Memory transcription subject: Silvon, venlil biologist
Date [Standardized human time]: August 16th, 2148
[Day 9]
I hastily threw anything important into the suitcases. Danny was standing outside the front door with a gun tucked in his back pocket. He insisted we buy one a long, long time ago. I didn’t see the need for a self-defense weapon until now. He kept his eyes trained on scanning bushes and passing cars, freaking out our neighbors, but not to the same extent we were.
After we found that note, Danny immediately demanded I start packing my things. We talked it over, I’d have to stay at my parent’s house for a while. They were fine having me, especially when we told them why. Danny called for a shuttle to fly me out to Morva Falls, he said he’d stay behind. I begged him to come with me, but he pieced together that whoever would want to stop the summit, probably wanted their paws on the virus. He’s going to defend the lab.
There was the sound of a wooshing exhaust. Danny stepped inside, eyes still trained out the door. “Shuttle’s here, Silvvy.”
I threw my arms around him, terrified something would happen- or worse! A couple of sobs escaped my throat as Danny embraced me.
“It’s okay, everything will be okay, I promise,” his voice was soft, but exuded so much confidence in himself. I knew I could trust he’d be okay. He wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed me softly.
“I love you, Danny.”
“I love you too,” he whispered. “Now go, please.”
I nodded my head and stepped into the shuttle. He waved goodbye to me. I gave a farewell tail flick, praying it wouldn’t be our last.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Stephan Hausen, Humanity First follower
Date [Standardized human time]: August 16th, 2148
[Day 9]
Oh yeah, the scare tactics worked like a charm. Within an hour that xeno-fucker shipped his fiancée halfway across the world to keep her safe. That’s fine, to be honest, I didn’t actually give two shits about her. All I needed to do was threaten someone close. But that does present a new problem, Stat is still going to the summit.
I’d have to ask Aaron about taking it a step further, convincing him myself. I drove away once the shuttle left, my car was waiting in a nearby lot for my smooth getaway, Stat didn’t suspect a thing!
Once I got back home, a shitty dome-shaped butchering of architectural design, I called up Aaron on my holopad to inquire about our next step.
“Stephan, I take it things went well?” He asked.
“Oh yeah, swimmingly. Scared the shit out of them, no blood on my hands,” I chuckled. Aaron smiled through the display, which was quickly wiped away when I said, “But-”
“But what?” He asked.
“But, Dr. Stat is still attending the summit. All it accomplished was scaring away his venlil slut. I need permission to get up close and personal,” I said. Aaron sighed and rubbed his head.
“Small sacrifices for the greater good,” he mumbled. “Fine. But don’t kill him. He’s very important, and thrusting Humanity First back into the public eye will- well, it’ll repeat ‘139. We don’t need that.”
I nodded in understanding and agreement. “I’ll make sure he’s alive and well.” I closed the call, I needed time to formulate my next step. Aaron was right, if I’m not careful enough, it’d be a disaster on par with ‘139, or worse.
That was the year an assassination attempt was made on former governor Veln. We had one of our headquarters in the capitol raided, and Humanity First was declared a terrorist organization. We’ve had to lay very low ever since. The last thing we need is to be weeded out by the government again. I’ll think of some way to protect us.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Sadie Hughs, UN representative
Date [Standardized human time]: August 16th, 2148
[Day 9]
I was still bedridden from the bullet. The other paw I was moved to a hospital on Earth. They said I’d be up and moving again within a few weeks, and I was lucky I wasn’t shot anywhere vital. I was keeping up with the news on Skalga from my holopad, things were calmer along the border, and the gunman who shot me succumbed to the virus shortly after. The bastard.
While mindlessly scrolling social media, about all I could do anymore, I came across an interesting post that had me morbidly intrigued. Some conspiracy nut named Weiton died pretty recently, he ran a podcast where he talked about how shitty humans are, and how awesome the kolshians were. An interesting venlil. Once he passed, his army of brainrotted conspiracists began taking to the streets in his name, like he was some kind of idol.
I saw a video of a march through Ransu, they were declaring the Skalgan Flu ‘predator’s disease’ and blaming humans for supposedly unleashing a bioweapon. More videos of them tussling with peacekeepers, though none at the city’s borders. The number of xenophobic extremists seemed to be growing by the day. I wished this shit would be over soon.
I saw a call to arms and cautiously clicked a link to their website. I planned to log it later. In an interesting parallel to Humanity First, the venlil had formed something of their own group. They were fucking insane. And armed.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Tenuum, venlil extremist
Date [Standardized human time]: August 16th, 2148
[Day 9]
We took to the streets, screaming and chanting our cries for freedom from the predator’s tyrannical reign. We knew full well they controlled our government! They were no better than the feds! I lifted and smashed a rock through a nearby business, fucking sympathizers!
More blunt objects and rocks followed, the streets were pure chaos. This is what they deserve! This is Skalga! I threw my fist skyward and shouted, drowned out by the crowd that followed the action.
We were soon drowned out by the hum of several shuttles flying overhead. Each one had the UN’s seal painted on the bottom so we knew exactly who we were dealing with. We continued our march as the shuttles landed further down the street and a swarm of blue helmets poured out to assemble a line formation.
Oh yeah, we’ve pissed them off. We picked up the pace, running straight toward the peacekeepers. The UN was very strict about firing on civilians, the pushover predators can’t do shit! We were right up against them, bashing into their shields and trying to knock ‘em over.
One screamed over a megaphone, demanding us to stop, but we were done listening to predators. All of them held rifles that I assumed were just for scare tactics. A couple of us made grabs for them.
It was all great, laughing my head off while the humans failed to stop our rallying. Then one raised their gun.
There was a gunshot. Before I even registered what happened, the venlil in front of me fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth and seizing. He was struck right in the head by some kind of ‘non-lethal’ bullet. Nobody around noticed his convulsing, they kept pushing into the peacekeepers, crushing him beneath their feet.
More of the gunshots sounded, and soon an equal amount of people were running back as they were pushing forward. I was sandwiched between a pair caught up ramming the shield. One of the bullets struck me directly in the chest and I felt the wind leave me. I did all I could to avoid falling to the floor, which was now flowing orange.
Those fuckers triggered a stampede. An unlucky shot smashed through the eye of the venlil next to me, splattering him across my face. I felt sick to my stomach and couldn’t hold in my screams.
A real bullet struck one of the peacekeepers. I watched in horror as he immediately pulled his sidearm and fired with reckless abandon into the crowd. It was a bloodbath. The other blue helmets stopped him after he emptied a full magazine. Our form fell apart and I managed to get away from the front lines, slipping on viscera.
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I lost my footing on someone’s stamped-out brain matter and collapsed the the floor. The crowd wasted no time trampling over me, my snout and limbs were smashed in, and then a crushing blow to my skull turned the world black.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Governor Maulo of the Venlil Republic
Date [Standardized human time]: August 16th, 2148
[Day 9]
I watched the news broadcast in horror. I was certain the UN had disallowed the use of rubber bullets. Stars, they’ve massacred those people. I pried my eyes away from the stampede in progress to request immediate communications with Secretary General Abdul.
The line halted for a moment, being transferred through an encrypted quantum link to Earth before finally, the human representative’s visage materialized on the display.
“Governor Maulo, a pleasure as always.”
“Maybe not this time, Secretary General, I’m forwarding a news broadcast, your peacekeepers are overreaching in Ransu City,” I watched his calm demeanor tighten into a barely concealed mask of outrage.
“Good lord,” he muttered.
“I understand their hands were tied with the riot, but shooting the crowd was never supposed to be an option. Why exactly were they even armed?” I asked.
“You were right, they were never meant to actually shoot anyone, the loaded sidearms and rubber bullets are required now after the shooting at the north border,” he explained. “It was always a precaution, not a threat.”
“Well, the protestors sure took it as one! There are reports of several dozen injuries sustained by the bullets too, I thought they were ‘non-lethal’!” I realized my voice was raised and took a moment to collect myself.
“They’re supposed to be, though they can be damaging at such close ranges. The intention, again, wasn’t to shoot anyone with any bullet. The fire was likely caused by the protestors attempting to steal the troop’s service weapons.”
I nodded, I’d gathered that from the footage. “From what I saw, the protestors shot first, but the peacekeeper who discharged actual ammunition into the crowd was firing indiscriminately. I believe that falls under a crime against sapience, and I advise removing them from their position,” I said. “This is going to look a lot worse on your part than the north border.”
“I am aware. A statement will be made as soon as possible. We may have to address it at the summit once the other species catch wind of things,” the Secretary General rubbed his chin. “I’ll issue an order to pull out any peacekeepers not assigned at the borders. We won’t have a repeat of this.”
We concluded the call. I was exhausted, and the paw had barely begun. Between this and the situation with Dr. Stat, surely the day couldn’t get worse.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Daniel Stat, human virologist
Date [Standardized human time]: August 17th, 2148
[Day 10]
I didn’t sleep last paw. I was so scared. I kept the gun close, constantly patrolling past windows, carefully keeping an eye out. My alarm went off before I realized how much time had passed. I didn’t have the time to call out of work, so I begrudgingly got dressed and into the car.
Tinasi greeted me in the break room, she was filling in for Silvon. “Dr. Stat! Jeez, you look tired,” she observed.
“Yeah, I feel tired,” I grumbled. I made myself a cup of coffee and yawned.
“Are you alright? Where’s Dr. Silvon?” she asked.
I shook my head and opened up my holopad to a photograph of the note and knife. “Someone has it out for me because I want to stop the virus.”
“What? Who?” Tinasi asked, suddenly just as worried as me.
“I wish I knew. I’ve been up all night scared someone would break into our house. I sent Silvvy to stay with her parents in the meantime,” I explained then sighed and drank some of the coffee.
“Oh! I’m glad she’s okay at least,” the yotul exclaimed.
“Yeah, me too. But I’m still afraid. I’m going to that summit, but what do I do about retribution afterward? Whoever left this note seemed serious about their threat. I couldn’t bear if harm came to Silvvy over this,” I said shakily.
“I’m sure you’ll be okay, both of you.”
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Stephan Hausen, Humanity First follower
Date [Standardized human time]: August 17th, 2148
[Day 10]
I was waiting for Dr. Stat. As soon as he left for work, I got to work making myself at home. He had a real nice house, lots of hung-up photographs of him and his xeno. I used his microwave to warm up my dinner, something I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of when he’s home.
I fiddled with a stun gun, all I’d need to do was point and shoot to have him knocked out for the next few hours. The handle turned slowly, I prepared myself, partially hidden behind a chair in case he still had that gun on him.
Dr. Stat opened the door and stepped inside, I quickly fired my weapon and he dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.
~~~
Memory transcription subject: Daniel Stat, human virologist
Date [Standardized human time]: August 17th, 2148
[Day 10]
My eyes fluttered open. My head felt fuzzy and ached badly. My surroundings slowly came back into clarity. I first realized I was bound to the couch. I next noticed the man standing before me.
“Dr. Stat,” he said, his voice gruff and low. “It’s great to meet you,” he extended a hand, then laughed in my face as I struggled with my binds. He had a ring on, Humanity First.
“What do you want?” I growled, glaring daggers at him.
“Me? Nothing, nothing at all. What we want,” he tapped the ring for emphasis, “is for you to steer clear of that summit.”
“Why? What could you possibly get out of that?” I asked incredulously.
“The ‘predator’s disease’, doctor. The more it kills, the easier it’ll be for us to usurp control over the population,” he said cooly. “They’re already rampaging through the streets like the filthy animals they are,” he chuckled and popped open his holopad.
He scrolled through some headlines, then forced me to watch a video of a stampede. Peacekeepers were firing into the crowd while they helplessly ran over each other. It was horrible! He saw my disgust and began laughing again.
“You hungry, Stat?” he asked suddenly. I didn’t even dignify him with an answer. He backhanded me, then disappeared into my kitchen.
I looked around the room for any possible way out. The gun I had in my pocket was sitting unattended on the coffee table, far out of reach though. He tied me up with some kind of tape. Maybe I can loosen it if I move more.
The Humanity First member returned carrying a plate of meat. It smelled strange, like a mix of beef and chicken. There was a sweetness tucked in the aroma. I began digging my nails into the tape around my wrists, desperate to get it to break.
He began sawing the meat with a fork and knife. It bled orange. “You sure you don’t want a bite, Stat? I’m sure it tastes just like that venlil you’re fucking.” I resisted throwing up as he slowly bit down on the chunk of flesh, savoring its flavor. My nails began making progress.
He cut off another chunk and jabbed it with his fork. “Y’know, it’s real rude to decline such a delicacy! It’s damn hard getting these steaks imported,” he said, skewering a couple of chunks at once and eating them. He wiped his face on his sleeve, leaving a light, greasy streak of orange blood. The tape was so close.
“Just one bite,” he grinned, cutting free another chunk and jamming it on the fork. He slowly began gliding the meat toward my mouth. I felt sick, cutting faster and faster at the tape. I felt it loosen and began shuffling.
He grabbed my jaw and pried open my mouth. The binds were weak enough. I separated my hands, snapping the binds. I used one hand to grab the fork and the other to land a solid punch into his temple.
He collapsed to the ground, idiot left his stun gun next to my gun. I tore off the rest of the tape while he was downed and leaped on top of him.
He punched my gut, then I drove the fork straight through his throat. He tried to scream, all he could emit was a hiss as the air left his lungs. Blood gurgled from his mouth and poured from his severed arteries. He tried to keep punching, but his movements grew slow and lax.
I stood over him, watching the light leave his eyes with the bloody fork in hand, then promptly threw up.
I called the cops from the other room. I couldn't bear to look at the body- the life I'd taken. Even if it was self defense.
~~~
The cops came and went. They saw the note, the knife, and the ring on the man and safely ruled it self defense. I had to leave so they could clean the place. I figured this was a good enough reason for my boss to let me out of work for a while.
I called a shuttle to Morva Falls. The flight was just a few short hours and landed me in a parking garage near town square. It wasn't a very big place, so it didn't have a proper shuttle port.
It was chilly here, the town was pretty far north of the equator. It was the equivalent of winter on Earth.
The walk through town was actually kind of nice. The town square was hosting some kind of swap meet, plenty of species were selling goods, a number of them human. The townsquare led into the mainstreet, which passed over Morva river.
I stopped for a second staring down into the water. It was shimmering a deep purple. Some kind of bird paddled along by the bank, honking at its following line of babies.
Just a little ways further were the houses. I prayed I was remembering the right address as I wandered down one of the neighborhoods.
I liked the small towns on Skalga more than the cities. Teiza was at least 20 times the size of Morva Falls, with only a fraction of the interest. Finally, I approached one of the domes and knocked on the door, praying this was the right place.
The door creaked open and a squinted eye studied me for a sec, widened, and flung open the door to reveal Silvon's mother, Lew.
"Danny!" She exclaimed and enveloped me in a hug.
"Huh?!" Silvon's voice echoed from inside. I heard her paws loudly slamming against the hard floor, then she leaped into me.
"Danny! Oh stars! What are you doing here?" She asked.
I stared blankly, unsure what to say next. Then, I felt my face heat up, and tears poured down my face.
"I-" my hands were shaky. I could still see the blood on them, even though I washed my hands a million times. Silvon took my hands and led me inside.
~~~
Dr. Stat, I heard about what happened. Should you or your fiancée still feel unsafe, I can make arrangements to have you both relocated. You are now a very valuable asset to the Sapient Coalition and Humanity First.
Governor Maulo of the Venlil Republic