A 'Bad Egg' means the same thing to Vislin as it does to Humans: a person who just started off wrong, who contains an inborn tendency toward evil. Some Vislin think of me that way. I look a little shabby and don't really care. I carry a small but effective heater, rather than a big, showy blaster rifle. I don't run with a pack; I choose to live and work alone. I have a reputation for being in dangerous places at dangerous times, asking dangerous questions. I've had my beak busted more than once for saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. My name is Stchvk, and I find the truth other sapients want to keep hidden.
But this story isn't about me. It's about Grust of Herd Torbur, a Taratumm accused of some really ugly crimes. Is he really a bad egg? Or is he like me, a sap who got in the way of something really nasty? It doesn't really matter. I'm getting paid to prove his innocence. I really hope he's a good stomper, falsely accused. That'll make my job easier.
What am I saying? This job is never easy. Frost, if it was, I'd probably quit.
Chapter 1 - Show Trial
Chapter 2 - Femme a Poil
Chapter 3 - Tough Crowd
Chapter 4 - Graceful Exit
Chapter 5 - Quiet Morning
Chapter 6 - Visiting Hours
Chapter 7 - Unfair Fight
Author: Nathan Large
I can't even claim credit for inventing Dino-Noir, the concept or the term, but I haven't yet found any prior examples of Dino-Noir-Sci-Fi. I fell in love with the idea of a reptilian private eye, investigating crimes in the heart of a familiarly corrupt (but still very alien) city. All the familiar tropes are there, though dressed in different skins of scale and fur.
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