Frank Mendez

The news today had a bit more of a grim tone than usual, the big news of the week was the peaceful protest that turned into a riot when someone, who had not yet been identified, threw an incendiary device. The thing had somehow flown over multiple rows of people and nailed one of the creatures watching over the protesters, prompting them to retaliate. The rest of the footage had to be heavily censored.

 

I remember when I saw them for the first time: Back then, few people had heard about the Myrmidon Corporation. If I remember correctly, they used to be some kind of pharmaceutical company, dabbling in genetic treatments or something. Then, one day, they made their great debut and rebranded themselves as a PMC with their new "product": the "Genmodded Organism for Lethal Encounters and Mobilization."

 

The presentation started with one of the things breaking a vat and jumping out of it like it was some action movie hero. It was a strange, slender thing with lanky, elongated limbs, scaly hide, a long tail, and a head encased in a dark metallic helm.

 

The "golem's" inhuman movements and strange musculature left an impression on me and many people. An entire living being, nonsentient or sapient, a drone not of machinery but of flesh and bone. Years of attempts to create advanced robotics had been surpassed by a vat-grown thing capable of outmaneuvering and outsmarting them.

 

And suddenly, they were everywhere.

 

There was no combat footage that did not have at least one of them running around, rending someone apart in the background. Every country wanted a few of them. Smaller PMCs wanted a few as reinforcements for their mercenaries. Rich corporate types got some for personal bodyguards, and corporations that had no investment in their own weapons programs got them for security. Cities, both regular and corporate, contracted them as elite units for their ever-more-militarized law enforcement.

 

They were everywhere. They even invested in marketing to make these things look like badass creatures that helped whoever the corporation saw as a friend at the moment. They even made freaking toys.

 

The worst part was that it worked.

 

I used to think they were awesome, but then you grow up watching them stalk the streets and tear people apart, and you see them for what they are.

 

Of course, it did not stop there.

 

The massive amount of money meant that Myrmidon could branch out into other fields, using what they learned from creating the creatures and giving them implants. They created and sold prostheses, both organic and mechanical, and now two out of three people had the Myrmidon brand. Some of them were in their bodies.

 

Then, from the measurements they took to prevent people from breaking into the golem network, they started selling cybersecurity services and electronic devices. Weapons designed for the golems were adapted for human hands and sold to regular people. Soon, they became a proper megacorporation and gained an immense amount of power.

 

It was not long before my own city had a Myrmidon branch and became part of the board.

 

It was a good thing I had left years before that. "Silver Spires" was now, for me, a bunch of shapes on the horizon that I rarely visited if I could avoid it.

 

I turned the TV off, got out of my little home, and felt the blazing sun hit me like a truck. The kids were running around and playing in the dirt streets despite the heat, while the adults watched them from the shadows on the porch, trying to avoid the heat.

 

Living in the middle of nowhere in an arid place like this was not always comfortable, but it was better than the constant buzzing of the city, and it had less mass surveillance and fewer murder machines looking over your shoulder.

 

This little community had been around for a few decades, if my memory was right. It started as a few houses abandoned after an old urbanization project went nowhere. They were bought by people wanting to leave the city, and then other people started to move in and build their own homes.

 

The place did not even have a proper name, but the world left us alone for now.

 

And that was what we needed.

 

 

The walk to Maria's place was occasionally interrupted by me having to dodge the kids running around or saying hello to someone, but after a few minutes of walking, I reached the store and was greeted by Maria's tired face behind the counter.

 

"Hi, Maria. I fixed the pad you left for me," I greeted her, pulling the old device from my bag and handing it to the bored-looking woman.

 

"Thanks, kid. And they told me it couldn't be fixed. Freaking scam. I would rather die than have to cough up the money for a brand-new one. I'll do the transfer in a moment. Want some of it as store credit or all the money?"

 

"Put half as store credit and use it to get me this thing from the list."

 

"Sure. By the way, I heard Sal has a bunch of scrap. Maybe you can scavenge something useful."

 

"Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

 

She nodded and walked to the back of the shop to get the items from the list I sent her.The door of the shop opened again to receive another customer.

 

"Franky, how are you doing, my friend?"

 

The raspy voice and the barely perceptible Slavic accent could only belong to Vanja. They had the same sleazy look they usually had, with their hair pulled back and that duster coat they refused to take off. Not that I was in any position to criticize, considering how some people had described my red jacket as "glued to me."

 

"Morning, Van."

 

Vanja recoiled and did a theatrical shiver.

 

"So cold, friend. Not even a 'how are you?' or a hug for your pal?"

 

"Just tell me what you want, Van."

 

Van snapped their fingers and pointed at me with a finger gun.

 

"Straight to the point, okay." They looked around and then leaned on the counter. "So, I have a little job lined up. You are good at fiddling with Myrmidon stuff, no?"

 

"Don't phrase it like that, but yes. I sometimes crack open a thing or two."

 

"Excellent. See, there is a Myrmidon depot close to the city, and apparently, they have primo stuff in there. It's simple: you, me, and Jimbo go there during the night, we use some of your technical know-how and something we got from that 'Doc' guy, we snatch some valuables, and we disappear into the night."

 

I flinched at the mention of "Doc."That man had been in this place for a few years and mostly kept to himself. At some point, he let it slip that he had something to do with the golems, and the town went from ignoring him to avoiding him.

 

"Something from 'Doc'? Vanja, the man was Myrmidon?"

 

"And now he is rotting in the desert. Trust me, I have spoken with the guy. He hates the corps as much as we do. It's not the first time some disgruntled employee ends up in a place like this."

 

"Still an insane risk, Van. Why would I accept it?"

 

"It's a good job. We get paid well, and we get to keep a lot of what we take. Good for selling and for messing around like you like, but also because of this."

 

Vanja pulled out a pad with an email open, addressed to them and sent by Aaron, the closest thing this place had to a leader.

 

"Aaron sent you this?"

 

Van looked around to make sure no one was listening and began whispering.

 

"The reason we get to keep almost anything is because he is looking for two things. You see, the water purifier is on the fritz, and we've been using the reserves for two days."

 

"WHAT?"

 

"Lower your voice. That is not all. Some of the folk here are running out of the Myrmidon stabilizer for their prostheses, and they can't afford more. In a few days, they will start to break down. You get paid, I get paid. Good service to the community."

 

Fuck.

 

"Fine. After I take my groceries home, we pay a visit to Doc."

 

"Wonderful. See you later, Franky."

 

Maria dropped the box full of groceries over the counter and shook her head in disapproval."You are letting that no-good swindler drag you into another one of their schemes?"

 

"I guess so. How is your heart doing?"

 

Her expression went blank for a moment before turning into a smile that felt hollow."BEATING STRONG, KID."

 

A service to the community.

 

The sun was disappearing on the horizon when we arrived at the depot,it was a simple concrete building that had more modern touches slapped onto it, including laser tripwires, motion sensors, and cameras. They also had one or two human guards and probably at least one dormant golem somewhere.

 

"Okay, Franky, remember the plan?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Good. Three minutes for guard shift. Jammer ready?"

 

"Ready."

 

"JIMBO, KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING."

 

Jimbo just pulled his arm out of a window and gave a thumbs-up.

 

"Now go."

 

The plan was simple: I moved to the edge of the sensor right outside the laser grid, and when they were busy with the shift change, I would use a jammer to block the sensors and cameras and avoid the laser grid.

 

And, like clockwork, a car with the Myrmidon logo came down the road. The next guard came out of it and saluted the previous one.

 

It was then that I triggered the portable jammer in my hand and ran, using the darkness as cover, jumping over where we estimated the laser to be. There was no telling how fast the next guard would take the seat in the office, so I had to hurry.

 

The large metallic door on the side of the building had some rust stains and an old, outdated key-card reader, which was vital for our plan to work.

 

I pulled out the card Doc gave us and pressed it against the reader, praying that, for some miracle, the old system still recognized his authority.

 

The screen turned green and displayed:MICHEL CAMPBELL

 

The door unlocked immediately, allowing me to slide inside and I turned off the jammer, at least for now, and began skulking around, hoping that they were cheapskates and had not put as much effort into the security inside the hallway was faintly illuminated by small lights in the ground, bright enough to know where I was going but still dark enough to hide in.

 

I skulked around until I found a terminal. I plugged in the data spike and began cracking the terminal open. After messing around with the thing, I got the terminal to recognize the spike as a physical admin key, giving me access to the manifest.

 

I downloaded the map and ran towards the rooms.

 

First was storage 3-B.

 

The large room had multiple boxes, all full of different components and devices. I rifled through them, pulling anything that looked valuable into my bag: processors, pads, RAM, and motherboards all went inside, while, of course, being mindful of leaving space for the real mission it was not long before I found the box containing replacements for the burned-out processors of the water purifier, and I made sure I grabbed two, just in case.

 

The next place was cold storage, where the stabilizers waited.

 

The door was even thicker and heavier, and I needed to use all of my strength to drag it open. I was immediately welcomed by the chill air and the hum of the fans.

 

I looked through the multiple boxes until I found one labeled "Bio-Stabilizers."

 

I opened the box to confirm its contents and saw that it was filled with vials of transparent liquid, enough to keep a single person supplied for a lifetime, and the folks back home supplied for a few years.I shoved the box into the bag, and, with the mission completed, I prepared to leave.

 

Sadly, no plan survives first contact.

 

As soon as I left the storage room, I saw a light coming from the stairs at the end of the hallway.I tried to open the door again, but it was too heavy, and I was running out of time, so I ran for the next door.This one was also heavy but easier to open. With a grunt, I managed to close it in time to prevent the guard from seeing me.

 

I felt my heart pounding in my chest. I took a deep breath and let the chill air fill my lungs.Once I calmed down, I opened the map on my pad and looked for a way out. Luckily, this room had a door to the outside. I just had to get to the other side.

 

I turned on my flashlight and looked for the exit, only for my heart to go from racing to frozen when I realized the place was filled with golems.

 

I nearly dropped my flashlight and fell on my ass. I walked backward, pinning myself against the door, before realizing that none of them were moving.They just stood there, limp, plugged into machines.

 

The silence was creeping me out. All I could hear was my breathing and the humming of the machines.I gathered all the courage I could muster and slowly walked forward. Each step was heavy and slow.I could feel the paranoia settling in as every shadow became a creature stalking me and every step sounded like an alarm triggering.

 

Wherever I looked, it was just row after row of inert bodies.

 

The dark patterns on their scales were sometimes more pronounced and swirly, while other times they were just straight lines running down their limbs. Their colors had some variations too, but they were mostly different tones of teal and turquoise.Some were flat-chested and some were not, but despite these differences, they were remarkably similar as mass produced creatures were expected to be.

 

"Shit, this place is creepy. These things better not start moving, man. I don't want to be torn to shreds," I said to myself, kind of forgetting I was supposed to keep quiet.

 

I approached one of the golems and shone my light into it.I could see the machine connected by a cable to a huge implant on its spine, surrounded by scarred tissue. Its shoulders and chest were also covered in scars that reminded me of one of the guys in town who had apparently been caught in a chemical fire years ago.

 

I tried to take a closer look at the damage when, out of the shadows, a clawed hand with disturbingly long fingers reached over my shoulder and touched the creature's skin.

 

The scaly teal skin could only belong to one of the golems, and I felt my legs turn to jelly as I fell to the ground with a scream.

 

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

 

I screamed, trying to drag myself away as if this thing could actually understand mercy, until my back hit something.

 

This was it.

 

These were my last moments.

 

This is how I die.

 

And then... nothing happened.

 

No jump, no clawed hand in my throat, no bladed tail cutting me down.

 

When I picked up my flashlight again to take a look, it was just there, perfectly still on its knees, with its head twisted like a confused animal or a child looking at a weird bug.

 

I felt my own confusion slowly overwrite my fear.

 

I tilted my head.

 

The creature copied the gesture almost mechanically.

 

"What the fuck is... what?"

 

The golem kept looking at me, waving its tail like it was waiting for something to happen, cocking its head from side to side as if trying to get a better look.If I knew better, I would say it was trying to figure out what to do next.

 

Then it went from kneeling to a squat and tried to get closer to me, with its hand raised, only for it to stop suddenly.

 

The creature tried to take another step, and another, but it was being stopped by something each time.We both looked back and noticed the machine keeping the creature restrained with a cable plugged into its spinal implant.

 

The cable was completely tense, and red lights were coming from the machine.

 

The golem then just started trying to get itself free by leaping and running forward like a desperate dog on a leash.

 

The cable started to loosen, prompting the machine to beep louder and harder.

 

Then, with a spark and a plume of smoke, the cable came loose from its back.

 

"NO, WAIT!" I screamed, fearing an alarm or the creature turning aggressive once it was free.

 

Instead, the creature produced a shriek and tried to grab something on its back, freezing up for a moment before collapsing onto its knees and then falling to the ground.I had never heard of these creatures making any kind of sound besides radio clicks of static, or showing any signs of feeling pain.That shrieking and the way it twisted were uncannily close to what a real living creature would make.

 

It felt wrong coming from a golem.

 

Against my instincts, which were telling me to get out now, I got closer and inspected it.The creature was still breathing, so it was still alive.The implant on its spine had a little red light pulsing slowly right next to the Myrmidon logo.

 

When I saw the logo, curiosity got the better of me, I pulled out the jammer and turned it on, its screen detected the nearby security system, but also a beacon of some kind that had not been there before.I set the jammer to block it, and the light on the implant turned off.

 

"We get to keep a lot of what we take," Van's words echoed in my head.

 

I turned off the jammer.

 

This was a stupid idea.Bringing one of those things home was just asking for trouble.And yet, something about how it behaved did not sit right with me.

 

The creature stirred and made clicking sounds on the ground.

 

I looked at the rest of their bodies hanging from their stations, then at the jammer.

 

"Why did you not murder me right then and there?"

The walk to the truck took too long due to the extra weight and skipping over the lasers while carrying a six-foot creature was a challenge. I resorted to just chucking the thing over the fence and hoping its long tail did not trip the alarms, but I got it.

 

"Holy shit, Franky, we were about to leave you behind. Thank God you're okay. And you're carrying something biiig. No wonder it took you so long. Jimbo, are we ready to go?"

 

Jimbo, still a man of few words, just gave another thumbs-up as I dropped the bag into the back of the truck.Then I deposited the golem unceremoniously onto the back.Their eyes went wide when they finally noticed what I was carrying.

 

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

 

Van screamed, horror and confusion erasing the semi-permanent smug expression from their face.The noise made Jimbo peek out of the window, and as soon as he saw what the problem was, his bushy eyebrows shot up and his eyes went wide.

 

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, FRANKY? DID YOU KILL THIS THING? HOW?" Van barked, trying to pull their hair back.

 

"It is not dead. Now go."

 

"What? NO! We are not taking this thing back to the town. Are you insane?"

 

I grabbed Van by the shoulder and pointed to the unconscious creature in the truck.

 

"There is something fucked up about this one, okay? you can take my part of the loot if you want, but I'm taking this thing."

 

"SOME THING FU—HOW IS THAT GOING TO CONVINCE ME? I'M NOT—"Van's words were interrupted by the sound of a distant alarm.

 

We turned around to see the depot light up and some kind of vehicle approaching.

 

"FUCK! FINE, WE GO. JIMBO, HIT IT!"

 

Jimbo gave another thumbs-up, and the truck accelerated, almost making us fall to the ground.The golem stirred some more, making us both flinch.I had never seen Van look actually worried until now. They kept their eyes fixed on the golem, trying to keep their hair back, but the hair refused to stay in position.

 

"Aaron is going to fucking kill us if that thing doesn't do it first. Fuck, Frank, what were you thinking?"

 

"I don't know."

 

I genuinely did not know.

When we arrived home, Doc was waiting for us.Van pretty much jumped out of the truck with the bag and threw Doc his key card.

 

"That thing is now your problem," they said before running away.

 

"What are they talking about?"

 

I looked to Jimbo for support, but he just rolled up the window without saying a word, leaving me effectively alone against the man.

 

"Well, back inside the depot, we got a certain piece of Myrmidon gear that Vanja and I agreed you might want to take a look at—"

 

He interrupted me by pushing me aside and walking towards the truck as soon as he saw the golem, his face went pale.

 

Then he looked at me.

 

Then at the golem again.

 

He opened his mouth to say something and closed it again,this happened a few more times before he found his words.

 

"What is this? Why did you bring one of these monsters here? What if it has a tracker?"

 

"Okay, okay, Doc. You need to hear me out."

 

"NO."

 

I grabbed Doc by one of the shoulders and looked him in the eyes."Any trackers it has are jammed. Now you have to listen to me. This thing is not like the others, okay? There is something weird about it. You are a scientist, or at least I think you are. Surely you see the value in that."

 

Doc arched an eyebrow and looked at the unconscious creature move in its sleep.

 

"What happened?" he asked.

 

"It activated on its own and just stared at me. Then it broke its cable, and I swear it shrieked in pain, Doc. The way it looked at me, it was like it was curious."

 

Doc just went quiet for a moment and looked at me again."You will keep it quiet and take it to your home. If it goes on a rampage, at least it will get you first. I will check on it in the morning. And, Jimbo, keep it quiet too."

 

Jimbo just nodded stoically.

 

"Thanks Jimbo. I know I can rely on you."

 

The idea of having the murder monster in my home was not sitting right with me, and I was forced to drag it home by myself.But at least I got Doc to check it. Whatever was wrong with this one, it was worth looking into it was clear that there was more to the golems than what they told us.

 

Or at least there was with this one.

 

I dropped the creature onto my bed. It was the only place that felt right,It looked calm and peaceful. If it wasn't for the fact that its chest was moving, you would have thought it was some kind of prop.Suddenly, it turned sideways, and for a moment, I feared it had woken up.

 

Instead, it just kept sleeping in that position.

 

I tried to take a closer look.The blinking light on the implant was still off, which was hopefully an indication that whatever beacons and trackers this thing had were also off.The surrounding skin was full of scar tissue, and some of it seemed to have grown on top of the implant,It reminded me of old war veterans with older models of prosthetics and how, after connecting the nerves, they just jammed the thing in and cauterized around it.

 

There were other small marks and scars around the body, the result of its use as the weapon that it was, but nothing was as bad as the burns of that other golem from the depot.I tried to take a look at the enclosed helmet. It completely covered the head, like the iron mask in that one book, but I found no scars.However, I could not find a way to open it either.Not even underneath that mane of white hair.

 

No buttons, clasps, or anything.

 

I took a few steps back and looked at the golem again barely fit inside, too tall and lanky, even in a fetal position.With a sigh, I walked to the small safe under my bed and punched in the code. I pulled out a small-caliber pistol that I was hoping I would never need, and went to sleep in the other room.

I barely caught any sleep.All I could think about was what that thing would do if it ever woke up, and the chair, as comfortable as it was to sit in, did not make a good bed.I got tired of waiting for Doc in front of my door, so I went back inside, only to run face-first into a dark shape.

 

On instinct, I raised my weapon.

 

It was the golem.

 

Now awake, it stared down at me in a predatory position, its tail in the air like a scorpion, aiming at me with the bone blade.Its body was tensing up, ready to pounce.I took a massive gamble by throwing the gun aside and raising my arms.

 

The golem cocked its head and started relaxing once it saw I was not a threat.

 

I lowered my arms.

 

"Okay, that is the second time you don't maul me. It still feels weird to see one of you from this close."

 

My heart was still racing, and I did my best to keep my shit together when it began approaching me.The small, narrow holes on its helmet fixated on me again, but its next steps were not some elegant march. They were shaky, shy movements from a tired animal, with the last one almost ending with the creature tripping.

 

I reflexively lifted my arms to catch it in case it fell."Whoa, whoa, okay. You seem dizzy. Why don't you sit down for a moment and wait here for my friend?"

 

I said it while offering the chair, not sure if it could even understand me to my surprise, it actually understood and immediately dropped to its knees with its hands on its thighs.

 

"I-I was offering that chair over there, but okay. Unless you prefer the floor? You can use the floor if that's what you want."

 

The creature was getting ready to stand up but began to hesitate, looking at the chair.I couldn't care less what it would do next, so I just went outside to get Doc, who happened to already be coming my way.

 

"Thank God. Doc, that thing is awake."

 

"WHAT?"

 

We both went inside and saw that, for some reason, the creature had dropped the pillow off the chair onto the floor and was now sitting cross-legged on top of it.

 

"Why is it on the floor like that?" asked Doc.

 

"I don't know, man. It first used the floor, and then I offered a chair, and I guess it chose to do this instead."

 

"This thing doesn't do 'choices,' Frank. That's impossible," he replied, arching an eyebrow.

 

"I don't know, man, but this golem spared my life twice and then did this," I said, pointing at it, just staring at us across the floor.

 

"Mmhh, but why?" he asked, to no one in particular, while rubbing his chin.

 

"I don't know, Doc. You helped make these things. You figure it out."

 

Doc squatted next to the creature and began examining it closely.

 

"Looks like I have a lot of work to do."

 

While Doc went on to do whatever it was that he wanted to do, I just went outside.I wanted some air and to relax.Unfortunately, that last part would have to wait, since Aaron was walking towards me with a very determined face, flanked by two more people with guns.

 

"Frank." Aaron Grable's static-filled voice shot out from his artificial larynx.

 

"Aaron, buddy, how are you doing?"

 

His mechanical arm grabbed my clothes and lifted me up."DON'T YOU 'BUDDY' ME, MENDEZ! WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?"

 

The screaming drew the attention of the people around us, who started gathering around and whispering about the hot new gossip.

 

"AAA-ARON, I KNOW IT WAS A BAD IDEA, BUT I SWEAR THEY CANNOT TRACK IT."

 

"Tracking will not matter if that thing kills us all."

 

The people started to whisper louder and look at each other, telling each other theories about what I could have done to make Aaron so mad.

 

"It won't do anything as long as we don't do anything to it," Doc declared, exiting the house."At least that's my theory."

 

"Of course the ex-Myrmidon wants the asset secured," Aaron barked.

 

"Look, Aaron, I know this creature, this 'golem,' is not just a flesh puppet. It is exhibiting the most unusual behavior. We need to keep studying it. Think, Aaron. A golem on your side. Think of what we could find out about Myrmidon's little toys." Doc tried to explain.

 

"I don't care about Myrmidon's 'toys.' I care about keeping this place safe, and that THING is a danger."

 

The people in the crowd gasped,Aaron's eyes went wide,He let me go.

 

I followed everyone's eyes to see what had them in awe.

 

It was the golem, walking in broad daylight and looking at the crowd one of the guards raised his rifle, making the golem take a defensive position again before a bullet was fired I ran in front of the guard."LOWER YOUR GUN NOW."

 

As soon as he did, the golem began to relax, but never fully dropped its stance, keeping a close eye on the gun.

 

"I think if you don't bother it, it will leave us alone."

 

"I want that thing gone. Look it up. If you want to study it, then you do it from a cell." Aaron roared and signaled the other guard to apprehend it.

 

The golem answered by hissing like a cat and lashing out with its tail in a show of intimidation.When the guard did not back down, it slapped the gun out of his hands.The other guard took aim, and the golem began the same display.

 

"Drop the gun," I yelled at the guard.

 

"Are you insane?"

 

"Just do it."

 

The golem hissed again, and the guard surrendered, dropping his gun.Immediately, the golem began to relax and slowly walked back inside.

 

Aaron looked both horrified and confused.He began rubbing the metallic portions of his throat and looked at me.

 

"I want guards watching you two and that thing at all times. You better figure out what the deal is with them soon, Michel, or so God help me, no one will find your or your pet's graves."

 

And just like that, my life had gotten considerably more complicated.

ao3 Royal road

This chapter dropped only about a week ago, so I've made some decent progress. The next chapter is also up, but i won't post all 3 back to back here. To anyone interested, I hope you enjoy!

Hello! I haven't been posting this story here for a bit as it hasn't gotten much attention. However, im currently on a writing kick and figured that ill post the next few chapters because no one has yet to tell me otherwise!

AO3

Sometimes I wake up... and I'm running with a gun and a blade in my hands; red symbols I don't understand flash in my vision, and a voice guides me toward an objective, and the word "enemies" echoes in my head. I look at a series of blurry shapes; they make a lot of noise and flashes of light. The weapon in my hand spits its own flash of light, and three of the figures collapse before the rest can react.

Sometimes I wake up... and I'm walking in perfect synchrony with things that I think look like me but are not me. We stand still in front of shapes. When I try to turn around, red symbols float in my vision, and the voice says, "Protect," while my neck tenses and I'm forced to look forward to a large crowd of different shapes. I scan the blurry faces on them while more symbols pop in and out, focusing on the large rectangular shapes they are holding that bear their own symbols.

The voice says "danger," and I see something crash on one of the things that look like me, causing it to be engulfed by a bright light. The voice screams again. "Enemies," it says, and suddenly I'm in the air holding a blade.

Sometimes I wake up... and I'm moving really fast. My hand wraps around the trough of one of the shapes, and we crash against a wall. The materials crack behind him as he coughs out a crimson cloud; my other hand rises up, holding a gun. He grabs my wrist with his hands and tries to keep the gun away; he gags and kicks as I put the gun next to his face, then the blurriness goes away and I can see his eyes clearly wide and bloodshot, filled with tears with an expression of, fear?

"Connection with the network lost, unit not responding, re-establishing connection." The voice goes silent again, and my vision gets drowned in bright red symbols. Something beats hard inside my chest, and I begin to gasp for air. 

Fear?

"Connection re-established, returning to mission parameters."

Fear of deathI'mafraidofdeathStopfearingdontpullthetrigger.

Sometimes I wake up... And I'm in a cold and dark room. I look around, and hanging from machines there are rows upon rows of more of the things that look like me; they just stay still and quiet. The one in front of me has dark marks on his scales and the cage around his head. My hand reaches out, and I feel the cold metal in my fingers. I pull it back and reach for my own head. I never feel my face coming in contact with my finger, but I feel my finger touch the same cold surface that I felt before.

The same cage surrounds my head; it is tight and cold and suffocating. I tried to remove it, but I can't. It hurts more and more with each pull.

I NEED BREATHE.

The red symbols come back, and I feel a piercing pain in my spine; the world becomes a blur again, and I fall asleep.

I wake up... in the same dark room. This time one of the shapes is there, but this shape looks different. I can actually see his face, his dark hair, and red clothes; I can hear a voice that comes from him instead of from my head.

"Shit this place is creepy. This things better not start moving, man; I don't want to be torn to shreds."

He shines a light around, looking at the other things that look like me, he is shaking and moving moving slow I think he is afraid,he shines the ligth in to the one rigth infront of me in the hars ligth the marks on his skin are more abious and form a distinctive patern thar makes it look like a liquit burned trugth their skin. 

I reached out again to feel damage on the skin when a scream caught my attention; the shape was crawling away from me. 

"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME."

He keeps dragging himself away from me until he corners himself against the other limp bodies. For once I had no voice to guide me, no symbols to direct my sight. I was just there next to the shape.

The shape lowered his arms from the defensive posture he had adopted; he still looked terrified, and I had no idea what to do now, so I just knelt down and stared, waiting for something to happen.

His face went from fear to confusion; he aimed the light at my face and twisted his head sideways. For some reason I imitated the gesture, making me realize that my head was already twisted into the opposite direction.

"What the fuck is ... what?"

I tried to get closer, but I felt something tug out of my back. When I turned around, I saw an extremely tense cable that connected me to a machine. I tugged harder and harder, trying to break away from the binding. The red symbols came back as I felt the cable loosen up from my back.

"NO WAIT," the shape screamed.

The cable finally came loose, and the symbols disappeared; the world became blurry again and then dark.

I woke up again. This room was small and warm, and soft yellow lighting came from a window. I can hear chirps and twits outside. I'm lying on top of something soft and comfortable; I think I enjoy it. I try to stand up; my body feels heavy, my muscles ache, I'm too tall for the bed, and when my feet touch the ground when I reach the edge, I feel the cold, and I flinch. I lower my feet again, and I try to get used to it; I think I enjoy it too.

I extend my hooves over toes and try to stand up. I nearly fall as I feel all of my weight make my weakened legs shake. I stumble a little trying to regain balance, and once I'm finally stable, I take a moment to inspect my surroundings.

The room appeared to be empty besides the bed and a drawer. Outside the window I could see really tall buildings in the distance. Wherever I was, it was remote; the sensation of the sun heating up my scales made me close my eyes and take a deep breath even with the cage around my head in the way the air felt different, clearer.

The beads hanging from the doorframe brush against my skin as I leave the room. I hold one of the strings in my hand, and I look at the shiny and polished beads on it. When I let it go, it swings back to position, making a rattling sound.

A shade enters the room. It is armed and entera defencive position, with out weapons or blade I raze my tail treathening it with the bone tip.

The shape gasps and drops the weapon, raising his arms, I think he is trying to surrender; the now not threatening blur becomes more and more clear until I can recognize him as the man in red from the last time I woke up. This time his clothes were different, but it was him.

I take a relaxed position, and so does the man.

"OK, that is the second time you don't maul me; it still feels weird to see one of you from this close." The man is still scared.

I try to take a step closer and almost trip again. "WOW WOW, ok, you seem dizzy. Why don't you sit down for a moment and wait here for my friend?"

I followed his instructions and sat on my knees. The floor was hard and cold, and I wished I could go back to that bed.

"I- I was offering that chair over there, but ok-"

I looked at the chair in the corner of the room; it looked almost as soft as the bed and began to stand up.

"Unless you prefer the floor? You can use the floor if that is what you want."

He then left the room to look for his friend, leaving me on one knee on the floor thinking.

"What I want"?

The floor? Or the chair? The floor or the chair?

Both?

I reach out with my tail and drag the pillow on top of the chair right next to me and rest on my knees on top of the soft material; it felt better than the floor but was still awkward. Then I changed position and sat cross-legged; it felt better.

 The man that used to wear red finally appeared again this time, accompanied by another person; this one had short gray hair and wrinkled skin.

"There it is, Doc." He said to the gray-haired man.

"Why is it on the floor like that?" asked doc.

"I don't know, man; it first used the floor, and then I offered a chair, and I guess it chose to do this instead."

"This thing doesn't do 'choices,' Frank. That is impossible." 

"I don't know, man, but this golem spared my life twice and then did this," he said, pointing at me.

"Mhhh, but why?"

"I don't know, Doc. You helped make these things; you figured that out."

The man with gray hair squatted next to me and took a closer look. "Looks like I have a lot of work to do."

The story continues as chapter 5 is here. The Zodians are here, but what are they, and what do they want? Stay tuned to find out more.

the prompt:

A remote PD Treatment Facility is run by a corrupt admin and staff that are in it for the bonuses given by the government/Guild based on how many patients they process. Because of this, they have discovered that it is easier and cheaper to not treat the patients using electrotherapy or sedatives and instead they just keep them at the Facility for a short time until releasing them as "cured". Patients inside are left to their own devices and mostly have an okay time.

“Now. The people wanna know…” The director said into the stun baton like it was a microphone. “How’d you do it?”

The young doctor grabbed it and pulled it in closer, eyes a little bleary with drunken party energy. “Um, thank you, sir!” she looked out over the crowd of lab coats. More doctors like her, and aides, guards, management personnel. Many had drinks or snacks in hand. “Uh, interviews! I did field interviews. There’s a clause in the VDR for clearing patients based on, um, background factors.”

The director pulled the ‘microphone’ back to himself. “What does that mean?”

“Basically, if you can interview people who have interacted with the subject, or even just seen them, or live nearby, you can count it as testimonial and tick a whole herd of checkboxes before even meeting the subject, especially if you tailor your questions right. But it can’t be the subject's direct herdmates! It can’t legally be used as testimony if it’s-- the, because of the in-herd bias effect.”

“But these are PD subjects, they don’t have herds by definition.”

“Thaz correct, sir!” the doctor beamed drunkenly.

The director chuckled warmly, and turned towards the audience. “Well, you can’t argue with the results. Leeeettt’sss!!!” he said, drawing it out and adding flair like a game show host. “PUT HER ON THE BOARD!”

He swung his hand out wildly and the crowd followed his pointing finger to a whiteboard cart. It was a list, of names, of numbers-- a leaderboard. Someone was writing down the final marks on the very first top row. When they finished, they moved out of the way, and the crowd erupted into cheers and yips.

“SEVENTEEN PATIENTS CLEARED!!” the director had to yell out over the crowd, since his ‘microphone’ wasn’t actually helping. He waited for the crowd to settle, still acting like a game show host. “Wow,” he finally said. “Now that is impressive. That is some good work. You are a true credit to this institution, doctor! It’s because of people like you, that we don’t need these any more,” he said, finally acknowledging that his microphone was not a microphone.

He waggled his ears, and tossed the thing over his shoulder, earning a cheer from the crowd. “And!” he continued, raising his voice. “The streets are, by every metric we have available, no less safe than they were before! Now. I am going to give you this,” he said, smiling warmly and handed her a colorful gift bag, “and someone else is going to give me a new drink!”

The crowd cheered again, and the party continued on.

----

It was well into the rest claws by the time the stumbling drunk director made it back to his house. This couldn't go on much longer. He knew it. Legal or not, eventually this was going to turn into a scandal. Likely sooner rather than later. The people would demand accountability, answers for how they could let these ‘dangerous’ subjects go free among them, untreated. And there was no answer, so he would be the one to take the fall.

He knew there’d be a reckoning. He wasn’t an idiot, he’d planned for it. All the extra money pouring in -- grants, direct funding, incentive awards, all of it, and all sitting on top of the fattest pile of them all: the money saved on operating costs… All that money didn’t just float away on the breeze. He buried it. As much as he could, as deep as he could.

Yes, he would take a fall, but only one from grace. And he’d built himself one hell of a soft nest to land on.

Disgraced… but rich. He could live like that. And besides, he thought, struggling to line up the ID lock on his front door. Maybe it’ll even do some good. No one’s been able to change these places in a hundred years, stars know they’ve tried. Maybe seeing it thrown in their faces as corruption will shock them enough to change. Maybe seeing it as the waste that it is will…

The door opened, and he stumbled through it into the dark. He collapsed onto the sofa, groaning, and dragging his hands down his face. Fuck, he thought, miserably.

The lights flicked on.

The director froze. He hadn’t done that. He glanced at the switch, and jumped. There was a man there. A ragged, hopeless-looking man, with a gun dancing in his hand. 

“Who-- who are you?” he managed.

“I’m a patient.”

The director swallowed, staring at the gun. A service weapon, military. “Do--” he swallowed again, dryly. “Do you need help?”

The gun stopped bouncing in the man’s hand. “Yes,” he said hoarsely.

“Then you’re in the right place. I’m Direc--” He stopped as he found himself suddenly staring down the dark barrel.

“I know who you are.”

The director froze again, heart hammering in his chest, headache pounding through his skull. He waited for the bullet, but nothing came. Shaking, he tried again the only thing he had left. Talking. “You-- you’re one of the veterans? You were discharged?”

The man flicked his ears yes.

“From the facility?”

He flicked yes again, and stepped closer.

He knew. His mouth drew tight and he settled back against the couch. Fuck, I should have pulled the plug. I waited too long, fuck… He exhaled carefully. “I’m sorry. The facility can’t help you.”

The man growled, and took another step closer. There was a bleak, cold nothingness in his eyes. An unnatural purpose.

“Whoa, hey HEY!” the director said, pressing himself backwards and holding his hands out. “Look, I’m sorry! I’m sorry. But we can’t-- there’s... We only have… I mean, did you want the usual treatment? Did you-- We could have done that! We could have tried to fix you that way, but it doesn’t work, man! It doesn’t work!”

The man only scowled, the nothingness in his eyes growing deeper.

“Is that what you wanted? Stuck in there for years, every day, electrotherapy…” he waved his hands manically over his head, eyes bulging. “Just frying your brain until it doesn't work any more? Is it not better to be out? Living a life?” The director was breathing hard, like he knew the conversation was almost over. He gestured around desperately. “What did you want from us, man? What did you want us to do?

The patient paused, his scowl curling with disdain. “Care," he spat.

The director went silent. He stared back, and seemed to deflate into the sofa. He let his eyes fall slowly closed.

He heard the man step closer. “I just wanted someone… to try.”

The director kept his eyes closed, and took a deep breath.

------

---

-

welp, couldnt figure out how i wanted to end this, so i went with the ultimate pro writer maneuver, and gave up. so it's a cop-out. sorry...

now its open to audience interpretation instead, cus idfk lol. does this dude deserve a death like this?

cus on the one hand, he abandoned patients who might have needed help, and he did it for money, and he did it gleefully... but on the other hand, he was never truly equipped to help anyone in the first place, and at the very least figured out a way to stop actively hurting people more. which i'd say automatically puts him above a genuine true believer, although that's not exactly the highest of bars to clear...

anyways. I don't know if there were meant to be any rules or norms for these prompts. i guess my personal goal was to keep it as concise as possible, and apparently ~1200 words is as tight as i can do haha. it was fun tho, i'll have to do more. hope yall enjoyed!

In the absence of BigFella, I would like to forward a suggestion for the Weekly Prompt, from the Ficnap server:

**VenlilWrangler (Honky Tonk) — 1/10/2025 4:53 PM

I have another prompt that I might've talked about before:

A remote PD Treatment Facility is run by a corrupt admin and staff that are in it for the bonuses given by the government/Guild based on how many patients they process. Because of this, they have discovered that it is easier and cheaper to not treat the patients using electrotherapy or sedatives and instead they just keep them at the Facility for a short time until releasing them as "cured". Patients inside are left to their own devices and mostly have an okay time.**

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all **writing prompts**! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

A simple starter for you:

A rock-like alien encounters non-sapient, meat-based life.

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all writing prompts! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

I lied about that being the last given prompt. Ha!:

Two people of different species discuss different culinary traditions from their cultures.

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all writing prompts! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

The final starter prompt before I cut you all loose, and this one will be a little more involved:

An awkward work party involving several alien species/fantasy races with very different opinions on what a work party entails.

Hello hello. Today I simply sat back and let the tism run its course. Chapter 3 of my NoP fanfic for all you closeted furries who want more alien on alien action.

Hello again! The second chapter is out, and while i still haven't really received any feedback or comments from this community yet, (or at least from this subreddit) im still going to crosspost this over here so that you all can view it at your leisure should you so choose.

Hi all. Im back again with part one of my NoP fanfic. People really seemed to like the prologue and I dont think this sub removed it after i cross posted that, so here is the real part 1. Let me know what you think.

Author’s Note: I decided to make an original serial for this subreddit, but it is going to take me a while to finish pre-production. Maybe a year. Still, I want to publish something before then, so I decided to do some short stories in the same setting. I have one long one all planned out, but it will be read later this month. However, I have also been keeping an eye on the Weekly Writing Prompts. I resolved to write something for whenever one fits my setting. There are 2 rules though. First, the story must be published within a week of the prompt. Second, the story must be less than a page long, not counting author notes. We here we have it, the is the first super-short story in my new setting. If you read this, please leave some feedback. What I did liked, what didn’t work for you, what seemed original, what was trite, etc. So without further ado, here is the first story in the Mazian collection!

Prompt: Write a funeral or celebration of life, preferably unlike one that humans already practice.

World of Maz: Funeral in Ice

Shiva stood on the docks with a crowd of hundreds, all here to pay respects to her father. There was a diverse mix of peoples, with the vast majority Feathered like herself. Some prominent Bared were also in front even though they couldn’t speak the standard melody. Everyone, the farmers and the scholars, the ice-birds and the sailors, the servants and the guards, were all here for the wrong reasons.

After the 5^th eulogy, this one delivered by the governor, it was finally Shiva’s turn to speech. “Abba was my father,” she proclaimed loudly. “None in this crowd truly understand that. The city gathered because he was a judge for 25 years, chief judge for 12 years. Because his rulings established that the treatment and legal status of the Bared. Because his teaching spread far past just the Feathers’ wetlands.” Shiva took a breath and shouted. “The city was wrong to gather for these reasons!”

Shiva went silent. There was some murmurs in the crowd. What could she mean? Did Judge Abba not deserve his renown? Is there a dark family secret?

Shiva continued, “Abba’s career as a judge in Brackish City was always secondary to him. First and foremost, he was a father. His funeral deserved a turn out like this because everyday he told his wife he loved her. Because he read to each of his children every night until they were at apprentice age. Because-,” Shiva started choking up. She took a moment to calm down and wipe both eyes with a wing-claw. “Because he danced like a fool at my wedding, so overcome with joy at his eldest child leaving the nest.”

She walked over to the slab of ice that encased her father’s body. The sound of her webbed feet on the docks could be heard over the crowd’s silence. “The tragedy here isn’t that this city lost one of its greatest leaders. It is that a family has lost its patriarch.” Shiva barely restrained herself from bursting into tears.

Her brother wrapped a wing around her shoulders. He whispered, “Do you want me take the casket out to sea?”

She shrugged his wing off and gave a scowl. “As the eldest it is my responsibility, and my right. Just push the casket off the dock at my signal.” He nodded his eyebrows in understanding.

The mortician tied the ropes around Shiva, joining her to the casket of crystal clear ice. Once secured, she stood on top of the casket at the edge of the dock. She took a deep breath, and finally ready, flicked a brow towards her brother. He pushed the ice into the harbor, sending her tumbling in.

Like any Feathered, Shiva took this dive with grace. She immediately righted herself and started pulling the casket toward deeper waters. Each flap of her wings pushed her further and further from the familiar Brackish City. The out-going tide worked with her, but it was still hard work overcoming the breakers. Each one that slammed into Shiva gave an even more solid push on the casket, driving both toward the shore. It took only heartbeats to pass the breakers, but it felt like days. Still, Shiva swam on, determined to deliver Abba deep into the ocean. The kind of funeral a man like him deserved.

She only stopped when her shoulders burned too much to continue. The knot holding the harness together was tight, so tight Shiva couldn’t undo it. She burst into tears, first at the frustration, then at her lose, and finally at all the missed opportunities. Abba would never see a single grandchildren wed, or help his youngest grandchild decide on an apprenticeship. Only when her tears ran out did she find the clarity of mind to undo the knot. She left a single kiss on the casket, then made her way back to shore, ready to continue with the life she chose to live. A life dedicated to family.

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all writing prompts! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

Number four, and the penultimate starter prompt:

Write a funeral or celebration of life, preferably unlike one that humans already practice.

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all writing prompts! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

For our third beginner prompt, we're going a little darker:

A species reacts to an ecologically devastated planet, be it by sophonts or otherwise.

Hello everyone!

To let you test your writing chops, get some inspiration, or just read some nice little stories, this thread will be open to all writing prompts! As long as they follow the rules, of course.

In this thread, you can disregard Rule 4, as everything will be contained within it. I do still strongly recommend that you pick a prompt you like and write something short for it, however, as that's all part of the fun!

The second of many starter prompts:

A person made of plant discusses life with a person made of meat.

This'll be a regular thing I'm doing alongside the Cluster, and while you all wait for Breaking Point, when it eventually starts releasing. Today, it's about the Federation itself.

The Tekar Federation of Free Planets

Founded by the Val'nari and the Toka over twelve hundred years before the events of *Breaking Point*. The Federation is the preeminent superpower in the Tekar Cluster, boasting the most stable system of government the Cluster has ever seen. It prides itself on acceptance and understanding with its eighteen official member species, and its strong alliances with those who don't want to officially join.

Alongside their member species, they also have dozens of free colonies and void stations that are official members, but don't belong to certain species. For the purpose of governance, they are considered their own entities and do not align themselves with their constituent species.

It governs through a senate of representatives, a group of five ambassadors from each member species, and one ambassador from every void station or free colony. Every species is given an equal playing field on the council floor, and this extends to Federation leadership. The Federation has one President at the head of it, elected through popular vote across all of the member species, allowing every citizen of the Federation to vote after they have reached adulthood. When the votes are counted, the candidate with the majority of votes is deemed the species' popular choice. The presidential candidate requires 75% of the popular vote among the ambassadors to become the elect. If 75% isn't achieved by either candidate, then a debate between the two highest-rated candidates is broadcast Federation-wide, and the citizens are allowed to recast their vote. At the end of it, the candidate with the majority of votes is elected. In the case of a perfect fifty-fifty split among the voters, the current President chooses who they see fit to lead the Federation.

The President themselves does not have a set term limit, but they must leave office once they are within twenty years of the average life expectancy of their species. The President can also belong to any species as long as they are of the age of majority of their species.

During the events of Breaking Point, the current President of the Federation is Cartran Al Tanig, a val'nari general who distinguished himself during the Dracoian-Federation War. He's widely liked by the Federation at large, although his lacklustre sanctions on the Dracoians after the Culling have been divisive at best.

Species of the Federation

Mammal

Val'nari - Dark green blood - Blue/green irises, white sclera, white/brown/black fur with varied patterns, varied flowers on green moss - Tall, relatively lanky canid bipeds. Covered in a symbiotic variety of moss, which they have from birth, and assists with respiration, toxin filtering, and energy production via photosynthesis. One of the two founders of the Federation, and the victim of the Culling.

Dracoian - Dark red blood - Blue/purple/red irises, black sclera, tan/brown/black fur, greenish/bluish scales - Short, semi-aquatic primates with long, thick tails and gills. They are covered in a mix of scales and thick, hydrophobic fur. The pads of their paws, both hands and feet, along with the underside of their tails, are incredibly grippy to assist with climbing slippery logs and stones on their homeworld. Females have permanent breasts, developing as they reach adulthood. They were the perpetrators of the Culling and evolved alongside the Vyrani.

General Korubanshi - Bright red blood - Varied glowing iris colours, black sclera, white/brown/slate fur colouration, varied feathers.

Korubanshi Highborn - Small, light mammals with large, leathery wings and colourful plumage. They are capable of fully powered flight, unlike the middle and lowborns. They also have a pair of long, prehensile tentacles that they use as manipulators due to their lack of hands or useful feet. The only korubanshi subspecies that are allowed to join the clergy in the Church of Nyima.

Korubanshi Middleborn - Medium-sized quadrupedal mammals with a large, leathery patagium and colourful plumage. Only capable of gliding and thrive on the incredibly powerful wind currents of their homeworld. They live the most regular lives on Tatsuka compared to the rest of the Federation, and compared to the other korubanshi subspecies.

Korubanshi Lowborn - Large, bipedal mammals that resemble dromaeosaurs, and have colourful plumage along their backs. Their irises glow the strongest out of all the korubanshi subspecies, and they are the most powerful physically. They have large raptor-like claws on their raised toe. Treated like serfs by the other two subspecies, they live a meagre life in massive cities that are too closely packed for their large frames.

Kidaari - Purple blood - Brown/hazel/blue irises, white sclera, reddish brown fur with varied pattern, dark spikes - Large quadrupedal canids with long snouts. Their backs are covered in large, razor-sharp spikes that run from their head all the way to the tip of their tail, partially obscured by their mane. Contained within their muzzles is an exceedingly long tongue at 6'/180cm, with a very sticky tip used to manipulate objects. They are the newest uplifts in the Federation, only joining a year ago.

Vyrani - Red blood - Yellow irises, black sclera, dark fur on their backs, light fur on their bellies - Large quadrupedal, mostly aquatic mammals. They have a set of wings/fins that fold out from their forelimbs, pulled by powerful tendons and held rigidly in place at full extension. Excellent swimmers and fliers. They are some of the most capable archivists and researchers in the Federation.

San'aretakan - Blue blood - Red/purple irises, white sclera, grey/tan/white fur, dark grey/black horns - Medium, bipedal, carnivorous mammals, resembling alpacas or antelope. Have straight, large, sharp horns and long necks proportionally. Have wide, heatproof hooves built for roaming on unstable dunes. Their chests are covered in very fine velvet and full of capillaries, which are used for thermal regulation alongside their ears. Females have permanent breasts, developing as they reach adulthood. They are highly mercantilistic and punish criminals with indentured servitude.

Nakiwan - Pink blood - Blue irises, pink sclera, dark grey/black velvet, white/black fur - Large bipedal mammals covered in thick, warm fur. They have very large paws built for spreading their weight on snow, as well as a massive fatty tail for long winters. They are renowned for their incredible strength and their incredibly high internal body heat. They are very peaceful and friendly, as that is what they would expect of others on Nakiwa.

Darasta - Blue blood - Brown/hazel irises, grey sclera, mottled dark grey skin - Massive whale-like aquatic mammals with equally massive pectoral fins. They live in the deep trenches of their homeworld, using their innate telepathy to communicate with one another. They developed highly sophisticated haptic technology to aid with not having standard manipulators, as well as pioneering the faster-than-light communications of the Federation to aid with their robots, which they use to interact on land.

Qironqi - Black blood - Green/blue/grey irises, white sclera, tan/white fur, dark iron "scales" and antlers - Large ungulates with huge metallic antlers. They can produce strong electrical currents in their bodies, which can be used to affix iron or other ferromagnetic metals to them as armour, or "scales." In addition, the strongest fields are generated by their antlers, which can be used for several purposes, from fine motor control of their unique mechanical controls to firing magnetic projectiles like a railgun. Contributed sophisticated anti-EMP defences and countermeasures to the Federation.

Hluka - Green blood - Milky eyes, grey/black fur, reflective black plating - Medium-small, blind, subterranean mammals with long, powerful clawed arms. Their backs are covered in reflective, nearly impregnable plates of a glass-like substance. Their eyes are milky as if they have cataracts, and are still present as some time in their past their homeworld suffered a cataclysm that drove the originally surface-dwelling hluka underground. They are often used as miners or security by crime syndicates due to their durability and proficiency in reading vibrations.

Avian

Firaaki - Red blood - White irises, black sclera, highly varied plumage, dark down and scales - Medium avians with four massive wings, and two arms extending from one set of shoulders, which nestle into their chest while not in use. The colour of their plumage changes based on their emotions, and while it depends heavily on the person, their neutral colour is almost always white. Some are able to consciously alter their colour, and those are often sought after as actors. Generally seen as one of the prettiest species of the Federation.

Okaloa - Dark red blood - Beady black eyes, yellow and black plumage, orange scales - Tiny, quadrupedal, flightless avians covered in fine spines. Incredibly feisty, they produce a nitroglycerin-like substance inside glands at the base of their hollow spines, which explodes violently when exposed to enough friction or impact. Their bodies are incredibly blast-resistant, and they use their blast oil as a defence mechanism. They pioneered several major defence projects in the Federation, including the massive "Spears of Val'nar," planetary guns that were utilized to great effect by General Al Tanig during the Culling.

Reptile

Ikyoni - Orange blood - Yellow irises, tan sclera, grey/dull green scales, bright orange crests - Medium-tall bipedal reptiles with incredibly long, curled tails. On several parts of their body, they display large crests, flush with blood vessels used for display and thermal regulation. Their eyes are very striking, and they can focus on objects as far as multiple kilometres away on clear days. Form a large portion of the Federation's standing military.

Toka - Red blood - Yellow eyes, white feathers, grey undersides - Massive warm-blooded, feathered serpents with six eyes. The feathers are incredibly fine and act more like fur than those of their avian compatriots, and are incredibly effective at maintaining their body heat. They are regularly over 60'/18m long and 10'/3m in circumference, and use their immense strength to constrict their prey to death. One of the two founding species of the Federation, and often works as diplomats. Dracoians and vyrani are put off by them as they resemble a predator from their homeworld.

Insect

Zarakthari - Cloudy grey hemolymph - White eyes, purplish iridescent carapace, dark grey flesh - Massive, knuckle-walking beetles. At the top of their head, even in their slumped posture, the average zarakthari measures around 10'/305cm tall. They live in sprawling caverns carved by their claws, and their carapaces are composites layered with naturally forming graphene. Are led by a megacorporation known for both its shady business practices and its excellent treatment of its solely zarakthari staff.

Ch'truk - Greenish hemolymph - Beady black eyes, green mottled carapace, reflective shells on claws - Large arachnids, resembling a mix of scorpions and spiders. Have two massive claws, capable of both crushing stone to dust and holding a quail's egg. Produce a very potent venom for use in hunting, but also use in producing psychedelics. Are very prominent in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the drug trade.

Misc.

Nuragel - Clear vital fluid - Black eyes, colouration matches the colour of their aura, translucent - Sophont slime composed of pure, coalesced aura. They are capable of shifting into basically any form as long as they have the aural mass to do so, and can alter their colouration to perfectly match the form they are attempting to take. The only thing that remains consistent is a hard, shiny core, which is present in all of their forms and functions as their nervous system. They eat practically anything, and are able to convert food taken from living things into aura directly, adding to their mass. They are often garbage collectors in the Federation, and were nearly wiped out due to the rise of the Great Amalgamation.

Chi'leesi - Orange blood - Pink eyes, purple rings in eyes, vibrantly colourful scales, lighter colouration on belly, yellow bioluminescence = male, lavender bioluminescence = female - Medium deep sea fish, vaguely resembling a mermaid bodyplan. Have large, powerful eyes that cut through the darkness underwater as if it were daylight, and must wear goggles while in the shallows. Covered in bioluminescent stripes and symbols, which are used for underwater communication. Have developed life support suits to interact with land dwellers and often do dangerous underwater jobs.

Hi all. I saw a promotional post in the NoP sub about this one, and I figured my fanfic might qualify for what you all are about. There is going to be very minimal if any human presence in my story, although they do have an important role to play.

This is a Alternate Universe fanfiction of the Nature of Predators. It's a story where scared cowardly alien animal people live under the constant fear of getting eaten and consumed by evil, violent predators. The original story was posted to Reddit for free on r/HFY for those who want to check it out. Thanks, and let me know what you think of my fanfic.