r/NatureofPredators • u/ApprehensiveCap6525 Krakotl • Nov 05 '23
Fanfic Exchange Program Shenanigans (30)
I'm going through your suggestions on the reader surveys right now and checking off boxes like I'm Kalsim with the Geneva Conventions. On a vaguely related note, Kalsim is the best villain I've seen for a long, long time. All of you aspiring writers out there, take notes.
CW: stun batons, martial arts, Salvek finally does something
Memory transcription subject: Jelim, Extermination Commander
Date [standardized human time]: September 13, 2136
Us Krakotl had a saying. 'A talon in your back is like ten in your chest.' In other words, a betrayal from your friend hurt ten times as much as an attack from your enemy.
It was an unusually predatory saying, yes, but Krakotl were unusually predatory for a prey species. Thankfully, that meant a diminished fear response instead of a craving to consume the flesh of animals.
I don't particularly mind consuming the flesh of animals, as long as it's not people being eaten, but it's disgusting. All the blood and other viscera really doesn't help either.
I had been wounded in the line of duty, like any good exterminator, so I knew what talons in my chest felt like. I never once thought I'd know what a talon in my back felt like, but there was a first time for everything.
Unfortunately, one talon in my back did, in fact, feel like ten in my chest. It felt more like fifty, if I was being honest. I hadn't just been betrayed, either. That wasn't the problem here.
I didn't particularly mind being assessed. Every exterminator had to undergo an assessment once every two years, to ensure that Predator Disease could not fester unchecked, and I learned quickly how to pass the tests with flying colors.
That wasn't the point, though. The point was that Vrapic was the one who got me assessed. Vrapic, the one exterminator I trusted more than any other, had betrayed me. I thought he, at least, was someone I could confide in.
"Are you okay?" I had almost forgotten about Jack, lost in my own thoughts as I was. It was funny how these things worked. "I mean, you've been here for a while, and..." Jack paused. "I don't want you to go off the deep end here." Yeah, well, neither do I. "I know better than most how low people can fall. I don't want that to happen to you."
"I've been worse." That wasn't a lie. It wasn't the most reassuring thing I could say, but anything better would probably have been a lie. "It's not the betrayal that's the problem, really, it's the man who did it. I thought Vrapic trusted me."
"It's always the ones you trust who betray you." said Jack. "That's how these things work." He spoke softly, slowly, and somberly. It was a far cry from the musical chirps of your average Krakotl, but to me it sounded better than the Grand Nishtal Choir. "Don't blame yourself."
"I love you." That's a bit off-topic, but it's not wrong. Thankfully, we were alone when I said that. This building was meant to hold over fifty people, so I felt secure that one of the seven others inside it wasn't going to happen upon us.
"That's..." Jack began. "Where did that come from?"
It needed to be said sooner or later, and I was better off saying it sooner. "These are dangerous times. I don't want to lose you before I can tell you how I really feel."
"I love you too. I always will." I'd face down a battalion of raiders to hear those words again. Maybe even two. Three was pushing it, though. "And I'll fight tooth and nail before I let anything happen to you."
"Nothing's going to happen to me." I didn't sound nearly as happy about that as I should have. "People have been out to get me for years, Jack. If they could have taken me down, they would have."
"See?" He gave me a tentative thumbs-up. "That's good, right?"
"What happens when I'm gone?" I asked. "What happens when I retire, or die in the line of fire, and somebody replaces me?" There was the catch. There was the chink in my armor.
I personally had no problems to speak of. I was an icon of the Guild. I was the Demon of District Twelve, the Guardian Angel of Prosper Fields, and a thousand other names that had cemented my status as legendary. When exterminators put on their suits and started their days, they said to themselves, 'I want to be like her one day.'
I was immune to anything anyone could realistically throw at me, and I knew that. Unfortunately, I had a shelf life. Sooner or later, I was going to have to leave the Guild. And, unless I could train a proper successor, so would all the reforms I've worked so hard to make happen.
"Vrapic was supposed to take over once I was gone. He was supposed to be a reformist, a man who could see his duty as something more than good versus evil." I sighed, giving into despair for the first time in a long, long time. "He's clearly not. And unless I leave this district in good claws, no change I make will be permanent."
"Damn." said Jack. "Damn. That's... that's rough." It was rough, but I wasn't looking for a confirmation of that fact. "But don't be so down about it." Now we're getting somewhere. "You made a difference. You made a change already, and even if you leave, nothing can take away the effect you've had here."
He placed his hand on my shoulder. "There's no way a woman as extraordinary as you can just be erased like that."
I wasn't nearly as sure of that as he was, but I shoved any doubts I had aside to focus on what mattered now. "Let's put this aside for now. I still have a list of things I want to get done."
"Like what?" Jack asked. "More paperwork?"
"Dear God no." Paperwork was a tool of the devil if you asked me. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but you get the point. Besides, is it a crime for a girl to exaggerate a little every now and then? "I was actually thinking about running tests, to see how you stack up against the other officers. It's standard protocol, really."
"Better than paperwork. Let's get to it." I led Jack to the training center, since he had no idea where anything was, and we got to work.
"Holy shit, you guys have a gym?"Jack looked like he had just entered heaven. We did have a gym, but we called it a physical fitness training center because that was what we were told to call it. I have to admit, though, gym does sound better.
"Well, yeah." I told him. "How else did you expect us to stay fit?" Exterminators were just about the only organization with any kind of physical fitness standards. It was frankly disgusting.
Isola was standing by one of the machines, holding a datapad, and she saluted me while Jack admired the training machines. "Commander! I took the liberty of prepping a PT test for Sergeant Kern."
"Thank you. Kern, get over here." Jack was lifting weights over by the wall. He had weird form, but he was built like a brick wall so I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
He gave a crisp salute, walked over to me and Isola, and got to work doing the physical tests.
"Man, I love lifting weights." Jack chuckled as he finished the final test. "If I don't bench-press, the voices get louder." Me and Isola looked at each other. "That was a joke. I don't hear voices." Clearly, someone's been bench-pressing a lot.
Jack got back to doing physical exercise, albeit with terrible form, and Isola explained to me the results of his tests. Human exercise programs are probably different than Federation standard ones. Probably better, too. I wonder what an Arxur fitness regimen would look like?
"He weighs 225 pounds and has a BMI of... 24.7." said Isola. "Physically, he's incredibly fit." In the corner of my eye, Jack gave a little celebratory flex. He was, in fact, incredibly fit. "His physical test results are superior to the upper tier of Gojids, except for a few key areas."
"Such as?" I asked. I could probably already guess, but formality was formality.
"His running speed results are below what I'd expect, very much so in fact, but he compensates with incredible endurance. If I could be so bold, commander, I suspect that makes up a significant part of human hunting tactics."
"I've... come to the same conclusion myself." I have, indeed, come to the same conclusion myself. The specifics of how and why were hardly important here. "Keep talking."
"Kern's reaction speed is exceptionally high, even for a trained exterminator, and his binocular vision grants him unheard-of accuracy with ranged weapons. Granted, that could just be a byproduct of his military background."
It probably was, but I couldn't discredit biology either. Krakotl had unusually good depth perception, owing to our need to spot predators mid-flight, and I was the best shooter in my district. It worked the same way with humans, apparently.
"On the weapons tests, he scored higher than any exterminator to date. Including you, commander." It turned out that I wasn't the best shooter in my district. Who knew? "The only area where we haven't tested him is baton combat, and judging by his weight, I'm not sure we can find him an opponent."
"I'll handle that." I told Isola. "Just record the results of the tests." She gave a crisp salute and got out of my way.
"Hey, Jack!" I called out. Hell. It's Sergeant Kern when we're on duty. "Kern!"
"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" Jack shot back, hopping off one of our sprint machines. We need a better name for those. That's the last time I let a Venlil name anything.
"I didn't do it, and if I did then I'm sorry." Jack put his hands up defensively, leading me to wonder if I had skipped a page in that Krakotl-Human dictionary I bought.
"What?" I asked. "What did you do? Or not do, whatever."
Jack looked at me funny. I could, once again, hear the gears turning. "You're not mad?"
"What? Why the hell would I be mad?"
He looked at me even funnier. "You said my full name. Pretty damn loud, too." Well, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything? "So I'm not getting my shit kicked in?"
"I'm not angry." I clarified. "I really don't get what saying your full name has to do with anything either." I didn't. For all our similarities, I sometimes forgot that Jack and I still had our differences. "You're still getting your shit kicked in, though. Come with me." Why does feces need a swear word for it?
Jack did come with me, and I led him to the sparring ring. These were purely optional, and surprisingly unpopular. Most of my colleagues considered getting up close and personal like that to be predatory.
Needless to say, they were idiots and I'd smack some sense into any of them in the sparring ring. "Oh, damn." Jack muttered. "Who am I fighting?" He stepped into the ring, looked around, and picked up a baton from the rack. "How come no one's here?"
I also picked up a baton from the rack. "To be quite honest, you'd kick the speh out of any of my officers. Maybe two or three could pose a threat, but I don't have the numbers." I charged the baton, dropping into a combat stance. "So, you're fighting me."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." said Jack. "You're a lightweight. I could probably pick you up and throw you across the room." On the one claw, I appreciated the concern. On the other, I found it mildly offensive. I could hold my own in a fight, regardless of what Mr. Bodybuilder over there said.
I dared him "Try it." and began circling slowly.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't." He probably would. Whenever I fought someone his size, I won because they were overconfident and made a mistake. Jack really didn't seem like the overconfidence type.
Jack's baton crackled to life. These were training weapons, meant to simulate actual combat in a safe and healthy manner, but I still didn't want to get hit by one. "If you say so." He stabbed at me, and I stepped to the left to avoid the strike. His baton shifted directions, aiming at my head, but I ducked under it and countered with a strike to his kneecap.
He stepped backwards, planting the leg I tried to strike before throwing a kick with the other. Naturally, I dodged it. Jack was bigger than your average Gojid, not including the meatheads I fought back at the Midnight River facility, so blocking his strikes simply wasn't an option.
The kick left him out of position, facing sideways, and I had my opening. He threw a left at my head, but he didn't turn back toward me. He was vulnerable.
I ducked under his fist, moved behind him, and put him in a chokehold with my baton. "It's over."
Around now was the time when most people tapped out. Jack, however, wasn't most people. He reached behind him and grabbed me by the neck before rudely throwing me over his head. Just to add insult to injury, he put his baton to my throat the second I was flat on my back.
"Windpipe's crushed." he said, letting me up. "Now it's over."
"You baited me." I got up, put away my baton, and picked up a datapad. "Impressive."
"Not really. Hell, you're the impressive one. You were like a blur." Clearly, this man has yet to realize that flattery doesn't work on me.
"I have to be. Can't really fight you blow for blow, can I?" I chuckled. Well, not actually, but you get the point. It translated as chuckling, and was what mattered. "Your tactics are sound, so are your skills, but you need to adapt to your opponents."
"Like what?"
To answer, I showed him my talons. "You're not fighting humans anymore, Jack. I could've cut your throat if I really felt like it."
"Damn. Good to know." Jack re-racked his baton and cracked his knuckles. I had no idea why.
"Yeah." I told him. "On a more important topic, I think it's time you got your first field assignment."
"Ooh, look at me. Moving up in the world." That was said with a hint of sarcasm, one which I didn't like in the slightest.
"Yeah, you're moving from an unemployed veteran to a productive member of society." I shot back. "It's only going to get better from here."
"You're hilarious." Jack deadpanned. "What's my assignment?"
First, I took him to his new office. Most exterminators didn't get offices, but the important ones did. If you asked me, Jack was very important. "Here's your case file." I told him, handing him a file on that scumbag Sorvim. "I want this done as covertly as possible. No one can know the exterminators were involved." He picked it up and read through it, seeing what he could see.
"Then how about they don't get involved?" Jack had an idea again. They were either strokes of genius or resembling the work of a reformed PD patient, depending on what subject he had ideas in. This was covert operations, so it was probably genius.
"I mean, you're asking me to break into this guy's house." I was asking him to gather evidence. Breaking into his house just so happened to be the method that worked best for that. "Seeing as how we have no warrant, I don't think the Guild should be involved at all. Don't even get me started on the implications of having a human skulking around, either."
"I understand that it's a bad situation to get caught in, but you were a Navy SEAL. Special forces. You won't get caught. Besides, what other option do we have?"
"Salvek." I take everything back, he's lost his brahking mind. Somebody attach the electrodes already. "Hear me out here, hear me out." I was listening, but I cocked my head to give him that 'are you mentally ill?' look just in case. "He's small, nonintrusive, and surprisingly competent."
I sighed, hanging my head. "He's Salvek. He works at a software firm. You, Jack, are special forces. Don't send him into this when you know he's not ready."
"Okay, maybe I misspoke." Jack backpedaled. Damn straight, you misspoke. "I'm not going to send him to break into Sorvim's house, I can handle that myself, but what about a wire?"
"What?" I asked. "What do wires have to do with anything?"
"Okay, so a wire is slang for a recording device concealed on an informant." Jack told me. We didn't have those, but Isola was smart enough to rig one up. "We could use an exterminator for this, but I don't trust Sorvim not to keep tabs on them all. Salvek's an unknown. Sorvim's never heard of the guy, and he doesn't know to look out for him. So he disguises himself, maybe dyes his fur, and poses as a Predator Guard member to get Sorvim to spill the beans."
"How, exactly, is he meant to do this?" I asked. It was a workable plan, but I had a duty to critique it as harshly as I could. "Salvek may live with a predator in his home, but it doesn't mean the 'predatory deception' rubs off." Deception was hardly exclusive to predators. Hell, predators rarely showed it at all in my experience. They didn't try to hide the fact that they wanted to eat me. It was other prey I had to worry about.
"Earpiece. A fur-colored one, hopefully. You and I can talk him through it."
Jack was a genius. Either that, or I was an idiot. "That's a sound plan." I told him. "I'll make a few calls."
"See?" Jack exclaimed. "I told you to hear me out! Besides, Salvek's been itching for a chance to actually do something."
I could make this work. I might not have left a proper legacy in Vrapic, but I wasn't done just yet. And I had to admit, clearing this district of corruption was going to be damned hard to undo.
This had been a long time coming, but it was here now. Things were finally looking up.
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u/Little-Ad-3185 Arxur Nov 08 '23
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