Memory transcription subject: Estala, Extermination Officer, ‘Voyak’ Colony Cleanup Division

Date [standardized human time]: Feb 2nd, 2130

“Sorry, but why are you here Estala?”

I looked at Chief Exterminator Kolron with a look of confusion, the Yotul having asked the question with a level of exasperation. The Yotul chief Exterminator had pulled me aside after the day’s status meeting, speaking quietly as he’d asked me the question. A feeling of worry ran through me as I tried to work out what he meant.

“Uuhhh, I am here to provide an update on today's actions for the squad of Junior Exterminators under my command, s-”

I cut myself off before finishing the last word, the nerves of suddenly being asked such a strange question making me momentarily forget that Kolron did not like being called Sir. He did not seem happy with my response.

“No, not that! I mean, why are you here on Voyak specifically?”

I paused, looking around the forward operating camp, seeing various Exterminators going about their business as the chief whispered to me, nobody else paying attention as he asked this more private question. I was confused. Kolron didn’t play games, being a down business Exterminator focused on results and accomplishing our mission. Honestly, I wish he’d have been the one in charge on ‘Little Yortu’.

“I am… here to aid the Federation in clearing out the colony Voyak, a great task for prey everywhere and-”

“I don’t need the propaganda reason.” Kolron interrupted me, causing my voice to splutter out with confusion as he spoke. “I need the actual reason you are here, because we’ve worked together for [4 months] now, and I can’t for the life of me work it out.”

I stood there for a moment, speechless, uncertain as to what exactly the Exterminator in charge of this entire colony cleanup operation wanted. What other reason was there than to aid the Federation?

“I don’t understand…”

The Yotul gave a sigh, staring at me for a moment as if deciding I was telling the truth or not, before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and drawing in closer.

“Normally, I’d think you were making fun of me. But frankly, you not realizing kinda fits with who I know you to be, because you are by far the most naive by the book Exterminator I have ever met. Look, this kind of expedition is where they dump Exterminators they either want out of their way, or punished. You wonder why nobody ever does more than one colony clear out? It’s because these placements suck, especially for repeat callers.”

“Wait, are you saying every single Exterminator here is someone a guild is trying to get rid of?”

I asked the question incredulously, glancing at the other Exterminators in the distance. Kolron gave a tail swish of affirmation at my statement, pointing out the Exterminators one by one as he responded with a more hushed whisper.

“Kryyer there PD’d an Elder’s kid back on Talsk, Plalak was caught dealing Sunbliss on Venlil Prime, Quuan probably has PD, which is weird for a Dossur, and Truoola is possibly the most incompetent Kolshian I have ever met. Which is why I’m asking: why are you here Estala?”

I paused for a moment, the information sinking in tandem with my heart. Kolron’s revelation made a disturbing amount of sense. For instance, the Kolshian in question never left the base, happy to do admin and paperwork. Unfortunately with that context, I knew why I'd been sent here and what answer the Yotul wanted from me.

“On my last colony expedition, I ended up screaming at my commanding officer in front of everyone. I get the feeling the leadership on Nishtal don’t like my adherence to the rules, the 5 months before I was sent here they kept ‘suggesting’ a relaxation of regulations. Does… this mean they want me to quit the guild?”

Kolron stared at me for a moment, before seeming to accept my explanation and giving a shrug.

“That makes sense with what I've seen from you. Don’t worry, they don't want you to quit, you're far too competent for that. They just want you to… chill out a bit, and realize how good you have it on Nishtal or wherever. Let's be honest, you can be a little intense.”

“I just care about following the rules, I just want people to be safe!”

“I’m not saying that you're wrong, the suggestions you’ve made to me have been very helpful, but most people… Try to phrase your statements more as suggestions. People tend to react badly to others quoting random guidelines and telling them they’re doing everything wrong.”

“But that’s our job!.”

“Rule number one of working with incompetent people: don’t judge their methods. Especially if you have receipts to back it up.” Kolron removed his arm from my shoulder, giving a dismissing tail swipe before turning to walk away. “I just needed to make sure there was nothing I was missing with you.”

I paused for a moment, a question forming on my beak as the Yotul started to leave the conversation. I considered dropping the query I had, before pressing ahead with a plume of confidence.

“So why are you here on Voyak, Kolron?”

“That’s private and for me to know.”

“I need to know what I’m working with, Kolron.”

That caused the Yotul to give a small chuckle, turning to face me once again.

“Using my own words against me, how very ‘predatory’. Let’s just say I ‘allegedly’ punched a Chief Exterminator in the face.”

I could feel alarm run through my body, from my beak to my tail feathers at the idea of Kolron attacking another Exterminator. Did that mean he was predator diseased, was I in danger?

“Oh, don’t look like that!” Kolron snapped at me, annoyed. “I said ‘allegedly’. I don’t make a habit of it regardless, and as long as you don’t ‘allegedly’ call me a primitive we’ll continue to get along fine.”

That… that I could understand. There were a lot of people who looked down upon the Yotul, seeing them as lesser just because their uplift had only been done recently. Not that I believed that. Any Exterminator of any species was doing the Federation’s work, and deserved respect for the prey they kept safe.

“I understand, that won’t be a problem Kolron.”

—------------------------

Memory transcription subject: Estala, Human Methods Advisor to the Exterminators.

Date [standardized human time]: March 8th, 2137

“So what are we doing here boss?”

The van trundled along the roads of Venlil Pr– Skalga. The van trundled along the roads of Skalga, the self-driving vehicle moving along the winding streets as this claw’s traffic drove along at a gradual pace. The van sported the classic Exterminator’s logo, although the inside was far emptier than normal. The racks that were once filled with flamers and fuel lay bare, all equipment removed ever since the choice had been made to ditch fire-based weaponry. I was in the process of replacing them with UN supplied non-lethal alternatives, but the logistics of replacing the Exterminator’s main method of predator control took… time.

“It’s simple. We’re missing records in the main database to a worrying degree. However, every district stores the original copies of every Exterminator’s report, archived away just in case.”

Jkob, the Letian Exterminator, sat next to me in the front of the van. I’d taken an interest in his career ever since I’d returned to the force: Jkob had a spotless record and exceptionally high firearm aptitude scores, having been relegated to IT tasks in the head office due to his species… supposed affinity for predator disease. I’d never taken much stock in such statements.

Although the Letian ability to glide silently through the air was still creepy.

“So why am I here then? Can’t you look at records by yourself?”

“Firstly, there are so many names on this list that we’re going to have to split up. I’m going to check these 6 names in Ipsom Grove, and you’re going to check those 8 names in Old Daycity. We’ll meet back up and compare notes in an hour.”

So many names was an understatement. I’d found at least 22 previous PD facility patients who had been killed in ‘predator attacks’, yet had their data wiped from the Exterminator database. These had just been the ones I’d located.

“What exactly are we looking for, boss?”

I didn’t know what I was looking for, or expecting to find. All I knew was that this felt strange, almost purposeful. Something worth investigating.

“Patterns, something to explain why all of these different cases aren’t on the official records. Cause of death, what Exterminator logged them, anything.”

“You think an Exterminator is trying to hide something?”

“There’s plenty of explanations: Data corruption, incorrect recording procedures, or someone breaking into what I now know are very insecure systems.”

Yet every time I think of the records with no data, I can’t help but get a bad feeling, as if I was going to uncover something I really didn’t want to know about.

“Wait boss, didn’t you say that was just the first reason?”

“Well, the second reason you’re here is that technically I’m on medical leave, so any official Exterminator business is being done by yourself. I’m just here as part of my new hobby of solving cold cases!”

Jkob gave a frown at that, folding his wings as the Letian looked down at me with a seemingly unconvinced glare.

“So your ‘hobby’, is doing more work, when you should be resting? While also using work vehicle and accessing work-based records?”

I glanced around guilty at that statement. Of course, it wasn’t more work, it was a hobby, a human hobby!

“No, it’s not work, it’s for fun! I don’t have a problem!”

“So you don’t mind me taking this on while you go home and rest from your head injury, boss?”

Jkob’s voice sounded accusatory as he said it, as if he knew I wasn’t going to do such a thing. Luckily I had an escape, as the van started to approach the Exterminator Guild’s office in the Ipsom Grove district.

“It’s just looking at records, nothing strenuous, not even going on patrol! This is my exit, can’t speak now, I’ll see you when we regroup.”

I wrenched open the van door before it had fully stopped, taking flight and escaping the difficult conversation by literally flying away from it. Escaping the heavy gravity of the world, and the Letians shouted warnings against my ‘strenuious dangerous actions’, as I took to the air on this fine Skalgan day, watching as the van containing Jkob continued onwards to its second destination.

It’s fine. So I like helping people, sue me.

Ipsom Grove was a relatively quiet district, a nice, slow part of the habitable band of Skalga filled with mostly retirees and people looking for its many calming parks. Its Exterminator’s Guild was no different, filled with older Venlil Exterminators, most of which were close to retirement themselves, looking for a few more years of calm, quiet work.

That’s why the district had taken to the humans quite quickly: it was just a lot easier to do so. Most Venlil in this community had reached the age where they preferred to doddle around instead of complain, and protesting against the humans moving in was just too much effort compared to getting on with their routine. The fact that humans were more than willing to do chores and carry things for the elderly Venlil also went a long way towards their acceptance.

The guild here had a similar view. It was far easier to just accept the help the UN was offering and go along with the changing times, than try and make a stand against Tarva.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

I walked through the building, heading towards the archives held in the basement, waving my wing back at the few officers who recognised me, although… something was off. Everyone looked like a Arxur raiding party had just run through the building, signs of fear and distress apparent in the many Exterminators manning desks or moving too and fro with worry as they did their jobs.

I couldn't help but grumble to myself, annoyed at the suggestion from Jkob that this new hobby of mine was a thinly veiled attempt to keep working. This was a legitimate human hobby of solving cold cases! It had books and documentaries and everything! The fact it was similar to my job was entirely coincidental.

The elevator doors opened as it reached the basement where the archives were held, to show sterile halls lit with simple dim lighting. This level was quieter than the upper levels, my talons echoing along the corridors as I walked. In fact, the only other person down here with me was a…

Oh Inatala!

I pressed myself against the wall, hiding around the corner as my heart started beating furiously as I'd glanced towards the… thing stalking the halls. Slowly, I peeked my head back around the corner to double-check what I'd seen, before hastily ducking back into cover again.

What in the hell is he doing here?

The thing prowling the corridors wasn't a prey or a predator. He was a monster, an eldritch beast sent from Maltos himself to devour the souls of unwary Exterminators. A force of nature taking the form of a Venlil Lawyer, the infamous Venric.

Over the last year, the ‘Lawven’, as the humans called him, had taken the habit of sueing the tail feathers off of Exterminator guilds, taking cases of humans and prey alike against many Exterminator guilds. He won more often than not.

I had a mixed view of Venric. On one wing, his threats of litigation made various districts more open to my suggestions of reform. On the other wing, it was hard to reform a guild without any money.

I wanted to get rid of my paid time off but not like this!!

With absolute terror, I could hear the sound of claws tapping along the floor, getting louder with the sound of approaching doom.

Oh Inatala, why is he here, is he here for me!?

Nobody knows you're here.

You don’t know that! Maybe he was lying in ambush like a shadestalker!

Terror overran my mind, a feeling I hadn't felt since my years as a junior Exterminator on Nishtal, panic setting in as I looked for a method of escape. The doors were too far away to get to in time.

Wait! I have a firearm, I can fight!

No you idiot, you can't shoot a random lawyer, that's illegal.

He’s not a random lawyer, he’s the embodiment of chaos and destruction!

Really?

I needed some way to escape the terror approaching me, eyes darting from side to side, until I spotted a possible escape: a giant trash can. I dove into it, doing my best Sivkit impression as I ignored the smell, placing the lid back on top as I was thrown into darkness in my hiding place.

This is silly, why would he even be looking for you?

I don’t know!? What about the RIOT!? I SHOT A LOT OF HUMANS WITH BEANBAG ROUNDS! WHAT IF I HURT ONE?

You did nothing wrong.

I DON'T KNOW THAT, I DON'T KNOW EVERY SINGLE VENLIL LAW!

I could hear the claw taps of doom echoing down the hall, getting closer and closer as I tried to think silent thoughts.

Wait, didn't you dive head first into a human riot?

THIS GUY IS WORSE!

You've also fought the Arxur…

NOT EVEN AN ARXUR COMPARES WITH EVIL CRUEL PERSISTENCE OF THAT LAWYER! AN ARXUR DOESN’T LEAVE YOU ALIVE TO SUFFER!!!

Silence, the claw taps had stopped somewhere in the hall. I couldn't hear the accursed Venlil from my position in the dark.

OH INATALA I'M GOING TO DIIIIIEEEE!

That is not going to happen…

I'M GOING TO GET SUED TO POVERTY AND DESTITUTION. I WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD MANGOS ANY MORE!!!!

My world became a flooding of light as the trash can lid was wrenched off the top of my hiding place, the evil monstrous Venlil looking down at his prey below, my breath stuck in my lungs.

ESTALA.EXE HAS STOPPED WORKING. REBOOTING.

“Why hello!” The beast’s voice dripped with venomous positivity. “An impressive little domain you’ve claimed for yourself. Have you moved up in the world since I last saw you?”

“I, but… I- with the…. It’s not- I…”

My words couldn’t form as I stared up at the Venlil, adrenaline and fear clouding my every through and making conscious thoughts hard to form.

I AM IN SO MUCH TROUBLE. HE’S GOING TO SUE MEEEEEE!

The beast cleared his throat. “Would you please exit this domain of yours before we speak, miss Estela?”

Wait, Estela- that’s not my name. Does this guy not even know my name?

The unexpected sound of Venric calling me by the wrong name knocked my brain back into gear, words and thoughts finally forming correctly again as I leapt out of the trash can, scattering a few items amongst the floor.

“I was… just doing Exterminator business! I needed a very important piece of evidence!” I looked around before picking up a crumpled Sprunk can triumphantly, holding it out as if to make my point. “I’ve not been doing anything illegal or lawsuit worthy! And I only shot all those people in self-defence!.”

The eyebrow of the lawyer raised in full scepticism. “Hmm, it’s only been how long since we met up about those cattle children, and you’re admitting that you’ve already shot multiple people?”

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT, COME ON BRAIN, STOP MESSING THIS UP!

“They’re still good and alive, it was official UN beanbag rounds in official UN actions and UN official… officalness! It was Exterminator business containing a human disturbance! It-“

The sound of a throat clearing cut off my rambling. Standing behind Venric was that- that other Venlil who he had taken under his legal wings.

“I know I’m not your lawyer right now,” she whistled, “but I think I know enough to advise you to stop talking.”

YES! SILENCE! THAT WAS SOMETHING I SAW ON THE HUMAN COP DRAMAS. PEOPLE CALLED MIRANDA ARE SILENT!

I just gave a small nod, the human gesture being the only thing I trusted myself to do as I glanced between the two worst people to be trapped in a room with as an Exterminator, the Sprunk can still grasped tightly within my hand as if it was a safety rail.

“Good advice there Serl,” Venric whistled. “But Luckily for her, we aren’t here because of her…” he trailed off, his eyes now squinting in uncertainty. “Unless you’re here seeking us…?”

That was a phrase that nearly caused a laugh to break through the absolute terror. The idea I’d go tracking down the two scariest anti-Exterminator Lawyers on all of Skalga… I’d have to be in serious trouble to do something like that.

“No, of course not! I’m here to…” I paused, my brain finally starting to work in this conversation. This was an issue with Exterminator record keeping and processes, telling Venric of all people about this was not a good idea. I decided to take the other lawyer's advice and give as little information as possible “... For an internal investigation.”

Venric hummed, and even Serl’s eyes began to squint as she spoke. “Would that investigation involve the local exterminators assisting the local zoning council in their discriminatory practices?”

Wait, what? They’re doing what now? I felt the shift of gears in my brain as fear gave away to… annoyance. Of course these two wouldn’t be here for me, we were in a quiet, low trouble district, nowhere close to where I normally frequent. My demeanour changed as the sound of work to be done became apparent. This guild was generally pro-human, but generally didn’t mean always.

“No… Wait, did you say discriminatory? Who? This district isn’t known for that, what’s the problem?”

Venric huffed in slight annoyance, but Serl’s gaze shifted to one of… Sympathy as she spoke. “A human and a Venlil partnered up to purchase some land to convert into an orchard on the outskirts of the city. The local council has been leveraging some borderline-illegal fines and pressuring the exterminators to disrupt their business with fraudulent calls about predatory incursions.”

That… actually didn’t surprise me. It wasn’t uncommon knowledge that more unscrupulous people used the Exterminators to harass others out of business. Legally, we had to respond to any and all possible predator sightings, and while false calls were illegal, proving malicious intent after the fact was another matter entirely.

“We got called to essentially legally intimidate the council to back off,” Venric stated, “Once those crotchety board members know just how badly a lawsuit would go for them, hopefully our clients can start growing their mangoes in peace.”

Well it was good that- did he say MANGOES!?

“Someone is finally growing mangos on Skalga?! Why would they try to stop that! How dare they! Are they cheaper than the imported ones?”

“They aren’t growing yet,” Venric answered to my despair, leaning back with his eyes wide. “We’re mainly hoping that the council doesn’t draw everything out with an actual lawsuit so they can start planting their trees. It’s up to the council to do nothing.”

MAYBE I COULD ARREST THE COUNCIL FOR PREDATOR DISEASE.

That’s not how that works… that would be corruption and illegal….

BUT MANGOS!

No…

GIVE IN TO THE DARK SIDE, ESTALA, THERE ARE MANGOES HERE.

“Well, council stuff I can’t do too much about, but I can talk with the guild here, let them know that predator sightings in the orchard are going to be false calls. If there’s anything I can do to help get the mangos growing faster….”

All thoughts of fear and terror were now gone, replaced only with a singular goal ‘Make sure that mango farm goes ahead’. Surely home-grown fruits would be cheaper than the exuberant prices I have to pay for my current supply!

Venric’s tail wagged in an all too predatory fashion. “We shall have to keep that in mind! However, I am not one to accept charity, so, if you need any assistance in your… personal investigation, I can surely lend my support.”

Oh right… my investigation. With the people who had been killed by a predator. The dead people. The thing that was more important than cheaper mangos.

“This is not a Leaf from Two Trees,” Serl stated with her ears flat, “this is reciprocating kindness, no more.”

Indeed,” Venric agreed, holding out his paw in a rather human manner. I reciprocated the gesture, a ‘predatory’ handshake with the most ‘predatory’ lawyer on Skalga.

“Thank you Estela,” he said with an approving flick of his ears. “It was good meeting you, but we must be off! I believe our clients are waiting on us. Have a Good Paw!”

I watched as the pair left, giving a sigh of relief as I sat myself upon the floor, letting the final drops of adrenaline fade from my system, before realizing with annoyance that Venric once again said my name wrong. With a bit of embarrassment, I looked around at the mess I had made: trash scattered everywhere, and in my haste to hide I had stepped in… something I didn’t want to think too hard about.

In retrospect, my actions felt a little bit silly.

Venric’s presence explained why everybody at reception looked so agitated and terrified. I felt annoyance as I made my way to the archives room, all fear and worry gone now I knew the true reason for the “Lawven’s” visit. The brutish Lawyer probably walked in and started dropping threats of lawsuits, when a simple discussion or even email would have been enough.

It wasn’t like Exterminators liked attending false calls. A simple heads up and warning would have been far more effective; anyone attending such a call would know that they just had to turn up, mark that they didn’t see any predators, and then leave.

I wonder if the farm would give an Exterminator discount if we brought in bulk…

Venric had talked about discriminatory actions, but frankly, that was his anti-Exterminator bias showing, everything looking like a nail. If I knew this district, the council probably had far less of an issue with the ‘human’ part of the equation, and more of a problem with the ‘farm’ part. Allowing flesh eating predators who kept to themselves and were helpful was one thing, allowing a noisy mango farm that would break the cosy ‘aesthetic’ of their town or reduce property values… was an entirely different matter.

Still, after I was finished here, I’d drop a polite email to the council reminding them that filing false predator sightings during this… difficult time for the Exterminators, stretching our resources, was a crime. Nothing would stop me from getting access to a cheap supply of mangoes. Nothing!

I finally made my way to the archives, a simple room filled with cabinet after cabinet of data storage drives. Rows upon rows of every single thing this district’s Exterminators had entered on their data pads. Millions of patrols reported, predatory sightings investigated, every single thing an Exterminator did on their job would be logged here and stored, just in case we ever needed the original location the information was entered into.

I made my way to the day’s reports for the first name on my list. Taylek. Killed in a predator attack [17 months and 3 days] ago. Finding the date in question was simple, but finding the exact report took a little longer, checking data drive after data drive, going through an entire district’s worth of work over the period of a day.

Finally!

There it was, the original report filed, containing the photos and initial investigation of the predator attack. It would just be a simple case of opening the file and…

Shit.

A single blow causing death, heart removed. Exactly like the other three victims of the Heartbreak Killer. In addition, there was no reason why this record wasn’t on the system. I quickly scrambled to find the next data entry I needed, filtering through yet another day’s records. Ustol, killed in a predator attack, [11 months and 27 days] ago.

My heart felt with a mixture of worry and anxiety as I saw the same cause of death for this Venlil as well. I checked every other name on my list. 6 names in total, 6 reports found, all of the missing reports I checked had the same cause of death: Predator attack, single blow, heart removed.

A sneaking suspicion started to creep into my mind. They were all predator diseased, that was the only thing linking these people together, what if… what if that was the connection, that someone thought the original three victims were predator diseased. That’s what made the three different enough to be killed more in the open.

They all happened after the humans arrived.

I entered their names into various databases, looking for signs of human support, for signs of anything that suggested they would be considered Predator Diseased by an anti-human zealot last year.

One of them was in the exchange program. One of them volunteered to aid the humans after the bombing of Earth…

A clear pattern was emerging as I looked at the six identical deaths and the three I already knew about. No, not deaths, murders… Someone had been cleansing people suspected of predator disease: Ex-patients and those affiliated with humans, deaths going back years. I’d have to check my theory against what Jkob had found, but the pieces of this puzzle were starting to fit in place.

Just how many people had this person killed?