He jolted upright, taking the soft, satin comforter and blankets with him. The crown of his skull cracked painfully against something fleshy in the pitch dark of the bedroom. And his instincts almost drove him to unleash Tooth and Claw to shred whoever had dared to intrude into sashimi. But the warm, sweet, and familiar touch of Kara’s soft hands gently returned his head to the pillow.

“Oh, it’s you. Hell of a way to wake a man up.” Soren said in between yawning.

“I thought you liked it when I kissed you awake?”

“I do, usually. But I was having a bad dream or something,” His eyes fully adjusted and he happily drank in every smooth feature of his wife’s beautiful face. The emerald pools of her eyes shined down at him warmly as she sat upon his lap. The soft accents of her blush sleepwear draped itself wonderfully over her perfect form. “Don’t tell me you’re ready to go again, because I sorely need to regain my strength.”

“Nah, I’ll fuck your brains out later, Pederson. We’re meeting James and his newest whore—friend at Club Genavies in half-an-hour. And since we only got a few days left of shore leave, I figured we’d actually show and finally get out of this bed,” Kara leaned down and kissed him passionately. “Been here ten days and the only things I’ve seen are the spaceport and this room.”

Soren wrapped his arms around her and sensually returned her kiss. “You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“It isn’t, but still,” She reached over and handed him a small box from the dresser to his right. “But before I forget, open this.”

“It’s…not our anniversary is it?”

“No, you’re off the hook. And I’m pretty sure that’s in March or May…June maybe? Either way, it’s your birthday, Peder-Pan.”

He hated that nickname, but somehow she’d managed to make it endearing.

Soren chuckled as the validity of her statement fully registered. “Shit it is, isn’t it? You remember more than I do these days.”

“Gotta hold on to the little things sometimes.”

Soren sat back up, holding firmly onto Kara’s hips to keep her from rolling over onto the floor. He pulled a long, beautifully designed necklace slinking from out of the box. The chain itself was crafted from fine and hefty metals, with some sort of sapphire gems embedded in an almost alien pattern at its end. Soren had never really been into jewelry much, but he found it strangely alluring all the same.

“I know, I know, I could’ve gotten you another pistol or some zorba ale. I just figured I’d mix things up, but if you don’t like it I can—.”

Their tongues met again and the warmth from her body made him feel suddenly invincible, made him feel like nothing could ever go wrong. “It’s beautiful,” He placed it around his neck and positioned it like he was modeling it. “Looks good on me don’t you think?”

“Most things do,” Kara smiled as she ran a hand through his long, flaxen hair. “Close your eyes.”

He chuckled again. “I thought you said we’d wait until later?”

“I lied. And James can wait a few extra minutes. Now close your eyes and no peeking.”

Soren sighed, but did as she asked. He could feel her delicately unwrapping his second present. A present he’d been given many, many times. And yet, it was one he didn’t think he’d ever tire of.

“Bam, feast your eyes on these bad boys.”

He laughed as his eyelids parted, expecting to meet Kara's enticing gaze and perky breasts, but instead he found himself staring up into a black void. The warmth of the bed was long gone, replaced by a cold, hard surface beneath him. Confusion and fear slowly gripped his heart as he realized that Kara was nowhere in sight.

Frantically, he scanned the darkness, calling out her name, but his voice echoing back to him was the only reply. Panic rising, he scrambled to his feet, his pulse pounding in his ears as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

And then, with dawning horror, a twisted, nightmarish landscape stretched out before him, a grotesque and gloomy world of death that he was all too familiar with. The dull red of the sun did little to illuminate the sky and shadowy vines coiled and writhed in the corners of his vision. The omnipresent, malevolent presence of the surrounding plant-like dreadbriar hung heavily in the air. A palpable pressure that wickedly assaulted his mind, seemingly robbing him of the very concepts of joy and love.

A death blossom to his left opened with a plume of pink pheromones. And as the sinister particulates forcibly entered his lungs, an inconsolable terror took hold of his senses. The plant further gaped at the scent of his fear and shaped its birthing brood, its off-spring into the form of some sort of demonic spider. A form stolen from the deepest recesses of his subconscious, from his most horrible nightmares. Teeth and eyes covered every centimeter of its spindly surface as it steadily grew larger and larger, shrieking in hungry anticipation.

At the same time, he felt the change beckon him. Even though his belly felt full, his body began to morph against his will. The unexpected agony of his elongating snout and legs almost overwhelmed him; along with the sickening sound of bones popping and cracking as they were compulsorily rearranged within his taut flesh. Dark auburn fur poured out of his pores, supplanting his blonde hair. And massive teeth as sharp as Death’s scythe sliced through his gums and blood pooled at the back of his throat.

“Arggghhh!” He screamed violently as he fell to his knees. The irony of Taladran’s three moons barely visible in the heavens above was nearly lost on him, as his logic and humanity were overtaken by savagery and bloodlust. An animalistic roar of daring provocation reverberated throughout his body as the change concluded.

The spider rushed forward to accept the challenge and pierced into flesh with its razor sharp pincers. The pain turned his roar into a suffering howl and he clawed at its malefic eyes desperately, fighting to be free of the very sight of them. It chittered and hissed as it spun them around, slamming into rock and tree, each impact stealing air from his lungs. Although he could no longer control his own body, he was still aware of everything transpiring, painfully aware of the disgusting sensation of the spider nibbling on his raw innards.

Somehow, he managed to plant his hindlegs in the dirt and pushed them slowly forward, yelping and growling as its pincers tightened and wormed around his trailing entrails. Fluids from both of their bodies trailed after them, almost causing him to slip and stumble.

Unexpectedly, solid ground gave way to crisp air as they both fell down a long, rocky cliff into the boiling waters below. Sharpened points cut into his back as they careened out of control, slamming and scraping along the precipice’s rough surfaces. But he never reached the bottom and suddenly found himself someplace else, sprinting through the dense jungles on all fours.

Soren remembered now, he’d been running for decades. He’d become trapped in the weary hell that was his own mind and his soul gradually diminished from a bright flame to a dull flicker. With no human to devour on the mephistophelian moon, he ran the wilderness half out of his mind, unable to revert to his normal form. Terribly alone and rarely sleeping, he fought to outpace the relentlessly pursuing dreadbriar and the ravenous packs of wild takyr, unable to take even a moment's rest. The pain of the memories gave him further clarity and focused his thoughts more and more, teleporting him to the scene of a bloody battle.

That was right, the immortals had fought here, he had fought here, and it had ended tragically for all involved. He could hear the thrum of orbital bombardments in the distance and the blood from friends and enemies both had soaked through his boots and wetted his socks. Soren could almost taste the overwhelming scent of acrid smoke and death that had burned at his nostrils like magma; it had been unlike any other battle he’d fought. A flimsy dam in his mind shattered painfully, and more of the hated memories flooded his mind.

But most importantly, he remembered that he’d been left to die…by Zahn, his friends…Kara, all of them.

Did they even bother looking for him?!

Soren’s fear was quickly replaced with anger, an anger unlike any he’d felt before or since. A murderous bellow resounded from behind the clenched predatory teeth of his snout that seemingly tore through the fabric of reality itself. It was a sound of pure unfiltered rage, with a haunting echo that seemed to reverberate within the very core of the world around him. And only after the thunderous sound had made the ground crack open at his feet and his eardrums bleed did he finally realize that…

He was asleep.

With a violent start, Soren snapped awake, his heart pounding in his chest as he gasped for breath. His eyes flew open to the dimly lit confines of the lab, the harsh contrast of reality washed over him like a bucket of ice-cold water.

Soren sat forward in the squeaky chair, clenching his face with shaking hands as he regained more and more of his composure. The inner textiles of his armor were soaked with sweat, and his blonde mane stuck to his cheeks. Rubbing his reddened eyes further raw he scooted closer to the holo-table in front of him as it again beeped a negative tone.

Decryption Attempt #33: Failure.

Deftly maneuvering his hands along its backlit surface he shifted different panels left and right. Its shining ruby light further highlighted the crimson contours of the bulky chest-plate wrapped around his torso.

The still quiet of the otherwise empty room reminded him that night had fallen in the city of Celestia above, and he’d released the scientists to rest for the coming morning. But he still needed to plan his next move.

Dr. Anand needed test subjects, and whether or not Zahn had informed the Council or other Unified personnel about his departure, people would come looking for him. And since Soren didn’t have the first clue as to where they were currently hiding, he’d have to draw them in. Zahn’s shuttle would be the most straightforward method of accomplishing this goal, if he could finally decrypt its computer and start up its emergency beacon.

Easier said than done though.

He stood and wiped at the sweat on his brow as he loomed over the table in frustration. Soren had been working on it for at least two hours before he fell asleep and the way it was going, he’d be going at it a few hours more.

The massive doors opened abruptly at the other end of the lab and Tani’s slender form slowly sauntered in, inspecting the equipment with almost child-like wonder. Her arms were draped regally behind her back and the flow of her golden robes were so concise and elegant that it almost appeared as if she was gliding. Trailing closely behind was her entourage of silent guards that matched her pace with military precision, their rifles at the high-ready.

Soren spared her another fleeting glance before returning his attention to the decryption. Aarons’ friend was an interesting one to say the least, but he wasn’t exactly in the mood to entertain her. Especially not with the virus' continued progress hanging in the balance.

Seemingly unaware of his presence, she strode around to appraise the restrainer table where Zahn was hanging, asleep and thankfully silent. “Fascinating how simplistic technology in the rest of the galaxy seems these days,” Tani finally said absently, again looking around. “Directorate children play with toys more advanced than these…devices.”

The table beeped at another failed attempt to unlock the ship’s cloned security protocols. “Damn it,” He whispered as he gazed up at her, careful to keep his agitation out of his voice. “Yeah, none of it's all that pretty, but it works and that’s what matters.”

“I suppose you’re right, but still, it’s sad.” Tani giggled while pointing at an obviously outdated DNA resequencer.

Soren frowned slightly. “Let me guess, the homeless in Directorate space sleep in boxes more advanced?”

“Oh, of course not, that would be utterly ridiculous.”

Soren nodded sardonically, still unintentionally harboring some residual umbrage from his nightmare.

“Homelessness was eradicated years ago. Every single man, woman, and child is provided with more than ample living arrangements.”

He took a deep sigh in defeat. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Not exactly, but the General told me all about these, what did he call them, immortal species? I’ve been sifting through databases on The Link all day finding out more about them.”

The holo-table beeped again and he had to restrain himself from punching a hole through its screen. “And what did you find?”

“Not much, mostly rumors, legends, myths. I’ve also heard whispers of an army of strange beings working in the Fringe, but before the past few days I had simply chalked it up to the usual hearsay. Like celestial whales and other silly superstitions of its kind.”

“They’re out there, trust me.”

“I believe you. The General also said that you count among them, along with your friend. The scary one, Vorteth, was it?”

“Vorteth isn’t anyone's friend. But yes, I’m a wolf and he’s a vampir, an old one. A walking, dusty sack of bones that gorges on blood like apple juice.”

Tani giggled as she stopped to look over his shoulder. “So he drinks blood and you devour flesh?” She came around to look inquisitively into his eyes. “That must mean you want to eat me right now then, perhaps with a side of fries?”

Soren was genuinely taken aback by her laxed candor. “Uh, not really, we don’t go around looking at people like food. We eat because we have to, not because we want to, most of us at least.”

“But earlier I saw you eating, what was it, pork tenderloins?” Tani asked as she turned to study the table.

“Yeah…pork can stave off the hunger, but before long I’d transform and devour everyone in sight, whether I want to or not.”

“Very interesting…is it a fair trade for immortality?”

“I used to think so.” The table beeped again and he raised his fist, ready to take out all of his day’s frustrations on it.

He could have a new one here by morning in any case.

But Tani gently grabbed his arm and started sifting around different panels with one outstretched finger, navigating the frustratingly complex security matrix with ease. “Hmm, a forty-eight key encryption?”

“Yeah. It's just like them to finally bother upgrading their security after I’d…left.”

“It's not exactly barbaric, but it’s relatively simple.”

The slightest hint of agitation flashed in his eyes as he watched her work. “Please, be my guest.” Soren found his hands drifting instinctively to the sapphire necklace draped around his neck.

“Hmm, it might take fifteen minutes or so, but I should be able to bypass it,” She removed a golden bracelet from her wrist and sat it down on the table. The solid metal quickly morphed into an almost liquid state, turning itself into some form of keypad with strange symbols that were backlit with a bright white light. “Unless you need it done faster than that?”

“Uh, no, I can at least wait that long.” Soren studied the side of her silky smooth, ebony face with renewed interest.

The Union was an open book, a rather stable democratic society with familiar and standardized technology, but the Directorate was something of a mystery to him. They kept their relatively small borders shut like a rusted vise and only really interacted with the rest of the galaxy when the newest war started. He’d seen more than enough evidence of their technological superiority over the years, but he hadn’t realized how alien it had become this past century. And if Tani’s behavior was a typical example, how unusual its people had become.

“You think me strange?” Tani asked without glancing away from the table.

“A little. But I don’t exactly have much room to talk.”

“No you don’t, do you,” Tani gently inspected his retracted claws, running her finger along the top of them until she accidentally pricked herself on a tip. “Ow.” She said rather casually, with a hushed voice. Her guards took a few purposeful steps closer and gripped their rifles a bit tighter, but said and did nothing.

“What do they do when you stumble, shoot the ground?” Soren asked as he austerely glossed over them, the green light of the lab clashed with the gold and alabaster white of their armor.

“If I told them to. They do everything I say.”

“I bet they even go on the paper too.”

Tani giggled again, and eyed him blankly as she got uncomfortably close to his face.

The entire time they'd been speaking, he’d been unsure if she was being more playful or more condescending, and he still didn’t have a clue.

“So,” Soren continued, taking a step back, somewhat intrigued to solve the Rubix cube that was Tani’s distinctive demeanor. “I’m sure the General went over some of the military requirements in more detail, but I’d like to go over more specific logistics—.”

“I’ll provide all of the troops, weapons, and ships you need, you have no worries there. But I need this little disaster you're concocting to befall my people first, as much as it pains me. As long as you provide what you all have promised, you and the General will get your respective wars.”

Soren studied her carefully. “Okay, that all sounds good and everything. But I pride myself on being a good judge of character and you seem like you actually care about your people. Do you really realize just how much panic and widespread dread there'll be, how many of them are going to die? Are you sure you’re prepared to go through with it?”

Tani stared sternly into him and he felt a warmth emanate from her gaze. “As many as is necessary and yes…I’m quite sure I am.”