The Nature of Managed Democracy (3)

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The jaws of tyranny surrounds you on all sides.

Like the hungry maw of an Arxur, its predatory gaze pierces your very soul.

It prowls towards you, intent on devouring you whole.

Its teeth gnash, ravenous for a taste of flesh.

...

That is...until you remember the one thing that can save you.

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With a brand new wool-absorbent formula that's fit for any self-respecting venlil.

Never again shall the darkness of tyranny threaten you when the light of liberty itself is embedded into your coat.

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Memory transcription subject: Nami, Venlil Super Destroyer Technician

Date [Super Earth Standard Time]: September 25, 2136

My paws raced against the console as I performed another systems diagnostic check. I'd already run it a thousand times before but it never hurt to be sure. A drop pod failure or premature Hellbomb detonation aboard the ship was the last thing we needed right now.

All around me, both Venlil and predator technicians worked at their screens, performing last minute checks before the mission began properly.

'Humans', I chastised myself. 'They're called humans'.

Everyday I thanked the stars that our new 'Democracy Officers' couldn't read our minds, or else I would have been sent off to a predator disease facility months ago, or rather a 'Dissident Internment Camp' as they were now called.

Roughly two months ago, the Venlil Republic had received quite the shock when the galaxy's second predatory race, long thought to have been extinct, suddenly showed up at our planetary doorstep with an armada of war ships. Everyone had thought we were going to die that day. The amount of casualties caused by the stampedes still made me queasy, not even some Arxur raids had generated that much panic.

How fortunate we were when the predators didn't immediately open fire when Governor Tarva surrendered immediately, instead coming down to our cities to preach 'Managed Democracy' and some other terms that seemed to contradict one another.

There was resistance at first, lots of it.

Most of it came from the exterminator guilds and some hardline anti-predator folks. But strangely, many of them either disappeared or perished in tragic freak accidents. It was about when they started dismantling Exterminator Offices and replacing them with 'Centers for Citizen Surveillance' that most people realised that resisting was pointless and that it was better to simply fall in line.

As long as we weren't eaten in our sleep, who could complain about having a massive predator fleet to protect us from the Arxur?

"Hey look! It's them!" came a voice from my right. I flinched as the human's growl reached my ears, far too close for comfort. As much as I tried to ignore it, the humans still terrified me in every way. I still couldn't look one in the eyes without wanting to flee and judging by the nervous looks on the other venlils' faces, I knew I wasn't alone.

Pushing down the trepidation in my heart, I looked over to where the human was pointing and my eyes fell upon the four armoured figures walking slowly across the walkway to the central command table. Each of their suits were styled differently with different colours and gadgets adorning them, but all of them wore great billowing capes behind them, flowing majestically thanks to the Destroyer's built-in 'Democratic Wind Simulators'.

The Helldivers stood before their Democracy Officer, receiving their orders with rapt attention. I'd read about them on my holopad once. Supposedly, they were Super Earth's elite troops, deployed heroically behind enemy lines to perform missions that no ordinary SEAF trooper could do.

At the time, I had thought it was a load of speh. I mean, how much better could a fancy cape make a soldier. But as I stared at them standing before me, with an air of such confidence and pride, with how every breath in the ship seemed to hitch in awe as they approached. Well, part of me couldn't help but begin to believe some of those rumours.

"Man, can't wait to go home when this is all over," one of the Helldivers growled to another.

Curious, I strained a bit harder to hear the other one's reply.

"You got someone you care about, J3?" He growled.

"Yeah man, I got a goldfish waiting for me at home. It's been ages since I last saw him, I hope he's happy with his new water purifier."

"Huh," replied the second diver, before turning to a third. "How 'bout you S2?"

"Well I don't have any goldfish but I do got a mum and dad," he murmured.

The exchange left me more confused than anything.

"What on Venlil Prime is a goldfish," I muttered quietly, not intending anyone to hear me.

Unfortunately, the humans' hearing was perhaps greater than I thought because the technician next to me suddenly turned to me with those terrifying eyes and growled to me.

"Oh, those are the most prestigious pets a Super Earth Citizen can own. Only Class A and B citizens can typically get one, although you might sometimes see a Class C being hired to look after one."

Throughout the whole conversation, he kept flashing his teeth at me, chilling me to my bones, his eyes never leaving me in an unrelenting assertion of dominance. Through my terror, I somehow managed to squeak out a little bit of curiosity.

"Um...th-thanks. U-um...w-what's a p-pet?" I stammered.

I still couldn't read human expression very well but he seemed confused when I asked him this question.

"Oh, uh...a pet is a sort of...companion animal, meant to keep us company when we feel lonely. We are a rather social species after all," he finished, baring his teeth at me in that terrifying 'smile' that I still couldn't quite believe was meant to be a happy expression.

"Th-thanks um...w-what's your name?"

"Citizen number 3560729, Isaac Fairfield at your service," he replied, raising his fist to his chin in what I recognised as the Super Earth salute.

"N-Nami," I replied, returning his salute with a shaking hand. "So...i-if I may ask, what's your citizenship class?"

"Me? Well I'm a Class C citizen, my family's all Class D though. I'm hoping to donate some of my citizenship points to them once my contract with SEAF ends."

Oh, that's...such a noble thing to do for a meat-consuming species.

"Wouldn't that mean you won't be able to increase your citizenship?" I asked tentatively.

His face fell slightly at my words and I braced for the violence I was about to receive. This was it, I had overstepped a boundary and now I was about to pay for it. Surprisingly, Isaac only sighed and spoke to me in a sombre tone.

"The thing is, my little sister's sick and the medicine she needs is kinda hard to come by for anyone lower than Class C. And I can't just buy the medicine for her because that's not allowed under Super Earth law. It's to prevent people from buying medicine they don't need and selling them to the desperate for higher prices you see, so I have to find some way to get them out of Class D."

I was shocked, such an astounding display of empathy from a species I would have once considered to have been incapable of it. Despite the fact that Isaac was purpose built to kill people like me, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for him.

"Mission co-ordinates locked," came the sudden voice over the intercom. Isaac and I snapped our attention back to the bridge as the lead helldiver punched in the mission site.

"Hellpods primed. Engaging orbital thrusters."

With practiced efficiency, two of the helldivers stepped into their pods, disappearing into them as the hydraulic systems pulled them down. The last two shared a hug with each other before doing the same.

Inside the hellpods, I heard the muffled noises of them arguing over where to place their drop point.

"Here? Here? What about Here?"

Minutes passed as the four soldiers selected their stratagems, one of them taking several minutes seemingly unable to decide between the Orbital 120mm HE Barrage and the Orbital 380mm HE Barrage. Why he took so long was beyond me. They were both capable of razing an enemy position right? What difference did it make?

Eventually, he locked in his decision with a salute and the yellow warning lights began blaring.

"Hellpod launch initiated!"

Alarms blared as the automatic systems sealed the lid on each hellpod and sent them careening down to the planet.

The humans cheered all around me as I watched the four streaks of fire descend down to the Cradle like large vertical bullets, ready to dispense democracy.

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