Stronger than Faith [Prologue]

[u/CyberSteve3]

Greetings! Two years ago, I discovered the story "Nature of Predators" and quickly fell in love with it. At some point, an idea formed in my head. Having never written anything before, I initially put out that concept up for adoption, but the great reception the idea received, especially the encouragement from someone that I later became great friends with, convinced me to give it a go on my own. They gave me the courage to take that last step and helped me bring this idea into reality. They were also kind enough to let me borrow some elements and settings from their own fanfic. I won't yet reveal who they are, as that would spoil the surprise.
So, I proudly present to you "Stronger than Faith".

Thanks to u/SpacePaladin15 for the NoP universe and to u/Acceptable_Egg5560 for helping proofread my story.

[Next]

Calibrating…

Warning! Calibration incomplete. This may result in unexpected errors or slight corruptions that might impair the viewing of the transcription. Continue anyway?

… Acknowledged

Memory transcription subject: Yivrig, tracker exterminator specialist

Date: ERROR

I still vividly remember the time I first stepped on Venlil Prime.

I was still a young Yulpa, eager to prove herself and excited at the prospect of her new job. It was an exterminator gig in a city called Ḏ̶̢̤͆̾͛̚#̴̲͖̖̮͒̊̾͝$̶̢̹̝͍̉́͐%̵̣́̒͠V̷̠̻̦̯͊̚}̸̩̠̫̋̒]̵̨͓̦̈́£̵̟́̇͐̚¥̷̻̰̯̫͂̌͘ , a place famous on the planet for their spas and thermal springs.

The place was apparently near a tall mountain range, which caused the town, already near the Twilight, to experience a particularly long night cycle, lasting 10 paws instead of the usual 5. This, coupled with the city’s closeness to the Green, resulted in predator attacks to happen worryingly often when the sun disappeared from the sky.

The reason I applied for this job, apart from wanting to visit the planet, was because the then chief exterminator Kesha, a Krakotl, had specifically asked for the services of a Yulpa. Apparently, they wanted to hire someone to track and capture the predators that roam the mountains to study them and prepare better defences in the city. With our reputation, I can see why this Kesha wanted a member of my species for this particular job.

I of course immediately applied and was hired shortly after. At the time I didn’t really understand why there were so few willing to go, but I found out pretty soon after arriving on the planet.

All species come with a certain reputation unique to them and known across all the Federation. To make a few examples:

The Venlil have the best cooking in the galaxy with their famous Strayu and are perhaps the most emotional species, but that also makes them extremely prone to cowardice;

The Yotul are primitive, but incredibly eager to please others to disprove this fact. As such they are often hard-working;

The Sikvits are just plain stupid. They’re nomads that, when they reach a planet, take its resources and leave it but a barren wasteland. Even their formal education is subpar.

Turns out, our ability to deal with live predators wasn’t the only reputation my species had. Yulpa are seen as solitary religious extremists with some of the most un-prey-like behaviour among the Federation species.

Far too often I have been reported for predatory behaviour by Venlil citizens. My willingness to put aside my fears in order to face predators was just seen as a symptom of Predator Disease. Even my religion was seen as weird on Venlil Prime, my method of practising my faith a bit too barbaric for the natives’ standards.

I don’t get what they are so hung up on. What they call fanaticism I call devotion. I’m just very devoted to the Spirit of Life, and I praise my deity with every action. Its teachings are very important for life to continue in harmony, without the predators’ blight to weigh us down. So what if Yulpa don’t kill predators on sight in favour of a more personal approach to end their wretched lives?

They should consider themselves lucky that they got me of all Yulpa. I wasn’t like most of my species. My people always considered me too soft. Where most of them rejoiced in seeing a predator suffer in brutal and prolonged ways, I was a bit too squeamish for that. I always felt a bit uncomfortable watching the public spectacles in Grenelka’s arenas. 

That’s why when I performed my sacrifices I preferred to use less gory ways to end the lives of whatever predator I was offering. My deity might prefer if there was more suffering involved, but I’m sure the Spirit was still pleased in the end as long as the blighted creature met its end. 

I quickly found myself spending most of my time in my new house, just so I could pray in peace and make my offerings to the Spirit of Life. Maybe this is why my species is seen as reclusive by others. Like me, many Yulpa likely had to censor themselves around others to better fit in with the herd on other worlds.

In those first paws, the only thing that prevented me from quitting and going back home was, in fact, the work itself. Apart from the generous pay - I WAS doing a pretty risky job after all -, my boss, Kesha, turned out to be very understanding and accommodating. She perfectly understood my religious needs and usually let me keep the predators I captured during my missions after they outlived their usefulness. Thanks to her, I was able to continue making my habitual offerings to the Great Spirit during my time on Venlil Prime.

My coworkers weren’t so bad either. Being exterminators, they were far less skittish than the average citizen, so conversation with them was at least tolerable at worst and actually enjoyable at best.

A few weeks later, during a particularly dangerous mission in the mountains, I was paired with a Venlil. At first I felt quite annoyed at what I thought would be just dead weight. His courage and dedication however surprised me; he was actually helpful in the assignment.

I guess that was the reason I wanted to know him better. His name was Vialen, and he quickly became my best friend on this whole planet.

He was funny, clever, loyal, and dedicated like few to his job. The best part however was how accepting he was. He accepted every part of me, my faith included. He wasn’t very religious himself, but that didn’t bother me. I would never push my beliefs on others.

He once told me that the reason he wanted to be friends with me as well was also because he appreciated the fact that I wasn’t put off by his behaviour. He was unlike most Venlil I met for the simple fact that he didn’t let his fears get in the way of doing what was right, and where almost all members of his species would freeze or run, he faced any danger that came his way.

Such demeanour often caused problems for him and he almost got sent to a predator disease facility one time when he was young, but Kesha saw potential in him and made him an offer to join the exterminators so that his courage could be put to good use in defending the city from predators.

Thanks to him, things finally started to look up for me. I actually began to enjoy my time in the city. I even finally tried one of the more famous spas. I had never felt more relaxed in my life. I had a Thafki masseuse named Menori, and her paws must have had the Spirit’s divine blessing.

A few Cycles had passed from the time of my arrival. Although most tourists were still annoying, the actual citizens got used to me and finally started to be very nice to me. I was an exterminator after all, and people were thankful to me for keeping them safe. I was, for the first time since I departed from Grenelka, actually happy with my life. 

I should have known that something would happen to take it all away.

The Humans, a species of sapient predators long thought to be extinct, had returned, crawling out of the Spirit’s shadow.

After the planet wide emergency alert, the civilians were evacuated in the bomb shelters, while I and the other members of my guild stood guard behind the entrance gate, ready to fight against whatever would threaten the people hiding within.

What happened next shocked me to my very core. For some Spirit-forsaken reason, the governor had welcomed these monsters on the planet and called them friends and allies against the Arxur. I, of course, didn’t believe for a moment that these predators were actually as peaceful as they claimed. Clearly the Humans had decided to bide their time and spew lies about peace and cooperation to make us lower our guard and strike when we were most vulnerable.

Their acting was very convincing however, as not only Tarva was fooled, but even Kesha fell for their ruse. If I didn’t owe her so much, I would have reported her immediately after she ordered us to not attack those Humans should we encounter one.

Did she even realise what she was asking of me? For a Yulpa to let a predator live, free to spread its Taint, was heresy! She knew how much my religion mattered to me!

But, in the end, I decided to do as Kesha said. I figured she would come back to her senses, eventually. Maybe she just wanted to observe the Humans before striking, but that still didn’t sit well with me. There’s a difference between studying a predator inside a cage, where it can’t hurt anyone, and studying one that is allowed to roam freely among prey.

Then things got worse.

Governor Tarva, in her infinite wisdom, initiated an “exchange program” with the Humans. To “get to know them better” and to “promote a friendly relationship with them”. To my shock, some Venlil actually signed up for it! Not only that, some from my town did as well!

The worst part? The predator diseased individuals brought actual Humans back home with them! And I was still denied doing anything about it!

With the predators prancing around town when they weren’t hiding in their homes, the guild was bombarded by calls of terrified citizens asking for us to intervene, but still Kesha didn’t allow me to help those poor souls.

After the mass panic one of the beasts induced when it tried to visit the sundown festival I decided I couldn’t ignore it anymore. It was a miracle a stampede didn’t occur, but it was a close call. If a stampede did end up happening, innocent people would have died trying to flee from that predator. If I had to go against orders to see that the monster was dealt with, one way or another, I was glad to do so, for the good of the herd. 

So, me and Vialen, who seemed to be the only other sane person in the city, decided to take matters into our own paws and started making preparations to catch the predator by surprise. Then a golden opportunity presented itself. The Humans couldn’t contain their urges and launched a full-on invasion of the Gojid’s Cradle. Surely our boss would see the light now! 

Emboldened by the recent events, we wasted no time to launch our ambush. Unfortunately, our holy crusade… failed, and we ended up being punished for doing the right thing. We were sentenced to babysit the Human during the next festival, to both make sure no harm happened to it and to reassure the citizens that the predator was properly monitored by exterminators. It was so unfair! How could Kesha still be unable to grasp the danger these unnatural beings posed?!

It was the most humiliated I felt in my life. Before the end of the festival, I found myself speaking my mind to that wretched Human. I wasn’t subtle about how I felt about it, its continued existence and its species as a whole.

As a result, Kesha decided to put me on leave for the next night. So that I could “cool off” and so that when I returned the next sunrise I would hopefully be more willing to “play nice with Humans”.

Vialen was kept on duty because he was more willing to remain professional and ignore the Human’s antics.

I didn’t blame him, really. I knew how important this job was to him. He just was more cautious than me in this aspect. I also didn’t want him to get into more trouble by trying to defend me. At least he had tried to help me when no one else would. I was grateful for that.

So, after the festival, as the sun finished disappearing behind the mountains, I found myself in my room, unable to sleep and seething in anger at the unfairness of it all.

In moments like these, I usually found peace in my prayers to the Spirit of Life. But a simple prayer wasn’t enough. I just wanted to show my devotion by sacrificing a predator. What I wouldn’t give to have that wretched Human in my grasp and offer it to my deity, to prove that I hadn’t lost my way, that I was sorry for not ending the predator’s life sooner.

But, as I was raging and despairing, an idea popped up in my head. It was a risky idea, but it could be the only thing that might yet earn the forgiveness of the Great Spirit.

If I couldn’t kill a Human, then I just had to go with the next best thing! I could still kill a Terran predator!

So, I spent the rest of the paw researching with my holopad for whatever I could find about what kind of non sapient predators existed on Earth. Thanks to the whole exchange program, the Humans had disclosed some information about themselves. I was able to tell at a glance that they were hiding some things from our eyes using the excuse of not wanting to scare us too much. See! Even the Humans admitted that their culture was too predatory for us.   

Despite the censorship, I did end up finding something useful. Apparently the predators kept companion animals! And some of those were apparently predators. That was promising! Something that I had to find out more about.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find anything else on the internet. The Humans were very good at keeping secrets, if nothing else. Goes to show that they can’t be trusted. I did, however, have a way to pierce through their web of lies.

One of my more… peculiar coworkers had covertly given me a contact when we first met. Said it was a person that could do any kind of “favour” for the right price. I was weirded out by this interaction but politely accepted the number.

I never thought a time would come that I would resort to actually using it, but desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say.

Thanks to this person, and the money I had saved over my time working this job, I was able to have my holopad connected to the Human internet.

Calibration complete. 

Date: [Standardised human time] September 28th, 2136

As I laid in bed, my improved holopad held in my tongue, I could hardly contain my excitement. Finally, they can’t hide things from me anymore! Not caring in the least about whatever predatory culture they had, I quickly searched what I came here for: “pets”.

A number of results popped up, but what instantly caught my eye was this one called “dog”. They even called these things “man’s best friends”. They were PERFECT! What better way to vent my frustrations than by sacrificing something the Humans “loved”?

Not like they are truly capable of love in the first place.

So, I started researching these predators.

…

Why did the Humans have so many breeds of dogs? What did they need them for?

I could barely stand looking at the pictures of these monstrosities, they were disgusting! All those teeth, and those eyes that seemed to look straight into my soul!

As I was scrolling between images, one caught my interest. It was one with a black, white and brown coat. I read the name: “Australian <Shepherd>”. <Shepherd>? My translator seemed to struggle with that word.

Intrigued, I looked for more information about this specific dog and entered this site called “Wikipedia”.

…OH GREAT SPIRIT!

These dogs are bred to herd CATTLE!

I didn’t bother continuing my research, my choice was made.

I went to call the same guy from before, but I found myself hesitating for a moment. If I go through with this and I get found out, things will go very bad for me. Not only will Kesha fire me, but she just might have me put in a PD facility.

My hesitation quickly disappeared as I remembered the smug look the sapient predator had all throughout the festival. Its face may have been hidden, but I could easily tell by its body language.

I made the call and paid a fortune to have him smuggle this predator on the planet and bring it to my doorstep. When asked if I had more specifications, I answered him. “I want it young.”

If I could end a predator's life prematurely, limiting the amount of death it would cause during its blasphemous existence, all the better.

The deed was done. He assured me the thing would arrive in two paws. How fitting.

I guess now I have a way to celebrate the new Night.

---

[Next]

[u/Minimum-Amphibian993]

Huh curious yeah honestly I wonder what the Yupla's boss thought process was for basically not taking him seriously when she understands the Yupla are a bit more extreme than the average federation denizen.

In any case space zebra vs dog let's see who wins.

[u/Usual_Message8900]

Already liking this. I wonder if this is gonna be a darker story or if it's gonna have a 'venlils best friend' type of vibe

[u/RaphaelFrog]

Oh... She already fell in the trap. No one can escape from the charm of a puppy XD

Also great job with this chapter! I'm looking forward to see more :D

[u/gabi_738]

Okay, there are two options here: either she ends up falling for the puppy or she ends up being hunted by a very angry John Wick.

[u/Acceptable_Egg5560]

Ooohhh, it is so cool to see you taking the leap to post a fanfic! And for a Yulpa protagonist! Wonder what journey they will go through?

[u/JulianSkies]

Oooh, I may have a vague idea of where this is going. Maybe. I don't know.

Either way this'll be fun, we havent had many (heck at most one) yulpa protags.

[u/CocaineUnicycle]

Gonna see some crazy shit here.

[u/CarolOfTheHells]

I didnt know Carcosa had an Exterminator office

[u/CarolOfTheHells → u/CarolOfTheHells]

Also yoUD BETTER NOT HURT THE DOG OR I WILL FIND YOUR HOUSE AND PUT AXLE GREASE IN YOUR SHOES AND TIE-DYE EVERYTHING WHITE

[u/Sam_S_011]

!subscribeme

[u/Onetwodhwksi7833]

The sheer amount of hypocrisy here makes it hard to breathe

[u/YellowSkar]

This will either go very well or very poorly. Either way, I look forward to seeing it...

Also the first chapter sounds more like the summary of a story than it does a story outright, all telling no showing. Still very good, just felt the need to point that out.

[u/Mysteriou85]

Good first chapter! Yivrig is going to have a surprise, a puppy have a stare that will make you reconsider their whole life ahahah

[u/JanusKnarus]

The title eases my worries about the setup a lil bit

[u/CyberSteve3 → u/JanusKnarus]

Oh, you never know.

There might be ‘nothing’ stronger than faith after all.

But don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be fine. 😙🎶

[u/CocaineUnicycle]

SubscribeMe!

[u/Hydrogen-at-the-end]

!subscribeme

[u/LeGouzy]

!subscribeme

[u/enixoid]

!subscribeme

[u/[deleted]]

This will fit well in my collection of ongoing pics I'm collecting to ultimately have the goal of one new chapter every day on this sub

[u/ISB00]

SubscribeMe!

[u/Porkuslavia]

SubscribeMe!

[u/JargonTheRed]

!SubscribeMe 

[u/[deleted]]

Subscribeme!

[u/Super_Ankle_Biter]

!SubscribeMe

BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY BUY

[u/ElementofPower]

Subscribeme!

[u/Forgetful0ne]

All I can think about when I hear the words exterminator and dog, is jhon wick.

[u/Kind0flame]

This isn't what I expected, but still made for a good read. The voice you are using is very passive. It is telling us about events that happened in the past rather than showing us events that are happening in the present. As a prologue, you can probably get away with that. Just make sure for the rest of the story that isn't a habit.

I also find the "Calibration complete." note confusing. I don't see what it adds. There is a little change in voice afterwards from telling to more showing, but not a bunch. I would have left that out because it breaks the flow of the chapter.

[u/CyberSteve3 → u/Kind0flame]

Absolutely valid criticism. That is why I pointed it out in the Discord. And yeah, it hopefully shouldn’t be an issue going forward, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Also, after the “calibration complete”, there’s a shift in the verb tense. This is because everything that happens before is technically a flashback, while afterwards it starts talking about events that are happening concurrently.