Uniqueness Counts

By Elizabeth McCoy

Kinahran (Moonfur to humans) and her little sister Embereyes are on their own, determined to make their fortunes and not return to their clanship in defeat. But making fortunes requires jobs, and two Kintarans with little experience can't be picky. So even if the ship crew includes a certain sensor expert from their past... and even if it's a wild merfah chase... They'll just have to do their best.

And when they find something unexpected and Moonfur has to come up with a plan? For a Kintaran, uniqueness counts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth McCoy
• Release date: Jul 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466127821

Elizabeth McCoy

Elizabeth McCoy's fiction has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress #7, in the "Best In Show" anthology by Sofawolf*, and in the fanzine "Pawprints" (published by Conrad Wong & T. Jordan Peacock). Her tabletop RPG writing is published by Steve Jackson Games. As her author bios in SJ Games' material continually state, she lives in the Frozen Wastelands of New England, with a spouse, child, and assorted cats.She hopes that her work will be enjoyed, and is always a bit awkward about referring to herself in the third person.*Best in Show has been re-published as: "Furry!: The Best Anthropomorphic Fiction!" (Fred Patten, ed.)

Book preview

Uniqueness Counts

by Elizabeth McCoy

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 Elizabeth McCoy

Originally appeared in Pawprints, 1995.

Cover art by Conrad Lynx Wong. Colors by Elizabeth McCoy.

The name Kintara is derived from a planet in GURPS Space Atlas 3; Sparriels, Kaa, and Irari are from GURPS Aliens. Bioplastic (bioplas) named in GURPS Ultra-Tech. All are used with permission of Steve Jackson Games.

Celeste Ryder invented by Mark Allain and developed by Kurt Kraus, used by permission of both.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Table of Contents

Glossary and Names

Uniqueness Counts

About the Author, the Artist, and GURPS

Glossary

Cha – finger.

Cor-daz – brown and black tabby.

Halloth – a mammalian, bipedal alien species, superficially resembling humans; their blood uses haemocyanin, and their coloration spans from indigo to aqua. The plural is Hallo. Not a Kintaran word.

Irari – a pterodactyl-like alien race, capable of flight on lower-grav worlds. Not a Kintaran word.

Kaa – Not a Kintaran word. A snake-like reptilian race: raiders, slavers, and pirates (technically privateers of the Kaa Empire) at the fringes of civilized space. They eat sapient species (including other Kaa). To Kintarans, they smell delicious.

K'ee'tha – the same as, or baby-same or copycat. Connotations of immaturity.

Khih – yes or yeah.

Lee – eye. Plural is Leet.

Merfah – a rabbit-sized, warm-blooded, scaled, six-legged marsupial, native to Kintara. Yummy to Kintarans.

Mmsar – a warm-blooded, bipedal reptilian race. Not a Kintaran word.

Mmsarsan – the name for the Mmsar's planet. Not a Kintaran word.

N'ee'tha – unique; connotations of adulthood and status.

Nih – No, or nope.

Sparriel – a short, vaguely squirrel-like alien race with a penchant for fast-talk and kleptomania (a dominance behavior). Not a Kintaran word.

Names

Kinahran – Moonfur, Our Protagonist

Choosaraf – First-Star, the clanship Moonfur was born on on.

Coli-nfaran – Ferncloud. Her name could also be translated as Feathercloud. Moonfur's mother.

Detchal – Fat-Toe, Moonfur's cousin.

Farafinleet – Embereyes, Moonfur's little sister.

Klarin-yal – no translation; Captain of the Choosaraf.

N'balplar – Without-a-Tail, the Choosaraf's main sensor and communications officer.

Uniqueness Counts

Captain Klarin-yal of the Choosaraf paced circles around her two youngest crewmembers – soon to be ex-crewmembers, if she gave her permission. Kinahran and Farafinleet sat quietly, trying to pretend that all this scrutiny didn't bother them, two confident, young, female Kintarans ready to leave their clanship and make their fortunes in the universe. Kinahran had made her little sister leave her clutch-toy stuffed in the depths of her pack.

The Captain flicked her red-stitched and