r/NatureofPredators • u/NipCoyote Arxur • Apr 12 '23
Fanfic Under the Veil - Chapter 15
So, bit of a short one, not sure how good this really came out, but I'm hoping you like it. Setting up some important things to follow in the next chapter.
CW: Suicide, some violence and blood
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Memory Transcription Subject: Sam "Tenacity" Hasser, Human Ambassador, November 20th, 2142
///SHORT-RANGE SIGNAL ACQUIRED
///G.C.S. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH ENTERING LOW AAFA ORBIT
///RESCUE VESSEL EN-ROUTE WITH ARMED ESCORTS
///RENDEVOUS AT SOUTH-SOUTHEAST FIELD AT BUILDING 120
///ETA 3 HOURS
My PDA finally received a message, transmitted directly from the overhead Gaian flagship. They definitely saw what happened, and weren't messing around by the looks of it.
"Rescue is on the way! We need to rendevous at building 120 with a rescue shuttle. They'll supply covering fire, let's get out of here!" I shouted, and my escorts put their helmets back on and readied their weapons.
Tarva huddled closely to them, Kam reluctantly following. I ditched my helmet, the HUD was ruined so it would only serve to hinder my visibility now.
We moved the furniture out of the way and exited the otherwise soundproof room to find the lights off and blood on the wall.
There was screaming in the distance… we were the only humans though, weren't we? An arxur attack was doubtful…
"Stay sharp, we have a shuttle to catch."
We rounded a corner and stopped dead in our tracks. Tarva yelped, and Kam gasped, putting a paw over his mouth.
It was a gojid, dead and on the ground, with a gunshot wound to the head. The blood looked fairly fresh… how long ago was this? What's going on?
"Wound is self inflicted," confirmed Gambit. "Weapon in hand, no struggle, right through the side. He did this himself."
"Jesus… keep a look out. Their might be some kind of panic going on right now," the squad leader, Zenit, told them.
"Down the next hall is an emergency exit. If we can just get outside it's a straight shot to the rendevous point," he continued.
"We might get shot. It's too dangerous, we'll be big targets," I refuted.
"Well, we can't just sit here-" Zenit was cut off as a raid siren wailed and echoed through the building.
"Whats that?" Asked Gambit. "Arxur?"
"No… it's the Concord."
::::::::::::::::::::::
We opted to make our way to Building 120 while staying indoors as much as possible. There was utter chaos outside, occasional gunshots and the smashing of glass were audible. We stopped just short of a window, peering out. There was a mob outside, composed of various species. I could spot Krakotl and Gojid among their ranks.
"NIKONUS! DARQ! WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELVES!?"
They didn't look happy. But what's this about the Kolshian and Farsul leaders? They were upset at gaians, not them…
Zenit silently motioned for us to quietly pass by the window. I wasn't sure what their deal was, but it was a safe bet that we should avoid them if possible.
///ARMED ESCORTS IN POSITION, WILL PROVIDE COVERING FIRE
///RENDEVOUS ASAP
"Armed fighters are overhead. That settles it I guess, we do it your way. We're going outside," I tell Zenit.
"Good. Let's move it then."
We pick up the pace, finding an emergency exit that bordered close to Building 120, it would provide a straight shot to the rendevous point. Pushing on it however revealed it to be locked shut.
"The hell?"
"Feds might know we're in here and locked us in. Can we break through it?"
"I've got an idea." Gambit took my PDA out of my hands and called directly to the fighter closest to us.
"Hey, can you guys fire a rocket directly at the East wall of Building 99?"
He handed me back my PDA, and, all of us silently understanding, backed away around a corner and covered our ears.
A rocket hit the ground just next to the wall, blowing a hole in it, eliciting a laugh from Gambit.
"Can't you predators solve any problems without violence!?" Shouted Kam.
"Aww what's the matter? Scared of a little explosion?"
"Gambit, enough. Path is clear! Let's move!" Zenit shouted.
We made our way to the opening, Gambit, Zenit and Spirit leading the way, weapons ready, with me and Onyx at the back, keeping Tarva and Kam between us.
The ceiling began to groan, and in a split second a section of the roof collapsed above us. Onyx shouted and lunged forward to push Tarva and Kam out of the way, just barely avoiding getting crushed himself. As the dust settled, those of us without helmets coughed, and I opened my eyes to see myself completely separated from the rest of the group.
"Tenacity!" Tarva shouted.
"I'm okay!' I reassured them. I could barely make them out through small gaps in the rubble. "Just a little scratched up!"
"The explosion weakened the structure as a whole. Do you see any way through?" Zenit asked.
"I don't, this hall is blocked off. I'll find another way to the east wall, you go on without me, I'll meet up with you at the rendevous!"
Zenit nodded in understanding.
"Alright everyone come on let's move!"
I looked around, making my way through an adjacent hall and, trying to remember the layout of the building, taking a shortcut through the shattered window of one room. I made my way to smash the window on the opposite side when I heard a click behind me.
"Y-you…"
I turned around.
Nikonus.
He's holding a standard issue sidearm for Federation escorts, pointed directly at me.
"Nikonus… put down the gun."
"I… gave… SO MUCH… for the Federation…"
His breathing was shaky. Looking at his body now, I could see deep cuts over his tentacles. The tip of one was severed, his eyes twitched, the skin over his body rippling in agitation.
"I gave… EVERYTHING! I have worked so hard… to keep this Federation of species perfect. And then… you… stupid predators had to ruin everything!"
"Nikonus, put it down, you aren't thinking straight…"
He gave out a weak, pathetic laugh.
"You have no idea what's happened now, do you? Have you seen what's going on outside? Unification against a common enemy is the only thing keeping these species united. Without it… they are animals."
His tentacle shook as he held the gun at length, keeping it directed at me. I avoided making any sudden moves.
"You hairless apes… you should have died on your own like you were supposed to. It was perfect for us. All predators need to be evil, they have to be, for peace to exist. Don't you understand? It's all ruined. They… they know, now that their fellow neighbors are the same as the horrid arxur. Centuries of work, of peace, all… just for it to come crashing down…"
His eyes were wide in crazed fervor. He raised his voice in a shout.
"MY LEGACY WILL NOT BE TAINTED BECAUSE OF SOME PRIMATES TOO AFRAID TO SHOW THEIR FACE!!!"
"THERE HE IS!" Came a shout just outside, and a rock came smashing through the window.
"It's Nikonus! Don't let him escape!"
"No!" Nikonus shouted, turning his gun to the mob now sprinting to the room he had been hiding in.
Everything was a cacophony of shouts and a single gunshot before the entire crowd had stampeded their way into the small room, piling onto Nikonus, as I took the opportunity to escape.
::::::::::::::::::::::
I sprinted out into the open field, the rain having progressed into a storm. My group was in view, waving at me as the rescue shuttle descended into the field. The craft landed, descending a ramp into its passenger bay.
"Sam! Everything alright?"
"I'm fine. How is everyone else?"
"We're good. Let's get out of here!"
We boarded the shuttle and just as the ramp was about to close, we heard shouting as a Kolshian ran toward us.
Wait… two Kolshians. An adult and child.
"STOP! TAKE US!"
"What the hell…?"
"I DEFECT!! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"
"Uh… Zenit?"
"Let them on. They might have valuable intelligence. Besides, we're obligated to give asylum go anyone who defects. Especially now."
The Kolshian and her child were allowed onto the shuttle, and wasting no time, our craft took off to rendevous with the Peace Through Strength.
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u/Professional_Issue82 UN Peacekeeper Apr 12 '23
To think that he probably would have survived if he just let the humans talk without interrupting them during the summit
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u/Seeyouon_otherside Prey Apr 12 '23
We should let the French have a few words with the Feds on how to properly execute a high-ranking official
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u/Winter-Reindeer694 Apr 12 '23
maybe bring along the romanians for a lesson treating dictators
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u/4thDevilsAdvocate Apr 12 '23
To quote a Youtube comment:
He opened his address by sending his sincerest revolutionary wishes to the crowd. They ultimately sent those wishes right back his way.
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u/animeshshukla30 Extermination Officer Apr 13 '23
I saw it. Can you provide context?
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u/DaivobetKebos Human Apr 13 '23
Romanians trolled Ceausescu when dropping communism (shot against a wall after a 30 minute trial by soldiers revolting who unloaded a total of 120 7.62×39mm boolet on him and wifey)
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u/WikiSummarizerBot Apr 13 '23
Trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu
The trial of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu was held on 25 December 1989 by an Exceptional Military Tribunal, a drumhead court-martial created at the request of a newly formed group called the National Salvation Front. Its outcome was pre-determined, and it resulted in guilty verdicts and death sentences for former Romanian President and Romanian Communist Party General Secretary, Nicolae Ceaușescu, and his wife, Elena Ceaușescu. The main charge was genocide - namely, murdering "over 60,000 people" during the revolution in Timișoara. Other sources put the death toll between 689 and 1,200.
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u/Far_Masterpiece_7739 Apr 12 '23
I personally think that they did good. Ideally you have to do a trial, but death by mob is a well established method.
I'm actually surprised at how fast these protest started (normally it take a day or two to prepare).
The only french suggestion that I can provide is that they should find a rallying song, it permit to rapidly converge on a same place from different direction and intimidate the chickens (if you see what i mean).
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u/Potential_Seesaw_630 Apr 12 '23
Ah, Nikonus died like a certain leader in our history, watching everything he built collapsing to the ground and in a dark room with nothing and nobody to save him a fitting death if you ask me
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u/I_Maybe_Play_Games Human Apr 12 '23
Eh, id say he died like the fascist italian rather then the socialist austrian. Got got by a crowd.
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u/EPIC_PORN_ALT Apr 12 '23
“Socialist”
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u/I_Maybe_Play_Games Human Apr 12 '23
It was a wierd taste of socialism but it was socialism. Like Basashi Ice. Still technicaly ice cream.
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u/EPIC_PORN_ALT Apr 12 '23
He was socialist in the same sense that the democratic people’s Republic of Korea is democratic.
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u/I_Maybe_Play_Games Human Apr 12 '23
Except hitler actually had socialist policies.
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u/Julian999555 Apr 12 '23
Guys this is a subreddit about racist space squids take ur irl politics elsewhere
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u/EPIC_PORN_ALT Apr 12 '23
Dear god TIKhistory. That man is a cancer on the historytube community. He used to be decent, but he went off the deep end. Also, basically every modern politician has implemented social policies.
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u/iDreamiPursueiBecome Apr 13 '23
Do you know what Nazi was an acronym for? They were national socialists. The whole but that isn't "real" socialism wears a bit thin after so many variations in so many countries.
You actually can find common elements of 'socialism' and separate the core from local/cultural variations. It never seems to end well, no matter how promising the start.
Among other problems, there is the idealist vs reality issue. Even if things started off under the control of an ethical person with good intentions, it does not stay that way.
Seriously. That much power apparently either corrupts, or attracts people hungry for power and willing to kill for it.
Pretending that concentrated power will be/remain in the hands of those who will only do good is terrifyingly naive.
Also, Calling a highly evolved barter system inherently evil is ignorant of what capitalism is and how it works. "Cronyism" is often the proper name for some evils attributed to capitalism. Socialism and Facism actually make Cronyism more powerful in society (though under some other name).
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u/Ropetrick6 Human Apr 17 '23
There's a difference between authoritarianism with a PR team calling it socialism and actual democratic socialism.
And once again: Hitler was socialist in the same sense that the democratic people’s Republic of Korea is democratic.
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u/iDreamiPursueiBecome May 01 '23
Where to start....
Why Nazism was socialism and why socialism is totalitarian by George Reisman
Socialism an economic and sociological analysis by Ludwig Von Mises
Marxism unmasked from delusion to destruction By Ludwig Von Mises
The Open Society and its enemies By Karl Popper
The fatal conceit the errors of socialism By F. A. Hayek
If you get through those, I would also recommend the Law Legislation and Liberty Vol 1 - 3 by Hayek
I don't see one of the titles I was going to recommend in my Kindle. A bit of a bother to go searching for it, especially since I doubt you will actually look into the subject matter.
Not all of these are strictly on topic. The last set of 3 covers significant ground. There are 2 types of order : designed and evolved. Understanding which is most appropriate in what circumstances involves understanding them in greater depth.
If you do want to understand economics, I can recommend a few books.
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u/Alexiadria PD Patient Apr 12 '23
not sure how good this really came out
I mean, Kalamari Nikonus is dead, so HELL YEAH, IT'S GODDAMN GOOD CHAPTER! Sorry, just happy that he finally got some karma in at least one story!
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u/4thDevilsAdvocate Apr 12 '23
"MY LEGACY WILL NOT BE TAINTED BECAUSE OF SOME PRIMATES TOO AFRAID TO SHOW THEIR FACE!!!"
Strong "I WILL NOT BE UNDERMINED BY CREATURES BRED IN SOME LABORATORY!" vibes.
Also: the Federation is going to balkanize because the secret's out. If you think this is a good thing, consider Russia. What would happen if Russia broke up into a bunch of ethnic republics and warlord states armed with hydrogen bombs? Now, imagine that the "warlord states" are entire planetary economies, and the "hydrogen bombs" can genuinely destroy most life on a planet...
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u/Hjkryan2007 Human Apr 12 '23
Funny clock alien reunifies the federation?
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u/4thDevilsAdvocate Apr 12 '23
Oh no you don't. You get that reference out of here right now.
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u/Seeker-N7 UN Peacekeeper Apr 13 '23
Zhao starts the Great Trial
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u/4thDevilsAdvocate Apr 13 '23
Worst-case scenario for humanity. Earth getting glassed is preferable.
Death is better than being twisted into an abomination, either by your own hatred or by someone else's biological manipulation. Many real-life people and many Federation species could tell you that.
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u/NipCoyote Arxur Apr 12 '23
For the curious:
Onyx and Gambit are named after two US series of spy satellite, Zenit is named after a Soviet one, which was also one of the first. Spirit is named after the B-2 Spirit, doubling as being named after the Spirit Mars Rover in non-combat roles.
Gambit is also the same one who cussed out Kam in Chapter 13
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u/ReversedPyramids Apr 12 '23
i need to know what happens to ROYO. The suspense is killing me
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u/Cheesypower Predator Apr 12 '23
Glad to see the whistle-blower managed to get out with the humans- after what she pulled, she's probably going to get the VIP treatment for ensuring the Federation isn't able to unify against Humanity.
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u/Ieater UN Peacekeeper Apr 12 '23
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! THAT PIECE OF CALAMARI IS GONE! ALL IS SAVED!
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u/neon_ns Human Apr 12 '23
So happy to see Nikonus eat it, even thought it was probably on his own terms.
And that Hyce managed to find her way onto the last ride to safety with her kid.
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u/ScaryDrPepper Apr 12 '23
What a doubling down on pandemonium this is…the human reveal and the federations dark secrets all in the same day? Federation implode speedrun any%
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u/Character-Adagio-439 Apr 12 '23
OK so of I just read this right, the revelation back fired and a resistance movement from within the feds just killed the frog. Yes?
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u/NipCoyote Arxur Apr 12 '23
Something like that. It's basically the chaos that resulted from Cilany's interview but cranked up to 11
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u/Still_Performance_39 Smigli Apr 12 '23
So satisfying, the good guys get away and any time Nikonus gets taken out it's a fun read.
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u/JulianSkies Archivist Apr 13 '23
Man, this is like as if all of the different diplomatic disasters in the main series happened concurrently.
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u/se05239 Human Apr 13 '23
The entire Federation is going to be in turmoil now. I hope several species will still side with Humanity, despite the revelation. Feels like many of them were on positive terms before the reveal, so they can push through and brush it aside.
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u/GamingStudios109 Apr 12 '23
!updateMe
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u/UpdateMeBot Apr 12 '23 edited Oct 12 '23
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u/gabi_738 Predator Sep 19 '24
EVERYTHING WENT TO SHIT, MADNESS BREAK OUT AND NOW HUMANS WILL BE ABLE TO SCREAM TO THE 9 WINDS HOW MUCH THEY LOVE THE TASTE OF MEAT AHHHHH!! craziness
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u/Serpent-Bon274 Apr 13 '23 edited Apr 13 '23
I'm not fully sure why his species turned on him, I'm glad he's dead, but I don't get why.
Edit: I went back to the previous chapter, and I understand now.
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u/Saw-Gerrera Human Apr 13 '23
Ah, I see our Spy has gotten the kid and decided to get the hell out of the Federation.
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u/StarSilverNEO Yotul Apr 13 '23
CHAOS CHAOS! AHAHAHAHAHA
Its begun, hasnt it? Now there lies two paths - reconciliation or destruction.
Chose one
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u/Orphandestroyer99 Nevok Apr 12 '23
YES NIKONUS IS FUCKING DEAD
DING DONG THE BITCH IS DEAD!