Introduction

This story is set in Brian in the Dark’s ‘Dizyntk Imperium’ universe. If you have already read the other stories then please skip the rest of this introduction and move to the story proper. If you haven’t read them, then I would strongly suggest you do so and then skip to the story proper, as I won’t be going into enough depth to give a good feel for the entire universe, instead I’ll focus strictly on giving enough background that the reader won’t be utterly lost (I hope). You can also gain depth of understanding by reading just the first chapters of his first, second and third stories where it deals with dizyntk racial details, culture and customs.

The Dizyntk are a bipedal, mammalian, almost feline, species that evolved in a different part of the galaxy, away from human space. They are shorter than humans in general — rarely getting above five foot, four inches in height including their ears — and slighter, averaging one hundred-five pounds for the slightly heavier males. There are only minor difference in size and strength between males and females so there are few professions dominated by one gender.

Dizyntk ears average around five inches tall and are reminiscent of feline ears, both in shape and mobility, and their tails, while not prehensile, can be used for touch as well as being made rigid. Their tails average twenty-four inches long but are highly variable, with some taller dizyntk having tails up to thirty-six inches. They have both a fine coat of fur on parts of their body and hair on their heads. Their eyes are larger than human eyes and the colors can be more intense, including red. They evolved from predators and still have sharp, retractable claws. They are also very fast sprinters, reaching up to forty-five miles/hour in a few strides. They are also, believe it or not, genetically compatible with humans.