Far-Wend (pred): You know how wild it is to have so many starorphans around to talk to these days who understand my native cultural context without it being a weird thing or a gimmick joke? Like just normal conversations? Do you know how refreshing that's been?
Sky-Reach: I want to think I'm up here because of my talent, not because you wanted another starorphan to talk to, auntie.
Far-Wend (pred): okay wow wait hold the hunt are you having worries you're here because of nepotism
Sky-Reach: I'm always worried about that, honestly.
Far-Wend (pred): Okay well as your starorphan-aunt and eternal queen-big sister I have to put on my serious paint okay hold on let me change gaits. Far-Wend (pred): Number one if you're here as a diversity hire it's because our species has 5,400 members and we are 90 million years behind everyone else. We've made progress in the past like ten years but you take ten away from 90 million and that's still 90 million. Far-Wend (pred): And we are all ABOUT helping out you know okay so that's one. Number two is this and I'm saying it so you know it's for real Far-Wend (pred): If we had saltcombers like you 90 million years ago, we probably wouldn't have gutstuck the math and ended up 90 million years in the future. You're smart. Far-Wend (pred): If you were a nepotism hire for my amusement you wouldn't be helping plot the navigation routes of dozens of starships. You'd be like, I don't know. Some made up title. Secretary battle drone. You'd have rocket launchers on your back and the heroes would have to defeat you in combat before they made it up to me and I'd be like, impossible, how did you get through Sky-Reach!?
Sky-Reach: … can I get rocket launchers on my back?
Far-Wend (pred): It is our CULTURAL HERITAGE to have rocket launchers on our backs. THIS is a nepotism thing and I will look into getting you rocket launchers for your back. Far-Wend (pred): But also I'm here on official business and by here I mean in your DMs Far-Wend (pred): I'm doing a stupid gimmick where we're all appending our huntdirection genders into our titles to prove some point about something or other I don't even remember anymore Far-Wend (pred): And look your father is a saltlander but I know my sister raised you right you know what's up
Sky-Reach (prey): Understood.
Far-Wend (pred): WHAT
Sky-Reach (prey): Far-Wend I've had a lot of time to study and in my study I think none of us are true predators. We're all vulnerable and frightened and circumstance devours us all over a long enough scale of time. Sky-Reach (prey): I don't think I've ever felt in control enough of anything to use the predator gender for myself.
Far-Wend (pred): Okay but you literally control the shipping lanes of a galactic shipping corporation.
Sky-Reach (prey): HELP control. Relative to the laws of space physics, space weather, space politics, space logistics…
Far-Wend (pred): Okay but I mean even back on the old planet your hunt had a lot of factors that worked into it. Soil comp, wind direction, prey dispersion, hunting territories, being pred isn't about being in complete control of every factor it's about the willingness to fight randomness with your own force of will just like you'll fight your prey!
Sky-Reach (prey): Sure! I get that. But there's a power to acquiescence. How many of your hunts back in the day were complete successes? You didn't win all of them, did you?
Far-Wend (pred): No of course not
Sky-Reach (prey): The prey escaped! Most of the time the prey escapes. The predator does its absolute best to bite the lines of fate and control it, but prey always escapes. Even if your hunt is successful, you only caught some of the prey. The rest escaped, didn't they? Sky-Reach (prey): I think prey is a more powerful gender than predator, honestly.
Far-Wend (pred): You are absolutely your father's chick, laudatory. Damn okay. Far-Wend (pred): see if you were a nepotism hire you would also be trying harder to agree with me instead of doing this total pred move of declaring yourself prey and making it work for you Far-Wend (pred): like that's a paradox and a HALF okay
Sky-Reach (prey): We try so hard to make sure our ships never even have half a paradox, actually.
Far-Wend (pred): yeah well like i said if you had been alive 90 million years ago we probably wouldn't have ended up 90 million years in the future
Sky-Reach (prey): But then I wouldn't be alive now, and able to get rocket launchers on my back.
Far-Wend (pred): I'm going to get you so many rockets