The Nature of Fangs [Chapter 43]
Isif time!!! And next week more sobble! I feel the need to clarify that in chapter 42 Kalsim had just picked up the last fleet participants and began leaving the system for earth, he’s still about a weeks flight away lol
Anywho, hope you guys enjoy! Credit to spacepaladin15 for creating the NoP universe and thanks to everyone for reading!
ART!!!!! Another!!! by u/scrappyvamp
——————————————————————-—————————————————————————————
Memory transcription subject: Chief Hunter Isif, Arxur Dominion Sector Fleet
Date [standardised human time]: September 20’th 2136
Life hasn’t changed significantly since the cattle exchange. They were true to their word and provided plenty of lab grown meat as well as a small population of their own cattle, but the exchange was small. It hasn’t had an impact. Not that I would’ve expected it to have, but…I would’ve at least expected some sort of follow up. Some sort of confirmation that the exchange went as they wanted. I would’ve hoped that there would’ve been more exchange offers afterwards, to actually, truly, move away from sapient farming. It’s not as though Meier seemed to care how it appeared to the federation, he seemed significantly more focused with the safety and wellbeing of the cattle despite how they’d surely react to humans.
The artificial meat was distributed and depleted shockingly fast, while the non sapient cattle were…interesting. We had received a claw full of different species, birds and mammals mostly. The birds laid eggs like there was no tomorrow, no hormone injections required, and the mammals had significantly more meat to provide than most herbivore species. The main issue is keeping farmers claws to themselves to actually cultivate a sizeable population worth culling. They breed more willingly than federation members that’s for certain, but growth takes time. They’re still new, with their own quirks to figure out.
I suppose the small trade has its boons though, it’s been much easier hiding this from betterment than it would’ve been if a larger scale trade had occurred. Betterment insists on sapient cattle only after all, they don’t care for attempts at non-sapient farming for a variety of reasons: risks of federation disease, uselessness as slaves, and uselessness in striking fear into the federation. Though I feel that last one might be a stretch, even for them. Striking fear into the federation would be something achievable regardless of sapient farming after all. Bombings, gas attacks, ground incursions, and more are all methods usable against the leaflickers. Prophet knows I’ve heard of humans being able to use their cattle for essentially the same slave purposes as us anyway. In their past, there was equipment you could attach to the creatures to make them plough their own fields. I’m sure we likely once had such contraptions, but they’ve been lost to extinction and time by now. The only legitimate risk I could believe was disease. The federation had stooped into culling our cattle once before, should they discover this, we’d be at risk of starvation again. They’ll happily manufacture diseases for animals, hell, they burn animals alive as an industry. Extinction isn’t something they’re unfamiliar with, but it is something they themselves prefer to avoid; hence, sapient farming. No matter how much they hate us or want to inflict starvation upon us, they’ll never risk their own extinction in pursuit of eradicating our sapient cattle. It’s a shame though, that their own dogma has wrapped around to cause so much harm to everyone. I can’t say they don’t deserve it, but we never asked to be subjected to their inane philosophies.
That’s not even mentioning the risks humanity are facing with their own cattle. Admittedly, humanity seems to be past the population boom that comes with technological development, meaning they aren’t facing the same immediate famine risks that we unknowingly did. Not to mention the fact that Meier doesn’t seem stupid enough to mass produce random federation concoctions like we did, despite already having one foot in their pool. Hell, the sheer variety of breeds they have for a single cattle species alone probably provides a decent defence against any tricks the federation might pull, but that doesn’t change the fact that they will pull tricks, and I’d rather not lose the first, and so far only, chance I have at change.
This is all to say that when my pad started acting strange, I feared the worst- that perhaps betterment had discovered the tiny non-sapient farms in my sector. At least, until I actually read the message that had popped up in my files. To call it a message might be a stretch, it’s simply a text file with a signature claiming to be from Meier. Strange. I could’ve sworn that I had provided him with my personal contact frequency and not access to my pad itself. An interactive message would’ve made follow up questions significantly easier. Regardless, this must be important if he’s stayed silent for so long.
The contents aren’t exactly…uplifting. The leaflickers were mounting an extermination fleet, if his estimates are to be believed then the fleet in question is large, almost comically so with an estimated size of 70 thousand ships. I should’ve known those leaflickers would’ve pulled some sort of preyshit. The mental gymnastics they’ve probably gone through to justify such a stupid number would’ve been entertaining to hear if not so disheartening. They got their people back! Prophet be damned, they should be thankful! But no, instead they get a free gift and return the gesture by aiming a gun at their benefactors. The message lists out the donor species of the fleet itself, stating that what I choose to do with this information is mine to decide, but I must remain aware of the risks of a second extermination fleet should I choose to intervene.
The species on the list of aggressors are primarily outside of my realm of control. Actually…none of them are in my sector. Odd. Hadn’t the Gojids directly antagonised a member of earths forces? Either way, it’s not as though I can simply stage an extra raid or two to cripple or distract their forces before they reach the humans homeworld. The krakotl, Malti, and many others within this extermination movement have sizeable fleets regardless. I could pass this intel onto other chief hunters- then again, they’d get all the glory in the eyes of betterment. While I don’t care for their policies, slipping from their good graces is a risk even on a good day. Although, as the one providing this intel, to say that I would go outright unnoticed wouldn’t be accurate. Actually, depending on how I play my rations, releasing this intel could be extremely beneficial to me, especially if I relay it to prophet descendant Giznel himself simultaneously. I’d need an excuse for how I got it though. The listening station is always an option, I could say that I’ve overheard frequencies entering Colia’s domain.
The option for attacking their homeworlds is still in the cards then. I suppose there’s nothing preventing the other chief hunters from realising the prey within their territory is undefended by their own means. If I hear nothing from Meier by the time the fleet reaches my perimeter, then- and only then- will I inform the others. It would be child’s play to convince betterment that I was simply more concerned with subjugating the federation as opposed to aiding a chief hunter altruistically. Prey think erratically, the second a member of their herd is down, the entire force splinters to ensure their own individual survival. Should their homeworlds come under siege, the fleet would likely disperse in a panic to protect their own people. It would draw them away from the humans, it would waste the other chief hunters resources, and it would leave my place in betterments eyes untouched.
I could attack them once they enter, what excuse would I have to waste resources on such an endeavour though? My tail scratches against the metal floor in thought, swishing to and fro with my internal debate. It doesn’t take long to come to a conclusion. I swiftly open up a comm line to one of my raid captains, “Captain Coth. I demand your presence in my office, immediately!”
I hardly have to wait for that eager bag of scales to show up, “Your savageness? You requested me?”
“Yes. I need you and the other captains to set up ambush points along the perimeter of my sector. My listening post has picked up activity that suggests the prey plan on increasing defences here. You will ensure my hunting grounds are left untampered with, yes?”
Their tail flicks in understanding, “Of course, your savageness.”
A simple flick of my claw grabs his attention, “Go, I have nothing more to say.”
He doesn’t hesitate to turn tail and leave.
Seventy thousand ships. A chief hunter has a lot of things at our disposal, but to combat seventy thousand ships? I’m not sure what I have to face that, let alone humanity and their hatchling fleet. Hopefully I can whittle down their numbers as they enter my sector without too much suspicion. The leaflickers would likely mistake the ambushes as opportunistic scavenger captains. While a majority of my resources will be going to the perimeter of my territory, I still have my own personal fleet at my command. It shall remain with me. Just in case. I could move closer to the humans homeworld, but that might gain the attention of their prey allies. Despite my reservations about them, I’d rather have them remain by humanity’s side rather than risk them getting spooked and leaving them undefended.
All I have right now is to hope those extroverted primates have some tricks up their scales….or rather, fur? No, they hardly have that. Pelts? Otherwise, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out how a battle against seventy thousand ships would go. By all means, I should check in on them, but all I have to provide intel are simply my listening stations. I had expected to gain some sort of communication pathway from offering my contact frequency. Apparently not. There is security in their methods certainly, but as of right now, their transparency leaves something to be desired.
They’re my only chance at standing against betterment after all. Should their planet be glassed: no humans, no printing technology, no cattle. Nothing. Back to square one. Some part of me wonders whether the leaflickers know this, if the federation realises that they could mean an end to the war and they’re simply to fanatical to see past their own snouts.
My office is quiet, almost silent. Metal walls don’t provide the best acoustics, but with my location in my own ship it’s not as though I have to worry about cattle mewling or training bellows grating at my patience. Its very different to the hotel Meier spoke to me in. Carpeted floors and insulated walls hide noise much better, but even then, there was always a whisper. An order to an inferior, movement through the halls, even casual conversation between guards or troops, albeit at a distance. Humans willingly and constantly interacted. Meanwhile here, there isn’t a peep. I hardly spent a day with them but still…it was…tolerable, so long as it’s kept at a distance. I could get used to such white noise.
I look down at my pad, the blank screen staring back at me. My original thoughts stir once again. How had they managed to send a message as a text file? I know that prey cybersecurity is rather feeble, my listening stations exploit that thoroughly, but ours isn’t so simple. I suppose they might plan on using that on de-fanging- or…de-clawing- the extermination fleet. Maybe that’s why they didn’t use my contact frequency? A subtle nod that they have more hidden away, that they’ll somehow pull through unscathed. Hatchling forces or no, they’re certainly more competent than the leaflickers.
Whether that alone would be enough isn’t clear.
Not yet.
——————————————————————-—————————————————————————————
Posted Jul 25, 2025, 8:30 PM UTC