《Freedom Universe》


 Prologue - A Happy Accident

    In an otherwise empty white space, James stood gazing at a floating holographic screen. As he gazed at the text on the screen James couldn''t help but smile. He''d spent every penny he had and then some for this chance, the chance to leave Earth behind. Permanently.


    James Rothschild was a nobody, plain and simple. Sure his life had its highlights and low points, but as far as the wider world was concerned he may as well have not existed. And for James that was as he liked it. He wasn''t too happy with his existence in the first place.


    Born as the youngest child of 3 in a family just above the poverty line, James was the one with the most potential and the least motivation. It was somewhat amazing that all the children in such a low social class family were of above average intelligence, and James'' brother and sister made the most of it. Through hard work piled on top of their natural gifts his siblings had forged good lives for themselves, his brother as a doctor and his sister as a lawyer. But James, by far acknowledged as the most gifted among them, fell through the cracks.


    It wasn''t that James did anything wrong. He went to school, aced his classes, won several competitions, and avoided the hazards of drugs and alcohol. But all of that was just a joke. Everything was so ridiculously easy for James that it held no value. He never learned how to work hard at something, and as he had no great ambitions he couldn''t see the point in trying to use his brains to help a terminally ill society.


    Ultimately James dropped out of college, learned programming to further his own hobbies, and eventually turned that into a career. Now he was a slightly balding, obese 42 year old programmer with a scraggly beard and out of style glasses. He had no friends, no significant other, and hadn''t seen a member of his family in close to a full decade, though he sent Christmas presents for his nieces and nephews every year.


    And then two months ago Olympus Technologies made an announcement that shook the very foundations of civilization. In an effort to create a completely realistic full immersion virtual world they had accidently either created or connected to an actual universe. Which was unknown because the advanced AIs tasked with the virtual world creation had all vanished.


    Immersion virtual reality had existed since James was a teenager, but the limit of realism had always been about 80%. He''d played a few, but never really got interested as the immersion was too reliant on game mechanics. There was no true freedom of action, and aside from PVP everything was just as scripted as any previous game.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Technically Olympus Technologies had begun the experiment to create a full immersion VR more than a decade ago, and the results had been in for nearly 2 years. They''d been mum about the issue as they were investigating the mind-boggling results. And after more than a year they''d learned very little. This was due to the conditions of character creation and the fact they could pull almost no data for anything beyond that. Once you created your character and "logged in" your mind vanished from our universe, leaving behind an empty shell.


    The question then became, how did they know logging into the "world" didn''t simply fry a person''s brain? The answer, what little information they were able to retrieve from the "world" and an entity they''d spoken with called the Overseer. This being was not an AI, but had informed them it was responsible for the transference of souls between worlds. That''s right, souls.


    Needless to say there was a great deal of skepticism and incredulity, but Olympus Technologies stood by their announcement. They then said they had negotiated with the Overseer and were opening their server for people interested in "migration". Olympus released what information they had on the new world, and despite the lack of absolute proof, a migration frenzy ensued.


    This new universe contained many races, intergalactic travel, far advanced technology, and psionics that may as well be magic. It was a world where individual beings could grow strong enough to create and destroy worlds with ease. And when you migrated a body was created for you, in any race you chose, humanoid or not. A person could literally become whatever they''d always wanted to be.


    Olympus announced that one had to use their facilities to perform the migration, so they were auctioning off the first migration spots on a weekly basis. They could handle approximately 5,000 per day currently, and would expand based on interest. The slots for the first week would also randomly receive between 1 and 10 extra points for character creation. They stressed that every one of these points was incredibly valuable, but wouldn''t say why.


    James couldn''t really understand why, but this called to him. He became desperate for one of the first available migrations. The prices were astronomical, with the first day migrations costing tens of millions of dollars. After selling his house and most of his possessions James secured a slot on the last day of the first week for $860,000.


    He had said his goodbyes to his family and left for Olympus'' "migration" facilities. After filling out dozens of forms, including those about disposing of his body, James had entered an immersion pod. Now he was in the character creation room, ready to see a brand new universe.

 Chapter 1 - Character Creation

    As James read the text on the screen he couldn''t help but feel a small amount of chagrin. While the information displayed was extremely important, James was certain he was reading a document 99.9% of people always ignored. A User Agreement.


    [Greetings potential migrant. Thank you for your interest in transferring your existence to Universe XH7-(full designation withheld in consideration of reader''s lifespan), henceforth referred to as Freedom Universe, Olympus Technologies'' original game designation. You are currently in the Waystation, a construct of the Overseer for the purposes of facilitating soul transfer between universes. Please be aware that should you choose not to migrate to Freedom Universe all memories of this location and information obtained herein will be erased from your mind.


    In adherence to Inter-Universal Mandate 873h-9xb3-47.2, informed choice for willing soul migrants, all pertinent information regarding destination universe, transference method, and invested parties must be made clear. Please note that information deemed relevant for purposes of soul migration may not represent information necessary for daily life or survival in the destination universe.


    Your chosen destination is Freedom Universe, a long-standing high-energy universe with an age of 21.4 billion Earth years. Freedom Universe contains technology far more advanced than your current world is familiar with, and as a high-energy universe has given rise to many naturally psionic life-forms. Psionic energy is a higher-order form of mental energy that can be used to directly influence the lower-order material universe. Hence, when transferring to Freedom Universe your soul will be adapted to allow for the potential acquisition and control of psionic energies.


    The connection between your native universe and Freedom Universe was formed when AIs of Olympus Technologies, in the process of creating a game world, achieved a 99.999% relative similarity with Freedom Universe, generating quantum resonance and activating the Law of Relativistic Existence (LRE). The full LRE is incomprehensible to lower-order consciousness, so for the purposes of your understanding you may take it to mean that, for Inter-Universal identification purposes, universes that are at least 99.999% similar are treated as having the same ''address'', or in other words ''roommates''.


    As such, when the virtual world achieved verisimilitude, the LRE attempted to place it in Freedom Universe''s ''house''. As the virtual world was a non-real structure of your universe, the virtual world and the AIs in it suffered a quantum collapse, forming a semi-stable anchored quantum tunnel. It is through this quantum tunnel, anchored in the servers of Olympus Technologies, that your soul will be transferred to Freedom Universe.


    Your right to migrate to Freedom Universe is a result of negotiations between Olympus Technologies and the Overseer of Freedom Universe. In exchange for allowing access of souls for potential transfer and maintaining the anchored quantum tunnel, Olympus Technologies has been granted limited knowledge of advanced technologies from Freedom Universe. The Overseer gains a net increase to the Origin Energy of Freedom Universe due to acquisition of non-native souls.


    As compensation for souls willing to migrate the Overseer of Freedom Universe allows said souls to create their own avatars based on all known races in Freedom Universe. Modifications and attribute specifications can be made at the expense of ''Character Points'', of which 100 are granted to each migrant. Further details will be provided should the soul choose to proceed with migration.


    It is important for the potential migrant to note that Freedom Universe IS NOT A GAME. However, in consideration of the nature of this universal bridging, migrants will be entered in the Freedom Universe as Extra-dimensional Entity Embodiments (EEEs). Should an EEE suffer physical death, their body will be reconstructed at the cost of 20% of their accumulated energies, physical and psionic. The EEE will re-embody at their initial entry point into Freedom Universe. Should an EEEs energy be reduced below the necessary level for survival of their chosen species they will suffer permanent death. It is important to note that there are beings in Freedom Universe powerful enough to kill an EEE permanently by destroying their Extra-dimensional Identity Construct (EIC). The EIC is the structure the migrant soul will exist in to support their life as an EEE.


    The potential migrant now meets the requirements for informed decision as acknowledged by the Inter-Universal Board of Oversight. Please note, if you now choose to proceed with immigration you will not be able to return to Earth. You MUST proceed with ''Character Creation''.]


    PLEASE VERBALLY STATE YOUR INTENTION.


    DO YOU WISH TO MIGRATE TO FREEDOM UNIVERSE?


    YES NO


    Holy shit, thought James, it really is an Inter-Universal User Agreement. Well, at least it was relatively short and to the point compared to every other User Agreement he''d ever seen. But still, after reading the content did he still want to continue?Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Yes."


    James felt something shift, though what he couldn''t quite figure out. Then the text on the screen changed.


    [Thank you for choosing to migrate. It has been detected that you have entered during a specially negotiated time frame between Olympus Technologies and the Overseer. You will now be given a chance to earn additional character points, between a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 10.]


    A black cup materialized out of thin air in front of James, giving him a start. Five blue crystalline ten-sided dice proceeded to materialize and drop into the cup. A black square board with raised sides materialized at waist height floating before James. The text on the screen changed again.


    [Please roll the dice. The average of your roll rounded down will be the number of bonus points awarded to you.]


    James carefully grabbed the cup and peered inside. There lay the five ten-sided dice. If he wasn''t mistaken, the dice were made of actual sapphires. Giving a mental shrug James placed his left hand over the cup and proceeded to shake it a few times before rolling the dice onto the board. It''s a little surreal to be asked to play Yahtzee during a universal migration, he thought.


    The dice came to a stop. 6, 10, 9, 9, 8. An average of 8.4.


    [Congratulations, you''ve been awarded an extra 8 character points. We will now proceed to character creation.]


    The screen changed to an explanation of ''Character Creation'' and an enormous scrollable list.


    [You are allowed to freely choose your race and sex from the list provided without spending character points. Selecting a race from the list will provide you with a general description of the race and their basic attributes. You may narrow the list of races by saying aloud ''Search'' and stating your desired parameters. You can return to the full listing by saying ''Full List''. No visual representation of races is provided. You may purchase a visual representation at the cost of 1 character point per race. Once you have selected your race we will proceed to modification and specialization.]


    The list was truly enormous. James scrolled down for several seconds and didn''t even manage to leave the races starting with A. Returning to the top James selected the first race.


    [A''aalp''tk: Semi-humanoid with similarities to dragonfly. Height: Medium. Physical Integrity: Medium. Physical Development: Medium. Neuro-Muscular Response: Medium. Neural Processing: Medium. Memory Capacity: Low. Psionic Potential: Lowest. Growth Potential: Medium.]


    James wasn''t quite sure what to make of the race description, though he was smart enough to make a decent assessment. Height was self-explanatory. Physical Integrity likely related to one''s ability to resist damage, while Physical Development referred to actual strength. A cockroach might be hard to kill but it wasn''t about to bench press a truck. Neuro-Muscular Response was almost certainly physical reaction time. Neural Processing was how fast you think, so basically how fast you can do 1.8379 times 285.63 in your head. Memory Capacity also seemed pretty obvious. Psionic Potential must be related to the psionic energy he read about in the User Agreement, and Growth Potential likely referred to how powerful a being could become. He decided he needed a reference.


    "Search: Human."


    The list essentially disappeared leaving only one entry.


    [Human: Basic humanoid. Height: Medium. Physical Integrity: Low. Physical Development: Low. Neuro-Muscular Response: Low. Neural Processing: Low. Memory Capacity: Low. Psionic Potential: Lowest. Growth Potential: Variant.]


    Well, he thought, that''s disappointing. Apparently humans were pretty shitty as far as races go, though the ''Growth Potential: Variant'' seemed interesting. James wondered if he could get a better description of the rankings. So he asked.


    "Is it possible to get a description of the attribute rankings?"


    The screen changed.


    [Example of basic attribute rankings using Height (expressed in Earth units).


    Lowest: Below 2 feet.


    Low: Between 2 and 4 feet.


    Medium: Between 4 and 6 feet.


    High: Between 6 and 8 feet.


    Highest: Greater than 8 feet.


    Variant: Undetermined. Changes by individual. Could be almost nothing or could be practically infinite.]


    Seeing the results, James'' brain started percolating. He had no desire to change his race drastically, so semi-humanoid and non-humanoid races were out. He also wanted certain minimal racial capabilities. Having decided his course of action, James spoke.


    "Search: Humanoid. Height: High. Neural Processing: At least Medium. Memory Capacity: At least Medium. Growth Potential: Variant."


    The list refreshed with exactly 27 entries. James selected the first one.


    [Belkonan: Basic humanoid. Height: High. Physical Integrity: Low. Physical Development: Low. Neuro-Muscular Response: Medium. Neural Processing: Medium. Memory Capacity: High. Psionic Potential: Low. Growth Potential: Variant.]


    James continued to browse through the list. Finally he decided on what he felt was the winner.


    [Thelossian: Basic humanoid. Height: High. Physical Integrity: Medium. Physical Development: Low. Neuro-Muscular Response: High. Neural Processing: High. Memory Capacity: Highest. Psionic Potential: Medium. Growth Potential: Variant.]


    After considering his options for a while longer, James confirmed his decision.


    "I choose the Thelossian."


    [Race choice: Thelossian. Please choose a sex.]


    Without even thinking about it he replied, "Male."


    [Race choice: Male Thelossian. Would you like to use 1 character point to view a visual representation of your selection before confirming?]


    James thought about it, but he recalled how excessively the spokesmen from Olympus Technologies stressed the importance of every character point. Since he''d confirmed that ''Basic Humanoid'' essentially meant a human with changed details like color, eyes, teeth, and so forth, James decided he didn''t need to see what a Thelossian looked like.


    "No need. Confirm selection."


    [Selection confirmed. Proceeding to modification and specialization.]


    James would soon come to deeply regret not spending that single character point.

 Chapter 2 - This Is Getting Complicated

    The screen once again changed to provide an explanation and list, though the list was vastly smaller this time, not even requiring a scroll bar.


    [You now have the opportunity to spend character points to modify your embodiment. You currently have 108 points. The categories you can choose to modify include the attributes listed in the race description as well as Appearance, Abilities, and Equipment. Your physical age will be set to your chosen race''s peak physical maturity. The standard attributes will be assigned randomly based on racial criteria. This means that if the racial attribute is Medium then the extreme random limits are Low and High value attributes. Points are spent not on changing exact values for attributes, but on limiting variation. For example, you can choose to limit the randomness to at least be at racial average, which for all attributes costs exactly 2 points. You can even choose to limit the randomness to only higher values, but that will cost more points. You cannot gain points by choosing to limit an attribute to a lower value, as that will also cost points.


    Appearance is a special attribute that is subjective by race, and thus can fluctuate wildly and is completely random within racial considerations if you choose not to limit variability. This attribute can be limited either racially or generally. For example, Slt''rkvyns are considered the ugliest race in Freedom Universe by a majority. To make a Slt''rkvyn at least average in general attractiveness would likely cost more points than you possess. You can also use points to alter specific aspects of appearance other than height, such as eye color, skin tone, hair color, and even sexual endowment.


    Abilities represent all known skills at all known levels. Abilities all have a designated point cost based on type, level, and racial capability. You may choose from the list of abilities as you did the list of races, and you can again limit results by performing a ''Search''. The only abilities you will possess without spending points are those you have already learned on Earth and your new racial language.


    Equipment includes all known physical and intangible items in Freedom Universe. Point cost is determined by material rarity and difficulty of production. This category also includes money. Please note that if you choose not to spend any points on equipment you will arrive in Freedom Universe with basic civilian clothing and no money.]


    Beyond that was just the list of categories. James went over the explanation a second time and sighed. He''d chosen his race explicitly for the racial attributes and would not allow himself to be short-changed, though if he got higher values he wouldn''t mind. Thus he immediately spent 14 points to limit the randomness of the standard attributes to at least racial average. It should have been 16 points, but Growth Potential was grayed out due to the Thelossian racial attribute being Variant.


    Looking at the 3 special categories, James tried to decide on his next priority. He looked down at his fat, disgusting self and immediately chose Appearance. Yes it was vain, but so the f*ck what. Taking a moment to consider just what he wanted, he then stated his requirements.


    "Please limit racial attractiveness to at least above average. I would also like defined musculature and a well above average but not extreme phallus."


    Okay, that was embarrassing as f*ck to say, but I''m definitely not getting short-changed there. James knew his face was flushed, but he wasn''t going to take any chances with this. He didn''t think any intelligent man would.


    [Your specifications will cost 21 points. Do you confirm?]


    "Yes, confirmed."


    [Specifications set. You have 73 points remaining.]


    Now that that was out of the way, James was left with two categories: Abilities and Equipment. After a moments consideration James chose Abilities. Equipment could be lost but abilities were always yours.


    The list of abilities came up, and much like the race list it was ludicrously long. There was absolutely no way to just browse it. James would have to think up what was important and search for it. The first thing he thought of was communication. He would automatically receive his racial language, but that meant jack shit in an open universe.


    "Search: 5 most common languages in Freedom Universe, listed in descending use."


    The results returned, and at the top was Universal Trade Language.


    [Universal Trade Language. Basic: 1 | Semi-fluent: 2 | Fluent: 3 | Master: 5]


    He was about ready to select that when he had another consideration.


    "Search: Most common language where I will appear in Freedom Universe."


    Suddenly there was a loud "Ding" that caused James to jump as the text on the screen changed.


    [Congratulations! Your insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel has earned you a reward. Hidden prize - Federal Trade Language: Master]


    F*ck yeah! James nearly jumped for joy at the announcement. He''d nearly purchased an unnecessary language, but now he''d gotten the one he needed for free. He brought up the language on the screen.


    [Federal Trade Language. Basic: X(1) | Semi-Fluent: X(2) | Fluent: X(3) | Master: X(5)]


    It looks like he''d just saved 5 points. He wondered if all languages cost the same. He brought up the language of the first race he''d read about.


    [A''aalp''tk Racial Language. Basic: 3 | Semi-Fluent: 8 | Fluent: 15 | Master: 25]


    Damn. Either A''aalp''tx was vastly more complex than either Universal or Federal Trade, or more likely Thelossians didn''t have the vocal chords for it. Deciding to forget about it, he moved on. James had been rewarded for realizing something important about migrating between universes. He wondered if he could do it again. After a significant time of consideration he had a new request.


    "Search: Abilities an adult male Thelossian would be expected to have."


    The sound of the ''ding'' made him smile.


    [Congratulations! Your insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel has earned you a reward. Hidden prize - Universal Trade Language: Fluent, Unarmed Combat: Journeyman, Laser Weapons Proficiency: Apprentice, Sword Proficiency: Apprentice, Spear Proficiency: Apprentice, Armor Proficiency: Apprentice, Weapons Engineering: Novice, Acrobatics: Journeyman, Throwing Proficiency: Apprentice, Thelossian History: Journeyman, Federation History: Apprentice, Universal History: Novice, Mathematics: Journeyman, General Biology: Apprentice, General Physics: Apprentice, General Chemistry: Apprentice, General Telekinesis: Apprentice, General Telepathy: Apprentice, Meditation: Apprentice, Lovemaking: Journeyman]


    Hoooly shiiit! The F*ck, seriously, the f*ck! One search had netted him a ridiculous number of abilities, worth a ridiculous number of points. Also, that last ability, seriously, the f*ck. To try and get an idea he pulled up Unarmed Combat and Lovemaking.


    [Unarmed Combat. Novice: X(2) | Apprentice: X(6) | Journeyman: X(12) | Expert: 8(20) | Master: 23(35)


    Lovemaking. Novice: X(2) | Apprentice: X(7) | Journeyman: X(14) | Expert: 11(25) | Master: 31(45)]


    Hot damn, based on the number of abilities and ranks he''d just earned well over a 100 points worth of abilities. Also, Lovemaking was more expensive than Unarmed Combat after Novice rank. And why on Earth was the standard for an adult male Thelossian at Journeyman. Some of the ideas that went through his head about the Thelossian race caused him to smirk uncontrollably.


    However, the smile that threatened to break his face in half suddenly died as he made a realization. The reward notice itself referred to these things as ''necessities'', and yet they weren''t provided by default. You only got them if you realized you needed them. This meant anyone who hadn''t performed a search similar to his would be royally F''ed in the A.


    James felt himself break out in a cold sweat. Thank god I figured it out. He started racking his brain for any other abilities he should be expected to have. After a seriously prolonged cogitation James decided he''d probably got everything he should have as a male Thelossian from that single search. He considered checking for additional abilities to actually spend points on, but then realized there were likely ''things'' an adult male Thelossian was expected to have as well.


    He switched categories to Equipment and thought about how to phrase his search. He knew a search for equipment a male Thelossian should have was necessary, but he felt like he was missing something. Come on James, think. It''s a far more technologically advanced world. What would such a world require that wasn''t technically on ''item''?... Oh. Well shit.


    "Search: Government identification."


    This time the ''ding'' did not make him smile.


    [Congratulations! Your insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel has earned you a reward. Hidden prize - Federation Citizenship: First Class. Please choose a racially appropriate male Thelossian name from the following list.]


    The list that showed up was long, but not as ridiculous as any previous major lists. As James read the names he felt his eyelids start to twitch. While he was probably making erroneous assumptions, he felt like he knew what Thelossians looked like now.


    [You have chosen: Be''larien Sil''nathiel. Your identity will be entered into Federation records upon your transfer to Freedom Universe.]


    Yep, he''d never seen a more complete list of Elvish sounding names in his life. Doing his best to tell himself he was likely wrong, James looked at what Federation Citizenship cost.


    [Federation Citizenship. 3rd Class: X(5) | 2nd Class: X(19) | 1st Class: X(48)]


    Wow. That was a big jump between each class. It didn''t tell him what the difference was, but he figured it was important. Now it was time for the obvious search.


    "Search: Equipment, devices, and items an adult male Thelossian would be expected to possess where I will arrive in Freedom Universe."


    And again with the ''ding''.


    [Congratulations! Your insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel has earned you a reward. Hidden prize - High-Grade Nano-Fiber Thelossian Male Undergarments (Set), High-Grade Nano-Fiber Thelossian Socks (Set), High-Grade Nano-Fiber Thelossian Male Upper Garments (Set), High-Grade Nano-Fiber Thelossian Male Lower Garments (Set), High-Grade Nano-Fiber Thelossian Male Shoes (Set), Traditional Thelossian Male Accessories (Set), Class III Tactical Under Armor, Class IV Tactical Combat Armor, Class IV Tactical Combat Boots, Class IV Tactical Combat Helmet, Olphidean Class Laser Rifle with Omni-Optics Scope, Selnek Class Laser Pistol, Mithrinite Long Sword, 5th Generation Holographic Omni-Net Bracelet with Built-In Sub-Dimensional Storage]


    James knew his jaw was hanging open, but he couldn''t find the wherewithal to close it. He understood the clothes, accessories, and bracelet, but the combat equipment sent his brain into shock. When he finally regained use of his senses he immediately started pulling up information.


    [Class III Tactical Under Armor. One Set: 10


    Class IV Tactical Combat Armor. One Set: 30


    Class IV Tactical Combat Boots. One Set: 15


    Class IV Tactical Combat Helmet. One Item: 15


    Olphidean Class Laser Rifle. One Item: 30


    Omni-Optics Scope. One Item: 20You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Selnek Class Laser Pistol. One Item: 20


    Mithrinite Long Sword. One Item: 25]


    He''d just been given 165 points worth of weaponry and armor. If this was considered standard for a male Thelossian then they must almost all be in some form of military or peacekeeping organization. That was somewhat disconcerting.


    Calming himself down, James checked the other items of interest. Namely the bracelet and what the heck a ''Set'' was.


    [5th Generation Holographic Omni-Net Bracelet with Built-In Sub-Dimensional Storage. One Item: 30


    High-Grade Nano-Fiber Socks. One Pair: 2 | Set: 8]


    Okay, so the bracelet was just as valuable as a laser rifle or combat armor. And assuming it wasn''t a rip-off, a set of the clothing items must contain at least 4 items. Ok, he wasn''t about to get any more information from this... system, so he would put gathering information about his race and equipment on hold. Now there was only one more question he could think of that might earn him something free.


    "Search: Money a male Thelossian would be expected to possess where I will arrive in Freedom Universe."


    There was no ''ding'' this time. In fact, there were no results.


    [Please revise your search. Wealth is too great a variable to yield a specific result, even by race and sex.]


    Ok. He may have went overboard fishing on that question. Time to try again.


    "Search: Most used currency where I will arrive in Freedom Universe."


    This time he heard the wonderful ''ding''.


    [Congratulations! Your insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel has earned you a reward. Hidden prize - Federation Credits: 10,000]


    James checked how much Federation Credits were worth.


    [Federation Credits. 1,000: 1]


    So he got 10 points worth of credits for free. Pretty good. Now he was officially out of questions he could think to ask to get free stuff. Since he just got pretty much every physical item he could think of needing immediately for free, it was time to go back to the abilities.


    After some thought, James decided he should probably know what abilities he was bringing with him from Earth.


    "Please list abilities and ranks I possessed before character creation began."


    [Request acknowledged. Pre-existing abilities - English Language: Master, French Language: Basic, German Language: Basic, Japanese Language: Basic, Mathematics: Apprentice, General Biology: Novice, General Physics: Novice, General Chemistry: Novice, Computer Programming: Apprentice, Earth History: Apprentice, Unarmed Combat: Novice]


    Well... that made him feel awful Lilliputian. Especially for Computer Programming, he was pretty much one of the best experts in that on Earth.


    "Would you please explain why the ranking for Computer Programming is so low?"


    [Request acknowledged. Earth''s technology as a whole is so primitive by Freedom Universe''s standards that is doesn''t even qualify at the level of children''s toys. Novice ranking is already considered generous. Computer Programming has been assessed at Apprentice level for your ability to program a sapient AI.]


    So that was terribly insulting. And he supposed he should be surprised that it knew he could program a sapient AI. Even attempting to do so was massively illegal on Earth. Though James suspected that Olympus Technologies had been using sapient AIs in their attempt to create a 100% realistic game.


    Deciding to accept that the only useful skill from his past 42 years was only an Apprentice rank in programming, James moved on. He had 73 points to spend, and he figured he''d be using essentially all of them on abilities. Now he had to figure out what abilities he most needed. He already figured it would be better to have a couple of high level abilities than to have several low level ones. After almost half an hour of racking his brains he felt he had the answer.


    "Search: Highest ranked abilities for increasing physical, mental, and psionic strength."


    A new list was generated. It was big, but not ridiculous. He figured there might be about a thousand entries. He selected one at random.


    [Spiritual Vortex Cultivation. Novice: 10 | Apprentice: 27 | Journeyman: 53 | Expert: 94 | Master: 172]


    Sweet sh*t. Either the ability was great or was completely incompatible with his chosen race. He decided he should weed out the latter.


    "Refine search: Only those abilities most compatible with male Thelossians."


    The list immediately shrank to 8 entries.


    [Void Meditation. Novice: 3 | Apprentice: 7 | Journeyman: 14 | Expert: 26 | Master: 46


    Tantric Meditation. Novice: 3 | Apprentice: 7 | Journeyman: 13 | Expert: 25| Master: 45


    Sexual Mind Tempering. Novice: 3 | Apprentice: 7 | Journeyman: 13 | Expert: 25 | Master: 45


    Cellular Refinement. Novice: 4 | Apprentice: 9 | Journeyman: 17 | Expert: 30 | Master: 54


    Sexual Body Tempering. Novice: 2 | Apprentice: 5 | Journeyman: 10 | Expert: 19 | Master: 34


    Psionic Refinement Cyclone. Novice: 3 | Apprentice: 7 | Journeyman: 14 | Expert: 26 | Master: 46


    Sexual Psionic Focusing. Novice: 1 | Apprentice: 3 | Journeyman: 8 | Expert: 15 | Master: 28


    Sexual Psionic Refinement. Novice: 2 | Apprentice: 5 | Journeyman: 11 | Expert: 20 | Master: 36]


    WHAT. THE. F*CK! Seriously, what the hell is up with this. First there was the ''Lovemaking: Journeyman'' ability that is ''standard'' for an adult male Thelossian, but now all of the best, most compatible, and cheapest abilities for strengthening myself are all based on sex. Sex, sex, sex! Just how oversexed are Thelossians. He couldn''t change his race choice, and lord knows he wouldn''t say no to a nice piece of ass, but despite the high basic attributes that made the race so appealing James was starting to think he''d made a mistake.


    Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. Despite his worries he figured he''d best get on with it. There were 3 abilities that didn''t seem to have anything to do with sex, but they were at least 30% more expensive than the ''sex'' options. If he wanted to have Master rank in one he could only do Journeyman and Apprentice in the others, and that only if he mastered one of the cheaper two. But if he mastered one of the cheaper ''sex'' options he could then take at least Journeyman in all the rest. Of course he''d have to come to terms with being a male nympho in order to get stronger. *Sigh*


    Nope. Not happening. He''d take Expert rank in Cellular Refinement and Psionic Refinement Cyclone, and Journeyman in Void Meditation. But just as he was about to confirm his selections he stopped. James felt like he was missing something. But what?


    James started pacing as he thought. Something felt off, but just what it was eluded him. He''d already gotten all the abilities and equipment that would be expected of him, and he even got an identity... Wait, identity? He had ''identification'', but no real existence. And he had everything ''expected'' of him, but nothing that made him an individual. He was a cookie cutter model.


    He switched back to the Equipment category and performed a search that he hoped wasn''t stupid.


    "Search: Life story for a male Thelossian?"


    His voice rose on the end making it more of a question. Suddenly there was a bright ''ring'' instead of a ''ding''.


    [Amazing! You''ve shown extraordinary insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel. Special reward - Life Story: Good, Personal Mementos (Life Story Required)]


    Wow. Holy cr*p, this category literally has everything but abilities. He quickly looked for what the Life Story should''ve cost him.


    [Life Story. Tragic: X(4) | Bad: X(10) | Average: X(20) | Good: X(38) | Great: 24(62) | Extraordinary: 60(98)]


    Daaaamn! That Life Story cost a pretty f*cking penny. Geez! Well, at least now he wasn''t someone who somehow had 1st Class citizenship yet just popped out of nowhere. That would probably have raised some red flags after a while.


    Now James was more confident in his next search.


    "Search: Non-standard equipment, devices, and items an adult male Thelossian may have."


    This time it was once again the ''ring''.


    [Amazing! You''ve shown extraordinary insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel. Special reward - High-Grade *Special* Nano-Fiber Undergarments (Set), High-Grade *Special* Nano-Fiber Clothing (Set), High-Grade *Special* Toys (Set), Spatial Implosion Grenade (2), Theltan Class Pulsar Pistol, Personal Anti-Gravity Atmospheric Speeder, Personal Vehicle License, Personal Living Quarters: Good, Information Clearance: 2nd Grade]


    F*******ck! Ok, calm down, just ignore the first 3 items. They don''t exist. Doing his best to pretend the ''*Special*'' items didn''t exist, James checked everything else.


    [Spatial Implosion Grenade. One Item: 40


    Theltan Class Pulsar Pistol. One Item: 50


    Personal Anti-Gravity Atmospheric Speeder. One Item: 50


    Personal Vehicle License. One Item: 5


    Personal Living Quarters. Terrible: X(2) | Bad: X(9) | Average: X(20) | Good: X(36) | Great: 22(58) | Extraordinary: 54(90)


    Information Clearance. 5th Grade: X(5) | 4th Grade: X(18) | 3rd Grade: X(42) | 2nd Grade: X(80) | 1st Grade: 70(150)]


    Wow, 301 points worth of items from one search (ignoring the items which don''t exist). And that 2nd Grade clearance must be super important to be worth 80 points by itself. James was quite pleased with the results of his search. But he was also starting to feel a dangerous foreboding. Probably one of the most altruistic thoughts James had ever had was his desperate hope that he wasn''t the only one figuring out these things. Anyone who didn''t was just so, so screwed.


    Now it was time to go back to Abilities and do the last search he could truly think of.


    "Search: Non-standard abilities an adult male Thelossian may have."


    And there came the ''ring'' again.


    [Amazing! You''ve shown extraordinary insight into the necessities of inter-universal travel. Special reward - Piloting (Atmospheric): Journeyman, Piloting (Non-Atmospheric): Apprentice, Piloting (Interstellar): Novice, Sexual Mind Tempering: Apprentice, Sexual Body Tempering: Journeyman, Sexual Psionic Focusing: Expert, Sexual Psionic Refinement: Journeyman]


    Ooooh no! No, no, no! No f*cking way! This thing has got to be screwing with me! James was just about boiling red from embarrassment and rage. He barely retained enough self-awareness to refrain from cursing and attacking the screen, something he was sure would, at best, yield no results.


    Calm down, just calm down. It''s still a lot of free points. Just relax. In order to give himself some more time to calm down he checked the first 3 items.


    [Piloting (Atmospheric). Novice: X(3) | Apprentice: X(7) | Journeyman: X(13) | Expert: 9(22) | Master: 26(39)


    Piloting (Non-Atmospheric). Novice: X(4) | Apprentice: X(8) | Journeyman: 7(15) | Expert: 18(26) | Master: 39(47)


    Piloting (Interstellar). Novice: X(8) | Apprentice: 9(17) | Journeyman: 21(29) | Expert: 37(45) | Master: 63(71)]


    James was certain those were some nice abilities to have, but it hadn''t done much to calm him down. Finally, he just decided to bite the bullet.


    [Sexual Mind Tempering. Novice: X(3) | Apprentice: X(7) | Journeyman: 6(13) | Expert: 18(25) | Master: 38(45)


    Sexual Body Tempering. Novice: X(2) | Apprentice: X(5) | Journeyman: X(10) | Expert: 9(19) | Master: 24(34)


    Sexual Psionic Focusing. Novice: X(1) | Apprentice: X(3) | Journeyman: X(8) | Expert: X(15) | Master: 13(28)


    Sexual Psionic Refinement. Novice: X(2) | Apprentice: X(5) | Journeyman: X(11) | Expert: 9(20) | Master: 25(36)]


    Well... shit. Now that he had these, not using them was a horrible waste. He could master at least two of them and still raise the rank of another. F*ck it! I guess I''ll need to invest in Thelossian viagra.


    [Sexual Mind Tempering: Master, Sexual Body Tempering: Master, Sexual Psionic Refinement: Expert. Total Cost: 71 points. Confirm purchase?]


    James sighed. "Confirm."


    [Purchase confirmed. 2 points remaining.]


    Well, it was done. He didn''t exactly feel happy though. In fact, he was pretty sure he was f*cked. Literally. But he was committed, and the show must go on. He switched over to Equipment.


    "Search: Most appropriate item for me to purchase with 2 points."


    The result came back immediately.


    [Libido Dampener. Bottle of 10: 2]


    James felt like steam was coming out of his ears. He turned away from the screen while grinding his teeth and clinching his fists. I f*cking knew it! This piece of sh*t is f*cking with me! GOD, F*CKING, DAMMIT!


    He was breathing heavily and doing his best to get himself back under control. James had never been much for emotional outbursts, and he had an inkling suspicion that if he opened his mouth things would not end well. Finally, after several minutes, he''d calmed down enough to turn back to the screen. F*ck it. He bought the damned thing.


    [All points spent. Are you ready to proceed with soul transference?]


    James took a deep breath. This was it. "Yes."


    [Confirmed. Finalizing attributes after restriction........ Complete. Final attributes - Height: High. Physical Integrity: Medium. Physical Development: Medium. Neuro-Muscular Response: High. Neural Processing: High. Memory Capacity: Highest. Psionic Potential: High. Growth Potential: Variant.]


    Well at least something worked out for him. Physical Development and Psionic Potential had both gone up a level. He was shaping up to be quite the tough bastard.


    [Finalizing Appearance after restrictions....... Complete. Appearance(Racial): Extraordinary. Additional specifications implemented.]


    Nice. I wonder if I''ll be able to star in movies. And I guess it won''t be that difficult to find a ''training'' partner. James finally had a smile back on his face, though it was closer to a smirk.


    Suddenly there was a sound of a bell ringing.


    [Congratulations! You''ve found 50% of the real necessities for inter-universal travel. 3 random abilities will be upgraded. Unarmed Combat: Expert, Lovemaking: Expert, Sexual Psionic Refinement: Master]


    Oh, you motherfu... The bell rang again.


    [Amazing! You''ve found 80% of the real necessities for inter-universal travel. Special Reward - Life Story: Extraordinary, Personal Living Quarters: Great]


    James was practically having an epileptic fit. He was now 110% sure that somebody was f*cking with him. And then there were the sounds of trumpets.


    [Perfection! You''ve found 100% of the real necessities for inter-universal travel. Unique Reward - Interstellar Class Familiar (Soul Bound)]


    He knew what a Familiar was, but James had no idea what that reward actually meant. Regardless, it didn''t make him happy. If anything it increased his ever growing sense of doom.


    [Initializing imprint of Abilities and Life Story. Please brace yourself.]


    Wait, what?! "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Pain, unbelievable pain. James was rolling on the empty ground, screaming, slamming his head against the floor, anything to try and make it stop. It was as if his very soul was being slowly diced into pieces. And the information, so much information. Lifetimes worth, all crammed into his consciousness at once. If he''d currently had a physical existence it would have exploded in a cloud of gore from the pressure.


    Finally, at long last, it stopped. James lay panting on the floor, contemplating the sweet, sweet release that death might really be. He felt like his brain should currently be leaking out of his ears. It wasn''t just knowledge that was crammed into his consciousness, but experience. Years and years of experience. And slowly, some of that knowledge finally started to register consciously, including that about the Thelossians. James nearly had an aneurysm.


    "F*ck! No no no! Not a chance! I refuse! I don''t want to transfer anymore! I don''t..."


    [Beginning transfer...]


    James couldn''t say anything else as the world shattered around him. As he felt his soul being ripped away to a new universe, and just before he lost consciousness, he could swear he heard someone laughing their ass off.

 Chapter 3 - Buyers Remorse

    When he regained consciousness he was flat on his back staring straight into the sky. He immediately closed his eyes and did his best to pretend he was on Earth and everything was just a bad dream. Of course the sounds, smells, and signals from his own body wouldn''t allow him to succeed.


    Well, you''ve royally f*cked yourself this time, Be''larien... Huh? That''s not right, my name is Be''larien...? The hell! MY NAME IS F*CKING BE''LARIEN!... Well... Sh*t. He couldn''t remember his name from Earth, couldn''t even think of himself with a name other than Be''larien. He remembered his entire life, everything else and everything about his family... except the family surname. Apparently that ''Life Story'' he''d won wouldn''t allow him to think of himself as someone other than Be''larien.


    He sighed... and promptly ignored the sound of his new voice. As his conscious mind processed the newly implanted information about this universe, in particular his new race, Be''larien didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. It was made worse by the fact that his upgraded brain was processing that vast ocean of information incredibly quickly.


    Thelossians were considered an extremely strange race, especially for humanoids, and for a number of reasons. First, Thelossians were the 3rd most powerful military force in the known universe. The 1st was the Enato''viri, an extremely rare race of energy beings that wandered the universe using their own bodies. A single Enato''viri could destroy an entire solar system with relative ease, let alone a military armada.


    2nd place went to the Urg''ur''nuk, though that wasn''t their name for themselves. As a giant aquatic race that appeared as a nightmarish cross between a crab and an octopus, their speech was incomprehensible to most other species. They held absolute dominion over their own home galaxy and didn''t give a rat''s ass for the rest of the universe. There were a small number of diplomatic space stations placed several thousand light-years beyond their galactic rim. Any ship or species not native to their galaxy that entered the galactic rim was inevitably destroyed, with the sole exception of wandering Enato''viri.


    And then there were the Thelossians. They possessed the strongest military technology in the known universe. Not the largest military, not by a long shot, but still the strongest by far. The combat gear Be''larien had been so excited about was actually just what was provided to inactive members of the military, the equipment issued to active soldiers was at least Class VIII. Ultimately, Thelossians were only ranked 3rd because they didn''t actively attack, they only fought defensively and in policing actions. And this is where part of the strangeness of Thelossians came from.


    The Thelossians were an inherently peaceful species, and yet their entire society was based on their military. Every Thelossian was somehow a part of the military, and they vehemently adhered to its strict and somewhat complicated hierarchical structure. This form of society was made even more bizarre when you considered another prominent aspect of the Thelossian race.


    Thelossians were, by far, the most libidinous humanoid race in the universe. There were semi-humanoid and non-humanoid races that outdid them, but no other humanoid race came close. The average Thelossian lifespan was about 1,000 Earth years, and they entered puberty around 20 Earth years old. Once puberty hit the Thelossian libido took off like a rocket and never came back down until the last couple decades of their life. Sex was so prevalent in their daily lives that if two Thelossians on the street took an eye for each other they''d simply move out of everyone''s way and go at it right there.


    It became even more ridiculous when you realized the Thelossian brain was so developed that they could fully enjoy sexual activity while still performing other complex thought, like designing the next generation of sub-space storage devices. Most other races considered a Thelossian business meeting synonymous with an orgy. Of course, most races that dealt diplomatically with Thelossians tended to just sit back and enjoy the show, as Thelossians were universally considered highly attractive among humanoids, even their most below average members. An ugly Thelossian would still be considered attractive to most humanoids. They were tall, svelte, had pointed ears with no lobes, impossibly luxurious hair, exotic cat-like eyes, no hair below the neck, a delicious caramel skin tone, had the most common five fingers and toes with two arms and two legs, and possessed an animal-like natural grace. But there was an aspect of their appearance that was extremely strange among humanoids, and the reason that Be''larien was contemplating how many times he''d have to kill himself to die permanently.


    To most species, Thelossian men looked EXACTLY like Thelossian women. Bone structure, musculature, height, facial features, hair, even clothing styles, it was all the same. Even the hip, waist, and - *whimper* - breasts. Nor was there some subtle visual difference like an Adam''s apple. The only way most species could tell them apart was to check between the legs. Men were still outies, and women were still innies. Not that that comforted Be''larien much.


    Be''larien finally decided to stop pretending he wasn''t SOL. Thanks to his new brain he was now capable of mutli-tasking in ways no human could ever dream of. While he was focused on pretending, other parts of his mind were analyzing everything he heard, smelled, and felt, and even cataloguing the information and skills he''d acquired at the cost of pain beyond imagining. And all those parts were telling the pretending part it was being a pathetic little sh*t. So he opened his eyes.


    Opened his eyes on a lime green sky with pinkish tinted clouds, and countless vehicles zooming through it. Though no sound of them was heard thanks to a clear translucent barrier. As Be''larien turned his vision toward the ground, he realized he was in a park of some sort, or he assumed so. He was laying on a form of dark blue grass, there were tiled paths winding around, and there were trees with blue, pink, and crimson leaves, as well as colors that had no relation to the human language because they were in the ultra-violet spectrum, courtesy of his new Thelossian eyes.


    When he started to turn his head to take in everything else around him, he saw something that nearly made his hearts stop. Yep, hearts, plural. There was a giant deer. That''s right, a GIANT, F*CKING, DEER! It was laying down, it''s nearest part just a few feet back from where Be''larien''s head was resting on the grass, apparently taking a nap of its own.


    If standing, the thing would''ve been at least 10 meters tall and more than 20 meters long. It''s fur was a black so deep it seemed to suck in the light, with tiny specks of silver making it look like a twinkling night sky. The antlers looked to be made of some white crystalline material, with veins of silver running through it. The creature was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.


    Seeming to have noticed Be''larien''s attention, the deer''s eyes opened as it turned to look at him. Those eyes made Be''larien freeze like a steel statue. Eyes that were beyond his ability to truly comprehend. Ancient, wise, wondrous, all-seeing, so many things, all contained in a blue so deep and pure that your soul almost fell into it like the ocean.


    Without rising, the deer stretched its neck toward Be''larien. It stopped just a few inches away from his body, and let out a huff of hot air that Be''larien felt across his entire form and ruffled his hair. Be''larien wondered if he wouldn''t have to commit suicide after all. Then the deer proceeded to, very gently, nuzzle against Be''larien''s side before returning to its original position and resuming its nap. Huh?


    Well, ask and ye shall receive, the information Be''larien needed suddenly appeared from the mass of data he''d just been inundated with. This was Hasa''renalim, his familiar, otherwise known as Hasa for short. He was a Star-Treading Deer, a race that, while not as rare or powerful as Enato''viri, still traveled the universe using their own bodies. Not that they weren''t powerful, a single Star-Treading Deer was evenly matched with the Thelossians'' most advanced warship.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    As this realization dawned on Be''larien, he began to feel it, the connection, and it promptly blew his mind. Brother, father, son, friend, all this and not, Hasa was a part of Be''larien''s soul, and he was a part of Hasa''s. The feeling was new, indescribable, and overwhelming. It was like a part of him he''d never known was missing was suddenly there, making him whole. Loneliness, there was no more loneliness. The thing everyone sought love and acceptance to so desperately banish, was gone. Hasa knew who Be''larien was perhaps even more intimately than he knew himself, accepted all of him, and would always be with him. Not even death could truly separate them. Without knowing when, tears had started pouring without end from Be''larien''s eyes.


    With this new feeling washing over him, Be''larien began to think, maybe he could live. This body, this race, were a massive blow to who he was as a human. Something so contrary to who he was that even if he hadn''t killed himself, he still would have started chasing death on a daily basis, whether consciously or subconsciously. But Hasa was here, and so maybe he could live.


    That knowledge made Be''larien think that the system, or the being behind it, had given that last gift of a familiar intentionally for this outcome. A blatant manipulation. And yet Be''larien couldn''t really be angry about it, because Hasa was here.


    Gathering his courage, Be''larien sat up and finally took stock of himself. It was even more daunting than he''d imagined. In almost knee-jerk reaction his hands immediately went to his crotch, and then he practically sighed with relief. His little friend was still there, and he''d gotten an upgrade at that. He was roughly 12 inches, and that was when soft. It was almost enough to make Be''larien smile. But as he took in the rest of his body he grimaced instead.


    From a purely visual perspective, his body was 100% female, and a heaven-defyingly gorgeous female at that. He''d gotten his request for muscle definition, but he almost wished he hadn''t. It only made his long, smooth legs and arms look that much more appealing. His hands and feet were not dainty by any stretch, but possessed some wild grace of form that would have given any fetishist a heart attack from excitement. His stomach was well-defined, but it took absolutely nothing away from the appeal. It just made the beauty and grace shift closer to something sleek and wild, like a panther. And his hips and the attached ass would likely cause other men - *shudder* - to lose motor control and fry their brains.


    And then the breasts, oh dear motherf*cking god, the breasts. The terrible things had to be at least D or DD, and they had a firm, perky, suppleness that seemed to defy gravity. He knew this because they weren''t contained in a bra. In fact, he couldn''t even consider his ''top'' to be clothing. It was just a few straps of black cloth that went over his shoulders and around his sides, but really only covered his nipples. And it was so loose that even a mild breeze would grant anyone around an unimpeded view.


    The ''shorts'' were just as bad. They were closer to skintight underwear. They were made of what seemed like a shiny black substance that rode extra low on his hips, barely managed to cover his ass, and displayed his package so prominently that others could visually tell he was male. He only knew this wasn''t underwear because there was a garment underneath it, an ultra-thin silky-soft item where most of the material only contained his package and the rest was practically string. To make matters worse, by Thelossian standards this outfit was comparable to a button-up shirt, slacks, and a tie. True casual daywear on the level of a t-shirt and shorts seemed to amount to little more than a thong and no top whatsoever.


    His shoes were black sandals with 2-inch heels and straps that climbed his calf, making his legs look even more enticing. There was a thin silver bracelet on his left wrist that he assumed was the Holographic Omni-Net Bracelet. He reached his hands up to feel his face, and even without a mirror he could tell his features were amazing. He felt his ears, which had no lobe and rose almost to the top of his head before forming a point. There were two earrings in each ear, some kind of gem-tipped stud. And his hair was apparently styled into short spikes so he couldn''t see the color, but it felt more like luxurious fur than hair.


    Be''larien could practically feel the steam coming out of his ears from shame. He knew he looked like hot sex served on a silver platter, and that pretty much summed up the Thelossians as a race. Perhaps the only thing preventing him from slamming back into a spiral of depression, other than Hasa, was the knowledge that Thelossians were strictly attracted to the female form. The standard male appearance was about as attractive as cockroach guts to them.


    And still, through all this chaos in his mind, there were still parts of his brain thinking about other things, taking in the environment, and continuing to sort his information download. God, can I really do this? Deciding to continue the exploration of his new self, if for nothing more than morbid curiosity, Be''larien spoke.


    "Testing?..."


    ... What the f*ck was that?! It was my own voice, and one word at that, yet it contained a basal purr that sent a chill up my spine and another bolt straight to my groin. What the f*ck is up with this race?! They practically eat, sleep, and breath sex and yet they''re effectively the strongest military force in the universe? How the hell does that work?!


    Be''larien was nearly freaking out from his own voice, causing him to pant. The sound of his panting was so scintillating that it just drove him even more crazy. God, I can''t f*cking deal with this! I just can''t! I-


    His internal rant ended with a rumble behind him that had Hasa sliding his side up against Be''larien''s back. Hasa then bent his head around and nudged Be''larien with his nose until he was resting in Hasa''s fur. Be''larien received what he realized was a telepathic impulse from Hasa encouraging him to calm down and relax. So he did his best.


    Oh, my, god. Hasa''s fur is amazing. It''s like being wrapped in the warmest, fluffiest cloud ever. I just want to roll around in it and- He bolted away from Hasa''s fur as he realized his brain was going to terrifying places. His face was burning and he felt new tears forming in his eyes. The f*ck is wrong with me?! Hasa''s trying to comfort me and my brain is sinking into the deepest gutters! THIS, F*CKING, BODY!


    He was clenching his teeth and gripping his forearms so tightly that he''d soon be ripping the flesh out with his own fingers. But Hasa interrupted him again as his nose once more nudged Be''larien back into his fur. A new telepathic impulse came, a stronger one than before that seemed to convey only pure meaning, the gist of which was, Relax. It is okay. You are Thelossian. It is natural. Acknowledge it, accept it, and then you can let it go.


    The thought carried with it Hasa''s acceptance of Be''larien and all that he is, was, and will be, causing Be''larien to practically melt back into Hasa''s fur. Be''larien wasn''t entirely sure yet how he did it, but his own telepathic thought returned to Hasa. Thank you, my dearest Hasa. I know that in truth we''ve only just met, but you are likely the best thing that ever has or ever will happen to me. Hasa let out a light snort that conveyed in perfection his amused, yet joking, agreement.


    Relaxing into Hasa''s fur, Be''larien did his best to empty his mind and just... be. At least for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Be''larien remembered his reasons for coming to Freedom Universe. He had been a fat, balding middle-aged man who''d wasted his potential and life in a world that was slowly decaying from within. He''d come to Freedom Universe for unlimited potential and the chance to pursue individual knowledge and power far beyond what the Earth could imagine, and the goal hadn''t changed. Sure the realities of his chosen race felt like the heavens had taken a giant sh*t on him, but that didn''t negate the qualities of the race that had led him to choose it in the first place. Being Thelossian was still the best head start toward achieving a realm beyond the mortal, a realm that could create and destroy at will. It was an exceedingly far off realm, but in Freedom Universe it was a realm that really existed.


    Finally reaching a point where his every other thought didn''t involve his own death, he figured it was time to start paying a more thorough conscious attention to the information that had been jammed into his soul. Making himself comfortable in Hasa''s fur, though it was basically impossible NOT to be comfortable in Hasa''s fur, Be''larien decided he''d start with one of life''s most important questions. Who am I?

 Chapter 4 - The Meaning Of Life... Story

    One of my last ''rewards'' was an upgrade of the Life Story to Extraordinary, so let''s see if it lives up to the grade. A quick thought revealed that Be''larien was considered 100 Thelossian years old, or about 80 Earth years. That meant his Life Story would be twice as long as his actual life on Earth. *sigh* I guess I should start from the beginning.


    Be''larien was apparently the firstborn of a Life-Bonded couple on a new Thelossian colony planet. Life-Bonding was not the same as marriage. It was a declaration between two Thelossians that they wished to spend their life together and even have children, assuming at least one of them was female. It did not preclude them from having other partners, nor even other Life-Bonds. The largest known group-sworn Life-Bond was between 27 individuals.


    His ''father'' had been a low-level Engineer and his mother worked as a Quartermaster. Be''larien''s childhood had been loving and cheerful, though he had to do his best to ignore some aspects of the memories. Thelossian adults did not hide their sexual natures from their children, which made it especially important that pedophilia apparently didn''t exist in their species. He supposed he should be grateful that the clothing of Thelossian children was a little closer to what he thought of as appropriate, consisting mostly of shorts and tank-tops. Thelossians tended to live on warm worlds.


    Deciding he should shift his time perspective to stick with Thelossian standards, Be''larien''s childhood in that case retained its happiness until he was 8. An easily irritated Enato''viri passed through their system, and on passing too close to the sun was hit by a solar flare. In a fit of pique, it promptly destroyed the offending star. The Thelossian colony only had a few minutes warning of their impending doom.


    Even for such an advanced race there was nowhere near enough time to perform a worldwide evacuation. Be''larien had been brought by his ''father'' to his workplace that day, and he was explaining to Be''larien the use of some of the more interesting tools when the warning came. There wasn''t nearly enough time to get to one of the evacuation areas. By a stroke of fate there was a single long-range escape pod in a nearby station for maintenance. But it could only take a single occupant.


    While crying and begging him not to, Be''larien''s father forced him into the pod and strapped him in. After setting the course to the nearest Thelossian main world via a major shipping lane, Be''larien''s father forced the escape pod hatch shut. Be''lariens last view of his father was his tear streaked face screaming that he loved him.


    Even while failing to hold back his tears at the visceral memory, Be''larien still tried to be belligerent. What''s up with this Life Story? Am I supposed to be S*perm*n?


    The 8 year old Be''larien was screaming and crying, and beating against the sealed hatch as he hurtled away from his birth planet. His last view before shifting to FTL was his planet starting to break apart as an endless wall of distorted space closed in. Be''larien was ultimately picked up by a Thelossian military vessel on the shipping lanes before reaching a main world. He was comforted and cared for, and transported to what amounted to a foster home on Alabrax, the 3rd of the five Thelossian main worlds.


    That said, it was a large house run by two male and five female Thelossians who took care of children orphaned by war or natural disaster. In Be''larien''s house there were only six other children, 2 ''boys'' and 4 girls. It was just as caring and loving an environment as his own home had been, and he became good friends with the other children. Though his best friend by far was another one of the boys who happened to be the same age, Te''larias Lo''tsinia.


    Te''larias was considered only slightly above average by Thelossian standards in appearance, but was even as a child gorgeous from human perspective. He was delicate by the races standard, and his most defining features were emerald colored hair he kept long enough to reach mid-back and golden colored irises. In time, Be''larien and Te''larias practically became joined at the hip. Pulling pranks, playing games, and getting punished, they did practically everything together. They also gave each other the ''nicknames'' they continued to use. Be''larien became Bel, and Te''larias became Tas.


    As they grew older it became apparent Bel possessed amazing talent for combat and psionics, while Tas was average, though this didn''t shake their friendship. In the end though, they were destined to be parted. Shortly before they turned 25, when puberty would start to kick in and their libidos awaken, all Thelossian children were tested and sorted into military academies. Bel was admitted to the Prime Military Academy on Thelos, the Home World. Tas was sent to a regional military academy on Alabrax.


    They cried on parting, hugging and promising to stay in touch. But such promises are sometimes hard to keep. Bel''s travel to Thelos was uneventful, but his first view of the planet was breathtaking. Thelos was the pinnacle of science that worked with nature instead of against it, a trait that was sadly lacking in all the other Thelossian colonized worlds.


    There were trees the size of mountains that served as homes and office buildings, with waterfalls cascading down from the high boughs and small lakes and gardens among the branches. Islands floated through the sky, carrying their lakes, forests, and hidden occupants around the world. If you removed the vehicles flying through the air you would be hard pressed to find the signs of civilization.


    The Prime Military Academy turned out to be in and around a collection of five of the giant trees. The trees had an iridescent black bark, with leaves of purple and zendet, zendet being a color of the ultra-violet spectrum. Bel''s entering class had exactly 500 students, which demonstrated the strict requirements of the Academy. It only trained those with the potential to be elites.


    Be''larien of the present had to practice extreme focus on the memories of the Academy, as there was much he had to ignore to avoid giving himself a mental breakdown. The time at the Academy was basically divided between military and general education, and then extremely hands-on XXX-rated sex ed. And as much as Be''larien hated to admit it, that last part was necessary.


    The Thelossian libido was no joke. When it hit, it hit like a freight train. Shortly after Bel''s libido surfaced he could barely last two hours without relieving himself, and he was one of those with the greatest willpower. Many could barely manage half an hour between sessions. There wasn''t even relief to be found in sleep, as Thelossians only slept as infants and when heavily injured.


    In eras past, the next 10 years would have been a Thelossian''s most promiscuous years, which is saying something. Over that time their minds would adapt to their libido and sexual activity would become segregated in their minds from other higher brain function. It had been speculated that the Thelossian''s advanced, segmented mind structure was a direct result of evolution compensating for their libido.


    But training in the military academy was focused on rapidly accelerating this segmentation and increasing control over the libido. Part of this was education in advanced sexual techniques. As far as Be''larien could ascertain, Thelossians would treat the Kama Sutra as little more than a beginner''s primer.


    In his second year, Bel had taken an exam where he simultaneously field dressed several standard military weapons, delivered an oral report on the reasons behind the Thelossian policing actions taken during the Nabraxian Migration, and solved advanced mathematical formulas on a holographic screen using a Directed Thought Interface (DTI). All of this while an assigned partner was doing things to his nether regions that would reduce a human to a mindless quivering mass of orgasmic flesh, which one segment of his mind was fully immersed in and enjoying. And then he returned the favor during his partner''s exam.


    Be''larien had to take a moment to stop reviewing the memories. Thelossian memory was just too good. ''Remembering'' these events was just like re-living them. Sight, sound, and sensation - oh god, sensation - were recorded in perfection. By focusing on the ''memory'' he may as well be experiencing it.


    Working to calm his elevated breathing, Be''larien looked down at himself. He had a light sheen of sweat, his nipples were hard as diamonds, and his not-so-little friend was attempting to rip through his shorts. He could feel his face burning in shame, for reasons that a true Thelossian would find silly.


    Focus, Be''larien. These things didn''t really happen. It''s just the Life Story. What made it extra important to remember that all these things never really happened were the memories he was ignoring. Those memories contained things that would probably break him. Because for Thelossians, at least among other Thelossians, the genitalia of their partners didn''t matter.


    He leaned as far back into Hasa''s fur as he could go. In the sea of insanity he felt swelling around him, Hasa was the indelible, imperturbable rock that kept him from being swept away. As much as Be''larien felt like cursing the system, or whoever was behind it, to the blackest depths of hell for his current circumstances, he also had to offer his deepest, most heartfelt blessing for giving him Hasa.


    Having calmed himself, Be''larien knew he had to go back into the ''memories''. He might only look 18 to 22 to a human, but according to the Life Story he was 5 times that age. So he hadn''t covered even half of his ''life'' yet.


    Back in the memories, Be''larien tried to focus solely on the military and general education. Free movement, unarmed combat, melee weapons, pistols, rifles, explosives, math, physics, chemistry, biology, history, their training included this and more. All of it was at a level that would have driven Earth''s soldiers and scientists to insanity. Be''larien finally understood the character creation system''s apparent disdain for human technology and skills. By the standards of Freedom Universe, the most advanced athletes, fighters, and scientists of Earth wouldn''t exceed the Apprentice level in anything. It was a fairly depressing realization.


    Bel showed extreme gifts with unarmed combat, and so was given more and better instruction to pull out his potential. During this time students were also tested for psionic ability. Bel showed extraordinary gifts here as well, quickly advancing with meditation, telekinesis, and telepathy. He was so gifted that the dean of the academy took it upon herself to teach Bel the Thelossian''s most powerful and complex psionic techniques, the Immortal Pleasures. These turned out to be the ''sexual'' abilities that Be''larien had almost completely upgraded to Master in character creation.


    These techniques, which even the most gifted of Thelossians had difficulty even gaining a basic comprehension of, came to Bel with heaven-defying ease. The techniques used the ephemeral higher-level energy forms generated during sex to temper the mind and body while refining and condensing psionic energy. The dean was shocked and delighted, in more ways than one, by Bel''s mind-boggling progression with the Immortal Pleasures. She was almost 300 years old and had only achieved the Apprentice level, but by the time Bel graduated the academy he was already at the Journeyman level.


    Of course, Be''larien became aware that the Apprentice/Journeyman rankings were solely relevant to character creation. Skills and abilities in Freedom Universe didn''t actually use such designations. The Immortal Pleasures were split into seven levels of mastery with eight layers in each level. Apprentice would be equivalent to the second level. Journeyman would cover levels three and four, and Bel was at the peak of level three when he graduated.


    In fact, Be''larien learned that he''d made a great many wrong assumptions from character creation. Height wasn''t an actual attribute in Freedom Universe, just a modifier for the other attributes, and the difference between rankings was far more massive than the Height example he was given led him to believe. There was no measure for growth or psionics potential, and in fact psionics had its own measuring system. All of the other attributes used what was known as the Vis''nhoc ranking system, which roughly translated as ''true strength''. The ranks went from 0 to 100, with each level increasing on an expanding exponential scale.


    Humans would be considered in the low to mid 10s. A being at rank 100 could destroy planets, which might give some idea on the progression between ranks. Rank 100 wasn''t the absolute limit though, it was just the limit of current technology to measure. There were a small number of beings referred to as the Anat''runhaki, which sounded cool but literally meant ''beyond measure''.


    Be''larien came back out of his Life Story and turned his attention to his bracelet. All such bracelets beyond the 2nd generation models had DTIs. Display current height and attributes.


    A holographic screen projected from the bracelet, in a fashion that the displayed information was only visible to Be''larien''s eyes.


    [Height: 3.32 fels


    Inter-Molecular Bonding: 5,672 orvs, Vis''nhoc Rank: 42


    Musculo-Skeletal Output: 9,146 galds, Vish''nhoc Rank: 41


    Neuro-Muscular Response: 7.8 microtevs, Vis''nhoc Rank: 78


    Neural Processing: 368 silvas, Vis''nhoc Rank: 82


    Memory Capacity: Immeasurable, Vis''nhoc Rank: Anat''runhaki


    Psionic Advancement: Compression Stage 4th Level]


    Be''larien''s eyes nearly bugged out. He hadn''t quite finished going through the memories of the academy, but he already knew these values were ridiculous for a 100 year old Thelossian, except the height and memory capacity. A fel was about equal to 2 feet on Earth, meaning he was between 6''7" and 6''9", barely higher than average for a Thelossian. And Thelossians were one of several species born with perfect memory, so there was no limit to be measured.


    Everything else was off the charts though. For a normal Thelossian his age, Inter-Molecular Bonding would be in the lower 30s, Musculo-Skeletal Output would be in the upper 20s, Neuro-Muscular Response would be in the upper 60s, and Neural Processing would be in the lower 70s. And his Psionic Advancement would make some older Thelossians swallow their tongues.


    Psionics were divided into 7 stages with 12 levels each. The stages were Opening, Movement, Compression, Materialization, Projection, Connection, and Creation. Most Thelossians were well over 200 years old before they even broke into the Compression stage, let alone advanced the internal levels.


    But ultimately, psionics were mostly only useful for general telekinesis and telepathy before the Materialization stage. Psionic energy used for body and mind tempering in the early stages suffered a great deal of waste and progression was thus limited. After achieving Materialization though, psionic practitioners quickly became the most powerful individuals in the universe. And the further you progressed in psionic stages, the more powerful you would become.


    Be''larien was excited by this discovery of how powerful he already was, but decided he needed to finish going through his Life Story to really understand what it meant. Sinking back into the memories, Be''larien quickly reached his graduation.


    Bel graduated at the top of his class, with scores well beyond any of his fellows. Bel hadn''t made any real friends at the academy, the other students being jealous, intimidated, or enraptured by his beauty. Speaking of his beauty, that was something else Be''larien had been trying to avoid focusing on.


    He finally knew his hair was silver. Not silvery grey, but the actual color and metallic luster of silver. His eyes were a deep, almost glowing violet. As for his face, Be''larien wasn''t even sure of the right words. Lips, nose, eyes, teeth, chin, cheeks, eyebrows, eyelashes, forehead slope, none of these things seemed that amazing when focused on individually. Yet when added together they created a masterpiece that would''ve had men and women on Earth professing their eternal love and fighting to the death for his affections. The current Be''larien actually felt his hearts skip a beat whenever he came across his reflection in a memory.


    Regardless of all that, after graduation Bel was granted a low-level officer''s position on a Selbevia Class warship to start his 50 years of mandatory active service. Selbevia''s were the second most powerful ships in the Thelossian fleet, only superseded by the Elunis Class flagships. Such a posting was extraordinarily rare for a fresh cadet, and nearly unheard of with an officer''s position. Needless to say, Bel''s presence was not well received in the beginning.


    Bel''s posting was as a Ne''zheal 3rd Class in the navigation department, a position approximate to an Ensign. His ship was named the Ona''vhi, meaning roughly The Burning Flower. His first few months on the Ona''vhi were met with a rather cold reception, at least for Thelossians. This meant that while his fellows were perfectly willing to provide training and sex, they weren''t willing to provide real camaraderie. Emotionally, it was a lonely time for Bel.


    Eventually the mood thawed, and Bel started to make some real friendships. But during that same time, Bel was learning some of the darker truths of inter-galactic life. Crime will always exist in its myriad forms regardless of how advanced civilization becomes. Black market smuggling, corruption, murder, piracy, and slavery were alive and well in Freedom Universe, and it was the Thelossians'' job to keep them frightened and cowed in the Federation. Especially slavers.


    Slavery would always have a market with the depraved, and there were always those greedy enough to provide supply. Sad to say, advanced mental programming technology made turning almost anyone into a perfect slave all too easy to accomplish. And to those in the sex slave business, Thelossians looked like prime goods. Of course, any individual or organization greedy and stupid enough to try to enslave a Thelossian was not long for living.


    The Thelossian''s current military society was a direct result of their first forays into the wider universe. The first Thelossian interstellar ships didn''t even have weapons, the Thelossians not having known war in their entire, to then, recorded history. The pirates and criminals of space saw endless profit from the Thelossians and proceeded to capture them at every opportunity, ultimately proceeding to ransack the Thelossian home world.


    Realizing the possible imminent enslavement and destruction of their entire species, the Thelossians quickly adapted their existing tools and technology into effective weapons. By the time the situation stabilized, less than 20% of Thelossians were still alive and free.


    Coming to understand that the wider universe was a dangerous place, the Thelossians turned insular and began to train and develop weaponry. For nearly 5,000 years the Thelossians remained on their heavily guarded home world, constantly advancing their military technology and combat potential. When they re-entered the universe, the Thelossians embodied an old Earth saying: "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."


    What followed was the only time in their history the Thelossians had initiated hostilities. They proceeded to track down and eliminate all organizations and peoples that had attacked and enslaved their race in the past. The tragedies of that time are countless, the Thelossians having found many places where their kind had been genetically modified and grown in vats to be sold as mindless sex puppets. Entire worlds were obliterated by the Thelossians, inspired by a rage they had never known before or since. That period, known to Thelossians as The Great Retribution, and to others as The Thelossian War of Vengeance, eventually became the starting point of the current Federation.


    The Thelossians did not forget, and so their military society and advancement continued on. Now, more than six hundred thousand years later, the Thelossians served as defenders for the Federation, and occasionally performed policing actions when deemed appropriate. Though the destruction of slavers was still treated as a racial vendetta.


    As luck would have it, Bel''s first combat experience was against slavers. They received a report that pirates had raided one of their least defended colony worlds. Although the pirates took heavy damage, losing 8 ships and nearly 400 crew, two ships escaped with nearly two dozen captives, almost half of them children.


    With Thelossian resources it didn''t even take half a day to find the pirates and their base. The Thelossians were always amazed that people could be greedy and stupid enough to still try to enslave members of their race. The longest such an organization had survived in the last 10,000 years was 11 days, and that was with assistance from corruption at the highest levels of the Federation government. The second longest was less than 3 days. It was hard to imagine people being that stupid, but when they saw the current black market rate for a single Thelossian slave was nearly a hundred million credits, their brains seemed to disappear in a puff of smoke.


    The Ona''vhi was deployed, and Bel was tagged by his commanding officer to join the raid. Thelossian combat gear was perhaps the only clothing they had with full skin coverage, which tempted the current Be''larien to put his own on, but he held off for now. The armor consisted of an under armor that looked like a full body stocking with gloves, boots layered with nano-reactive armor, the nano-reactive armor itself which looked like a fancy belt when inactive but spread across the body like high-tech plate armor for combat, and an armored helmet with a face plate.


    The pirates'' ships and base defenses were destroyed by the Ona''vhi''s weapons, and Bel went down with the strike team to eliminate the pirates in the base and retrieve the captives. There was no concern the captives would be used as shields or hostages. This stemmed from a weapon of the Thelossians known as the Nanite Plague. Any being not a Thelossian, and with a physical ranking below 80, would be decomposed in a manner that was painful and horrible beyond imagining. Thelossians were loath to use it, but would not hesitate when ensuring the safety of their people.


    At this point, the pirates were fighting out of belligerence and desperation. They knew they were dead, and they wouldn''t make it worse for themselves by forcing a release of the Nanite Plague, but they were determined to take a few Thelossians with them.


    The first pirate Bel killed nearly made him throw up. The Theltan Pulsar Pistol he was using caused the pirate to explode in a cloud of blood and charred entrails, splattering the walls and ground. Bel separated that nauseous part from his primary focus, allowing it to be sick in the back of his mind, while he continued with the purge.


    The procession through the base was fairly quick, though the squishing sensation of the bloody, charred remnants of the pirates that Bel walked through would remain with him in his nightmares. They captured the ringleader, a Salnakti, which was a race that looked exactly like humans with light blue skin and solid black eyes. When they rescued the captives, both Bel and Be''larien''s hearts broke.


    The children were, thankfully, mostly unharmed. But the majority of the adults had already been put through mental reprogramming. Bel walked into a room with nearly a dozen Thelossians, male and female, down on their hands and knees, presenting themselves and begging lustfully to be sexually degraded in every way imaginable. They had almost no thoughts left other than being used as sex objects.


    It was despairingly easy for minds to be broken in such a fashion, but the work of years to reverse the damage, if it could ever truly be fully reversed at all. Only if someone''s Neural Processing was in at least the upper 80s could they resist modern mental programming methods. From this incident Bel''s heart was lit with the eternal rage the Thelossians had for slavers. They were the only type of criminal against which the Thelossians were truly ruthless.


    The pirate leader''s execution was broadcast through the Federation as an example. Only beings considered adults by their people could watch. And it was beyond horrible. The leader was executed by Nanite Plague. He basically melted from the outside-in without ever losing the ability to feel pain, in fact the pain was amplified several times. His screams were beyond haunting. Bel barely even blinked as he watched it in person, thinking that the vile son of a bitch was getting off easy.


    After that things returned almost exactly to how they were going before they eliminated the pirates. The only difference to Bel was that he was now fully accepted by the crew as a seasoned soldier. As time passed Bel learned the intricacies of piloting from the members of the navigation team, continued to sharpen his skills, and was slowly promoted to Ne''zheal 1st Class. He was enraged and saddened though that slaving attempts seemed to occur every 4-6 years, despite the savage retaliation.


    And then, in Bel''s 32nd year on the Ona''vhi, came the Vilmex Expansion War. Be''larien desperately wanted to ignore these ''memories'', despite how massively important they were, and for two distinct reasons. First, just barely peeking into some of these memories was nearly enough to give him PTSD. And the second reason was almost more compelling.


    During the war, Bel formed an extremely deep relationship with his commanding officer. So deep that during the war they swore a Life-Bond. And this relationship was intrinsically twined with much of the war. But looking at one of the memories of them almost gave Be''larien an aneurysm before he pulled back. It started with him giving a report to the officer while the officer was riding him like a stallion, but as the memory continued he wound up riding his officer like the stallion. The officer was another male Thelossian.


    Be''larien was fully back in the present, doing his best to tell himself that none of the memories were real, and the memories of the war weren''t really that important. There was also a fragment of his mind reciting a mantra. I''m not gay. I''m not gay. I''m not gay. I''m not gay. I''m not gay. I''m not-


    His newest breakdown was again interrupted by a loud huff. He looked up to find himself eye to eye with Hasa, who promptly leaned down and bumped Be''larien in the stomach with his nose, with just a little real force. A strong thought impression was sent to Be''larien. Please stop worrying over such meaningless things. You were who you were, you are who you are, and you will be who you will be. The only person hurt when you fight yourself is yourself. You are Thelossian now. Acknowledge it, accept it, and then you can let go.


    There was no admonishment in the thought. Just love and a desire for Be''larien to stop hurting himself. Trying not to tear up, Be''larien send back his own thoughts. I''m sorry Hasa. My mind is still an Earthling''s, and so I still have an Earthling''s baggage.


    Hasa gave an amused snort and gently nuzzled Be''larien this time. He sent a new thought. Silly beloved one, it''s only baggage while you persist in holding on to it.


    Be''larien sighed and smiled a bit as he once again got comfortable in Hasa''s fur. His own thoughts returned to Hasa. If only it were that easy, dearest one.


    Thinking about it, Be''larien realized that the words coming across in his communication with Hasa were open for misinterpretation. They weren''t actually communicating in ''words'', but pure meaning, yet some of the ''words'' translated in his brain seemed like romantic endearments. There was actually no romance involved, but the closest interpretations of the meaning came out as such.


    Not that this helped with the memories. Those were 100% romance. Deciding to man up, so to speak, Be''larien dove back into the memories, doing his best to keep the focus away from the sex in the relationship whenever possible, which proved depressingly little.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The Vilmex developed in un-unified space, meaning areas of the universe not under a central governing body, which still amounted to about 93% of the universe. They were a militaristic race based on the foundation of "might makes right". In their culture personal strength determined your position in society. It is somewhat amazing they survived as a race, let alone achieved interstellar travel.


    They had spent the last few dozen millennia destroying and consuming every other civilization in their sector. Their behavior was like locusts, and their numbers only added to the impression. Their fleet consisted of millions of ships. And now they were moving their armada into Federation controlled space.


    The first world''s fell quickly under their numbers. They were far from the Federation core worlds and almost on the opposite side from the Thelossian controlled worlds. The first part of the war was fought by the Federation Armed Forces (FAF), the ''official'' defenders of the Federation, who failed miserably. They just couldn''t compete when their ships were outnumbered at least 20 to 1 in every confrontation. Then the Federation asked the Thelossians to step in.


    If the Vilmex had ever bothered with anything like information gathering before expanding, they probably wouldn''t have attacked the Federation. No outside force had had the guts to perform more than intermittent raids on Federation territory for nearly a hundred thousand years. All because full scale war with the Federation always brought the Thelossians. And the Thelossians brought death.


    As far as space combat goes, the battle with the Vilmex was less a war and more of a slaughter. Thelossian ships didn''t even have to worry if they weren''t outnumbered at least 100 to 1. And Elunis Class flagships couldn''t even be scratched by Vilmex weaponry, destroying their ships at leisure.


    The Vilmex stood no chance in a ship confrontation. But since the Thelossians were trying to reclaim habitable planets and save as many of the Federation citizens as possible, they couldn''t rely on orbital bombardment or the Nanite Plague to kill Vilmex on the ground. While the ground assault vehicles were of course a match for hordes of Vilmex, they couldn''t be used to clear buildings, forests, and caves without leveling everything in sight. So the ground troops still had to fight.


    However, the ground war to reclaim lost planets turned out to be a veritable nightmare of a sh*t storm. Vilmex were one of the very rare races that developed on a planet with almost no water. Beings that developed under such conditions were always extremely powerful, at least physically. The Vilmex looked like a cross between a horse and scorpion that had been carved out of red jade with blue marbles inserted for their 9 eyes. The race averaged about 5.6 fels tall and 7.2 fels long. But the most important aspect was that even the weakest members of their race ranked in the 60s for both Inter-Molecular Bonding and Musculo-Skeletal Output. As ground troops go, they''re some of the scariest bastards in the universe.


    With Bel''s aptitude for combat he was re-assigned from navigation to a ground assault team. That was where he met Si''vizhil 1st Class Vo''natiri Kal''vardiem, commander of the 437th Heavy Assault Unit. Vo''natiri was a slender Thelossian of similar height to Bel, with B-cup breasts, sky-blue hair down to his shoulders, sapphire blue eyes, and a beauty that was more intense than enrapturing. Bel had been instantly attracted. Be''larien on the other hand was gritting his teeth to not break away from the memory.


    Bel only shared a few short words with Vo''natiri before their first deployment. And that''s when Bel truly learned of war. He thought he''d known from the battles with pirates, but those were little more than executions of criminals that never stood a chance. None of that prepared him for the Vilmex. For the visceral terror caused by their ruthless methods of combat. For the sight of a Vilmex missing half its limbs and most of its face, spurting green blood all over the ground, continuing a head long charge that ended with the Thelossian next to him spitted on a bone scythe attached to its remaining arm. A charge that could have just as easily ended with him on that scythe.


    It didn''t prepare him for the horror of watching his fellow soldier''s organs explode out of her back. For being showered in her blood and viscera. Or for being then showered in the blood and viscera of the Vilmex as it was torn apart under heavy weapons bombardment, an unmistakable glimmer of joy in its remaining eyes for having taken down an enemy with it. It didn''t prepare him for the guilt of not being able to save someone.


    After that first battle, back on the ship, Bel sat by himself in the mess hall with a blank look on his face. In his mind the death of the soldier next to him played over and over again. It hadn''t affected him in battle, his gun had been one of the ones to blast the Vilmex into pieces. But now it was all he could think about. He hadn''t even spoken with the girl before she died.


    It was during this that Vo''natiri found him. Vo''natiri was a true veteran soldier, he''d served his 50 years and stayed on in active service. At nearly 400 years old, he''d seen 2 or 3 sh*t storms that rivaled a fight with the Vilmex. But this wasn''t a single fight, but a war. And the Vilmex were so numerous that the war would likely drag on for years. Deciding Bel might need some guidance and a chance to unload, Vo''natiri invited him to talk.


    And talk they did, and only that. Bel spoke of his life and what happened in the battle. Then Vo''natiri shared tales of his life and the previous battles he''d been in. They spoke for an entire night. By morning, Bel was infatuated. Though nothing happened between them until after five more battles.


    Bel had just finished giving a report on casualties and damages taken in the most recent city reclamation. Normally he''d salute and leave, only this time he didn''t. Almost without conscious thought, Bel took three rapid steps forward and kissed Vo''natiri more passionately than he''d ever kissed anyone. Not more than 5 tevs later they were both removing their armor, freeing their breasts and-


    Be''larien had to stop. The conflict between who he was as an Earthling and these far too real ''memories'' was driving him insane. He desperately wanted to curse whoever created this Life Story, especially for making it so real that to remember it was to experience it, in perfect clarity. When he remembered Vo''natiri, he desired him, he felt him, he tasted him, he loved him. But it wasn''t real, and the Earthling in Be''larien had to desperately cling to that not to collapse before memories that made him question his identity and sense of self, all over a lifetime twice as long as he''d actually lived.


    Hasa was there, giving his absolute acceptance of all Be''larien was. Again, Be''larien had to admit that Hasa was the only thing keeping him from going insane. He knew he needed to finish the memories, but was deeply worried about the consequences for his sense of identity should he continue. To try and grant himself some tiny peace of mind, Be''larien decided to start trying to think of Vo''natiri as female. After all, the Thelossian language didn''t have gender pronouns to begin with, they only had technical terms for ''male'' and ''female''. Besides, if you ignored what was between the legs, Vo''natiri was nothing but a gorgeous woman. Be''larien, in his desperation, completely ignored the slippery slope he''d just climbed onto.


    Bel''s relationship with Vo''natiri, whom he''d started calling Tiri, developed at a rapid pace. Even while going over recently completed missions or discussing tactics for their next assignment, Bel and Tiri were inevitably trying to render each other into quivering, orgasmic wrecks. Be''larien was doing his best not to have a psychotic break as he absorbed the information on the war from those ''memories''.


    Their 437th Heavy Assault Unit had cleared 5 planets over the course of 2 years. They''d taken a minimum of 3 casualties at every location. And now the end of the war was in sight. After losing over half of their armada the Vilmex were giving up on Federation controlled space and pulling back their ships. The problem was they weren''t collecting their members from the planets they''d already been to. That meant clean up continued.


    The Ona''vhi had just dropped them off on their 6th planet for clearing, and hopefully their last. Unfortunately, it seemed this time the sh*t was really going to hit the fan. Things had progressed much like the other planets for the first few days. Then they were assigned to clear a large industrial complex.


    They knew something had gone wrong when the first scout drones were destroyed without being able to relay any information. They were tempted to call in a bombardment, but scans had shown there were several non-Vilmex life-forms hiding in a bunker under the building. With utmost caution, they decided to move in. They should''ve called in the bombardment. The civilians weren''t hiding. They''d been purposely put there, both as a shield, and as bait.


    Bel''s unit entered the complex, a jungle of pipes, robotics, conveyors, and silos. Their immediate goal was to find and evacuate the civilians. They''d moved through nearly 10% of the complex and were entering an open warehouse area when it happened. Something huge slammed into the ground in front of the unit, denting the metal lined floor and nearly knocking everyone off their feet. When the thing came into view, Bel''s hearts almost stopped.


    It was a Vilmex, but unlike any their unit had encountered before. It was nearly 50% bigger, had black streaks running across its carapace, and it''s eyes were green instead of blue. Records of this kind of Vilmex had been transmitted to all combat units early in the war. The basic information was: Elite Vilmex. Rank: Upper 70s. Extremely Dangerous. Order immediate bombardment.


    The unit almost instantly started firing, and Vo''natiri immediately sent out a signal that if the unit was wiped the Ona''vhi was to immediately bombard their location. The Vilmex was ridiculously fast though, evading most of the shots, and what few hit did minimal damage to its large body. Bel was stunned as she continued to fire. They were using Andalar Class Heavy Pulsar Rifles, weapons that could basically vaporize any other race he had met. And yet the shots that hit were barely able to crack this Vilmex''s carapace. The difference between a rank in the 60s and 70s was huge.


    Thelossian armor for the Heavy Assault Units forcibly raised a soldier''s physical attributes rank into the upper 60s, but it wasn''t enough now. A single swipe of the Vilmex''s bone scythe blasted away 5 members of their unit, and they only had 30 members. Bel hoped they had died instantly, as she couldn''t imaging the pain they''d suffer if anything in that tangled mass of limbs and blood was still alive.


    The Vilmex shot forward like a rocket, ripping apart 6 more soldiers in its path. All this time, Bel continued to fire his rifle. While cracks continued to form on its carapace, they just weren''t doing nearly enough damage. Within a few seconds of the battle beginning, only Bel, Tiri, and 3 other members were still alive.


    With one more swing of its arm, those 3 additional members were slaughtered and its bone scythe homed in on Bel. In this moment of life or death, Bel placed his rifle in the path of the scythe. At the moment it broke, it exploded, hurtling Bel away from the Vilmex. She flew through the air before crashing into the metal ground and tumbling until she hit a wall. His arms and legs were mangled and charred, almost all his ribs were broken, and he was pretty sure his spine had snapped. But Bel was alive.


    The Vilmex had paused, looking down at its now broken and charred bone scythe. It focused its eyes on Bel, and then its mandibles opened as it released an ear grating chittering sound. It was laughing. Whether at how pathetic it felt Bel was in his attempt to save himself, or the fact such a pathetic creature had managed to damage it, or just to ridicule them, they couldn''t know. But Tiri didn''t miss the chance to take advantage of its hubris.


    She pulled a small pistol-type weapon from a holster at her waist. Bel had asked her about it before, but she''d told him his clearance wasn''t high enough to know. She aimed and fired in less than a fraction of a second. A streak that seemed to eat the light flashed directly into the Vilmex''s open mouth, causing it to start hacking. But Tiri wasn''t watching.


    The moment she fired she dropped the gun and charged at Bel. Picking him up while dashing by caused Bel enormous pain, but Tiri didn''t stop or slow down. Bel had a good view from her carried position of the Vilmex. It wasn''t chasing them, instead it was violently ripping at its own mouth and throat. Then it started to collapse.


    That''s the only way Bel could describe it. The Vilmex simply started to collapse into a point in its throat. And then the space around the Vilmex showed signs of distortion. They turned a corner and he couldn''t see the Vilmex anymore, but then there was a bright flash of light, a lot of pain, and then darkness.


    When Bel came to he was floating in a medical pod. The medical nanites in the solution were rapidly repairing and replacing her damaged bones and tissues. He could only see out of one eye at the moment, but he could see that in the pod across from him was Tiri. Her damage wasn''t nearly as bad as Bel''s, but she still looked like hell. Tiri seemed to notice Bel''s attention, and smiled at him. Bel did his best to return the smile.


    Tiri was released within half a day. It took 3 whole days to repair Bel''s body. They''d had to completely re-grow his right arm from the elbow, as well as his left eye. When she met back up with Tiri, they spent the next two days in bed, making each other deliriously happy, and trying to forget the terror. And on the 3rd day the 437th Heavy Assault Unit was reformed, using soldiers from other damaged units.


    The clearing of the planet continued. Luckily, there were no more elite Vilmex. Tiri had told Bel about the weapon she''d used to kill it during their two days of decadence. It was an experimental single shot weapon called a Pulse Singularity Pistol. One had been issued to the commander of each ground assault unit with strict orders to use it only as a last resort. It was capable of killing a being with a physical rank in the upper 80s, but it would kill everything around the target too. If Tiri hadn''t picked up Bel and run right after firing, they''d be dead. As it was, they''d only barely survived by turning that corner at the end. The industrial complex had been made from very tough materials.


    At long last the planet was cleared of Vilmex. It was on their last day before leaving that Bel stood next to Tiri on hill covered in orange grass, watching a red sun sink in a purple hued sky. They held each other close, gazed into each other''s eyes, and swore their love for one another.


    "I, Be''larien Sil''nathiel, give myself to Vo''natiri Kal''vardiem. My hearts, my body, my soul are yours, until the end of time. I love you, Tiri, and I swear my life to yours."


    Bel had tears leaking from her eyes but a smile on her lips, as did Tiri, who swore her own oath. "I, Vo''natiri Kal''vardiem, give myself to Be''larien Sil''nathiel. My hearts, my body, my soul are yours, until the end of time. I love, Bel, and I swear my life to yours. May we never be parted."


    They kissed passionately, and proceeded to consecrate their Life-Bond on that very hill. Multiple times. The unit poked fun at them when they returned to the shuttle, but even then Bel couldn''t wipe the stupid smile off his face. Neither could Tiri.


    But tragedy was waiting for Bel once again. The war was almost over, and the Ona''vhi was given its last mission. There was a planet the Vilmex were using as a resource hub that had no indigenous civilization, or much in the way of indigenous life at all. The Ona''vhi was to clear it out. It was ultimately a cake run, they''d simply use the Ona''vhi''s guns to bombard Vilmex constructions and life-signs from orbit.


    Unfortunately, their information was outdated. The Vilmex left in the Federation had used this planet as a fallback position. By the time the Ona''vhi''s sensors detected the problem, it was too late. They were surrounded. 487 Vilmex ships against a single Selbevia Class warship. It was an unfortunately even fight.


    There was nothing Bel could do in this fight, it was up to the Ona''vhi''s gunners and the pilots of their carried assault ships. He and Tiri held each other as the ship continued to shake and rock from explosions. Then there was one massive explosion that knocked them off their feet, and the evacuation alarms started to sound.


    Bel and Tiri quickly ran for the escape pods. When they arrived though, they discovered that half the bay had been destroyed. There weren''t nearly enough escape pods for the entire crew.


    The command had already come down that the youngest would evacuate first. As one of the few members of the Ona''vhi under 100 years old, Bel was immediately assigned a pod. Tiri, on the other hand, was 389 years old, one of the oldest crew members. She wouldn''t be getting a pod.


    Bel was desperately clinging to Tiri, refusing to board her escape pod. "I won''t leave you, Tiri! I won''t escape by myself! Not again!"


    Bel''s face was streaked with tears and his nose was snotty, but Tiri leaned in and kissed him with every ounce of love she possessed. Tears were streaming down her own face as she placed her lips next to Bel''s ear. "I love you, Bel. Live a good life." And then Bel felt a pinch in the back of her neck.


    Tiri lifted Bel up into her arms as she dropped the micro-injector gun. Bel had lost all motor control, he could barely speak. As Tiri strapped her into the escape pod, Bel''s tears fell without end. Mustering what control she could, Bel pleaded. "P-please, Ti-iri, do-on''t..."


    With tears dripping from her chin, Tiri leaned in and kissed Bel desperately, one last time. "I love you so much, Bel. Too much to let you die." Then she stepped back, closed the hatch, and activated the escape pod. Bel''s last view of Tiri was her tear-filled blue eyes, and a sad smile on her lips. Bel was screaming in her head, Please, not again!


    But the escape pod launched, out into the blackness of space. Thelossian escape pods were heavily cloaked and armored, but that didn''t stop the Vilmex from trying to destroy them. Bel''s pod was rocked by multiple explosions, and then a lucky shot damaged the propulsion system. The pod flew off course, away from the primary shipping lanes, away from the battle, and out into the dark void.


    Bel regained motor control after about 30 minutes, not that it meant much. She sank into her memories of Tiri, freezing constantly on that last image. He thought about his parents, and his father''s face that looked so like Tiri''s. Will everyone I love force me to go on without them?


    The escape pod was capable of supporting a conscious passenger for 3 days. After that it would force the occupant into suspended animation where it could continue to support them for up to a decade. On the second day the damaged propulsion unit fried itself, and took a chunk of the life support system with it. The suspended animation system was incapable of activating now, which meant Bel had at most two more days before she ran out of air.


    But Bel didn''t care. He remained in his fugue state, growing weaker by not availing himself of the provided nutrient capsules, and seeming to hope for death. Will I see my parents? Will I see Tiri? That''s all she thought of.


    Then, on the fourth day, as Bel was slipping between consciousness and unconsciousness in the waning air supply, the escape pod came to a stop. It might be more accurate to say it bumped into something. Feeling the jolt, Bel looked out of the pod''s only view port, where he met two giant, glowing blue eyes. They seemed to peer into the depths of her very soul. Then a gentle thought flowed into his mind. Would you live for me, little one?


    Be''larien snapped back to the present. He''d been far more immersed in these recent memories than the earlier ones. But how the Life Story arranged her meeting with Hasa jerked her back to the present. Turning his head to look at Hasa''s face, he found Hasa''s eyes already focused on him. Before she could even ask the question, Hasa sent a thought impression, this one containing far more than ''words''.


    He saw an image of Hasa walking through the dark vastness of space, travelling at speeds that made the universe blur. Then he suddenly stopped as a being appeared before him. It seemed to be made of glowing, white mists. It held out a tendril on which was a small ball of pulsing silver mist. Be''larien''s soul.


    The entity asked Hasa if he was willing to bond with this soul. There was the impression that Hasa was not the first asked, not by a long shot. As ancient as Hasa was, he''d never considered a soul bond. Only out of respect for this entity did Hasa even entertain the idea. Sending out of tendril of his mind, Hasa looked into the nature of this soul.


    Hasa''s thought impression didn''t include what he''d found in Be''larien''s soul, but after a short pause he agreed to the entity''s request. The entity drew a thin silver thread from Be''larien''s soul and seemed to plunge it into Hasa''s brain. When the tendril retracted it pulled with it a pulsing black and silver thread that sunk into Be''larien''s soul. Then Be''larien''s soul and Hasa were instantly transported to their current location, where Be''larien''s current body almost instantly took form.


    Be''larien continued to stare into Hasa''s eyes after the image faded. Standing up, for the first time in this form, Be''larien took a few steps forward to stand immediately before Hasa''s muzzle, not even noticing the heels on his sandals. With tears streaming down her face, she hugged Hasa right over his nose. Tears were falling from Be''larien''s eyes as he buried his face in the fur of Hasa''s head. She didn''t know how many beings her soul had been presented to, how many had said no, but Hasa looked into her soul and said yes. Hasa said yes.


    Letting out a very light snort, Hasa sent his thoughts that Be''larien was being silly. Be''larien didn''t care, and didn''t let go of the hug, and Hasa didn''t stop him. After a few minutes Be''larien finally let go, and stepping back she wiped at her eyes to get rid of the tears. Finally using his real voice, Be''larien said, "Thank you Hasa. Thank you for sharing your soul with mine." This time Be''larien didn''t even notice the natural purr of her voice.


    Hasa snorted, his go to move really, and sent a thought that contained his entire opinion. You are my beloved one. Be''larien''s smile was almost splitting his face, and his hearts felt full to bursting. Hasa closed his eyes, turned his head, and went back to a resting position. He sent a final thought. Now finish learning who you were in this world, so you can start being who you are.


    Following Hasa''s advice, Be''larien went back to Hasa''s side, sat down, and leaned back into his fur once again. It was time to finish this. When he went back into the memories, he wouldn''t come out until he''d reached the present.


    Bel''s initial meeting with Hasa''renalim was defining. She felt Hasa in her soul, his all encompassing knowledge and acceptance of everything she was, and when he asked if she would live for him, from her hearts came the answer. Yes.


    Suddenly he felt Hasa even more intimately, occupying a spot in his heart he hadn''t known was empty. New tears poured down Bel''s face as she realized she wouldn''t ever be alone again, and she''d never be left behind. The door of the escape pod vanished as if it had never been, and yet the air in the pod didn''t escape, nor did the cold void of space rush in. A gentle force disintegrated the straps holding Bel in the pod, and began to gently pull him toward Hasa''s gargantuan form.


    Hasa was massive, easily the size of a medium size Thelossian ship. He could play kickball with asteroids. Be''larien almost came back to the present, but decided her curiosity could wait.


    Bel was floated up to the level of Hasa''s head, and gently descended into the fur between his antlers. It was like being wrapped in a warm, fluffy blanket that smelled of grass after a spring storm. Bel could almost feel the hurts of his hearts healing. A thought came from Hasa. Shall we go home?


    Home? What home? Bel''s home had been destroyed, twice. First her parents, and then Tiri. What home could she have?


    Bel sent her own thought. No Hasa. Not yet. First we go to war. Hasa paused for a moment, and then his own thought returned. As you need. And Hasa began to walk. And the universe began to move.


    While a Star-Treading Deer is extremely powerful, one of the Anat''runhaki, that is not their defining trait. They are FAST. Aside from those beings that can warp to anywhere they wish, only a handful of individual entities are faster than a Star-Treading Deer. Within but a few minutes they arrived at the retreating Vilmex armada.


    There were nearly a million Vilmex ships, all concentrating fire on 3 Elunis Class flagships. While the Vilmex weapons were doing minimal damage, the Thelossian ships were rendered incapable of attacking, simply because their attacks got swallowed by the ones from the Vilmex. And then Bel and Hasa appeared among the Vilmex ships.


    To Hasa, the Vilmex ships may as well have been paper. He didn''t so much attack as begin walking through them. Everywhere he passed the Vilmex ships shattered and exploded. The Vilmex began diverting their weapons to attack Hasa, but he was too fast. Not that their weapons would have been effective in the first place.


    With the pressure reduced the Thelossian''s own weapon fire started getting through. The Vilmex ships began to vanish at incredible pace. Bel would later learn that once the Vilmex ships reached only a few thousand they desperately tried to surrender. But Bel didn''t know, and she probably would have kept attacking anyway. The Vilmex were like a plague, and he needed to vent his anger and sorrow.


    Finally the last Vilmex ship was destroyed. Sitting on Hasa''s head, Bel watched the wreckage. She felt... drained. She just wanted to rest. Hasa sent a thought. Home?


    Bel sighed. Vengeance was served, but he gained nothing. Nothing but Hasa. And that was everything. Yes, Hasa. Now we go home.


    Hasa began to slowly approach the Thelossian flagships. They wisely didn''t target him. Aside from the fact he''d helped them destroy the Vilmex, and their sensors had already seen Bel sitting on his head, the Thelossians just weren''t plain stupid enough to aim their weapons at a Star-Treading Deer.


    As Hasa approached the central flagship his body rapidly shrunk until he was only the size of a Thelossian assault ship. Bel had been shifted from sitting on his head to sitting between his shoulders. They went in through the docking bay that had been opened for them. There was a small welcoming party for them, including a Lo''nacri, a commanding Thelossian admiral.


    Bel was gently lowered to the ground via Hasa''s power as Hasa shrunk to the size of a normal deer. The Lo''nacri, a woman with long golden hair and crimson eyes, immediately approached. "Be''larien Sil''nathiel, it is good to see a survivor of the Ona''vhi." Bel wasn''t surprised they knew who she was. After all, she was still wearing her combat gear.


    "I am Lo''nacri Si''tani Min''acrias, commander of the Thelossian fleet. I thank you and your friend for your timely aid. Would you introduce us?"


    Bel knew what the Lo''nacri was after, since Bel would never have qualified to even speak with her on his own. Anyone at the rank of Lo''nacri was ultimately a politician. And while Thelossian politicians were the best you could hope for, they were still politicians. And when you ride in on a Star-Treading Deer, your importance quickly skyrockets.


    Still, Bel wasn''t foolish or crass enough to point this out. "This is Hasa''renalim, my bonded. And if it''s not too much trouble, I''d appreciate a bed. I''m exhausted."


    Bel could tell the Lo''nacri wasn''t too happy about the redirect, but she wasn''t about to call Bel on it. Not when Hasa was standing right behind her. "Of course." She turned to a nearby officer. "Si''vizhil, escort the Ne''zheal and her bonded to appropriate quarters."


    The Si''vizhil saluted, right hand over left breast. "At once, commander."


    Turning back to Bel, the Lo''nacri said, "Rest well Ne''zheal, we will have much to discuss later." Bel nodded and she turned to Hasa. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hasa''renalim." She offered a respectful salute and slight bow to Hasa.


    With that the Lo''nacri took her leave. The Si''vizhil approached them and said, "Please, follow me."


    They were led to sizable quarters, far too big for a Ne''zheal to qualify for, but then Bel understood these quarters were mostly for Hasa. Without even glancing at the bed, she walked over to where Hasa had lain down, where she promptly sat down, leaned back against him, and fell asleep. He''d need the rest. Her life would likely be a circus for the near future.


    And right she was. After the interviews about what happened on the Ona''vhi and how she met Hasa, she promptly became a celebrity. Everyone wanted to be her friend, and through her, Hasa''s friend. It was enough to drive him mad.


    The Thelossian flagship returned not to Thelos, but to Dalvarmik, the Capital Planet of the Federation. A great deal of pomp was made, and Bel was publicly awarded a medal for services to the Federation. She was also given a sizable cash reward. Bel thought it was a big joke. Her ''services'' were vengeance, and the action itself was carried out mostly by Hasa. But she didn''t turn it down, because the event boosted the morale of the entire Federation and the Thelossians. But she''d never wear the medal again after that day.


    When Bel finally got back to Thelos, and after being fawned over excessively, he was promoted to Si''vizhil 2nd Class and assigned to a new Selbevia Class ship in the Assault Unit. She was the youngest Si''vizhil in 20,000 years, and the youngest 2nd Class in recorded history. But it all felt hollow.


    She rode on Hasa from Thelos to her new berth, the San''kavil. It was in orbit around the planet she''d grown up on, Alabrax. The trip was all too short. She could ride through space on Hasa forever.


    Bel settled formalities with her new commander quickly and went to rest in her quarters before her rotation began. Hasa had special quarters built for him near the docking bay, where he was already relaxing. Bel thought he might pick up some ''company'' while on his way to his own. But she didn''t get far before she stopped dead in her tracks.


    Before Bel was a rather delicate looking Thelossian, she was barely 3 fels tall. But she had glorious emerald hair that hung to her mid-back and radiant golden eyes. There was a nervous expectant smile on her lips. Bel''s hearts stopped. "Tas?"


    The smile on Tas'' face blossomed into a radiance that left Bel struck dumb. She giggled and said, "So you do remember me, Bel. I was worried I''d been forgotten."


    Shaking off her stunned state, Bel quickly closed on Tas and pulled her into a desperate hug. Tears were forming in her eyes. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."


    Bel felt wetness on his shoulder as Tas whispered, "I know just how happy you are. Because that''s how happy I am to see you too."


    They proceeded on to Bel''s quarters, where they talked, Bel''s desire for ''company'' forgotten. It turned out Tas had shown a flare for engineering during her time at the academy, and was assigned to a Lothan Class ship''s engineering crew after graduation. She increased her skills over the years and was assigned to the San''kavil during the war with the Vilmex. Now the war was over and here they were.


    Much like her time with Tiri, Bel''s relationship with Tas grew slowly, at least for Thelossians. However in this case Bel admitted to herself right away that she desperately wanted Tas. But she had an irrational fear that if they got together something would happen to tear them apart. Hasa had even told him to stop being silly.


    Finally, after 4 months, and while they were relaxing in Bel''s quarters watching holo-vids, it was Tas who moved first. She stood up and moved directly in front of Bel, then she sat on her lap, pressed their breasts together, and proceeded to kiss Bel''s brains out. Bel was shocked at first, but quickly one hand went to the nape of Tas'' neck and the other to her ass. Bel ground her rapidly hardening member into Tas'' rocking hips.


    Tas pulled back from the kiss, flushed and a little breathless. My god she''s beautiful, was the only thought in Bel''s head. Tas placed both her hands on Bel''s cheeks and stared into her eyes. "I love you Bel. I''ve loved you since we were children. And I''m not letting your fears rob us of one more minute together. You got that?" Bel could only nod before Tas leaned in to kiss her senseless again.


    They weren''t wearing armor since they weren''t on duty, so what little clothes they had rapidly vanished. While Thelossians are perfectly capable of thinking of other things during sex, they don''t have to. Bel and Tas proceeded to focus on each other as they explored all of life''s joys. At least until they were on duty again.


    And so life went. Tas and Bel became each other''s primary partner, and while they both had other partners, sometimes together, they could never get enough of each other. After 6 years, when Bel was 90 years old, they swore their Life-Bond.


    They performed their oaths during leave on Alabrax. They were in a little wooded area of a park they played in as children. Both of them were deliriously happy, but Bel couldn''t help but worry.


    Ultimately, Bel''s worries came to naught. The next 10 years passed by with nothing more than the occasional standard fight with pirates. Bel and Tas had served their mandatory 50 years. They both agreed to leave active service together, at least for a while. Bel used the reward she''d received from the Vilmex War to buy a very nice house on Alabrax, with a backyard the size of a park for Hasa to roam in. They''d moved in two weeks ago, and Bel had just come out to the yard to spend some time with Hasa.


    Be''larien opened her eyes back in the present.

 Chapter 5 - Getting Out Of Dodge

    Coming completely back out of the ''Life Story'', Be''larien felt like something was off. Something had shifted, but she couldn''t figure out what. One thing she did know was that her brain no longer felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces. Oh well, I''ll figure it out later.


    Standing up, Be''larien finally took conscious stock of her surroundings. What she''d assumed was a park was in fact just her back yard. She could just make out the house through the trees straight ahead of her. The house was three stories tall, with a large amount of floor space and a design reminiscent of a fat oriental pagoda. Well, at least the ''Personal Living Quarters: Great'' worked out.


    Now there was just one problem, Be''larien was about 99.999% sure that a real-life Tas was in there. And that was not something she was ready to deal with. But she knew a way to check without actually going in there. She looked at her Omni-Net Bracelet. Call Tas.


    A holographic screen popped up.


    [Connecting...]


    After about two seconds the projection turned into a holographic Tas. And Be''larien''s hearts nearly stopped. The hologram showed Tas'' entire top half, which was completely naked. F*ck, she''s real.


    Tas smiled. "Bel! Are you coming back in?"


    Thinking quick, something that Thelossians were thankfully quite good at, Be''larien said with a smile, "Not yet, love. Hasa has been cooped up here since we moved in, so he and I were about to go out for a bit of a walk about." Part of Be''larien''s brain wasn''t entirely happy with this reply. First, because the smile was 100% real, she''d simply had one pop out the moment Tas smiled at her. Second, she hadn''t meant to say ''love'', it had just come out naturally.


    Tas put on a fake pout that caused that segment of Be''larien''s brain to fume because she found the gesture irresistibly cute. "You mean you''re going to go wander in space for hours on end and leave me here all by my lonesome?"


    Completely without conscious will, Be''larien''s own face and voice took on a playful seriousness. "Most definitely."


    Tas broke out into giggles, the sound of which made Be''larien''s hearts feel lighter than air. And there was still the part of Be''larien''s brain that was screaming, Gah! No more! Her giggles under control, Tas said, "Alright, then off you go. And when you get back, I''ll give you a very special welcome home." Tas'' eyes turned to seductive slits as she licked her lips and brought her hands up to caress her breasts.


    Be''larien instantly felt her nipples harden and her member strain against her shorts. And the part of her brain that wasn''t just massively turned on was shouting some more. F*cking stop it! Just stop it! What f*cking ''Life Story''? This is brainwashing I tell you, BRAIN-WAH-SHING!


    Deciding discretion was the better part of valor, Be''larien realized she''d best retreat quickly. "I''m looking forward to it, love." Be''larien was very conflicted over the fact that that was 100% true. "But I need to leave first."


    Tas laughed again as she removed her hands from her breasts, leaving Be''larien both relieved and disappointed. "Ok, you two have fun out there. Love you."


    Be''larien nodded. "Sure thing, hon. Love you too." And then the hologram faded out. Be''larien moved her hands to her cheeks to rub away the smile she couldn''t seem to get rid of. F*ck. I need to get out of here and clear my brain a bit.


    Turning back to Hasa, she found him already standing and looking at her. His thought transmission came before she could say anything. So, will we just wander, or would you like to go somewhere specific?


    Be''larien stopped to think for a second, which was a decent time for Thelossians. Choosing to answer aloud, she said, "I think I need to go somewhere without any Thelossians, somewhere a little more... normal. At least for this Universe. Maybe... Dalvarmik. We''ll go to the Capital World."


    Hasa nodded. Then shall we? Preparing to get on Hasa, Be''larien paused as she remembered something, something that made her smile. And this smile came entirely from her real self, not the ''Life Story'' that seemed to be taking over her mind. When not on Thelossian controlled worlds or in their private domiciles, Thelossians always wore their combat gear.


    Looking down at her bracelet, she thought, Display Storage.


    [Please choose a folder:


    Mementos


    Day Clothes


    Shoes


    *Naughty* Clothes


    *Naughty* Toys


    Weapons


    Armor


    Speeder]


    Be''larien felt her eyelids twitch at a couple of those folders. Ignore it, Bel. Just ignore it. Turning her thoughts to the bracelet, Display Armor.


    [Armor:


    Class III Tactical Under Armor


    Class IV Tactical Combat ArmorA case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Class IV Tactical Combat Boots


    Class IV Tactical Combat Helmet]


    Thank god. Be''larien was very happy to see these. And thanks to the ''Life Story'', she knew most militarily inactive Thelossians received all Class III gear. Withdraw Class III Tactical Under Armor, Class IV Tactical Combat Armor, and Class IV Tactical Combat Boots. Be''larien didn''t think she''d need the helmet.


    A heat-like distortion appeared near the ground and started to rise quickly. When it vanished, the 3 items were sitting on the ground. Be''larien quickly removed her current clothes and went to store them. She didn''t seem to take notice of the fact she''d just stripped naked out in the open.


    When she told the bracelet to store items, the heat-like shimmer appeared at waste height. Be''larien just dropped her clothes into it and they vanished along with the shimmer. She then immediately picked up the under armor. It looked like a black, see-through mesh full-body stocking. As she pulled it on it automatically tightened to skin tight. It covered everything up to her neck, including her hands and feet, but did absolutely nothing to hide her naked body. If anything it greatly emphasized her member, breasts, and sleek muscles.


    She then picked up and put on the actual armor, which looked like a futuristic belt at the moment. Once it was on she used its DTI. Armor activate.


    Up and down from the belt spread what looked like a viscous black liquid. In just over a second Be''larien was covered up to her neck with black segmented plate armor that looked almost like insect carapace. The joints seemed to have a duller inner carapace that expanded and contracted as she moved, allowing her to retain full range of motion.


    While the suit was near skin tight and did nothing to hide her figure, Be''larien already felt a great deal of mental relief. She no longer felt like she was dressed as the sluttiest worker in a bordello. Be''larien slid her feet into the black, plated boots, which automatically adjusted and fused with the armor. The soles of the boots looked almost like rubber, but Be''larien knew it wasn''t even similar in properties. She could walk vertically and even upside-down on most surfaces at will, and wouldn''t even notice stepping on a sharp nail not made of very special materials.


    Maybe it was the under armor, but even with the full body coverage Be''larien felt like she was wearing silk lingerie. Regardless, at least now she wasn''t completely exposed to the whole world, which made her feel better. Returning her attention to Hasa, she said, "Okay, let''s go."


    Hasa snorted in amusement as he levitated Be''larien onto his back. Once she was on he didn''t hesitate and began to walk. And the world fell away.


    She''d experienced it in the ''Life Story'', but even in the ''Life Story'' she''d known that the memory never compared to the actual experience of riding on Hasa. Every time was like a spiritual awakening. The very universe seemed to weave around and through you. Space meant nothing. Time meant nothing. All was one. And then they arrived at the destination, and the awakening ended. All that was left was the bittersweet memory that was a pale echo of the moment.


    Coming back to herself, Be''larien took her first real look at Dalvarmik, the Capital World. The whole planet was basically one giant city. It seemed Earth''s vision of futuristic sci-fi worlds was at least partially accurate. You couldn''t even see the ground on Dalvarmik from the air, and what nature was visible was in the manufactured parks and gardens of the higher levels. And an endless stream of vehicles was flowing through the cerulean skies.


    Hasa and Be''larien touched down in one of those parks. After Hasa levitated her down to the ground, he promptly shrunk himself until he was small enough to fit in Be''larien''s hand. Then he landed on her head, laid down, and settled in to continue napping.


    Be''larien had seen him do this in the ''Life Story'', but still hadn''t expected it to happen in reality. She knew that despite how precarious his position looked that she could start head-banging like she was at a rock concert and he wouldn''t budge a nanometer. Hasa sent a thought to her unasked question. While my memory was not altered, I was provided the knowledge of our time together in your ''Life Story''. This is the method I would likely have chosen to accompany you in crowded areas anyway. I see no point in choosing an alternate method just for spite.


    Be''larien tried not to blush in embarrassment. Hasa was right that she wanted him to do something different from the ''Life Story'' to follow her, and he was right that it would''ve been for nothing more than spite. But his thought again contained no judgment, just the truth.


    Well, let''s get started on my first real foray into this city. Be''larien knew from the ''Life Story'' that she was currently in the Phalian District Park of the 287th Sector. She knew there would be transportation available at the west end of the park. She thought she might start by exploring the market district. The memories in the ''Life Story'' indicated there was always something interesting to see there.


    The park itself actually reminded her a lot of Earth. The grass and leaves were green, bark was brown, and the flowers had no unusual colors, at least not in the human visual spectrum. There were several that were quite beautiful in ultraviolet.


    It wasn''t long after she started walking that Be''larien had her first real sight of a non-Thelossian humanoid male. Oh my god, that poor deformed bastard! As Be''larien consciously processed this instinctual and visceral response, she felt an enormous wave of relief wash over her. Oh thank you sweet, salty Christ, I''m NOT gay!


    Be''larien had known from the ''Life Story'' that Thelossians were disgusted by what other races considered the standard male appearance. But after Tiri and the apparently very real Tas, Be''larien had been starting to have very serious identity issues. Now though, Be''larien had hard evidence that Thelossians saw males of all other species like they were the Elephant Man. And while there might be ''special'' individuals out there who could look past that for a physical relationship, Be''larien was immensely thankful that she was not one of them.


    But as happy as Be''larien was to be thoroughly and viscerally disgusted by the male appearance of other races, that left Tiri and Tas as a very big puzzle. As a thought experiment, Be''larien imagined a series of naked Thelossian females. She felt her nipples harden a bit and her member throb, which put a smile on her face.


    Then, steeling herself, Be''larien imagined a series of naked Thelossian males, though not Tiri or Tas. The result, while she hadn''t been excited, she wasn''t turned off either. Now Be''larien frowned a bit, but decided she''d accept being neutral about people that were 98% hot woman and 2% something extra. She wasn''t anywhere near happy about it, but she''d accept it.


    Next, Be''larien allowed herself to think of Tas naked, that beaming smile on her face as she gently caressed a hand over her breasts, as she slowly lowered to her knees to take Be''larien''s throbbing member into her- Be''larien stopped as she was panting, her nipples were rock hard, and her member was trying to rip through her armor. Her hands had stopped mid-motion, one going to her breasts and the other to her crotch.


    God''s damned brainwashing!, she told herself as she worked to calm down. Ok, so I''m 100% disgusted by males of other races, so heterosexuality: check. I seem to be neutral with regards to Thelossian males, which is disturbing, but I''ll deal. But, BUUUUTT, just thinking about Tas can send me from zero to light speed in an instant. F*cking ''Life Story''!


    Be''larien changed her mind about going to the market district. Her first stop would be the Arena. She really felt like killing something.

 Chapter 6 - Civilized Violence

    As she walked to the west end of the park, and as she passed multiple forms of humanoid males, Be''larien was left with the subtle feeling of traversing an old-world Freak Show. She also realized she was probably feeling just a tad too much relief at that sensation. Come one, come all! Hide your children! Come and see the revolting, horrifying Non-Thelossian Male! Just a nickel a view!


    Be''larien snickered to herself. She also did her best not to notice everyone staring at Hasa laying on her head. She arrived at the area for public transport and walked to a section with vehicles reminiscent of new model black Lincoln Town Cars, minus the wheels. Most public transport was small pod-like vehicles or larger ones for families. The larger car-shaped vehicles were reserved for 1st Class citizens.


    Vaguely sensing the scan of her identity as she entered the vehicle, Be''larien was impressed with the interior. There was no driver area, the vehicle being entirely AI piloted. Instead the entire interior was plush seats and creature comforts like a nice limousine. 1st Class citizenship rocks.


    1st Class citizenship wasn''t easy to come by in the Federation. It required a sizeable contribution, whether by military service, economic improvement, or political advancement. There was only one group that all had 1st Class citizenship, Thelossians. It had been a part of the requirements from the Thelossians when they agreed to act as defenders for the Federation. It was never much of an issue in reality as most Thelossians stayed on Thelossian controlled worlds.


    "To the Sector Arena," Be''larien said after she''d sat down. The vehicle instantly took off. As they flew, Be''larien thought about the Arena.


    While civilization had advanced, that didn''t mean savagery and bloodlust had been left behind. Some races were still extremely warrior-like, and needed an outlet. As such, most major worlds where many species interacted had some form of facility like the Arena, regardless of what they called it.


    The Arena provided two primary services. First, two sentient beings could opt to fight each other through the use of real-to-life VR. This allowed people to vent on one another without physical bloodshed. Most civilized worlds didn''t want to condone citizens killing each other, even if agreed upon, and this seemed like a decent compromise. That didn''t stop Underground Arenas from providing true blood sport though.


    The second service was for those who needed something more visceral and ''real''. They hosted an actual gladiatorial arena where one could fight dangerous beasts to their hearts'' content. And this was the service Be''larien intended to avail herself of.


    Arriving at the Arena, Be''larien exited the ''cab''. The outside of the Arena didn''t appear that different from the surrounding buildings, other than the giant holographic sign announcing it as ''The Arena''. It looked almost like a futuristic office building, a notion not challenged by the people flowing in and out of the building.


    As Be''larien entered the building, people moved aside to make way for her. Though this likely had less to do with her and everything to do with the tiny Star-Treading Deer sitting on her head. Thelossians were respected and a little feared, but not enough to clear paths at a place like the Arena. Not that Be''larien was complaining.


    She made her way over to a desk with a sign saying ''Registration''. Behind the desk was a female Osmilix, a semi-humanoid race that looked like anthropomorphic lizards. Despite advanced AIs and robotics, most receptionist positions still used the ''human'' touch.


    After managing to tear her gaze from the tiny Hasa, the receptionist turned her eyes to Be''larien and asked, "Will you be registering for VR or the live Arena?" Her voice had a sibilant hiss and was much deeper than most humanoid females.


    Be''larien smiled. "The live Arena, please."


    The lizard woman nodded and a hologram displaying a contract appeared. "In that event, please mark this waiver indicating that the Arena holds no responsibility in the event of your injury or death."


    Be''larien knew this was coming, but read the contract. It was vastly simpler and far less time consuming with her new Thelossian brain. Seeing nothing wrong, she instructed her bracelet to mark it with her citizenship ID. The receptionist nodded.


    "Thank you. You may choose from our list of available beasts, or you may select an appropriate Rank and a beast will be chosen randomly."


    A new hologram popped up, but Be''larien ignored it, knowing what it would say. "The beast doesn''t matter, get me a Rank 5."


    The receptionist looked a bit surprised, but didn''t say anything. "Understood. A Rank 5 beast will require a deposit of 1200 credits. Please transfer it to the Arena account."


    Yet another hologram popped up with a [Waiting for transfer...] display. Using her bracelet, Be''larien transferred the credits. She also took the opportunity to check just how much she had, and her eyes goggled a bit. The character creation had awarded her 10,000 credits, but her current holdings amounted to almost 380 million credits. After some quick referencing, Be''larien discovered this was almost entirely from her reward for the Vilmex incident. Only 10 million was from her pay for 50 years of active service in the Thelossian fleet. And, after careful examination, she saw a small deposit of 10,000 credits that would''ve come right after she appeared in this world. Holy crap, I''m a millionaire! And character creation is so damned cheap!You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Upon receipt of the monies, the receptionist said, "Thank you. You are currently in slot 17 for Arena 8. Please take the lift on your right down to floor A8. The Arena thanks you for your patronage."


    Be''larien nodded to the receptionist and walked to the lift. She could practically feel the receptionist staring at the top of her head as she walked away. Need a hat, try a Star-Treading Deer! You''ll be the center of attention wherever you go! Be''larien once again snickered at the thoughts going through her head. Hasa remained unperturbed.


    When she stepped off the lift, Be''larien had one thought. F*ck, I''m in Rome! It was an honest-to-god Coliseum, complete with stands full of spectators, metal gates to let in the beasts and the competitors, and even a holographic sky so you wouldn''t know you were in a building. And currently in the fighting pit was a semi-humanoid man that seemed made of living granite, a Toor''k¨¹gen, going toe to toe with a Vulk''nrbis, basically a three-eyed bear the size of a semi-truck with fur like razor wire. And the giant bear was getting it''s sh*t wrecked.


    Be''larien had apparently arrived just in time for the end of the show. The Toor''k¨¹gen had just used a double-fisted blow to the top of the bear''s head, driving it into the floor of the arena. The granite man then jumped into the air and delivered the same double-fisted blow to the back of the bear''s skull. There was a thunderous crack, one of the bears eyeballs exploded out of its socket, and the rest of the bears body went limp.


    The crowd was on their feet cheering. Apparently the match had been a good one and Be''larien kind of regretted missing most of it. Considering a Vulk''nrbis was a low Rank 7 beast, the fight should have been spectacular. The Toor''k¨¹gen didn''t even look winded, but then they didn''t actually breath. His race was one of the 3 most physically powerful among semi-humanoids, being born in the upper 60s. Unfortunately, the term ''rocks for brains'' applied to their entire species, both literally and figuratively. They weren''t a race on the intergalactic stage of their own volition. They''d basically been slave troops of a civilization wiped out by the Thelossians during the Great Retribution.


    Be''larien made her way to the competitors area and checked the slot number. 16. Looked like she was up next. It must not be a busy day. She walked over to the fight coordinator. It was a male Salnakti.


    One of Be''larien eyes twitched when she saw the Salnakti. It wasn''t just because it was a male. Bel had always had a dislike for the Salnakti since that first pirate raid, and thanks to the ''Life Story'', Bel''s issues were now Be''larien''s issues. Suck it up, girl. It wasn''t real, it wasn''t your life, and it''s NOT YOUR PROBLEM.


    The coordinator looked up at her with a smile, which promptly froze when his eyes went to her head. She almost smiled when she saw one of his own eyelids start to twitch. Without taking his eyes off Hasa he said, "Um, excuse me, but will your- uh, friend be, uhhh-"


    Putting the man out of his misery, a thought came from Hasa to both the coordinator and Be''larien. Worry not, I will take no action lest it be required to protect my bonded. Be''larien smiled, and felt Hasa''s snort ruffle her hair.


    The man seemed shocked for a moment before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them his gaze was directed at Be''larien, with an intensity that made her think he was trying to pretend Hasa wasn''t there. "Okay," he said, "Miss Sil''nathiel, you''ve chosen a random Rank 5 beast as your opponent. Is that correct?"


    Be''larien nodded. "That''s correct."


    "Thank you. When the slot number changes the gate will open. Please proceed into the arena. Should you not enter the arena your deposit will be forfeit. Is that understood?"


    "Yes," Be''larien replied. Technically, fighting in the Arena was free. The beasts were paid for by the entrance fee of the spectators. But fighters had to leave a deposit in the event they forfeited their match without fighting. After they fought the deposit would be returned.


    "Very well," he said. "The arena should be cleaned in just a few more minutes. Please make any additional preparations you need." With that, the coordinator walked off, still doing his best to pretend Hasa wasn''t there.


    Be''larien turned toward the gate to wait. Looking at her bracelet, she commanded it to withdraw her Mithrinite Sword. This time the shimmer appeared in the air and just the hilt shifted out of it. Be''larien grabbed it and pulled the rest of the sword out.


    The hilt of the sword looked to be wrapped in some kind of black leather and the cross-guard was nothing fancy. But the sword itself looked like it was made of diamond. Mithrinite had nothing to do with the metal Mithril, and was actually a rare mineral the Thelossians had learned to synthesize. It was a Rank 8 material, which meant Adamantium could kiss its ass. Be''larien was actually a little shocked as the information on the sword filled her mind. Hell, I could turn Sup*rm*n into sashimi with this thing!


    Of course it didn''t matter how good the weapon was if you couldn''t hit your target. As evidenced by Bel''s run-in with the Elite Vilmex. And while the Thelossians were capable of synthesizing Mithrinite, they couldn''t do it in quantities large enough to use as munitions. It was only used in their most advanced armors and as swords issued to officers. Wait a minute. This is an officer-only weapon. Didn''t I get this as a ''standard equipment'' in character creation?


    Before Be''larien could ponder more on the matter the slot number changed to 17 and the gate to the arena floor opened. She took a deep breath and walked out onto the dirt floor of the fighting pit. Normally Be''larien would''ve worn her helmet first, but with Hasa on her head a helmet not only wasn''t possible but would be massively redundant.


    There was somewhat of a clamor among the crowd at Be''larien''s appearance. While Thelossians were fearsome fighters when necessary, as a race they didn''t actually enjoy conflict. As such, a Thelossian in the Arena was a rare sight. She was probably the first in several decades.


    Not giving the audience any attention, Be''larien kept her focus on the gate across the arena while the one she entered from closed. When it started to rise, Be''larien smiled. Her armor gave her physical abilities somewhere in the lower 60s, but she''d chosen a Rank 5 beast. That''s because this wasn''t actually meant to be a fight. It was just stress relief. To her, this beast was just a living punching bag.


    When the gate was fully open, her opponent slithered out. That''s right, slithered. It was a Pavutki, basically a giant black snake with several rows of hardened spikes along its back and a ridiculously sharp bone blade at the end of its tail. It also spit acidic venom that could melt through solid rock.


    Be''larien knew that who she was on Earth would be sh*tting their pants at the sight of this monstrosity. And from that she knew that her personality had suffered a major alteration, whether from the change in her race, the ''Life Story'', or both. Still, she only had one thought as she took a battle stance. This is going to be fun!

 Chapter 7 - Blue-Balled?

    As Be''larien leapt out of the path of the Pavutki''s initial charge, which took place at nearly Mach 2, she came to a few realizations. First, she''d been massively under-utilizing her Neural Processing ability. She''d been interacting with the world like she was still human, but now that she focused, the entire world practically slowed to a stop. It was actually quite daunting. She was analyzing absolutely everything, from tiny shifts in air current and ground vibration to micro-scale muscle movements. Her human brain would''ve been fried a million times over.


    Second, her ''stats'' were heavily skewed. Her Neuro-Muscular Response only fell behind her Neural Processing by a bit, but even with her armor her physical abilities were two full ranks lower. Her body was completely incapable of performing at her mental standards. Even though nerve impulses were sent at ridiculous speed, her muscles weren''t capable of expanding and contracting fast enough to keep up. All of her movements in her current mental state, even reactive ones, had to be carefully pre-calculated so the muscles would perform their required actions at the pre-set future moment. It was terribly frustrating, and said frustration just made her want to kill this thing even more.


    And finally, she realized the ''Life Story'' hadn''t just f*cked her over. All the ''Skills'' she had gotten in character creation were placed in her mind as ''knowledge'', which for practical purposes was close to useless. You can be uploaded with all the moves and combat experience of a master martial artist, but you can''t really use it properly without the years of training that build muscle memory and instantaneous judgment in combat. But the ''Life Story'' carried all that practical experience and, apparently, muscle memory. As evidenced in the fact she hadn''t consciously dodged.


    Such thoughts were placed on hold as she rolled under the creatures swinging tail, the bone blade at the tip missing her by an inch. This was followed up by more dodging and rolling as the giant snake tried to use its blade-tipped tail to dice her like a vegetable. While it was apparent the ''Unarmed Combat: Expert'' was showing its use, Be''larien felt it was perhaps time to get some use out of ''Sword Proficiency: Apprentice''. After all, the Mithrinite sword wasn''t for decoration.


    Or maybe not, as the Pavutki reared up in preparation to spit. Be''larien moved toward the serpent''s head in a rapid zig-zag motion, altering her rhythm and speed to prevent accurate targeting. As the jet of venom sprayed from the creatures mouth, Be''larien quickly accelerated to her limits with the suit, which was pushing Mach 3. The venom missed, a violent ''hiss'' behind her indicating the substance eating into the floor. She quickly arrived next to the serpent''s body. Some might be tempted at this point to jump up and cut off the serpent''s head. Be''larien wasn''t that stupid, at least not after the ''Life Story''. First rule when fighting a giant beast that also moves really fast: DON''T JUMP!


    She used two quick cuts to gouge out a chunk of the Pavutki''s flesh, and then quickly retreated to avoid the blade-tipped tail that was spearing towards her. The Pavutki roared in outrage and pain as blood gushed from the wound. It turned its deadly and hate-filled gaze upon the insect that dared harm it. And Be''larien stared right back, a smile on her face and her hearts racing in her chest. Hell yeah! Now this is what I''m talking ''bout!


    Of course, it would be as Be''larien was most excited about the fight that the action came to an abrupt, and embarrassing, end. Because as the engraged serpent stared at the tiny Thelossian, it finally noticed the even tinier creature on top of her head. At first it couldn''t understand why it hadn''t felt the very tiny creature earlier, as it had a superb level of perception. But as it focused on that very tiny creature, the serpent suddenly felt something it never had before. The Thelossian posed a threat, and it would fight for its life against said threat, but it didn''t feel a threat from the creature on her head. It felt TOTAL ANNIHILATION.


    Be''larien''s eyes almost bugged out as the Pavutki immediately stopped threatening, laid down, and proceeded to try and act tiny and harmless. You don''t know the meaning of surreal until you''ve watched a 30 meter long and a meter and a half wide snake try to act cute and harmless. The entire audience was dead silent, their mouths agape as they watched the monstrous beast curl up and act playful, doing little peek-a-boos from between its coils with an innocent, vacant expression in its eyes. All while the gaping wound Be''larien had cut continued to bleed.


    The eyes of the audience kept glancing back and forth between the combatants, until some began to take notice of the tiny deer on Be''larien''s head. As some realized just what Hasa was, the news quickly spread among the crowd. And then, almost as one, the entire audience erupted into raucous laughter. This had to be the greatest farce in The Arena in a century. People were falling out of their seats from laughing too hard. Be''larien felt like her cheeks were on fire. Hasa, what the hell, man!


    She felt Hasa''s amused snort in her hair. It is not my fault your opponent has excellent perception.


    What do you mean, ''excellent perception''?! If it''s so ''excellent'' why didn''t this happen from the beginning?If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Simple, Hasa replied, I was masking my presence.


    Then why did you stop?!


    I didn''t.


    Now Be''larien was confused. If you didn''t stop, then what the hell is THAT?! She motioned at the giant serpent that was still trying to act like it was the most harmless creature in existence.


    Hasa patiently explained. Masking my presence doesn''t mean it is eliminated. When you and the beast were staring at each other it focused on me, allowing it to perceive my power. That is also why I say it has excellent perception, as most beasts still wouldn''t notice my power in the same situation.


    Be''larien was left speechless. She''d finally gotten out of her head, forgotten just how f*cked she felt, and was excited for life in a way she couldn''t remember ever being back on Earth. And now... Gah! I was actually having fun! Why couldn''t you let me have this, God?! Why?!


    Giving one last disgusted look to the still acting serpent, Be''larien sighed and felt her shoulders slump. Putting her sword back in sub-space storage she trudged back to the gate she''d entered from, which opened as she approached. The audience was still dying of laughter as she exited the arena floor.


    She was met by the coordinator in the waiting area. He was obviously barely managing to maintain a straight face. Be''larien felt like punching him. Seeming to sense this, the man quickly spoke. He was quite fortunate he managed to control his voice to sound normal.


    "The Arena thanks you for your patronage. While this fight was... unorthodox, you have emerged victorious. Your deposit has been refunded to your account."


    "Whatever," Be''larien mumbled as she just continued walking past, wanting to leave The Arena as soon as possible. As she rode the elevator back up to the main floor, she sent a thought to Hasa. Next time, I''m leaving you in the waiting area.


    She felt Hasa''s dry amusement in his return. As you wish.


    On her way out of the building, and as she went grab another public transport, Be''larien felt quite irked. She felt worse now than when she''d arrived at The Arena. F*cking stupid snake. Couldn''t just fight to the death. Now what the hell am I supposed to do to de-stress? *sigh* F*ck this, I need a drink.


    Climbing into a transport, Be''larien said, "Nearest bar."


    The flight was blessedly short. Be''larien stepped out of the transport to see a place that could optimistically be called a dive. There were broken bottles on the ground, smoke leaking through cracks, and the distinct sound of drunken arguments. Suddenly there was a crash and the door opened to eject, quite literally, a tall, dog-like man who crashed into the ground just a little to the left of Be''larien. She smiled. I might just get to kill something after all. Hasa remained immaculately unconcerned.


    Walking into this futuristic alien dive was rather anti-climactic. Apparently, even on an intergalactic scale, if you''ve seen one dive you''ve seen them all. There was a bar, neon signs, games of chance and skill, and people of questionable race and ilk. Be''larien quite liked it.


    There were several people that looked at her as she entered. Some of the looks were assessing, others were lust-filled, but all of them only lasted a moment before they very deliberately removed their attention. These people were mostly all scum, but they weren''t so stupid as to challenge an armored Thelossian. Especially one with a terrifying little deer sitting on her head. Be''larien was actually a little disappointed. Guess I won''t be killing anything after all.


    She made her way to the bar, giving the occasional once over to the few humanoid females she saw. Most weren''t worth a second glance. Just before she reached the bar she did spot one that made her stop in her tracks. The woman was only decently attractive, and was a bit overly muscular, but that wasn''t what made Be''larien stop. Holy sh*t, it''s a Sa*yan!


    Of course that wasn''t the actual name of the race. They were known as Maldarthans, and for the most part they looked human, though with uniform black hair and a tan skin tone. The primary difference was they had a prehensile, furred tail and slightly pointed ears, along with a definitive warrior culture. Still, they were damn near identical to that iconic anime race.


    The woman noticed Be''larien''s attention and turned from talking with her companions to look at Bel. Giving a thorough up and down appraisal to Be''larien, the woman smiled flirtatiously and winked at her before turning back to her companions. Be''larien''s eyes tracked down the woman''s back to her gently swaying tail and the tight ass it was attached to. Unconsciously licking her lips, Be''larien thought, I''m so tapping that.


    Realizing her libido was making itself known, Be''larien quietly cursed and arrived at the bar. The bartender was a male E''buka, looking like an anthropomorphic fox with green fur. Giving Be''larien a short searching look, he asked the age old question, "What''ll it be?"


    "A pint of Ipsin."


    The fox''s eyes widened. "What''s your NP?"


    The bartender''s question meant her Neural Processing rank, and for what she ordered and the amount, it was standard procedure to ask. Ipsin was a highly controlled drink, being lethal to beings with less than about a 60 in NP. A normal human would be brain dead in less than 2 seconds after drinking a thimble full. If the bartender served it to a non-approved race he''d quickly be jailed for manslaughter.


    "82," she answered. The E''buka''s eyes widened once again, but he poured her drink and served it.


    Ipsen was a non-carbonated drink, and was a blue so bright it looked to be glowing. Someone with an NP in the 60s would treat this stuff like hard liquor, and someone in the 70s like it was wine or a strong beer. Be''larien would be lucky if a pint of it could even take the edge off.


    Just as she was bringing the drink to her lips she heard a shout that made her pause. It was someone cursing, but she couldn''t immediately put her finger on why it was important. Then her eyes bulged and she slammed her drink back on the bar as she spun around. That cursing is in f*cking English!