I was surrounded by goop or was it syrup? It felt like it at least, or like that horrid mix of jam and syrup that Lukas had made us eat when he made waffles that one day. Then my mind began to work and my bodies sensations to finally click in the right place. I had a tube down my throat that felt like it forked into my lungs as well as my stomach. It wasn’t painful but it was a very unnerving kind of unpleasant like it had been there for a while already and my body was just used to it now.
Then I reached out as the sensations began to fade slightly and my frantic commands to my suddenly agony ridden body began to filter through the sudden rush of pain and discomfort, like ripples running through my muscles that travelled up and down my body along with the pain.
My hand broke through the jelly-like substance that covered the top of a tub I lay in but I soon found out it wasn’t a tub at all. As soon as my fingers pierced through the membrane sufficiently it tore and the force of its contents spilling out tore it up fully. While the fluid was like thick syrup in its consistency it still flooded out of the pod I had been floating inside of carrying me with it.
Dumping me unceremoniously on my knees as I suddenly felt that the tube down my throat had suddenly stopped feeding my lungs oxygen. It had snapped and I half hung with my knees on the floor and the tube still connected down my throat.
I began to panic, yanking on the tube hard but with the meagre strength, I could summon to my limbs. I didn’t make much headway. I did, however, get a better result, if not a more painfully slow one, when I began to pull it out of my mouth. As soon as I did so however my gag reflex tried to make me swallow so I had to fight my own body’s reflexes while trying to pull out the very thing chocking me right that moment.
I felt my suddenly oxygen-deprived lungs burn as they had no outlet for the exhalation needed to allow a new breath to be taken. Then blessedly the tube came loose and I felt my lungs explosively decompress as I violently exhaled and lay on the cold metallic floor beneath me racked with coughs and hacks.
I didn’t know how long it took me to stop taking in shaky breaths and to stop coughing with my weak lungs. The pain and discomfort came back full force when my panic for breath had subsided as the adrenaline form trying to live wore off. Then finally I got up slowly and shakily but I stopped as I stared at my own hands noticing them for the first time or rather the change that had come over them.
My muscular amazonian athlete-slash-bodybuilder frame was there but my skin was tough and looked like it had almost microscopic scales for skin. And the colour was new as well. Instead of the pale white, I used to have this was a sort of greyish colour overlaid a nice soft tan colour. Then it was the shape, it was muscular yet sleek like the perfect blend of an athlete focused on speed, stamina, strength and agility. The ends of my fingers came to slightly pointed ends with the black fingernails that felt denser and thicker somehow.
Following up my arms to my biceps, smiling to see the tattoo I had of the squad’s icon much like my eye patch. Then over to my chest and then to my other arm as I slowly got up. Noticing a glint of metal behind my forearm I saw what looked to be a mirror and I gasped a little at the sight. Body wise I was like… well a she-hulk or something, the perfect musculature for as balanced a performance as could be with only slightly more put into strength than anything else.
My face was changed as well. My wounded eye had been regrown but now both looked like golden reptilian eyes. Slited pupil like I had seen with dragons in fantasy movies, like that one dragon smug or something, but with a vivid golden colour to the rest of the iris was almost aglow. My face was much more defined now more predatory than anything with a narrow chin. The scars over my left eye though still there manifesting as a darker colour to what I could only describe as a mixture of human skin and reptilian scales.
Along my forehead was a slight crown of tiny horns poking up and looking more like ornaments meant to show something regal and keep my hair swept back. Which was now a fully silvery-white colour, instead of the yellowish-white type of blonde, reaching well below my hips.
My ears had become slightly pointed or rather triangular with a small ridgeline of proper scales running along the top edges to end in the point the ears ended in. Opening my mouth I saw that my canines weren’t elongated but they had been pointed slightly with a second pair coming in behind them. Even my tongue was more slender than it used to be with a tiny little cleft at the end to make it seem like the start of a split tongue.
Turning around to look at my back I saw that I had a thicker scale-like section running down my spine which I suspected was for extra protection to the spine. Then as I turned back around I noted that my chest was perfectly proportioned to my body’s overall shape and look. It then hit me that this was a designed body by some aliens that had kidnapped me for some unknown purpose. I suppressed the panic welling up inside me and focused on the task of seeing what my body was like now so I could formulate a plan before panicking.
With a deep breath to centre and calm myself, I looked down to my abdomen and saw an eight pack with muscular hips bellow, defined like it was chiselled into those renaissance marble statues just like the rest of my musculature. Then I looked lower and frowned.
I moved my hips a little as if to see if it was just the trick of the light but the feeling and what I was seeing was correct. I looked down at it for myself and shrieked as what I feared was true. I had a man’s set bellow my navel at least the rod.
Frantically I pawed at my nether regions and was only more baffled by the purpose of it all when I found I still had my old plumbing as well. What sick and twisted purpose could any of this serve? If this was just some alien asshole messing with my DNA for kicks I’d shove my foot so far down his throat he’d have footprints coming out his backside.
Then a sharp hiss to the left of me startled me as a section of the wall just barely marked off with a thin door frame slid to the side and a weird metal man stood behind it. It looked like if you took a statue of a man without skin mixed with that metal man look Ultron had in that one Avengers movie. Sharp canines framed his mouth as he stepped in, his darker metallic skin moving and rippling like real muscles on full display.
He spoke in a refined manner but the voice was a little harsh as if he had managed to use the voice box one put against one’s larynx to speak in a refined and soft-spoken Spanish accent. Just deeper with a slight electronic undertone to it. Like an evil Inigo Montoya with a slightly harsher and deeper voice. “I see you are awake and got out of the reconstitution pod on your own.” He said with a pleasant smile which wasn’t all that pleasant with the four canine fangs defining his lips.
The android for lack of a better word slowly walked into the room with the air of owning everything inside it before he spoke when he stood before me. “It’s good to see you awake, Force commander Zathris.” He said almost gently, if possible to do it in a predatory manner before he placed his fist to where his heart might be and bowed slightly.
He was a head smaller than me and he seemed rather confused as my face turned from slight fearful awe to one of full out outrage and fury. “What did you do to me?” I literally growled in a deep rumbling yet somehow still feminine voice, a soft rumble like a roar just waiting to be released running under my words.
“Whatever do you mean commander?” He said baffled as he cocked his head to the side. “You have been chosen as the most qualified of the personality data banks handed to me at the fall of the empire. Your task is to take command of this ship and reconquer empire space once more and bring about its rebirth.”
He waited a little after that but at my continued look of fury, he decided to continue. “You are the first of the chimera that will populate the new empire. With DNA splicing of the best traits of the six different species that made up the majority of the empires staff. Your designation is the Chimera Empress as you are the culmination of the genes that could be spliced together.”
He looked very proud of that statement as if doing so had been much harder than one might think. Of course, I dissuaded him of any notion of being impressed by his feats and efforts when I punched him square in the jaw and sent him stumbling back. My hand throbbing at hitting the metal asshole’s tough skin.
“I’m wondering why you abducted me, changed my very DNA and made me a gods damned hermaphrodite!” I screamed at him as I began to advance upon him. I didn’t care if I still felt a little groggy and weak, my anger was fueling me with enough adrenaline that I forgot about it. All of my focus set on tearing this android apart.
“What?!” He said as his eyes opened wide, which was even more unsettling to see on what was clearly a robot. “You still have your memories?! But your mind should have been replaced!” He didn’t get to say much else as I focused my body into solely pummeling this android.
That lasted all of about four punches and a shin kick before I was half jumping on the spot from the pain in my limbs. The droid seemed to click his tongue before gripping my throat and tasering me near senseless. And it was in that electrical agony that something in my mind came jarred loose.
Memories of another life, of studying in military academies to working on starships in a fleet before the last moment came in crystal clear.
Stepping upon the bridge of a starship under my own command and the droid that had been assigned as my aid to my duties. “ M47-1C3! Stand down!” I shouted with the last air I had left in my lungs from screaming as the electric current dissipated for a moment. My throat was released immediately and I flopped down onto my ass coughing and straining for breath for the second time.
“Commander?” The android asked with narrowed eyes and caution in his voice.
“Under my authority as Force commander first rank Zathris T’zanith, authorization α7343-Σ9846, herby take command of the ship I currently find myself upon. M47-1C3, explain yourself fully and give me a situation report.” My voice was hard and commanding, the training from my new set of memories came flooding in and with what I had already been through influencing this new me as I rose. My eyes were slightly narrowed in a challenging manner as I stared down the android. The effect most likely not as big with my wobbly and unsettled movements, I wasn't used to this new body at all and I was amazed I could even move like I did without having to learn everything again.
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M47-1C3 straightened himself up a little, adjusting the minute manner he was aggressively hunching forward, and his face grew passive. “What do you wish to inquire about first, commander?” He said respectfully and properly, but still with that voice of his. It was like speaking to some playboy android commander from hell.
“Why is my body like this?” I asked first, gesturing down to my hips with a very pointedly annoyed and angry look on my face.
“You have been made into a hermaphrodite to facilitate the procreation of your classification within the empires chimera. As there are five other classifications that are easier to produce as they are lesser to the variant you are which I’ve dubbed noble Chimera.” He said crisply and properly, clearly ignoring the evil eyes I was giving him.
“And why exactly can’t you make noble variants?” I asked pointedly.
“There was only enough genetic reshaper on hand to create you so I had to think of future generations and gave you the ability to procreate with both roles in mind. Thus you will be free to choose the genders of your lovers or be capable of inseminating a stock to get the number up faster.” The android actually said with a perfectly straight face.
“You’re insane.” I breathed, more than just utterly shocked at his logic for changing me so drastically.
“On the contrary, as males are capable of spreading their genetic seed much faster when provided the partners to do so makes it perfectly logical to give that option to the first leader of it’s kind. Secondly, the option to have a life grow within your womb will also bring a measure of comfort and much more easily monitored growth of the fetus. Giving the ability to try and be prepared in any cases of emergency. Thus making sure you could procreate through both means as the only one of your species in this galaxy will only serve at increasing the chances that no matter the partner there is a chance of procreation.” He spoke it all so calmly as if he was a teacher with a difficult student before him.
“Then what the hell did you do the rest of my body? Why am I so… so changed.” I then asked blowing out my frustration in a heavy breath. My limbs throbbed too much to use them to try and throttle him again. As much as I wanted to, hell if this was space I just might space the bastard once I got a real handle on what’s going on.
“You’ve been given the six main gifts of the old empires six pillar species. The harder bones of the Islat, strengthened musculature of the Murkics, the increased coordination and agility of the Jirvi. The hardened and tear-resistant skin and symmetric beauty of the Arv’iz, the metabolism of the Yhmri and the sense and thought increasing nervous system of the Ginari. Which I might add was only possible to blend perfectly because of the adaptability and relative malleability of the human genius.
I must say, as primitive a species as humans are, their genes are remarkably pliant with the genetic reshaper almost as if it was willingly allowing itself to be changed as needed. That is also why you are the only one of your kind currently and why your reproductive organs are what they are. I am out of the genetic reshaper, a substance I might add was only created in the empire of old, made with technology now lost and I just used the last of it on... you.” He narrowed his eyes at me again saying the last word with displeasure. Like my situation was in any way my fault.
He didn’t let me cut in either when I was about to. “Your reproductive systems were made such that there is a fifty-fifty chance of either getting the partners species or a pure-blooded noble chimera. As your kind was designed to be the genetic superiors to the other types of chimera. You can see I wanted to increase every chance of having more than just the one noble chimera, we now find ourselves with.
So you see what I did was logical with both the circumstance and the resources at hand.” He said then with a little smirk to his lips.
I was about to do a retort but I found I had a hard time arguing with his logic at least from an insanely twisted and warped but somehow rational standpoint. Irrationally though I wanted to put him in a compactor that would go nice and slow in crushing him. I stood over him with a finger raised and opened my mouth to speak only to stop short and then let out a decidedly unladylike snort.
“Fine I can’t argue with that so what will that mean for my body exactly.” I started when I got my mind under a bit of control again. “I’m what? Faster, stronger, more coordinated, higher agility, reflexes and tougher skin?” I then asked.
“Essentially you are now at around four times better than your previous body, a body I might add that was in a rather good shape compared to most of your species despite its wounds. Not only that, but you will think faster once you get used to it, your senses will grow sharper and better and the heightened metabolism will translate to faster natural recovery for wounds and illnesses. And lest not forget the strengthened bones which would be perhaps about ten times stronger now than before. Giving you better impact resistance and allowing your new increased musculature a better foundation to grow.”
M47-1C3 then paused a little and flashed a knowing grin. “This of course is all simply the base specs for your new species. We can still strengthen your bones through carbon nanotube latices layered into and around them. Cybernetics and bio-engineering are also viable options to increase any aspects you’d want.”
I was a little floored to be perfectly honest and then he decided to really drive it home.
“I also might add that your height has increased, you were approximately 198 cm while you were human but now you are 236 cm in height. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grant you the second set of eyes that the Ginari had. Despite the increase in your brain’s capacity and the efficiency of your nervous systems overhaul through those very same genes. Hmm perhaps they will grow at a later date once you‘ve stabilized your DNA more?” He said speculatively.
It was like right then and there the reality of my situation finally clicked in my head. I sank to my knees as weakness overwhelmed me. I felt like crying but instead, I just started to let out a sort of wheeze like laugh as I curled in on myself. I had gone insane. That was the only explanation for the situation. This didn‘t happen in real life, nothing like this ever happened!
I was probably fine, or a bumbling idiot, sitting in a cell in a psychiatric hospital somewhere. Well, either that or in a coma after the grenade accident. Either way, this was all a figment of my mind carrying me through it all.
„What are you... doing?“ M47-1C3 said curiously as he sort of gestured to me with his fingertips. Then after I just kept at it and ignored him, he let out a slightly disgusted sound. With a flip of his leg, he kicked me into sitting with my back against the mirror-like wall.
It hurt. I felt pain. I shouldn‘t feel pain in what was essentially a figment of my imagination! Right? Or was this so real that it produced the sensation of pain? Wait, was all of this actually real?
„I didn‘t think human minds would be so fragile... why didn‘t commander T‘zanith‘s personality and memories take you over? She‘d have adapted much quicker to the situation than this.“ He then said with suspicion.
„You mean the other set of memories in my head?“ I asked, the whole surreal feeling to it all just washing over me. I had become numb all of the sudden and I couldn‘t figure out if it was mental or physical in my current state.
„Other set? Hmmm, fascinating. It seems the imprint did work, just not as intended.“ The mechanical menace muttered to himself. His mannerisms far too organic for my tastes, so I voiced my ire.
„Oi, droid. Why did you kidnap me and make me into this thing? Is kidnapping people and whisking them off for genetic experiments and mind fucks, your idea of shits and giggles.?“ I angrily asked and to my surprise, the android bristled at the word droid.
„I‘ll have you know I am an artificial, not a... droid.“ He said the last word with disgust evident both in his voice, expression and mannerisms. „I didn‘t choose you, I came to your dimension through a rift and crashed when a volcano exploded near my entry point and buried the vessel in molten rock. It was only in recent years where I managed to get a signal through to your internet through the tons of rocks holding my vessel in a sort of stasis.“ He seemed to huff at me.
„So what? This is some star wars, star trek thing? We are in a galaxy far far away or something?“ I sarcastically asked.
„No, this is your galaxy, just a completely different dimension. Something rather hard to achieve in this dimension I might add. Yours is just... frightfully thin. It‘s like its begging for some of the dimensional horrors that dwell between the dimensions to come have a feast.“ He said as he mimicked getting a shiver down his spine, a powerful one.
„Though the ships here do move a little according to those film‘s depiction of spaceflight.“
That last offhand comment made me raise my eyebrow and he continued, looking a little more than smug about himself. „You see the configuration of black holes and rather huge blue ion stars in the core of our galaxy have created a sort of phenomenon we call the ion sea. It is what makes our galaxy bluer in colour when viewed from outside. Our ships use ion engines that allow us to move through the vacuum of space much like submarines back on your earth do through seas or like aircraft that can stop in the sky. This phenomenon has also given rise to a class of individuals we call mystics. Creatures that are somehow able to tap into the ion sea to grant them powers beyond any would consider normal for their species. Something of the like of your force users or phsykers in works of fiction.
You can forget about seeing a lightsaber around.“ He then said as he narrowed his eyes at me as a little fantasy of me running around with one came into my head entirely unbidden.
He seemed about to speak, even going so far as raising his finger but stopped right as he was about to speak and then stormed out of the room. The hiss of the door closing making me jump in the sudden silence.
I ran my fingers through my hair as I closed my eyes and slumped. My mind was racing and somehow stroking through it sent that pleasurable tingle that a nice scalp scratch sometimes caused me. It calmed me down enough to begin to think a little more clearly and to digest everything I had been told.
I was in a different dimension, not a different galaxy. My body wasn‘t even close to being my own and I even had a second set of memories forced into my head. Which to be perfectly honest was not nearly as hard as it sounded. It was so much worse. Especially as I felt them begin to blend together as my mind tried to stabilize itself.
I groaned at the massive headache I was suddenly aware of as shock and adrenaline subsided from my body.
Then the artificial‘s first words came to me again. I was supposed to reconquer the space held by some ancient empire? Wouldn‘t that be like going with a rowboat to capture a battleship? There had to have been advancements to the technology in this new but old galaxy’s current residents compared to those that came before right? That would be only logical after all.
I sighed heavily as I felt my mind wanting to just shut down and a wave of exhaustion took me. Without even realizing it I stumbled back to the deflated pod I had woken up in and slipped into the deep puddle of the syrupy liquid I had been surrounded by. I curled into the fetal position which allowed it to come up to my shoulders as I lay down.
The tear hadn‘t gone all the way down after enough of the pressure had been diverted but the material of the pod itself was resilient. Those were the last thoughts I had as I fell asleep. Alone, confused and truthfully too terrified to actually go to sleep but with so exhausted a mind and body that I had no choice but to. A huge part of me wishing I'd just wake up from this nightmare the next time I opened my eyes.