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towerator

Isif has "prey disease", in a way. I wonder what would happen if he met Jala.


Mr_E_Monkey

Honestly, I think he'd probably end up killing her before she got a chance to try and kill him. The difference is that he's capable of seeing that as a waste.


KnightNave

I'd reckon that the Arxur were force to "breed out" empathy and compasion after the Fed's forced them to eat sapients. I think Jala is like the rest of the Arxur, although an absolute psychopath instead of a society molded one.


Sobori26

I dont think it was bred out. The Arxur are probably being compared to crocodiles for a lot more than creepy thematics. Unlike most reptiles Crocodilians are extremely social (for a reptile) and are famous for raising their young. The dominion have created antisocial personality disorders. Desensitize young to extreme violence, break up social groups and then control food and actions. The religion in this chapter mirrors the fabricated religions the federation created for their omnivore uplifts. Odd coincidence right?


secme

Yeah I recon the Federation gave them the wrong dose to have something to fight against and unite the federation. That dose made them more hostile and blood thirsty, a few it doesn't work on though like, Isif


Cheesypower

The Arxur really are just the mirror image of the Federation, aren't they? Right down to a boogey-man diagnosis for people showing "undesirable" behaviors- Predator-disease for the Federation, Cruelty-deficient for the Arxur. Honestly, it's only a matter of time before a conflict between humanity and the Arxur kicks off, and it won't be pretty for humanity. Though I'm hopeful we can at least bloody their noses in the process.


ItzBlueWulf

Say, does anyone else find familiar the concept of an alien race in a position of superiority trying to impose on a less powerful species a "treatment" to make them closer to their own sensibilities? Because that's what the Arxur Betterment Guy just proposed for humanity, we can add hypocrisy to their list of flaws.


Crouteauxpommes

It may look like hypocrisy from the humanity viewpoint, but, for the Arxurs and the Feds, implementing a "cure" for unwanted traits in a specie is just how things work in the wider galaxy. The Kolshians gentled the omnivores, then the federation attempted to modify our favourite gators, it's would be strange that the grey wouldn't try to give some treatment to the Humans.


ItzBlueWulf

I'm just pointing out that as usual warcrimes are only done by your enemies, when you or your allies do them they are "necessary measures".


Square-Singer

Hell, that's how things work on Earth. Just read a bit about all the things we Europeans and their decendants did with people of other continents... Forcefully taking kids away from their families and raising them in European decentent families, so that they grow up to be better people (meaning more like their adoptive families) was pretty standard practice for a long time.


Crouteauxpommes

You mean hostages? Yeah it would be unthinkable today but was almost Diplomacy 1.01 from -∞ to the 18th century. You want to stop being raised by this Germanic tribe again? Take a bunch of kids from their aristocrats and raise them as romans. One of your vassals just revolted but you can't just take his lands? Take his heir and raise him among yours, even better than a non-aggression pact. You just discovered a new land but nobody speak the local language? Leave a few guys here and bring back home a bunch of locals so they can be useful truchmen by the time you come back.


Square-Singer

It was done up until the late 20th century as well. Not so much with the heirs of empires, but rather with Inuit/Native American children. Especially in Canada, they took children away from native populations to raise them in what could be counted as orphranages. In the UK they did something similar on a smaller scale with the Welsh. They prohibited the use of the Welsh language in public settings, especially at school. If they caught kids speaking Welsh at school, they'd get a beating. I met a few older people who lived through that first hand. The result in Wales is, that hardly anyone of the older folks speaks Welsh. Only in the last two decades or so did they start teaching Welsh at schools again (the language got a revival).


Intelligent_Ad8406

yeah it ain't good


[deleted]

The last thing humans need is "betterment" to unleash the most violent and cruel instincts we have.


K_H007

The Arxur would find out right quick just how big of a monster they made if they tried. They'd get overwhelmed in days, if not hours, minutes, or seconds. When push comes to shove, humans are *very* capable of ruthlessly outcompeting anything else. We even outcompeted fellow hominids in the past!


Fappity_Fappity_Fap

IIRC we didn't outcompete them, we literally just bred them out of existence with, well, our collective hominid drive to quite literally fuck everything that fits. If you try to argue against that drive, just remember that crabs/pubic lice are closely related to gorilla body lice rather than to our own head lice. Yeah, at some point, hominids literally did it with gorillas and we have living proof of it.


Scienceandpony

I believe the cautionary warning to the Arxur still stands. Lest they find out while humanity fucks around.


K_H007

Well of course you'd point out that facet of competition, with that username.


ggouge

At minimum we have out competed 4 human species.


K_H007

Yep. if the Arxur were to look into our fossil record, they'd see proof that not only are we willing to outcompete other human relatives, we're very much capable of doing so. And if they took that into account, they'd very quickly realize that *they're no different from the species we managed to outcompete.*


Troyjd2

They’re weaker because they have narrower dietary restrictions


Moist-Relationship49

We have drone fighters and the shield breakers, the Arxur always relied on speed. Drop the shield and drones and human will tear them apart. The big threat is numbers, tactics vs instinct.


Cheesypower

The problem is that our ability to manufacture the drones is limited by our (completely justified) inability to share the technology with anyone else, and they have had consistently high destruction rates in combat. Which isn't a flaw, it's the entire purpose they were built for, and their combat contributions still very much justify the investment, but the point is that we haven't been able to maintain nearly as large of a stockpile of them as we'd like. On the tactical level, we have a huge advantage, the problem is that a fight with the Arxur would be a fight of logistics- and on that front we're at a severe disadvantage, especially as stretched thin as we currently are.


ShadowDancerBrony

After rescuing them from the Feds the Mazic said their robust manufacturing sector was at our disposal so hopefully (even if Earth continues to not share critical technology) a lot of the drones' spaceframe can be subcontracted.


LiteX99

Counterpoint the arxur are currently fighting a war for survival, because they lack reliable methods of caring for cattle, considering their previous cattle was wiped out. A war of logistics against humans would be bad for the arxur, since humans only have one planet, so the amount of food the arxur is able to obtain by raiding earth is small, compared to the effort, time and losses needed to complete said raid, assuming said war doesnt start tomorrow but in a few years instead. The real deciding factor in a war against arxur would be time, the more time humans have to rebuild their armada, the better, wether that is drones or multispecies crewed spaceships doesnt really matter, since we have the tactical advantage


I_Maybe_Play_Games

But one world also means that they could wipe us out in one strike


LiteX99

Which is why time is important


I_Maybe_Play_Games

Any conflict with the arxur pre fed extermination we will lose. Post we might have a slim chance.


LiteX99

I dont think so, the arxur has been stated to be vastly outnumbered previously, after all, if they where so plentifull and powerfull they could have just taken over the galaxy, but they havent. And they have not done that because they lack the numbers for an all out war, but sporadic raids on observed weaker planets, for the express purpose of gathering rescources is much more achievable when you are outnumbered


Cheesypower

The problem is that we're not talking a war of annihilation like we had against the Feds- the Arxur aren't going to directly target us, for the reasons you outlined. HOWEVER, they are very definitely going to target the worlds we took as vassals and allies, because those are just resources to them, and as we saw here, they consider some to already have been "theirs." That's the other edge of the diplomatic approach- when your allies get targeted, you get drawn into fights you wouldn't otherwise be involved in.


Marcus_Clarkus

Honestly, I could see a simple counter to that. If the Arxur start attacking humanity, exterminate them. Can't attack if their worlds are all cracked. How? RKKV's (Relativistic Kinetic Kill Vehicles, aka an object traveling a significant fraction of c) hitting their worlds. Damn near impossible to defend against, and they're literally planet crackers. Of course, the drawback is the same could be done to human worlds. Thus Interstellar MAD occurs!


LiteX99

And that is without a doubt the real problem


Spank86

We could outsource component manufacture and have assembly done purely by humans either on earth or elsewhere. That would at least widen the bottleneck with reduced risk.


12a357sdf

Also, the Arxurs' number is far lower than that of the Feds, and Gaians beated the crap out of the Feds. Another factor to be considered is that the Gaians' alliance technological growth is much faster than any other factions in the story to a near comical point (3 months after the first FTL ships they have already catched up and surpassed the thousand years old Feds). All they need is to stall some time and the Arxurs will be of no match.


Shandod

Yeah that’s been my thing whenever people here in the comments question siding with the Arxur. The Arxur have numbers on their side, but we have tech. We needed more time to develop that tech, and multiple our numbers, but we have shown we can do so comically fast, as you said. This shaky alliance buys us time to power level our tech, build up our military hardware supply, recruit allies to bolster our numbers, and sow the seeds of disharmony within the Arxur themselves. People in the comments, as well as the majority of the Feds and the Arxur, just can’t seem to understand the value of working with people you don’t like until you can get to a point you don’t need them anymore, you can crush them, or you can convert them fully to your ways.


Phantom_Ganon

I'm just waiting for humans to start deploying drone carriers. The drones seemed to be very effective against the Federation extermination fleet.


win_awards

Protoss have entered the chat. "Carrier has arrived."


shepard0445

But we have no real way to defend our homeworld. Currently we fight a the federation and the Arxur have a huge fleet. The Arxur could wipe us out in less than a week.


Frame_Late

I wouldn't be surprised if a civil war kicked off though. I could see Isif failing to appeal to the wider Arxur and thus him and a few other Chief Hunters split and form a completely different faction. It could work in the right circumstances. I'm actually writing an AU for that scenario right now.


Planted_UIU_Agent

I shall watch your career with great interest then.


crazy-octopus-person

> Honestly, it's only a matter of time before a conflict between humanity and the Arxur kicks off, and it won't be pretty for humanity. Second surprise ~~Klendathu~~ Cradle Drop, this time on on Wriss?


Brave-Stay-8020

“As a cruelty-deficient individual” That is a strange way to say empathetic, but I guess that you do you. Honestly, this just goes to show how much Arxur society has become twisted, that even individuals such as Isif view lack of cruelty as an anomaly.


AGlitchedNPC

Prey Disease instead of Predator Disease


AverageKrupukEnjoyer

so Humanity has both Prey Disease and Predator Disease?


AFoxGuy

#Yesn’t


Samborrod

Humanity has the "Three Stooges Syndrome"


Drifter_the_Blatant

[Nyuk nyuk nyuk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKtwlHV1-O8)


K_H007

From our perspective, both the Arxur and Federation suffer from Hypernationalism in power and brainwashing. The Federation in being turned against anything that eats meat, and the Arxur in the style of the old 1930s-40s version.


BROODxBELEG

Smeared in jam one day, comitting genocide the next


DeTiro

#BEHOLD, HUMANITY!#


LeeVMG

To be human is to be both predator and prey.


Xavius_Night

To be human is to stand at the crossroads and stare into the infinite depths of extremism, yet ultimately be faced with the choice of where to go, if anywhere at all.


WiseLockCounter

"To be a monster is to be a hybrid signal, a lighthouse: both shelter and warning at once."


Derser713

Social Omnivors.... Pretty much yes. the joke is: Both are marketing terms: Does your enemy show singes of agression( e.g. after you pay a bunch of guys to pester him/her, interrupt their sleepscatule....)-> He/She is clearly affected by preditor disease. ​ Does he/she show any kind of weakness?->Prey disease... ​ One just has to argue....


Randombirb1

it would help if the more positive version of it wouldn't literally be em-pathetic.


PitifulRecognition35

It would make more sense that it makes him apathetic, rather tha the opposite of cruel - empathetic/gentle.


Shadowex3

In their own words they probably wouldn't even call it that. Everyone is the hero of their own story. To them it's not cruelty, it's strength and stoicism.


ItzBlueWulf

Is this the legendary Isif POV that we have been waiting for? Yeah, he's not in a good place and that invitation reeks of assassination attempt.


Sporner100

Well it was his idea to let the other party choose the place and date. If he manages to get the necessary justification the assassin in this scenario would probably turn out to be isif.


Thegrayman46

Dont count Isif out just yet. He is an old enity in a young enity's profession. He had to offer the time and place in order to get the meeting. His 'flaws' allow him to predict/manipulate his foes into vulnerablity. If humans can get the vat meat production high enough, Isif's troops will be better fed, healthier and fitter than the others.


ggouge

Also if other groups or arxur find out he has a surplus of food he may get deserters from other groups.


Existential-Nomad

Possibly(Probably) true... But it looks like the standard Arxur battle tactic, is to starve the troops into a killing frenzy. Human soldiers spend an awful lot of time getting trained, to get to the point where they can kill whenever they need to; A well fed Arxur might just curl up and go to sleep


Thegrayman46

Depending, probably an poorly trained, overfed arxur would do that...( possible human tactic against them?, airdrop tons of high calorie/high protein rations)


trisz72

RAMIREZ, AIR DROP THAT BURGER TOWN!


Educational_Doubt_51

Dont forget troop morale would allow them to fight harder


kindtheking9

"Fear the old man working a job where men die young"


wclancy09

Definitely get the impression you're both right. "Hey, come join me on this stealthed food production facility...I totally don't intend to simply ambush you and blend you into the meat supply...honest!" vs. "Sure, you pick the place, advantage you...I'll even let you spring the trap, if you dare. Then I can kill you, claim what was yours (control of the sector, at least temporarily), and achieve my aims that way. Or you can actually listen to what I have to say..."


SporeZealot

I think Isif is aware and probably thinks he could kill the other Chief Hunter. I have a feeling that murder is a traditional way of settling differences between Arxur officers, and anything other than one on one combat would be considered as a sign of weakness and cowardice. Arxur are solitary hunters, if you can't take down your prey on your own, you deserve to starve.


ItzBlueWulf

>if you can't take down your prey on your own, you deserve to starve. That has some unfortunate ramification for their opinion of Humans The Social Predators.


SporeZealot

But they get that. I don't think they'd hold humans to that particular standard.


Rebelhero

agreed


Galeic6432

Not necessarily. A good leader doesn't have to make every conversation with their followers a public spectacle, as that execution was. And a lot of future problems can be stopped with a closed door meeting.


dude071297

FINALLY we get to hear from the Chad-man himself. I'm very glad to have been right that he wasn't faking everything about himself when talking to Meier earlier. And I'm *so* happy to get some insight into Arxur society. Learning of Isif's rivalry with another Chief Hunter, and the Arxur's RightThink bureau, really sheds light on how Isif must manage his politicking. Also, the Prophet-Descendent position is interesting. Is Giznel actually a decendent of the Arxur prophet, or is it a more ceremonial title conferred on the head of Betterment? And if he *is* a literal descendent of the prophet, is that what allowed him to lead Betterment, or is that just coincidence? I'm so excited to read more Isif POV in the future! Also also, "cruelty-deficient individual" is such a terrifying idea (and intriguing, from a storytelling prospect). That the Arxur consider empathy and mercy prey traits, and as such, a weakness, is a perfect mirror of the federation with their "predator disease". Simply two sides of the same coin. While Isif is clearly much more aware than perhaps most other Arxur, he's so far unable to see past this programming. By referring to himself as cruelty-deficient, instead of recognizing his empathy as a strength, he's treating himself as the issue rather than Arxur society. Considering he's far on the path already, I wouldn't be surprised if he's able to deprogram himself far more quickly than someone like Sovlin, and certainly faster than birdboy, lmao.


SpacePaladin15

Giznel is an actual Prophet-Descendant; the oldest and most direct one! The Prophet and everyone related to him hold a hallowed place in their twisted government 😅


dude071297

Good to know, thank you!


Golde829

in all honesty I don't see Kalsim deprograming *himself* it's probably gonna be either someone breaking his worldview for him, or too many things than he can logically string around to keep his view in place with Sovlin, he only had the guilt of one man, for Kalsim.. he's got the guilt of several cities, and so if he breaks, we gotta keep an eye on the space birb before he takes the easy way out of his guilt


Zamtrios7256

Another thing is that Sovlin is mentally unwell, but realized that he was becoming what he hates. While Kalsim is *very* much sane, if somewhat unable to comprehend anything outside his own viewpoints


Golde829

arguably that might be considered some kind of insanity also if he is actually sane now, he probably won't be once everything he knew shatters in front of him


Zamtrios7256

Oh yea, he's on the verge of snapping, but what he did was calculated


Golde829

right as it stands right now, objectively and amorally speaking, nothing is wrong with his logic ..though we have yet to see how long that's gonna last, and I hope this birb gets proper help


Sky-Watcher-9000

*Doesn’t understand why destroying art is a war crime* *also wishes he knew what Arxur culture was like before the federation Intervened*


SpacePaladin15

Part 84 is here! Here's another brand new POV, and it's our fan-favorite Arxur at last. We catch a glimpse at the act Isif puts on, and what thoughts run through his head. It appears the human-friendly Chief Hunter is struggling to calm a rival warlord over Sillis. Will Isif be able to stop Shaza from attacking UN forces? Furthermore, this is the first main story look behind the Arxur curtain. We learn more about how their government is structured, and what power the Chief Hunters possess. Will the omnivore issue weaken Betterment and Giznel’s hold over the grays? As always, thanks for reading! Part 85 will be here Saturday.


McGunboat

I have a question… so, we know how in real life, it isn’t predator and prey, nor herbivore and carnivore, but rather what can kill you and what will kill you. I wonder how competitive and even potentially warlike pre-contact Venlil were… I wonder how many Venlil archeologists and paleontologists discovered ancient Venlil bodies and skulls, with injuries obviously made by weapons. I wonder how many have been fields of bodies and weapons and armor have been unearthed. I wonder how many skulls of now-extinct creatures bare the fractures of clubs and spears and Venlil claws. I wonder how many discoveries were swept under the rug, and how many are coming to light now that the archaeologists and paleontologists are no longer being silenced.


wanabeafemboy

I would be really interested in those discoveries too! I just want to see how Venlil would react to the realization that cruelty and aggression and atrocities aren’t “predator” traits


TinyCatCrafts

The most dangerous animal on the planet is an herbivore. Herbivores, when cornered, are far more deadly than a predator. If you corner a predator it will usually lash out, but all the while be looking for an opening to escape. A predator, if injured, will slowly starve to death and die in many cases. Herbivores can survive... IF they survive. So they'll fight to their dying breath to just have the chance. A cornered herbivore knows that it's kill or be killed. Cornered predators know it's better for them to just escape and live to hunt again, on prey that's a little easier to take down. Guy I knew got too close to some deer once, trying to take pictures. They were usually pretty docile and would just walk away from people instead of running. They ended up cornered by a chain link fence, and suddenly went from trying to get away, to attacking. They trampled the hell out of him, and broke his femur, and he had a nasty concussion. Someone else chased them off before they could finish stomping him to death. Herbivores are scary.


[deleted]

Some of the biggest dinos were herbivores with horns and bone armor.


Ascendan1

I really doubt that venlil even have paleontologist as a profession. The federation presumably uplifted the venlil and told them that an obsession with skeleton was a symptom of predator disease.


Negative_Storage5205

I read somewhere that Venlil games include cooperative building, followed by a round of trying to knock over each other structures without touching them. Familiar with, "Crush the Castle?"


ShadowDancerBrony

There's a fan fic called '[The Dark Venlil](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/x2lq5x/the_dark_venlil_a_nature_of_predators_tale/)' (which unfortunately hasn't updated in a while), about a human archeological team working on the dark side of Venlil prime's tidally locked planet. They find evidence of an >!omnivore Venlil sub-species!< and artifacts that suggest the >!Venlil killed them all off!< during their pre-industrial age.


Zamtrios7256

That is awesome, especially if they added mythology into it. A pre-historic killing of a species almost *exactly* like you but nocturnal and eat meat? That's prime Vampire/Werewolf stuff there


ShadowDancerBrony

I'm sad u/RevolutionaryRabbit hasn't updated the story in the last five months. I was really looking forward to hearing some spooky Venlil folklore as the humans engaging in archaeomythology to >!rebuild an image of the extinct people.!< Maybe finding out that the >!extermination of the Dark Venlil!< was encouraged by precontact Federation specialists in preparation for the uplifting of the Venlil.


RevolutionaryRabbit

Hello. I'm glad to see people actually liked my story (honestly, when I looked back at it recently I took psychic damage from how bad and cringe my writing was), and while I wasn't originally planning to continue the story, I am now (because someone else requested it a week ago). Sorry about taking so long, haven't really been in the right mood for writing for a whole, and also last week was quite eventful.


[deleted]

They could've been like Ewoks, waiting to bash your head in with giant logs.


Rebelhero

You know Isif has a good point with sending Arxur "Slaves" to Earth. I could see the conversation going something like this. "You wish to send our weak to Earth? Why?" "So that they find some use in their meaning-less lives. The humans managed to train the prey into nearly competent fighters. Their Pack Hunting heritage allows them to find uses for those who are too weak for combat, sometimes even able to lift up the weak to join the strong." "I find this hard to believe. Are you sure you aren't growing sentimental in your old age?" "I've seen it in action. Humans channel their bloodlust in combat, sharpening their senses, dulling pain, increasing their reaction speed, but it narrow's their vision. They use the prey in support roles, able to see and hear what the humans can not. Making them more effective." "And how would our disgraced be used?" "Shock troopers, if I would guess. Humans are powerful runners. Able to cross vast distances without tiring, but Arxur are much faster sprinters. The tactical advantages are many."


Throawayqusextion

> Humans are powerful runners. Able to cross vast distances without tiring, but Arxur are much faster sprinters. And now I can't read Isif dialogue without reading it with Gimli's accent.


Rebelhero

Oh my God I didn't even realize I did that


[deleted]

Well, this changes how I read the whole thing now.


TheBrownEye62

*You'll have to toss me...Don't tell Nulia*


Zamtrios7256

Isif: Toss me. Human: What? Isif: I can't jump, you'll have to toss me


prone-to-drift

Who's Gimli?


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

An awesome Dwarf who got those strands of shiny hair.


StarSilverNEO

Lord of the Rings dwarf I believe


TheFloridaManYT

The dwarf from The Lord of The Rings


ShadowDancerBrony

>"You wish to send our weak to Earth? Why?" "The Federation's raid on Earth left several billion dead. Earth has already been filling these vacancies in their military, industry and agricultural sectors with prey species. Sending our weak to Earth will: aid another predator in recovering from the Federation's genocidal attempt. Limit the further integration of prey into human society, preventing additional societal contamination. Expose the humans to Arxur and our society, guiding them on the right direction. And allow me to send spies discreetly to Earth to keep an eye on human activities."


102bees

"We Arxur are born sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"


[deleted]

Nobody tosses an Axur!


Professional_Issue82

I have two questions, first, how long do the arxur live?, second, did Marcel’s wife survive the attack on New York?


SpacePaladin15

Age spans of NoP species aren’t too eyebrow-raisingly different from ours, and yes, Marcel’s wife survived 🙏


Xreshiss

Isif mentions refugees or "slaves" being "lent" to Earth. The humans would be stupid to not take these "defective" Arxur in. The response to the implications of falling for lies or tricks directed at those they consider prey kind together with Isif learning to fake dominant traits makes me think that for every empathic Arxur who accepts and understands these feelings, there'd be another who is ashamed of feeling empathy and tries to bury or otherwise deny it. After all, if others knew they'd at the very least be ridiculed and abused. And to change that would take decades. We ourselves still ridicule and abuse people for traits we consider unnatural or undesirable, and in some places are still considered illegal.


Nerdn1

I fear that some radical Arxur will try to "better" their omnivore cattle. You isolate a somewhat more aggressive subset of the cattle and starve them for a while (alternatively, go for children who might be less indoctrinated). Also show them the evidence that they were once omnivores. Then you give them some meat rations and wait. Hopefully, some individuals will eat the meat rather than starve and their body will still have the capacity to digest meat. Keep the same rations for a while until they are accustomed to it. Then switch the rations with full prey limbs, and then to full carcasses. Then move to weak live sapient prey, supplying primitive weapons to the new predators if they lack sufficient natural weapons. This would prove that the victims of the Federation could be cured. Selective breeding could make true predators in time, saving a species of true sapients from the very horrible fate the evil Federation tried to force on the Arxur. Of course this is all a monstrous idea, but it's a reasonable offshoot of Arxur philosophy. One could even call it progressive. Reminds me of a ["kill the Indian, save the man"](https://youtu.be/fbRBNSjT_FQ), the motto of a man who believed that Native Americans were equal to Europeans, but their culture was inferior so they should be forcibly assimilated. He was a monster by today's standards, but was seen as a benevolent figure by the standards of the time.


Golde829

this has potential to work.. IF the Federation's 'cures' didn't genetically remove the ability to process meat outright, but given that's *exactly* what happened when they tried to cure the Arxur, I doubt that's the case also given the perspective that the Arxur are constantly on low rations, I see it as unwise to waste rations and cattle on cattle


Nerdn1

>this has potential to work.. > >IF the Federation's 'cures' didn't genetically remove the ability to process meat outright, but given that's exactly what happened when they tried to cure the Arxur, I doubt that's the case They might not have been able to make the meat allergy hereditary, trusting cultural conditioning and behavioral changes to keep member species from regressing. It's also possible that some individuals are born without the meat-allergy gene through mutation a recessive gene or the like or it's weak enough in some that they can build a resistance to the toxic effects before starvation. The philosophy of "Betterment" accepts that sacrifices are necessary the the betterment of the species. Perhaps only a small percentage of certain species are salvageable. >also given the perspective that the Arxur are constantly on low rations, I see it as unwise to waste rations and cattle on cattle This radical faction would likely be more interested in ideology that pragmatism. They eat prey because prey aren't people. They would never dream of eating true sapients. As we see here, there is at least one who will refuse to eat prey that used to eat meat many generations ago. Jetisoning the Gojid rations served no practical purpose. It was a waste of meat. No life was saved by this action. The condemned merely believed that the food was made of true sapients and that eating it was ideologically wrong. He had eaten Federation meat all of his life, but this was too much. Of course, the powers that be have practical concerns as well as an interest in remaining in power through ideological unity. They would be less inclined to support this project. However, chief hunters have significant autonomy in their domains, so one may independently run this sort of experiment in there territory, only revealing the project after they have some success to show for it.


Brave-Stay-8020

The Omnivore issue will probably weaken the Betterment, as shown by this female Arxur. This type of dissent may become more common as time goes on, and maybe even some in the Betterment may start to look the other way. Ironically, Isif’s comments during the trial may make it harder for the Omnivores, if enough take that “prey like” attitude bit to heart.


Tem-productions

I dont think these "trials" are taken seriously enough to be recorded, so there's low chance that word goes out


Nerdn1

Isif is in a terrible situation. He is correct that humans are not bargaining from a position of strength and are demanding a lot more than is reasonable. I think he'll need to somehow discredit/frame the other chief hunter and remove him. Alternatively, the humans need to win. If they prove their strength yet again, they might be given more leeway. Covertly tipping off the humans could work, but it's a gamble.


Negative_Storage5205

The current Secretary General is too aggressive and not cautious enough. Also, the other Chief Hunter is a lady. (She/Her)


I_Maybe_Play_Games

He is correctly agressive but not tact enought to realize the arxur dont like his shit.


Negative_Storage5205

I think we can both agree that he lacks diplomatic skills.


Red_Riviera

I feel Shaza will get a nasty fight in space and on the ground and probably end up respecting the humans after Slanek knocks her out of all things. Domestication is our specialty compared to them


Mechasteel

I'm surprised he didn't mention the civil war and fracturing of the Federation. Does the Arxur leadership not want to win their war so quickly? I suppose the society and leadership would have to be restructured once the war was over.


liveart

>Will Isif be able to stop Shaza from attacking UN forces? I doubt it. Once someone has decided something is 'rightfully' theirs it's extremely difficult to convince them someone else had the right to take it. Add that to the ideological stance and the posturing for position and the *only* way I see conflict being avoided would be with major concessions from the humans... but that would make the humans look weak and lessen their position with the Axur in addition to likely costing them more than they can afford to lose. The best case scenario I can see is Isif going full double agent and sabotaging or stabbing Shaza in the back. Either on his own as it seems being 'weak' is enough justification to kill someone or by informing the humans about some plan or weakness so they can get the better of her. Really the *best* case scenario would be the humans killing Shaza proving Isif right about their strength and making her look weak and foolish, with no ability to defend herself because she's dead. So long as Isif can help the humans frame it as a local issue and a failing on the part of Shaza, rather than an attack on the dominion, it would theoretically strengthen their position. It's going to be tough threading that needle but I think it's going to have to at least be attempted.


ShadowDancerBrony

Great chapter, the look behind the Arxur curtain was every bit a disturbing as I imagined. Their real-time communications are quite impressive. I'm interested in if Isif can find a way for Shaza to bring 'Fahl and Sillis in our control' as required by Giznel but allow human alliance/occupation. My first thought was of tributary states, sending Shaza's sector fleet regular meat tribute from Human meat vats or fished from Sillis' large ocean. All the food of a raid with none of the trouble. I hope Secretary-General Zhao at least assigned some competent sector governor/fleet admiral who can help Isif resolve this issue. Otherwise Slanek and Marcel are going to have an eventful next POV.


Cooldude101013

I do have a question, what did Isif mean by “artwork in the middle of combat”? If priceless artwork was in a combat zone then actions should be taken to avoid damaging it if possible and that’s a “if”. If there are enemy forces in the gallery or museum or wherever the artwork/s is/are they should be attacked anyway even if it destroys the artwork as protecting it is a secondary objective at most.


5thhorseman_

I mean, he could spin it that Human Betterment is a philosophy of assimilating your opponent's strengths and that the Human way is that extermination of an opponent is not a show of dominance, but of fear and lack of confidence. Human way of showing dominance is first that you can afford mercy, second that you remain dominant, and third that you can convince the former enemy to willingly embracr the superiority of your culture. Consider the Cold War, which was decades of two nations engaging in displays of dominance and proxy wars until one failed and was conquered through culture rather than military.


Attacker732

The Arxur are looking to be a very strange mix of ritualistic and pragmatic. Although that does mostly make sense, considering that they don't really have the resources to not have some major practicality concerns, yet are the cultural descendants of their nazis. If the real nazis were anything to go by, there's bound to be a lot of very strange and very occult beliefs woven through their culture.


Educational_Doubt_51

The thing is that both the Dominion and Federation are equally fascistic just in different ways. Arguably the feds are worse.


Brave-Stay-8020

Chief Chad Isif makes his return in spectacular fashion, becoming the first Arxur PoV in the main storyline. We also get to see the front that he puts on as Frenzied Fanatic Isif in the hopes of keeping his head. Under the guise of being a main/strong supporter of the Betterment, Isif ends up having to kill one of his subordinates. This subordinate’s crime was starting to grow a conscience and refused to eat the dried Gojid that was given to Isif’s crew. Honestly, I don’t even know how much cope Isif must be on to be able to hold down Gojid after his interactions with Nulia, but it must be very strong stuff. (Side note: The method they use to kill the subordinate is a simple swipe of the claws to the throat, a very brutal, but effective method. However, I probably would have gone for a more ironic punishment if put in that position. Since she ejected the Gojid out the airlock, I could see them doing the same for her, a little bit less messy too.) During the “trial” we get to see other Arxur leadership in Isif’s fellow Warlord Shaza and a higher up from the Betterment, Giznel, who I will now refer to as Eugenics Nobility. This is both good and bad for Isif as he needs to speak to Shaza about Sillis but it also means that he needs to act even more fanatical to appease them. Specifically, Isif’s comments about how the converted species acting like “prey” means that they still are prey may come back to bite the “end the war” factions in the long run. If the human’s tried to make efforts, in the future, to get better treatment for the former omnivores, I could see other Arxur point to Isif’s comments as a shield to turn them down.


Jackoffalltrades89

Counterpoint for choosing the neck slice, it’s probably the best balance he could do. Carotid exsanguination means a near instant drop in cranial blood pressure, which means the victim blacks out before dying. It’s as close to a painless option as he’d have at hand. And yet it also creates a vivid, visceral display with blood spray staining the floor, the victim, and even the executioner if done “correctly.” It looks positively vicious, but does the minimal damage along the way.


-SasquatchTheGreat-

This guy murders


SmolOverlord

r/thisguythisguys


[deleted]

fuck u/spez


hapyjohn1997

Nah based on their society I could see them as taking the skins of their kills as trophy's full on ear necklace war crime style.


ikbenlike

Him eating "prey" is necessary for his survival - not just in an immediate sense as a source of food, but also because the society he lives in requires him to do it. I think he knows this and is doing everything he can safely do to change it


shepard0445

Her crime was also wasting food. Which is a crime in a situation like the Arxur currently have. Also he is an Arxur. The meat might not taste as good but it's still food


Galeic6432

I've said it before, and this POV seems to confirm it. Arxur society is very much a fascist one. Isif has to act in certain ways to live in it. It's just a question if he is going to become the next Furur/Great Hunter or have to go in exile to protect himself and his family.


AGlitchedNPC

The Arxur feel very blind sometimes. They feel like you could kill them all by saying only cowards won't fly their ship into a star. Far too much pride and arrogance.


Shandod

I like the juxtaposition with the Feds. Prey species will kill themselves out of shame and fear, literally trampling each other to get away from a threat as we have seen. The Arxur will fling themselves blindly at the threat to prove their pride and courage. Humanity as the middle ground omnivores seem to be the only ones that can slow down and think things through from both vantage points.


AGlitchedNPC

Interesting that World War 2 and its horrors were able to be found in our history, but slavery wasn't. Slavery is a large or at the least very important part of our species history.


SpacePaladin15

What do you mean? Isif uses the *absence* of slavery and brutality to differentiate our current actions from past conquest. He definitely knows enough


AGlitchedNPC

I took it as he saw no signs of slavery in our past, and was comparing it to his own peoples current use of slavery


SpacePaladin15

He’s saying he knew of the terrible things humans did in the past, but he didn’t see them at work here. So he concluded this wasn’t a full-throated subjugation of Sillis


Impossible_Put_9315

I thought that the UN censored the internet heavily before giving the venil access, and now the Arxur looking at humanity’s heavily censored history view us as very innocent/weak/prey-like.


I_Frothingslosh

The UN did. Isif got through that at some point during his visit. That was made clear when he brought up meat cloning.


Cooldude101013

Especially since he used a recovered device from New York to do his research instead of the likely scrubbed/edited data that we’ve been giving to the other species under Meier.


Jackoffalltrades89

I wonder if that’s a “localization error,” with Isif conflating words that are synonymous to the Arxur but very, very different to humans.


A_Clever_Ape

I wonder if the Earth "internet" Isif "hacked" was a ruse. What if he was also fed a fictional narrative? Meier was good at that. I could see him allowing Isif to find a darker version of human history than what was shared with the Federation, but which wouldn't ruin humanity's chances with the Federation if revealed.


CandidSmile8193

Isif coming back with the vengeance of Realpolitik.


Intelligent_Ad8406

good god!


Intelligent_Ad8406

i hope everyone understands how big of a risk isif is taking, he is one of many arxur that do not want to do horrible deeds, but had to in order not to be killed, he is risking a lot in the hope that one day things might change


102bees

It's unfortunate that there doesn't seem to be an organised underground resistance to the Betterment. At least, not one that Isif knows of.


Red_Riviera

Slavery is inefficient. Alter the economy to suit our needs, maintain control through military bases and occupation and take full control of the airspace. Then, let them work for themselves while growing cash crops for Earth. Simple. Like the satellite states of the USSR At least I imagine that is how it will be sold the Shaza. The need for mass production of chitin, and labour for the plant farms should also be made. We get value from owning the land as a whole and can more than compensate the Arxur with excess meat and other natural resources. Plus, someone more qualified will probably kick her arse


ThePoeticDragonbirb

I cant believe I have to say this again but people have been commenting. EARTH. IS. NOT. REAL. There are no planets in the sol system. The entire place was made up by the federation to justify more military spending. To everyone who claims to have ‘visited’ it was just an elaborate VR setup, you never left the ship.


Freedom-Fiend

I wonder if the Arxur truly understand that depths of cruelty humans are capable of. It's been shown regularly that most aliens have only a surface level understanding of humans; furthermore, it would make sense that the Arxur never really developed more extreme methods of torture and execution - after all, if you can kill nearly any creature, including other members of your species, with a single claw swipe, why would you ever conceive a means of killing someone slowly? Meanwhile, in order to kill each other while unarmed, humans mostly have to rely on either beating someone to death or choking them, both of which are slow and horrific affairs. Perhaps this opened the line of thought that allowed for our most grotesque forms torture, which other species can scarcely imagine.


Shandod

If they start threatening us again, we should send them the data on what we to OURSELVES in WW1 and WW2. Show them the chemical warfare of the trenches, show them the biological programs and testing of the Japanese. “If we will do that to ourselves in a mere war of conquest, what do you think we will do to you in a war of survival? We may not best you, but no Arxur will survive long to celebrate your victory…” If I was humanity right now, I would be scouting out and placing preemptive strike bio weapons deep in Arxur space already …


Rebelhero

EY! Chad Hunter Isif is back!


Intelligent_Ad8406

do they have ANY idea what would happen if Zhao invokes total war, unless they strike fast against earth it could mean that forbidden weaponry like bioweapons, gas and more will be legal, i hope not, but if those are deployed and the arxur have no counter it could be devestating, not only that, there is also the psychological aspect!


[deleted]

>do they have ANY idea what would happen if Zhao invokes total war, unless they strike fast against earth Pretty sure Isif's massive fleet is still hanging out in Earth's orbit...


Intelligent_Ad8406

oh, well then extinction it will be


12a357sdf

Given the fact that the Dominion aims for total eradication of the Feds, and yet they had only relied on genocidal raids means that they lack the means of producing planet killing weapons. UN, on the other hand, should be quite good at making those, given how good they are at biology. Programming a bioweapon should not even be that hard. If Zhao were to invoke a total war against his ally-turned-enemy lizard Dominion, and given his philosophy, there will be ugly results.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Intelligent_Ad8406

yes that is what i am afraid of, i do not want everything to go 40K


12a357sdf

There is also another route, perhaps less dystopian : complete culture-killing on Arxur societies. The damage the whole betterment crap left is way to deep to be undone. I don't think it is possible to fundamentally change the Arxurs quickly and peacefully like the Feds, but change is still possible nontheless. Humans could serve as a source of cheap and abundant food supply to the Arxurs. We could send spies that are hardened to Arxur territory to learn more about their society and practices. Then, all it takes is free food for all, and suddenly you can slowly nullify all the hunter instinct and cruelty in the Arxur. The more cruel and psychopathic generations will die out of old age, and the newer generations will perhaps be more open to the idea of equality between sapients. Or, it can be seen in some episodes that there are Arxurs other than Isif are against eating sapients. Perhaps, at some point, this will become the silent majority and a revolution can take place.


Shandod

The Arxur think a virus that programmed them to stop eating meat is the height of biological warfare as they know it. They have no idea what kind of nightmares we could and probably do have some black box bio labs concocting to unleash on the Arxur if they pressed us. They need their enemies alive and healthy to be used as cattle. We simply need our enemies to stop existing.


[deleted]

Chief Hunter Isif sounds like one of those true heroes history never gets to know about.


Cooldude101013

Indeed, like the Whermact troops at the Battle of Castle Itter.


ZeusKiller97

So the plot twist isn’t that our Gigachad is playing the long game, it’s that the Arxur Dominion themselves are acting like the Sith on Steroids, and Isif is *the sane one* among us.


Leather-Pound-6375

Ironic resulta for Silis and the Tilfish: "We won't surrender ti the humans and their líes" --humans back off from there-- "We are now free from predators" --Arxurs come in-- "Can we have the humans back? Please?"


Negative_Storage5205

Eugenics + Veneration for "Prophet-Descendants" = Inbreeding? I shall call this Giznel, "Savage-Hapsburg!"


johneever1

An Arxur story on my birthday. I'm happy


SpacePaladin15

Happy birthday!


johneever1

Thank you


_StaticFromBeyond_

> The relay functioned across hundreds of light-years, by leeching off Federation infrastructure as well. I was careful not to tip my claw when I communicated with the humans; I trusted them to watch their own self-interest foremost. After Isif contacted them, I wouldn't be surprised if the Humans and their allies started going over every inch of their comms network to figure out how he did it. This could end up being a major security breach for the Arxur. Considering that the Humans just had global Cyber Warfare that brought down the infrastructure of major superpowers, it could be a real possibility that they figure out what's going on. Even if they can't break the encryption on their messages, analyzing the traffic's size, frequency, and routing path can give you a huge amount of info on what's happening and where things are. Heck, depending on how FTL comms infrastructure and security works, you could do network mapping and figure the locations of every listening post, fleet, base, and farm of the Dominion **and** the Federation.


AverageKrupukEnjoyer

\*ejected out of the airlock\* Sound a little *s u s s y*


Intelligent_Ad8406

okay where is Glim?


AverageKrupukEnjoyer

He was in Engine doin task


Intelligent_Ad8406

and i was in the medical bay so it wasn't me either


Intelligent_Ad8406

perhaps it was Onso?


ARandomTroll5150

Honestly, I want to see some betterment missionaries come to earth and get utterly rejected. I want to see them try only to meet an IED behind every blade of grass until their planets get Dresden'd by asteroid strikes.


NoEffective2025

Better yet, have those "missionaries" get converted to the human way of thinking. Ideas and ideals can be insidious and viral.


TheBrownEye62

Very interesting insight into Arxur society and military procedures. 3 things of big note for me. - summary executions > Not unheard of, but from Arxur pov, it seems even the slightest deviation from their dogmatic ways will earn them such a death. It's gonna be an uphill battle to gain supporters in their ranks for a more cohesive/cohabitative galaxy as a whole. - Nameless Arxur prisoner > At the very least, Isif doesn't seem to be as much of an isolated case of an empathetic Arxur as I originally thought. This Arxur, by what I can tell, was under Isif's command which may lend to why she may have been more empathetic (Isif's influence, perhaps). Regardless, There's a chance for Arxur society as a whole to become more empathetic. - Military plans > It seems that I thought right that the Arxur's whole crusade against the Federation would doom everyone. They aren't in the war to better themselves (from an objective pov), They're just in it to cause as much pain and suffering for everyone else. I can't exactly fault them for wanting revenge, but overall, once they've killed all the other species, it doesn't seem they have a plan to keep sustaining themselves post-war. I don't see them keeping the 'farms' around for too long, the high command would probably push to punish the 'cattle' for the Feds' mistakes and kill them all too, leaving them with nothing to eat in the end. last part's just speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.


Yoylecake2100

***The Terran Sentinel*** ***Unthinkable Odds, and an Unthinkable Escape*** ***April 18th, 2147*** **Today, Galacpol announced the escape of 2 convicts from Citadel Island. One of the most secure prison facilities on Venlil Prime to date** **The escapees, Yugo, a human that was given 3 life sentences for the alleged murder of 3 Venlil and Amai, a Venlil who was convicted for the same crime** **"It was the most daring and complex escape plan to date" said by Warden Kalem, a Krakotl that has been warden of the prison for 5 years** **The Whereabouts of Yugo and Amai are still unknown as the boat they boarded hasn't been found yet by the authorities.** **With the likelihood of them being already on shore and disguised growing by the hour, they are in a rush to find the fugitives as fast as possible to prevent another potential homicide** **With the organization saying "we will continue to search for the fugitives until all possible theories and options have been thoroughly been explored" we can only hope that justice will be served.**


Cactus_inass

Arxurs enjoy jerky confirmed


Objective-Farm-2560

So, now we see how the Dominion's government reacted to former ominvores. Just as Isif said, they've moved the goal post for what makes a true sapient. Let's hope that Isif has enough charisma to convince the far less respectful Chief Hunter.


Acceptable_Egg5560

They **NAZIS!!!** And Isif is still awesome!


Monarch357

I knew Isif put on a persona to keep his true sympathies hidden, but I didn't expect it to be more "Jihadist fanatic" than "SS general". Either way, great chapter.


4thDevilsAdvocate

>Why wouldn’t an army take out medics that were limiting enemy casualties? Because it means the enemy spends more time and resources on trying to treat those casualties. Turns out, psychotic cruelty makes a society stupid. Of course, mind you, the *Arxur* don't spend time and resources on trying to treat the wounded, so they think everyone else won't either...


[deleted]

YES ISIF POV


bltsrgewd

Maybe we could explain neo-colonialism to the Arxur. Traditional subjugation is just simply...inefficient, if material gain is your primary goal. Maybe we can convince them that our mercy is more about exerting control than it is about actually being kind.


un_pogaz

>**Memory transcription subject:** ***Chief Hunter Isif*** Yes yes yes


Fexofanatic

Isif pov, you spoil us. cue the space nazi meme return


MadLadMaciejow

So CH Isif I basically trying to liberalise and de-barbarise space 3'rd Reich, I hope he succeeds and those Cows, Pigs and ~~Alligators~~ Chicken will be tasty enough for Arxur to help Isif, maybe even some knowledge on how to make meat tastier will be given by UN to The Dominion


StarSilverNEO

Oh so Isif is a Social Star in a World of Loners aswell, how fitting. Though it does make me worry that most other Arxur in his position wouldnt be as . . .pliant, long thinking, or understanding, one is better than none. Also Prophet Descendant - does that mean a direct relation (are the leaders of betterment like straight up cultivated like a large cult family) or are they perhaps clones of the original. Or perhaps it just means that his power is invested in him by the Prophets? Curious and curiouser


Madgearz

####Theory Time: Isif introduces Shaza to bacon, steak, chicken, and *bacon,* along with the concept of "tributes". As long as Sillis and Fahl provide them with a regular tribute of vat-grown meat, they won't invade.


Comprehensive-Top512

Chad Hunter Isif


EPIC_PORN_ALT

Is the arxur government a theocracy?


[deleted]

I AM SPEED


WillGallis

Siffy POV time! Nice! I worry about his safety, that invitation smells like ambush to me... Thanks for the chapter mate!