Post A Reply
my profile
|
directory
login
|
search
|
faq
|
forum home
»
Flare Sci-Fi Forums
»
Sci-Fi
»
Designs, Artwork, & Creativity
»
*Rise of the Warspite*
» Post A Reply
Post A Reply
Login Name:
Password:
Message:
HTML is enabled.
UBB Code™ is enabled.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by HappyTarget: [QB] G. K Nimrod - your constructive critisim is greatly appreaciated. Bear in mind that this is my first fan fic... heck even my first attempt at writing anything since grade school. That said, I hope to write better as this story developes. Now heres Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 [On the surface of the planet Sphinx, late evening local time] The pinnace made a textbook perfect landing on the tarmac. The base was already aglow with lights with the sun barely an orange glow on the horizon. The lush growth of forest and shrubs grew up outside the perimeter fence. Guards patrolled along the fence, not to keep out humans so much as to keep out the dangerous predators Sphinx was known for. Big, six limbed carnivores with razor-sharp teeth filling their powerful jaws and scythe-like claws at the end of each paw. Sphinx's gravity was stronger than earth's at 1.35 Gs, making the fauna just that much stronger than your average human. There were things in the outback that wouldn't hesitate to attack a full grown human. They had not yet developed a fear of man, despite nearly 100 years of human inhabitation of Sphinx. You didn’t go out into the forest without a gun, and only fools went into it after dark. Sphinx was still largely undeveloped, with huge sections of nearly continuous forest. Much of the trees that made up that forest had a peculiar characteristic, their branches grew out from the trunk at around the same height and connected together with the branches of the neighboring trees. This caused a network of paths in the trees. One of the species of Sphinx made good use of these flora made roads. They're called Tree Cats, and just happened to be one of the handful of intelligent alien species humans had uncovered in their colonization of the galaxy. Despite this, most humans outside of The Star Kingdom of Manticore, or even Sphinx itself discounted them as little more than pets belonging to the humans they had bonded with. You see, Tree Cats are an empathic species. This ability has allowed them to bond with certain humans. Though the exact nature of the bond is not fully understood, both human and cat will defend their bond-mate to the death. Separating a cat from its adopted human causes intense pain. If the human dies before the cat, extreme measures must be taken to prevent the cat's suicide. The same goes the other way, though it is generally less severe a reaction. It has even been noted on some occasions that simple ideas and thoughts can be sent to the human partner from the cat. When humans initially settled Sphinx, they had no notion that Tree Cats even existed. The cats had noticed the intruders to their world and had decided to remain hidden and gather information. Tree Cats are arboreal creatures, about 2 feet in height discounting their tail. They resemble most closely the Old Earth species known as cats in that they have fur and a feline face. The similarities end there. Like almost all animals on Sphinx, they have six limbs, needle sharp teeth and scimitar like claws. Though generally amiable, they can be deadly when threatened. Because of Sphinx's high gravity, they had very strong muscles and moved surprisingly swiftly. Tree Cats rate slightly higher on the intelligence scale than old earth chimps and dolphins. At the time of first contact, the Tree Cats were using simple tools, stone and wood spears, rope nets and hide bags. Once the Tree Cats were discovered, the bonding capability was also discovered. The cats themselves found that the bond was quite similar to a pair bonding, yet it didn't have the fullness of one because humans were unable to communicate to their adopted companions. The cat transmitting something then reading its partner's mind for the response achieves the closest thing to two-way connection between the pair. Generally the human receives only strong emotions from his or her Tree Cat. Both the bonded humans and the Sphinx Forestry Service have endeavored to keep the cats true intelligence from the outside galaxy in order to protect them. The government of the Star Kingdom has even went as far as to grant Tree Cats the status of minor children, entitled to the same rights and freedoms under the law. It has also set aside vast tracts of virgin territory on Sphinx in order to protect Tree Cat habitat. Of course, this might be due to the fact that the members of the royal family have consistently been chosen for bonding by Tree Cats. Cats don't choose just anyone to bond with. They only pick those humans whose "mind glow" is just right. Stalks Silently thought he had briefly seen such a mind glow now. Straying close to the two-leg's site on a scouting run of his clan's territory, he skidded to a halt on the tree branch. His tail snapped straight out and he rose to his full height, hand paws twitching, four back legs clenching the branch tightly. Centimeter-long claws kneaded in and out of the wood beneath them. His head franticly searching left and right, trying to find that amazing mind glow again. He had heard the Memory Singers of his clan tell of the bonding capable between the two-legs and his people. Ever since he was old enough to hunt with his clanmates, he had hoped to find one, yet never had. Just as fleetingly as it had come, the sense was gone, replaced by a powerful longing. He knew that he had to find that person again . . . he just had to. Going back along the branch a few feet, he turned around and dashed full speed until he ran out of tree limb. With every ounce of his strength, he jumped out into space, clearing the perimeter fence by scant inches. The exquisite mind glow was closer now. Stalks Silently made a beeline for it as fast as he could. So this is Sphinx, Thad thought. Somehow, I thought it would be more industrialized, considering it is the second planet in the Manticore system to be colonized and has the second largest population. Oh well, exploring those imposing forests should be entertaining at any rate. Then, he heard one of the sentries behind him shout. He stopped and started turning around to discover the source of the commotion. Then, it was as if some piece of himself that he had never even known existed snapped into place. Thad's head whipped around and locked on to a gray and black striped missile of fur heading straight for him. A giant smile exploded on his face, hurting from long disuse. He opened his arms in welcome, and a surprisingly heavy creature leaped into them. The sudden weight nearly knocked Thad over, yet he barely noticed. His steel blue eyes gazed into the Tree Cat's feline purple ones. The cat was letting out a buzzing purr so loud that it was more of a force of nature than a mere sound. Both human and cat were lost in the moment for almost five minutes. Finally, Thad began to notice his surroundings again. A smiling ground tech with Lt. tabs on his uniform came up to him. "Congratulations sir, it looks like you have just been adopted by a Tree Cat!" Posted this on another bord aswell. They said it should be broken up more so its easier to read. They were right, so here it is! [/QB][/QUOTE]
Instant Graemlins
Instant UBB Code™
What is UBB Code™?
Options
Disable Graemlins in this post.
*** Click here to review this topic. ***
© 1999-2024 Charles Capps
Powered by UBB.classic™ 6.7.3