Skybeyondthesky

Skybeyondthesky by shireveningsilk and Chakatheaven yahoo group

This is the best furry story I've ever read. The author didn't put their name on it, but it's great. The reader wades through the opening with a mind full of questions, and the writer only brings more questions with their answer. I kept wanting to read more to find out what happened next.
The main character seems to be some sort of guinea pig, and she discovers an alien probe of some kind. It delves in to spirituality, reproduction, and other factors of life, establishing a believable world that seems uncomfortably like our own.
Although nothing was clearly identified in terms we can understand (the names of species, geography, vehicles, etc.) it's perfectly acceptable in terms of how a...(vole? groundhog?) would see the world. No real criticisms came to mind as I read through it, so I awarded a whopping 20 kudos points. (I'm serious, that first section before the break is good enough to print.)
It was all well and good until I reached the part about the guy at the desk. Needs work. Besides the points in the checklist, there's the problem of slapping too much description on the characters all at once (I didn't grade too harshly because I fall prey to that myself), and I almost see hints of a Mary Sue on the description (I suspect the writer is fat and wishes to be a thin guy that overeats?), again, no cheese points for that, either, but it makes me wonder. The quasi-female was an interesting twist. I awarded a kudos for not being stereotypically shapely and so forth.
I momentarily questioned the need for the part about the guy whistling a video game song, but then I realized it doesn't specify which song, and so it just brands the guy as a nerd, which is cool.
I'm not sure what the girl sees in Mr. Complete Slob. Although she's flat chested, and they're probably right for each other, the guy sounds like the kind who would leave food crumbs and chips all over his chest, and have Anime porn all over his desktop. I don't buy the thing about her wanting his food - she has a replicator. My only guess is she's trying to use sex to steal his security clearance and do something illegal with all those space probes they're sending across the galaxy.
To the author's credit, the guy is clueless in the realm of love, especially with a flat chested dame who might not be his species anyway. Which makes me wonder even more what she sees in him.

After she smokes an electronic cigarette, (which human beings would never come up with in a million years - cough cough ahem, never), we get back to the interesting part about the alien thing from the beginning of the story.
I love how blissfully ignorant the creature is at everything. It reminds me of stories like Watership Down, where they have a different perspective on the universe that makes everything around them seem foreign.
The section that followed it reminded me vaguely of science fiction novels I've read in print, which is really cool. In between these two things, I awarded five more kudos. As I kept reading on, I had few complaints about it, except that the major thing preventing this story's publication is too much fandom style manual, specifically the use of the word "morph" as a description of a "furry" (also not a good word to use as a noun in a printed book). Other than that, it really works.
I wasn't sure where this "stitch in her side" came from. As far as I can tell, she visited the camera guy, then smoked, and then the giant badger visited. Unless I read this wrong, I don't think the badger caused the stitch in her side, so I don't know where it came from.
There's a good sense of conflict and tension near the end of the story. I kept reading, wondering what would happen next. The slob with the computer ends up alone at the end, which seems appropriate, but I wondered what would happen to the huge beast that tried to eat the mouse. Would they eventually reconcile their differences, or would the alien thing end up in a zoo or exterminated for public safety? The author leaves us hanging.
Regardless, I awarded five kudos for the drama, and not leaving us with the standard happy ending or "to be continued".
To summarize, this story would be great in printed form (once the "morph" thing was removed, of course), and it ended up with positive points.

Weird Parts

"Salem watched her munch on some M&M’s for a minute, before asking timidly, “So….uhm...Where’re you gonna be patrolling next?”
“Pfft, I’m going to the hangers after this,” Dina said indifferently, “Gonna catch the vapors before heading back to my station.”


What, is there chili down in Deck 17? Maybe she should hook her butt up to the fuel tanks!


"the din was a blessing in Dina’s ears as she took out a vapor cigarette.
The Terran habit of smoking was an inerasable aspect of Terran culture, and despite the several attempts to squash the dirty habit, it somehow found a way to survive the many centuries and was still a normal habit of countless Terrans everywhere. Since there was no way of stopping so many billions of people from smoking, many cigarette companies were pressured into making the smoking habit cleaner and healthier, and so electronic vapor cigarettes were invented. While they contained a trivial amount of nicotine, there were none of the carcinogens and poisons that were the components of classic cigarettes, and the vapor that was exhaled by the smoker was completely docile and harmless to any surrounding people. The smoker could also add menthol to their cigarette, as well as flavors such as strawberry, grape, or, in Dina’s case, cinnamon, and many other available flavors besides. At this point, smoking was reduced to something no more substantial than eating a candy stick."


The future is now, author. Well, except for that non-lethal thing. We already have electronic cigarettes. And they're expensive, and you can pick them up online or at truck stops. Admittedly, they're not as perfect as the ones described above, but the author really doesn't describe these cigarettes as being much different, really. You can buy grape flavored cigarettes and cigarillos at a gas station already.
In summary, this is what makes the "Vapor" cigarette different from existing electronic cigarettes:
1. Does not contain carcinogens.

Ironically, her friend's name is "Salem", as in Salem Ultra Light 100's.


"Dina watched, with a slight tinge of regret and amusement, as the large crowd of families poured into the entrance hall from the port, a huge clamor of joyful noises reaching her ears as StarCorps officials were reunited with their loved ones from a long hiatus away from home. The sight became a little too much for Dina to bear, but she continued to watch anyway, an unexplainable emotion keeping her eyes glued to the sight."


It's called "loneliness."


"it was so lucky that she kept her eyes on that crowd.
For Dina caught a glimpse of something that took her breath away."


Um, wouldn't that be the cigarette?


"Standing easily past the 7’ mark, perhaps even taller than 8', the life-form that entered the hall was so large, so wide, and so muscled that it had no problems with clearing a path through the densely packed entrance hall. All of that unfazed Dina. It was the fact that it resembled a Terran badger that left Dina so breathless."


I read and re-read this section, but it makes absolutely no sense. It would be akin to saying, "The fact that Godzilla towered over skyscrapers and tossed aside tanks and airplanes like toys didn't faze Dina. It was the fact that it resembled a lizard that left her breathless." Why would that leave you breathless? My only guess is that she finds it sexy or something.

Cheesey Story Checklist

Each item on this list earns a story 1 Cheese Point. Earning the maximum amount of Cheese Points will earn you the Golden Wedge! (Note: Additional points can be added only when the scene changes. Also, WTF points do not count for a trophy, but may be considered criminal evidence in some states)

Award one point for parental warning plot spoiler [Click For Explanation]:
0
Award one point for Copyright Spoiler [Click For Explanation]:
0
*Award one point for Lazy Narrator Intro. [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Yagermeister Influenced Intro. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Title Cheese. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Joe Is In A Room. (Bonus for Afterthought) [Click For Explanation]
1
*Award one point for No Return:[Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for POV Potpourri: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Quick Release: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible - Category: Flawless: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible - Category: Flawless Beyond Logic: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible - Category: Invincible Ego: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible - Category: Villains: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mister Invincible - Category: Law: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Canon: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Overkill: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Straw Soldiers: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Red Shirt Deaths: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Herocentric Universe: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Can't Take a Joke: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: "Love Story" Tagline: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Planning For Yawns: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Magic on Demand: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Slightly Wounded Hero: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one point for Mister Invincible - Category: Know It All: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for "This Looks Neat". [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Fandom Style Manual. [Click For Explanation]
12
*One point for See Fandom Glossary. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Redundantly Redundant. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for CTRL+V. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Pretty Nice. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mega Recap. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Doctor Standards. [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Info Dumptruck. [Click For Explanation]
3
*One point for "What do you mean, `Fire is hot'"? [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Fill Dirt Dumping [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Rererecap [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for MSDS Unabridged [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Conversational Sow's Ear: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Always The Right Shoulder: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mary Sue: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mary Sue: Category: Wish Fulfillment: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mary Sue: Category: Everybody Loves Me: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mary Sue: Category: I'm So Sorry: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Mary Sue: Category: Canon: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Gee, Thanks Narrator: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for The J.K. Rowling: [Click For Explanation]
4
*One point for However, He Also Had A Gun: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Harlequin Romance: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Doctor Strangelove Dialog: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Patching: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Angry Lesbian Breasts: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Character Non-Descriptions: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Refer To Previous Description: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Refer To Movie: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for Concept Salad: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One point for It's Lucky That: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Excessive Homage: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Temporal Salad: [Click For Explanation]
0
*One Point for That's Why I Prefer Amiga: [Click For Explanation]
0
*King Trite-On: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Raping the Fourth Wall: [Click For Explanation]
0
*The Space Bus: [Click For Explanation]
1/2
*Surfer Novelist: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Don't Think of An Elephant: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Step 1: He Got In The Car: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Hmm, I wonder what Rosebud Is: [Click For Explanation]
0
*He Is Because I Said He Is [Click For Explanation]
0
*"Translation: Where's The Beef?" [Click For Explanation]
0
*Unsolicited Detailing [Click For Explanation]
0
*Scene Shifting Without Clutch [Click For Explanation]
0
*You Wore It Out: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Adam West Narrative: [Click For Explanation]
0
*The Rabbit's Waistcoat: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Character Disassociation: [Click For Explanation]
0
*MEANWHILE... [Click For Explanation]
0
*Michael Gondry prose: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Textbook Hero: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Cookie Monster Style Manual: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Oh, I Forgot He's Naked: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Fakedreaming: [Click For Explanation]
0
*"In English, "Tree" Means Tree": [Click For Explanation]
0
*CUT TO: CHAPTER 2, PARAGRAPH 1 [Click For Explanation]
0
*Target Audience Yo-Yo [Click For Explanation]
0
*Shirley, You Can't Be Serious: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Name Overlap Confusion: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Moviephone Prose: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Shaggy Dog Ending: [Click For Explanation]
0
*A Word From Our Sponsors: [Click For Explanation]
0
*I'm Bored: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Retief Dialog: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Pranks For Those With No Friends: [Click For Explanation]
0
*It All Depends on Jarjar: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Archie Bunker Dad: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Pancake Villain: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Present Progressive Abuse: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Attention Defecit Prose: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Peeping Tom Universe: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Mr. Tree Monkey's Ulcer: [Click For Explanation]
0
*My Little Pony's Dark Secret: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Grandpa Skywalker's Story Time: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Inappropriate Punctuation and/or Shortcut Symbols: [Click For Explanation]
1
*One point if the author describes actions with vague adverbs such as "sensually" or "brutally":
0
*Award one point for overly long uninterrupted Q&A session/info dump:
0
*Award one point if characters get into a long, drawn out argument/debate over a plot hole:
0
*One point for POV Spoiler where the disorganized POV of the story lead to the author giving away the plot:
0
Award one point for unprofessional use of numbers such as "he looked up and saw 2 men enter the room."
0
*One point for "Time (seemed to) stand still as..."
0
*One point for "As if on cue..."
0
*One point for unnecessary recap of events the reader has read.
0
*One point for over-explaining the self explanatory, or the obvious:
1
*One point for rewording an old adage to fit a new type of character/species/whatever, such as "A bird in claw is worth two in the bush."
0
*One point for trite expressions made literal, such as finding a drum, and a door nearby that is literally tighter.
0
*One point if it contains movie cliches:
0
*One point for pseudoscience Squared (The Twilight Effect):
0
*One point for excessive profanity that dulls the impact of profanity in the story:
0
*One point if the author kills a joke, pun or metaphor, or fails to understand the concept of a metaphor:
0
*One point for any bad puns:
0
*One point if there's an anticlimax:
0
*One point for a Mary Shelly ("I made my creation large so it would be easier to work on.")
0
*One point for Sex=1, Science=0:
0
*One point if alien biology is ninety to one hundred percent identical to earth biology:
0
*One point if popular song lyrics are quoted extensively:
0
*One point for character interactions and dialog in a description-less vacuum:
0
*Award one point for too many "saids".
0
*Award one point for any situation resembling the Kobiashi Muru:
0
*Award one point for American English names being used on all spaceships:
0
*Award one point for inertial dampers that don't work when the ship is attacked or hit by asteroids:
0
*Reader excluded from inside jokes:
0
*One point for the Christopher Walken (unconnected dialog):
0
*Extremely pointless mundane details:
0
*Award one point for He-Man nomenclature ("Get into the SkySled, Ram Man!):
0
*Turn based combat and/or any video game-like battle sequences:
0
*Pointless excursion into segment involving irrelevant side character or characters:
0
*A word is broken into two words when it isn't supposed to be:
0
*One point for recipe analogies. Example: "Add one part scumbag, one part moron, one part scientist, and you get Jeff."
0
*Award one point for inappropriate transition into action. Example: "He was a slim, muscular fellow, with raspberry hair and glistening white teeth, shoveling manure out of a barn with a pitchfork."
0
*First person narrative begins with something like, "You know, doctors say it's healthy for you to keep a diary..."
0
*Technobabble:
0
*Award one point for generic scenery descriptions:
0
*Award one point for narrator referencing unknown character not featured in story:
0
*Award one point for a character verbally finishing the narrator's thought, breaking the suspension of disbelief:
0
*Award one point for a Harry Potter millionaire (i.e. parents die and boy gets unlimited wealth, etc.)
0
*Award one point for characters doing exactly what is described in their elaborate plans, with no kinks in its execution:
0
*Award one point for adding a "you've got mail" to the dialog:
0
*"Dark as midnight", or anything "raven" in their description that isn't a raven:
0
*Award one point for vaguely defined setting, where you're not really sure what country or planet it is:
0
*Award one point for details about a character's employment (or lack thereof) as an afterthought:
0
*Use of the non-word "furred", or human equivalent such as "socked foot":
0
*Accidental use of popular quotes, such as "more than meets the eye" or "knowing is half the battle":
0
*"May you live in interesting times":
0
*"These aren't the droids you are looking for":
0
*"Nobody puts baby in the corner":
0
*"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."
0
*The guy who kills the thing or person trying to kill you is always a person you can trust:
0
*Award one point for a slapped on ending that really doesn't end the story.
0
*Award one point if the characters can hear capitalization in spoken words:
0
*Award one point if a figure of speech clashes with another identical sounding part of the sentence in a way that distracts from the reading, such as, "My relatives are strange, relatively speaking" and it's not done for humorous reasons:
0
*Award one point for referencing a popular internet meme (such as "I can has cheezburger") in the prose narrative:
0
*Award one point for inappropriate capitalization:
0
*Hero looks himself in the mirror or something else and reader gets description dump:
0
*Puberty gives you magic powers:
0
*Conflict resolution via info dump (narrator says it's solved and it is):
0
*Size 14 description in size 5 shoe:
0
*Canon character recounts his/her adventures that we already saw in a movie:
0
*Award one point for Yagermeister Influenced Conclusion:
0
*The Military Has Gone Soft:
0
*"Note To Self: Remove author's notes from story":
0
*Simulations prepare you for everything:
0
*Inappropriately/untimely sexual moment:
0
*Instant Pregnancy (And they just had sex an hour ago):
0
*Plot sketching instead of actual story:
0
*Freudian slip count:
0
*Grammatical error count (a point for each one):
0
*Typo Count (a point for each glaringly obvious typo):
0
*Racial/cultural stereotypes:
0
*Saccharine tablet (gooey sweet paragraph) count:
0
Subtotal: 22&1/2
Furry Cliches (+1/2 point for each)
*Not Naked, Sorta [Click For Explanation]
0
*"Exactly Like A Bat" [Click For Explanation]
0
*Furpile [Click For Explanation]
0
*I Knew My Change Was Complete [Click For Explanation]
0
*Transformation Holiday: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Instant Sexy, Just Add Fur: [Click For Explanation]
0
*Furries get lavish descriptions. Humans get nothing: 0
*You always can identify what you've transformed into: 0
*Your doctor can always identify what you've transformed into immediately (the Health Channel doesn't exist): 0
*Protagonist knows that his transformation is done: 0
*Kinky scene involving protagonist exploring his or her transformed body (award a bonus point if it is actually sexual in some way): 0
*The transformed always knows the correct diet they're supposed to eat/what environ they're supposed to inabit: 0
*Starting immediately with a transformation without establishing the character's humanity before the change: 0
*The internet was right: 0
*Transformation is the only topic of conversation: 0
*Furries don't receive spam: 0
*Transformed people can still eat normally: 0
*Hero faces an unreal crisis that only people in the fandom care about and believe to be a crisis: 0
*Humans and/or simians are evil or otherwise cannot be trusted: 0
*"Assembled furs," "he saw a fur enter the room" and other generic animal character descriptions: 0
*Part of the story is written around commissioned art (add a bonus point if it is irrelevant to the plot): 0
*Character faces an existential crisis because they are told, or believe, that furries do not have souls. Or the church tells them they have no soul: 0
*A character "unsheaths" something on their body, and it isn't a sword: 0
*Characters named after what they look like: 0
*"The Christian church hates furries/The Christian church is evil": 0
*"Playing with nipples enough can cause an orgasm": 0
*Breastfeeding fetish (bonus point if there's some flimsy excuse for an adult feeding): 0
*Breast fetish (bonus point if overtly stated): 0
*Parents take bestiality marriage/mating unusually well: 0
*There are special classes for learning how to be the animal you've changed into: 0
*You can only get pregnant when you're in heat: 0
*Obligatory furry newscast: 0
*Obligatory magic power endowment: 0
*The Memory Warehouse/Hallway (or wall) of Furry Power: 0
*The president became a bald eagle: 0
*Using a synonym for animal features instead of actually describing the character (example: "Her feline ears perked up at the sound"):
0
*Literal bitches (female canines) literally acting like bitches:
0
*Character goes to the mall immediately after transformation. There is always a mall available for this purpose:
0
*After transforming, the hero automatically finds a new girlfriend:
0
*The news is the only thing on, or the only thing anybody watches:
0
Furry Subtotal: 0
Chakat cliches (Chakat stories only - when featured in a Chakat story, two cliches equal one to allow for fair scoring)
*Lifestyle "Shocker" [Click For Explanation]
0
*Diet Slut [Click For Explanation]
0
*I Don't Care About Nudity, Sorta [Click For Explanation]
0
*Chakat Greeting (award bonus point if it involves a hug): 0
*Chakat pronouns explained: 0
*Chakat telepathy: 0
*Bernard Doove Was Right: 0
*Chakats are always genetically superior, even in morality, wisdom, mental health, and common sense: 0
*It's all in Scientific Chakat: 0
*Chakat style imitation wedding proposal/marriage: 0
*Chakats don't care about nudity (probably because they spend most their time having sex anyway). Award bonus point if they contradict this laissez faire attitude with provisions for their own privacy or get embarrassed about their nudity: 0
*Excessive Chakat grammar, or, alternately, any usage of the uber silly non-word "shir": 0
*Milkwater: 0
*`Taur pads are the only furniture: 0
*Sexual preference such as "male phase" used as character description: 0
*"Tail high": 0
*PADD: 0
*Halter tops compose ninety percent of the clothing being worn by the protagonist(s): 0
*Humans First: 0
*Naked birthing party (add a bonus point if a naked human is involved):
0
*Births are never spontaneous, random, unwanted, uncomfortable and/or inconvenient: 0
*Nobody has a miscarriage or abortion: 0
Chakat Subtotal: 0
Unclassified Cheese Bonus (Described in review or "Weird Parts:" section): 0
Subtotal: 0
Kudos
*"Caught In A Plot Web" [Click For Explanation]
0
*Award one kudos if the character is introduced before their name is used in the story.
0
*Kudos for breaking away from canon (fanfiction only):
0
*Author subtly sets up plot elements that fit together in an unexpected climax:
0
*Author gets away with bad writing mechanics due to captivating story:
0
*Proper use of the word "its":
-1
*Misc Kudos: -32
Total Kudos Deduction: -33
OVERALL CHEESE SCORE: -11
WTF: 0
Sleaze-O-Meter (One for every scene and/or dialog goes beyond the pale in trashiness): 0

The Story

All they saw was green.
Of course, they could not even step upon our ground. I’ve never seen it, though some Elders can recall the sight as though it were yesterday; a large Bird had flown through our skies, and landed onto our fields. The Bird hit the dust lightly, and from her bosom there came forth a ghost of only two legs. It walked further away from its mother, and it was doomed, then, for it tried to go back to his maternal guardian and was crushed to the ground by an invisible force. The Bird took off again, and the Elders did not see her weep for her fallen young.
The ghost could only see green, as did the probe that haunted the Upper Land. We feared the probe, and those who could only see the brilliant green of our forest, of our flowers. I’ve shut my Other Eye once before, to see how those ghosts would have viewed the Upper Land forest of ours. The mists around the falling waters shined a great, mystical jade, and the olive leaves upon the grand butter-nut trees were good to see, as their nut was sweet to the tongue. The Fumes were sightless in this state, and it was sad for those ghosts, who could not see the toxins they inhaled.
It’s lucky, then, that those ghosts could not stand upon our rock or see the air they breathed. Or notice the colors hidden in the forest: The blue satin-silk of the StarGlass petal, the sun-lighted perfume of her jewel-red throat, and the deep crimson of the lily, it’s magnificent color rippling across the glassy pool—it was a blessing, all of it was a blessing. Those ghosts were known to steal those blessings.
The probe; we all feared the probe. Its harsh light is a knife into our eyes, Normal or Other, and it stalked the Upper Land with an otherworldly hiss, like a ferocious beast that waited to pounce upon our young. The probe was not natural; its smell was synthetic to our sense. We did not trust those of unnatural origin.
I was curious about the probe, and they told me to put aside that curiosity. It was unhealthy, they told me, to be so inquiring about a mindful object that did not spring from the womb of a mother. I would sit and watch the stars, and the sky beyond the sky, and if the probe came into my sight I would run into the nearest tunnel, and I would hide there, until the probe would pass. I would have to run deep into the tunnel, for the probe can sense into the Lower Land as well as the Upper Land. Once before, the probe had also trespassed into the noble Burial Setts of our ancestors. We hated him for tarnishing spiritual ground, and for upsetting the remains of eld of our Clan.
“He must not find you,” My father had told me once, “He must not smell the musk of your hide, or he will catch you, and it will be a miserable day.” My father was brilliant. He was not the Dominant, however, as that was my mother’s father’s position, but he was a magnificent boar all the same. His hide was tinted with dusty reddish gold, the color of the midland clay, and the stripes that ran down his back were true and purely black. His upper body was large in the chest, his arms were hard but supple. His middle arms were strong and bulging with muscle, and his paws were broad; glorious weapons in combat and fine spades for digging. However, for all the grandeur of his size and strength, his eyes were a troublesome aspect. They were colorless, like the clear-watered pool, and a colorless iris means a weak Other Eye. He would not leave the Sett out of shame; he was unable to see the rainbow that was our forest. I did not inherit this deficiency, thanks be to The Benign.
My mother is remnant to a White, who is my grandfather. My mother’s stripes were bold and black, a noble trait, but the rest of her was pure like the new fallen snow of the northland. Her eyes were a deep maroon, and she could see the Other Colors of the forest, and it would have been pleasant for her, which is sad. For I’ve never known my mother to step forth from the tunnel. She did not leave the Sett for fear of the probe—she was a priceless sow, an opulent jewel in the crown of our Clan. She could not be lost to the ghosts.
But I….I was disposable.
I am stout, and that is good. I am strong in my lower body, and corpulent in my upper body. My chest is flat, like a male, until my breasts swell into large, bulbous orbs because of Heat. I’d only known that feeling twice, then, for I was young; I had only seen 19 summers pass our land. I am still young, but I am wise now. That is good.
My hide is many shades of stormy gray, and my stripes are bold like my parents'. My claws are milky white and perfect for digging, and my face is shaped well, with a blunt, rounded snout and petite nose, like a female’s face should be. I inherited my mother’s maroon eyes, and I can see the Other Colors well. My body would have been an ideal figure for a mothering sow of our Clan. But I was not in the right mind.
I spent too much of my time in the Upper Land to smell the perfume of the flowers and watch the stars. I would rub the oil of the flower into my hide, which is something I must not do; I am female, and to wear the oil of the flower was a male ritual, during the days of courting. Because of my gender, I was to bask in the mud and dust after bathing in the pool, in order to enhance the natural smell of my musk. I would do so, but the stink of the petal oil would seep through the caked dirt on my hide, and They would smell it. They did not like my perfume.
The stars were another worrisome topic. I loved to gaze upon the sky beyond the sky, and that was not my place. I am a Ground Dweller; my place was in the Lower Land, not above the Upper Land. I could not hunt without consulting the sky beyond the sky, and that was looked down upon. They accused me of having no pride for my Clan, and I did have pride, but what use was my devotion if I was preoccupied with goings-on outside of my home? They had asked me this question one time. I did not answer them.
Also, my Clan did not like how much I knew about the probe’s habits. I spent too much time in the Upper Land, and during those long hours of seclusion I did watch the probe as I rubbed the oil into my hide. I had no fear of it, meaning I had no fear of death by his hand. And They had feared that I would bring it into the Clan Sett one day. No amount of my insisting could make Them believe otherwise. I was not in the right mind.
I was a subject for Transfer. The next outer Clan Sett was paces and paces from my home—yet, They argued, I was a fit and healthy woman of my Clan. I could make the journey easily. And this Clan of ours was full of good, hardy warriors; I would not be missed. Besides, They had said, I knew so much of the probe that I could avoid it easily, and not be eaten. They looked at me hard as they presented this particular argument to my grandfather. Yes, They said, I was a perfect candidate for Transfer.
My grandfather looked upon me, then. He was a majestic boar, and he was taller than all of us, by at least 13 palms. There were no noble stripes upon his brow and back; his coat was so pure of color that he did not need those stripes to prove his royalty. And he did smell so wonderfully of wild red flower that I envied him for it. Eyes the color of Terran rubies studied me hard—and I saw the sadness in those eyes. I was his only granddaughter, just as mother is his only child. Banishing me is banishing one irreplaceable droplet of his blood, and it did hurt him.
But, as They had argued, I was disposable. He could not change Their mind.
And so I walked with no further argument, and through the tunnel did I make my way to the Upper Land. I inhaled the scent of my family’s Sett, my home, and of those many smells of distant family members. I took that whiff one more time, and the memory of that smell still lingers in the furthermost corners of my mind. It was sad, and made my chest heavy and full of sorrowful tears as I realized I might not come back into that familiar scent. I could have wept.
But I did not.
I came upon the everlasting twilight that was the Upper Land, and I was full of release. I was filled with a joy of being independent, and having a will that was free of my Clan’s criticism. And so, I went to the pool and bathed my hide, picking out the distasteful grubs and bugs, and finally rolling in dirt and mud before I would depart. I wanted to be clean for my impending journey. But I was not going to another Clan.
I sat upon a flat-top rock and waited, looking out into the treeless distance some few paces away from my Clan Sett. It wasn’t long before I saw the bright, teal light that was the probe, as it slowly approached from over the horizon. I felt no fear. I was too excited.
The probe zigzagged closer, and closer, and when it was still some distance away from me it paused. The everlasting hiss of the probe raised in volume hungrily as it bee-lined straight for me. I did smile.
I closed my Other Eyes, for the light had blinded them—but now, I could clearly see the silver sheen of the probe’s encasement as it came so close to me. Different lights blinked on and off, and I could feel the heat of the synthetic probe grow and grow, as though thinking long and hard. An otherworldly voice filled my head, then, and my heart leapt at the sound of it.
“Proceed with Teleportation?” The voice was without emotion, and the language I did not comprehend. But, somehow, I did understand the meaning of those alien words. It would take me somewhere, if I so chose to do so. I was not going to be eaten.
How did I know this? For it seemed like I had already suspected this, all along. I chuckled.
“Yes,” I said with my mind, as well as with my voice. There was a fear, a small apprehension, that it would not understand the meaning in my voice and go on without me. I hoped it would not happen; it had smelled me. It knew of our existence—I could not let it linger in this land.
But my fears proved to be in vain; the light grew ever brighter, and the voice replied to me, saying, “Please stand by for Teleportation, it will precede in 10, 9, 8…..”
I gazed upon the land that was my one and only home, and I was happy and sad all at once. There was a nervous energy that tingled through my fingers, into my legs, and squirmed its way into my stomach. I was going somewhere, and I hoped with all my heart that there would be oil of flower petals there.
“5, 4, 3…..”
I looked behind me, where the forest was, and where my Sett was hidden. Goodbye, mother, father….I said into my mind. I hesitated then, and thought, swiftly,….I forgive you, Grandfather…It was Their decision, not yours….
“2, 1…..Please give voice authorization to commence Teleportation.”
“Please commence,” I said, for I had no fear.
The light was brighter than ever, and I did see the twilight that was my home one last time, before I was gone into the strange, teal mist.

*~.~.~.~.~*

A small icon on the corner of Salem’s screen turned red and started to blink rapidly, insistently trying to tell him something important. For something had happened; something that many generations of Intelligence personnel have been waiting for, and it was urgent that someone was to be alerted at once.
However, Salem did not catch the little blinking icon. In fact, it had been blinking for hours now-- and he just didn't have much concern for the little thing anymore.
Arboria had stopped being one of Salem’s primary focuses a very long time, anyway. When he took the job, his predecessor tried to impress how vital it was for the young intern to pay attention to these particular blinking icons. Files that the outer galactic probes sent to his computer were usually memos of newfound information about planets confirmed by Starfleet that could not be explored by physical StarCorps personnel. For quite a while into his job, Salem pushed VR games out of his mind and found the endless plethora of new information fascinating, and read through the files eagerly before sending the memos to their respective departments. Arboria always seemed to be an endless fountain of newfound and unique plant life, and would have been the dreamland of every enthusiastic Botanist if it were inhabitable. However, since Salem wasn’t particularly interested in plant life, he had set the program to send botanical information directly to the Biology department of his starship so he wouldn’t be bothered with it. He would have set the program to do the same for sapient life form information as well—only there was no sapient life. It had been an established fact that Arboria’s only Sapient race—badger-taurs—had been extinct for a few decades prior to the StarCorps probe being dispatched to Arboria. If there were any notification of a live badger-taur found on Arboria from the probe, Salem would probably piss all over his singlet if he saw the little blinking icon. Well, here it was now, and he paid no attention to it.
Instead, the Terran ocelot morph dug greedily into a large cup of oriental noodles, slurping them loudly and smacking his lips in a satisfied sort of way. Arrayed before him was an assortment of many Terran foods, as well as a few alien dishes as well—all a product of wonderful Replicator technology. Salem looked small, and his midriff was slender, and most of the people that he worked with told him he needed to eat a cheeseburger or two—but they had never seen him eat, because Salem was a very shy, awkward person, so they didn’t know that he was also a pit-less worm-hole when it came to food. He never ate with other people, being scared of how they would view his sloppy eating habits, but the array of food before him-- which was enough to give two generously-sized portions to 3 other people--was his average lunch, and he did full service to it during this particular lunch break.
A coyote morph dressed in the grey of StarCorps security stood in the door-way of Salem’s office and watched him eat, but made no sound or indication that she was there. She wasn’t particularly tall, or very big, as is the custom of her patron race— in fact, if you didn’t know her, you would probably guess she was male. There were no distinguishable feminine curves to her body, and to describe her bust as being “twin mosquito bites” wasn’t too far off the mark. Her tail was rough and spry, like a bottle-brush, and her head hair, which would have normally grown long and fairly voluminous, was cropped so short that it was not immediately distinguishable from her normal, steely gray fur. Sharp yellow eyes darted from the food that sat on chairs, desk tops, and in some cases, on the floor, to the ocelot morph sitting in his office chair, humming a soft video game theme song as he finished the noodle cup and dove for a bag of potato chips. It wasn’t until his computer went to screensaver mode that Salem finally noticed that she was there, seeing the morph reflected in the black glass of his computer screen. He quite literally shrieked and spun around swiftly to face her.
“Dina!” He gasped, dropping the bag of potato chips and clutching his chest, “Don’t do that, you almost gave me heart failure!”
Dina’s normally stern muzzle broke into a mischievous grin. She shrugged in a helpless sort of way. “Well gee, Salem, I didn’t do nothing, really. It wasn’t like I pounced on the back of your chair or anything….”
“Well yeah!” Salem rolled his eyes, “But you were standing there watching me like some crazed-up stalker-woman!” He didn’t voice the fact that he was extremely nervous when it came to people watching him, even if he were doing something idly. This was not a first-time offense on Dina’s part.
There was a pause, wherein Dina continued to grin at Salem and her chest started shaking as though with a chuckle, which was only broken by Salem’s irritable voice. “So what the hell are you doing here, anyway?” He snapped.
Dina walked further into the room. “Cuz I know this’s your lunch hour, and I know you have something good for me as well.” She made her way to his pile of assorted foods. Salem scowled.
“Why do you need to take my food?” He complained, while Dina picked out a bag of Terran chocolate and another cup of noodles, “Why can’t you just take some from the Replicator or something?”
“It’s so much better fresh from your office like this,” Dina said with a fake sigh, taking a chip from out of Salem’s bag and crunching down on it ruthlessly, “I couldn’t stand the thought of you staying up here so lonesome with a big ass pile of food and eating it alla by yourself, hun.”
Salem sat in his chair with a pout on his face, before releasing it with a deep sigh. As a matter of absolute fact, he had replicated a little extra food with the hope of Dina coming in here to scavenge for something to eat. On this whole Starship, Dina was the only one whom Salem felt comfortable with in the same room. And for a while now, he had been feeling lonely and had been wondering when she was going stop in again.
Salem watched her munch on some M&M’s for a minute, before asking timidly, “So….uhm...Where’re you gonna be patrolling next?”
“Pfft, I’m going to the hangers after this,” Dina said indifferently, “Gonna catch the vapors before heading back to my station.”
“That’s weird,” Salem said in a light voice, raising a brow. Dina looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“What, that they give security guards breaks?” She asked with a hard tone.
“No…” Salem replied, with the same delicate voice, “No, I just never knew that you took any breaks during your shift.”
Dina’s chest heaved, smirking as she thought about his answer. “I do sometimes,” She said with a shrug, “I dunno, I guess I just like performing my job better than taking time off.”
“So why take a break now?” Salem asked innocently, and was rewarded with a ruff of his hair by Dina.
“My business, chump! I’ll see you, anyway.” Salem watched her leave, and felt a strange sense of emptiness as the door to his office closed. He suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore.
Salem sat back with a sigh, and returned to a report on galactic minerals found on a small dwarf star called Palonia. He still did not catch sight of the little blinking notification icon at the corner of his screen, and when he did, it was much later, after his shift, and he was just about to shut down his computer’s main network. Just as he foretold, he did indeed wet the front of his StarCorps uniform and eagerly ran out of his office, bursting to tell someone of this extraordinary news.
Except, by that time, it was too late to warn anyone of anything.

~.~.~.~.~

Dina made her way down to the shuttle hanger with a quick paced saunter, turning to greet those who called her out, but otherwise saying nothing to anyone as she climbed down stairs and walked down corridors. Several times she passed others of the security squad, and she gave them little nods of acknowledgement as she passed them by. She reached a fork in the hall, and looked down one end, where there was the ship port and a large queue of people, families it looked like, standing in the massive entrance hall. Smiling ruefully, Dina took the opposite hall and made her way down to the hanger, where smaller shuttle pods would dock for maintenance before being sent back to their respective assignments.
Nodding to the security wolf-morph that guarded the entrance to the hanger, Dina stepped through the sound-proof portal and leaned on the smooth, metal walls, looking at the two majestic ships that sat peacefully as Maintenance took care of the wear-and-tear of space. It was loud in the hanger, with all the noise of the Maintenance crew refueling and otherwise refurbishing the shuttle pods, and the din was a blessing in Dina’s ears as she took out a vapor cigarette.
The Terran habit of smoking was an inerasable aspect of Terran culture, and despite the several attempts to squash the dirty habit, it somehow found a way to survive the many centuries and was still a normal habit of countless Terrans everywhere. Since there was no way of stopping so many billions of people from smoking, many cigarette companies were pressured into making the smoking habit cleaner and healthier, and so electronic vapor cigarettes were invented. While they contained a trivial amount of nicotine, there were none of the carcinogens and poisons that were the components of classic cigarettes, and the vapor that was exhaled by the smoker was completely docile and harmless to any surrounding people. The smoker could also add menthol to their cigarette, as well as flavors such as strawberry, grape, or, in Dina’s case, cinnamon, and many other available flavors besides. At this point, smoking was reduced to something no more substantial than eating a candy stick.
While the act of smoking was infinitely cleaner and more innocent than it certainly had been, however, the practice of smoking in a crowd or at a public function or location was still looked down upon as a discourteous action, and so it was still a practice to go to a secluded area to take a puff. The shuttle hanger was Dina’s favorite place to smoke, not only because so little people came there but also because she enjoyed the noisy aspect of the chamber. It was hard for her to think during this time, which was great for Dina, as she had had hours of thinking to herself during an endless shift up in the commons area. For the moment, she was completely “thinked-out”.
Her craving satisfied, Dina then devoured the cup of noodles she had stolen from Salem, and, deciding to leave the bag of M&M’s for later, she exited the hanger with the same noncommittal nod to the wolf-morph. Having a full view of the entrance hall from her standing, Dina watched, with a slight tinge of regret and amusement, as the large crowd of families poured into the entrance hall from the port, a huge clamor of joyful noises reaching her ears as StarCorps officials were reunited with their loved ones from a long hiatus away from home. The sight became a little too much for Dina to bear, but she continued to watch anyway, an unexplainable emotion keeping her eyes glued to the sight. And it was so lucky that she kept her eyes on that crowd.
For Dina caught a glimpse of something that took her breath away.

~.~.~.~.~

The first thing Uhra noticed as she took the first step off the Teleportation pad was that the usual invisible force that had always pressed down on her body.....wasn't there. She felt substantially lighter, and her movements were quick and easier to maneuver, despite her size. Her usually tense muscles noticeably loosened, and she could have sworn she grew at least 6 palms in those few seconds of stepping away from the teleporter. If I were not so heavy, I could probably float into the air and fly like a little lantern bug, she thought in a satisfied sort of way, making her way around the empty Teleportation chamber with a newfound bounce in her step, It seems as though all my bulk and heaviness has just.....melted away!
The primary elation slowly ebbing, Uhra realized that, while she herself found the changed weight of her body pleasing and fascinating, she doubted that the rest of her Clan would've felt so happy about it. They'd probably panic, Uhra suddenly thought, sitting back on her haunches to analyze the situation, They would run themselves into a blind panic, and they would run and thrash and bellow their lungs and throats raw and sore. The lack of this fear was the only reason why Uhra had let the probe take her away-- she knew there was no way that another member of her Clan (or any other Clan, for that matter) would wander into such unknown and unpredictable waters. I can't act like that, She resolved, looking around the teleport chamber as she thought it, I do want to know this place. And to act stupid and afraid will only kill myself. She had never admitted it to herself-- but now that she was away from her Clan, she realized that their behavior had been based on a nervous energy that influenced their entire outlook and reason. And that she had detested it.
Does that make me brave or Benign, because I am not blinded by a fruitless anxiety?
Uhra's attention was brought back to her current surroundings, when there was a whirring sound and something small and smelly walked out of another teleporter, stopping in its tracks as it caught sight of Uhra. She smiled at it, and watched its eyes bulge and its muzzle wrinkle; she supposed it was taking in her scent. For a while, it only stood there and Uhra vapidly smiled down at it; eventually, it rather hurriedly made its way to the opposite wall, pressed something against it, and stepped through a hole that was suddenly revealed at the smaller thing's touch. Uhra observed how it had opened it, and even after the wall had closed when it departed she remembered what the thing had done to summon the portal. She walked up-- again, pleased by how easy it was to maneuver her body and how quickly she could move-- and Uhra located the object that had summoned the portal, a red blinking circle in the wall. Uhra reached with one, long finger-nail and pressed on it. She was pleased to see the portal appear before her; stooping down, she squeezed herself through the narrow hole, coming upon a place that made her open her eyes wide with wonder.
The sleek, silver design of the hall before here was an unexpected sight to Uhra’s eyes, and so very different from what she expected the sky beyond the sky to appear as. For one thing, the sky beyond the sky was always a dusky indigo with many little sparkling lights; this, here, was so obviously synthetic that the smell of the place threatened to cause a headache. Also, there were many more smaller things jostling around her forepaws, like the one she had seen earlier, and they all looked up at her with a curiosity and another emotion she couldn’t have related to, at least before the probe had teleported her away from home.
Because the little things were speaking, and they were walking, and they all had a hide of fur, like hers, but the color of their fur was so varied that it almost hurt Uhra’s Normal Eyes looking at the strange plethora of colors on these strange people. The mixture of new scents hit Uhra's nose like a missile, as well as the distinguishing scents of mingled male and female identities, of those who were in Heat or Rut, and those who wore another scent already layered on top of their natural odor. Her mind too busy trying to process all this foreign information, she was swept away with the crowd, following its direction absently before a noise sounded on her right.
“Identification, please?”
An alien language reached the Uhra’s ears, the same language that had come from the probe, only this time she did not understand it. She turned to where the voice was coming from, and saw a small screen built into the wall, where a bored looking furry face sat, not looking directly at the Uhra. She bent down curiously and smiled serenely at the screen, at the furry-person; they looked up for a split second before returning to their business, as though barely registering Uhra’s face. Uhra felt that she had satisfied his wish—she was sure that he would have repeated his command if she had not—and so, Uhra continued on her way through a transparent tunnel, the walls through which she could see the stars of the true sky beyond the sky.
She stopped in her tracks to admire the clear glass, and how detailed the stars were through the window—that is, until annoyed voices reached the Uhra’s ear, coming from behind. Slowly, she turned to see a whole crowd of people trapped behind her—although, while their faces were certainly angry at first, their expressions quickly changed to something akin to awe-inspired fear at the sight of her face. For some reason she was satisfied by this; Uhra smiled at them, signaling her lack of anger, and continued her viewing of the stars until she was well satiated of the need, going on her merry way through the portal into the entrance hall.

~.~.~.~.~

Dina couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her eyes popped at the sight, and she doubted any of the people in the crowd could have expressed any more disbelief than Dina herself. It was as though a spark had ignited in her chest, a spark that filled her with a sense of relief, of accomplishment, and a happiness so large it was dizzying.
Standing easily past the 7’ mark, perhaps even taller than 8', the life-form that entered the hall was so large, so wide, and so muscled that it had no problems with clearing a path through the densely packed entrance hall. All of that unfazed Dina. It was the fact that it resembled a Terran badger that left Dina so breathless.
Its pelt was topped with a dark stormy gray on an off- white color, which covered the creature’s underbelly, and finished off with limbs covered in black. The taur half almost completely resembled the Eurasian Badger conformation--with a squat appearance and a thick hide--other than it was a little more compact with slightly longer limbs. The upper body of the badger-taur was broad, like the taur body, and, as far as Dina could tell, covered with the same thick pelt that the taur body was covered in as well. The top half looked plump in the arms and mid-section—although Dina guessed there was much more muscle than what appeared, and that it was hidden by the hide of the creature. There were no visible mammary glands, and so Dina guessed the badger-taur was male. His face, while looking very badger-like, had a much higher forehead than a regular badger, a finer shaped muzzle, and the eyes were more forward facing. There was very little head hair, and it was the same black color as the bold twin stripes that started at his snout, ran over his head, and through the back of his skull and along his spine. All in all, there was a definite justification at the small amount of panic the badger-taur was causing among the tourists.
They don’t even make badger-taurs, Dina thought, and for that matter, badger morphs, anyway. They're not normally seen, at any rate.
Dina was dimly aware that she was running down the corridor, to the entrance hall, and when she realized it she wasn’t particularly surprised. She had to see this specimen, to contact the central command and demand why she wasn’t alerted of this discovery sooner, to shake the badger-taur’s hands and introduce herself to his presence. It wasn’t until there was a buzz from her PADD and an urgent shout that she was brought back to reality.
“Security personnel requested at the entrance hall,” a voice from the PADD said monotonously, “There is a report of an unregistered and unidentified individual who has unauthorized access to the entrance hall, and is creating a disturbance.”
At the same time this message reached her ear, Dina also heard a panicked cry coming from the port entrance; a lion morph came running in, and she noticed him as the customs agent who verified the I.D. of passengers. He was saying, “Stop him! Stop that badger! He didn’t flash his I.D.!”
Dina didn’t have time to think; her protective instinct took front seat to all other emotions. Taking the plasma gun on her hip, she raced even faster down the corridor, and burst through the crowd and into the entrance hall.
The first thing that Dina noticed was the smell; it came upon Dina's senses like a hurling punch, and it actually made her eyes throb and her vision distort with weird colors for a moment. It was thick and oily, and in no way something pleasant-- Dina had to keep the vertigo from rising in her throat. Doing her best to recover from the shock of the badger's odor, she stepped forward and stopped about 10 feet from the beast, standing her ground
“Clear out!” She barked, and her voice was even more masculine as it echoed through the spacious entrance hall. There was no hesitation—all the families lined up against the wall or ran passed Dina into the corridor—except for the badger-taur himself, who surveyed Dina as though she were an interesting curio.
Because the sound of Dina’s voice intrigued Uhra, and she looked upon this little, scruffy person who possessed a large bark with interest. A great voice was treasured in her Clan; there were many great males who only held high status because of their booming voices; her own grandfather, who had not been judged by his voice but by his strength and wisdom, had a roar so loud that it shook the very walls of their Clan Sett and caused the mole-beasts to cower and run from 20 paces away. While her own voice was merely passable by Clan standards, Uhra was confident she could drown out this scrawny little person’s bark with barely any effort. But, so far, it was the loudest, deepest, most commanding sound she had heard during her whole time in this strange place. So, of course, she had to be interested.
Dina watched the badger-taur’s actions, trying to discern any possible hostility—but he only smiled at her, in a docile, friendly sort of way, and a thought ran swiftly past her mind that this beast might actually be slightly retarded. The badger-taur sat down on his haunches—still smiling and watching Dina closely--at which point Dina raised her gun, shouting with all her might, “Freeze NOW!”
Uhra only blinked, and grinned wider, as the little person bellowed again in that alien language. She looked up and noticed how all the other little-people had acted on her order—Uhra knew this little person was female, despite her androgynous appearance, because Uhra could smell the woman-scent on her—and so, Uhra deduced that she had to be the Dominant of this synthetic Sett. Uhra was mildly impressed by this piece of information; back home, it was unusual, but not unheard of, for females to take the position of Dominant. It almost always meant that the woman in question would become a Grand Mother, and Uhra had to respect that, as all her kind did.
“Please show any identification, now!” Dina said in that firm voice, noticing that it kept the badger-taur’s attention. She noticed that many other security guards in the area had encircled the badger-taur, so that he was surrounded on all sides. She felt a little thankful of that fact; Dina knew that, compared to that gloriously hulking frame, she was no more than a tooth pick. There was also a small doubt and a fear that this Star Corps vessel might not have the kind of heavy arms or technology to subdue this huge beast. Please, Dina thought, with all the fervor of her heart, Please....don't let this get out of hand.
There was a little bubble of excitement as Uhra recognized some of the strange words that the female had spoken; she had already encountered it in a conversation. "Identification". "Please".
"Name or identification now!" Dina said, a little louder, her voice like ice.
Uhra bared her teeth in a feral grin. She opened her mouth and, speaking slowly and with perfect articulation, "Identification, please."

~.~.~.~.~

"Translator NOW!" Dina shouted urgently to the nearest officer she saw, "Quick! Run up to Communications and request a pair of Translators! Step lively and be quick about it!". Dina was in no way, shape, or form any kind of lieutenant, commander, or any other kind of higher ranking operative of security; she was basically just a standard enforcer, and possessed no decorative title or position that she could boast of. It was saying something, then, of how the officer responded to her order without any hesitancy at all, speeding pass Dina with all haste. Dina realized, as he left, that she was in no position to take leadership in this situation, and that quite possibly she might have to make up for it later. I don't care, she decided in her mind, I really don't care, just as long as this situation gets taken cared of immediately and without consequence.
Dina noticed how her body shook and the palms of her hands started to sweat as she looked at the badger-taur, who had not moved in all this time, and who had not stopped smiling all the while Dina had been giving orders. Dina lowered her gun, but kept a firm hold on it, gazing at the docile body-language that the badger was emitting. It was around this time that Dina suddenly wished she had been born with Empathic abilities-- it would have been easier to tell if the badger had any ill intent, because the nervous butterflies were killing her with wing-induced traumatic stress to her abdomen.
Uhra, on the other hand, relaxed visibly and sat back on her haunches; she was having a merry time of it all, and was thoroughly impressed by the forcefulness of this little person's orders. She watched the little woman intently, smelling the nervous apprehension coming off her-- and the rest of the crowd, in general-- in great waves. She fears me, Uhra thought, watching as the little woman quaked in her spot, Am I so formidable and frightening to these little people? Uhra chuckled, her chest shaking, and gazed with faint amusement as the little woman flinched, tightening her hold on that strange piece of silver of hers. The poor creature, but I am only a young specimen of my Clan!
For what seemed like hours, the crowd, Dina, and Uhra stood where they were, waiting for the officer to return with the Translators. While Dina and the surrounding crowd strived to not move any one of their muscles or allow their attention to waver from the badger-taur, Uhra looked around her with increasing interest. She particularly displayed a certain curiosity when a chakat cub broke the silence when shi started wailing with boredom; her gaze snapping in the direction of the cub, Uhra's eyes locked onto the daughter and the mother, who quickly hushed the cub at once with hurried images of tranquility and peace. Dina's heart felt as though it were in an aching fit to burst-- the officer was taking so long and the badger-taur could snap at any moment--and it was with difficulty that she refrained from counting all of the badger-taur's teeth when he yawned. She suspected it was likely to throw off her guard, and she was right; after counting more than 14 sharp, carnivores’ teeth, she felt the oriental noodles in her stomach lurch upward with sickened fear.
In reality, however, it was only 10 minutes before Uhra's head rose, her attention caught by something; she gazed passed Dina, in the direction that the officer had run. A pungent scent was approaching rapidly, a scent that suggested much sweat and exhaustion. "Your footman returns," Uhra said, knowing full well that no one would understand her message, "He moves quickly in our direction, Little Woman."
Dina listened to the thick, deep, accented voice of the badger-taur, and at once she was sure that this specimen was male. His voice, while rough, sent a shiver of longing and desire running down her spine at the implied masculinity that the voice held. Oh wow....Dina thought, feeling her grip on the gun slipping. Despite her sudden attraction to his alluring voice, however, she had understood none of the badger-taur's language; it was extremely gutteral, and all of it seemed to flow together as one long word-- except for two pronunciations at the end of his sentence, which sounded distinctly Russian. Deel-nya. Not only was it sharply reminiscent of her own name, Dina had an inexplicable feeling that, long after this moment, she was somehow going to remember that phrase, regardless of pronunciation.
It was moments after the badger-taur's speech that the officer returned, panting heavily and clearly stitched in the side, but holding two devices all the same. Dina, who was infinitely relieved that he had returned, backed toward him without taking her eyes off the badger-taur. She took the Translators with a word of thanks to the officer--who promptly fell to the floor in exhaustion--and she started, slowly, inching her way toward the badger-taur.
Uhra watched the little woman approach-- and she had to respect the bravery of this little creature, because she knew how much the little woman was frightened of her. Therefore, Uhra made no move that might set the woman off into a blind panic; she watched as the woman stuck something small and round into her ear, something that looked like a small grey bug, and proffered Uhra another copy of the same object.
Dina's heart started racing as the badger-taur held out its hand for the proffered object-- and she realized, suddenly, that the badge-taur's long-clawed fingers were too short and placed too far apart from each other for him to grasp something so small. She dropped the Translator ear-piece into the padded palm of his hand, and took a step back, indicating that he should place it in his ear.
But Uhra didn't need it; she had already seen what the little woman had done to insert the earpiece, and already had it securely fastened on her lobe, vaguely wondering what was in store for her.
Dina fumbled with the Translator speaker-phone for a moment as she set it to Terranglo--> Unknown-- the "unknown" setting would merely transmit psionic empathy through the Reciever, since Dina had no clue as to the what language the badger-taur was speaking, and was quite sure there was no record of it in Communications. Setting the other speaker-phone to Unknown--> Terranglo, she offered it to the badger-taur, who grasped it delicately, and took several deep, steadying breaths before saying into her own speaker-phone with exaggerated articulation, "Um...uhm....Do....Do you understand me? Do you understand what's being said to you, now?"
Uhra had to laugh; her warm, booming bark echoed richly through the entrance chamber. The same prodding sensation against her mental awareness took place just as it had done on her home world, and she did comprehend the words that were spoken to her.
"Oh, Little Woman, I do not understand," Uhra said with a touch of sarcasm, flashing her teeth in a gay sort of way, "Your yawning face and long tones mean absolutely nothing to me."
Looking back, Dina would have attributed this initial instance of conversation as something akin to breaking the ice on the first date-- the tension seemed to lessen visibly throughout the entrance hall, there was a low murmur running through the crowd, and she lowered the plasma gun as, at last, she allowed herself to breathe easier and smile into the face of this alien being.


*~.~.~.~.~*


"So, your name," Dina said in a broken voice. Not only was she still somewhat weak from all the anxiety and butterfly-induced damage to her diaphragm, but the badger-taur wasn't making the situation much easier on the coyote morph. Because of his robust size, they were unable to use the trans-lift, and so Dina had to lead him to the upper levels by stair-well. He climbed the stairs as though he were a dancer, hopping 9 steps at a time and halting at the top of every flight, his grinning face always, always staring down Dina as though eternally amused by her. She only returned his smile half-heartedly; finally getting to the next-to-last landing before the commons area, she bent over slightly to soothe the stitch in her side-- but not enough to keep her attention wavered from the badger-taur.
But he didn't seem to be aggressive at all; indeed, he seemed very much courteous during the small conversation they had held in the lower levels, so much so that Dina had to believe he was some kind of diplomat. Which, in this case, she was careful not to question him too thoroughly-- which could have been a major mistake at many levels, sure enough. But it was the manner of which the badger had spoken-- so well articulated, despite the need for Translators-- and the way he carried himself as well: slowly, deliberately, and very carefully despite the obvious strength of body his muscular form belayed. It was all this evidence that led Dina to try and take care of this "unidentified being" situation in a most civil manner, so that, in case he was a diplomat, there wouldn't be any offense to his respective planet. I've been waiting for this for too long just to screw it up by being a tight-assed security guard, Dina thought grittily.
The flights of stairs kept Uhra thoroughly amused, not only because it allowed her to demonstrate how easily she could leap through the air, but because it was also a very accurate comparison of how her physical strength and endurance far outclassed the small Dominant female. That is good, she thought with a tremor of relief, If they wish to dominate me, I will be more than a handful for those pitiful mole-paws of theirs. And yet, they didn't seem to have that particular intention-- at least, that was how the Dominant female explained it. From what she said, Uhra guessed she was being taken to the Elders of this sett, which pleased Uhra and set her into a modicum of calm. It sounded as though they had been waiting for Uhra all along, and here was the welcome mat to prove it. So the probe really was searching for us, but with no bad intentions at all, huh? Uhra bared her teeth in a feral way, thinking of how her own family-- how the whole planet-- had acted so cowardishly about something they didn't have to be afraid of. Still, it was good that the probe was gone from the planet anyway; better that her family was left alone than have them scared over nothing all over again.
Uhra's ear twitched, hearing the question flow from the exhausted Dominant's mouth. "Uhramouracregganabasro," She said in one breath, using her full, formal name in the midst of such important company. She blinked absently when she saw the bewilderment in the eyes of the Dominant female.
"Uhm...." Dina gulped nervously, "Could you repeat that?
Uhra smiled graciously, and deftly responded: "Uhramouracregganabasro."
"Oora..." Dina started, screwing up her eyes in thought, but the badger-taur cut across her with a low, grunting chuckle.
"Uhra is my personal name, and it is all you need to know," He said, "Just Uhra."
"Uhra," Dina repeated, trying to get the guttural "ooh" sound just right, but the apparent satisfaction in the badger-taur's face that said she had pronounced it okay.
There was a brief, uncomfortable pause, wherein Dina privately debated telling the badger-taur her own name-- she was no important figure that needed to introduced-- but the badger-taur broke the silence and resolved the debate with, "So....what do they call you, my little woman?"
"Oh," Once again, Dina was caught in the desirable spell of the badger's husky voice. "Oh, right...It's-- you can just call me 'Dina.'"
"Dee-nya," The badger-taur breathed, and Dina remembered the word from his own language. "How accurate."
"Accurate...?" Dina asked timidly, but the badger-taur only grumbled and growled in his own satisfied way. Having caught her second wind, Dina continued to lead the badger-taur up another flight of stairs, and, reaching a door in the hallway, led him through to the commons area.
Uhra's ears perked forward, and she stared intently at all the little furry people that gamboled about. They all returned the awe-inspired gaze right back at the badger-taur (and most reacted accordingly to her pungent smell as well), although Uhra's attention was caught by a very different aspect. The plethora of scents that dominated her senses sparked something in her mind, something that Uhra had no thought about before leaving with the probe, since she hadn't performed that particular exorcise in almost 2 Meirkdaes.
"Dina." Uhra came to a halt outside the stair-well entrance, and sat down on her haunches abruptly.
"Huh? Yeah?" Dina asked, bewildered by this sudden behavior.
There was a pause. ".......I'm hungry."
Dina blinked. "Oh, of course....I'm sure I can arrange--"
"Are you hungry as well?"
The coyote morph looked up at Uhra, her ears cocked in confusion. "No...I'm not," She said slowly, "But that's not important right now--
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Dina said, a little more firmly than she probably meant to.
Uhra continued to gaze at the crowd for a moment longer, then said, "I see the perfect meal."
"What are you...?"
But in one, powerful, fluid movement, Uhra's actions answered the question for her; leaping from her sitting position, Uhra bolted for the crowd like a rocket, and there was a booming roar that threatened to shatter nearby panes of glass. The lack of resistance threw Uhra off somewhat-- she made a mental note to make sure that she held back some of her power the next time she hunted like this-- but was all the same pleased when she successfully caught a smaller, weaker fur-creature and had the squealing thing secure under her paw.
There was a pang in Dina's chest, a painful blow to her heart, as she watched the little mouse-morph scream and cry desperately for her mother from underneath Uhra's forepaw. All thoughts of courteous diplomacy forgotten, Dina reached for her plasma gun and, aiming for the badger-taur's upper heart, pulled the trigger.
There was a deafening BANG, as well as the anguished cry of what sounded like a wounded war-beast; Uhra's maw was in the air, uttering a sharp squeal of pain and clutching her smoldering arm, the top layer of flesh burnt clean off. It was probably because Dina had been shaking out of fear and shock so badly, but the shot hadn't reached Uhra's heart as planned--the damage to her shoulder was still great, however, and it had caused the sufficient damage and pain to keep the badger-taur occupied from the captive mouse morph.
And to set her sights on Dina instead.
"You hurt me!!" Uhra shrieked, hurling the words at Dina and she bearing her teeth that signified she was in no way amused or content with the current situation at hand, "I do you no harm, and you hurt me!!"
It was more the shock than anything that forced Uhra to pounce, the surprise that this little woman-- Dina-- had the skill and capacity to hurt her so swiftly and completely, despite the size difference. And for what? Attempting to sustain herself from the life force of another, weaker creature than herself? In Uhra's eyes, that was no crime-- but it was a crime to attack someone without provocation. So of course she pounced for Dina.
The force of Uhra's anger and power propelled her forward with a blinding speed; Dina ducked and dodged out of the way of the charging badger-taur, and Uhra was powerless to stop herself.
CRASH!!
Uhra hit the opposite wall with a resounding, sickening crunch, and was immediately down for the count. Waving unsteadily on her feet, Uhra's eyes flashed a variety of different colors and her head pounded with an agonizing beat-- she staggered toward Dina, who had fallen to the floor with a sick sort of fear and apprehension, yelping in a helpless, pleading sort of way before hitting the floor, making a soft wave with all her bulk. Vaguely, Uhra was aware of her own promise to herself: of not acting like an impulsive, fearful brute....and how she broke that promise....and where it had landed her...
A dark, velvety blanket engulfed Uhra's mind, and she knew no more for hours to come.

~.~.~.~.~

"Darlene!"
Dina was snapped out of her confused stupor when she heard her real name being called; turning around, she saw a brown and orange chakat wearing the green of Biological Sciences approaching with a stern look on hir feline features, flanked by four security guards on both sides. Hir serious expression turned to one of shock, both at the sight and pungent odor of the beast laying lifeless on the floor-- and at the gaping dent in the steel-enforced door that lead into the stair-well corridor.
Running forward to Dina, who sat shaking helplessly on the floor, the chakat called to the flanking enforcers, "Surround the badger-taur! Check for any signs of life or consciousness. You," She pointed at one particular guard, "Go make sure the mouse and her family are quite whole, and kindly escort them to the sick bay. From there take them back to their cabin if they so wish. Make sure they get five star treatment and answer to all their needs with high quality and efficiency." They quickly went to carry out hir orders, while shi kneeled to the floor and brought hir attention to the distressed coyote morph. "Darlene-- tell me, what has happened here? Who is this creature?"
Dina didn't answer immediately; the chakat could sense with a stunning intensity the confusion, hurt, and general shock that Dina felt of the situation; already shi could gather up some of Dina's recent memories of what had happened, and realized what had shaken up the coyote morph so much.
"I don't-- I don't even know anymore, Reese!" Dina said hoarsely, looking at the unconscious badger-taur, her chest heaving; the chakat called Reese was unnerved at the high-pitched tone of the usually calm and collected security guard. "One-- one moment...I mean, Uhra was so polite....He didn't...didn't s-seem to....I mean, I thought he was an ambassador...."
"Ambassador?" Reese repeated; shi looked at the badger-taur once more. "You mean from Arboria?"
The wave of sudden dispair and frustration from Dina hit the chakat's empathic sense like a wrecking ball. Dina didn't even answer; she just broke down in a series of violent sobs, and Reese took her into hir arms, smoothing back Dina's sparse head-hair in the most soothing way shi could.
"Oh no, Darlene," Shi cooed soothingly into the coyote morph's ear, sending calming empathic images to the distressed guard, "Oh no, don't worry, dear....It's not your fault....Don't worry, this mess will be sorted out--"
But then shi was cut off by a happy, excited voice from behind hir that was clearly not suited for this situation.
"Reese! Reese, it's happened, it's the--" Salem stopped suddenly, his nose wrinkling in the now-predictable manner when first encountering the badger-taur's vivid odor. "Phewie!! What's happened here?"
He approached slowly, and Reese turned toward him in a serious sort of irritation; Salem caught sight of the distressed Dina, and his heart seemed to plummet at the scene. What could make someone as tough and unassuming as Dina be so overcome with emotion?
"Dina?" Salem asked timidly, kneeling down beside the chakat who held the guard warmly in hir arms, "Dina....are you alright? Is--is anything wrong?"
Reese felt what was coming, what had been bubbling in the pit of Dina's mind since the ocelot morph had shown up, and reinforced her grip on Dina at once; shi was thrown forward nonetheless, as Dina launched herself at Salem with a murderous snarl. The ocelot morph fell backward and crawled away from the raging guard-- he was completely taken back.
"But..What? Dina, what--"
"What's wrong??" Dina spat, fighting Reese's grip on her, but the chakat's hold was secure, "You idiot! You scumbag! You useless heap of gorilla shit-- How did you miss the fuckin' notification?!"
Salem blinked in a bemused sort of way. "H-how did you know...about Arboria...?"
"That!" Dina jerked her head behind her, and Salem followed her gaze. His heart stopped at the sight of the unconscious badger-taur-- he had thought it was just a heap of old shag carpeting before now.
"How did you miss it?? How did you not catch the notification that someone was coming from Arboria-- the probe should have told you, even before the badger-taur gave consent for teleportation!!" Dina's voice became quite hysterical, and she continued to fight against Reese's grip, "I told you! I told you, when you succeeded the department position in my place, to watch for those kinds of icons! And to alert all security staff and all the chief personnel when it happened so that we could meet them at the gate!"
She let forth a wail of despair. “And now look! Look what's happened....I've worked so hard for it, and you ruined it...You...Look what you've..." She broke down then, and clutched Reese with a life-threatening grip as she was overcome by those vicious sobs once more. Salem stood there, feeling more like a failure than ever before, looking from the guards who surrounded the badger-taur, to Reese's stern and unhelpful expression, and back to Dina's tear-soaked face...
"Well....gosh....I really did mess up, huh?"


*~.~.~.~.~*