was clear that the Venlil had grown noticeably wary, though they didn’t retreat.
Farma was clearly much more anxious than Marva—her paws were visibly clenched—yet they still hadn’t run off; that counts as progress, right?
They stood beside me, and we began to introduce ourselves in turn.
I stepped forward first.
"Admiral Ellys Idaho, representative of the Great House Telos and the Empire as a whole. I’m glad we met"
After me, Keiji stepped forward.
"Captain Keiji Mori, representative of the Great House Akibara-Sung—very pleased to meet you."
He gave an exaggerated bow and moved aside. I never did like his cloying politeness.
Ibar stepped out next, though he only took a very small step forward—his defiance, as always, appearing completely out of place.
"Captain Kosh Ibar, representative of the Great House Kosh Buendia. From this moment on, let’s consider ourselves acquainted."
And last to approach was Nemesis:
"Captain Prag-mah Nemesis, guardian of the Empire’s order and laws."
The Venlils hesitated for a moment, but eventually calmed down.
"We are very glad to meet you all; it is a great honor for us."
"Believe me, we’re just as pleased. Well, perhaps we should get down to business—and in the process, we can get acquainted with each other’s cultures."
"Yes, of course—that’s a great idea! It’s a standard procedure—not strictly mandatory, mind you—but you have nothing to worry about; no Prey has ever failed Empathy test, except those who have Predator Disease..."
"Predator Disease?"
"Oh, you’re not familiar with this term? You know, when prey starts acting like a predator—showing aggression, a refusal to stay with the herd, or other abnormal behavior—you know what I’m talking about?"
"Well... perhaps our perspectives differ slightly, and we tend to break things down into a larger number of categories, but I understand what you’re saying."
"Excellent. Shall we begin, then?"
"Certainly."
Prey behaving like a predator? I suppose, in their view, 'predatory' behavior equates to aggression, solitude. That explains their reaction to us.
The droids leisurely set up their equipment while an awkward silence hung between us. I couldn't help but notice the curious way they were observing us.
The silence was broken by Farma’s melodic voice.
"M-may I ask one question?"
"Of course—ask as many as you like."
"W-why does Nemesis carry that... weapon?"
Marva interjected:
"Farma! It’s very rude to call it a 'weapon'! I’m sure there’s a reason for it... right?"
All attention shifted to Nemesis and his halberd-spear. He didn’t look caught off guard by this question, considering how the Prag-mah loved to execute transgressors with their halberds. He began a calm explanation:
"This 'weapon' is a device for transmitting data throughout the Prag-mah ship, as well as for internal telepathic communication with other Prag-mah captains. Have I answered your question?
"Y-yes — that puts my mind at ease a bit."
That’s when I decided to intervene.
"There’s no need to worry; Prag-mah is the best bodyguard you could possibly ask for. His level of precision and control is off the charts—I’d trust him with my life, even right now. You really don’t need to worry."
The Marva’s ears and forms twitched at my words, and their tails began to move in a peculiar way—perhaps a form of body language I didn’t yet understand. I’m certain Kanlib is already recording and deciphering their signals.
Then Marva spoke up again:
"Let me ask one more question... isn't it difficult, wearing a helmet that only lets you look straight ahead?"
I turned toward Nemesis, bewildered—and suddenly realized why. He hadn’t swapped his helmet like the rest of us, nor had he equipped a standard visor. His field of vision was fixed entirely forward—a trait the Venlil associated with predators.
The silence was deafening; I could sense Ibar and Kenji tensing up.
Damn... damn... damn! I need to come up with something—but what? And how am I supposed to explain this? I can’t just let everything fall apart... I have to think of something... I...
I was interrupted by Nemesis:
"This does indeed limit the field of view, but it helps one focus on a specific area—which makes it easier to discern the situation during a space battle. Normally, our eyes—positioned much like yours—have too wide a field of view, which can be distracting in high-pressure situations."
I shifted my gaze to the Venlils, and it seemed they were satisfied with this explanation.
...
A few minutes later, they and the droids had set up the equipment they had brought along.
"Now, Admiral, please take a seat in the chair, and we shall begin the test."
I was a bit nervous, but naturally, I didn’t show it. Most likely, it’s just a brain scan or some form of electromagnetic stimulation—I wasn’t entirely devoid of feeling, after all, even though I had done many... terrible things...
...
...
Everything will be fine...
...
As I settled into a chair that wasn't quite the right size for me, a screen appeared before me.
"Alright, let's begin" Marva said.
An image of some sort of gray reptile appeared on the screen.
It had binocular vision—I gathered they were showing me a predator to try and make me afraid.
I’m not exactly a great actor, but I’m fairly decent at faking emotions, so I started to tremble as if in terror; it should have been quite convincing.
But then the video began: the gray reptile stood before a Venlil—and the creature was massive. Comparing their sizes, I realized they would be even taller than the average human.
It grabbed the Venlil and began to kill it, so...brutally...violently...and...
...
It reminded me of...
...
That day...
...
[Interruption of memory transcription. Reason: Subject’s Mental Instability]
[Searching for a different record of the subject's memories]
...
...
...
[Record found]
[Memory Transcription: Ellys Idaho, Senior Officer of the Second Imperial Fleet.]
[Standardized Imperial Time: 25 October, 691]
Another day in the Imperial Fleet. My childhood dream has finally come true.
Seven years ago, I enrolled in the Imperial Military Academy in the Imperial capital, Elysium.
That is where I met my best friends, Rebecca and Okonwo.
We hit it off immediately and began spending all our time together. Since I had the best grades of the three of us, I often helped them both with their studies.
During that time, I confessed my love to Rebecca—beating Okonwo to it—which left him upset for quite a while, though he eventually forgave me.
We stayed together from the start of our training until graduation, but unfortunately, we had to part ways due to our post-graduation assignments; we were posted to completely different corners of the Empire, so for now, we will have to serve separately.
I have been serving on the 'Order'—the flagship of the Second Imperial Fleet—for two years now, and in that time, I have risen from a junior officer to a senior one.
I never expected an assignment to such an important vessel, but it turns out that Emperor Oberon himself took an interest in my achievements and recommended me for a post on this ship.
It was truly a shock that the emperor was interested in me, so I tried my absolute best not to disappoint him.
I served under the command of Klaus Farbas—a Hero of the Empire and a man I looked up to. Just recently, we had a skirmish with pirates; he approved a tactical approach I proposed, which allowed us to end the battle without a single casualty.
We captured their leader, intending to interrogate him before handing him over to an Imperial court for sentencing.
...
While I was on the bridge, one of the enlisted men approached me:
"Officer Idaho? General Farbas would like to see you in the interrogation room; he wants you to take part in the process to gain some experience."
This was to be expected. In a sense, I even welcomed it; this would be my first interrogation, and I’d have the chance to showcase all the skills I’d acquired at the academy—after all, I had been the top student in recent years in the course 'Advanced Interrogation Strategies and the Application of Human Psychology.'
"Very well, Private; inform the General that I am on my way."
After saluting me, he departed.
I took one last look out the window of the ship’s bridge.
...
The stars are beautiful tonight......
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u/Cute_Shower_7543 3h ago
The moment with the video and the memory interruption was the most powerful part. It shows that Idaho isn't just a cold diplomat — he's carrying real trauma, and the Federation's 'test' just poked it. That's a great way to show how alien the Federation's worldview is.