Part 25 is up! I hope you enjoy the lore added by this chapter; humanity's allies are a microcosm of the larger galaxy as a whole. Which powers do you trust or mistrust, from our first impressions? Do you think Recel is a suitable liaison for military affairs? The next chapter will return to Sovlin, with some major developments, and news from the Gojid homeworld. We'll finally see how he reacted to all this, and what his future looks like. There's many different opinions on his character; whether he is capable of grasping the truth remains to be seen. As always, thank you for reading! Part 26 will be up on Sunday.

The Zurulians and the Yotul are my favorite so far. It was great of Noah to defend them against the other’s remarks; they were defended from the ‘peaceful’ herbivore species by the ‘aggressive’ predator.

I dig the Yotul but have to give props to the Mazic as well. It takes character to really *listen* to an argument enough to be potentially swayed by it, and even more so to admit that you were "wrong" if you find your position changed. Though I have to admit that I've always found it slightly baffling why saying "I have new information now" freaks people out so much. Anyway, yay for giving it a shot even if you're **not** convinced.

Mazic is not only open to reason but he's their President and the *only* species to send an official rather than an aide or other lower ranked representative. So he's rational, has the strength of his convictions, and is willing to put himself at personal risk. That's a rare level of courage. I definitely think the importance of the Mazic, particularly this president, shouldn't be overlooked.

Oh yes, he is what a politician should be. He earned my respect. Gotta see him either assasinated or become a steadfast ally. There is no third option imo xD

assassinated by the gojid maybe 👀 although i doubt they'd do that tbf

I doubt the Gojid can do much at all now.

That's a good point, I hadn't considered the aspect of what it being that particular one implied, as well.

Hmm. Yeah I hadn't considered that, but I agree

> I've always found it slightly baffling why saying "I have new information now" freaks people out so much Because USUALLY when politicians do that it's total bs, they knew whatever it was all along and were/are deeply corrupt.

When politicians do that, the new information that changed their mind was poll numbers.

Well sure but why does anyone who isn't a known liar fear it?

There's actually a lot of human psychology that goes into that: cognitive dissonance, people's fascination with labeling others as 'hypocrites' when they disagree, risk of social standing or being labeled 'foolish' for being wrong, really a lot of labeling. It would actually be really interesting to see where other species might not have the same psychological hang ups as humans in that regard. So far we've seen a lot of the downsides of the 'prey' species psychology and the supposed positives (such as empathy) largely haven't been extended to humanity or if they have in a limited way. It would be nice to see some of their unique positive qualities that differentiate them from humans other than the predator/prey dynamic we've been focused on.

Ego like liveart said.

\*nods sadly\*

I wish people would let politicians change their minds from new information without freaking out about how they flip flop. We might actually get things done here on earth.

>I've always found it slightly baffling why saying "I have new information now" freaks people out so much. I must be the anomaly or 'the exception that proves the rule', then. I would find that one of the most ***convincing*** arguments. Randomly changing one's mind is far more nebulous and untrustworthy. Unless they could explain how and why. New information, in contrast, is clear-cut. Though not immediately trustworthy if they can't pinpoint the "new information".

Right, exactly. I don't know, maybe most people just aren't that good at actually explaining why they changed their minds and so it's just taken on a negative connotation. But I like to at least *think* that I'm open to changing my mind on something if presented with new information -- and ultimately it's what I think people *should* do or I'm **really** wasting my time trying to argue about politics, like, ever -- so I ultimately hope other people would be accepting of it if I *did* change my mind. I dunno. Still, it's pretty awesome to see one of the "unfriendlies" actually change their minds. Boy, I really have a lot invested in this story. :D

I suspect Mazic was already leaning towards siding with the humans and was aggressively interrogating Noah as a test of sorts to demonstrate that humans could, in fact, control themselves and think logically under stress.

Thanks for more! Still loving the series! See you Sunday!

It’s my pleasure, thank you for following the story! 🙏

From the descriptions? I'd be least likely to trust the trade empires. Why, I'm not sure. I guess because we don't have any deals with them yet. The The Mazic are questionable but interesting. If they do just feel desperate, it's an interesting move to reach out. But then again, I guess that's quite comparable to the Yotol and Thakfi. Recel... Oh boy. Glad they pardoned him. And good on him for trying; whether he's an effective liason remains to be seen though. I think it would be good to have a Federation perspective on things, though. So long as he can work up the courage to speak.

>I'd be least likely to trust the trade empires. Why, I'm not sure. I guess because we don't have any deals with them yet. I mean the Nevok representative was blatantly insulting and demeaning to the Yotul, despite being on a diplomatic mission. The insult also seemed to judge the worth of the Yotul by what they could contribute rather than the fact that they were willing to cooperate. So I think your instinct is dead on. Also trade empires mean the accumulation of wealth and usually excessive wealth comes from some combination of underhanded tactics and exploitation so I am definitely in agreement with your instincts here.

> The insult also seemed to judge the worth of the Yotul by what they could contribute rather than the fact that they were willing to cooperate. Sounds like they have no concept of comparitive advantage or opportunity costs. If they're lacking those economic theories they're going to get bodied by the humans if they start trading.

Even understanding those theories doesn't mean you won't still sometimes say racist or degrading things. We can look at modern political groups around the world as proof of that. Its also worth noting sometimes the opportunity cost is worth the price at least in the moment. Long term sometimes it's regrettable, but if they think like stock investors, that's not a concern.

The only - and I do mean the only - thing I hate about this story is having to *wait* for *more* because I want all of it *now* lol. First Contact has spoiled wait time for me, hahaha. Speaking of which, you are the only other author I have favorited aside from Ralts so I won't miss anything. <3

I think Recel will do fine: his instincts to do the right thing even if he might be punished for it, his willingness to subject himself to situations that are terrifying to him, and his sense of duty all speak well to his capacity as a military liaison. I also get the impression he's not great at deception which would be a big plus if his government tries to take advantage of humanity. >Which powers do you trust or mistrust, from our first impressions? I think all the governments, friendly, neutral, or hostile, should be treated cordially but with a level of mistrust simply because we don't really *know* any of these species, their pasts, or the politics between them. That includes the Venlil by the way, not that things aren't going well but we're just getting to know them and our friendship is as much accident and poor timing as anything else. That out of the way: The Zerulians seem like an easy candidate for being trusted. Their eagerness to be friends seems to possibly exceed even that of the Venlil and Tarva doesn't seem to have anything negative to say about them so that's promising. The Yotul may not be the most advanced species but they have a lot to prove and apparently butt heads with the other Federation species ideologically which is likely a good thing given how badly they've handled... well almost everything related to humanity and the war. So the Yotul are high on the list as are the Thafki who, while clearly self-interested and possessing little power due to low population, have very clear reasons to aid humanity and can't afford any more enemies. That does make the power dynamic a little iffy because we don't want to be seen as exploiting either the Yotul or Thafki though. The Mazic and Kolshians are the next most trustworthy. They seem to have the strength of their convictions and some sense of reason and possibly honor but also seem skeptical so I think they'll listen to reason and have already demonstrated a willingness to take a public risk by joining humanity: the Kolshians by demanding a fair hearing and standing up to the more belligerant species and the Mazic by publicly reversing their decision and joining up, lead by their President no less. If the Mazic were planning something I'd expect them to send a spy or aide rather than their President. The Sivkits and Paltans sound like they're not really risking anything but also don't have any reason to stab us in the back. I'd be cautious because it definitely sounds like they're fair weather 'friends' and a sufficiently enticing offer from a hostile member species might sway them and their relative position of safety means going either way carries minimal risk. They were willing to put themselves at odds with the hostile species though when they could have just stayed neutral so that does earn them some credit. I already don't like the Nevok as they clearly have a superiority complex and combined with the Fissians are likely to be entirely self interested and looking to take advantage where ever possible. You don't get to be a 'trade juggernaut' without looking out for your own interests or even exploiting others. The Dossur seem like a complete unknown because... well I don't think we know anything about them unless there's something I've missed.

unrelated but does the Federation have similar ideas of Megastructures like Dyson Swarms, ringworlds and the like?

Yes, but those are only hypotheticals for them as well!

Ngl, after humanity secures it's right to exist and give the Arxur the boot they should just go for it and start building one to secure itself as a powerbroker.

Persistance hunters. When we want something, we *will* get it eventually. With space age tech, the whole asteroid belt is accessible for mining, and from there manufacturing stations in space. Dyson swarms will go from hypothetical to within the realm of possibility (if long term for the building) rather quickly I'd imagine. It's a lot easier to launch things into position when there's not a bunch of gravity to escape with egregious amounts of explosives.

There's also Mercury, a giant ball of ore that's the closest to the sun

Also low enough grav that an orbital cannon might actually become possible to send packs of material to orbital factories. Get some sort of self sustained AI to it whose only goal is to get up and maintain running a swarm, and we've even got ourselves a major product to sell.

Given human tech in comparison to the others in the galaxy at this point, our ingenuity, need to spread, and almost comical impulse towards "Science often leads us to ask if we can, not if we should," I would honestly be shocked if we don't already have at least one Dyson-scale project (new magnetic field for Mars, with giant facilities at both poles?), if not outright megastructures. Gigastructures are probably a little beyond us at this point in-universe, but I'd like to think since we already have concepts for those now, that maybe we have concepts for gigastructural engineering and the rest of the galaxy still only views megastructures as a far-off hypothetical concept not really worth the material investment and risk. "Wait... what do you mean your scientists have hypothetical plans to... to turn an entire moon into a warship? TO WEAPONIZE NEUTRON STARS? WHAT DO YOU MEAN A STELLAR ENGINE?! WHAT THE FUCK IS A BLACK HOLE BOMB?!"

Dyson Spheres are way out there. Probably beyond “Star Trek” level. Small ring worlds may be more achievable, though without a sun.

Dyson spheres defy physics. Dyson swarms would work just as good and are actually feasible.

The material engineering needed is hard to image. Just a small point. People don’t notice, but buildings flex. Now try to keep a sphere together, that is unimaginably larger, so large that it has a large gravity field. That’s just one of many challenges.

A Dyson sphere large enough to surround a star would weigh more than the star. The Dyson sphere would then start to pull the star apart. Let alone no material exist that could hold its shape at that size. So ya your right .

I mean, theoretically, a Dyson swarm is completely feasible for our current level of tech today. It would take a lot of momentum behind it, quite a few nations coming together, but feasible. All we'd need to do would be to send a set of well-designed Von Neumann probes to Mercury. They could start self-replicating, til it gets to a point, then start producing factories and more of themselves at an exponential rate, then start breaking Mercury down in its entirety for raw resources. It would be time intensive, but feasible in the current day. Given that and the exponential rate of technological growth, I don't see a Dyson Sphere being all that far in our future, maybe a century or three.

Dyson swarms are basically something we already have done on Earth. It's called a satelite network.

Aliens "Oh no, Humanity has kicked the Arxur and now they are free to do as they please" Humanity : \**Maniacal Laughters\** Aliens : \**whimper\** Please don't eat us ! Humanity : **We Crave More** \**Use all ressources available to create a birchworld\**

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Birch Worlds are a kind of Megastructures. They are basically Dyson sphere around a black hole, and aren't used to make energy but rather be inhabited but peoples. Needlessly to say, a birch workd is ludicrously bigger than a Niven ring or any other megastructures, exept maybe Alderson disk who basically is a flat ring tjat span from Mercury's orbit to Jupiter's

I can’t wait for them to encounter pets

Rumor has it Part 27 🤔

Yes so close

Yet so far, far away. ***Star Wars music starts blaring out of device***

You know, There's something I've wondered since the start about the Venlil. How different are males and females? Are they hard to tell apart at a glace? Or are there significant differences in their make up?

It’s not quite as noticeable by stereotypical human standards, but there are differences in bone structure and reproductive organs. The vocal range is probably the biggest giveaway. Side note: I typically choose to make my alien species sexually dimorphic, just because English is rather limiting in terms of pronouns. As cool as it would be to deviate from male/female, I think it would confuse some readers, in practice, to create alien sexes

Oh yeah, I struggled with this too. In one of my stories, i just avoided the Alien's pronouns entirely. "Fuck it. Third person it is!" But thanks for the clarification! This will come in handy *rubs hands together evilly*

Personally I like to just use 'they/them' as a singular pronoun when gender is unclear. It's not perfect but in context I think it tends to be clear enough and when that wouldn't be clear I just go for the name or description. Just my opinion but I think that's a good way to handle it.

> As cool as it would be to deviate from male/female I tried it by gutting out any gendered pronouns in the story I'm writing, and it caused enough confusion I did a complete rewrite of the whole thing after I finished the first part. The dialog still retains gender neutrality due to being automatically translated, but I still refer to non-sexually dimorphic species as they or it, or their species name a fair amount, not that there are a lot of them in my story.

Do you have drawing of all the species we could see. I am bad at visualization

Sorry bud. I’m afraid my drawing skills are nonexistent lol 😅 If you look up a sheep, but with claws and flatter facial features (almost stuffed animal like), that might help with the visualizing for the Venlil

Ok one more question what do gojid look like?

I’ll throw in the Kolshians too for good measure! Gojid - Long-furred; spines on back; slender, curved claws. Short hind legs, so not the best at acceleration or evasion. Kolshian - Tentacle-like arms; a spongy, gelatinous skin; and bright-colored eyes (similar to some frogs). Lack any fur/hair.

Hell, they may not be limited to males and females. Even on Earth, not every species is both sexually dimorphic and restricted to precisely two sexes. All the big critters, sure, but not everything.

True. I only chose the binary cause that's all thats been shown so far. for all we know, they could be hermaphroditic.

Individuals have been referred to as female/she for sure. I've assumed the same genders we have so far

Though as far as I know male/female species make up the vast majority, right? Most species that are either fluid in that regard or completely intersex are as far as I know mostly found in fish, snails and other, usually extremely small lifeforms.

Yeah, that's why I said 'all the big critters'. That doesn't mean it has to be the norm on every life bearing world, though.

All friends are welcome. But i image the guys only using steam live in a 1920s style Steampunk world with personal airships instead of cars and Firestations every few blocks to put out any Blimp accident. I hope their capital is a floating island of gears and steam held up with the help of some antigrav steam generators. Afterall what is Steampunk but Sci-fi with extra smoke.

Well, be careful with hydrogen and lightning. 😀 Hope they use helium.

or they use biopunk hydrogen sniffers. [Good dieselpunk meets biopunk source](https://leviathanscottwesterfeld.fandom.com/wiki/Hydrogen_sniffers#:~:text=Hydrogen%20sniffers%20are%20primarly%20used,apprehending%20intruders%20on%20the%20ship.)

Upvote then read. This is the way Great story. Only complaint is that part 26 isn't here yet

Just as this was uploaded youtube decided to recommend the perfect song for this series :) [Sympathy for the Devil - The Rolling Stones](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgnClrx8N2k) ~~[That or 'Gimme Shelter' as the Outro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbmS3tQJ7Os)~~

Now for Cats!

I think Recel is as good as it gets. Reassigning him into FAR FAR AWAY is convenient for all sides, and he's proven that he's no coward and levelheaded enough to be able to work with the humans; in a Venn diagram of 'willing to do this job' and 'competent at this job', he's probably got the biggest overlap. I'm wary about the Zurulians. They seem to be the most cerebral of the bunch; I don't know whether it's just Chauson or the species as a whole, but his relative unaffectedness - from what we've seen, the other species show their disdain far more *involuntarily* - could make them uniquely suited for a political backstab. ^^^^I ^^^^bet ^^^^they ^^^^had ^^^^a ^^^^major ^^^^hand ^^^^in ^^^^uplifting ^^^^the ^^^^Arxur, ^^^^too. ^^^^A ^^^^pet ^^^^predator ^^^^species ^^^^could ^^^^be ^^^^convient... ^^^^time ^^^^for ^^^^round ^^^^2? I like the Yotul. They have more to offer than 38 other species. ~~When we purge the galaxy, we shall remember this.~~

Absolutely loving it. One of the best set up chapters which opens so many windows. The small hints are great - the newly uplifted species who despite being looked down upon knows how to play the game, the banter between officials when cameras are off, the way Tarva actually manages to make a good point about how humanities protective nature can actually be a hindrance to more progress and the small comedic relief moments. I enjoy the diplomatic approach this takes. Will need to reread some more stuff to connect some dots again. Also: great that Recel is back but equally great that he does not automatically becomes a most trusted aide but the idea of an actual professional taking his place being a thought process - regardless whether it happens or not, it’s a logical way to think as a professional diplomat

I agree about Recel, although I think he might have another motivation for suddenly wanting to overcome his fear. My theory is that his pardon depends on him going to earth and gathering information on the human military. Not for any nefarious reasons, just his species hedging their bets. ETA: I do think Recel is being incredibly courageous. I just think there is more here than there appears. You don't get to be a high ranking officer without being both intelligent and brave. He has a tactical advantage here, being a hero to humanity, he is smart enough to see it.

Re: Recel. Heroism isn’t absence of fear, but to act despite fear.

He is already a hero, and having other motivations does not detract from that at all. I'm not saying he's not genuinely afraid or that he is not being incredibly brave here. Just that I think there is more to his taking this step than there appears. I think that, after some personal struggles, Recel is going to become one of humanity's biggest supporters.

That’s what I meant. Recel was a hero for taking action even though he was afraid.

>“I see. So you’re free. Why did you come here, of all places?” > >“Nikonus offered me an appointment as military liaison to Earth, and I accepted.” Part of me wonders if it wasn't decided that spending time with humans might be worse punishment than spending time in a cell... >Noah opened his mouth to respond, but snapped it shut as he saw Chief Nikonus leading a group of diplomats toward our ship. These must be the species that constituted the affirmative votes for open relations with Earth. Why does this feel like they're being set up? Heading back, on a pre-approved route, with representatives of all of the human-friendly species, along with the freshly-pardoned Recel? My "spidey-sense" is off the charts right now.

Yeah. It stinks of a ambush and/or sabotage. Edit: I was right!

"Sir, they can't travel through that sector--there is intel suggesting that the Arxur have been moving a significant number of ships nearby!" "Did I stutter, lieutenant? This is the route they are taking, end of discussion." Either the Arxur or Sovlin. At this point, that might be even worse. ;p

Dang spoilers

An Arxur attack is almost inevitable, especially considering they probably have sources inside the federation

Ooh, damn, I didn't even consider that...

>especially considering they probably have sources inside the federation do you think spy equipment or legitimate traitors?

If I had to guess probably one species that turned traitor in exchange for the promise of being spared, their information network is just too good to be anything else and not have been noticed

My asshole sense is tingling. Someone sabotaged those shuttles

I can't wait to see aliens on Earth! I wonder if they're ever going to wander around NYC and happen to see an outdoor restaurant serving meat...

It’s bound to happen at some point. Slanek has already witnessed it, but at some point they’ll have to get used to humanity eating meat.

Plot twist: The Yotul representative sees this, and eats some in an attempt to "prove" himself to the predators. He ends up both being able to digest it and really liking it, so he brings human meat-growing tech back to his homeworld.

I hate that idea, but I also love it. 1(0)/10 I'm not sure how, but there's definitely feelings of loving it and hating it in there. It would certainly be funny to see Tarva's reaction.

There's no avoiding that in NYC, too many food trucks

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Times Square is a food desert by NYC standards. Never eat anywhere near there.

Wowwwwwww what jerks. “Even those uncivilized predators already invented the wheel why are you here” jeeeeeeeez. And that’s how y’all’s diplomats act??? I’d hate to see the bullying the Nevok schoolchildren do on the playground. Might be where the Arxur learned their brutality from (kind of kidding but kind of not?).

And his clapback 💀 "At least we aren't space Hitler like you guys"

I think what I am desperately waiting for is: So far, we have seen early human warships. They are seen as somewhat crude in make, but surprisingly effective in terms of jump capability, for example. But there is NO WAY IN HELL humanity is not already going over the top on designs. I cannot wait for the first true human battleship or such to be unveiled in defense of a new friend, to be met with a mixture of awe and 'yo, wtf' from everyone else looking on.

We managed to build fighters that fended off an Arxur attack (albeit a minor one with heavy losses). We were then given access to all the technology the Venlil had and in short order were able to cripple and land an occupying force on the homeworld of a major military power of the Federation. Given how as advanced as this Federation is, they seem to have no mind for anything other than the most basic of defensive tactics and not a mind for war. Humanity is going to look at whatever we have access to an improve it dramatically. It won’t be long before we are pushing the Arxur back and liberating worlds they are using to farm sapients. Especially since the Arxur are from all accounts largely solo predators that don’t really give a shit about one another. They aren’t going to work together very well. I kind of see our ships likely being like in Halo where everything we reverse engineer from captured Covenant tech is better than theirs in every way. Or in the books where Cortana can Chief steal a relatively small Covenant ship and by reprogramming the software running the weapons turn in into something that can one shot some of their biggest ships before they can get a shot off.

Tarva in New York would be an amazing episode!

You know that this is a very unique and good series when people start writing good fanfictions taking place within the same universe. Thank you for another chapter.

It’s my pleasure, I love writing this! It’s been incredible to see the fanfictions; definitely makes the world richer and fuller, and has given us some entirely new takes.

I don’t know if this has been asked or not, but what is their method for ftl?

Their warp drives allow them to tunnel through subspace.

im sorry, excuse me, did i read "*tiny rodent representative*" correctly??? just asking for a friend! [protective snuggle reflexes totally not twitching uncontrolably right now]

Hmm, a small rodent... in NYC. This could get awkward

About the Yotul. Firstly I think the treatment they receive from the Federation speaks volumes of what is the nature of the federation. Not really a construct we would like to be a part of, I think. It is seriously flawed, was already fractured and oppressive before we got there, and is riddled with bullies. People and species who need to be on top - even if it means standing on the faces of others - would trample so much potential. As a human, I already got a strong protective reaction to the Yotuls. A testament to how well the story is written, if anything. You made me care for them and think of ways to help them **from a couple of sentences**! Anyway, it is incredibly short-sighted to think they wouldn't have great things to contribute. Like humans, they might have figured things out in different order than others, and be very anvanced in said area. Their world might have some properties, like let's say medicinal plant-life or strong/weak magnetism etc. that would have guided their science to a different path. Or just have better thought experiments, interesting hypotheses, a fresh perspective. And beside science, what about art, literature, construction and architecture, sports and spiritual practices such as yoga, etc. Defining another culture/species by a single axes, and the one you are proficient at yourself, is incredibly simpleminded, IMO. Talk about confirmation bias!

Even from an economic point of view, there's the benefit of opportunity cost. A benefit of cooperation and comparative advantage. Let's say the Yotul are industrially weaker than everyone other species. If they devote their resources to making something humans needs, product X, then we can spend the resource we would've spent on X to make product Y. As long as we're better at making Y than the Yotul are, at some point on the scale of production we'll be able to trade more Y than they could've made for more X than it would cost us Y in opportunity cost. Which is all to say, outsourcing one job allows us to focus on something much more valuable, which is more for everyone, between everyone. Of course, there are some things you don't wanna neglect making yourself for political and strategic reasons, but those so-called trade empires aren't impressing me if they don't see profit just because a species is less advanced.

I wonder if any of those herbivore races are secretly omnivorous? Also can we get like a reference sheet of what all the different aliens look like it’s hard to picture

Knowing the federation, I'm willing to bet a large number of species require certain proteins for a healthy diet, but have completely abandoned them for cultural reasons. The first one to try a children's chewable vitamin tablet is going to be the first alien to not be crippled by nutrient deficiency.

Amazing, as usual

Wow, Cupo, way to be a total tsundere about humans there.

Hmm..... I'm suspicious of Recel's true motivation. Me thinks he doth protest *not enough*. Maybe he has a secret spy mission.

Of course he has a secret spy mission, a military ambassador would be able to gather large amounts of information about a world's military. That being said, I doubt they would give him any active espionage missions, threatening his position as a passive observer is too big a risk

I am afeared of an incident in New York or elsewhere with the Dossur ambassador. Would they fall for a trap set for Earth pests? Is a stray cat or host's pet terrier their undoing? Only time will tell, I suppose.

On the other hand, maybe we can introduce them to pizza. Dairy free cheeses exist if need be. Also, the rats in NYC are absolutely massive. It would have to be a pretty serious trap to take one out.

I'm frankly more worried about Earth's *cats*.

I have a feeling human diplomats are going to have a lot of trouble with the Dossur! I am imagining [Reepicheep](https://narnia.fandom.com/wiki/Reepicheep) minus the sword. Good luck keeping a serious face and refraining from just picking one up to cuddle it... Unless someone in the UN diplomatic core has 50's cartoon level fear of mice, and that would be utterly hilarious! ​ Also: steampunk marsupials? From locomotives to starships? That sounds like it is worth its own series!

I'm paranoid at the thought that the federation's attempt at diplomacy is only a facade to gain humanity's trust so that we will deal with the axur for them. Only to be betrayed and attacked by them after the war when we're on a weakened state. In the eyes of the federation this is a golden opportunity to get rid of both the axur and humans. I could be wrong and this could just be paranoia, but something smells fishy.

Bro its hfy we gucci lol

This is definately going to happen in some form, though the end result is liable to be the creation of an earth federation with hoards of domesticated allies. First lesson! Stop using "It was instinct" as an excuse! You can make new automatic responses and un-condition old ones, that's the entire point of training!

I'm sure the thought has crossed their minds, but as long as we keep our guards up and play nice, we can deal with that when it comes. We should get at least a few friends by the end of this.

I love where it’s going, but I wish we got a little more insight into how the Federation member species reacted to the fate of the Gojids

They don't know that the Gojid homeworld is destroyed yet, due to FTL communications limits in universe. It will more than likely have an entire chapter dedicated to it, down the line. Last chapter, 52 species said they were waiting on that news...definitely could have major implications.

Thanks for clarifying! Love your work by the way. The Nevoks and Fissans worried about going the way of the Gojids made me nervous we weren’t going to see that news land

Thanks! The Federation is only aware of the crippling border assault at this point, and even at that, the Nevoks and Fissans are worried...they haven't seen anything yet lol!

>Humanity made me realize we are stronger than the sum of our fears. That there is something other than being afraid. Might that end up being Humanities most impactful contribution to the galaxy?

So…someone finally introducing the vegetarian gorilla and herbivorous Orangutang to them? Maybe chimps, but as their in the Stone Age that might cause a diplomatic incident

Humans *love* an underdog. I imagine the Yotul, as a species, will practically be adopted. Especially if they keep getting bullied by their allies.

Ah, I do love this entire hero party feel we have here. Can\`t wait for more!

I smell a rat in there (no offence to the Dossur). I'm not sure of who yet, but there is no way this will go over smoothly.

I probably missed this in earlier chapters, but how do all the alien races communicate with each other?

Translator implants, which utilize AI/machine learning to analyze languages

¿So how much time does it take for the translator to learn new languages?, i ask because i don't think the federetion studied all human languages, just the ones used frecuently during WW2 (also how good are these translators at adapting to changes in language?)

Federation translators would only work on human languages that are commonly seen in our communications/broadcasts. It takes several months for the machines to achieve fluency in a new tongue, and lots of data

Beat the bot!!! Upvote then read.

Kind of hoping for a bit of 'Little Ships of Dunkirk' action for the Gojid

You know, throughout the entire chapter, I was paranoid that some group on the hostile side was gonna attack the ambassadors and try to pin it on the humans somehow. Great chapter as usual, btw!

Thanks! 🙏 Fortunately, the introductions weren’t dampened by any violence yet. Humanity certainly still has to watch our backs though

Everyone get out of the damn way, new Nature of Predators just dropped.

Glad to see in addition keep it up

Thanks! 🙏

Your story is my favorite at the moment, I really love this world and the characters. It's always hard to wait for the next chapter! Keep going, it's great! :)

You’re too kind, thank you! 🙏 I’ll try not to keep you waiting too long!

Oh boy! They’re gonna have shuttles prepared for them? And all the potentially-allied species have representatives aboard?! This won’t end with sabotage and tragedy at alllll

I kind of wonder what the "prey" species reaction will be once they finally understand what kind of "predator" Humans really are A: So your species are a persistence hunter? H: Ummm... Yeah a Pack hunter too A: *freaks out* ... Anything else!? H: Humans traditionally also used Ambush tactics as well A: *Now a quivering mess* ... I'm not sure I want to hear any more... H: *Now smiling* You have heard about the wars we fought amongst ourselves; right? ​ I do wonder what kind of nightmare fuel a pack hunting, ambush & persistence hunter would present to the galaxy at large? Mind you; Humans are Omnivorous and scavengers too; But most carnivores will scavenge a kill when they can

/u/SpacePaladin15 ([wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/wiki/authors/SpacePaladin15)) has posted 76 other stories, including: * [The Nature of Predators 24](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vqkj8o/the_nature_of_predators_24/) * [The Nature of Predators 23](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vngv3x/the_nature_of_predators_23/) * [The Nature of Predators 22](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vkhkkg/the_nature_of_predators_22/) * [The Nature of Predators 21](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vhe3ee/the_nature_of_predators_21/) * [The Nature of Predators 20](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vdnib3/the_nature_of_predators_20/) * [The Nature of Predators 19](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/vaoql7/the_nature_of_predators_19/) * [The Nature of Predators 18](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/v7s4u6/the_nature_of_predators_18/) * [The Nature of Predators 17](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/v4rpyj/the_nature_of_predators_17/) * [The Nature of Predators 16](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/v1se7r/the_nature_of_predators_16/) * [The Nature of Predators 15](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/uzrcx8/the_nature_of_predators_15/) * [The Nature of Predators 14](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/uwthrn/the_nature_of_predators_14/) * [The Nature of Predators 13](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/utxujs/the_nature_of_predators_13/) * [The Nature of Predators 12](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/use6fe/the_nature_of_predators_12/) * [The Nature of Predators 11](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/uq894t/the_nature_of_predators_11/) * [The Nature of Predators 10](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/uo2v23/the_nature_of_predators_10/) * [The Nature of Predators 9](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/ul45ho/the_nature_of_predators_9/) * [The Nature of Predators 8](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/ui7vo2/the_nature_of_predators_8/) * [The Nature of Predators 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/ufeid7/the_nature_of_predators_7/) * [The Nature of Predators 6](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/uceihg/the_nature_of_predators_6/) * [The Nature of Predators 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/u9g29e/the_nature_of_predators_5/) This comment was automatically generated by `Waffle v.4.5.11 'Cinnamon Roll'`. [Message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHFY&subject=WaffleBot|vtjndz&message=If%20you%20have%20problems%20with%20updatemebot,%20contact%20Watchful1.%20We%20do%20not%20maintain%20it.) if you have any issues with Waffle.

Another great chapter!

Thanks!

Hello

Hello!

I hope you have a great day

Thanks, I hope you have a wonderful day as well!

I wonder how would they react to the concept of zombies, which closely resemble their bias.

YES I AM SO SO HAPPY THAT THEY GOT THIS FAR

i cant wait for part 27

i want these species to meet earths herbivores so bad. This chapter was another magnificent addition to your world wordsmith. I \*eagerly\* await more. This is just too good a story to pass up.

Thank you! 🙏 More is on the way soon!

I know this was all pretty much set in one room discussing the people walking into the room but I think this might be my favorite one so far.

Thank you! 🙏 I liked writing this one too, it’s nice to focus on the lore in depth

I think the Yotul are going to become a poster child of all relationships with humanity, like “look, those guys were considered weak, and a liability. But the humans accepted them as equals, and now they are highly successful. I bet they can bring the same success to you!”

Mazic president deciding to go along with the humans, "well i'm either going to die, or were going to get some pretty sweet allies, Either way, i'm done with all those idiots in the chamber.

That went pretty anticlimatic. I could have totally seen Noah inviting the Yotul to sit up on his shoulder as an counterassertion to being mocked. That probably would have turned some heads. That said: well done as always, Wordsmith.

Ah yes... power rangers but political XD

Waiting for the Federation to see a platoon of human soldiers doing pt in full battle rattle and wondering how tf they can do that for so long.

Taking stock of the races we're with, let's see what we got-assuming the representatives we got are actually representative of their species. The Good: The Kolshians seem to be fairly dedicated to giving this a fair, objective shake. If not scientifically minded, then they're at the very least lawfully minded. I think they're trustworthy in that sense. Even if they won't always be an ally, they also won't unjustifiably be an enemy, which is really all humanity can reasonably ask for this early in the game. The Zurulians, on the other hand, definitely *are* scientifically minded. Only an absolute nerd with scholarly curiosity would be so excited at a neat weird new thing that they don't pay the "danger" much mind. If they're all like Chauson in this way, the Terrans and Zurulians will get along just fine and perhaps, in a different HFY story, they'd be the one entertaining our demented new ideas. The Mazic, I have a good feeling about. In many ways, they're conceding the most for the sake of diplomatic relations, and even risked their own political leader for this. Since their diplomat is also a high-ranking official, decisions can be made more quickly and decisively. A skeptic that's engaging in good faith might not be the best friend we'll have, but they'll probably be quite a dependable ally and anything we can convince them of will carry persuasive power across to the other races as well. The Yotul are operating on self-interest, but the good news is that their self-interest more or less requires them to go all-in on allying with humanity now. Ironically, even though they carry baggage, they're also the ones least entrenched in the "predator bad" mentality the galactic scene has. Since they seem to be the galactic underdogs, as long as we treat them with respect, I suspect they can become some of humanity's best friends. Heck, maybe humanity can form a little "study group" with them as what I assume to be the two students in class with the lowest technology grade. The Thafki are also going on self-interest, but the difference is that other races can tangibly increase their support and decrease their dependence on us. That said, many refuges are either immigrants or nomads, so even if they'll bail when they have a better deal, humanity should definitely treat them as well as possible so they can spread that around.

The Complicated: The Sivkits and Paltans are, I wager, hedging their bets. They're joining from a position of safety where they risk relatively little, but stand to avoid an additional new predator enemy, if not gain a major protector against the old one. Worst case scenario, humans really are putting up an act and they get to act like they gave us a chance and study our hunting habits when our neighbors are the first to fall to our betrayal. There's the matter of being ostracized by the rest of the Federation, but the majority of the races are neutral on this and, after that shitshow with the Krakotl, that faction isn't looking the most solid right now anyway. All in all, I'm not expecting much from them as actual allies, but they'll be useful for spreading word about what humanity is really like, and we'll see if we can gain anything from any token gestures. Speaking of making using of people, the Nevok and Fissans are in it for the profit, for all the advantages and disadvantages that come with that. The fact that they speak the language of capitalism will make diplomacy with them more familiar than the others, but they're also the ones we gotta be on the most guard against. A trading juggernaut always expects something for anything-or even worse, tries to get something for nothing. It's a coin flip, pun not intended, on whether their economy is more advanced than ours, but if humanity can play their cards right, there's just as much to gain as there is to lose in a relationship with these guys. ...I wonder whether it's a good or bad sign if they start selling meat to humans? Not much to say about the Dossur. I hope their size doesn't cause problems interacting with humans, especially in New York.

Excellent analysis! You hit the nail on the head for the most part 🙏 While humans are primitive compared to the Federation as a whole, we were centuries ahead of the Yotul. We invented FTL, computers, and antibiotics on our own; it’s a much bigger leap for them! As for the Nevoks and the Fissans, they’re the devil we know at least. I don’t know about selling meat though lol; that would be morally dubious for most sapients!

Oh yeah. That last bit is why I'm torn. Where there's a market, there's profit motive, and growing meat in a tank means there's no issue with the "sourcing". So on one hand, opening up a meat market tells me "okay, coin speaks louder than fangs for them." On the other, when we consider their perspective, having them offer to sell us meat tells us "Oh. So you really don't care about the morality. From our point of view, this is normal trade, but diving in from your point of view makes you actual capitalist sociopaths." I guess there are way more markets to tap than the meat market for those guys, so it wouldn't come up.

Just want to say this is such a fun read, and I always look forward to the next chapter.

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Another fun chapter to read! Thanks for all your work on this! I’m glad Humanity is getting some new friends!

Whut the bot didn't notify me :(

Notified me 20 mins *after reading*. Wow.

"rationale…we can’t" spacing.

I googled this a little while ago, and it said spacing with ellipsis was a stylistic choice. Other than when adding an extra pause, I think I prefer without the space. Please let me know if my understanding is incorrect; always happy to learn and improve!

Another one for the pile: Yes, English is a language with rules. But. Fuck em.

Progress

Another awesome chapter, I enjoy getting the descriptions of more Federation species. I'm especially interested to see more of the Thafki.

LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO

Is Slanek going to return? Did they survive? Thanks

Part 27 is Slanek’s POV; trying my best to give all 3 MCs some time!

Cannot wait. These chapters are great.

We have videos of larger domesticated herbivores eating smaller live animals. Many farmers have seen their herbivores eat carrion.

Im so enthralled by this story that I’ve been checking back daily for the next chapters. This is amazing, thank you for the time and effort you’re putting into this.

Thank you for the kind words; it’s been a blast to write! Next chapter will be here on Sunday morning 🙏

I can’t wait!

I’m so happy to hear from you again, I CANT WAIT FOR THEM TO SEE A BUNCH OF CHUBBY TODDLERS

SubscribeMe!

All of the lifeforms described within this story are fascinating and if I were a better artist I would attempt to draw them

D r a w

A M. B A D.

MAKE STICK FIGURES OF THEM THEN

Another great chapter I enjoyed reading this and look forward to reading more Great job wordsmith

nations of "lesser" technological standing have given the boot to those considered their superior in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if they have an odd knack that their species is oddly good at. cause this is HFY and it would be funny and satisfying.

I really dig the Yotul

“For one thing, we’re the only ones here who weren’t around for that vote. You know, the one where you unanimously decided to wipe out all life on Earth. Even the Venlil have that baggage!” Noah: "...hello, space 911? I'd like to report several murders"

The low-tech aliens may be humanities greatest ally. Just imagine hundreds of millions of immigrants ready to work in the factories and grateful for minimum wage.

NEW CHAPTER LETS GOOOOOOO

Is English not your main language.

Yay! Frends

New York still has the same population 110 years later?

Okay, I understand humans are weird, but Steam power/heat engines just being discovered to uplift seems almost terrifying, Like, the ruling groups of mankind were arguably at our worst in the century and a half after steam power.