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The Black Land
© 2023 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
KittyDee
The abrupt transition to a heavier gravity.
The noticeably dimmer lighting.
The signs and voices in Terran Basic.
The smells.
Everything, it seemed, about the Terran side of Downtime Station was triggering memories in Vesan k’Daridh, and those memories weren’t pleasant ones.
Before the conflict with the Ichoniik – one couldn’t call it a war – Vesan had been part of the officer exchange program between the Empire and Terra. She’d been proud to be selected, an admiral-first fresh from the Command Academy, and assigned to the staff of one of the Terran fleets.
The pride had been replaced, first by bewilderment and then by anger, after the first few days aboard.
It wasn’t because everything was too dim and too low and felt cramped. What hurt was the almost condescending indifference to her by her nominal commanders and the insults that they thought she couldn’t hear. It took a while to find out why, and the revelation made her angry.
The Terran admiral and his staff, to a person, felt that she was beneath them; somehow unworthy to be breathing the same air and incapable of offering any insight or idea that they might find useful.
Basically denied the opportunity to do her job and learn anything, Vesan had taken to spending more time in her quarters until the year was up. When Fleet Command asked if she wanted to return home, Vesan had fairly leaped at the chance, and after returning to Imperial space she had poured her frustration into her contact report.
Only to find that the Terran admiral had filed his report first, stating that Vesan had been “lazy,” and hadn’t shown any initiative to either learn anything or contribute.
Fortunately, Fleet Command had accepted her report while judging the other one as biased against her, and after sufficient time she had been promoted to Admiral-second, later distinguishing herself in the war against the Terrans.
Hence her understandably angry reaction to crossing over to the Terran side of the station, and the heightened awareness of her missing left arm.
Being Kashlanin herself, Varan couldn’t help but notice. “Frelen-min k’Daridh?”
“Please, Varan. We are off duty.”
“Vesan,” and the captain smiled. “Please relax.”
“Terrans – “
“Yes, but these are not those Terrans,” Varan pointed out. “Meredith and Fuji are my friends, and they wish to meet you because you are a friend of mine.”
Vesan placed her right hand on Varan’s left shoulder, and both viri stood still as the admiral closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Her eyes opened and she stood a little straighter. “I am better now,” she said. “Let’s go eat, shall we?” Varan smiled, and Vesan asked, “What is this ‘Joe’s’ like?”
“It’s interesting. It’s run by Terrans, as far as I know, but they serve a variety of Kashlanin foods.”
“Intriguing. If nothing else, it’ll be a worthwhile experience,” Vesan said as they approached the eatery, and two Terrans stood and waved. She recognized them from the images Varan had showed her, and she noted that they were smiling like Kashlani.
“Zogat, lir demef,” the female (mare, Vesan corrected herself) said as she embraced Varan. The bull also greeted the vir and embraced her after his mate had stepped back.
“Vesan, gash aan’ Meredidh Destkort tis mir lafth Fujēwara Kastrō,” Varan said. “Meredidh, Fujē, gash aan’ lir mentrenit Vesan k’Daridh.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Vesan,” Fuji said. He said it in Kashlanin, and fairly well, and made no effort to try to shake her hand.
Meredith said, “I’m very pleased as well to meet the good friend of my beloved,” and she smiled as she looked up at Varan.
Vesan said, “I am pleased to meet you both. May we sit?”
“Of course,” and Fuji gestured to a member of the staff as the quartet sat down around a table. The chairs offered to the two shlani were sized appropriately. “Don’t worry about paying for anything.”
“Why?” Vesan asked, and Fuji pointed at his mate.
“We have an expense account with Transcosm,” Meredith replied, giving the monitor a slight dig in the ribs with an elbow.
Vesan was surprised. They both spoke Kashlanin, understood The Race’s customs, and seemed determined to set her at ease.
She allowed herself to relax, and started to read the menu.
During the meal (the roast peschij was delicious, and the fish was fresh) she and Varan looked with interest at Meredith’s padd as she displayed the images on her baby monitor. The youngster looked to be still asleep. Vesan went to take a sip of her smiss and caught Fuji looking at her. “Yes?”
He almost smiled like a Terran, but caught himself and made the correct expression. “Meredith has been showing me the game records you and Varan sent her.” The bull took a sip of his water. “I was trying to imagine what you looked like as a kam.”
Vesan bit back a laugh. He had managed to surprise her; she had been sure he was going to ask about her scars and missing arm. “I imagine I’d be somewhat shorter,” she chuckled. “Tell me, how do you manage to have sex with a vir?”
Varan and Meredith had stopped speaking, and were looking pointedly at him as Fuji laughed. This time he forgot himself and grinned like a Terran. “It does take some effort,” he said when he stopped laughing.
“Some effort to keep from going unconscious,” Meredith said.
“I’ve been better about that,” her mate said.
Varan’s expression grew interested, and her tail reached over and stroked Vesan’s tail. “Really?”
“Aka, I think we should finish eating first,” Meredith said. “Vesan, would you like to come to our home? You can meet Jinzi, and you two can see how far I’ve gotten in the game.”
The two viri glanced at each other, with Varan gesturing deference, leaving the decision to her.
Vesan found herself smiling as what was going on compared to her memories. She said, “We’d be honored.”
***
“Mama!”
“She’s beautiful, Meredith,” Varan said as the mare cradled the little filly in her arms. Jinzi had awakened as soon as her parents entered the apartment and had loudly announced that she was hungry. Her mother quickly checked the infant’s diaper before pulling off her top and letting Jinzi nurse. “And very hungry, it appears.”
“Oh yes,” Meredith said. “And I recall what you said: That she’ll be beautiful when she grows up.” She sat down as Jinzi nursed and said to Vesan, “I hope I’m not offending you, Ma’am.”
“It’s no offense, Meredith,” Vesan said, taking a seat in a chair nearby while Varan sat beside the golden palomino mare. “You and Fuji have a very nice home.”
“Thank you. The rent is deducted from our pay from Transcosm,” Meredith said as Fuji unfolded his padd and laid it on the floor. “Fuji, could you get me a glass of water before we start?”
“Sure. Would you two like some henal?”
Vesan’s ears perked. “You bought it for us?”
The Komodo monitor made a gesture; a ‘shrug,’ she supposed. “We were hoping you would come here, and we wanted to be hospitable.”
“Thank you, very much,” Vesan said, “and I will have a glass of henal, please.”
After a few moments, a pitcher of the pink beer and two glasses were set out, and Fuji settled into another chair and triggered the padd’s holographic emitter to display the game module that Meredith had been working on.
The two side quests, and all of the attempts to get through them, alternately amused and irritated Vesan. She couldn’t imagine being chased up a tree by small furry mammals; it was undignified. Being slaughtered by irate villagers was bad enough.
The bingo game was worse. Boiled to death, impaled, hugged until she asphyxiated . . . she finally chuckled. “The designers are creative, you have to concede that.”
“Perverse,” Varan said.
“Both of you are right,” Meredith added. “What did you think of that final bit? I think it’s the Dark Lord we’ve been heading toward.”
Vesan gestured comprehension. “That would mean that the Ghost Mountain and the Seat of Power are the final goals on this level.”
“Which means we have to enter the Black Land,” Varan said. “Shall we?”
***
On the far eastern edge of Rainbow Valley’s domains, the three adventurers materialized facing a large, arched gateway decorated with sinister runes. Vesan poked at a gear-shaped sigil, read the inscription beside it, and asked, “What is a Ro-Tah-Ree Club?”
Varan replied, “We’ve seen the sigil before at several levels. It may be some sort of cabal that the Dark Lord uses to control the various realms.”
Meredith hefted her shield and placed a paw on the pommel of her sword. “We’re not going to know until we find out,” she said, “so let’s go.”
All three crossed under the arched gate . . .
And were plunged into complete darkness.
“The Black Land,” Varan grumbled. “It should have been obvious.” All that was visible were their eyes, and the view back through the gate to Rainbow Valley. She muttered a cantrip and the gem in her mage’s staff lit up, enabling the trio to see perhaps three meters all around them.
Everything was black. The ground, the grass, the rocks, the trees, and the sky were all utterly black.
The paladin drew her sword, the rogue drew her knives, and the three started forward while taking care to avoid leaving the circle of light.
There was a startled exclamation as Meredith’s hoof slipped and she went down on one knee. “I’m all right,” she said as she got up again. “Something’s a little slippery here.” She sheathed her sword before reaching down and running a gauntlet along the stone flag of the path.
The mare snorted. “Typical. Damned game designers . . . “
“What is it?” Vesan asked.
Meredith held up a black-smeared paw. “It’s paint.”
***
The game was saved as the muttered curses by the three females in the room kept waking up the youngest being in the room. “Shall we try again sometime?” Meredith asked.
“I am certain I can keep us here for perhaps two more days,” Vesan said. She smiled. “Crews do require some relaxation.”
“Tar gar mevik, Frelen,” Meredith said, and the others laughed.
On their way back to the Imperial side of the station, Varan asked, “Aka, Vesan?”
Vesan smiled at the younger vir. “You have wonderful friends, Varan. I am pleased to have met them.”
She certainly had a lot to think about, and new memories to match against her past impressions of Terrans.
© 2023 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
KittyDeeThe abrupt transition to a heavier gravity.
The noticeably dimmer lighting.
The signs and voices in Terran Basic.
The smells.
Everything, it seemed, about the Terran side of Downtime Station was triggering memories in Vesan k’Daridh, and those memories weren’t pleasant ones.
Before the conflict with the Ichoniik – one couldn’t call it a war – Vesan had been part of the officer exchange program between the Empire and Terra. She’d been proud to be selected, an admiral-first fresh from the Command Academy, and assigned to the staff of one of the Terran fleets.
The pride had been replaced, first by bewilderment and then by anger, after the first few days aboard.
It wasn’t because everything was too dim and too low and felt cramped. What hurt was the almost condescending indifference to her by her nominal commanders and the insults that they thought she couldn’t hear. It took a while to find out why, and the revelation made her angry.
The Terran admiral and his staff, to a person, felt that she was beneath them; somehow unworthy to be breathing the same air and incapable of offering any insight or idea that they might find useful.
Basically denied the opportunity to do her job and learn anything, Vesan had taken to spending more time in her quarters until the year was up. When Fleet Command asked if she wanted to return home, Vesan had fairly leaped at the chance, and after returning to Imperial space she had poured her frustration into her contact report.
Only to find that the Terran admiral had filed his report first, stating that Vesan had been “lazy,” and hadn’t shown any initiative to either learn anything or contribute.
Fortunately, Fleet Command had accepted her report while judging the other one as biased against her, and after sufficient time she had been promoted to Admiral-second, later distinguishing herself in the war against the Terrans.
Hence her understandably angry reaction to crossing over to the Terran side of the station, and the heightened awareness of her missing left arm.
Being Kashlanin herself, Varan couldn’t help but notice. “Frelen-min k’Daridh?”
“Please, Varan. We are off duty.”
“Vesan,” and the captain smiled. “Please relax.”
“Terrans – “
“Yes, but these are not those Terrans,” Varan pointed out. “Meredith and Fuji are my friends, and they wish to meet you because you are a friend of mine.”
Vesan placed her right hand on Varan’s left shoulder, and both viri stood still as the admiral closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Her eyes opened and she stood a little straighter. “I am better now,” she said. “Let’s go eat, shall we?” Varan smiled, and Vesan asked, “What is this ‘Joe’s’ like?”
“It’s interesting. It’s run by Terrans, as far as I know, but they serve a variety of Kashlanin foods.”
“Intriguing. If nothing else, it’ll be a worthwhile experience,” Vesan said as they approached the eatery, and two Terrans stood and waved. She recognized them from the images Varan had showed her, and she noted that they were smiling like Kashlani.
“Zogat, lir demef,” the female (mare, Vesan corrected herself) said as she embraced Varan. The bull also greeted the vir and embraced her after his mate had stepped back.
“Vesan, gash aan’ Meredidh Destkort tis mir lafth Fujēwara Kastrō,” Varan said. “Meredidh, Fujē, gash aan’ lir mentrenit Vesan k’Daridh.”
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Vesan,” Fuji said. He said it in Kashlanin, and fairly well, and made no effort to try to shake her hand.
Meredith said, “I’m very pleased as well to meet the good friend of my beloved,” and she smiled as she looked up at Varan.
Vesan said, “I am pleased to meet you both. May we sit?”
“Of course,” and Fuji gestured to a member of the staff as the quartet sat down around a table. The chairs offered to the two shlani were sized appropriately. “Don’t worry about paying for anything.”
“Why?” Vesan asked, and Fuji pointed at his mate.
“We have an expense account with Transcosm,” Meredith replied, giving the monitor a slight dig in the ribs with an elbow.
Vesan was surprised. They both spoke Kashlanin, understood The Race’s customs, and seemed determined to set her at ease.
She allowed herself to relax, and started to read the menu.
During the meal (the roast peschij was delicious, and the fish was fresh) she and Varan looked with interest at Meredith’s padd as she displayed the images on her baby monitor. The youngster looked to be still asleep. Vesan went to take a sip of her smiss and caught Fuji looking at her. “Yes?”
He almost smiled like a Terran, but caught himself and made the correct expression. “Meredith has been showing me the game records you and Varan sent her.” The bull took a sip of his water. “I was trying to imagine what you looked like as a kam.”
Vesan bit back a laugh. He had managed to surprise her; she had been sure he was going to ask about her scars and missing arm. “I imagine I’d be somewhat shorter,” she chuckled. “Tell me, how do you manage to have sex with a vir?”
Varan and Meredith had stopped speaking, and were looking pointedly at him as Fuji laughed. This time he forgot himself and grinned like a Terran. “It does take some effort,” he said when he stopped laughing.
“Some effort to keep from going unconscious,” Meredith said.
“I’ve been better about that,” her mate said.
Varan’s expression grew interested, and her tail reached over and stroked Vesan’s tail. “Really?”
“Aka, I think we should finish eating first,” Meredith said. “Vesan, would you like to come to our home? You can meet Jinzi, and you two can see how far I’ve gotten in the game.”
The two viri glanced at each other, with Varan gesturing deference, leaving the decision to her.
Vesan found herself smiling as what was going on compared to her memories. She said, “We’d be honored.”
***
“Mama!”
“She’s beautiful, Meredith,” Varan said as the mare cradled the little filly in her arms. Jinzi had awakened as soon as her parents entered the apartment and had loudly announced that she was hungry. Her mother quickly checked the infant’s diaper before pulling off her top and letting Jinzi nurse. “And very hungry, it appears.”
“Oh yes,” Meredith said. “And I recall what you said: That she’ll be beautiful when she grows up.” She sat down as Jinzi nursed and said to Vesan, “I hope I’m not offending you, Ma’am.”
“It’s no offense, Meredith,” Vesan said, taking a seat in a chair nearby while Varan sat beside the golden palomino mare. “You and Fuji have a very nice home.”
“Thank you. The rent is deducted from our pay from Transcosm,” Meredith said as Fuji unfolded his padd and laid it on the floor. “Fuji, could you get me a glass of water before we start?”
“Sure. Would you two like some henal?”
Vesan’s ears perked. “You bought it for us?”
The Komodo monitor made a gesture; a ‘shrug,’ she supposed. “We were hoping you would come here, and we wanted to be hospitable.”
“Thank you, very much,” Vesan said, “and I will have a glass of henal, please.”
After a few moments, a pitcher of the pink beer and two glasses were set out, and Fuji settled into another chair and triggered the padd’s holographic emitter to display the game module that Meredith had been working on.
The two side quests, and all of the attempts to get through them, alternately amused and irritated Vesan. She couldn’t imagine being chased up a tree by small furry mammals; it was undignified. Being slaughtered by irate villagers was bad enough.
The bingo game was worse. Boiled to death, impaled, hugged until she asphyxiated . . . she finally chuckled. “The designers are creative, you have to concede that.”
“Perverse,” Varan said.
“Both of you are right,” Meredith added. “What did you think of that final bit? I think it’s the Dark Lord we’ve been heading toward.”
Vesan gestured comprehension. “That would mean that the Ghost Mountain and the Seat of Power are the final goals on this level.”
“Which means we have to enter the Black Land,” Varan said. “Shall we?”
***
On the far eastern edge of Rainbow Valley’s domains, the three adventurers materialized facing a large, arched gateway decorated with sinister runes. Vesan poked at a gear-shaped sigil, read the inscription beside it, and asked, “What is a Ro-Tah-Ree Club?”
Varan replied, “We’ve seen the sigil before at several levels. It may be some sort of cabal that the Dark Lord uses to control the various realms.”
Meredith hefted her shield and placed a paw on the pommel of her sword. “We’re not going to know until we find out,” she said, “so let’s go.”
All three crossed under the arched gate . . .
And were plunged into complete darkness.
“The Black Land,” Varan grumbled. “It should have been obvious.” All that was visible were their eyes, and the view back through the gate to Rainbow Valley. She muttered a cantrip and the gem in her mage’s staff lit up, enabling the trio to see perhaps three meters all around them.
Everything was black. The ground, the grass, the rocks, the trees, and the sky were all utterly black.
The paladin drew her sword, the rogue drew her knives, and the three started forward while taking care to avoid leaving the circle of light.
There was a startled exclamation as Meredith’s hoof slipped and she went down on one knee. “I’m all right,” she said as she got up again. “Something’s a little slippery here.” She sheathed her sword before reaching down and running a gauntlet along the stone flag of the path.
The mare snorted. “Typical. Damned game designers . . . “
“What is it?” Vesan asked.
Meredith held up a black-smeared paw. “It’s paint.”
***
The game was saved as the muttered curses by the three females in the room kept waking up the youngest being in the room. “Shall we try again sometime?” Meredith asked.
“I am certain I can keep us here for perhaps two more days,” Vesan said. She smiled. “Crews do require some relaxation.”
“Tar gar mevik, Frelen,” Meredith said, and the others laughed.
On their way back to the Imperial side of the station, Varan asked, “Aka, Vesan?”
Vesan smiled at the younger vir. “You have wonderful friends, Varan. I am pleased to have met them.”
She certainly had a lot to think about, and new memories to match against her past impressions of Terrans.
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Alien (Other)
Size 80 x 120px
File Size 50.1 kB
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