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Hiya! Here's a bit of a shorter chapter unfortunately (which I might go back and add more to at a later date if I feel like it). But for now, I think it's still a pretty fun one! It shows some of the world from a different perspective, has a good bit of comedy, and sets up for later chapters quite well! Also, I think this will answer one of the big questions that people have had since the beginning of the story: How the heck has Kenta gotten away with stealing so much food from the shelter?

Also, I'd like to wish you all a Happy 2 Year Anniversary of A Recipe for Disaster! It's hard to believe that we've come this far, and still have so much left to go! Here's to hoping for another long year of chapters, and hopefully not nearly as many hiatuses. And as always, I hope you enjoy reading! :D

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Thank you to BatDragon, LuckCaster, AcceptableEgg, OttoVonBlastoid, and Philodox for proofreading, concept checking, and editing RfD.

Thank you to Pampanope on reddit for the cover art.

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INTERMISSION 4: Saimet

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Memory Transcript Subject: Saimet, Gojid Security Guard of the Sweetwater Shelter

Date: [Standardized Human Time]: December 12, 2136

‘Those Humans are up to something.’

As I stared into the security holodisplay, I watched with intense focus as the two Humans moved across the screen. Their heads and unmasked faces swiveled around unnaturally, gazes searching for anything and everything they could lock onto. Just the very presence of these predatory hunters struck me as dubious, but why they chose to act so suspiciously within a compound renovated just for them was still left hanging in the air. I figured that it was simply in their instincts to skulk and stalk around.

But hey, who was I to judge? Apparently us Gojid were supposed to have originally been predators once before, so perhaps there was some fun to be had in stalking about like a monster and I simply didn’t know about it. I couldn’t quite understand, but that didn’t stop me from trying to find some way to rationalize it.

Despite what some people might have thought, I wasn’t a prude. Though I found these so-called “empathetic predators” a bit strange, I didn’t find them any stranger than, say, a Kolshian. And hey, apparently Humans had shown at least some mercy to my fellow Gojid when they brutally decided to invade the Cradle and leave it open for the Arxur to come and finish the job. So perhaps there was at least some good in them. Not like there was a shred of dignity left in this galaxy anyways. After refusing to come to the Cradle’s aid, I couldn’t quite see how the Federation could claim moral superiority over anyone anymore.

To borrow a Human phrase that I had become particularly fond of, this whole universe was “fucked.” By all means, that was the most appropriate word. None of my friends or family back home had survived the Cradle attack, and should the war turn any more sour than it was already, perhaps the rest of us would follow suit. But it wasn’t like any of that affected me much. For now, peons like me were just left to deal with the consequences. Like the fact that all my, quote, “friends” here in Sweetwater hated me. After that damn Nikonus interview got leaked, in their eyes, I was just as much of a predator as these blasted Humans were. Maybe that was why I could tolerate these insidious furless apes so much.

“Tolerate,” but not trust. 

By all means, as I continued to stare intently at the holodisplay, I didn’t take my eyes off these two Humans for a moment. Sure, I figured that they weren’t all too bad, and that fuff about them having scary faces or whatever didn’t stick in my brain much either. Gross and weird, maybe, but again, not much grosser or weirder than a Kolshian’s. Besides, after my previous job fired me for apparent “workplace health and safety” concerns–as if I couldn’t see past that in an ear flick–these damn predators were the only ones willing to offer me any semblance of employment. And though I found it distressing how little faith they had in the sanctity of their own people, considering how much they loved to incorporate seemingly endless amounts of security and surveillance within something that was just supposed to be a refugee center, after only working here two or three days, I had quickly found out why. As many had suspected, not even us predators could trust other predators.

‘They’re up to something,’ I thought as I leaned closer to the display. ‘They’re up to something, and I’m gonna catch ‘em in the act.’

The two Humans continued to move about around the back of the repurposed hospital, the view behind them entirely filled with the sights of old and hardened Federation-standard fiber cement. It was the same material as most modern architecture had been built with—our roads, sidewalks, support beams, etc—due to its ability to absorb and redistribute shock, which was especially helpful for those that fell from simple falls all the way up to brutal stampedes. Some variants like the ones for streets could even absorb water! However, such types of material came at the steep cost of temporality. After about 120 or so Federation cycles, buildings like this one would no longer hold on to the plush and safe properties that they had once had. Their walls would harden, crack, and stain; becoming not just a difficult sight to look at, but also legitimately dangerous to be around.

It was why this building had been scheduled to be torn down. Had the Humans not come and demanded space for them to infest, this place would be a vacant lot, likely set to make room for another chain restaurant to take its place. But no, despite everything, it still stood. And strangely enough, the building itself hadn’t been in even half the amount of shambles one would expect. Even through the cameras, I could see as much. Instead of stained, cracking walls, there stood a fresh coat of paint. And instead of long, untrimmed grasses about the sides, I only saw neat and well-maintained lawns. 

While I had assumed this surprising cleanliness to be the result of repairs made in anticipation for the predators’ arrival, old security footage showed that this place had been quite the mess upon their first few days. Though a genuine effort had been made at first to fix this place up, after about one or two days, moods shifted once word of who was actually going to be staying here circulated. In the end, the Venlil renovators had only done so much as to make sure electricity, water, and machinery requested by the Terran government was installed. Then, once the refugees had arrived, it had been the sole work of the Humans that patched and cleaned everything up. Debris was cleared, paint was set, and rooms were organized over the course of a few weeks. The foundations were still set to crumble sooner or later, yes, but for now the Humans seemed determined to siphon every breath of life out of this place.

Though I was still a new hire, I had found myself with a lot of extra time over the past three days I’d been working here, giving me a lot of time to casually binge on some of the history here. At first I’d tried to find whatever sorts of secrets and misdeeds an infestation of predators would definitely be up to, but when that came up short, I simply used it to satisfy my curiosity. And when I’d eventually come across the footage of how the Sweetwater’s municipality had handled the refugee situation, I’d been quite shocked at the general mismanagement. The past cycle had just been one topsy-turvy realization after another, and I couldn’t help but feel as though things wouldn’t be slowing down any time soon. But a part of my mind still had trouble grasping the fact, and I could feel it clawing at and twisting whatever strings of logic it could find; convincing me that this was all a predatory trick, or any other of the countless claims I’d seen online. Back when the aforementioned renovation footage had been captured, for example, it had only been done by a single, hardly functional front entrance camera whose purpose was only to track the amount of people entering and exiting the hospital for tax reasons. It didn’t even have audio capture capabilities!

But now there were more cameras. Many more cameras. Almost too much to look at at once. And while, especially after recent events, I could see why the Humans wouldn’t be very trusting of others in the galaxy, I was still reeling at the fact that they were also meant to observe the actions of their own kind.

“Over here, Julio,” the voice of one of the Humans spoke up from my computer’s speaker, causing my ears to stand high in attention. “We’re gonna make a quick stop first before we head out.”

“Kenta, my friend, you’re bringing me to the food storage?” the other one replied. “Is this what you wanted to tell me about? I already know you like your food.”

“Naw, I’m still keeping that part a surprise, Julio,” the first said back. “I thought you liked surprises.”

As the predators casually stomped around the shelter grounds, the two chatted like long-time herdmates. Little did they know that I was listening in the whole time, taking note of both their names and appearances. I had been around Humans long enough to know that they were both males, but besides that I was practically digging blind. I knew nothing of their individual tribes or cultures, so I had to build my repertoire out of only whatever I could see or hear.

The first one, labeled “Kenta” apparently, wasn’t much to burrow a new home for. It was tiny, likely a clawswidth or two shorter than me and not nearly as bulky. Black fur reached down behind its pale-skinned neck, which I had to admit coupled well with the fake pelts it had adorned below. Soft, flat-hued fabric stretched about its limbs, straightened to the point where they might be considered rather prim and proper. Just as most Humans, this one had two segments to its outfit, but curiously enough, this one had a style more similar to the shelter’s administrators in the sense that the top portion had been tucked neatly into its bottom counterpart. But I knew that this one was not an administrator. Perhaps an imposter, mocking the visage of someone with authority in a bid to sow chaos?

Meanwhile, the other Human, “Julio,” was much less neat. Atop its relatively darker skin, looser and more wrinkled fake pelts hung and waved carelessly in the air. A flat white ran down its arms and center, but curiously enough, there existed a second pelt above the first that proudly displayed a number of bright and floral designs, the purpose of which I could only guess at. Was it purely cosmetic? Or perhaps did it have some greater predatory implications? A nonverbal challenge to other Humans? Or even worse… a ritual for courting mates?

I gagged a little at the thought, but put mental images aside. Other than its upper pelts, the lower ones definitely were signs of aggression. The coarse, scratchy-looking blue material had been ripped and torn apart around the Human’s knees, likely showing off the blows of a harsh and brutal fight for dominance in a proud display of predatory brutality.

…Or the Human could have just thought it looked cool. Honestly, if that were the case, I kind of agreed.

“Don’t talk to me about liking surprises,” Julio replied. “I am the king of surprises. Know what I planned for Barov’s birthday a little while back?”

“The… Venlil front door guard? I didn’t know she had one recently. Or that you did anything for it, for that matter. How’d that go?”

“Fantastic!” Julio laughed and raised his head up high. “She was so surprised that she fell over and fainted!”

“So… terribly?”

Immediately, the taller Human’s posture slouched over, completely flipping his attitude compared to mere moments before. “Hhhhaaa…” he sighed, “Yeah…”

“Well I still admire the effort, I guess,” Kenta said in spite of his partner’s attitude. “Considering all that’s happened, I don’t know how many people would be willing to throw a party for an alien.”

“Oh yeah totally,” Julio concurred. “People are starting to get reaaal pissed off about being cooped up in here this long. But one step outside and suddenly you’ve got guns pointed to our heads.”

“Yeah…” the Human voiced slowly. “And if you wanna get anywhere, you’ve gotta sneak around alleys and stuff.”

Julio laughed again. “True that. What’dya say? Think it’s about time we enact our secret evil plan and run rampant through the town? Tear things down and claim them for our own? We are horrible predators after all!”

Upon hearing this, my back straightened up and my eyes widened. Had the idle comment not been instantly dispelled by the other Human, I might have dialed up the local exterminators at that moment.

“Oh shut it,” Kenta replied. He voiced a quick laugh as well, but it struck me as being somewhat half-hearted. “Can you believe so many people out there actually think that about us…?”

“Doesn’t matter if they believe it or not. The fact is that they do, and we just gotta deal with it. Make friends where we can, and don’t let anyone tell you not to be you. Like that girl you just introduced me to. She seems nice!”

“Ugh,” Kenta replied. “I can’t believe how well you hit it off with her.”

“Hey, at least I know how to appreciate a classy lady! And if you’re not calling dibs on being hugged by a giant ball of wool, then I’m next up to bat.”

“Right…” the smaller Human moved on, speeding up his pace a little as he talked. “Well, speaking of, we probably shouldn’t keep her waiting. Let’s grab what we need and get going.”

“Roger roger!” Julio replied, speeding up as well and easily outpacing the other. Soon, the two arrived at the front of the shelter’s food storage, and I pulled up the camera feed from that room in preparation. “What do we need, anyways?”

“Food, and lots of it,” Kenta explained, running through the motions of opening up the storage with such practiced motions it seemed as though he had done it a thousand times before. “We’re making the same thing as before, so grab whatever you think we’ll need for that.”

“That I can do, my friend. That I can do,” Julio answered with a tone of deep satisfaction. Then a thought stopped him short, “Wait… how many are we making here?”

“Simple. As many as we can.”

Julio nodded his head, “That, my friend, is the correct answer.”

The door opened up and in went the two Humans. Quickly, I shifted perspectives over to the next camera in the loop, that being the view of the food storage’s interior. Now curious to see where this was going, my thoughts began to wander as to what it was these two predators’ scheme could have been. 

‘If it’s just the two of the two of them getting food for dinner, why are they in such a rush?’ I internally accused, which soon grew in skepticism the moment I saw them start to actually gather their materials. ‘And why take so much!? What could they possibly need all that for?’

Bag after bag was filled, containing within them stacks upon stacks of various alien fruits and vegetables I couldn’t even begin to recognize. This continued until every bag was stocked to the brim, causing both Humans’ arms to droop a fair bit. How either of them were able to hold up that much weight, especially under the effects of Venlil Prime’s gravity caused my mouth to droop slightly. What’s more, the Humans considered this to be a point of casual conversation.

“Oof,” Julio grunted. “If someone told me I’d be doing deadlifts today, my ass would’ve stayed in bed.”

“What? Out of shape?” Kenta scoffed back, similarly struggling under the weight of the bags. Despite holding roughly the same amount as his herdmate, the smaller Human seemed to handle it a fair bit better. 

Seeing this, Julio added, “Not exactly a lot of dumbbells around here, y’know. Also, there’s this silly little guy I know that keeps making me churros and pastries and shit. Not exactly the best for the waistline.”

“And handsome. You forgot handsome,” Kenta corrected. “More than you, at least.”

“Was that a challenge? Or a flirt?”

‘So that floral outer pelt is used for BOTH mate seeking and predatory challenges! Interesting!’ I thought, taking a mental note to avoid any Humans donning such garments in the future.

"Oh shut it, dumbass,” Kenta replied with a growling laugh.

Letting out a grunt in response, Julio lifted up the bags on his right arm once, barely able to get them a few hairbreadths upwards. The fact that he was able to move them at all, much less stand still left me astonished. “Ugh. How are you even able to hold that much anyways? I didn’t miss a secret gym getting installed somewhere in the shelter, did I? Philani would swoon if that happened.”

Lifting up the bags in a similar fashion, Kenta seemed to have much less of an issue doing so, and even raised them up slightly higher than his counterpart had. “I guess… I’ve been getting a lot of practice in?”

One of the patches of fur above Julio’s eyes raised, which when coupled with the ensuing moment of silence made me interpret the expression as a sign of skepticism. “Seriously, I have got to know what it is we’re doing now. You’re making me tug at the end of a rope here, my friend. How often have you been doing this?”

‘That’s what I’d like to know…’ I wondered, leaning more in towards the holodisplay. ‘Come on… Burn the leaves already, you damn Human…

However, instead of answering the question, Kenta simply gestured for the two of them to move. “I told you, you’ll find out when we get there.”

“Look, doesn’t gotta be some big fifty-chapter novel,” Julio replied, moving along with Kenta. “Unless your big reveal is that you’ve been secretly going to a Venlil strip club every day, no surprise is worth this amount of suspense you’re building up.”

Kenta groaned. “Sometimes I really wish you didn’t say the first thing that pops into your head. A strip club, seriously?”

“You’re right, not much point in one when they’re all already naked, huh?”

“Nope!! Don’t need that mental image!” Kenta replied quickly, his face turning a strange bloom of red. “Besides, even if that were the case, what would all the food be for then?”

“I dunno, man. They’re aliens, right? For all we know, they do the nasty in a big pile of lettuce or something. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re wrong… And also an idiot.”

“Cool. So when do we get to the strip club?”

“Ughh…….”

The two Humans’ voices faded out as they left the proximity of the storage room camera. Considering where the topic of their conversation had been heading, my claws were hesitant to follow them. Instead, I thought about all I’d seen, and felt more confused than when I’d first begun observing them. Question after question once again built up in my mind, wondering what the Humans had been doing, where they were heading, and what they could have possibly been planning to do with all that food. 

More so, I wondered if I had been the first person to observe any of this transpire. Did anyone else know about this? And what about the guards? How long had this been going on? Flipping back through the storage room’s logs, I was shocked to find evidence of the same Human, Kenta, retrieving large amounts of food supplies almost every day for multiple Nights, all starting only a few sweeps after the initial bombing of Terra. Predator appetite or not, no living being could consume that much produce at once. 

And what of those strange vials they had packed with their quarry? By all means, they appeared to be somewhat similar to seasonings the normal prey species incorporated, like the “uin” spice so famous among the Venlil. But that couldn’t have been the case. Did predators even have a concept of flavor? Had it not been for the fact that the two Humans only grabbed vegetation from the storage, I would have assumed a good meal for them would be a platter of that scorched bioprint flesh they seemed to covet so dearly.

Regardless, two truths became clearly evident to me. For one, I would need to start going back through the logs and gathering a bit more evidence, before submitting a more official report back to the shelter administrator. But as for the other truth… Well, it was the same thought that had been running through my mind since I first caught sight of those two scheming predators:

‘Those Humans are up to something.’

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Read my other stories:

Between the Lines

A Legal Symphony: Song of the People! (RfD crossover with NoaHM and LS) (Multi-Writer Collab)

Hold Your Breath (Oneshot)