FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Cale sped through traffic on his smaller one seat hover bike, dodging and weaving between the larger craft in his lane. Today, or tonight he should say, was the big day. He'd finally broken his stretch of bad luck it seemed. Jobs were hard to come by as of late. And Cale, for the past month or so had been pulling up a lot of red flags money wise. But hopefully, that would change tonight.

So far however, it wasn't off to the best start. He'd been contacted on the eve of a big party. The host was short the necessary hands for the party, and as such, had a lot of applications. Cale's went through this evening, and he'd checked out. So now here he was, going over the speed limit in a hurry as he tried to reach his destination in time. Cale pressed his foot down on the accelerator even further. He wasn't going to be late for this.

Cale came in through the back door to the building at ground level, through the access hub for workers. Upon following directions through the huge complex, Cale was met by a stern faced man, in a black suit which marked him out as the current highest authority here among workers. He scowled as Cale walked through the door.

"You're late."

Cale nodded.

"Yes sir, sorry sir. Tried to get here as fast as I could."

The man frowned, walking forwards.

"Yes well, traffic these days always was a bother. You know what you're here for?"

"Yes sir. Serve food, drinks. Keep my head down and out of the way."

The stern faced man nodded.

"That is precisely correct. This is one of the largest parties hosted through the entire year. Don't let those gossipers fool you, my lord's parties are the biggest, without a doubt. You are to be on your best behavior, understand?"

Cale nodded.

"Head down, sir. I'm just a servant."

The man exhaled.

"I don't know why we didn't contact you sooner. There's too much to go over. But you've obviously worked something like this before."

Cale nodded, as they traveled through winding passages in the complex, passing by other elegantly clad personnel on their way to their jobs.

"There is something you should know however. My lord's parties are notorious for trouble. Half the planet's population of senators and governmental figures are here tonight. You'll be walking into a job filled with multiple species and customs, all under the influence of the finest alcohols and other things."

Cale chuckled.

"Sounds like bartending to me."

The man scowled.

"Yes, quite."

The two strode over to a lift, stepping into it as it began rapidly transporting them up to the higher levels of the tower.

"But, there is another, issue."

"Sir, I can assure you I've been through all this before. I won't let you down."

"I have no doubts. But my lord has enemies on the political court. And they are here tonight. Now of all times would be the best time to gleam some piece of dirt or evidence."

The man handed Cale a small device.

"Keep this device on you at all times. If you see trouble, you press and hold. Do not interfere, and do not cause alarm. Security will deal with it."

Cale nodded. The stern man adjusted his outfit as the lift climbed higher, now going through the spiraling glass section of the building as they got closer to the top. The late evening sun shone across the massive spires of the city, glittering on glass and great pillars of architecture entwined and encrusted in all the great elements. Marble and Granite, great stones and metals, statues and carvings reaching up to the heavens or displaying their wealth and power for all to see. Marcossa was a rich world. And it reflected this in both its society and its political influence. Cale wasn't a noble, a man with a great title and wealth behind his name by any means. But he could appreciate gazing at this world.

"It's something else, isn't it?"

Cale looked over to the stern faced man.

"It is sir. Very much so."

The man exhaled once more.

"There is one last thing to warn you of. My lord knows of who some of his enemies are. And he knows who they've sent."

Assassination attempts were serious business on this world. But they weren't what you would expect of other worlds. Marcossa was civilized. It was on the top of all other worlds and systems in the galaxy for the lowest murder rate per year. Killings got you nowhere on this world. Playing the game of political intrigue and politics was the real game changer. And so assassination attempts on this world where not carried out through brute force and lethality, but subtle manipulation, stealth, and were based and effective on how much dirt you could dig up.

"My lord knows of one who will be attending this party tonight. A "Chimera."

"I don't know what that is, sir."

The man pulled up his vest, rolling his head as he cracked his neck.

"I don't blame you. Chimeras are rare. Even more so, harder to find."

"How so, sir?"

"You've heard of the warped regions? Pockets of space near the center of the galaxy? A long time ago many theorized that nothing could live in such a tightly packed, clustered, chaotic and warped area of space, what with exploding stars whirling around each other and black holes twisting and warping gravity. Evidently those theories were wrong. And the creatures that come from the warped regions are examples of how adaptable, and horrendous life forms can be."

Cale nodded quietly.

"I don't know of the creature's native name. But I know that in Common, simple people refer to them in slang as a Chimera. It is called such for a reason. This alien creature is capable of manipulating nearly all of its atomic structure at will."

"Sir, that doesn't seem possible."

"Oh believe me it is. But to explain things further would go above my knowledge, and yours, no doubt. All you need to know is that this alien can shape shift. Whatever it touches, its body memorizes. It can manipulate its form into virtually anything."

"So how am I supposed to watch out for that? What do I even look for, sir?"

"Chimeras are versatile creatures. But they aren't perfect. What little medical records they've shown the galaxy at large paint out two glaring flaws in their biology. One, when a Chimera shifts its form, it can only do so completely. That means if it wanted to turn itself into marble, it would have to manipulate its entire body to do so. There are no half forms. And two. All Chimera's exist in a state of quantum uncertainty. While they can change form whenever they want, their body is subject to changing appearance randomly."

"So I have to keep a sharp eye out for inconsistencies?"

"That is correct. They can copy and change themselves to any life form they please, but that means they pick up its bodily flaws as well. Not to mention, at any time, they can randomly shift states. With keen eyes and a sharp memory, one could spot this."

"I'll do my best sir."

The man looked over to Cale.

"Evidently you should. Failure of any kind on tonight's job will not be tolerated. Know that I appreciate you coming here on such short notice. But I must adhere to the rules."

Cale nodded.

"Thank you sir."

Cale adjusted his own outfit, which he had hastily fit himself into upon arrival to the complex down below. Only the highest class materials which he now adorned, red trimmed with gold, white gloves and an under layer marked his position as a servant. This entire suit was probably worth his life. He wouldn't fail his job. The lift was almost to the end of its journey, and soon Cale would be joining the rest of the staff on their tedious job for the night.

Cale was no stranger to parties. He knew his way around crowds. But this, was something else. All the elite where here. The best of the best, the highest of the highest. At the top of the tower, in glittering glass and holographics, was the party. Only the finest materials for everything were used. Exotic woods, stony elements hand carved into statues and beautiful pictures on the walls, etched and added onto with holographics.

And across the entire floor, was a mingling of species, rich, powerful, influential, all clad in stunning suits and costumes, displaying their wealth and power to one another. And they were all getting drunk. Smells, alcohols, alien scents and sounds mingled with one another as tonight was spent in celebration. Cale navigated the crowds, dispensing alcohols and food, making passes to see if the guests where comfortable.

Cale never really dreamed of being a big shot. While this party was fun, and exotic, he knew that everybody here had knives behind their backs. Even the lord who was hosting this party did. And while many let themselves go with abandon, everybody was trying to dig up dirt on somebody. The laughter, dances, mingling, and at this point in the party, in some cases, the sex, was all a big show.

Cale was neither too low class, nor too high class. He enjoyed his position. Every class, even the lowest, was treated with some manner of dignity on Marcossa. Even the lowest of the low were valuable for what they were. But in this position, Cale could gleam the benefits of both worlds. The relative simplicity, and easy going lifestyle of the lower class, while still gleaming bits and pieces of the high life.

The party wore on through the night, and things only got stranger, and stranger. As the collective of all of Marcossa's elite drank themselves into stupors and did exotic foreign stimulants, the mood changed. Civility at first, as the party goers mingled and talked. Then laughter and fun as some of the tight strings that held these people in place loosened. And now, finally, cliques.

Groups of party goers that enjoyed the company of one another, having fun and drinking, or stripping down for something "intimate," if it could be called that in the presence of so many. Cale had seen these sides to parties, and he was a master of navigating them. From the first day he started this line of work, Cale learned that despite how enticing things could be, the drugs, the beverages, and the partners, he was just a servant. And if he ever involved himself, he would be in trouble.

None the less, it was still hard to avoid. Now that the strings that kept so many of the guests in check normally were nearly gone, so too was their composure. It truly was hard to say no to an alien woman inviting him over for a drink or some other foreign substance. And as Cale traveled the crowds, he watched the other servants as well. Men, woman, aliens, they all knew their place, and politely declined and deflected offers from all colours of every species. But he could see it. The want. The need. To join in, have fun, and experience something that only came to the highest on the podium. But, he was just a servant. Keep his head down, and keep moving.

The night wore on, as all manner of things transpired at the party. Cale served drinks and food, checked on the guests, and made things comfortable for everybody. But always, the Chimera was at the back of his mind. This was a tricky board piece to navigate. So far, he'd seen nothing. There were too many faces, too many people. But if he saw anything, he needed to decide. Act or no. If he acted, and failed, then this job would cost him. If he didn't act, then he might avoid the potential of failure. But all the same, monitoring devices, trackers and technology could step in and claim otherwise, and again, he'd lose his job. In a way, it was just like the game board the higher ups operated on.

Cale's own class had its own set of rules to follow, bend, and break. And doing so could either raise one up, or send one crashing down. And now, Cale was facing a decision. A drunken guest, a man, was stumbling around, alone. Upon spotting Cale, he staggered over, mumbling something in Common among slurred words. Cale approached, showing no hint of anything wrong on his face despite his reservations about this situation.

"How is your evening tonight sir? Is there anything I can help you with?"

The man reached up to one of his shoulders, and Cale struggled to balance a tray in his other hand.

"Need t' show yeh somethin. Comon."

"May I be so bold as to ask what's wrong sir?"

The man shook his head, pointing over across the exquisite floors to a small elegantly carved wooden door resting underneath the set of grand spiraling stairs that led to the rooftop.

"There's a man in tere! Sleepin'. Looks like me!"

Cale nodded.

"Are you sure you haven't had too much to drink sir? Maybe you should go sit down?"

The man shook his head, and hobbled off, one of his hands clinging to Cale's jacket.

"Need t'see. Call security."

Cale was pulled along by his jacket as the man tugged him along across the huge room, as Cale did his best to keep his balance. When they arrived at the door, the drunken man wrestled to open it, and finally did. He pointed and laughed when he peered inside, and suddenly, Cale was faced with a decision.

"Hah! E' looks just like me!"

Sure enough, in the eludingly large supply closet, lay a man, who looked exactly like the one that was standing beside Cale. Except he was naked. Cale backed away but the drunken man hung on.

"See? I told yeh din I?"

Cale nodded.

"Sir, I think you should forget about this. You've had too much to drink."

The man shook his head.

"No, e' looks like me! A spy! You need to call security!"

The man was making a commotion now, and Cale struggled to keep everything in balance as he teetered on his feet as the foul smelling drunken man tugged at him. Wait a minute. Cale spotted it. He didn't smell the man before now.

Cale looked up into the drunken man's eyes, and in that fraction of a second, he knew. And so did the Chimera. Hauling him along with surprising strength, the Chimera tossed him into the closet, and shut the door behind itself. Cale's tray of drinks clattered to the floor loudly, spilling the contents across the floor. The Chimera stared at him, removing all traces of its drunken act.

"I am really sorry about this. Things would have been a lot easier if you'd just called security. Now I'll have to knock you out and take all your clothes."

Cale backed up into the corner as the man walked forward.

"What did you do to that man?"

The Chimera smiled, winking.

"Oh you know, I just got him drunk until he passed out."

The Chimera stepped forward, and reached down to the puddle of alcohols on the floor. Cale watched, as its hand made contact with the fluid, and then started shimmering. A vibration rippled up its body as it copied the fluid, and before him the man disappeared in a splash of colour akin to the alcohol on the floor as his clothes dropped to the floor with it.

Cale instinctively reached for his chest pocket and pressed and held his hand there as he scrambled backwards and up against a shelf, as a huge puddle of alcohol surged at him. He figured he knew what its plans were, and tried desperately to stay out of the way as the liquid surged at him like a wall. If it got near his face it would enter his system forcefully and pass through, knocking him out instantly.

Cale leaped over the surge of fluid towards the door but slipped on the floor. He pulled himself along desperately as the fluid engulfed him and found his mouth. He kept it shut tight but the Chimaera wasn't having it. Stinging and burning alcohol traveled up his nose and he was forced to open his mouth as it traveled down his throat.

To Cale, it was the strangest feeling he'd ever known. It wasn't as if he'd drank something and choked on it. The Chimera that controlled the alcohol was avoiding going down the passage to his lungs. It was like he was chugging a full keg however. His head spun quickly, when suddenly, the door to the supply room was smashed open. Security, clad in heavy armour and carrying weapons shouted upon seeing what was going on. Cale could barely hear things as he was practically engulfed in alcohol.

"Give me zappers!"

The security troopers raised their weapons and fired shock lines, barbed pins connected to wires that would shock a target. Cale's half drunken mind panicked. He was in a puddle of liquid, if those wires hit....

Before any of the lines did hit, the surging mass of fluid slid aside and moved Cale with it, dodging them. The alcohol inside of him surged back up in the most horrendous of feelings, and as Cale was only helpless to watch, the Chimera slid over to the glass cups that had fallen off the tray he had dropped. In less than a second, the puddle of alcohol shaped and formed itself into a figure, vaguely humanoid, but it was pristine and clear, like glass.

The second volley of shock wires impacted into the glass form of the Chimera, cracking its figure and as electricity surged along the lines, nothing happened. Stiffly and with some effort, the Chimera tugged on the lines embedded into it, pulling some of the security troopers over. Cale was vaguely coming to his senses now, with a roaring headache, as he watched the scenes play out.

The Chimera pushed the security troopers outside of the supply closet, and had made contact with one of the marble statues. It was now using its own body as a destructive mass of weight against the security troopers, smashing into them with enormously heavy arms and fists. Cale scrambled up to his feet sluggishly. He didn't exactly know what he was thinking. But he'd lost his job for sure. He'd fucked up big time. But he could still make things right.

Stumbling out of the supply room, Cale stumbled along the path the Chimera had made. Security troopers, either beaten or unconscious, lay sprawled across the floor. Cale reached for one of their weapons and grasped it, looking out amongst the chaos.

Party guests scrambled to get away as more security flooded into the building, as did the servants, while the Chimera engaged them in hand to hand combat. The struggle was going badly, and on some foolish impulse Cale knew what he was going to do. As more security was beaten and smashed into submission, Cale ran towards the hulking marble Chimera as fast as he could, throwing himself against it.

Throwing himself at the Chimera wasn't the best idea, as he smashed into it like a wall, but his body was enough that he staggered it. As marble slipped on the floor and the Chimera teetered over, off balance, it fell over. The troopers changed tactics, and fired solid lines that embedded themselves into the stone form of the alien. More troopers flooded in and engaged the alien, doing their best to pin it in place and immobilize it.

But in a split second, the alien shifted its form once more, taking on the same material as the wires embedded into it. With incredible flexibility it bent and contorted its body like a coil, and dragged the security troopers along with it. As it dragged them closer across the floor, it lashed out to any it could reach with powerful, wiry arms, strangling them into unconsciousness until no more could fight it.

When it had enough leverage, the Chimera leapt forwards through the glass windows of the building, and plummeted through the skies down below. Cale stood there, in his soaking wet uniform, holding a rifle in his hands, in awe of what had transpired. But above all, he knew. This was it. He was, utterly, and completely out of this job. And his reputation would suffer. He was fucked. As the calamity began to wind down, Cale walked over to one of the tables that had remained intact in the scuffle.

Grabbing himself a glass, Cale chose one of the many alien beverages that he had access to from the table, and started drinking. The floor was ripped apart by the marble creature's rampage across it. Injured and unconscious security troopers lay across the floor. Guns, spent casings, wires, passive based sleep darts and non-lethal bullets covered the floor from the conflict. Cale wandered over to a large couch like piece of furniture, sitting down on it. Picking up one of the discarded pieces of under garments from some alien noble woman, Cale lazily spun it around in his fingers as he sent his glass of alien alcohol down. May as well enjoy himself, right?"

The highest servant authority stood before Cale, the man's face as stern as ever, barely holding back disdain.

"You say it tried to knock you out?"

"Yes sir. It turned itself into alcohol and basically, tried to drown me."

"Why did you not call security sooner?"

"Because sir, that's what it wanted."

The man adjusted his outfit.

"Absolutely outrageous. Do you know how much the damages will cost!?"

The man swept his arm across the scene, which was now largely empty of anyone, but was still littered with bits and pieces of what had transpired in the fight. Cale nodded.

"More than I could pay sir. And more than I'm worth keeping."

The man nodded.

"You did your best. I want you to know that. But someone, has to take the fall. And, most certainly, the drunken lord in the closest will not. That leaves the weakest link in the chain."

Cale nodded.

"I know, sir. Why do you think I've been drinking since you got here? I'm not a servant anymore."

The stern faced man held a holopad in his hands as he typed up is report.

"You will receive payment for your work here tonight. But your contract with my lord as a servicemen will be terminated in light of poor decisions made on the job and your records will be updated."

Cale twirled his hand, emphasizing for the man to speed it up.

"I hereby fire you from your position as a servicemen to my lord. Remaining on the property for any longer than half an hour will be considered trespassing. Collect yourself, and leave the premises."

The man slid the holopad back into his suit.

"My sincere apologies to you sir."

Cale nodded.

"It's just business, right?"

2 Years Later

Cale washed tables for the night, as the bar began to slow for activity. Soon it would be closing time. His thoughts wandered as he absent mindedly cleared tables. The last year or so had been tough. Because of his record, the jobs Cale once had access to were now limited. Nobody was willing to hire a servant with "poor judgment and decision making on the job." Over the coming year and a half, Cale lost everything. And with no jobs available for him topside, Cale officially fell down to lower class.

The massive, glittering spires of stone and glass on the surface of Marcossa were no longer his home. Cale had long since moved into the under city. Beneath the crust of Marcossa was another layer of sprawling underground cities that traveled deeper and deeper into the crust of the planet. Every layer was a step down in society and jobs became dirtier, harder, and more risky. Cale was on one of the upper city rings, just beneath the crust.

Even still, it was a far cry from what he'd once known. But, after all, he'd started here once, in his early years. Worked his way up through better and better jobs. It still stung though, being down here. It would take years for him to climb up the ladder once more. The under city was dark, hot, and crowded. Sunlight was absent, and despite the use of artificial lights, it just wasn't the same as Marcossa's own glittering star.

But Cale did have one thing on his side, at least. Because of his knowledge of higher functions in society, Cale was appreciated greatly on his job. He knew manners that others often didn't, and surprised people with his civility despite such a low tier job. He quickly became friends with the many passerby of the people of this small, homely old bar.

The night wore on, and eventually, the trickle and comings and goings of the nightly visitors wore down. Song and drink faded, and drunken dancers left after their fun had been had for the night. Now all that was left were the quiet few stragglers. Cale watched the quiet activity in the pub from behind the counter, cleaning up glasses.

An old man, a miner from the lower levels by the looks of things, raised his hand for another glass. Cale obliged, sending him over another of the brew he'd been sending down all night. The grizzled man looked up, smiling.

"Thank you son."

Cale nodded.

"My pleasure sir."

The man stared into his drink, before looking up to Cale.

"Tell me son, you ever hear of a bucket list?"

Cale set his rags down on the counter, leaning against it.

"Can't say I have sir."

The old man took a drink from his glass.

"It's a list people make, of things to do before they die. Fun things, wishes, things like that."

Cale simply nodded along.

"You look like a miner, sir. Tough work, I hear. A lot of troubles. You caught something from all the stone and earth?"

The old man nodded.

"You could say that. Miners, have short fuses you see. They burn bright, work hard. Too hard, I think. And then they burn out."

"And that's you, isn't it sir?"

The man nodded.

"I'm sorry sir. But at least you've got your list right? How many fun things have you done?"

The man nodded, smiling.

"Oh, I've lead a fun life. Most of my list is all done and complete. There's only a few loose ends I need to clear up."

"The tough ones right?"

The man nodded.

"Always save the hardest for last."

Cale nodded.

"I'm sure you'll be fine sir. Just stick to it and you'll make it through."

The man took another drink, setting the empty glass down on the counter.

"That's the thing. I'm horrible at apologies."

Cale took the man's glass and filled it, passing it back to him.

"What's the trouble sir?"

"A long time ago, I made a mistake. I ruined somebody's life. And even after all this time I know it's my fault. But I don't know how I can make up for it. I've spent quite a lot of time looking for them. And, I think I've found them. But I don't know what I'll say if I see them."

Cale puzzled over things for a moment.

"Sir, we all make mistakes. When we're young, we do a lot of stupid things. I know I did. Still do, I guess. But then again, I guess I'm not really old am I?"

The man chuckled.

"You seem much older than me. You've seen a lot son. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice."

Cale nodded.

"Maybe I have sir. But I don't think it could beat all your years of experience. Besides, don't worry about that person you want to say sorry to. I'm sure after all these years they'll forgive you. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking sir?"

The man stroked his beard quietly.

"I'm 15."

Cale shook his head.

"I'm sorry sir, I don't follow."

The man nodded, looking up at Cale with solemn eyes.

"The average lifespan of my species is 15 years. Chimeras, as you call us."

Cale was stunned, as he looked into the eyes of the old man, as the memories came flooding back. Cale practically lunged over the counter, grabbing the man by the scruff of his clothes.

"WHAT. GIVES. YOU. THE RIGHT.... TO COME BACK HERE?"

The man watched him, unflinching in his gaze.

"I told you. I'm horrible at apologies."

Cale looked around as the quiet patrons of the bar looked at him from their seats. With shaking hands, Cale let go of the Chimera.

"Get out of my bar."

The man stood up from his chair.

"Listen to me, please. I'm not here to cause any trouble. I want to help. I can help you if you'd just listen. Please, that's all I'm asking."

Cale looked around at the bar, as the few who remained were watching with mild interest. Cale leaned over the counter.

"Wait for me at the back of the bar. If I see any bullshit from you, I'll call my friends. I have people here who like me. And if I pointed you out to them and told them you were the one that caused all my troubles, they'd run your ass out of here."

The Chimera nodded, raising its hands up defensively. Without any other words, it left. Cale resumed what he was doing, but his knuckles were white as he tried to steady his shaking hands.

In the silence of the pub as Cale cleared everything and set everything up for the morning shift for the next tender, he started thinking. He was angry. Why did it follow him down here? Why couldn't it just stay away? Surely, its very presence here was bad news for somebody. Regardless, Cale decided that he'd follow through with his words.

Walking out the back door to the alley in between many other assorted buildings, Cale spotted the man sitting atop a pile of boxes under a lamp, waiting for him. The man spoke, with some sort of a smile on his features.

"You know, for such a basic, form locked species, you were very hard to find. I'd almost given up."

Cale stood in the alley, watching.

"What do you want?"

"What I said earlier. I can give you your life back. I can help you. I ruined your life, your reputation. It was my fault. I want to fix things."

Cale shook his head.

"You're damn fucking late on both accounts. I don't want your help."

"I can fund you, from out of my own pocket. I could offer you my services, you could climb through the ranks, all the way to the top. I can go anywhere, find anything, do anything."

Cale stood, watching the Chimera with little emotion on his face.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"No."

"What?"

"No. I refuse. I don't accept your offer."

The man stood up now, crossing his arms.

"Why?"

"Because how many would you climb over, just to put me up there? How many lives would you potentially ruin, just to make up for me? No, no, you can take your offer, your apology, whatever you want to call it, and get out of my life."

"I could give you everything!"

"Why? I don't want to be part of the political ball court! I don't want to look at people with daggers behind their backs and fake smiles. I just want to live my life, to whatever ends it goes."

"You don't understand. Anything. I could get you anything, anywhere. I can help you! You don't have to be down here!"

Cale thought about things for a moment.

"Show me your real form."

"What?"

"Show me your real form. You offered anything. I want to see the real person you are, hiding under all your disguises."

"I can't.... that's not part of our traditions."

Cale nodded.

"Okay. Then we're done here."

Cale turned around and started walking off down the alley, when he heard a thump. Turning around, he looked back, to see the man lying on the ground convulsing. Something was wrong. Cale turned back, and went over to the fallen Chimera. Rolling the alien creature over, he watched as it convulsed on the spot, shaking as it held its arms up to its chest tightly. The man it was disguised as watched him through eyes that displayed its fear. Cale remembered now.

"You're shifting, aren't you? You're uh..... in a state of quantum uncertainty that was it! You're shifting and you don't want to!"

The man nodded. Cale turned around and began walking away.

"Wish that would have happened at the party."

Cale left the creature to its fate as he walked away, when a voice sounded out. It wasn't the man's anymore. It was warped and twisted, changing between different states.

"Cale!"

The sound of his own name stopped him in his tracks. He turned, slowly. The Chimera had pulled itself up to a sitting position, and clutched its arms tightly to its chest. The man it had changed into was long gone, save for his clothes. The Chimera was shifting between states, as its body glowed bright blue. Electricity arced off of its rapidly changing body. He looked into the eyes of the creature, as they changed and warped, to the eyes of hundreds of species, all different shapes and makes. But he saw one thing in all of them. Fear.

Cale stepped forward but the alien held a hand out, and spoke with great difficulty.

"Don't come near! Get away! Run!"

More electricity arced off of it now, and it looked like it was settling on what form it was going to take. The Chimera shook as it held its arms close to itself. Cale stepped forward instead.

"What's happening?"

The Chimera shook as it strained to speak.

"Shifting.... To electricity.... Can't stop it.....like a bomb....."

Cale understood. He was surrounded by metal. If the Chimera lost control it would explode outward in all directions, the electricity jumping through whatever it could. It could kill hundreds, maybe even thousands in the block alone if it arced out freely. Cale stood, in silence, watching as the creature struggled. He had a choice. But he already knew what he was going to pick. As much as he hated this creature, it needed help. And other people didn't deserve to die for his hate.

Cale stepped forwards towards the Chimera, as the hair on his head and the back of his neck stood up, and his entire body tingled. He stooped down, getting closer, as the Chimera watched him, fighting desperately to hold back its form that was struggling to shift into pure electricity.

"What are you doing!?"

Cale stepped down, and looked into the creature's eyes, as they still shifted between countless numbers of others.

"You want to help me right? Then don't kill me when I grab your hands."

"What!?"

Cale nodded quickly.

"The way I see it, you've got three choices! One will leave a lot of people dead. That blood will be on your, and my hands if I don't do something. You can't hold it in forever. Two, you'll release it all into me. Three, you'll control it. You want to help me, then save my life."

The Chimera shook its head.

"I can't...it doesn't work like that!"

Cale smiled.

"Remember when I said I still did stupid things? Guess its lucky number two then!"

Cale reached out, and grasped the hands of the Chimera. He didn't remember much after that. All he really felt was the tingle on his skin, and the shiver up his spine that made every last hair stand up.

Cale woke up to the world, gasping for air, like he had just come out of a nightmare. The feeling of the electricity as it arced through him ran through his veins and his heart surged, pounding in his ears. His state of shock numbed him to his location, as someone stepped out of a room close by and quickly hurried over to the bed he rested in. As Cale's caretaker stepped into the light of the small lamp at the bedside, Cale's heart skipped a beat, as he was greeted by himself. The Chimera raised its hands defensively.

"It's okay! Relax. I was just filling in for you. You've been out for a few days."

Cale struggled to raise himself but the Chimera pushed him back down.

"Relax. You're home. I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done. You still have your job. Everything's fine. You just need some time to recover."

Cale spoke but found his voice dry. He reached out, mouthing the words. The Chimera nodded. Cale set himself back down in bed, onto the familiar feeling of his pillows. It was funny, and frightening to see and hear himself from such a different perspective.

It wasn't long before the Chimera came back around with a glass of water. Cale took the glass and began chugging the water, the relief washing down his throat. He took a great lungful of air after drinking everything down, setting the glass on the table beside him. He looked up at the alien, who stood, as a perfect copy of himself, waiting in hushed silence.

"You didn't hurt anybody?"

The Chimera nodded.

"You got only a small dose of what I was producing. But I managed to get it under control again."

Cale felt unease, as the Chimera shifted, just as uneasy as he was.

"Can you, change to something else please? It's creeping me out."

The Chimera nodded and Cale watched as its form flickered and shuddered. He himself quickly vanished as the creature transformed into something else entirely. It shrunk by about a foot, as skin as pale as snow emerged, that was just barely transparent, hinting at bones and nerves underneath. Red eyes stared out at Cale as a serpentine head and neck formed, as did a long winding tail to match a body that seemed frail or starved. When all was said and done, an unrecognizable alien stood before him. But it was more comforting than staring at himself. Cale nodded.

"Thank you. I appreciate it. What species is that?"

The simple nasal holes of the Chimera flared open and a smile graced its features as it bared sharpened needle like teeth, as red predatory eyes watched Cale. A distinct voice, no longer his own or anybody else's, soft and gentle practically whispered to him in the gentle tones of a feminine nature.

"Mine."

The Chimera began removing the clothes it had borrowed that belonged to Cale, setting them down on the floor as it folded them. Its body was thin and lanky, almost bony, with a clearly visible ribcage from under its pale, halfway transparent skin. Sharpened claws and talon like toes graced its hands and feet, on multi-digit legs. Cale pushed himself up in bed.

"I thought you said..."

The Chimera raised her hand up in the air.

"I did. My species isn't trusting of outsiders. In our culture, we take note never to reveal our native form to aliens. But to those we trust, we show our true selves."

Cale stumbled upon words, as the alien simply nodded, understanding the point he was trying to make.

"I trust you enough to show you who and what I am. Back there, in the alley, you showed me who you really are. I have the utmost respect for you, and to lie to your face any longer would be an affront."

Cale nodded.

"Uh, thanks, I guess."

The Chimera moved slowly, cautiously, setting herself down on Cale's bed.

"I am, truly sorry for what I did to you. My life, my fortunes came from my natural biology. The people of this world that knew of me, seized my services for their own personal gain. And I went along with them willingly. The thrill of the exotic, of how far I could go. But now, in the time that I have left, I realize that I was a fool."

Cale was suddenly placed into a new state of mind. The creature before him, set in a somber light, as he realized that the talks he had with her earlier in the bar were real. And he realized something else, voicing his thoughts out loud.

"You were just doing business."

The Chimera tried to speak but Cale shook his head.

"No, I was too. That's why I was fired. I took actions, bold ones, and silly ones, like you. And I paid for it."

The Chimera shook her head.

"It doesn't change things. In whatever time I have left, I pledge my services to you. I wish to make amends for what I have done, to know that I did one good thing for somebody in my life."

Cale mused on her words. Something didn't add up for him.

"You've got complete control of your atoms though, or mostly, at least. A power somebody like a god would dream of. How can you die? How do you even age?"

"Our bodies are of flesh and blood, just as you. We feel pain, break bones, and succumb to diseases. Our natural ability, is a mystery to us. No other species in the galaxy has this. No other has any experience with it. And no technology out there today can even come close to how versatile we are. But my species, believe it to be a gift, and a curse from our gods of old. We are blessed with power, power so bright that we burn like the stars themselves. But we are but mortal vessels. And we cannot withstand the fire forever."

Cale leaned back against his pillows. The more he talked with this alien, the more at ease he felt.

"So you're 15 huh? How long do you think you have?"

"My kind have never made it past the age of 16. I turned 15 six months ago. I could die, at any time."

Cale suddenly felt a pang of remorse. Regret even.

"I'm sorry. What's going to happen to you?"

"My atoms are breaking down. They can't hold their form any longer. One day, I'll turn to dust. Even less than that."

"That's horrible!"

The Chimera nodded. The pale being sitting on the bed looked at Cale with red eyes. He knew. She meant every word.

"I'm afraid. I don't want to be alone. And I don't want to die knowing that I didn't do anything good with my life. That's why I'm here. I want to help you, before.... Before I die."

Cale was now aware of the gravity of things. And he suddenly felt like the fool all along. But the truth was the truth. He actually liked it down here.

"I'm sorry. I hate to say this to you, but I like it down here. It could use a little more sun, but this job, is simple, and quiet. I missed that."

"So there is nothing I can do for you?"

Cale shook his head.

"Yes. You can stay with me. I'm inviting you to stay at my house, here with me. I was wrong, about you. You were like everybody else. Doing your job. But you came back to try and help me right? That counts for something. In fact, I owe you. You're the one that helped put me down here. I should be apologizing to you."

The Chimera remained quiet, processing his words. Cale extended his hand out.

"Here. I know where we can start. You already know my name. But I'll pretend you don't. It's Cale. And yours?"

The Chimera held out a slender arm, wrapping her sharp claws around his hand.

"Fae' Ruu of house and Clan Arish'Mae."

Cale smiled.

"It's my pleasure miss."

Cale found the strength to stay up, and for the remainder of the night, he talked with this alien, Fae. She was a strange creature. She knew how to blend in with crowds, blend in with other beings. But she was so alien in thought and mind. He asked questions, curious about her, and she answered, through what he could tell was true honesty.

Her people were reclusive by nature, but shared extremely tight bonds among family and clan. And they were largely peaceful. Because of their biology, Fae's people found peace from their differences, because there were none. From birth, Chimera's started out in a neutral state of sex, and as they grew older, and developed, they chose the sex that best associated them.

Fae sat on the edge of Cale's bed, telling him the ways of her kin. But he could tell that she missed it. In a quiet moment, he spoke.

"Did you ever have kids? Any family?"

Fae shook her head.

"Chimeras have only a short period in their life when they can make offspring. The older we get, the less stable our forms become. In order to bear offspring, we must remain in our natural form. It is a point in our life when we are our most vulnerable. I never found one who I could trust so freely."

Cale nodded.

"Is that why you came out here?"

Fae nodded.

"I was not made for the quiet life of my home world. I wanted adventure. To see it all."

"Did you get what you wanted?"

"I'm not so sure, looking back on things."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. What's done is done. You've probably seen a lot of things in your life. Things I doubt I'd ever see."

"But I made mistakes."

Cale shrugged.

"We all do. I know, when I was younger, I was cutthroat in working my way up. The people I stepped on to get here. Well, I don't know where they are now. But I hope they could make something of themselves after what I did. I'd trade places with them if I could."

Fae watched Cale with sharp eyes, accustomed to watching and studying.

"But you have so much time to work with. All of your kind do. They have time to recover and learn. Grow and mature. Time to do anything."

Cale chuckled.

"And we still don't do it right. Maybe it's better that you've got a short lifespan. You make the most of your time better."

Fae watched Cale, a semblance of a smile forming across her slender, serpentine face.

"There were some good times. A lot of them. I can't say I didn't have an adventure. But what of you? What are you after?"

"Oh I don't know. I guess I could do with some more excitement. I worked in so many high class parties but I never got the chance to be a part of them as a guest. I think they'd be fun if everybody there wasn't out for blood behind all the good manners and high class clothing."

Fae smiled, a thin, pale tail perking up as it coiled itself through the air.

"Oh believe me Cale. They are. I've seen them through many different eyes."

Fae's form shifted, shuddering as her entire structure altered, bones shifting and rearranging in seconds, skin pigment and form changing. Before Cale sat a naked man on the end of his bed. Fae lifted a leg up as she obscured a view from Cale, the face of the man she took smiling at him. He recognized that face.

"Is that......"

"Marcossa's very own High Minister of Tourism and off-planet affairs, Lord Quaid, at your service."

Cale looked at the form of the man before him as Fae lifted her hands up and twiddled her fingers.

"These eyes have seen the best of parties. But these hands have thrown some of the best ones Cale. Quaid is quite the representative of his stature it seems."

Cale, already seeing what Fae was doing, had one short moment of doubt before he couldn't help but smile.

"Are you suggesting I show up as a guest to one of those parties Fae?"

Fae shifted her form once more, shrinking down to her slender, pale self. Red eyes that showed the mark of an intelligent hunter in millennia past watched Cale with a smile that showed more needle like teeth.

"Well, I'm not exactly suggesting anything. But now that you mention it, it would be easy. I know the high minister has a habit of travelling off-world a fair bit. And he uses body doubles, replicants in fact, in his place while he's away to conduct business."

The thought excited Cale. How could he pass it up?

"Would you hurt anybody?"

"I've never killed, Cale."

"No, I mean, is there a risk of upsetting anything? You know how the rules are here on Marcossa. Political ball courts for every class of citizen here. Break the rules and you can step on a lot of people."

Fae's nostrils flared as she crossed her arms.

"Please Cale. Rules are made to be bent. I'll be careful. I pledge that to you."

"Can you do it then?"

"I can do it in one day. Give me one day and I'll have everything ready."

"Really, seriously?"

Fae smiled coyly, her tail absently coiling itself through the air again.

"As serious as I am about making things up to you. Say the word Cale and I'll do it."

Cale nodded, smiling as he watched Fae, almost seductively posing as she waited for his reply. He would never, ever, in his life get an opportunity like this again. How could he pass it up? Just this once.

"Do it."

Fae vanished into the night at the end of her conversations with Cale, and left him to rest for the night. And it wasn't until morning that Cale stepped back into his own shoes and went off to his job that he'd realized what he'd done. He was rigging a party. And a high class one at that. Just for himself. The passerby in the bar paid him no mind as if he was never even gone. It was a testament to who Fae was. And Cale found himself fond of it, slightly.

In some ways she was just like him. She obviously adored her work and her skills. But even though she could have all the power on this planet, she stayed in her position. For her it was a perfect middle ground. All the fun, none of the daggers and knives of Marcossa's political ball court. Fae wasn't as alien as she seemed. Thinking about things throughout the day as he worked, Cale realized that he was no better. He'd made his mistakes too. He'd always done his best at the time though.

Reflecting on the events that transpired a few years back, Cale realized that likewise, Fae did as well. And just like that, as the night drew to a close, and wound down to the end of Cale's shift in the old homely bar, and Cale threw in his towel for the day, Fae lived up to her word. As he stepped out of the old bar and into the cramped back alley that rested between buildings, resting on the ground was an exquisite hover bike. High class with all of the best technology, a coat of vibrant bright colours and sleek curves marking it out as a vehicle of true quality.

Fae casually leaned up against it as she shifted her form to the true one Cale had since learned was hers. The slender alien watched him and smiled as he couldn't help but stand in a state of awe.

"Like what you see? Here, I got these for you too."

Fae opened up a pack on the side of the bike and tossed a pair of clothes out to Cale, who barely managed to catch them in his state of wonder. Cale felt the material in his hands, recognizing its smooth texture and quality weave, again, marking it out as something far more valuable than what he currently wore.

"You got me a suit too?"

Fae began removing the clothes she wore that had once belonged to the being she had impersonated, revealing her simple, frail looking frame that was devoid of any features save for the usual slightly visible hint of bones and nerves underneath pale skin.

"Well, we can't have you showing up as a guest to a party looking like you do now, can we?"

"I guess not."

Fae opened up a pack on the other side of the hover bike, pulling out a set of clothes for herself, her red eyes checking over Cale.

"Well, go on. Get changed."

"What, out here?"

Fae rolled her eyes and bared a hint of needle like teeth in one of her token smiles.

"Oh please Cale, it's not like I don't already know what you look like."

Fae shifted her form in seconds and an identical version of himself stood out to the world, before shifting back to Fae's natural form. Cale sighed, hanging his head. He couldn't help but smile.

"You know, for somebody so reclusive you're awfully good at not keeping other people's privacy."

Fae tilted her head.

"Just business Cale. It's not like I take pictures or anything and blackmail people. Have a little faith in me will you?"

Cale looked up from the clothes in his hands which he was occupied in looking over, pausing as the smile on his face wiped itself. Cale pointed at Fae.

"Um, Fae."

She slender alien watched him, tilting her head.

"What?"

"The thing. You're doing it."

Fae's red set eyes traveled downwards as she watched one of her clawed hands shift form. Fae's skin shifted in texture, taking on a metallic sheen as her arm shifted and hardened into a steely gray metal. Cale had already dropped his clothes and stepped over to Fae, who was shaking, attempting to halt the unwanted change. She looked up to him with a smile, but her red eyes, narrow black slits focusing on his like razors, showed the same fear he'd seen on many alien eyes before.

"Metal......very dense......hard to go to a party.......like this."

Cale watched as Fae's skin shuddered, attempting to change her entire form completely, but was held at bay. Cale placed a hand over one of Fae's metallic ones, feeling the cold bite of metal.

"Fae. Don't fight it. Let it happen."

"This.....ability........isn't mindless. I am........not........some simple........creature who can't........control.............it."

Fae shuddered visibly, trying to regress the metal that looked as if it were creeping across her body. Cale gripped her metallic hand which was stiff but still able to shudder.

"Look what fighting it is doing to you Fae! No wonder you burn yourselves out! Let it go!"

Fae's eyes stayed locked on Cale's. A silent nod, slow and strained. Fae gasped for breath and in that instant her entire body snapped, going rigid and stiff as her skin shifted into metal in the blink of an eye. Cale eased up on his grip over Fae's hand as her own stopped clenching. Metal twisted and groaned as Fae moved sluggishly, still managing a smile across her features.

Even if it was a tense moment, and one that hinted at something darker to come in the works, Cale was astonished as he looked over Fae. Not only was her body able to shift into anything that existed, but she was able to control it. Where metal would go rigid and stiff and create a statue, Fae flexed her joints and stretched, slowly breaking away from the stiffness of her form. It was terrible to think about, what all this would lead up to for Fae. But it was a curiosity to see it in person all in the same. Cale spoke, in wonder.

"How do you do that?"

Fae cracked her jaw with her hands, now showing off metallic razor sharp needles for teeth.

"A slur used by most species who know us. Chimera. We don't copy everything perfectly Cale. We blend it."

"But..... how?"

"It's a mystery to our kind even today. It's involuntary. It just..... is."

Fae began lumbering around, dragging a heavier set tail behind her before she returned to Cale.

"Now then! Back to our business. We have a party to attend."

"You're going like that?"

Fae shook her head.

"No. I prefer something much more stylish."

Fae inhaled, closing her eyes, before exhaling slowly. Fae's form changed yet again, shifting between colours and tone as metal vanished and was replaced by her own natural skin. Except this time, things shifted and changed beyond the normal, skinny frame Cale had grown used to.

Fae's frame filled out, rounding and curving in place of simple flat, ambiguous parts of her body. From under her skin a deep blue glow could almost be seen, underneath her half transparent skin. Long, gentle looking spines began to emerge from Fae's head, blooming outwards down her neck and back. Cale watched in awe as the ends of the gentle spines took on a bulbous shape and glowed a brighter shade of blue over her internal organs.

More of the gentle, wispy appendages appeared on her elbows and on the ends of her tail, and completing the transformation was another set of eyes, now changed to the colour of blue to match her bioluminescent shades. Two pairs of cool, sharpened eyes watched Cale as a smile crossed Fae's features, again displaying needle teeth and the dim blue glow of her tongue and insides.

"Now look who's talking Cale. Can't a girl get some privacy?"

Cale had never noticed up until now that Fae's features became distinctly feminine, of which she made no attempt to hide, almost as if she were displaying herself proudly to any who would wander into the alley. Cale averted his eyes and turned on the spot, and for the first time, heard something new from Fae. A gentle laugh that sounded all too human for the strange being that stood behind him.

"Oh please Cale. Your species and your customs of privacy! This sex was meant to stand out."

Cale stood with his back to Fae awkwardly as in the corners of his vision he spotted her tail, snaking into view. His eyes were drawn to the blue hues of colour that emanated from the long wispy strands ending in blue orbs from her tail.

"So that's your real form then? You tricked me."

Fae's tail shrunk away.

"I'm hurt Cale. I thought you'd figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

"While your species is private in strange ways to mine, we value true privacy."

"I don't follow you Fae."

"All of my kin are born in a neutral state Cale. It's only later that we assume sexual traits and identities once we've matured."

"So.... that's really you then is it?"

"In my truest form. We do need to take precautions Cale. Although we hide from public sometimes we have to reveal ourselves. In those cases, we assume our neutral state. There's a lot of species out there that would do terrible things to a pretty old girl like me."

Fae's tail slunk around Cale once more, drawing his attention as she walked around him to face him. Fae kept a smile across the slender features of her snake like face, always showing hints of an elongated mouth full of teeth.

"But you wouldn't hurt little old me now would you Cale?"

Cale kept his eyes on the four that watched him, stuttering on his words briefly.

"No. No I wouldn't."

Fae nodded.

"Good! Now then. Now that you've seen me out of privacy, why don't you get dressed? You and I have a party to attend."

Cale swallowed. Fae was right when she said her form was made to be paid attention to.

"You're going like that?"

Fae sighed, rolling all four of her blue eyes.

"Formlockers. Always so silly."

Fae casually danced around Cale, winding around him before she moved past him, trailing her tail along until even that left him behind.

"It is a party after all! One must use good manners until good manners are forsaken. Speaking of manners Cale. Would you be a gentlemen and escort a lady on your very fine hover bike?"

Cale turned on the spot and averted his eyes once more as Fae made no attempts to hide herself as she stood next to the exquisite craft she was now leaning against casually.

"I get to drive that?"

"It is my apology to you after all. Of course, you can always let me drive. That is, if you're comfortable with riding in the backseat."

Cale paused in his thoughts. Fae excelled at making him uncomfortable. And she almost seemed to capitalize on it. It made sense though. Conventional rules didn't seem to bother her much.

"You think I'm good enough to drive that thing?"

Fae laughed again.

"I don't know Cale. I guess I'll just have to trust you."

Cale looked down to the pile of clothes he'd dropped earlier. He had a feeling that Fae was going to enjoy this night as much as he was.

It had been two years since Cale had ever gone topside. Two years and he still remembered how to hustle. And on a craft of this quality, Cale could push it. He'd forgotten all of this. He'd almost even forgotten that there was more beyond the small homely bar, down in the under city circles beneath Marcossa's crust. In day or night Marcossa was stunning.

And slowly, everything started to come back to him. This old feeling of being in a rush. Traffic lanes, acting like puzzles on the fly, and the view of Marcossa as he flew along at high speeds. Towering spires designed to show off exquisite wealth, decorated or adorned with immense statues of stone or other elements, displaying proudly to any who lived here, that Marcossa was the best.

It was a beautiful sight. To any who lived up here or to any who would no doubt arrive from starships above. Marcossa was designed to be looked at in awe. The best of the best called this world home. And yet, as Cale sped through the lanes towards the destination for the evening, something wasn't right. And he couldn't tell what it was.

Maybe it was the arms of the alien sitting behind him, wrapped around him tightly that put him off. Fae's hands ended in sharpened claws, reminding him that despite her elegance, her casual nature, the world she came from must have been harsh. And suddenly the night skies of Marcossa took on a different feeling. Not the vibrant memories of nostalgia Cale once knew.

Cale sped his vehicle out of the lanes and down below, slowing it to a stop in an out of the way pocket of traffic. Fae shifted and brought her head beside Cale's.

"What's wrong Cale?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, "you don't know?"

"I don't know Fae. Something's not right."

"You and I are going to a party Cale. I owe you this one. And it'll be fun! Come on!"

"No, Fae. Think about it."

"Think about what?"

"We're the middle men Fae."

Cale let his hover bike drift lazily about on the winds, lowering the power to the engines bit by bit, as it slowly began descending downwards. Fae remained silent.

"Think about it Fae. Your employers. They used you for your abilities. And they compensated you really well. And in return you got to go on adventures. You got to go places, see people, and take part in all these amazing events. But you were always just a bystander."

Cale felt the grip on Fae's claws tighten as she went to speak. Cale interrupted her.

"Let me finish Fae. And me. Me too. I worked as a servant. A middle man. When I was a kid I always dreamed of getting up there. Seeing all those big parties and celebrations. So when I got the chance, I did."

Fae listened intently, all four eyes watching him.

"I was a bystander Fae. I could look but I couldn't touch. And you know what? I don't want to."

Cale's bike drifted slowly downwards through the mist of clouds that often hung around the towering structures of Marcossa. Fae casually coiled her tail around one of Cale's arms without knowing it, catching his eyes in the process.

"Cale. I owe you this. Please."

"You don't owe me anything Fae."

"Bu-"

"No. Listen. Fae you've seen more of those parties than I have. But I've seen them too. I mean they're fun, yeah. There's suits and fancy clothing. There's sex and there's food and drink, all the best of the best. But it's fake, Fae. And you should know. You're a spy. You're employed to show up at those parties and dig up as much dirt as you can, and sabotage what you can."

"I did that for excitement Cale. I wanted to see how far I could go."

"Yeah. And you did. And look where it got you. Look were it got me."

Fae paused and Cale took the chance to continue.

"Half the galaxy would be after you if you showed up at that party tonight Fae. The way you put it, your kind hide for a reason. And I see why. Who wouldn't abuse what you have?"

"It's not a gift, Cale. It's a curse. It's a burden."

"I can see that, Fae. Look at you. You have to hide. You put on a mask just like all those rich and powerful people. How many times in your life have you ever shown your form to anybody?"

"Our custom dictates that we only show our form to those we trust. I've never had that before now Cale."

"So you trust me? I'm the first?"

"The only one."

Fae's claws pressed against Cale as her tail coiled around his wrist almost painfully. And he understood. Now, he really understood.

"Fae. In the alley. When you found me. You took all those shapes. All those aliens. All those people. I saw the same thing in your eyes. I saw it tonight too."

"I'm afraid......Cale."

"I know you are. I would be too."

Cale powered up the engines on the hover bike once more and started turning around. Cale stayed low, underneath the shifting maze of traffic, and set a slow pace, back home.

"Fae. You don't owe me anything. I think your employer owes you. They won't pay it though. They can't even give it. It's all just business."

"Then where are we going?"

"I'm going back home Fae. We're dressed for a party. So why don't we go visit a real party? Me and you Fae. Drinks on the house for everybody. Let's have some real fun."

Fae eased off on her grip and relaxed somewhat, nodding her head.

"Okay Cale. Let's see what you can do."

Cale looked back and smiled.

"Give me half an hour."

The engine revved and Cale set his foot down on the accelerator.

Cale sped through the sky lanes back home, flying back to the port where he had come from. Like a gaping maw, a giant hole in Marcossa's crust, this port led to the lower city rings below. The hole stretched down until there was no light to be seen at the bottom, and Cale descended down into its depths along with other traffic as it passed back and forth, either up or down into the immense port. The enormous shaft was all for show mostly, allowing plenty of room for small craft to travel down the tunnel, and even starships to traverse into the depths of Marcossa.

Every layer of the enormous tunnel was a huge ring, with port access to the sprawling levels of Marcossa's underground population. Cale didn't have to travel down far, and it wasn't long before he was speeding through the cramped tunnels, highways for travelers that were connected to one another like an expansive maze of some great anthill. The district Cale called home was something he had never really realized before now, beautiful in its own sort of dirty, underground way.

Where ornate spires reached up to the skies of Marcossa, rugged, ingenious buildings clung to the ceiling and towered downwards instead of upwards. In the middle there was airspace for spacecraft and travelers, and down below, more city spires rose upwards, taking advantage of the space provided as best they could to maximize living space. In the center of it all was the artificial star, no star in any sense, but a finely engineered replica of Marcossa's own star, providing some semblance of light to the under city world down below. Every level of Marcossa was like this.

And Cale knew it like the back of his hand. He had grown up here. Gone up level by level, status by status. But traveling down here tonight with Fae made him realize that this was his true home. And he knew his true home well. And it was time to show Fae around it. Cale traveled along, headed back home with one idea in mind. Down below in the sprawling population complexes sat the block Cale lived in, and the homely, rugged little bar he worked in.

At this late hour, he knew who would be there. Lower tier workers from lower city rings, coming up to enjoy the high life. These men and women, alien or human, would be tired. Tired from work in the day. They wanted to cut loose and relax. And what a better way to do it then through alcohols, dancing and singing? With some first measure of awkwardness, both Cale and Fae entered the very same space she had found him in not even but two days ago.

Fae did not shift her form, and instead, trusted Cale. And at first, the two of them were greeted awkwardly, dressed in high class clothes befitting an event far grander than this place. But people knew Cale here. So when he introduced Fae in person as a friend, proclaiming that she knew some really good party tricks, the night kicked off without a hitch. Fae was instantly and easily accepted into the bar's gathering of beings when she paid for the night's worth of expenses in the building for all inside, and the parties and celebrations that struck up when Fae displayed her remarkable natural abilities were unparalleled to anything Cale had ever seen go down here before.

Cale himself was swept up into the frenzy of it all, enjoying his time more than he would have ever expected this evening, and in his own way, came to appreciate what he had down here. It was dirty. Hard. Packed with species and by no means as elegant as the surface of Marcossa. But the beings who called this space home were honest. Blunt and plain. But they were truthful about it.

No doubt some of them had their own aspirations and goals to reach the top, and they would step over others to do it. And then they would be gone. Swept up onto the surface world of Marcossa while those who enjoyed what they had down here stayed. In drunken dance, in drunken song, there was plain and simple fun to be had. To the people down here, Fae was not a Chimera. She was just another passerby, and a strange face in a galaxy full of them.

And the night wore on. The enthusiasm of the crowds gathered there was infectious, Fae's natural ability often being the center of something interesting, before the crowds shifted and more dance or song broke out. Cale only ever managed to bump into Fae a few times, but every encounter was fun. And Fae fit into things here like she was never an outsider in the first place. Like any good party, the height of fun was met and slowly over time, things began to settle down.

Fae and Cale made their exits eventually, calling it a night. But rather than exit as two party goers under the guise of being rich or powerful, they exited as people who were known to the passerby of the bar. People that would come back the next day. Faces to be seen and talked to again. Friends and welcomed faces.

Cale knew that Fae could likely stay anywhere she pleased. She had the money and the pure ability to. But the night had played them both out. And by now, Cale knew that he held some form of sway over Fae. She listened to him. Trusted him. So it was with no surprise that she took him up on his offer. She was more than happy to stay with him.

As alien as Fae was, strange in customs and some manners for Cale, he didn't object to her sleeping next to him. She was a guest in his home so she would have gotten something comfortable anyway. But by this point, he was too tired to move elsewhere. Whoever fell asleep first, it didn't matter anyway.

Morning light sparked a feeling of warmth across Cale's skin, waking him to the early hours of the day. As Cale woke, feeling the remainders of last night in his head, alcohols and noise, opening his eyes to the world he realized that the gentle warmth wasn't from the light alone. Sleeping partially over top of him was Fae. Long slender arms draped across him ending in sharp curved claws that rested gently on his suit.

Four eyes remained shut on a slender face connected to a slender, winding snake like neck that had dropped Fae's head square across Cale's chest. Even in the early light the blue tinges of her insides could be seen, along with her many eye catching, wispy appendages, which now lay sprawled across the bed in the tangle of blankets that both Cale and Fae resided in.

Cale hadn't noticed it until now but his own hands were idly wrapped around and across Fae's backside. She had ended up donning a rather simple one piece dress, which was none the less made to be exquisite. He remembered it in flashes of colour as it twirled among the crowds in dance, along with her luminescent, gentle swaying appendages that ended in bright orbs.

Cale stayed silent, resting in the early morning. This was enjoyable. Peaceful, and on considering it, Cale realized that this was something he could do every morning with Fae around. Every morning. Cale thought about it. Here was Fae. An impossible creature. An alien so far away from him yet so close. Memories of last night in the alley. A beautiful woman. And her life was coming to a close.

Something so powerful, so adaptable and incredible, something truly beautiful.....was going to die. A short lifespan in a trade-off for something only a god would dream of being capable of. Cale carefully began moving, sliding Fae's arms off of him as he began trying to slip away while avoiding waking her. He thought about things. One day, one night for her must have felt longer. Been more valuable.

Cale finally slunk out of the bed quietly, leaving Fae where she slept. It suddenly hit Cale what all of this was. Even if it seemed fast. Looking over the sleeping alien across his bed, he realized that Fae likely loved him. And why wouldn't she? Apparently he was the only person to ever witness what she was in person. Ever talk to her beyond the guise of another form.

And suddenly his appreciation of her grew. She was intelligent. Sly. And almost painfully free in her sense of freedom and attitude. And, two years back, she had saved his life. Ironically while trying to knock him out of course. But the electrical stun wires fired at Fae when she was in the process of trying to knock him out would have electrocuted him had she not moved herself and him aside.

Cale rolled up a sleeve on his suit which had still managed to stay on and intact since last night. There. Along his arm were faint scars. Fresh scars he had gained from grabbing Fae not a few days ago. Electricity burned his insides and arced up his arm before Fae found control. Cale stared at his arm in silence, looking over the red pattern etched into and across his skin.

He was contempt of her at first. When she came down here. She felt like an intruder, threatening his life again. But it changed when he saw the fear in her eyes. All of those alien eyes, as Fae shifted through countless forms, struggling to keep the one form at bay that could kill so many. And he had jumped towards her like it was a challenge. He challenged her not to kill him and to save everyone around him. But could he do this? Could he, find more time to care about her? Love her? And then watch it turn to ash?

The more Cale thought about it the more he spotted the ironies. The more it seemed like the universe was playing a cruel trick on the both of them. All his life he'd traveled about from job to job. Place to place. Passed through relationships with people. He was drifting, really.

And suddenly Fae had made him aware of all of it. He didn't know if he could do it. Watch her turn to ash. But the silence and still of the morning was broken, as the universe answered his question for him. Long slender arms suddenly wrapped themselves around him as a long winding tail crept into the edges of his vision. And a voice that was gentle spoke in his ear with the early morning hint of sleepiness and the remnants of alcohol.

"Thank you, Cale."

The universe answered his question. Rules and regulations be damned. A relationship built like this in a few days could be possible. And even if it would end with Fae's passing.

He wanted it. He wanted all of it.

Cale turned his head and looked into dual eyes that watched him with a smile showing hints of needle like teeth. He smiled back. To hell with today. Today was a day off for something special.

It was Cale who made the first move. Watching Fae in her sleepiness quickly come to her senses as he spun around and pulled her close to him, doing the unexpected and kissing her, greeting her with a good morning and a smile. Cale saw it. Fae was taken by surprise. Stunned even, as four eyes widened in a brief state of shock at the contact. Cale held her close and uttered the simple word that explained everything.

"Stay."

Fae understood. And she wanted to. Her apology, her guilt and sorrow of what she had done before, fell apart under something new. Before her was someone she could trust. Absolutely. He was not of her kin or her customs. But he understood her. Even showed her new things in her life. And without even knowing it, turned her guilt around and made it into something else. Something better. If she could have that for the remainder of her time. She would take it.

She was a thief after all.

But lately she was less inclined to take. And more inclined to give. Cale already knew that privacy, to her, was something easily breached. Modesty, was nonexistent when she could learn and know any being by simply touching them, and then, being them. Cale had started it but Fae was going to finish it.

Fae had been to and seen so much. Sex was nothing new to her. Sex was a weapon. And it was a powerful one at that. But, just this once, it wasn't a weapon. It was going to be fun. This was different. Cale wasn't a target to rob or blackmail. And Fae, had never truly had something intimate like this before. And Cale could see it. Fae may have wanted to give. But she wanted to receive as well.

Fae's simple clothing slid down with ease and likewise Cale's was made short work of by Fae's claws pulling and tugging. Looking over her pale form, smooth lightly transparent skin that showed deep hints of blue from luminescent insides, shaped to allure and draw eyes. Cale could look now without turning away. And this time he didn't want to turn away.

Fae's form was, as always, seemingly frail and skinny. But it only added to the attraction as curves stood out more to Cale, hips and calves, and the sudden abrupt change from a flat, slightly ribbed torso to smooth mounds of a dual set of breasts, small and almost flat, yet still so sharply defined in curvature. Fae's tail slid upwards, coiling and pressing itself against Cale, forcing him to step back, back towards his bed, all the same luring his eyes down to the wispy, brightly lit orbs that hung from it.

Fae easily established control, gently nudging Cale towards the bed until her tail gave the final push and he fell back down onto the mess of fabric and blankets. There was a predatory look in the four eyes that now stalked Cale, as Fae raised a leg up and brought a clawed foot onto the bed, sporting one talon in particular that curved sharply. Fae clambered onto the bed and crouched at Cale's feet, watching him with a smile.

"So then, Cale. I could be anything. Any species."

Fae leaned forwards and approached Cale in the manner that a predator would, but etched in intent and purpose for something more. One sharply clawed hand in front of the other until her slender head rested above his waist. Fae's tail coiled about in a flashy display lazily as she hovered over him.

"And believe me Cale. There are species out there that know what true sex is. They could make you sing. I could make you sing."

Once more Cale was brought back to the fact that Fae ignored most, if not all traditional senses. But that was what was fun about her. And in this sense, Fae was being herself now. Cale smiled back.

"How about you do you Fae? I like looking at you."

Fae tilted her head.

"Oh I can see that well Cale. You know what else I see?"

"What's that?"

"Something unattended to."

Fae opened her mouth, revealing more rows of small needle-teeth, inlaid by a second set of inner teeth that looked dull and flat in comparison to her sharper outer edged ones. A long, winding blue tongue that glowed a dim blue like the rest of her insides fell free, quickly and suddenly coiling itself around Cale's member, easily finding more length to climb his stomach as Fae lowered her head closer to him.

Cale inhaled sharply at the sudden move as Fae twisted and wound the dimly glowing warm organ around his with ease. Small beads of warm drool cascaded down Fae's tongue and through the sharpened walls of her teeth, adding to the sensation of things, before Fae pulled her head back slowly, keeping her tongue wound tight but letting it slide slowly, inch by inch as it unwound.

A clawed hand rested on Cale's torso, keeping him down against the bed to stay put for the slow, maddening spectacle as Fae unwound her tongue with deliberate slowness, capitalizing on the feeling of the warm, flexibly soft organ. Even as she pulled her head back and the final coils began to unwind, Fae's tongue remained impressively strong in its grip, until at last it slid free. Fae slid the long winding organ back into her mouth and smiled as she clambered overtop of Cale, swaying her hips with the help of her swinging tail that continued to dance around in slow elegant coils through the air.

Fae pressed herself downwards against Cale, pressing the four soft mounds of her chest against him as she slid upwards along his chest, while keeping her back arched upwards as she slowly pulled herself up against Cale. Fae's tongue slid out once more and trailed along with her, leaving beads of warm drool in its wake, only adding to the feeling of Fae's incredibly soft skin and the supple curves of her body that now ground against Cale's. Fae slid her tongue back in place once more, watching Cale with four sharp blue eyes that were clearly taking delight in all of this.

"Why don't we skip the simple stuff Cale? Just, you and me, get down to the fun stuff now that you seem ready to go?

Fae placed a clawed hand and ran it alongside Cale's face slowly, and Cale watched as the many appendages that ran along the back of Fae's head and down her back perked up, the bright orbs coming to life and increasing in intensity. Cale was no stranger to things like this either. He'd seen his share of things in his time as a serviceman. But the difference now was, he was taking part in it. And Fae was all his.

Cale let his idle hands get to work now, sliding them along the sides of Fae's torso and up to rest on the edge of her hips as he smiled back.

"I'm all yours Fae."

Fae's four eyes focused on Cale's as she pressed the ends of her jaws up to Cale's lips and let her tongue slide free, to no protest from Cale.

Fae, for all of her charm, was simple and primal. This form, her real form, had never had this, never shared this before. It was primal and dominant with no tricks, no build-ups. But Cale was happy to partake in the exchange. Fae was stunning and alluring no matter what she did. Their moment was short, heated, and finally, long lived at the end as Cale grasped tightly onto Fae's slender frame and likewise, long clawed hands clutched at his shoulders, digging in and drawing the faintest hint of blood. Fae's many luminous appendages shuddered in pleasure, and in one last bounce, the grinding of hips as far as they would go, it was over.

In the quiet that followed, Cale unwound himself from Fae, slipping off to shower for the morning. But Fae had other ideas. And as Cale showered under the running currents of warm water, long arms draped themselves over him, and a thin but smooth as stone body that was curved and supple in all the right places pressed against his back, and a sweet voice joined him in the steam of the shower. A voice tinged with the only thing that Cale could describe it with. Fae's token breach of privacy.

"Tell me Cale. Did you ever hear of a substance called "smart gel?"

Cale turned his head back to see four blue eyes watching him and Fae's common smile.

"Can't say I have Fae."

A long, pale and winding tail began to wrap itself around Cale as Fae pressed against his back, inhaling deeply and letting her luminous tongue slide free to dangle across his chest before trailing it back up to her jaws.

"It's a specially engineered gel Cale. Put it on something and it will recognize what it's supposed to do. Heal a wound. Seal a puncture. Act as a binding agent in metal."

Fae snaked her head around to the other side of Cale's head, sliding a clawed hand down his chest and resting there. Fae closed her eyes and let the warm water wash over her and Cale for a brief moment before speaking.

"It's a nifty little invention Cale. So widely used in fact that it truly can be used for just about anything."

Cale smiled.

"Is that so?"

Fae inhaled sharply, and in an instant, a new feeling suddenly washed over Cale as Fae became semi-liquid, splashing into Cale and clinging to him, part ways absorbing him as Fae twisted her form and blended it into Cale's, snaking her head around to look at him with a smile.

The gel that she had replicated responded to the water, heating her form up to create a relaxing sensation as Fae's form dripped and encompassed portions of Cale. Across his skin he felt fresh and clean, energized wherever the gel made contact. It was loosely transparent, made visible by the water rippling across it and sliding down it.

Fae moved forward, pushing her form over and around Cale, passing him through her until her entire mass assembled itself in front of him. The same body and shape of Fae took form, curves now suddenly highlighted in gel that rippled and bounced. A long winding tail wrapped itself around Cale, pulling him close to the semi-clear gel, as she lifted a slender leg up over Cale's hips and invited him.

Cale's lower torso was enveloped by Fae's hips, and the gel responded to the new sensations in his body, not only cleaning him and relaxing him, but exciting him. Wherever it touched his skin tingled and he had an overwhelming urge set fire in him that he couldn't resist. He reached out and pulled on Fae's round hips, watching as they rippled but retained a firm form in his hands to grasp.

Fae pulled Cale close, unwinding her long tongue from jaws that now drooped and drooled long strings of gel, snaking her tongue across his chest and up to meet his lips. Fae's form rejuvenated him and instantly sparked lust of which Cale did not attempt to resist or fight. Under the shower Fae's form was sleek under the water, and every impact or thrust was met with a satisfying ripple through her body. Every pull away from her body left it clinging to him, trying to suck him in.

Time passed by unknown to Cale, as he became trapped in a self-feeding cycle. Fae's semi-liquid form, sculpted and curved, and so addictively fun to interact with, bounced, jiggled and swayed, amplifying her form's beauty and allure. For an unknown amount of time Cale was caught in a trap, with Fae enjoying every second of it, partaking in any position she pleased and more, since her form was flexible, able to partially encompass Cale or outright absorb him into its clingy mass.

Fae demonstrated her ability and mastery of her form by being able to sculpt her body perfectly, replicating every part in gel form, providing herself with endless waves of pleasure that were amplified by the gel she was now made of. At some point the shower was long discarded, leaving only steam vapor behind, and Cale settled for laying down, as Fae let her form partially dissolve into a large puddle that filled out the shower basin, cushioning Cale and keeping him comfortable and warm while Fae's upper torso continued to make the most of itself.

Four small mounds pressed together, remaining firm and round, soft and supple, yet merging together in sticky strands that relented from being pulled away from one another, acting with a powerful grip and suction for Cale, massaging and teasing, as Fae's ever wondrous tongue draped itself about, exploring Cale or finding his lips and moving past them.

Cale's day really was special, being shared with Fae like this. Whether in bouts of quiet and peace, shared with her as he pulled her natural form tight to him, never wanting to let go, or wrapped up and entwined in the inventive forms Fae was capable of taking, limitless in her ability, and for Fae, a lifetime of sexual lust that had never been shared intimately with one she cared for.

Whatever time she had left, Cale resolved to make it good for her. To enjoy every day, to play to her wild personality and comfort her when what was really inside of her showed. And he lived up to his resolve. And likewise, Fae, after her long life, found someone she could trust, absolutely. She delighted in it, reveled in it, enjoyed in it, and gave herself completely to Cale. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

2 Months Later

Time continued on, nights spent in adventure and love. Days spent in fun and work. Cale worked at his job by day, and Fae was at his side, always. By now she was a regular to the people and passerby of this city block. They knew not what she was, for she never revealed her species. But the people knew her as a vibrant, fun, and gorgeous being who was inescapably wound up in a rather young man's life.

Cale himself had his own reputation to live by as well, but in time, any who passed by the bar in the day saw two co-workers who had exceptional chemistry and charm. And by night, two friends, lovers, and people who were enjoyed and loved by the community that resided here. It seemed like a paradise come true for Cale. An enemy, the ruiner of his old life, turned into someone he couldn't look away from.

In the afternoon lull of the bar, where it was quiet and passerby were slow, Cale sat at a table with Fae, on break, relaxing and talking to her. The two by now had often taken to sharing stories among each other, for both had a library of adventures and experiences. But in idle talk as Cale looked into the four eyes of Fae, blue and sharp as ever, he spotted it.

How could he forget? It was happening faster now. The time between changes growing shorter and shorter, day by day. Cale was there to comfort her and try to help, and so far, they had been lucky. Even comical. During one night together Fae had shifted form into water suddenly, splashing onto Cale and killing the mood for the night but creating one of laughs afterwards.

But this time, something was wrong. Fae didn't notice it at first but Cale became aware that the table she was sitting at with him was sagging. The heat and air around her spiked. Cale reached forward across the table as Fae talked, a gesture he'd long since learned to comfort her with, and made contact with one of her hands, rising in temperature rapidly, almost burning to him.

_ _

Fae gasped as she realized what was happening, and Cale was forced to remove his hand as his skin sweltered and burned. He leaned in close, feeling the heat coming off of Fae. He spoke quietly.

"Fae. Look at me. Focus on me. What is it?"

_ _

Fae's hands shook as she balled them up.

"P..p..plasma."

Cale looked around the bar quickly. He'd long since learned that talking to Fae, getting her to focus on something else, helped. Cale put on a smile as he looked back at her.

"Don't tell me you're going to burn down my favorite job Fae. Come on. Where the hell'd you get plasma from? Tell me a story."

_ _

Cale tried to push his hands closer to Fae's which were still shaking, but couldn't manage contact. Fae watched him closely. Cale saw something in her eyes, all four of them. Tears. They streamed down, steaming across her skin before vaporizing quickly.

"A star."

Cale nodded, chuckling. It was a chuckle that only made it half way before it turned into something hoarse at seeing the pain in Fae's eyes.

"A star. An actual star!? How?"

_ _

Fae shuddered, bringing her hands across her chest. She looked up to Cale, managing a smile.

"You....remember when you said you did stupid things when you were young? I went.......star diving. I'm the only species in the galaxy...... who can jump into a star........and freefall."

Cale smiled.

"That's wonderful Fae!"

_ _

Fae shook her head.

"It's......going to kill you Cale. Please.... run."

The metal table sagged and the chair Fae sat in began to groan and sag as well. A dim yellow glow started in Fae's core. Cale shook his head.

"No it's not Fae! Come on. Tell me what it was like."

_ _

Fae nodded, shaking.

"I remember it Cale......I jumped from a ship.......in a....protective....suit. I fell down.... into a flare. I absorbed it....and I fell. I reme....ber the light Cale. All that....light......that power.......I was nothing to it."

Fae's chair sagged and broke and the corner of her table melted into slag that pooled freely onto the floor. Fae fell onto the floor with a yelp and the glow coming from her rose in intensity. By now other beings in the bar had noticed something was wrong. Cale knelt down but couldn't manage to get close to Fae from the heat. She shuddered, shook violently as she tried to hold it back. Cale looked up to the awestruck people watching in shock or awe. He waved his hands at all of them.

"Get out of here! All of you run! Call somebody! Police, fire, ambulance, everybody! Get everybody out of this block now!"

To emphasize Cale's point Fae bloomed in brighter light and her hands became visible strands of plasma, bright and yellow, twisting a wrapping around themselves, but held at bay as Fae fought with her body not to change. She looked up to Cale, shaking.

"I......can't.....hold it Cale. Run. I'll kill you. I'll kill everything in this block if you don't."

Cale had to step back as heat and light bloomed, but he stayed crouched, looking over to Fae. Crowds at this point had spurred into action, fleeing in panic or searching to find others and tell them to run. Neither Cale nor Fae noticed. Cale shook his head.

"I'm not going anywhere Fae."

The floor Fae rested on began to melt, and the area around her began to burn. Paint flaked away in black peels, and the roof above Fae groaned. Cale knew it was time. Fae's unwanted transformations no longer happened in days. They happened in hours. It was half an hour since she had an unwanted shift. Something in Cale told him this was it. But he would not run. No matter what it was. Because Fae had shared something with him. A secret among her species.

They were cheaters, all of them.

Fae's temperature bloomed and Cale found skin blistering and burning. He had to move back. But he watched Fae. She had tried to get up to move away but fell to her knees. Glass melted. Metal bent, sagged, groaned, and outright melted and flowed like water. Light that grew brighter from Fae blinded Cale if he looked too close. Radiation scorched everything it touched as lances of pure, raw fire emanated from Fae.

Cale pushed himself to get up as waves of heat washed over him, taking cover behind the thickest object he could. The central counter of the bar. Cale shouted over the table as the entire area began to burn and blister.

"FAE! I'M HERE! LET IT GO! I'LL BE OKAY!"

Fae struggled with herself, only managing one word.

"......Cale."

Cale closed his eyes.

"I know."

In the late hours of the night, as Cale rested with Fae, entwined in bed and a mess of blankets, Fae idly stroked a clawed hand through Cale's hair, as her long winding tale wrapped around him for comfort and the need to be close. Fae spoke quietly in the night and dark.

"Cale. Can I tell you something?"

Cale smiled back in the dark, running a hand through the long appendages along Fae's backside, relaxed from the dim blue glow of her insides and the light coming from her eye catching orbs on the ends of her spine like appendages.

"Sure thing Fae. Anything you want."

"My species. Cale. I'm dying. And we all die. But..... we do it differently."

"How so?"

"It's a ritual, for us. When a loved one dies, the survivor helps them. It's a ritual, and a bond shared by those who are truly close to one another."

"Okay. So what do you want me to do?"

Fae paused.

"I don't want you to do it Cale."

Cale perked up.

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't be fair to you Cale."

"Tell me what it is then."

"Cale. My species aren't hyper adaptable. We're hyper survivors."

"And? There's plenty of other tough species out there."

Fae reached out, being careful of her claws, and pulled one of Cale's hands with her. Sliding it along up from her stomach to the smooth, dual pairs of supple curves of her chest. Fae kept Cale's hand there.

"You asked me, why my species had these once. We lay eggs. A clutch of four. Raising our young when our body is susceptible to changing structure at random would kill them."

"So you've got a fast birth rate. You lay eggs. They hatch quickly, and you raise your kids outside."

"We have four, Cale, because we die so soon. But for every two of our number, ever 15 years or less, two becomes one."

"I don't see it Fae."

"We mate for life Cale. My kin are close to one another. When our partner dies, turns to ash and dust, we help them."

"Help them how?"

"We're hyper survivors Cale. Whatever the cost. Cannibals."

"I still don't understand."

"In the ashes of our body, there can be found what we call our "soul." It lingers, for a time after our death."

"So you mean something survives?"

"Yes. And a loved one, can find this soul. And when they touch it, something happens."

Cale smiled.

"That's wonderful Fae!"

"I don't want you to save me Cale."

"Fae. Come on. Why not?"

"Because you'll die."

Ash floated by on the air, as light filtered into the ruins of the bar. Melted slag bent and collapsed on itself, now solidified as it cooled. Dust and ash, burnt flakes coated everything, everything which was scorched and burned, melted like water and set fire to. The bar was gone. Collapsed on itself and folded over like paper, spilling out into the block outside, which strained and groaned as it too had been affected by the heat.

Cale staggered out from the ash, towards the spot where Fae had been. The floor had rippled and bent, melted and collapsed, and Fae had fallen a floor below. Cale was on fire. Everything burned. And in some places, it didn't. It was gone. Burned away to ash and scorched nothing. It was pain. All of it was pain.

Radiation, a dose so high that he was affected instantly. He was dying. He wasn't dying. He was dead. There was no chance. The air from his lungs was short and ragged. And strength faded quickly. He stumbled forwards, crawled and fought his way closer. He slid across the floor as it sagged, and he fell. Fell through the hole in the floor that had been burned through like nothing.

The impact sent whatever was left of his senses into the wind. Blew them apart and became the same feeling he knew right now. Pain. He grew weak. Tired. Wanted to close his eyes but found eyelids burnt away or fused together. He could hardly see. But there. In the ash. In the pile of ash, just a few inches away. A light. It glowed a dim blue, like the light Cale had become accustomed to seeing. It was buried in the ash, pulsing weakly.

Cale tried to move. Pull himself forward. The side of his that facing Fae was gone. Ash and charred bone. One arm left to pull. Cale pulled with everything, his breath growing short.

Cale hugged Fae, pulling her close. She spoke, a sadness let free that she was so reluctant to hide from him.

"My biology, will merge with yours. It will kill you Cale. It will take what you are, and destroy you, and replace it with me."

Cale spoke back, rubbing along Fae with his hands gently.

"You told me where you got your name from though. Chimera. It's an old slur. An insult to your people."

"It's not our real name Cale. It was given to us by the first species we ever interacted with. Fell in love with. When the galaxy learned what happens to those who fall in love with us. We don't copy the universe Cale. We merge it. Even our loved ones."

Cale chuckled.

"I don't mind merging with you."

"Cale....."

"I know."

Cale pushed and pulled, struggling to make the distance. He was so tired. And it was so close. The light faded, growing darker as falling ash threatened to bury it. Cale heaved with all of his strength.

"So, what happens if I do it? Will I be me? Just sort of like a passenger? I get to watch through your eyes and be that crazy voice in your head that only you can hear?"

"I don't know Cale."

"But you've got a history Fae! Did anybody ever ask a couple that went through with it?"

"Yes. And..... they're different."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. A bonded pair talks like there's two of them. Refers to both of themselves in their past life. But speaks like there's only one."

"But I'll be in there right? I'll still be me?"

"I don't know Cale. I don't know. I'm scared. I don't want to lose you."

The last inches closed themselves towards the pile of ash as the dim light faded, growing dimmer by the seconds. Cale couldn't tell if it was hours that he'd been down here, or minutes. The pain was so much, so intense, that he wasn't even sure what it was anymore. He wasn't sure if there was anything left in the world that didn't feel like this.

Cale pushed, one last time, laughing as something came back to him. The night everything fell apart. It was all just business. Rules were broken, and Cale suffered for it. Looking back on it, it wasn't suffering by any means.

Cale smiled, reaching a burned hand through the ash pile, and finding the source of that warm, last light that his eyes never wavered from, even as they closed.

Fae bent all the rules. Made fun of them and their laws. Laughed at the universe and its physics and strict laws, at beings bound and locked to one form. But even death couldn't be cheated. And eventually, all would die.

But Fae had a trick up her sleeve. Death couldn't be cheated forever. But it could be bent by using technicalities.

One last trick.

One last laugh.

And the first and only true sort of love they'd both ever known.

Cale's hand found the remains of Fae's nervous system and he drew one last breath.

Pain was absent. Only love drove him forward. It was a love worth bending the rules for.

It was more than that.

He'd break all of them if he had to.

And he did.