The Nature of Predators

Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic

Date [standardized human time]: August 22, 2136

Word of the Arxur attack on our space station reached Venlil Prime via the media first. I suspected the camera crews sent to document the humans’ arrival were able to get a messenger ship out before the confrontation. Details were scarce, but the first duel between predators in space made for flashy headlines.

In all honesty, I was curious how humans would fare against the grays as anyone. I was clinging to some far-fetched hope that they’d swoop in and save the day.

There was no telling whether the station was still standing. Research outposts didn’t have meaningful defenses, since our fiercest protection was assigned to colonies and planets. The humans needed to save their own hide against the Arxur.

Maybe we should’ve hosted the UN delegation on Venlil Prime, but the idea was to assimilate them in increments. Having predators walking the streets, dining in restaurants, and smiling at schoolchildren was a bit much for the public. I felt guilty anyways, for leaving our human friends in a vulnerable location. In trying to shield them, I might’ve gotten them killed.

Terran technology was primitive, and while they excelled at dogfights in atmospheric conditions, I suspected their ships weren’t attuned to space yet. They were in the process of building a new armada from scratch. The craft deployed to the station were there for emergencies, and were little more than prototypes.

There was profound relief when Kam messaged me, stating that he was in orbit along with two UN generals. My military advisor promised a full briefing, and assured me that the station was still standing. I was relieved to hear that there were survivors, but also wondered how the human ships had performed.

“Hi, Tarva!” a predator’s voice pierced my ears.

Noah’s arrival at the governor’s mansion was a welcome sight. I was happy to have a familiar face amidst the stress and confusion. The cheery astronaut was appointed Terran ambassador at my request, and had taken up permanent residence planetside. He never seemed to tire of interviews, or lose patience with our timid behavior.

“Thank you for coming.” I nodded to my friend, suppressing my reaction to his toothy grin. “I’ve never met any human military personnel. It’s as though Meier has been trying to keep them away from me. He calls them ‘snakes in the grass’, whatever that means.”

“Meier is a smart man,” Noah chuckled. “They’re going to try to get you to hand over your ship blueprints, and to take sides in our national disputes. By the way, I strongly advise not doing either. Neutrality is a fine policy.”

I flicked my ears. “What disputes? Don’t you all get along now?”

“Ha. We never get along, Tarva. We just get along with the Arxur less.”

“Why can’t you make peace? That whole ‘predator’s instinct for aggression’ thing?”

“I guess.”

“You’re smart. You must realize it’s not advantageous to your species to fight.”

“We know that. But we are what we are. I’m sorry if it frightens you.”

General Kam entered the reception hall, halting our conversation. The military advisor looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Two humans trailed after him, sporting uniforms with flashy colors. If memory served me right, the one in the light blue was from the US Space Force, while the red attire designated China’s Strategic Support Force.

It was tough to remember all the factions of such a disunited species. There were hundreds of governments on Earth, each with their own culture and leadership. One of the most embarrassing incidents was when I sent thanks to Austria for supplies rendered by Australia, though both nations seemed to find the mix-up humorous.

Ever since then, I’d tried to stick to speaking with Secretary-General Meier and his office. The Venlil wanted an alliance with the entire species, not to juggle rival tribes.

“Glad to see you, Governor. General Jones and General Zhao,” Kam paused, gesturing to the two respective humans. “…have prepared a simulation of the battle for us. You’ll find their strategies, er, most intriguing.”

“Intriguing?”

General Zhao shrugged. “A win is a win.”

What did that mean? Had our predators used some cheap tactics against the Arxur?

I ushered the entourage into a conference room, making sure to keep Noah between myself and them. It was all I could do not to openly stare at the human militants. They didn’t look as imposing or feral as Meier’s diplomats would have us believe. I half-expected them to be marred with battle scars, or baring their fangs at everyone they passed.

Kam fiddled with the holo-projector, syncing the Terran devices with ours. A shimmering recreation blinked up over the central table, and I studied it with nervous anticipation. This would be our first insight into how human warfare truly worked.

“There we go,” General Jones said. “I feel obligated to note those ships are American designs.”

Zhao rolled his predator eyes, a display that looked most unnatural. “You had to slip that in, didn’t you? They used our weapons modifications. The most important part of any system is the firepower. Wouldn’t you agree, Tarva?”

“Uh, well, uh…would you mind if we watch the simulation, before I offer my opinion?” I answered in a sheepish voice. “I wouldn’t want to speak in ignorance.”

Noah smirked, shooting me a knowing glance. The ambassador’s warning proved at least half-correct, but I thought I’d done a decent job deflecting the question. Motion activated on the projector, and the visual representation sprung to life. Computer data and analysis augmented the view of the battlefield.

Six Arxur bombers barreled down on the outpost, opposed by a wall of human ships. The Terran fleet was comprised of tiny one-seater ships, whose only asset appeared to be speed. The humans outnumbered the reptiles by an order of twenty-to-one, according to the computer. Sheer numbers didn’t matter when their primitive weapons were ineffectual against the grays.

The UN had to have something else up their sleeves, if the station survived, I thought.

Our allies swarmed the Arxur with blinding mobility. Plasma and kinetics rained on the grays’ position, and the enemy struggled to lock down the pesky targets. They began shooting in all directions, as that was the surefire way to connect with something. Terran indicators blinked out by the dozens, which earned a wince from me.

Undeterred, the humans pressed on toward their deaths. The Arxur craft had sustained minor damage, but were mostly unscathed. There was no sign of any backup or reinforcements; no grand trick or ambush. I expected more complex tactics from an intelligent predator.

The humans flew practically on top of the Arxur, making it impossible for them to use their railguns. The reptiles switched over to kinetic weapons, and carved swaths through the Terran ranks with precision. The bombers then broke off toward the station, disregarding the puny fighters. The humans were not worthy of attention.

Even to me, these UN ships are a joke. This is the species that was supposed to save us? I mused. They sent their pilots to a slaughter. Blind aggression isn’t enough.

It was the second the Arxur lost interest that the primates pounced. There were only 52 friendly vessels remaining, but they acted in harmony. The humans discharged heat-seeking missiles, so close that they were caught up in the explosions themselves. From those ranges, the grays had no chance to activate their interceptors.

It seemed the humans had finally drawn blood. Two enemy indicators flickered out, but four weathered the storm. By comparison, 23 more UN ships had gone down to their own blasts. Losing every “fighter” wasn’t going to prove a point. It was time to order a retreat, before there were no forces left.

Instead, the primates violated all laws of self-preservation. The Terrans formed a barricade in the Arxur's path, trying to intercept their fire. Their railguns chewed through the fighters with ease, and whittled their numbers down to a dozen. The humans were backed into a corner; unlike us, they would not flee. They saw that the station was about to take fire, and rushed forward in a predatory frenzy.

The last Terran ammunition was dispensed; they were drained dry, with no options to fight on. Several captains made the spontaneous decision to hurl the last scraps of their fighters into Arxur ranks. What kind of species used their ships as missiles? How could their impulse be to sacrifice their own lives?

In the wake of the humans’ earlier battering, the reptiles proved unable to withstand multiple drive explosions. The handful of remaining fighters sat defiantly, almost daring any Arxur ships to emerge from the smoke. The simulation froze, as it reached the end of the data input.

"We suffered heavy losses. If only our drone program was ready for deployment. That would be a game changer. At least we know now, the Arxur can be taken down," General Jones said.

“There were no Venlil casualties. We destroyed the grays before they reached the station,” General Zhao concluded.

I glanced away in horror. Only three UN vessels remained from the original allotment. The humans sacrificed ships numbering in the three digits to stop the Arxur. That could hardly be considered a victory.

How could predators develop vessels that were that much weaker than their counterparts? That loss ratio was unacceptable in a long-term war.

“There is a small point of concern, Governor.” Jones paused, waiting for me to focus on her. “A Venlil patrol ship went missing in Federation territory, with a human on board. In the hours since, the Gojids have started to mobilize along the border.”

“We believe the ship may have been captured, which would mean the Feds are now aware of us,” Zhao added. “The only positive is that unless the hostages told them, they don’t know where Earth is. That buys us some time to figure out our next action.”

My blood ran cold as ice. The Federation possessed the exact location of Earth. While the humans were advised that they might be killed on sight, I hadn’t disclosed the specifics of our history. There was no telling how a predatory species might retaliate to a plot for their extinction.

That said, I couldn’t bear to see them blindsided by a pre-emptive strike. The time had come where I had to divulge the full extent of the Federation’s hatred.

“Well, maybe we should speak to them,” Noah chimed in. “I’m not sure we shouldn’t have from the start. The Arxur are a sample size of one. The aliens have no experience with humans, or any other predators. If Tarva vouches for us, they might come around.”

I stood up from my chair. “I doubt that. They’ll hate you.”

The Terran ambassador frowned. “If you can accept us, why can’t they? How do you know that the Federation will try to kill us, just because we’re predators?

“I just do.”

Noah crossed his arms. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

“I…I need a word with the Ambassador. Alone.”

“No, I think we all should hear this.” General Zhao’s posture was stiff as a board, as though he’d sensed something off. “Whatever pertains to our safety concerns everyone in this room.”

“Well, it’s because…”

Noah tilted his head inquisitively. Worry sparkled in his brown eyes, as he noticed me shying away from him. I wondered if even he could forgive me for such a grave omission, for the betrayal of his trust.

“Because they tried to kill the last predators they found.” I slumped my shoulders in defeat, avoiding his gaze. “I didn’t want to tell you.”

“You’re saying they killed another predator species before?” the ambassador asked.

“No. There are only two.”

“Then…”

“The Federation knew about humans and Earth a long time ago. The vote to glass your planet was unanimous, after footage of your world wars became public.”

General Jones’ eyes narrowed to slits. “Unanimous. That includes the Venlil?”

“Yes. Before my time but…yes. They…we were meticulous in our planning. We believed we couldn’t fail.”

“Wow.” Hurt flashed in Noah’s gaze, though the human quickly blinked it away. “Alright. Um, what stopped them?”

“The Federation thought you were dead. Something about hundreds of nuclear explosions, right after those world wars ended. I myself wonder what that was.”

“Testing. There were countless nuclear tests in that era, in unpopulated areas, might I add,” Noah muttered.

“I see. At any rate, that’s how we knew exactly what you were, and where you were from. Before your ship ever hailed us. The Federation will recognize what the captive is, and find Earth’s location on a star chart.”

Jones’ eyes were icy. “You didn’t think this was something we needed to know, Tarva?”

“Yeah. Why are you telling us now?” Zhao spat.

I shrank back under the predators’ withering gaze. While their anger was justified, it rendered me unable to form a response. Open hostility was not something my instincts processed well; not when they were eyeing me up like their next meal.

“The Governor didn’t want us to have cause to attack the Federation,” Noah said, leaping to my defense. “They are her friends, no matter how unjust they are. Besides, she’s only known us for a month.”

Kam cleared his throat. “It’s little consolation, but the Federation means well. Truly.”

“Well-meaning or not, they want to kill us. We have to make difficult choices,” Jones growled. “Earth must be protected at all costs. I don’t think Tarva wants to see that side of us.”

“I will s-support you all, no matter what you choose,” I stammered. “I don’t want humanity to die. If you evacuate people from Earth, they will be welcome in our territory. And though I have no right to ask, I beg you to show the Federation mercy.”

The human generals did not respond aloud, but their expressions conveyed a simmering rage. As Noah once told me, the concept of karma was close to their hearts. I suspected any Terran mercy was dependent on the Federation’s next actions.

The galaxy’s prejudice could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.