Taste of Cyn

Leather – The Universe’s Default Material

By Cynthia Sax on July 2, 2020

A reading buddy commented on how many of my warriors wear leather. Aren’t there other materials in the universe to craft garments from?

That’s a great question…and one that I’ve put quite a bit of thought into (as I put thought into every other small detail, which is why it takes me so fraggin’ long to write a story – grins).

What is leather?

According to Dictionary.com , leather is “the skin of an animal, with the hair removed, prepared for use by tanning or a similar process designed to preserve it against decay and make it pliable or supple when dry.”

The animal doesn’t have to be Earth-based. The animal doesn’t have to look like a cow. A rat is an animal. Rats tend to be everywhere and I suspect they have been making other planets their home also.

As long as a human or humanoid is on the planet, beings can obtain leather.

Because humans and humanoids are animals too.

Yes. That is unnerving but it IS possible and it is likely. Which is why I rarely say what type of leather was used for the garments (that and this detail isn’t usually important to the story).

Any being anywhere has access to leather.

If the being has access to better materials for garments, of course, they will use those other materials. The cyborgs don’t wear leather because they have access to body armor made from stronger, more protective, synthetically created materials.

The princess heroine in Testing Truth doesn’t wear leather because she is a princess, has a gazillion credits and can source the best and often the most beautiful materials in the universe.

The Humanoid Alliance baddies don’t wear leather either. Again, like the cyborgs, they have access to different materials, materials they deem as being ‘better.’

The Chameles, however, are an insular species. They don’t trade with other planets. They rarely allow ships from other sectors into their sector.

They would source almost everything from their own planets and they have plenty of leather on those planets. The Chameles can create leather from the unees, the rock vultures, other animals. And they wouldn’t waste that material.

Plus they revel in their rather primitive origins. Leather has been part of their history, part of their warrior culture for many generations and it suits them. It holds emotional significance for them, is a link to their past.

Many of the beings on Carinae E wear leather also. Carinae E, the home of Kralj from Dark Thoughts, isn’t rich in natural materials. They don’t have teams of scientists to create synthetic alternatives.

The locals don’t trade much with the rest of the universe. Beings avoid Carinae E if they possibly can. It is a wild, lawless, brutal place. No merchants are making pleasure stops there…unless they want to be robbed.

But Carinae E DOES have animals. Many of those animals walk on two legs. So the locals DO have access to leather.

I see you grimacing but did you truly believe Kralj, a male who EATS his enemies, wears a coat made from ethically-sourced bovine leather?

Yes, my less credit-heavy, outlaw warriors tend to wear leather.

The question you might (or might not) wish to ask is—what TYPE of leather are they wearing?

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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.

She sees the warrior hero he never believed he could be.

* * *

Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.

That best isn’t the barren, dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining the war.

After many solar cycles of living alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky. Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.

He also insists they must part. Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once more.

Every additional moment Lea and Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled might be their own.

* * *

Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.

It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.

Book 1: Warlord Sky

Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty

Book 3: Warlord Unarmed

Book 4: Warlord Reunited

Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy

Book 6: Warlord’s Return

Buy Now:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733