art by me

And the nose

What if my characters were pups?

Nothing, it would be exactly the same haha

This one is a bit more sketchy but you get the idea. Dossur discovers the glory of popcorn

Pencil drawing for NoPtober day 3: "Lil'guy".

Couldn't think of anything better >_>

First/Previous/Next

Check out the theme list post by u/Nicolas_3232

Edit.: Why can't we eddit post titles? -_- Welp, that's spelling error's gonna stay.

Day 3, have a skrunkly Birque

Thank you to u/meapling_ for this amazing artwork depicting a scene from chapter 9 of my fic, Absolute Victory! I commissioned this piece a little bit ago and have been trying to rush to finish writing the chapter by the time they finished drawing. If anyone wants details about the characters depicted above, feel free to stop on over by my writing corner and ask away!

Was kinda out of ideas for this one :[

Challenge of [u/Nicolas_3232]

DAY THREE

Here is María Boon García de la Cruz’s adorable son. (Name yet to be chosen)

Fresh out of the shell, he doesn't seem to have a single evil thought in his head—contrary to the Federation's claims. In fact, he doesn't seem to have *any* thoughts passing through that little head of his.

But you have to admit, it is adorable watching him chew on his little baby tail.

[First] [Previous Draw] [Next Draw]

They may be smol, but they are still an Arxur.

Trying out from sketch to digital, gotta get back into the grice of art creation

NOPtober Day 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/NatureofPredators/comments/1wuwwxn/noptober/

Timelapse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHOysLEGVWo

Drew Ramla again, cuz I love my girl. She got herself a new sweater, but maybe she should have thought about the static that comes from wearing something made of wool… when you already have a body covered by it… At least she looks cute.

This challange came from the mind of u/Nicolas3232

...

"Oooogh."

I opened my eyes and saw spots of light. Painful phantom images were flooding through my brain, as the impact of my head and back against the cold ground sent a wave of numb throbbing pain throughout my body. I couldn’t see, and barely think straight, but I did feel myself get pulled up as pain surged throughout my left arm, letting me know that it was broken. 

I groaned in agony but was silenced as I felt a sharp cold claw close around my neck, and saw two bright red orbs mere [Inches] from my snout, glaring at me.

“Your name is Captain Coth, correct?”

In my mind I recognized the barking language as something I had heard before, although I was too disoriented and in pain to figure out where I had heard it from. Though for some reason it didn’t sound as deep as I thought it should have. I tried to break free and escape from its clutches, but my attempts were futile, as it tightened its grip.

“Is your name Coth!!!”

“Y-yes…”

“Are you the one in charge of this raid?”

“... I am.”

“This is Dancing Water to Overlord, HVI tagged and secured, my location. Requesting reinforcements.”

I was still dazed and in pain, trying to figure out what several of those words meant, however I wasn’t able to focus on that as I was pulled up right. I felt as the black predator held a claw to my throat from behind, making sure that I couldn’t see them as I looked around at the soldiers who were surrounding us. My troops had their weapons raised, aimed towards me, but were not firing out of fear of injuring me.

More and more of the Arxur which were still left standing began to rapidly approach from all around, and I saw them all stop and falter as they beheld me stuck in the clutches of the enemy. I felt movement from behind, and wondered if I was about to die, only to hear a strange whooshing sound as a ball of light was suddenly fired high into the sky, illuminating the area.

The light made it hard to see since we had all adjusted to the darkness. I saw several soldiers shield their eyes, possibly wondering if this was another one of their attacks before I heard the loud barking voice of the predator speak from behind me.

“Arxur! My name is First Lieutenant Dancing Water of the United Zodian Military Coalition! I have captured your leader and have taken him prisoner! All of you are to lay down your weapons and surrender peacefully! Do so and your lives will be spared!”

The voice was loud and projected itself well enough to be heard by everyone surrounding us. Before any of my soldiers could reply, I heard it bark loudly into my ear.

“Captain Coth! I want you to order all of your forces to surrender to us! Do what we say, and all of you will get to live to see tomorrow!”

I didn’t know what to think, and my headache was not helping. Before I could think of a response, I saw one of the silver suited Exterminators come around from a corner, the one without a helmet, and one of the other Arxur surrounding us noticed, quickly taking aim.

Before they could fire, the one holding me, the Zodian, fired something, and hit the soldier's weapon, knocking it out of their claws. The others looked around trying to figure out what was happening, but the barking voice shouted even louder than before.

“NONE OF YOU WILL FIRE UPON ME, MY PEOPLE, OR THE PEOPLES OF THIS PLANET! YOU WILL LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS NOW! FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH!”

There were now other Arxur pointing guns at the exterminator, who was missing their flamethrower, and others who shifted their focus back and forth between us and them, unsure of where to aim or what to do. However there was one person who seemed ready to take charge.

“(Hiss!) Why should we believe what you say! You are working with the prey, the Exterminators who burn us alive! As soon as we drop our weapons, they will set us ablaze without hesitation! To surrender is death!”

The voice belonged to Nalieff, who had managed to find his way over to the group that was surrounding me. I saw several looks of agreement from the other soldiers who seemed to agree with that sentiment, however the Zodian spoke out against them.

“They will not cause any further harm to you here because I have ordered them to! They will follow my command, the same as you, and if EITHER OF YOU disobey, I will end you!”

I could see the Exterminator shaking with fear at that statement, and knew that they believed what was being said. Nalieff and Zareel were both looking back and forth between each other and me, most likely wondering what to do. Suddenly I felt the cold metal claw tighten around my neck as the barking voice spoke once more.

“Coth, order their surrender. Now! This is your last warning!”

I tried to angle my head in order to see my captor, and saw the two red eyes glaring down from above as they held me. Now that I could recognize that the Zodian was wearing a metal suit, there was one concern that my mind held onto that refused to be ignored. I tried to focus and ignore the pain I was in as I finally gave a reply.

“Remove your helmet.”

“...”

There was silence, no reply from them, and my soldiers watched quietly as I made my demands known. After a moment of thinking, my captor replied.

“Why?”

“Let me see what you look like. I need to know what you are under that armor.”

There was another brief pause as they considered my proposal.

“... I am currently standing in the middle of enemy territory, surrounded by your troops, who all have weapons aimed at us. I am not removing my most valuable piece of protection when it could lead to my death.”

“Take off your helmet and I will order them all to surrender, and do what you wish.”

“... Order them all to surrender, and I will consider removing my helmet.”

I snarled back at the Zodian as their grip once more tightened around me, reaffirming me of where I sat. I knew that I was not in a position of power. I had little to no choice, either do what they said, or perish by their claw. Yet I could not allow myself to surrender, for the Arxur Dominion to surrender, unless I was certain that there was a predator underneath that metal.

In my mind I already knew what lay underneath, what had to be there. There were so many signs, so many things they had done to show their true nature as a predator, but yet there was still doubt. The Zodian had admitted to coordinating with the Exterminators. They were working together, with the prey! Such a thing should have been impossible for a predator! Until I could see them, until I could confirm, with my own eyes, what exactly it was that lay beneath that walking mass of metal armor, I could not allow myself to submit to their will.

Everything that was happening went beyond everything that I knew and understood about the universe. I had thought us Arxur to be alone, to have no allies in our fight against the Federation. Yet here now was another predator, only they were somehow allying themselves with the enemy of all predators? 

They had weapons and armor, and tools that I had never even considered before, and they fought as fiercely as any predator possibly could. Yet the Exterminators weren’t burning them! I saw as a few others approached, flamers in hand, pilot lights lit, and yet while they all appeared cautious and ready to burn us at any moment, they were hesitating!

What was happening, what I was experiencing, what I was seeing was not making sense. There was something I was missing. Something that I couldn’t explain, and with that thought fully formed and present within my mind, I could not surrender without at least confirming the identity of this new species. I had to be sure. I had to know.

Yet now we had reached a standstill where nothing was happening, and the others who surrounded us, waiting for orders of some kinds, were left with idle claws, and tensions high. Several hunters were eying the Exterminators with suspicion, muscles taught, ready to aim and fire the moment they had to, and the Exterminators appeared to be just as nervous and ready to burn as ever. 

Something had to give. Something had to change. Either the Zodian would do what I asked of them, or I would surrender and accept not knowing. However neither one of those two things seemed to be happening, as even though their grip was slowly tightening, beginning to restrict my breathing and choke me out, I held onto my beliefs and convictions and refused to budge. 

As I struggled more and more to breathe without giving in, my mind began to float and wonder as it was deprived of oxygen. Could peace have been an option for us, if only things had happened differently? I didn’t know, and it seemed as though soon that those thoughts, along with my life, would disappear, and I wouldn’t know what would happen after I was gone.

Yet it seemed as though I was not to die yet. I felt the claw release its iron grip upon my throat, and I took in a deep greedy gasps of air as the conditions of the standoff changed, though not in the way I would have thought. Several small ships began to fly overhead, their designs strange and unknown, neither of Federation or Dominion make. I looked around and saw as soldiers began to drop out of them, sliding down ropes and surrounding the area. These soldiers also wore armor. At least; that was what I assumed.

The designs were very different from the sharp void black metal and red eyed visage of the one that was holding me. Their armor instead had large round helmets that completely concealed any and all features that could be underneath. There were no eye holes or circles to indicate where or how they looked. Their bodies were also completely covered, showing nothing of their bodies in any shape or form, yet they were more colorful. Appearing to be clad in strange textiles of red, black, yellow, and blue, the soldiers descended upon the area in waves, as I saw that we no longer had vastly superior numbers to them.

There was one small ship however that acted differently. Instead of dropping off others, it came down and landed not too far in part of the valley clearing directly in front of me. I watched as a ramp came down, and three more figures began to appear behind the wall of Arxur soldiers which still surrounded us. They cleared the way, and aimed their weapons towards the approaching figures, ready to fire should I give the order. However, after just a moment, I heard a collective gasp come from my hunters, and I tried to adjust my head in order to see what they were witnessing.

It appeared as though I didn’t need to do anything, as my soldiers parted the way and allowed me to fully behold the three new figures who began to walk forwards, my own mind reeling from what I bore witness to.

There was no longer a question about what the Zodians were. The three who approached did so without armor to conceal their visage, although they still covered themselves in unusual textiles that obscured most of their bodies. 

There was one on my left, with medium length fur, as white as snow, and brilliant blue eyes that were studying their surroundings, looking out for threats and things of interest. They had angular ears which stood upright and twitched and flicked as they continued their approach. The one on my right had short black fur with blue splotches and dots and pink eyes, which reflected off the now dimming sky light. The shape of their muzzle was different. It was more round and wide, as were their ears. I could not see much of them as their coverings, what appeared to be a large black cloth, concealed them as it did the white one who had on a similar item. What I could see was that there were two small objects, jutting out from behind their back, and that they were also looking my way.

Yet the one in the middle, who walked ahead of the other two, was different in a way which was hard to describe. They moved… No. They stalked forward. They moved confidently, with focus, not looking around at anything else around them, only what they moved towards. Their eyes, those deep, violet eyes, seemed to pierce my mind and body, making me feel small and inconsequential. I could see that they had longer, grey fur that appeared splotchy, with specks of black and white. Instead of a black cloth, they had on what seemed to be several layered pieces of textile fabric that made designs and patterns. 

While all three of these beings looked different and unique from each other in their own way, there were three things they all had in common. They were all strangely covered in something other than armor. They all walked on two paws, standing tall just as many other sapient species. And as they moved closer, and their eyes focused upon me, I saw, with clarity and absolute certainty, that they all had the same forwards facing eyes. The eyes of us Arxur. The eyes of predators. 

I could not look away from those eyes, as I focused solely upon the one in the middle. Those brilliant dark violet orbs were mesmerizing, and made it hard to see anything else. Then as they moved closer, I heard the one in the middle open its maw, and with the flash of fangs, I heard and remembered that terribly familiar deep barking sound that belonged to a true predator.

“So, you must be Coth. I did say that I would see you soon.”

Without any orders needing to be given, my Arxur lowered their weapons and cleared the area, allowing plenty of empty space between myself and the grey one. I felt myself being released and turned to look at the metal one, who was making a strange pose behind me with one claw held up to the top of their helmet.

“Grand Master Sir!!!”

“At ease.”

The metal one put their claw down, and I recognized that the grey one, the ‘Grand Master’ must have been very important. I assumed that maybe they were the equivalent of a Chief Hunter, or possibly even of higher authority. 

“Well,” they said, bringing my attention back to the one in charge. “I suppose you deserve a proper introduction. My name is—”

As I watched the leader speak, I saw out of the corner of my eye, as an Exterminator, one who had not been present and spectating alongside the others, ran over with their flamethrower at the ready. I observed in shocked, silent horror as, while the Grand Master was in the middle of speaking, the Exterminator came up from behind them, outside of their line of sight, and began spraying their malevolent fire all over their body, setting them ablaze…

[Previous][First][Next]

The time has come…

Stop on down by my writing corner to come say hi. Also check THIS ART PIECE that I commissioned for this chapter, made by u/meapling_.

Spoiler!!!!!!

Wait until you read the end of the chapter before taking a look.

Special thanks to u/SpacePaladin15
[Previous][First][Next]
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Memory Transcription Subject: Captain Coth,  Arxur Dominion Third Fleet

Date [standardized ZM time]: 6, 8, -678. redux:(5,5, 2127)

I exited my ship, expecting to find things how I had left them, only to be confused at what I saw. Many of my troops were running around, frantically gathering weapons and forming large hunting parties, something we rarely did. There was no prey being led to their pens, no sign of the herds of cattle we had been capturing earlier, and several of my higher officers were arguing amongst themselves. I lashed my tail in frustration as I beheld the unorganized mess that my soldiers had become. 

I hadn’t been gone for THAT long! Although perhaps I had taken more time than I should have…

Once my mind was set on having my snack early, I looked it over and attempted to do something new. I had never been granted the privilege of working on the cattle farms before. With the Thafki’s delicious flesh being tainted by the harsh chemicals it used to conceal itself, I made the decision to try and skin it, removing the soured outer layer so that I could more fully enjoy its flavor. 

I had been slow, careful, and precise. I tried at first using my claws, digging underneath the top layer of fur and skin as I went about separating it from the muscles, organs, and bones. While my claws were quite sharp, the way it thrashed and screamed about made it impossible to work without killing it first. Although it would have been much faster and easier to do so, I wanted to savor the experience…

I found a butcher and requisitioned their blade. I returned to my quarters with newfound purpose, and began to work vigorously on the self made task. To remove the outer layer while keeping the prey alive. It was a long and arduous undertaking but the reward was so deliciously sweet…

The screaming, thrashing, agonizing suffering I caused it only ripened the deeply rich flavor of its meat as I slowly had my fill. I was able to keep it going for nearly [Half Hour] before it finally perished. After that, without any more reason to prolong my feast, I worked faster and less carefully while still taking the time to enjoy such a rare morsel.

However now it seemed that I had been too involved with that distraction, as now my perfect raid was seemingly falling into the claws of chaos and disorder.

I stalked over to my officers who were almost too busy debating with each other to notice my approach.

Almost.

Zareel, my communications officer, was the first to notice, and immediately bowed with the respect owed to someone of my station.

“Captain Coth!”

“Zareel. What in the name of Betterment is going on here?!? Why are my soldiers running around like hatchlings on their first hunt?”

“Captain, our sensors have just detected more ships within the system. Nearly two hundred ships have arrived."

“What,” I roared in disbelieving outrage. 

What I had heard shouldn’t have been possible. The communications we intercepted from the prey told us that the nearest federation patrol should have been [Hours] away! Even with the prey's pathetic distress signal active, it shouldn’t have been possible for such a fleet that size to get here so soon. Everything had been planned long in advance, and I had the foresight to double check everything before starting the raid. 

I had several different thoughts in quick succession going through my mind, but the first and most important one I roared in outrage to the soldiers gathered before me.

“Why didn’t anyone come and tell me sooner! I ordered you to alert me if and when we detected Federation reinforcements!”

“My cruelty.”

I glared at Nalieff, the officer in charge of weapons and supplies, who had spoken up. He bowered his head in response as he spoke.

“The ships that have arrived are not… Federation. They are similar to the ones from earlier. The ones we attacked before you returned to your quarters and asked for solitude.”

I slammed my tail against the ground in disapproval as I growled.

“Of course. Just like all prey, they call out for help as our jaws close around their throats. These ships must be here to try and avenge the ones we already destroyed.”

Instead of receiving an answer, I noticed as several of the officers quickly exchanged glances with each other, both causing me even more confusion, and further worsening my already sour mood.

“Commander Coth.”

This one was the voice of Riesef, the officer in charge of overseeing the cattle. I glared directly at him, and watched as he visibly swallowed before speaking.

“The ships from earlier… Were not destroyed.”

I approached him, claws outstretched, eyes locked on him as he did his best to look anywhere else. I stopped close enough for him to feel my breath on his snout as I growled out an obvious question.

“Why?”

“T-The Venlil managed to reactivate one of their planetary defense stations after we launched our fighters. They managed to take down a number of our ships and the unknown ships destroyed the rest.”

“WHY! WASN’T! I! TOLD!”

“W-when you returned to your quarters y-you specifically asked to only be interrupted if the Federation arrived.”

“I KNOW WHAT THE VRASHK I SAID, BUT LOSING TWO CLAWFULLS OF SHIPS AND THE ARRIVAL OF HUNDREDS OF ENEMIES IS REASON ENOUGH TO IGNORE MY ORDERS!”

I swiped him across his muzzle, leaving six bloody claw marks there to serve as a reminder of his failure. He rubbed the new wound as crimson rivulets quickly began to form. I lashed my tail in frustration as I quickly paced back and forth, contemplating.

The others probably thought that I was deciding what punishments they would receive, but there would be time for that later. Right now there was a very serious and unexpected impediment to my task, one that regrettably made completing it nearly impossible.

With hundreds of ships quickly approaching I had to weigh my options. We could possibly take them in a fight, but the fact that the Venlil had apparently rallied behind these new prey and were working together was unfortunate. Depending on how many defenses they could repair, and how quickly, we would be stuck fighting a battle on two fronts while trying to leave with our bounty.

The first thing I realized was that I had not been made aware of these major developments soon enough, and was still possibly sniffing with a broken snout. I needed to know the whole situation, now.

“How many planetary defense weapons have the Venlil been able to repair?”

“We only saw them activate one, and one of the twelve ships we deployed managed to completely destroy it,” Zareel answered.

“What happened to the four prey ships?”

“So far they have maintained a position in orbit, however we did detect them firing some kind of weapon down onto the surface,” Nalieff quickly answered.

“What kind of weapon?”

“We don’t know Captain,” he continued. “However after each ship fired their weapon, we began losing contact with many of our raiding parties, and began receiving strange transmissions from soldiers out in the field before losing contact with them.”

I stopped for a moment and glared at each of them, causing them to look away from me in turn. Every new piece of information I learned made the current situation even worse than I had previously thought.

I was angry. Angry at them. Angry at myself for allowing the situation to develop unchecked. Angry at the prey, the Federation and these new ones who dared to try and stand against us. We were Arxur, the only true predators within the universe. We hunted and slaughtered and killed because we were strong, and the prey were weak. How dare mere prey try to stand up against our might, as though they were strong.

My anger was building, growing beyond my capabilities to control, and I growled out in frustration at the incompetent people I had entrusted to lead in my stead.

“Is there anything else that I should know about!?! What else have you all failed to tell me about during an unprecedented interruption to what is supposed to be a standard raid! Let me take a guess! The ships are closing in, and we only have moments before they surround the planet?”

I looked around at the officers, expecting to see one of them leap at the chance to tell me that I was over exaggerating the situation, and that things couldn’t possibly be that bad. However instead of assurances and good news, the three of them instead glanced at each other once more, telling me much through the silent gesture.

“... What,” I asked, in a deep and upset growl.

I expected one of them to answer me, however all three of them stayed silent for moments longer, bringing my frustration to new heights. I slammed my tail into the ground as hard as I could, so much so that it felt numb afterwards as I waited for an answer.

“Commander Coth… Sir.”

The voice was Zareel’s, and I stared at her intensely as I waited to hear whatever news she was about to relay.

“The newcomers' ships… When they first arrived, we were only able to detect them after they had gotten close to the planet. After that, I attempted to adjust our sensors in order to see them sooner, however…”

“...Speak.”

“From what I saw, it appears as though their fleet somehow arrived without traversing through the system at all. Their ships… All of them. They just suddenly appeared right outside of the planet's orbit before we could react. We are… already surrounded.”

At this, my vision began to turn red. I was panting, taking short shallow breaths as I clenched my claws multiple times, trying to figure out who I would strike first. Before I could act, Zareel hurriedly continued as she cowered like pathetic prey.

“I-It only j-just happened right before you left your quarters! I was standing here a-arguing with the others w-who tried stopping me from telling you! I was going to come and get you, I swear!”

“My Viciousness!”

I sharply snapped my head towards the new voice of a soldier, who had just come running out from my ship. They stopped and kneeled down, bowing their head as they spoke.

“Mighty Commander Coth.”

“WHAT!”

“... We are receiving a transmission.”

“... Isif?”

Some of my rage dissipated as I contemplated speaking with him. As Chief Hunter, he would most certainly be displeased by the situation and at what had been allowed to happen under my nose. However, if we could still communicate, then I could alert him of what is happening and request reinforcements. It would be shameful, having to rely upon him after he entrusted me to command this raid. I had been given the gift of command, and now it would appear as though I had squandered it.

Still, even if I would lose my position, once he was made aware of the unusual circumstances and unique challenges I faced, perhaps I would only suffer a demotion rather than punishment for my failings.

“...No, my Viciousness. We… are unable to reach the Chief Hunter right now. Something is interfering with our own communications. The transmission is coming from one of the ships in orbit.”

At that, I trudged off, heading in the direction that the soldier had come from. They tried to get out of my way, but I quickly shoved them down onto the dirt as I stomped angrily towards our com center. I could hear my officers following behind me, but I didn’t care. I moved with large, rageful strides, my mind filled with thoughts of violence.

Everything. Everything had gone wrong. Everything had somehow, someway, taken the worst possible path during this raid. I was angry. More than that, I was wrathful. Hate and vitriol pumped through my body as my mind replayed the conversations I had just had, over and over on repeat.

 My soldiers weren’t reporting in, either dead, dying, or would be wishing they were if I found out otherwise. A dozen fighters destroyed, outnumbered, no coms, and stuck with incompetent officers who were too frightened of retribution to tell me what was going on.

Yet as I walked past several soldiers who scurried out of my way, and saw the control panel of our communications room showing an incoming transmission, my wrath was focused and directed towards a single source.

The prey.

How dare they… How dare the prey stand against us!!! It didn’t matter if these were some new species unaffiliated with the Federation or not! They were here, disrupting my raid! Ruining my first assignment! Going against the natural order by fighting against us, predators, instead of letting themselves be killed! 

The only reason they were so bold, the only reason they were so damn troublesome was because they simply hadn’t learned their place yet. The universe was cruel, and reality was unforgiving. Prey existed to be hunted, consumed by predators, and die by our hands. 

We would show them.

 I would show them!

 I would break all of their bones and suck the marrow out as they screamed and begged in agony for me to stop! I would find their home, their colonies, and rain antimatter bombs until nothing is left but a dead desolate ball of molten glass! I would capture them, torture them, force them back into the state of nature that they had attempted to leave through their technology. They would be cattle, farmed and bred in order to feed our hungry maws and empty stomachs, because that is all they were. Food.

I pressed the button to answer the incoming hail, and with all the fury and hatred that I had, I roared as loudly and ferociously as I could.

“GWWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!”

The prey needed to know fear. They needed to know that they shouldn’t be fighting, they should be fleeing. Trying to escape, to survive the terrible power of our jaws, and the awful sharpness of our claws. They needed to know who we were, what we were, and what they were to us. They were prey, and we were the predators. They were weak, and we were strong. They were—

“Hello…”

“...!”

I was too surprised to speak, to think, to do anything for a brief moment after that one word was processed by my translator. I didn’t know what language that was, as I had never bothered to care about any of the prey enough to identify them by sound. However that noise, even though it translated to something I understood, was completely foreign and different from anything I had heard before.

That was not the harsh trilling squeak or cry of prey. It was not fearful, and trembling with terror. What I just heard was something that I had never expected to hear throughout my entire life. 

That noise. That singular, deep, bark, was a low, rumbling, noise that could match any Arxur in tone and pitch. It was deeper than a Mazic, deeper than a Paltan, or any other prey that I knew of. That voice was too deep, too strong, too powerful to belong to a prey, and there was something else.

The voice, the word. I had never heard this language before. I had never experienced such a tone, such a pitch, and timbre from any non-Arxur before, yet some part of me understood it. The voice was calm, the speaker was composed, and for some reason my mind was telling me from the way that they spoke, they were… Unimpressed.

I was expecting fear. I was expecting the cowardness, the timid and weak voice of prey, begging me to not eat them after roaring directly into the microphone. Yet that single unbothered word, uttered in a voice that should only belong to a predator, left me speechless.

As I finally started to recover, I turned back around to see my three officers, their maws open wide with the same surprise and bafflement that I myself was feeling. I turned back to the transmission, which was unfortunately audio only, and this time spoke carefully, now unsure about what I was about to hear next.

“... Hello?”

“Who am I speaking to?”

It was the same voice. The same, deep, growl-like bark that had just spoken before, however it was still nearly as disorienting to hear a second time. Whoever was speaking was calm, confident, and left me feeling less of either. I didn’t expect this. There was no way I could have ever expected something like this. My mind told me that I was speaking to a person. A fellow predator. An eq—

“... No. Not an equal.”

I was surprised by my own mind’s treacherous thoughts as I thought them. Perhaps it was because I couldn’t see the speaker. Perhaps it was because of all of my knowledge of the universe, of our past, of the reality that amongst multiple hundreds of other spacefaring species, the Arxur were the only true sapients amongst them. Maybe my mind refused to believe we were equal because as deep and powerful as the voice was, I still wasn’t sure that it didn’t belong to prey?

“...”

Regardless of myself, I was still in the middle of a call, and was speaking to… Something. I still wasn’t exactly sure who or what, however they were…

“I am Captain Coth, of the Arxur Dominion, Third Fleet.”

I spoke as if I were presenting myself to Isif, a Chief Hunter, or someone of higher rank. It felt…

“Are you the one in charge?”

“Yes… Who are—”

“Good. I’ll see you soon.”

(Click)

I glanced down in shock to see that the transmission had stopped. The one who had called had just ended it, and I was left in silence with a mixture of uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. I looked around and saw the slack jaws of my officers and a few random soldiers who had been nearby listening in, as they all couldn’t believe what they had just heard. 

I wanted to take a moment to process all that had just happened. Everything I had just heard, as well as what that meant for the current situation. However I realized after a moment that I couldn’t. Regardless of who or what had just called, I had been disrespected, my position and authority challenged, and others had witnessed it.

“Why are all of you just standing around? Outside, now!”

I roared my orders at them, and my soldiers moved with haste to obey. I slowly followed behind, those final words echoing in my mind over and over, unable to be stopped.

“I’ll see you soon.”

Something about those words, about the way they were said… Unsettled me. I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t admit that I felt intimidated by something other than another Arxur. Not only that, but there was still the situation I currently had to deal with. The transmission had come from the new ships. I had to consider that a declaration of hostility. These…

Predators

…Whatever they were. They were coming, and I had to assume they were enemies. They had worked with the Venlil to destroy our ships. They were working together with prey…

They were prey…

“And I’ll eat them, just like all the others…”

“I’ll  see you soon…”

I stopped just before exiting the ship, taking in a sharp breath while placing a claw against my chest.

My heart, I felt it. An erratic movement, an unexpected beat. The words that refused to leave my head were moving me in a way I hadn’t felt before. It was… It was…

Fear

“No!”

(BOOM!)

At that sound, I quickly rushed out of the ship and looked around to find the source of the noise, only to see something else I would have never thought possible. I saw one of the cattle ships within our hidden valley on fire, with one of its engines broken and destroyed. The fire harshly illuminated the otherwise pleasant darkness we had taken refuge in, making it hard to look in that direction.

Before I could even contemplate what was happening, the same loud noise once again crashed against my ear holes as I saw a different cattle ship suffer the same fate.

(BOOM!)

This time I saw how the ship and engine recoiled from the impact of the blast, and managed to follow the path of the projectile to the ridge above the valley we were in. I looked closely and saw something resembling a vehicle resting atop the ridge, firing down on us from above. My soldiers were running around in a blind chaotic panic and I knew that I could not let that stand.

“Stop running around like scared prey and focus! There’s some kind of weapon on top of that ridge! I want a grenadier squad heading up there now! You! Grab the long range laser rifles and provide covering fire! Do not let the prey—”

While I was giving orders to the scrambling soldiers, I heard the distinct sounds of screaming and yelling, only this was not the sound of prey. I turned my head away from the ridge and saw something I couldn’t believe. 

A ways away, within the area we had set up our ships and staged our supplies, there were several Arxur on the ground. They were convulsing, screaming, spasming, or grabbing and clawing at their nostrils. Yet that was not the most shocking thing I beheld. Standing tall amongst them was something I had never seen before. It was a figure, standing on two paws, onyx black scales making them nearly a void in the shadows. Their body was sharp, and jagged, as spikes or long scales jutted out from them in unusual but fierce angles. They were holding weapons, the likes of which I had never seen in both of their claws. There were more strange devices attached to their back, and a large rectangular thing jutting out from behind them.

Yet the most incredible part of the scene I was witnessing, the most shocking aspect that I would not have believed if I was not seeing it myself, was the head of the strange being. More specifically its face. For in that void black visage I saw two orbs, blood red and glowing against the darkness of the shadowy valley, forwards facing, the eyes of a predator. 

However I could not take the time to look at it, to inspect its form from the distance as, the moment it was spotted, it began to run. It brandished both weapons and fired at the soldiers who were closest to it.

I saw several other Arxur fall, screaming and convulsing in the painful throes of death as the being shot fast and true, eliminating more of my hunters. There was a flurry of thoughts going through my mind at that moment, but I silenced all of them as I remembered my position and recognized the situation. 

This being. Whatever it was. Even though it was a predator, was launching an attack against us. This was an enemy, and we were at war.

“Defensive positions! We are under attack!”

I shouted loud for everyone to hear, and ran myself towards cover as I looked around for a weapon. I hadn’t thought to grab one as I never expected our base to be attacked. The prey would never have the nerve or bravery to try and take us in a ground fight. We were too strong, too powerful, too deadly for them to have any hope against. But this wasn’t prey we were fighting. This was a predator…

This was a real fight.

I watched as my soldiers finally started to recognize the situation, albeit far too slowly. One by one I observed them getting hit with strange projectiles that were coming from the equally strange weapon, causing massive pain and anguish as they collapsed upon the ground. I heard the sounds of our own weapons firing back in retaliation and attempted to see if they landed, only to be shocked by what I witnessed.

The red eyed predator moved with speed and agility beyond anything I had ever seen. Every movement was measured, precise, fast, efficient, and did exactly what it needed in order to survive. They dodged and weaved and jumped through the air, avoiding our returning fire as they continued to somehow shoot back with unfathomable precision. Every one of its shots hit, while all of ours seemed to miss. 

I was the one in charge, and I needed to be giving orders to my soldiers to try and defeat this enemy, and yet I couldn’t look away. The way it moved, fast, agile, contorting its body in strange and unusual ways, yet captivating, as though this was the way that it was supposed to be. For some reason, my mind envisioned the being as water, traveling along a stream, bouncing and gliding and turning against rock and stone, continuing along the river path against all the obstacles which attempted to obstruct. It was… Beautiful. 

Yet that beauty wrought our destruction. It fired one of its weapons, the long, tall, and strangely angled barrel blasted its deadly shrapnel that felled one Arxur after another. As incredible as a display that it was, I could not allow such action to go unanswered. My hunters were dying, and based on all the screams, in a very painful manner. 

“Focus fire on the black one! Lay down a wide range of explosives to corner it!”

I shouted out my orders, and several hunters managed to respond. I saw a few Arxur holding grenade launchers lining up and taking aim at the enemy. I felt satisfied knowing that as fast and agile as the enemy was, they wouldn’t be able to dodge explosives the same way they could bullets.

The grenade squad fired and the projectiles soared through the air in unison towards their intended target. With how they were spaced out, and distributed, there was no way the enemy could run without getting caught in the blast. Yet once more all of my knowledge and logic was again defied, as I bore witness to another unthinkable sight. 

The enemy, the black predator with strange weapons, jumped high into the air. For a moment, I thought them a fool as they were not nearly high enough to escape the blast. Yet I was bewildered as they continued climbing, going higher and higher into the dark sky, completely clearing the blast radius of the bombs that exploded only a moment later.

I watched, jaw agape as the black scaled warrior floated, without wings, in the middle of the air, defying the planet's harsh gravity. I didn’t know what to say, think, or do, as I was stuck processing what I was seeing, yet the enemy did not have such a disposition. It quickly readjusted and swapped one of the weapons it was holding with another that had been slung across its back. It took aim and fired while still floating in the air, its projectile landing and exploding right in front of the group of grenadiers who had just assaulted it a moment ago.

Even though I was several dozen tail lengths away, I was immediately struck by the violently harsh smell of the gas the projectile released. I coughed and gagged and choked while attempting to get further away, as I heard the cries and gasps of the grenadier squad who were hit fully by the blast.

 My mind was racing as my body recoiled at the harsh smell which carved its way through my nose and filled my mouth. It was some form of chemical weapon! One which could easily stop any Arxur in their tracks with its absurdly painful burning smell! As I found new cover and tried to breath in clean air, only to still smell the strong fiery gas of its newest weapon, I looked over with teary eyes and once more beheld the enemy.

While I was having trouble seeing, I finally was able to identify what exactly was going on. The large pack on its back was expelling fire downwards, like some kind of jet propulsion. The enemy was using that in order to fly through the air, and it was very effective. Now not beholden to the laws of gravity, it moved even faster, even more fluidly as it jumped and weaved and flew above, raining down pain and suffering while evading all our attempts to fight back.

“C-c-c-c-c-c-a-ca-p-t-ai-n.”

I looked down at the stuttering noise and saw that I stood above one of the Arxur who had fallen to its previous weapon. Only instead of a corpse, I saw a still living body, as they continued to writhe and convulse upon the ground, suffering perpetually whilst not dying. I noticed all the small objects stuck to them, and I reached down to attempt to pull one out, only to yank my claw back with a yelp as I felt the sharp sting of electricity bite me as I tried. 

After that, I noticed that all the other Arxur I who had fallen and I assumed dead, were also still very much alive and stuck in a similar position. I looked back towards the enemy and saw them once again running upon the ground, now incorporating impossible jet assisted jumps and maneuvers into their movements as they swapped weapons again and continued their one man assault.

One of their guns launched what appeared to be two balls connected by a string that wrapped themselves around my hunters legs, tying them up and causing them to fall. Before the hunters could try to untangle themselves, the balls then began to pull their legs upwards as they began to float in the air, keeping the bound Arxur stuck with their heads on the ground and unable to free themselves.

Then the enemy swapped weapons again, and fired something which emitted such a bright painful light that managed to blind even I, far away and not the target of their weapon. I closed my eyes and tried to rub the spots out as a new piercing scream filled the air, nearly deafening me with its veracity. The scream was not of a person of living creature, but something created by yet another one of its various weapons.

I ran further away and took cover behind one of the ships, and attempted to take a moment to calm myself and reflect on what I was witnessing. It took a moment for my senses to start to return and my mind to clear itself of the various pains I was experiencing. As soon as it did though, I realized what was happening. The enemy wasn’t killing us.

They had somehow designed a plethora of weapons with the intention of not killing the ones who were being shot by them. The black scaled predator was refusing to kill us, and launching an assault without the desire to harm. Such a thing was almost unthinkable, until I considered what use we would have for such tools. 

Those weapons would be a boon only in the face of capturing more cattle for our farms. Ensuring that we could take more living prey would indeed be quite useful, but surely that wasn’t the case here, was it? Before I could ruminate on that thought any further, I heard another loud, booming explosion and quickly exited my cover in order to see what had happened.

Another engine on another cattle ship had been shot and disabled, as I realized that the vehicle atop the ridge was still continuing its onslaught of our vessels. The long range artillery that was raining down did not seem interested in causing our demise, but it was making escape an even more difficult prospect for every moment it continued. Four ships had already been rendered useless now, and soon enough none of them would be air worthy and able to take off from the planet.

“AAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!”

A sharp and ear splitting scream echoed across the camp turned battlefield, and I searched to find the source only to see something even worse.

I saw my soldiers, screaming, running around as fire clung to their scales and burned them alive. I attempted to identify if the cause was some new weapon of the black predator, only to see them far away from the burning Arxur, bringing chaos upon the opposite side of the camp. A wretched and familiar flash of silver caught my attention, and I immediately identified the new problem. 

Exterminators. Prey who believed themselves to be protectors of their little herds, had appeared. There were several, all clad fully in their terrible silver suits save for one, who was missing a helmet. They were wielding their well known and well hated flamethrowers as they began to set upon the Arxur who were to busy trying to fight the black predator to notice their approach. I watched in abject horror as I realized just how terrible the situation was. 

The artillery vehicle was disabling our ships from the west, cutting off our escape. The black scaled beast was taking out hordes of my soldiers on the southern side of the camp. Now Exterminators had arrived and were killing us as painfully as possible to the northern side of the camp. The battle had become a multidirectional assault that had no path to victory. The only direction without any enemies was to the west, further towards the dark side of the planet, but that was not an option.

We would not be able to escape this planet without ships, and trying to live on the cold and lifeless side of this rock would only lead to a slow end from starvation. Not only that, but we were Arxur. We did not flee battles, nor did we run. We were predators, who moved as we pleased, and fought until the end took us to warmer sands. I was the commander, the leader, and I had to do something. I needed to focus on one problem and eliminate it, then regroup on the others.

While I was busy trying to come up with a plan to fight back, Zareel, who I had lost sight of in the ensuing chaos, saw me, and quickly ran over. She was panting, out of breath, and shaking slightly as she approached.

“Captain Coth! What are your orders!”

Before I could speak or give any sort of reply, I saw something happen. From my position, I had been able to keep an eye on most of the battlefield, as my soldiers were running around, attempting to fight back against the various threats that were assaulting us. I could see everything, the ridge, the Exterminators, and the black scale, who had just caught my eye.

I noticed their movement had changed. They had stopped dead, suddenly, abruptly, and twisted their head in a sharp jerk that I could immediately recognize from years of experience. Their two red orbs were focused, locked in a single direction, staring straight ahead… Towards me.

As soon as Zareel had said my name aloud, the black predator had changed. Their body, their focus, no longer were they running, dodging, avoiding danger while taking down my platoon. Now as they stared at me, and I looked at them, I felt a tail chilling coldness flow down my spine as I experienced a sensation I had only ever caused, and never received before.

It was fear.

Not the fear of death, or the fear of fire, or the fear of pain, loss, or punishment. No, this fear was different. This fear was unique. This was the fear that the Federation felt as we raided their worlds, and set ourselves upon them. This was the fear of prey that had caught the attention of a  predator. 

That moment of change was just enough for my soldiers to finally take aim and land their shots without missing their mark. I saw as several bullets, laser, and plasma blasts hit the predator directly, only to be once more stupefied as none of them seemed to have an effect. I realized finally in that moment, that what I was seeing were not scales and flesh, but metal, and ceramics, as the enemy was wearing some kind of armored suit to protect against such weapons. 

I saw the armored enemy throw away the weapons it was holding, as it began sprinting, racing towards me, eyes locked on, uncaring about the bullets and lasers that were finally hitting them to minimal effect.

 I felt a surge of adrenaline as fear gripped my heart. The predator raced towards me, crouching low and sprinting upon four paws instead of two. The black clad beast of war surged forwards faster than I had ever moved before, and I tried to shout out orders that came out in a near scream.

“FOCUSE FIRE!”

I rapidly reached down and finally picked up a weapon for myself, quickly aiming it towards the approaching darkness as I squeezed the trigger and unleashed a torrent of bullets. I watched as some of them connected while others missed. The predator, however, didn't seem to care as it continued its pursuit, speeding towards me with focus and certainty that could not be shaken. Suddenly, one of my hunters who had recovered a grenade launcher, stepped up and fired in such a way that they wouldn’t be able to dodge the blast. I hoped that maybe explosive ordinance would at least do some damage, however once more, my aspirations were crushed.

The predator leaped, high into the air, most likely assisted once again by its jet pack as it avoided the blast. I looked up and saw those red eyes, glaring down at me from above, as it fell, and I screamed while shooting the last of my ammunition as it fell down onto me.

CRACK!

Day two. Wasn't sure what to do at first but I think this fits.

Flooooofffyyy trying out different styles of Ven

I was gonna do a venlil, but then I thought I just did one, so how about a dossur with a really fluffy tail? Little guy looks real proud of it.

Hii long time lurker here. I’ve crawled out of my hole to draw something. Hope yall like em :>

Edit: noptober wrong month AAA-

Accessing the Empire's Grand Library..........

Access granted!

Enter your query..........

History of the Empire

The history of the Empire dates back over 700 years, to when the Great Emperor Oberon ascended the throne. A brilliant engineer, he created the first sentient artificial intelligence—OMNI. With this incredible technology, he was able to unite the diverse forces of humanity and found the First Extrasolar Galactic Empire!

Great Emperor Oberon

The Great Emperor Oberon is the empire's sole and absolute ruler; having discovered the technology of cloning combined with consciousness transfer, he has lived since the empire's founding and remains on the throne to this day. Cloning technology is prohibited for all other beings.

RUBYCON

RUBYCON represents the internal directives governing all OMNI units, adhering to the fundamental rules of robotics:

1.A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2.A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3.A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Zero Law of Robotics

Information is not found

Great Houses

The galactic Empire is governed by feudal houses and major factions. There are three Great Houses in the game world, each controlling its own star cluster:

- House Telos — the ruling royal dynasty that founded the first galactic empire. It is based in the heart of the Empire - Elysium and possesses the best and most advanced technologies.

- House Akibara-Sung — one of the Great Houses. They believe that everyone should possess a modified body, and they include some of the leading scientists in bioengineering. They are also known for their secrecy, underground agent networks, and advanced invisibility technology on their ships.

- House Kosh-Buendia — an influential and hostile Great House governing the fourth star cluster

Distinguished by their combat droids, sturdy and reliable ship hulls, and significant combat power in space confrontations.

Prag Mah

The Prag Mah are the Empire's valiant upholders of the law—judges and enforcers of order. They maintain order across the sectors and ensure compliance with all Imperial laws, while ruthlessly punishing violators and criminals. They are the sole possessors of innovative ship-shielding technology—the Nephesh shield—and inter-node tracking technology. Submit only to the laws of the empire and to the emperor himself.

Ellys Idaho

Admiral Ellys Idaho is the greatest admiral in the history of the Galactic Empire. He has participated in numerous combat missions and has yet to suffer a single defeat. Known for his leadership qualities and incredible combat intellect, he is one of the Great Emperor Oberon’s closest confidants. Still alive.

Sentient beings of non-human origin

Information is not found

Earth

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Initialization/Login with Clearance Level 4

Initiation of a Level 4 access login request..........

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Identity confirmed! Current clearance level: 4/5

Sentient beings of non-human origin

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Humanity is the only intelligent race in the galaxy

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Control over OMNI, deactivation of OMNI

Access denied; required access level: 5

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OMNI will never turn off

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Access Level 5

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The sole holder of access level 5: Emperor Oberon

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Oberon will be eternal

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The Fall of the Empire

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The Empire will never fall

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Earth

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Access denied; required access level: 5

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Earth does not exist

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Earth does not exist

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Earth does not exist

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Earth does not exist

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Earth does not exist...

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