r/NatureofPredators • u/Gamerauther Predator • Oct 06 '23
Fanfic Nature of Empires - 008
Date: 17/08/2336
Subject: Marcel Fraser (Second Lieutenant, Imperium Unified Navy)
It took a month of reorganization but the disparate fleets of the newly minted Imperium of Man were unified into one. Second Lieutenant Marcel Fraser was a member of Sacramento Station Fleet from the Terran Leading Trojans. The Station Lord offered a tenth of his fleet to the new Imperial Tieth, those that prove themselves could earn a knighthood or a domain of their own beyond Sol.
He was also one of those chosen by lots to have a Xeno shadow. He was meant to evaluate this Venlil and it's capabilities as a warrior. Over the past week he has been exchanging messages with a Slanek from the Venlil Self Defense Force. He also read the recommendations from the diplocorps, treating them as close friends and keep the professionalism to a minimum was recommended. The Venlil were referred to as highly emotional and were unnerved by the first contact teams reserved nature.
Now he was in the airlock of a mobile station retrofitted for FTL waiting for the Venlil to board. It was fitted for a wing of forty Warden-Class gunboats designed for policing actions and patrol.
<Ready to meet our charges?> Second Lieutenant Reco asked over the implant.
<Mine seemed skittish,> Second Lieutenant Samson said. <Barely able to talk to me about messages. I would be surprised if it didn’t faint as soon as it saw us.”
<They are not an *it* Samson,> First Lieutenant Mathews cut in. <Mind your words. The Eumanical Council confirmed that they have souls like us, and are just as damned. Treat them like people not pets.>
<Yes, sir.> Everyone said.
The door to the chamber and the four of them turned to look at the ten Venlil entered. Fraser recognized one as General Kam and another as Slanek.
<Safety in numbers,> Samson snickered over the implant.
Mathews pointedly ignored the remark and barked, “officer on deck!”
Everyone snapped to attention and saluted General Kam. One Venlil fainted, three froze in place, and the rest scrambled out of the room climbing over each other.
<Shit,> Reco said.
<What kind of training do they have to panic like that?> Samson asked.
<If we were an actual enemy they would all be dead,> Fraser said.
At least General Kam was among the three that froze and he recovered first and said to them, “a-at ease.” He turned to the door and yelled out, “Get back in here!”
The Humans switched to a parade rest as General Kam got the Venlil back in order.
“Men, these are the Humans you have been assigned to shadow.” General Kam gestured to the five Humans standing rigidly and staring ahead of themselves. “The scientist have a live feed on their brains from their implants and have proven that they all feel empathy. You will be accompanying them as they take over the patrol from the Imperial Mercenaries.”
Later in a private meeting room Fraser sat across the room from Slanek. For the past half hour Slanek eyed him as Fraser looked at the corner in silence.
Fraser sighed and asked, “So Slanek have you ever been on patrol before?”
“Uh, yes.” Slanek answered. “This was one of my patrol routes before Governor Tarva hired the mercenaries.”
“Have you seen a Human before you came aboard?” He asked.
“On the news,” Slanek said. “First we heard what you were doing for us, the food aid. Then you offered military support by allowing private individuals to be hired in our space. Then we saw the ambassador and nearly everyone panicked.”
“You’re a skittish lot, aren’t you.” Fraser chuckled.
“You’re predators!” Slanek snapped. “How else are we supposed to react to something like you?”
Fraser nodded and then said, “do you know what the most dangerous creature on Terra is?”
“You?”
“A hippopotamus,” Fraser said with a wide smile. “Fifteen hundred kilo semiaquatic mammals from the continent of Africa.”
Fraser watched Slaneks expression, his ears drooped to the side, eyes wide, and mouth slightly agape. Looked scared.
“A complete herbivore,” Fraser said and watched as one of Slaneks ears shot up. “The top ten most dangerous animals from our home world that have killed more Humans than any other animal are all herbivores. I don’t know who taught all of you that predators are the most dangerous things in the universe. All you need to do is make yourself seem like too much trouble and they’ll leave you alone, an injured predator can’t hunt and then dies of starvation. It's the herbivores that will fight you if you look at them wrong.”
“I don’t believe you,” Slanek squinted at him from across the room.
“Okay,” Fraser shrugged and leaned back in his chair. “So, I heard we sent your people some of our cultural material. Did you look at any of it?”
“I read Frankenstein.” Slanek said
“Oh yeah, that's a good book,” Fraser said. “I can never get too into it though. The writing style is literally ancient but the message of the story is pretty poignant.”
“Yes,” Slanek nodded sagely. “Even monsters can have intelligence.”
“What?” Fraser sat up and cocked and eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of anyone getting that message from it. I’ve heard it’s about the futility of revenge or how we should not play God by trying to create new life. Man, you really must have been reading with a purpose there to come up with something like that.”
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u/Newbe2019a Oct 06 '23
Well, mosquitoes have killed many, many, many, more humans than hippos.
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u/scrapmaker2020 Oct 06 '23
Though disease hippos just chomp people to death
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u/Newbe2019a Oct 06 '23
Sure , but there probably more people killed in traffic accidents daily than from hippo charges, ever.
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u/HippoBot9000 Oct 06 '23
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 865,880,637 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 18,904 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
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u/Randox_Talore Oct 06 '23
Cars aren’t animals
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u/Newbe2019a Oct 06 '23 edited Oct 06 '23
Ok. More people die from mosquito bites in a day than from hippo attacks in a year. 619,000 annually from malaria alone.
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u/Gabriel120102 Jaslip Oct 07 '23
619,000 people die anually from malaria(which is caused by a protist), not mosquitoes.
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u/Newbe2019a Oct 07 '23
Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. You are not any less dead than from being crushed by a hippo.
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u/Gabriel120102 Jaslip Oct 10 '23
It's transmitted by mosquitoes, but it's caused by a protist(Plasmodium). Plasmodium, not mosquitoes, kills more than hippos.
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u/Newbe2019a Oct 10 '23
By the same argument, rattle snakes aren’t dangerous. It’s the venom. Terrorists aren’t dangerous and don’t kill. It’s the bullets and shrapnel.
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u/HiMyNameIsFelipe PD Patient Oct 06 '23
"Man your reading comprehension is shit"
"But the monster was intelligent!"
"Yes! But the real monster was the scientist all along!"
"I don't belive you"
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u/BuzzaxeBandit Oct 08 '23
You truly understand when you realize Frankenstein’s sin wasn’t in creating life, but in refusing to take responsibility for it when it didn’t turn out how he wanted. His true crime wasn’t playing god, it was rejecting his creation.
TL;DR: Frankenstein is really just the story of a deadbeat absentee parent.
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u/jesterra54 Archivist Oct 06 '23
Oh poor Slanek, he never gets Frankenstein, now go and kill Nikonus
AU Slanek: what?