Nature Of Draco-Fox: Part 26 AU

Lets check in on someone we haven't seen in a bit, shall we?

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Dawn Creek Interment Camp, Skalga
Translated Human time: April 29***^(th)*** Year 2137 Draco-Fox year: 6129.
[] manual translated terms
Memory Transcription Subject: Rhiusk

Despite having a digital clock, and the routine daily ‘therapy’ sessions, the days blended together. Nothing really happening day to day, other than the sun in the sky slowly moving. Yea on a tidally locked planet, a ‘day’ lasts a ‘year’. The only thing, if I bothered to pay attention, that showed the passage of time. Was the healing of my squad leader, and those of my task force that were captured.

The Humans are trying a way to give that one female back the use of the wing she lost all the membrane on, but I haven’t talked to her much lately. So I don’t know if it’s working or not. The whole thing is still bandaged.

All that changed yesterday, rather quickly as well. Several busses arrived and exiting the first one were Adult Arxur. Some looking healthy, others without just one or multiple limbs. On top of some of them missing one or both eyes. A few even needed mobility aids like crutches or something called a wheel-chair.

I expected more, but only the first bus had the adult Arxur. They didn’t enter the camp, they just waited for the bus they were on to leave. Every bus after that was full of Arxur Hatchlings which even the ones in wheel-chairs helped handle. By simply keeping an eye, if they had at least one, on them. Only when the all the busses had been emptied did they enter the camp proper.

More prefab units followed, most likely for them to stay in.

After their arrival, Anderson gathered every Draco-Fox, including me, and informed us that they’re not prisoners. The Arxur are just here for their safety, this was an easy place to put them on such short notice too. We were to minimize our contact with them, an arrangement that lasted all of three hours, due to two factors.

First, the able body Arxur and humans in the camp were nowhere near capable to coral and contain the hundreds of ‘hatchlings’ with their small numbers.

Arxur and Draco-Foxes seem to be similar at this age. We group up, an evolutionary leftover from our ancestors. Children were more vulnerable to predators back then while this young so being in a group gave a better chance for anyone individual to survive. A single or handful of adults stood no match for groups up to a couple of dozen ‘hatchlings’ going where they want to, when they wanted to, and how they wanted to.

Second, the protestors returned. Louder, more agitated, and more numerous than earlier. Humans among their number as well. I understand the hate they have of the Arxur, but most of them here are literal babies to use a Human term. Even if they, like our kind, not long after they hatch, are mobile, and able to get into or climb onto anything.

It doesn’t mean they committed the atrocities the adults here must’ve.

A contract was drawn up in under an hour due to these two factors, for those in good standing with the detention camp. I was in good standing, so that included me. I’m a 10-foot tall multi- ton war machine, I have to be like that or I’m just going to be chained up in some garage somewhere, alone.

Okay, so they wouldn’t do that, but it doesn’t stop me from fearing it.

Anyway, the contract is more or less, we help them with the Arxur young, we get some extra privileges. In more legalize than I’d like and a lot of do’s and don’ts on how to do this. They needed the manpower as most of the human soldiers are now outside the detention fence keeping the angry mob at bay. So, that’s why I’m laying on my ‘belly’ today, like yesterday, in now the only open space in the camp. Letting a whole horde of Arxur Hatchlings climb all over me as I use my body to keep them occupied and out of trouble.

Easy to do when I have some sensory drones from my tail flying around, and out of reach of the hatchlings, giving me that full view of the surrounding area.

Out of reach because I now know what the inside of a hatchling looks like, before the medical team here had to remove it from the hatchling’s stomach. Eww.

Removing that thought from my mind for my sanity. I move one of my forelegs to stop a hatchling from heading in the direction of the camp fence, and the Exterminator dressed venlil braying just past it for the deaths of these specific Hatchlings. Simply because they’re the ones in the venlil’s sight. A quick search on my allowed network access shows they’re wearing reproduction suits, not the real thing.

So they won’t be a danger as they won’t offer protection if they try to get past the guards.

The hatchling looks back at me and makes a chortle sound then a pew-pew one. “Don’t know what you’re saying. But you can’t go over there.” They just, look back at the crowd then to my ‘foot’, only to start climbing it.

And now I have to keep the limb still least a limb gets trapped in a joint as I move it.

Not that I mind, much. It’s not like my limbs can get ‘tired’. Speaking of which, I have to keep my head in place now. Another hatchling is climbing onto it from my back, sticking one of the ‘ears’ I have, which are just sensors, in their mouth as Heather exits the medical prefab. Making her way over to me a moment later.

I send a message to the guards of a group of the hatchlings trying to get under said pre-fab on the other side of the building. With that done, I focus my attention back to her and the smile on her face.

“Just as cute as yesterday. Enjoying being playground equipment for the baby Arxur?” I would look at her, but I don’t want to cause the one on my head to fall off. Not that it would hurt them with how low to the ground I am. Some are even enjoying the smoother parts of my armor sliding down it after climbing up onto me.

“You called me that yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to ask you what it means.” Good thing I can speak without opening my mouth. The hatchling on my ‘nose’ staring into my ‘eyes’ would fall off.

She laughs and moves to sit on the ground nearby. A few of the Hatchlings wander over to her. Chortling or pew-pewing. “That’s what we Humans call outdoor equipment geared for kids physical entertainment. Stuff they can climb, crawl on and through, or swing about on for fun. And yea, they’re just like human toddlers, getting into things that could harm them. By the way, the one that swallowed one of your drones is alright. Will this, um, tech of yours be alright without it? Had to take it out in pieces, don’t know how the little guy swallowed it whole.”

Each time I ‘blink’ the hatchling uses their tiny claws to try grabbing my ‘eye’. “The system’s designed to lose up to 20% of them and still provide me with a complete 3 dimensional view of the surrounding hundred meters or so.”

I watch as she looks up to stare at one of them flying about. “And you’re using them now too?”

“I’m keeping track of all them on me, and those around me. For example a group was digging under the medical building. I’ve notified the guards with a ‘text’ message.” The moment I mention this, she sighs.

Heather picks up one of the Hatchlings and it just, lets her cuddle them. “Even with enlisting your kind’s help, they’re a hand-full. I can’t imagine how the adult Arxur kept their sanity on the ships or the station.”

“They’re not too different from our young at this age. I’m actually, surprised how similar the two are. From what I remember of my younger siblings when they were this young, they got into everything they could. Climbed everywhere and put anything they could fit into their mouths, into them. Like the two trying to eat my ears.”

The look on Heather’s face when she glances up at me to see it makes me laugh as well. “If I’m being honest, considering all the ‘therapy’ sessions you’ve had me go through. Letting them do this while watching them, has actually made me feel, better? They just play with me, not caring I’m, well, you know.”

She smiles as she places the one she was holding onto the ground, and picks up the other one to cuddle. “Some kids have that ability, don’t they?”

Our conversation just, kinda dies after that. The hatchlings on me of their own volition, rotate in and out from being cuddled by Heather. I just get my ears and anything I let them put in their mouth, chewed on. During this I also watch Adult Arxur, my squad leader, and others of our captured task force go about either chasing groups of Hatchlings. Or carrying them elsewhere. We just watch it happen.

Mostly out of trouble. One even has something in his mouth that I’ve seen in the window of Anderson’s office. How they got it, I don’t know. But they must’ve not been able to take it from the hatchling.

A noise and a scuffle in the mob, which honestly fits it more than a group of protestors. Draws both of our attention. My drones fly high above them and I can change my focus to the area since it’s in my range. Besides the typical ‘people’ being in these large group, are humans, and Venlil wearing shirts and holding signs, among other things. Things they shouldn’t have.

The shirts say ‘my partner didn’t die during the exchange program for THIS!’ Along with the signs saying the same.

What caused the noise is that many of the Venlil in the group pulled out things that I understand from my research, should’ve been destroyed. Exterminator flamethrowers. Fuel tanks come out of their Human cohort’s backpacks. The noise is the crowd are those around them, either agreeing with this and running at the guards that stand between the crowd and fence, or running from them.

The camp comes alive. Sirens sound from the watch tower posts.

My squad and platoon mates, along with the humans among them now, rush to get the hatchlings to the buildings. Something they can do, as most of them seem to sense danger. I see that group from earlier stuff themselves into the hole under the medical pre-fab building they recently dug.

Heather’s able to get them off of me, allowing me to stand. So I put myself between them and the fence. After all, I’m mostly metal, they’re flesh.

“Drop the weapons and get on the ground!” Guards yell from the watch towers as the now armed Venlil approach the fence and the guards in front of them. The humans with them standing in front of the Venlil, providing a living shield, though, one armed with blunt weapons rather than flamers.

“Why are you defending MONSTERS!” Most scream as one, and to be frank, I miss my armaments. Especially as the Venlil light the pilot flames on the flamethrowers, then stick them out in between their Humans at the guards.

“We need to get back. If they start firing the hatchlings could get hit with stray shots or shrapnel.” Heather gets most of them to get behind her, and it’s kind of comical for so many to do so yet think her form is blocking the scene that scares them.

Then again, they’re hatchlings, pups, just babies. My head then moves to look out at the stand-off and stare.

A fraction of a thought, and, a v.i. brings up the digitized copy of the Contract for helping them with the young Arxur.

It does say we are to protect the young Arxur, these people are a danger to them since they intended to harm or kill them. It’s enough of a justification for my V.I. to allow me freedom to act without me having to pull an override. Yet, even if it didn’t, I wouldn’t hesitate to do that override regardless.

These people are threatening babies after all. Hmm, I can do that. I just hope it doesn’t get the guards angry at me, and they do their job.

Looking back at Heather. “Stay there with them.” Holding myself at my full height, I ‘feel’ in my limited sense that I can. The claws on my feet digging into the dirt, before I walk up to the fence. Trying to be as intimidating as possible with how little I’m armed.

Things quiet down. The protestors and I use that term loosely considering they’re aiming lethal weapons at the guards. In turn, the guards have their rifles trained back at them. Said guards just glance back at me, yet don’t say anything. They just return their attention back the agitators since they used me distracting the guards to advance a few feet.

“Back! Drop the Flame Throwers and get on the ground!”

The ‘protestors’ in turn aim some of them at me, and I see a glint of wire-cutters in the human backpacks as they have to move to allow the Venlil space to do this.

“Make room please.” I simply state to the guards, and then wait.

A few of them look back. “Get back into the camp. We’ll handle this.” As they say this, more of the original protestors regain their nerves and return. Backing up the these idiots and slightly outnumbering the guards.

“I’m under contract to protect the Arxur Hatchlings. These people are a threat to their safety, so by the contract I should help. They’re also wielding flamers. Your flammable and they’re betting on that. I’m not, my metal will not burn at the temperatures those produce.” Turning my gaze at the group of ‘aggressors’ as I speak to the guards. The smart guards and agitators back up, the rest just stare at me.

Doesn’t matter, there’s just enough room for me. So I crouch, charge the artificial muscle, then leap, clearing the fence.

Landing in the open spot and the thud it makes for my size and weight, gets most of the people in the crowd to run. A few of the attackers lose their nerve and run with them. Our guards on the other hand stay put, though I do get weapons pointed at me too. Ignoring those I take a few steps forward and stand in front of the Humans and Venlil with flame throwers.

“What do you intend to do? What is your plan here other than the obvious.” Looking down at them, ‘teeth’ showing and tapping my claws on the ‘soft’ asphalt they have here. All to get the point across to not mess with me.

Some part of me enjoys the draining of the bravery in the Venlil in front of me as I wait for them to answer. One of the Humans does in their stead. “To remove the baby eating monsters let onto the planet just because ‘your kind’ took theirs!” He yells.

“So, to remove baby eating monsters you’re going to cut open the fence and burn the not even year old Hatchlings. Making you and your friends here baby burning monsters.” This shuts him up, but it gives the Venlil near me back some of their bravery. They point those flamers at me again.

Good. Better me than the Human guards.

Hopefully this gets the guards to do something rather than standing there behind me. With the focus on me they can subdue them from behind. I still need to keep their attention on me, so, seeing as one Venlil gathers even more courage. They aim their flamer at me and close the gap between us. I turn my head to face them, he or she, can’t tell with Venlil, stares at me, and I stare back.

Raising my fore-paw as they raise their flamer, silence seems to go over the crowd. Carefully, I use the claw on the end of one of my toes to slice right through the nozzle. Snuffing out the pilot flame in the process.

What little courage the Venlil has, vanishes. They bleat and run after dropping the now useless Exterminator flamer.

Right into the waiting arms of soldiers. Getting the attention of their comrades that they’re surrounded, and giving them a choice. Deal with me and the guards behind me, or deal with them. Especially since they have more personal and are better armed than us.

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