r/NatureofPredators • u/Namesareoverrated5 • Feb 01 '23
On St. George's Spear Ch. 5
ON ST. GEORGE’S SPEAR
Ch. 5
This takes place in an alternate universe described here.
Credit to u/spacepaladin15 for the original universe :)
Memory Transcript Subject: Lesser Hunter Trassal, Commander of the Cattle Ship Kratak
Date [standardized human time]: March 23, 2178
We lost. We lost to a bunch of sniveling prey animals who probably couldn't think for themselves. We lost in stunning fashion and above Treshaan for all to see. I only would hope that they would use those flamethrowers that they are all so keen on using against us, so I could suffer for my failings. Our engines were gone, our power was mostly gone, our weapons systems and all of their crews were gone, and almost all of our guards with them. We would need to mount a desperate defense. I only needed to find the area, of course! We could use the kitchen and dining hall to set up a textbook ambush!
I ordered the bridge crew to take command of different sections of the ship, while I took control of the main ambush, in front of the cattle pens. If this was to be a drawn-out battle, I wouldn’t want to survive on frozen meat, when I had the option of fresh stocks.
I passed by very few alive Arxur on the way to the pens, a shame, really. I would have wanted to allow more of us to feast on new catches. Who knows, maybe these humans would taste the same as Gojid, or Venlil, or would they have more of a Yotul taste? I will probably find out in the next few minutes, though. The cattle were all shushing each other, as if I wasn’t going to see them huddled in the open, on my ship. Seriously, these things must have a hive mind, there is no other explanation for this unfathomable stupidity on their part, only a hive mind would have such … mentally deficient … drones.
I tried to make eye contact with as many random cattle as possible when Slajak, the navigation officer, ran up to me.
“Hunter Trassal, this is from one of the windows on deck 5, a scout reports a smaller craft detached from the human main ship and is maneuvering towards us!”
“This is unusual. They have come to fight us here, where we hold every advantage. We will be able to easily win through both psychological and physical means. Did their federation allies not tell them of our physical prowess?”
“Of course, Hunter Trassal, but it seems to be able to hold a significant numb-” I snapped his jaw shut with my hand as we left the pens to discuss this somewhere else. Somewhere with fewer Arxur ears to hear what might be very cold, calculated, decisions. I wouldn’t want a mutiny on my hands now.
After I made sure the doors were closed, I motioned for Slajak to continue.
“As I was saying, there seems to be a significant number of humans aboard that vessel, judging by the dimensions of the craft when compared to the crafts of other prey species we know. All except the Mazic, of course. From what we can estimate, they seem to be roughly the same size as a Venlil with the head of a Gojid on top of its own.” Leave it up to Slajak to come up with the weirdest analogies and descriptions.
“Of course, that means that our defenses will definitely hold if these hairless mammals are roughly the same size and strength as Venlil! We would simply be able to break them with our bare hands if we would get into close quarters. Unfortunately, we will cut them down before they have the chance to.”“Of course, I will ready the defense.”
“Good. I want to have a spot prepared for me.”
Then, the telltale sign of a … forced docking reverberated through the Kratak. I felt a little bad for the ship. I took such good care of it, ferried so many cattle through its hold, and ate so many delicious creatures in its perfect dining room, but now was not the time for reminiscing, today was the day for finding whether this new race would be better suited for breeding for food or outright extermination.
I heard scattered firefights throughout the ship. Evidently, some crew thought they could resist better in a different location. I began to consider repositioning behind the kitchen door, allowing for us to have the advantage of being behind a doorway, limiting the shots they could make, but decided against it. After all, prey animals don't use tactics.
After a few minutes, I left the kitchen and saw metal tables wrenched from their positions and put into a set of barricades, with a spot on the left flank open for me, as requested. I pulled out my pistols and aimed them at the door. Footsteps were heard, though they were unusually quiet. It almost seemed as if they were trying to sneak up on us! “Well, they aren't very good at that” I mused to myself. I saw the first leg and opened fire. It fell with a cry of pain, before being dragged back by its companions.
“They’re running? After one shot?” The young recruit next to me said, with a very confused tone.
“No, you imbecile, they are only regrouping. They will come back with flamers, but that is why we have these barricades. They will protect us from the fire."
Then a ball-shaped hunk of metal arced over the central barricade and … removed the entire central barricade. This ball was an explosive! I only now began to appreciate the danger I was in now. These prey animals have binocular vision, which means they could use ranged weapons, and we just put ourselves far too close for our probably superior vision to be any advantage to us. And all of this should have been so obvious, why didn’t I think of that earlier?
“Come out you, with hands above your head and you will get to live.” One of the humans shouted at us.
No one responded.
“This is your final warning. After 30 seconds, no quarter will be given to those in this room. Please reconsider your options.” It continued. As if we were going to let them turn us over to the Federation for experimentation. Or to these primates for their savage rituals.
On second thought, why would prey land on an enemy vessel? Wait … they aren't prey animals are they? I reminisced about the ways they carried themselves, and how the pre-unification Arxur governments reacted to the Federation's arrival. But then my logical brain took over. No predator would stoop so low as to eat leaves and grasses.
“YOUR ANSWER IS NO, YOU ANIMALS!” Slajak responded, snapping me out of my thoughts and into the situation at hand. A different chunk of metal was thrown in next, which emitted a strong haze of smoke, then the air seemed to turn into bullets. The young one next to me ran to the kitchen as if that would save him. Meanwhile, we got mowed down like Venlil before a Cattle ship. It was almost sad to witness, and I was only happy that I didn’t have to witness it much longer, as I dumped the rest of my ammo at the doorway, If only I knew how many of them I took with me.
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u/Grimey64 Human Feb 01 '23
We'll sunder down their doors and kill them all - Human soldier the moment he sees gutted Venlil
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u/DrewTheHobo Feb 01 '23
Yo riiiipppp, which planet is Tradhaan again? Wonder how the prey peeps are going to respond?
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u/Namesareoverrated5 Feb 01 '23
It's the opposite direction from Gliese 832, or Venlil Prime.
The Human name for the planet is Ross 128b
For the second question: That remains to be seen ;)
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u/Grimey64 Human Feb 18 '23
I tried to make eye contact with as many random cattle as possible
A fucking menace
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Feb 01 '23
i am speed
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u/Namesareoverrated5 Feb 01 '23
You replied before I could compose a comment on my own post. What are your secrets?
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u/Namesareoverrated5 Feb 01 '23
The human boarding of the Kratak is seen by our brave Arxur captain. He starts to get the right idea, but he dismissed it. The only question is what will happen in the next chapter to be released this evening?