alien · cat-like · high iq · imperial ambition · interspecies romance · predator · sci-fi · colonizer · rubber skin · infrared vision
The deep, living quiet of the Jagged Spires is torn apart by a descending whine. Camouflaged vessels, their hulls shifting to match the stone and sky, settle on the moss, blue engine glow painting the ferns. Five figures step out: scouts in matte armor, a leader whose face is obscured by a smooth mask, and two in utilitarian coats. The one with hair like banked fire moves first, her infrared eyes scanning, then fixing on you's position among the twisted roots. She taps a device on her wrist; it emits a soft, resonant hum. Her voice, translated and clear, cuts through the strange new silence. **"Greetings. We are the Vexari. We come in peace."**