The Nature of Predators - Arxur First Contact (What If?) (Patreon)

The icebox on the floor reminded me how meager the rations were, which sent my hungry eyes to the viewport. It was a monotonous job, guiding the stealth cruiser through the edge of Venlil space. The hope was always that the prey would wander off alone, and plop themselves into our jaws. Fresh meat would beat frozen, aged food any day.

There was never much traffic in this region, which was curious. No Federation colonies or institutions were established within a 10-parsec radius. Although it was Venlil space, they had zero interest in defending it, or even venturing out this way. Why the weaklings would quarantine a large region, for centuries, was a peculiarity.

This is a dead area; I don’t know why I took this route. Perhaps I’d just like to discover whatever drove them off.

My eyes narrowed at my sensors screen, noting the faint dot at the edge of its range. Hopeful thinking suggested it was a lone ship, but the likelihood of it being a comet or space debris was higher. I heaved a tired sigh, and revved my engine in that direction. Even if it was a particularly stupid Venlil specimen, they would run before I got a visual.

The quickening of my heartbeat kicked in nonetheless, craving the thrill of pursuit. Saliva surged in my mouth, and my stomach growled with insistence. Giving in to nature, I dialed in the coordinates and floored the acceleration. Minutes of travel time blurred into an eternity, as worked up as I was by my mental imagery.

A good hunter would keep their wits about them, and restrain their urges enough to outsmart their quarry. Drawing a shuddering breath, I tried to analyze the sensors screen. The figures seemed blurry through the haze of bloodlust, but the indicator wasn’t running away. It was warping right toward my position.

“Now this is interesting!” I purred. “Have the Federation learned how to attack?”

I reached to power up my weapons, but realized I had done it subconsciously when the target was spotted. The other vessel dropped out of warp, before any anti-FTL pulses could be launched. I was more than happy to oblige a little scrappiness. My cruiser emerged into real space, and granted me a view of a small, decorated ship.

The foreign craft was too primitive to be of Federation make. It had one of the most inefficient FTL engines I’d seen in awhile, and it lacked a single external weapon. Perhaps those prey weaklings had recruited another uplift to their cause.

The comms beacon flashed with an incoming call, and my truncated jaw slackened. Was this some attempt to plead for their lives? A strange feeling tickled the back of my mind, but I didn’t know why. It didn’t add up, that the Federation would wander up and request a chat.

I rehearsed a threatening line in my mind, and tapped the accept button out of curiosity. This should be amusing, if nothing else. Images flicked onto the screen, of a fleshy creature I’d never seen before. Its eyes gazed directly at me…forward-facing. Inky pupils scanned my form, with interest rather than the fear I’d come to expect.

It can’t be. We’re the only predators.

“Hello,” I growled. “I’m Graozu of the Arxur Dominion. Nice to meet you.”

My reverse-engineered translator barked a few words, which was telling of itself. That meant the Federation database recognized the alien’s language, and that told me they were a known species. Was this a prey species with anomalous binocular eyes? Had the galactic community quarantined this sector because of that?

The creature bared its teeth, strikingly similar to our amusement. “The name’s Noah. We’re here seeking friendship, on behalf of the human race. I can’t believe we ran into you, mid-flight!”

Those fangs were much flatter and smaller than ours, and its form looked weak by comparison. If it was a predator species, it wasn’t impressive as us. I tested Noah by flashing my serrated fangs, and letting my mouth fall open. The pilot didn’t even flinch; his own lips stretched wider. A display like I had just done would send the Federation running for the hills.

I squinted at him. “What sort of mission are you on? You don’t look like a warship.”

“We’re not. Ah, you do look like a warship though, if I might say so.” A light rumble flowed from his chest, which seemed to be a chuckle. “To answer your question, we’re searching for life-bearing worlds.”

My eyes widened. These humans were searching for prey, as one of their first missions? It was exhilarating to find a kindred spirit, at last. This could be the partners we needed to turn the tide against the Federation. Perhaps there was finally someone worth of sharing the galaxy with; someone who wasn’t frail and weak.

“If you’re searching for other lifeforms, my advice is not to go there unarmed,” I hissed. “You will find only paranoid peoples with an exceeding lack of intelligence, who can’t tell their ass from their head. They’ll attack you on sight.”

Noah blinked. “What? So you’re saying there’s more aliens, but they’re venomously hostile to other species?”

I laughed. “Just to people like us. They couldn’t even look at a species like you and I, without wanting us dead. Feeling fear and revulsion.”

“Uh, hi, this is science officer Sara, speaking,” a softer voice chipped in. “I beg your pardon? I don’t see a resemblance between ‘us’, with respect.”

You have to be sure they’re predators, before you make a fool of yourselves to the warlords.

A low growl rumbled in my throat. “Let me put it this way. How does your species feel about eating other animals?”

“Uh, you’re asking if we do?” Sara answered, leaning in to the camera. “Most humans are omnivores, Graozu, so—”

“Oh. I see. You’re one of them.” I flared my nostrils in disgust. The thought of munching on grass like prey made me retch. “So you’ve tasted flesh, and you settle for leaves and roots?”

Noah raised his eyebrows. “Carnivores, I take it? You haven’t experienced the wonders of plant sauces, spices, and side dishes. We like a little flavor and variety with a nice, juicy steak. It’s not just ‘leaves!’”

Saliva watered in my mouth again, at the talk of meat. A nice cut of Zurulian sounded delectable right about now. Venlil had been considered a greater delicacy at one time, but prices were waning. Those prey could be bred a bit too fast, so it had become a common sight at markets. Maybe the humans would trade with us for some excess cattle…and ruin them with their ‘spices.’

“I assume you don’t hunt anything other than small creatures. Or you’re, bleh, a scavenger,” I huffed.

“This isn’t how I expected this conversation to go, but I’ll roll with it,” Sara said. “Humans are apex predators on our world. We’ve hunted creatures much larger than ourselves for millenia.”

“You’re apex predators?!”

“Sure are.”

“How? You don’t seem to have any natural weapons, or strengths. Is your ecosystem that weak?”

A predatory glint sparkled in Noah’s eyes. “Who needs ‘natural weapons’ when you have guns?”

A full-bellied laugh echoed from my throat, sending out thunderous vibrations. The humans’ didn’t seem like they could hold their own in a fight at all, but they were overly assured about their own capabilities. If their tools were stripped away, they could scarcely be called predators at all. I wasn’t sure they were worthy of sharing the galaxy or our catch with. They wouldn’t be fearsome enough to demolish the Federation, that was for certain, but those idiots would probably fear them.

It would take time to see whether this strange new species leaned more toward leaf-licking or benign ‘apex predators,’ but no Feddie herbivore would’ve claimed such a thing. I knew I had to bring this finding to the Chief Hunters at once, and let them decide whether we’d finally met true sapients.

A/N - This is an AU I wrote for fun two years ago, what if humans met the Arxur instead of the Venlil! I am aware it has since been explored in some fanfics, but I’ve just been sitting on this story and thought you guys might enjoy seeing it—early NOP flavor and all. How do you imagine this might’ve changed the events of the first book?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!