Memory transcription subject: Jakiv, arxur scientist

Date [Standardized human time]: August 24th, 2148

[Day 17]

I idly clicked through the television channels. Nothing caught my interest as I lazily lounged on my couch. Here I am wasting another day off, I reprimanded myself mentally. I turned off the TV and curled up against the armrest. The room was completely dark without the electronic glow to illuminate my sparsely furnished apartment.

I groaned as my holopad started buzzing loudly. The caller ID was my manager Vilvit. What could she want? I tapped the answer button and her imposing visage materialized.

“Jakiv?”

“Heyo,” I mumbled robotically.

“How are things, doctor?” she asked.

“I know you didn’t call me for a wellness check. What do you need?” I growled. She thankfully dropped the facade.

“You’re needed up off your ass and to start packing.”

“What?” I asked incredulously.

“Start packing, you’ve got work to do,” Vilvit said dryly.

“You’re giving me more work? Right after demanding I stay home because I was overworked?” I inquired. Wasn’t that something? First, she tells me to go home, now I have to go back to work?

“It’s not my choice. If it were, you’d be chatting with an actual professional before you could even dream of coming back to the lab. But unfortunately, a whole foreign government demanded you specifically for your track record,” she sighed.

“Wait, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“You’re familiar with the Skalgan Flu, yes?” Vilvit asked

“Ah, the predator disease, yes,” I chuckled, “Because the prey love blaming us for all their problems,” I hissed.

“Yeah, sure,” she sighed, “The Yotul Technocracy is short-staffed and looking into research on a cure. With your suicidal work ethic, they want you on Leirn,” the arxur huffed.

“I’ll get packed right away then,” I grinned, finally having something to actually do.

“Damn it, Jakiv, this is the last thing you need. I was going to say, you should not go. You’re not well, tell them you can’t-”

“Well, I’ve got to head out now, Vilvit! Gonna save the prey and shit, catch ya later, buh bye!” I spoke hastily and hung up. I laughed for a bit, chucking the holopad back down on the couch before my smile faltered and I stood in place a while just thinking. Leirn. A long way from Wriss. They will hate me there. No, no not hate. Despise. They’ll despise me.

I sniffled, shook my head, and buried those thoughts. I’m an arxur, no time for those feelings. I threw my travel clothes into a suitcase, figuring the planet would be colder than Wriss’ naturally warm and humid climate.

As I finished packing, the holopad on my couch buzzed again. The caller ID was unknown this time. I answered it, and an automated voice read out, “Dr. Jakiv, a shuttle to Leirn has been ordered free of charge to take off by 4 pm local time. For further questions, information, or concerns, dial 921-” I cut off the monotonous voice and hauled my suitcase outside.

My apartment was in dingy slums, but the neighbors were nice enough when they weren’t getting high on ‘prey brain’. It was an imported drug once native to the Gojid Cradle, first found by grunts back during the war. I never saw the appeal.

I stepped outside, the sun overhead was dim behind a thicker atmosphere. Storm clouds rumbled far out by the peaks up north. A shiny, interstellar shuttle was parked waiting for me to hop inside. It had the seal of the Sapient Coalition plastered on every single door. Pretentious pricks.

It hummed gently and clicked open when I placed a thumb on the handle. I threw my suitcase inside, then clambered in. The vessel was rather cramped, and the legroom was suboptimal. The doors sealed shut, and before I knew it I was being shot up away from Wriss.

The smoggy planet from above looked small and meaningless, just the same as it did from the ground. I averted my eyes from the windows and opened my holopad to scroll the news for a little while. I didn’t care for the politics, I just needed something to keep my mind occupied.

I dozed off somewhere along the way and woke up to the screen embedded in the front of me screeching to life.

“Hello sir, you-” the yotul interstellar travel officer stopped mid-sentence as he got a good look at me.

“I was requested by the Technocracy. My name is Jakiv,” I spoke.

The yotul squinted an eye at me for a moment, I could feel him judging me. A second officer strode up, tapped him on the shoulder, and handed him a document. He read it back and forth. Slowly. Then said, “You may proceed.”

The shuttle automatically propelled forward, and Leirn came into view slowly through the window. Soon enough I was landing in a dingy parking garage and being directed by holographic signs toward customs.

The spaceport was a maze of outgoing and incoming flights, with species of all sorts wandering about. A lot of humans too, they really seemed to like it here. Of course, everyone who spotted me either froze, turned around immediately, or gave me the widest berth possible to avoid my deadly predator-ness.

Funny. The war’s been over for 12 years now, yet they still treat me like I eat children and disembowel pets for fun. I dreaded coming here as I got in line for customs. The people ahead of me magically vanished soon enough, a neat party trick. I strode up casually to the yotul TSA agent.

“Uh… put your suitcase on this conveyor… please?” she asked.

I set it on the belt with no issue, watching it pass through the scanner. I groaned as two more TSA agents immediately started raiding my shit looking for whatever the fuck contraband.

“Please step through the metal detector,” she instructed.

“My scales will set it off,” I informed her.

“What?”

“My scales. They will set off the metal detector.”

She huffed, “W-well you have to go through!” she urged. I sighed, lowered my head, and strutted through. Surprise surprise, it rang out. I was being swarmed by agents, all of them trying to pat me down for weapons I didn’t have.

“Why did- you’ve got something metal!” one shrieked.

“I told you my scales were going to set it off. Put me through the x-ray thing if you’re so sure I’m in the wrong,” I said smoothly.

“How? Scales don’t have metal in them!”

“Not normally, no. Work a decade in a steel plant with no regulations and tell me if you don’t have shit embedded in your skin,” I growled.

“Don’t get h-hostile, gray-”

“Shut the fuck up.”

I glared down at the agent before he could spit more than that stupid slur at me. “I’m not getting hostile. You are the one stopping me. I was ordered by your government to be here. Now let me through, damn it,” I grabbed my suitcase without waiting for an answer. One pulled a Taser, shakily aimed it at me, and fired. The prongs bounced harmlessly off my scales, and I kept walking.

Without much issue, I exited the spaceport and strutted out into the warm afternoon sun. There was a smaller shuttle just outside with my name written on a sign in the window. As I approached, the door opened and a very well-fed yotul was beckoning me to take a seat next to him.

“Ah, Jakiv, welcome to Leirn,” he greeted me. “Might I help with your luggage?”

“I can handle it myself,” I answered.

I loaded the suitcase into the trunk and plopped myself down next to the yotul.

“I’m President Mesu, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person,” he said, extending a paw. I stared at him for a second.

“What is this?” I asked, mimicking his strange action. He took my hand and shook it with fervor. “It’s a human greeting, called a handshake,” Mesu told me.

I took my hand back and rested it on my thigh. I wasn’t up for conversation, especially not with someone faking liking me.

“How was the travel? No trouble I hope, right?” he asked.

I grunted, “It was what I expected,” I replied.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“And is that good?” he urged.

“Fine.”

He was silent a moment. I hoped he finally got the hint to shut up. Unfortunately, prey love their babbling.

“I’m sorry for the poor first impressions. I can assure you I really tried to make it as smooth as possible. It’s just… difficult is all,” he said.

“Difficult, huh? Why’s that?” I questioned sarcastically.

“Well uh- y’know, cause…” Mesu trailed off.

“I do know. You don’t have to pretend to like me, I’m here for work and nothing else.”

“Pretend?” he said incredulously. “No, I’m not pretending.”

“Of course you are,” I growled. “I know you hate me. Everyone hates me. I’m an arxur. I eat people and maim and mutilate.”

“I’m not daft enough to blame you for the Dominion’s transgressions,” the yotul spoke, his voice told me I had offended him. “The Technocracy and arxur have been allied for a very long time. We fought side by side in the war and together we destroyed the Federation and the Dominion. What reasons could I possibly have to damn you personally?”

“The same as everyone else,” I flashed my teeth and glared down at him with my binocular eyes. He didn’t even flinch.

“Right,” he dismissed me. “If it’s just work you’re here for, then so be it. I’m not going to be hostile with you, but I’m certainly not obligated to be friendly. You’re going to be aiding research in Jatsen Labs. The program is top secret and highly illegal. You were an immediate recommendation for your strong work ethic. I have set up living accommodations for you, and there’s a phone in your new home with a direct line to me if anything is amiss. Dr. Daniel Stat, who you’ll be working alongside, will fill you in on the rest,” he explained, then finally went silent for the remainder of the ride.

Thank prophet. Soon we pulled into a little town. My apartment was on the third floor of a really expensive-looking place. I would’ve never afforded this sort of luxury on Wriss. I entered the building, not bothering to say goodbye to the president. The hallway to the elevator was thankfully empty. I made it upstairs, threw my suitcase on the floor, and hopped onto the fluffy mattress.

Why did I come here? Is the work really worth it? Now I’m just rotting away on a foreign planet instead of back home.

I got sick of the stupid voice in my head talking down to me, and against my better judgment, decided to hit the town for something to drink.

I put on a coat and jeans, knowing it would get cold after dark, and put the hood up. I left the apartment and entered the elevator. It sunk down and then came to a halt on the second floor. Fuck.

The doors opened, and a yotul stood before me with a pair of sunglasses and a cane. I was surprised when he walked forward, tapping the floor as he went. He hit my foot and looked in my general direction.

“Oh! So sorry! I didn’t realize someone else was here,” he apologized.

“Huh? How?” Stupid question.

“Cause I’m blind,” he answered, setting himself up in the corner as the door shut behind him. “Are you going up or down?” he asked.

“Uh, down. You?” I asked.

“Down too,” he replied.

Curiosity got the better of me. I had never seen a disabled person outside of the news. I honestly thought they were kept away from society like ours, not integrated with it. “You aren’t afraid of how I sound?”

“No? Should I be?” he asked.

“Well- maybe? You don’t even know what I look like. For all you know I could be- I could be some horrific monster,” I stated.

“If you were, a blind yotul would be the perfect victim, and you would’ve been able to do me in easily,” he replied.

The door dinged and he stepped out of the elevator. I kept my distance to the exit, then walked the opposite way he went. I could’ve done him in. It would have been simple. Really. I pulled the hood further over my head and pulled the drawstrings to tighten it.

Most people steered clear. I got a lot of glares as I walked. One venlil spat on my foot. I didn’t care. The nearest bar was, ironically, a venlil-owned brewery. I needed something really strong. I steeled myself at the bar’s entrance, then walked inside.

The stench of alcohol was almost overpowering. All over the place were mostly humans, drunk off their asses and barely conscious. A couple of the more lucid ones stared at me a bit as I awkwardly strode up to the bar.

“Hello, what can I get-” the venlil stopped short.

I scanned the menu, it automatically translated to arxur script. ‘Mur root liquor’ caught my eye. That’s what I ordered. The venlil was stunned still, so I repeated myself, “Mur root liquor.”

She snapped out of her stupor and shakily got my drink from the tap. I paid just a few credits and tilted the glass back, savoring the burn. I sat on a corner stool, right up against the wall. There were photos hung up all over the place of customers enjoying drinks and being happy. I was going to need something even stronger to wash away that longing feeling.

I finished the glass and set it down with a thud, “An arxur on Leirn?” a voice next to me asserted.

I turned to see a yotul with deep red fur staring intently at me. I didn’t dignify her with a response.

“Quiet type, huh?”

“Leave me alone,” I growled.

The bartender came over and asked the yotul if she needed a drink.

“Just water, please. But my friend here needs a refill. What’d you have?” she asked me.

“Mur root liquor.”

“C-coming right up,” the bartender smiled and backed away, keeping her eyes on me.

“I’m not your friend,” I stated.

“Well duh, I don’t even know your name yet,” she replied. “What’s your deal, arxur? You don’t just come to Leirn for nothing. And I doubt you’re just here for booze,” she leaned her head into her paw.

“I’m here for work, not friends,” I spat.

“Everyone comes here for work,” she chuckled. The bartender returned without drinks. The odd yotul sipped her water, watching me closely as I downed the alcohol and coughed into my elbow.

“Stronger stuff than they got on Wriss?” she asked.

“Are you ever going to leave me alone?” I questioned. She shook her head.

“My name’s Nuri, by the way.”

I sighed, “Jakiv.”

“Nice to meet you, Jakiv. Would another drink get you talking?”

My stomach churned imagining another round and I shook my head, “I’ve had enough.”

“Alright then. So tell me, what kind of work do you do?”

“Why do you want to know so bad?” I asked.

“Well, it’s kinda my job. I’m a reporter, and you’re a weird story. I can just see it in your eyes,” Nuri explained. “If it’s illegal, I won’t tell anyone,” she whispered.

“It’s not, but I can’t tell you,” I answered.

“Okay then, keep it to yourself. What do you like to do in your free time, Jakiv?” she questioned, popping open her holopad to take notes.

“I’m not providing an interview,” I stated. “Put your notes away and fuck off kindly.”

“No can do, I’ve never even seen an arxur in person. This is not something I’ll pass up!” she giggled excitedly.

“Your scales are really shiny, you know that? Are all arxur that way?”

“No,” I huffed.

“Then why are you?” she urged.

“Reasons. It’s metal,” I dodged answering. Molten metal. Burning at my skin and engraining itself in my scales.

“Metal? Neat!” she scribbled away.

I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. When was the last time I slept?

“Look Nuri, it’s been uh… something. I’ve got to go home. I’m a very busy man,” I said, quickly standing on unstable feet and bracing myself on the counter. The floor telescoped and I waivered.

“In that condition? Let me call you a cab,” she offered.

“No, it’s fine,” I waved a claw, putting too much force into it and throwing myself off balance. I fell on my tail and yelped.

“I’m gonna call you one anyway. You’re not walking anywhere in that condition, Jakiv.”

I gave in and sighed heavily, “Fine.”

She extended a paw and helped me back into the stool.

“Have you got a holopad, Jakiv?” she asked.

“Yeah?” I replied. I was too inebriated to think better and handed it to her out of impulse. She uploaded her personal contact information and handed it back to me.

“Call me sometime. Especially if you want to go drinking again,” she chuckled. “I didn’t expect arxur to be such lightweights.”

“I didn’t expect a yotul to not be afraid of me,” I mumbled.

“What?” Nuri asked, cocking her head to the side.

“I mean- nothing. I didn’t say anything,” I put a claw to my forehead, stupid!

“You’re such a weirdo,” she chuckled. “I’d really like to talk to you more. You don’t look all that bloodthirsty and evil to me.”

I smirked, “That’s cause you’ve never seen me devour a tilfish whole! Or- or batter and fry a krakotl!” my attempts to scare her only worked on the barkeep, who went white as a sheet and kept to the other side of the room.

“Or rip the heads off baby gojids? Drink zurulian blood? C’mon, man, you’ve gotta try harder than that to make me leave you alone,” she stated. “No evil apex predator sits in a bar on Leirn alone. You’ve got something going on in that noggin of yours,” she stared intently at me. I was uncomfortable with the prolonged eye contact and resorted to just staring at the empty glass in front of me.

Nuri tipped back the last of her water, “Your cab’s here, Jakiv.”

I stood, maintaining balance this time, and stumbled toward the door. The yotul followed behind. It was insulting being followed around like this. I approached the cab, and it took the driver all of 2 seconds to notice me and peel off. I grumbled and started walking toward the apartment, Nuri thankfully had given up pursuit and gone elsewhere.

I got to a crosswalk, about to hit the button, when a car honk knocked me from my feet. The source of the noise rolled down its window, and there she was in the driver’s seat.

“You need a ride home?” Nuri asked.

Prophet damn it. I swallowed my pride and wordlessly stumbled over to the passenger side.

I glanced at the blurry map on the console and tapped where I was pretty sure I lived, and a GPS voice spat out directions.

“It’s your first day here, am I right?” she asked as we drove.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Well? What do you think of Leirn?”

“Everyone hates me here,” I said dryly.

“That’s not true. I don’t hate you,” she replied. “I was right to think you were in dire need of a friend.”

“I don’t need a friend,” I spat.

“Everyone needs a friend. Especially a big scary arxur like you, Jaki,” Nuri laughed.

For some reason, a smile tugged the corners of my mouth. “Don’t ever call me that again,” I slurred.

“Or what? You’ll eat me?”

“Maybe,” I hiccuped. “I haven’t decided yet.”

We finally pulled up just next to the apartment building. “That booze hit you hard, gray. Go get some rest. I’ll give you a call in the morning,” she smiled warmly. I got out of the car and walked up to the door. I turned back to find her still looking at me, and for reasons beyond me, I waved.

I felt good? I went inside, the hallways still empty, and collapsed on my bed. I kept thinking about her. Was she right? Is a friend really something I need? I’d deal with it in the morning when I was sober. I dozed off, my thoughts fond for the first time in a while.