This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/micktalian on 2025-10-01 20:33:19+00:00.
Part 143 A fun night (Part 1) (Part 142)
Admiral Nathaniel Adeoye’s family compound in the heart of the Yankari National Reserve, Nigeria is somewhat unique but only mildly so. There are several other similar residents and small towns scattered throughout nature preserves in countries all over Earth. While many may be utilized as corporate retreats for the C-suite or eco-tourism destinations, most in the African Federation care far more about animals and nature than profits. As such, there are a few fully wild creatures who congregate even here under the large patio structure adjacent to Nathaniel’s mansion. However, that isn’t to say this compound lacks luxury. Between the quality of the small housing complex, covered relaxation and dining areas, and the professional staff tending to property and family’s needs, this place would be fit to host royalty. But only if the royalty in question can appreciate the fusion of nature and modern technologies.
If Captain Zikazoma and her lover, Commander Chuxima, had more time on Earth to explore similar locales, they would have discovered hundreds of places just like this compound in Africa alone. The Nigerian state of Bauchi, the region surrounding the Yankari National Reserve, is home to over twelve million people according to the last census in 2230. Despite that fact, neither Zika nor Chu couldn’t see city lights, signs of major ecological damage, or anything other than a careful blending of nature and civilization. They had learned this entire complex was powered by compact vertical-axis wind turbines, solar panels, and geothermal systems feeding batteries back ups. All of the buildings were constructed from local materials, built with complete environmental impact in mind, and feature most of the finery anyone could expect. This would be considered quite the vacation spot by the standards of the elites of the Third Qui’ztar Matriarchy.
For A’isha Adeoye, Nathaniel’s first wife and the matriarch of the family, this compound is far more than just her home. While her husband fulfilled his military and political duties and her two sister-wives took care of their collective children and the local Forestry management respectively, it was A’isha’s job to handle the tourism business. With her villas empty for the past few weeks, she was more than willing to show her newest guests the kind of special treatment she rarely had time for. It didn’t matter that these particular visitors would only stay for a single night. As the first aliens to set foot in this country and continent, A’isha felt an obligation to personally ensure their enjoyment and privacy. Though Atxika had left to speak with the elephants after dinner, something A’isha didn’t yet have the courage to do, and another had retired early with the Martian-human man glued to her side, the remaining pair proved to be excellent company.
“Now this is how I- Hy-uck… Want to spend my vacation time!” After an afternoon and evening full of food, drink, and good company, Chuxima found herself intoxicated by both quality alcohol and a welcoming atmosphere. “You have a beautiful home, A’isha. My parents would probably spend a small fortune to come vacation here for a couple weeks here.”
“Ehen! That is good to hear.” A’isha chuckled with perfectly crafted elegance. Only a slight delay in her eye movements gave away her inebriated state. As much as she wanted to ensure an unimpeachable first impression and potentially expand her future guest list, she couldn’t deny herself the privilege of enjoying drinks with aliens. “I’m glad you both are having a wonderful time. If you were staying longer, I would personally take you on a tour of the land we manage. My husband’s family have spent nearly two hundred years and several tens of billions of euro-dollars protecting, helping our local wildlife, and building this enterprise into something truly special. It is good to know their work is appreciated.”
“Speaking of wildlife…” A devilish smirk formed on Zikazoma’s face as she paused for a moment to take a swing of a spirit distilled from palm wine. “What kind of large predators live in this area? The last place we visited supposedly had big ones, but we only saw a small feline that couldn’t have been more than fifteen kilos.”
“The smallest female lions local to this reserve are at least a hundred and sixty centimeters long, not including their tails, weigh around a hundred and twenty kilos, and their shoulders are about this high off the ground.” The Nigerian woman let out another soft laugh while putting her hand about level with the table the three women were seated at. “But the biggest males… They can be over two meters, again not including the tails, and can be well over two hundred kilos. Top five largest predators on Earth and the second largest of the panthers. Again, if you were staying longer, I could take you both out to see them during the day. It is simply far too dangerous to do so at night.”
“That does sound like a large predator.” Zika’s smirk grew just a bit more feisty while winking at Chu. “But I could probably take one in a fight.”
“First of all…” Though A’isha’s tone was still pleasant, and carried a clear note of sarcasm, she did become serious enough to catch the Qui’ztars’ attention. “We shoot poachers here. It is completely and totally illegal to hunt any endangered or protected species anywhere in the African Federation. Lions are both of those. That being said, if you meant a fist fight, then no. No, you would not win, my friend. You might be able to beat my husband in a fight, but not a lion. They may hunt in prides, but even a lone female could take down a three hundred kilo adult buffalo if she tried. They can take down a thousand kilo bull when they work together. Lions aren’t just big, strong, and durable, they’re also incredibly fast. If we need to cull a particularly aggressive lion that is threatening humans, which is exceptionally rare, we have to use a high-caliber rifle from at least a five hundred meters away. That way the park ranger can run away and get to their vehicle safely if they miss.”
“We aren’t here to hunt, my love. Only to see this world and the different forms of sapient life here.” Chu wasn’t drunk enough to let Zika get any bright idea and tried to steer the conversation backwards to something less violent. “And speaking of sapient life, are there any intelligent primates here? Besides us, of course.”
“Ah-haha! Oh, no, no, no.” Though she could have taken offense to being referred to as a primate, A’isha found the way Chuxima including herself and Zika under that general term to be absolutely hilarious. “We have a few species of monkeys here, yes. But, uh… I wouldn’t exactly call baboons or the others particularly intelligent. At least not compared to us and, apparently, elephants. Our guard dogs are smarter than the tantalum and patas monkey you may see wandering around the estate.”
“I could have sworn Mikhail mentioned something about sapient primates somewhere on this land mass.” Zika stared at her nearly finished drink, the strain concentration visible in her expression. “What did he call them, Chu, my dear?”
“Chimps, I believe.” Chuxima looked off into the distance towards a small group of monkeys she spotted earlier as she too struggled to remember the animals their Martian friend had mentioned. “And gor… Somethings… I think… Mikhail also mentioned something about both of them being able to kill humans.”
“Chimpanzees and gorillas?” Despite having grown up in and been educated right here in Nigeria, the older human woman was aware of many of the various noteworthy forms of life throughout Africa. However, like most other people from this continent, she didn’t know much about the intelligence of humanity’s closest biological relatives aside from how dangerous they could be if encountered in the wild. “There are populations of both here in Nigeria. But you would need to travel about five hundred kilometers south to the Cross River area to see them. Not that I would recommend that, though.”
“And why’s that?” Zika half scoffed but did so in a playful enough manner as to not come off offensively.
“Well… Your friend Mikhail is right. Both chimpanzees and gorillas can and do occasionally kill humans. While gorillas will only attack if they feel threatened or challenged, chimpanzees… They, uh… There is a reason you will never see me go into a forest where those are known to live. I do not wish to have my limbs torn off and then be beaten to death with them. And that is not just dark humor. I recently read an article in the news about a group of five hikers being attacked by chimps in the Cross River area. Only one survived and… Let’s just say he will need lots of cybernetic reconstruction, including his face.”
“In that case…” Having seen just how formidable humans can be, or at least how deadly Tens is in combat, Zika decided it may not be the best idea to test her luck. “I’ll just have to be satisfied with defeating another one of these bottles! What did you call this drink A’isha? Ogog? Ogogoro? Whatever it is, I’ll happily ta…
Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/1nvjofk/the_gardens_of_deathworlders_part_143/
You must log in or register to comment.