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More from diarmaidhutchence
A recent gift story for 
lincard1000 as thanks for his part in gifting that excellent sculpt of Jeremy, my snake character. Featuring a Vanguard warrior being scarred horribly by some people who should know better. And apparently, Between-the-Shadows is now my character. Go figure.
***
Blackness, punctured by little blinking pinpricks. The odd sphere of semi-solidness, some with smaller spheres encircling them. Through this tapestry shot a sleek, silvery craft. Past the rings of Saturn it shot. Beyond the Eye of Jupiter it blazed. Weaving in and out of the asteroid belt it darted, as it cruised past Mars. No doubt about it, the majestic vistas of this sector of space were...
‘Booooooooring’, the craft’s lone occupant thought. His four eyes were heavy-lidded as he stifled a yawn. The young Vanguard stretched, one hand massaging his thick neck. By his people’s standards, he would barely have been called an adult, despite his impressive physique.
Between-The-Shadows was a warrior, born and bred, from the heft of his shoulders to the gait of his legs. Yet here he was, on a recon mission that any half-assed, wet-behind-the-ears medic could have done. True, he was remarkably adept at stealth infiltrations for a warrior his size. Yet he couldn’t help feel he’d been selected for this due to his... condition.
He placed his weights back on the rack, his uniform peeled back off his torso and hanging around his thick waist. He passed by the mirror, his black-scaled self peering back. ‘Hrrr, this is because this one is black, isn’t it?’ he thought to himself as he dried the sweat off his charcoal-grey chest and stomach. Black-scaled Vanguards were a very rare occurrence, seemingly moreso than even albinos. Over the centuries, lore had built up that the so-called Shadow Vanguard were blessed from above with physical gifts and luck. Which was clearly wrong because...
KRRRRSHHHHCRKKKKKCLLUNK
...he was the single-most unlucky Vanguard to be around, outside of a combat situation.
“Hrrr, seventh one since departure,” he muttered to himself as a solitary weight from the now-broken set wheeled past him and out the open door of the training area. “This one should have requested an engineer on board. But nooooo, need-to-know mission only, single operative only,” he complained as he set to re-build the machine.
*ATTENTION!!!*
“AAAAAAARGH,” he shouted, dropping the weight onto his foot in surprise. “Blasted computer. Status update?” he requested, stamping the ground with his injured foot until the pain abated.
*APPROACHING TARGET DESTINATION: GY-171086. TERRESTRIAL NAME: EARTH.*
The Vanguard hobbled down the hall to the bridge, pulling the top of his uniform on. As he stepped onto the bridge, he saw a blue-green spheroid before him, filling the void of space.
He smiled. ‘At last. Time to complete this mission and get back as soon as possible’, he thought. It was a simple observation procedure, with the objective to obtain info on the native dominant species. This planet was a keystone for this sector of space. If the Vanguard could open up diplomatic relations here, perhaps even an outpost, they would be better placed to repel any possible Harbinger assault.
Eagerly, practically giddy with glee, he threw open the weapons locker. “Protonic displacement cannon- no, too heavy. Fission burst chamber-gun – too noisy. Hmmmm... oh yes,” Between-the-Shadows clapped two hands together, rubbing them in excitement, as he gripped a long rifle-like weapon. “Carbonated high-velocity boroborin assault rifle with moulded trigger and DNA lock...ohhhhhhh yesssssssss.”
*ATTENTION!!! FORCE OF ALL KIND PROHIBITED. STRICTLY A RECON MISSION.*
“But... this one’s gun...” he pleaded, looking behind him to the computer screen.
*NO*
With that, an automated arm shot out of the locker, grabbing the rifle out of his grip and pulling it back in. The doors swung shut as the locking mechanism clicked into place. Between-The-Shadows placed one black
hand on the locker door, almost lovingly. “Some day...”
*DESTINATION REACHED. POPULATION LOCUS TERRESTRIAL NAME: PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.*
“Insertion point?” he asked.
*ROOF OF POINT AZ-221. DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER. COMMS TRAFFIC MONITORING INDICATES LEAST LIKELY CHANCE OF DISCOVERY*
The ship had now broken through the cloud cover. The city could be seen down below. Between-The-Shadows attached his translator collar. “Ready. Time until contact?”
*TWO SECONDS*
“WHA...UNF!” The ship came to a sudden silent stop several feet from the water’s surface. Between the Shadows was pushed up against the exit door from the force of the impact. “Lousy buggy AI... oof!"
The door opened and the mass of alien muscle fell out face first into the dirt. He got to his feet, dusting himself off. He was proud of his appearance, and appearances were everything when making first contact. Here he was, now, dirty, with the taste of crap in his mouth. Even his tusks were streaked with dust.
He looked behind him to see the faint shimmer in the air, as the ship
finished cloaking itself.
“Oh, itself it can take care of, it’s the occupants that are the hard part” he grumbled. It appeared they had landed on the roof of some structure, possibly a dwelling of some kind. It was getting dark, perhaps just before dusk. There was little sign of any life. He took a small recording device from his pocket and began to speak into it. “Mission beginning...”
“Hey, youse con guys ain’t supposed to get up here.”
Between-The-Shadows turned around. A human, with some kind of ignited stick in one hand, was about to enter the roof from a doorway. He froze. He reached for a weapon, but remembered the no-force limitations. 'First contact between species and this one has had no time to prepare!'
“Errr...this one apologises for this one’s appearance.”
“Yeah, yeah, you suiters. Ugh, if this place didn’t need the money.”
The human was only up to the Vanguard’s waist. “I’ll give ya this, it’s impressive. Two of you in there with animatronics, eh? Never mind. Just get down to the second floor now, and don’t come up past the fourth again. ”
Between-The-Shadows was practically shocked. 'How could this human be so calm in the face of first contact? Unless... have the Harbingers already been...'
“Enough. GEDDOWN!”
******************
'I am a traveller in a hellish land', thought Between-The-Shadows. The Vanguard towered above a crowd of milling... humans? He couldn’t be sure. There were various humans around, but they seemed to be patterned after various natural fauna. And since he’d entered, they’d understandably been interested in him.
“Holy geeze, look at that guy!”
“No way that’s not a factory-made thing.”
“God, he’s huge! They must have some kinda bodybuilder or a wrestler in there.”
“Think he’s promoting some movie or something?”
“Dude, what is this thing made of?”
These garishly-clad little gnats were pawing at him, flashing lights off some kind of image recording devices going off all around him.
“Hrrrrr... this one comes in...” he began.
“Frigging hell, the mouth and eyes move too!”
“Animatronics. Bet you it’s some rich little cu..”
‘...eace’, he finished mentally. ‘There are too many. I must locate a single source of information and minimise my time here.’
Between-the-Shadows was aghast. ‘How are they not panicking or cowering? This one hasn’t even been fired upon yet.’ He scanned the wide hall. Stalls were set up around the place, some with vast queues. The humans in unusual costumes seemed to be willing to herd for the chance of seeing more normal-looking humans put pen to paper. ‘What odd customs.’ Cartoonish creatures unfamiliar to his eye adorned the banners along with a word his translator was unable to find a Vanguard equivalent of.
Anthrocon.
‘Hrrr, this one is unsure how it feels about this. But something feels... good... what?’ Looking down, he saw a human masquerading as a pink sparkly fox with nine tails, pawing at his crotch. Crouching down on his haunches, he gingerly grabbed the human’s hand. “W-what are you doing, little one?’
“What is that little weirdo do... oh.”
“Ick, and in public too. No wonder we have an image problem.”
Small groups broke off from the crowd around the Vanguard, some leaving with visible disgust on their faces. The human/fox creature looked up into the Vanguard’s face.
“Oh c’mon, man. Don’t tell me a guy like you ain't gonna yiff?” he sputtered, his affixed whiskers drooping at odd angles.
Between-the-Shadows could smell the whiff of arousal around this human. As disdainful as he found it, he needed to collate info, and this ‘yiff’ was another word he was unfamiliar with. “Hrrr. What is this yiff you speak of?”
The human perked up. “Really wanna know?” he grinned.
“Yes, this one wishes to know,” the warrior replied. ‘This must be important to human society, if they keep it hushed so.’
The fox grinned wider. “Follow me then, stud.”
The human headed for the exit, as the Vanguard followed, still attracting some stares from the human crowd. He ducked under the door frame and found himself in some kind of central hub. He followed the fox upstairs.
‘Hrrrr... better get information while on the move,’ he thought. “So, little one, when making first contact with a new species, which member of the Tribal Council is it generally best to meet with?” he ventured, with what he hoped was what passed for the human notion of ‘innocence’ on his face.
“Chit-chat later dude. Hope you don’t mind if we have... company,” the human said, pausing in front of a door and unlocking it. He entered and beckoned the warrior to come in.
Between-the-Shadows peered in. Several humans of the male variety in various states of undress lounged around. “So this is the ‘yiff’ you spoke of?” the Vanguard asked, suddenly wary.
“Come on in and we’ll show you all about it.”
Warriors were not given to fear but even Between-The-Shadows was hesitant. He gulped, entering the room.
‘For the Vanguard. May the Forefathers protect and guide me’ he thought, and shut the door.
***
Five minutes later...
***
The door shattered into splinters as Between-the-Shadows burst through,a hulk of black Vanguard careening out-of-control into the hallway.
‘Horrors as such I have never seen. Must get out...must...’
Picking himself up, he ran down the hallway, his horns scratching twin furrows in the ceiling above him. A voice called down after him.
“Dude, come on. How will you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?”
“Shut up Steve, and get back into the furpile.”
“Yes, Alpha sir”.
Up one flight of stairs, and another and another... the steps cracked under his weight as he made for the roof, desperately trying to put the images out of his head.
“So pale...so clingy...” he murmured, trembling, half in shock. He could still feel their bony fingers, clutching his...
He burst through the final door, back on to the roof. Reacting to his return, the ship began to de-cloak, the door opening up. He flung himself inside, his tail and legs only half-in, as he signalled for the door to close.
“GET THIS ONE OUT OF THIS SECTOR!!!” he bellowed at the ship.
The familiar vibrations kicked in as the thrusters kicked on and...
FWOOOMMMMMMM
...he was propelled back against the wall as the acceleration spiked, sticking him to the wall through sheer force. Seconds passed and as the ship stopped accelerating he fell from the wall with a plop.
*CURRENT LOCATION BEYOND HUMAN DETECTION CAPABILITY. MISSION DURATION- 13:47. MISSION STATUS REQUESTED.*
Between-the-Shadows sighed, righting himself. “Computer, record.”
*RECORDING*
“Mission partial failure. Humans display obsessive behaviour with regards to physicality. Little to no other information obtained. Of no interest to the Harbingers, technology primitive, environment unsuitable. Slight possibility of alliance with us, but...” he paused, “chances would be greatly increased by sending all-male delegation. Report ends. File.”
*SAVING. FILED.*
Between-the-Shadows stood up and returned to his seat. He had been caught off-guard on this mission, and would surely be reprimanded. Still, he had to admit, perhaps he was harsh to judge them all based solely on characteristics of one small group. As his superiors had done to him.
“Hrrrr... computer, delete last file.”
*DELETED.*
“Return to last co-ordinates in one cycle’s time.” He went to the armoury, fumbling around for a while. Finally, he pulled out a roughly circular piece of moulded plastic. Undoing the uniform, he slipped it down over his crotch. Giving it a few raps with his knuckles, he nodded approvingly of the protection it afforded.
“NOW this one is ready for them.” He thought of the humans. Contrary to their files, one could make a case for some of them being physically... satisfactory, if not appeasing. One could almost say desirable, in some odd fashion.
“Hrrrr... it will be a long journey home. I hope the humans are ready for me.”
lincard1000 as thanks for his part in gifting that excellent sculpt of Jeremy, my snake character. Featuring a Vanguard warrior being scarred horribly by some people who should know better. And apparently, Between-the-Shadows is now my character. Go figure.***
Blackness, punctured by little blinking pinpricks. The odd sphere of semi-solidness, some with smaller spheres encircling them. Through this tapestry shot a sleek, silvery craft. Past the rings of Saturn it shot. Beyond the Eye of Jupiter it blazed. Weaving in and out of the asteroid belt it darted, as it cruised past Mars. No doubt about it, the majestic vistas of this sector of space were...
‘Booooooooring’, the craft’s lone occupant thought. His four eyes were heavy-lidded as he stifled a yawn. The young Vanguard stretched, one hand massaging his thick neck. By his people’s standards, he would barely have been called an adult, despite his impressive physique.
Between-The-Shadows was a warrior, born and bred, from the heft of his shoulders to the gait of his legs. Yet here he was, on a recon mission that any half-assed, wet-behind-the-ears medic could have done. True, he was remarkably adept at stealth infiltrations for a warrior his size. Yet he couldn’t help feel he’d been selected for this due to his... condition.
He placed his weights back on the rack, his uniform peeled back off his torso and hanging around his thick waist. He passed by the mirror, his black-scaled self peering back. ‘Hrrr, this is because this one is black, isn’t it?’ he thought to himself as he dried the sweat off his charcoal-grey chest and stomach. Black-scaled Vanguards were a very rare occurrence, seemingly moreso than even albinos. Over the centuries, lore had built up that the so-called Shadow Vanguard were blessed from above with physical gifts and luck. Which was clearly wrong because...
KRRRRSHHHHCRKKKKKCLLUNK
...he was the single-most unlucky Vanguard to be around, outside of a combat situation.
“Hrrr, seventh one since departure,” he muttered to himself as a solitary weight from the now-broken set wheeled past him and out the open door of the training area. “This one should have requested an engineer on board. But nooooo, need-to-know mission only, single operative only,” he complained as he set to re-build the machine.
*ATTENTION!!!*
“AAAAAAARGH,” he shouted, dropping the weight onto his foot in surprise. “Blasted computer. Status update?” he requested, stamping the ground with his injured foot until the pain abated.
*APPROACHING TARGET DESTINATION: GY-171086. TERRESTRIAL NAME: EARTH.*
The Vanguard hobbled down the hall to the bridge, pulling the top of his uniform on. As he stepped onto the bridge, he saw a blue-green spheroid before him, filling the void of space.
He smiled. ‘At last. Time to complete this mission and get back as soon as possible’, he thought. It was a simple observation procedure, with the objective to obtain info on the native dominant species. This planet was a keystone for this sector of space. If the Vanguard could open up diplomatic relations here, perhaps even an outpost, they would be better placed to repel any possible Harbinger assault.
Eagerly, practically giddy with glee, he threw open the weapons locker. “Protonic displacement cannon- no, too heavy. Fission burst chamber-gun – too noisy. Hmmmm... oh yes,” Between-the-Shadows clapped two hands together, rubbing them in excitement, as he gripped a long rifle-like weapon. “Carbonated high-velocity boroborin assault rifle with moulded trigger and DNA lock...ohhhhhhh yesssssssss.”
*ATTENTION!!! FORCE OF ALL KIND PROHIBITED. STRICTLY A RECON MISSION.*
“But... this one’s gun...” he pleaded, looking behind him to the computer screen.
*NO*
With that, an automated arm shot out of the locker, grabbing the rifle out of his grip and pulling it back in. The doors swung shut as the locking mechanism clicked into place. Between-The-Shadows placed one black
hand on the locker door, almost lovingly. “Some day...”
*DESTINATION REACHED. POPULATION LOCUS TERRESTRIAL NAME: PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.*
“Insertion point?” he asked.
*ROOF OF POINT AZ-221. DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER. COMMS TRAFFIC MONITORING INDICATES LEAST LIKELY CHANCE OF DISCOVERY*
The ship had now broken through the cloud cover. The city could be seen down below. Between-The-Shadows attached his translator collar. “Ready. Time until contact?”
*TWO SECONDS*
“WHA...UNF!” The ship came to a sudden silent stop several feet from the water’s surface. Between the Shadows was pushed up against the exit door from the force of the impact. “Lousy buggy AI... oof!"
The door opened and the mass of alien muscle fell out face first into the dirt. He got to his feet, dusting himself off. He was proud of his appearance, and appearances were everything when making first contact. Here he was, now, dirty, with the taste of crap in his mouth. Even his tusks were streaked with dust.
He looked behind him to see the faint shimmer in the air, as the ship
finished cloaking itself.
“Oh, itself it can take care of, it’s the occupants that are the hard part” he grumbled. It appeared they had landed on the roof of some structure, possibly a dwelling of some kind. It was getting dark, perhaps just before dusk. There was little sign of any life. He took a small recording device from his pocket and began to speak into it. “Mission beginning...”
“Hey, youse con guys ain’t supposed to get up here.”
Between-The-Shadows turned around. A human, with some kind of ignited stick in one hand, was about to enter the roof from a doorway. He froze. He reached for a weapon, but remembered the no-force limitations. 'First contact between species and this one has had no time to prepare!'
“Errr...this one apologises for this one’s appearance.”
“Yeah, yeah, you suiters. Ugh, if this place didn’t need the money.”
The human was only up to the Vanguard’s waist. “I’ll give ya this, it’s impressive. Two of you in there with animatronics, eh? Never mind. Just get down to the second floor now, and don’t come up past the fourth again. ”
Between-The-Shadows was practically shocked. 'How could this human be so calm in the face of first contact? Unless... have the Harbingers already been...'
“Enough. GEDDOWN!”
******************
'I am a traveller in a hellish land', thought Between-The-Shadows. The Vanguard towered above a crowd of milling... humans? He couldn’t be sure. There were various humans around, but they seemed to be patterned after various natural fauna. And since he’d entered, they’d understandably been interested in him.
“Holy geeze, look at that guy!”
“No way that’s not a factory-made thing.”
“God, he’s huge! They must have some kinda bodybuilder or a wrestler in there.”
“Think he’s promoting some movie or something?”
“Dude, what is this thing made of?”
These garishly-clad little gnats were pawing at him, flashing lights off some kind of image recording devices going off all around him.
“Hrrrrr... this one comes in...” he began.
“Frigging hell, the mouth and eyes move too!”
“Animatronics. Bet you it’s some rich little cu..”
‘...eace’, he finished mentally. ‘There are too many. I must locate a single source of information and minimise my time here.’
Between-the-Shadows was aghast. ‘How are they not panicking or cowering? This one hasn’t even been fired upon yet.’ He scanned the wide hall. Stalls were set up around the place, some with vast queues. The humans in unusual costumes seemed to be willing to herd for the chance of seeing more normal-looking humans put pen to paper. ‘What odd customs.’ Cartoonish creatures unfamiliar to his eye adorned the banners along with a word his translator was unable to find a Vanguard equivalent of.
Anthrocon.
‘Hrrr, this one is unsure how it feels about this. But something feels... good... what?’ Looking down, he saw a human masquerading as a pink sparkly fox with nine tails, pawing at his crotch. Crouching down on his haunches, he gingerly grabbed the human’s hand. “W-what are you doing, little one?’
“What is that little weirdo do... oh.”
“Ick, and in public too. No wonder we have an image problem.”
Small groups broke off from the crowd around the Vanguard, some leaving with visible disgust on their faces. The human/fox creature looked up into the Vanguard’s face.
“Oh c’mon, man. Don’t tell me a guy like you ain't gonna yiff?” he sputtered, his affixed whiskers drooping at odd angles.
Between-the-Shadows could smell the whiff of arousal around this human. As disdainful as he found it, he needed to collate info, and this ‘yiff’ was another word he was unfamiliar with. “Hrrr. What is this yiff you speak of?”
The human perked up. “Really wanna know?” he grinned.
“Yes, this one wishes to know,” the warrior replied. ‘This must be important to human society, if they keep it hushed so.’
The fox grinned wider. “Follow me then, stud.”
The human headed for the exit, as the Vanguard followed, still attracting some stares from the human crowd. He ducked under the door frame and found himself in some kind of central hub. He followed the fox upstairs.
‘Hrrrr... better get information while on the move,’ he thought. “So, little one, when making first contact with a new species, which member of the Tribal Council is it generally best to meet with?” he ventured, with what he hoped was what passed for the human notion of ‘innocence’ on his face.
“Chit-chat later dude. Hope you don’t mind if we have... company,” the human said, pausing in front of a door and unlocking it. He entered and beckoned the warrior to come in.
Between-the-Shadows peered in. Several humans of the male variety in various states of undress lounged around. “So this is the ‘yiff’ you spoke of?” the Vanguard asked, suddenly wary.
“Come on in and we’ll show you all about it.”
Warriors were not given to fear but even Between-The-Shadows was hesitant. He gulped, entering the room.
‘For the Vanguard. May the Forefathers protect and guide me’ he thought, and shut the door.
***
Five minutes later...
***
The door shattered into splinters as Between-the-Shadows burst through,a hulk of black Vanguard careening out-of-control into the hallway.
‘Horrors as such I have never seen. Must get out...must...’
Picking himself up, he ran down the hallway, his horns scratching twin furrows in the ceiling above him. A voice called down after him.
“Dude, come on. How will you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?”
“Shut up Steve, and get back into the furpile.”
“Yes, Alpha sir”.
Up one flight of stairs, and another and another... the steps cracked under his weight as he made for the roof, desperately trying to put the images out of his head.
“So pale...so clingy...” he murmured, trembling, half in shock. He could still feel their bony fingers, clutching his...
He burst through the final door, back on to the roof. Reacting to his return, the ship began to de-cloak, the door opening up. He flung himself inside, his tail and legs only half-in, as he signalled for the door to close.
“GET THIS ONE OUT OF THIS SECTOR!!!” he bellowed at the ship.
The familiar vibrations kicked in as the thrusters kicked on and...
FWOOOMMMMMMM
...he was propelled back against the wall as the acceleration spiked, sticking him to the wall through sheer force. Seconds passed and as the ship stopped accelerating he fell from the wall with a plop.
*CURRENT LOCATION BEYOND HUMAN DETECTION CAPABILITY. MISSION DURATION- 13:47. MISSION STATUS REQUESTED.*
Between-the-Shadows sighed, righting himself. “Computer, record.”
*RECORDING*
“Mission partial failure. Humans display obsessive behaviour with regards to physicality. Little to no other information obtained. Of no interest to the Harbingers, technology primitive, environment unsuitable. Slight possibility of alliance with us, but...” he paused, “chances would be greatly increased by sending all-male delegation. Report ends. File.”
*SAVING. FILED.*
Between-the-Shadows stood up and returned to his seat. He had been caught off-guard on this mission, and would surely be reprimanded. Still, he had to admit, perhaps he was harsh to judge them all based solely on characteristics of one small group. As his superiors had done to him.
“Hrrrr... computer, delete last file.”
*DELETED.*
“Return to last co-ordinates in one cycle’s time.” He went to the armoury, fumbling around for a while. Finally, he pulled out a roughly circular piece of moulded plastic. Undoing the uniform, he slipped it down over his crotch. Giving it a few raps with his knuckles, he nodded approvingly of the protection it afforded.
“NOW this one is ready for them.” He thought of the humans. Contrary to their files, one could make a case for some of them being physically... satisfactory, if not appeasing. One could almost say desirable, in some odd fashion.
“Hrrrr... it will be a long journey home. I hope the humans are ready for me.”
Category Story / Muscle
Species Reptilian (Other)
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 40.5 kB
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