Chapter 1

Pri Zoak
Timestamp: 5 / 5 / 2293
South Estiv, Capital city of Sinaraq Three
Tourist district
[Three years ago]

Pri read the address in the message on her commpad again and raised a thick, fuzzy brow.

“Employment meeting at pub?” She frowned. “Odd choice for interview location...” She set her commpad down on the desk of her hotel room and went to get ready.

She brushed the blue feathers that crowned her head and off her elbows, then secured her long tail in a loop, brushing clean the feathers at the end. Next, she dressed in a light brown, buttoned bush shirt and rolled up the sleeves. She pulled on black pants and secured a brown belt in the loops, going over the bridge of her tail to hold up the pants tight to the tail’s undersidel. She pulled on dark grey socks that had no front toe coverage as her clawed toe ends would ruin the socks as she walked about. She set a couple of mints in her long mouth and rolled them around a few times. She then went to the entrance to don her large, composite toed, black, hiking style boots, tucked her commpad away in a pocket and held her datapad under one arm. She exited the hotel and headed down the street, towards the pub in question. As she passed other races, she noticed their glances and a variety of looks. Looks that most reptilian races were subjected to, some concerned, others distrustful or even contemptuous. Some races were appealing over a wide spectrum, be it looks, voice, or mannerisms. Praeminians, though often taken advantage of due to their passive and submissive behavior, were an example of a race in higher regard. Most avian races were also viewed in a positive manner. They had the looks and the voices to put them towards the top of the desired list from a social standpoint, even if some of them had rotten cores. Reptilians, on the other hand, were seen as cold, calculating, often unsociable, hard to read or determine, alien among aliens. As a result, they rested near the bottom of the social ladder. Being dismissed from certain jobs or overlooked for other professions was not uncommon. There were many days Pri regretted her departure from Sikarran space to join this wider body, this League and all it’s supposed wisdom and co-operation. So far it had been quite disappointing to her as she looked upon it and payed attention to how things really were.

“A Sezar mommy. Look, a Sezar...” A Kakrin child pointed at Pri.

“Yes child, a Sezar. Don’t provoke it, come now...” Pri watched the mother hurry off with her child, catching the last bit of convo before they rounded a corner. “Is that the one that will eat me if I don’t eat all my dinner?”

“No ... maybe...” The mother replied.

Pri let out a huff that came out as a bit of a snort.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she caught sight of a Terran looking at her, after hearing her snort. He gave her a wider berth and kept his eyes on her, almost with a tenseness that spoke of preparation for an aggressive action.

She saw a female Lakkasian approaching, identifiable by the jagged row of fins cresting her head. Lakkasians were reptilian, shorter than her, with soft scaly skin and a finned tail that stopped just above the ground. Males had a beard fin, head crest and large horns. Females had a jagged row of fins off their heads and down their backs, with small horns and both genders had finned ears. As the Lakkasian approached, she gave Pri a courteous physical greeting, nodding her head several times.

“Warm den, Sikarran.” The Lakkasian said as they passed.

“Honored intentions to you, Lakkasian.” Pri held her hands together in front of her chest momentarily.

At least other reptilian races don’t fear or look upon me with mixed intent. Pri lowered her head for a moment as she walked, realizing her true desires and intentions in life may be far harder to obtain than expected. She was looking for employment with a commercial ship for now, but her real desires were far more artistic. Something she feared would not be taken seriously because of the attributes of her physiology. Something she would have to fight even more to be accepted for, just because she was a reptilian race.

She saw the entrance to the pub and noticed it was frequented heavily by herbivorous races. There was a line outside already, for guests waiting to enter, comprised mostly of Praeminians, Setsolei, Vissaren and several other races. Pri joined the line, holding her datapad under her left arm, standing behind a Setsolei couple. Setsolei were ungulates, somewhat like Praeminians. The couple in front of Pri, male and female, had fur, striped on the male, dotted on the female. The coloration varied with the male, a mix of black and cream, while the female was light brown with white dots. They both had short manes that vanished down their backs, behind clothing. The male had small branching antlers while the female had even smaller tines, both located between the manes and large ears. They had feline-like tails that ended in a tuft and they walked on cloven hooves. Pri saw them look over their shoulders at her for a moment, then the male gave her a bit of a nod, then they both returned to their conversation. A Vissaran joined the line behind her, giving her a bit of a blank stare before focusing on his commpad. They were a fur covered race, possessing some distinct physical traits. They had a long snout, with a pair of fin like frills on their heads and large canid ears. Vissaren were taller than her by about a head height, with finned tails similar in length to hers. This Vissaren had light brown and cream-colored fur where it was exposed, covered largely by his digiweave grey shirt and pants.

Pri looked around uncomfortably. Warning bells were already going off, but she tried to keep them in check.

As she waited and slowly moved up the line, she could feel uncomfortable glances on her. Quick looks that led to quick whispers and brief nods or other gestures. She could faintly hear some of the whispers, some were louder than they thought, or close enough for her exceptional hearing. Whispers that questioned why she was there, at a primarily herbivorous pub. Remarks about how she might eat them, so watch out!

Pri kept a straight face all the way to the usher’s desk, where she was directed to a table at the far end of the pub. Walking past the glances and gawks of many patrons made her discomfort grow even more. She saw that she was the only reptilian inside. On top of that, only the Terran and Cordivain she was meant to meet were not purely herbivorous guests. Even the staff were made up of herbivorous races, primarily Praeminians.