Chimera would admit, that despite her recent accommodations, she was more than upset by the… candor of her hosts.

  Fuck, FUCK FUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKK!!!!

  Okay, she was more than upset by a large margin.

  Rage didn’t cut it, and Hatred was feeling a bit too insignificant compared to the absolute fury she was feeling right now.

  Because she knew why they had her locked in this box now.

  Her ‘good deed’ towards that doctor.

  Greed was what got her here, and it pissed her off that rather then talk to her about it, these mother fuckers wanted to exploit her.

  Well, those sons of bitches are going to have a rough time with that.

  Unless Monica or her insane mother rose from the dead, there wasn’t anyone in this galaxy that could make Chimera do something she didn’t want to.

  Even this box was temporary.

  Chimera had already analyzed the entire thing after she had been sealed within, and she had come to a pretty simple conclusion.

  This cage, or whatever it was, had a time limit.

  That bastard, whoever he was, couldn’t supply the necessary energy to keep it sealed like this, which meant eventually it was going to fail.

  And Chimera decided that when it did, him and his whole crew were on her shit list.

  Once she got into that lanky bastard’s head, she was going to rip his secrets out of him and turn him into a moron!

  No… I don’t really mean that…

  Chimera sighed as she pushed the brimming pot of fury down into her mindscape.

  She was pained, and hurt, and the feeling of betrayal after they came in peace for that moment.

  It felt like acid all over her body.

  I really am alone… no one is here to help me.

  …

  Doctor Bayleaf Bristlebranch awoke to a feeling that she hadn’t felt in nearly three centuries.

  She felt rested!

  She felt like she had energy!

  She also felt smaller.

  What?!

  “Ahh, Doctor, it is good to see you awake once more!”

  Bayleaf turned to a nurse who smiled at her with warmth in his eyes, and a bit of something else as well.

  “Nurse Thorn, good to see you as well… I don’t suppose you could fill me in on the goings on?”

  Judging from Thorn’s smile twitching, Bayleaf had the feeling she wasn’t going to like what she heard.

  “Well… it went a bit like this, Head Researcher…”

  Oh… Oh no.

  Thorn only used her title of Head Researcher when he was worried about the upper brass taking his head for… well, anything he might say.

  Thorn was a chatterbox like that.

  And the tale that Bayleaf heard from the slightly sweating nurse only confirmed her worse fears.

  The creature that assaulted and slayed the Wujack had infected her, and tried to escape using the knowledge she had of the vessel.

  It apparently ran by several security teams, evading them all with little effort, ending with the captain having to step it to prevent it from fleeing.

  However, it was after they had captured it that Bayleaf felt her blood begin to boil.

  “He did WHAT?!”

  Thorn held the clipboard of her charts in front of him, “It wasn’t me, I swear!”

  Bayleaf turned to stand, grabbing a pair of scrubs that were next to her bed as she put on clothes under her medical gown.

  “Thorn, please tell me he didn’t try to shackle that creature.”

  She turned to stare at the nurse who visibly sighed in relief, “no, not yet Head Researcher. It was deemed that this should be attempted once the creature was brought before the Empress.”

  Bayleaf froze.

  “Before the Empress? This creature is a possible biohazard! Why… What In the name of the Goddess would convince that fool this is a wise decision?!”

  The Nurse looked at her, and really looked at her, scanning her entire body as he answered back.

  “Well, because of you, Doctor.”

  Bayleaf raised an eyebrow as she looked herself over to see what he might be referring to.

  Her hand brushed against her body…

  “Did… I get smaller?”

  Thorn only pulled up a full length mirror in front of her.

  “See for yourself.”

  Bayleaf did, and she couldn’t help but blink in confusion.

  “Thorn, is this one of those prank mirrors that kids use to trick their mothers? Those ones that make them look younger?”

  The nurse shook his head, “nope, this is just a normal mirror Head Researcher.”

  Bayleaf raised a hand, watching as her mirror image did so as well.

  “My Goddess…”

  Thorn nodded, “we believe the creature did this to you as a side-effect of capturing the information in your mind, Doctor. And that, if you can believe, is the least of the changes.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Bayleaf couldn’t help herself as her curiosity for medical phenomena pushed her in front of Thorn, a ravenous grin on her young face.

  “Tell me!”

  …

  Bayleaf walked to the cargo hold, where the cage that held the creature was in, in a daze as the knowledge she received played in her head over and over.

  A Mana Heart, they call it. Super strength, longevity, no DNA degradation, it's a miracle made flesh.

  Bayleaf chuckled slightly at the news, a feeling of disbelief clashing with the knowledge that she instinctively knew that this change was an… apology.

  In fact, before she passed out, she was certain the creature spoke to her.

  ‘Sorry, Gonna have you take a nap for a bit.’

  She recalled it perfectly, her memory sharp and efficient.

  In fact, she could recall a lot of information, all the way back to her childhood.

  It was as if the lock that kept her body from destroying itself with its power was gone.

  And in its place was the assurance that she would never be weak again, never need that lock… because she was strong.

  She was so damn strong!

  “Hell, I might have just given that information had I known this would be the trade-off… Oh Goddess…

  Bayleaf’s feelings of elation were suddenly replaced with terror and worry.

  If this creature could do this… what's to stop it from doing the opposite?

  Her imagination, also enhanced to her dismay, played off a scene of her homeworld, and her people, turned into… invalids.

  Dazed looks in their eyes, weak bones and no magic or strength. No knowledge, for even that was taken from them.

  Just a pale existence, with their empire crashing around them.

  And the bloody idiot that she called captain, PISSED THE DAMN THING OFF!

  “AHHHH!!!”

  She pulled her hair, finding that despite her new strength, the hair follicles refused to give way and allow her the relief of pulling it out by the roots.

  She could curse them all for fools!

  What would that matter though, they were already destined for death if this continued!

  Bayleaf practically ran to the cube-like prison, her feet carrying her with ease and comfort, which only reminded her of what was at stake should things remain as they are.

  Goddess, help me! Help me to beg this creature and let my apology sate its well deserved wrath!

  …

  Bark Ironwood, Captain of the research vessel Meras-102, received a request for a communication with Dr. Bayleaf while he was sitting in his captain’s chair.

  He also felt a chill up his spine.

  I… am not going to like this conversation… Am I?

  The ship spirit had been in a state of melancholy ever since his decision to seal away the anomalous creature.

  It outright refused to speak to him, which was dangerous for a druid captain, whose whole job was to operate the ship with help from his crew.

  He tried once more to let the Meras merge with his thoughts, to allow it a chance to explain why it was so upset.

  The Meras finally reciprocated, coming to him with tears flowing down its face.

  The spirit resembled a dryad from the homeworld, for that was what it was ultimately. The Meras was its tree, and he, its bonded companion.

  Meras, tell me what makes you so sad? Allow me to help.

  Meras spoke to him, her wispy voice conveying grief, sadness, and… indignity?

  Images of another place entered into Bark’s mindscape, showing him a world that resembled Steros in her features.

  However the people there were… strange, different.

  They came in all shades and shapes, some looked similar to the Elfari, while others were clearly beastkin or some equivalent.

  Among the people… were those who stood for righteousness and justice, who fought with the same fervor he would expect from the Imperial Harriers.

  Champions that fought to save lives, Heroes.

  Those that flew in brightly colored suits, fighting against tyranny and those who would harm the innocent.

  And among them, a familiar girl who was battling… a horror.

  It was an amalgamation of different animals, beasts and people’s faces, all held together by a vile intelligence that seeked to consume and rule all life in the world.

  Standing by the girl’s side was something that could have been the girl’s mother, and they defeated the creature after a grueling battle.

  However, the scene changed, and Bark was pulled into a room where thousands of… things.

  Creatures that morphed and roared, malice and fury in their eyes.

  A being behind them, endlessly birthed them into being, a sinister intelligence that sought to perfect herself, to rule as a Goddess.

  Once again, the girl was there…

  Once again… she triumphed.

  Meras, why do you show me these images? What… who are they?

  Meras was crying now, the sobs cascading into full blown weeping.

  The images showed a familiar girl, watching her world disappear as a weapon of mass destruction was piloted away, to save those below.

  Bark watched as the girl held a hand to the window that beheld her world, knowing she would not be able to return.

  A white light enveloped everything, and the image changed.

  A tube in quarantine.

  A fight to flee Elfari.

  Freedom at last, a chance to return to her loved ones!

  …

  Betrayal.

  Deceit.

  A fury that would burn worlds to cinders.

  Bark held up his hands.

  No more, please Meras!

  Meras gnashed her teeth at him, showing the place where the creature was held, the black ominous cube that he made to seal the being inside.

  Wait, you can’t be serious! She was the one in those images? The one that stood before that beast? The one who stopped that endless birthing mother? The one…

  The one that he imprisoned, and planned to use as an experimental test subject back on the homeworld.

  Meras slapped him in the face, a gesture really, as this place couldn’t cause physical harm.

  The communicator finally connected, and Bark had a moment as he stared at the fuming face of Dr. Bayleaf.

  “Release it now, Bark. For the love of the Goddess you’re going to kill us all!”

  Bark turned back to stare at Meras, who nodded in agreement at the image of the doctor.

  “Goddess…”

  …

  Chimera was eating.

  The energy around the cube was dense, but it couldn’t help leaking some of its energy, as it was a rush job from what she could gather.

  Using her P.E.G to cycle the energy, she continued to drain the cube of its strange properties.

  Ones that dealt with the concept of space.

  When she had her powers, Chimera recognized the energy as the same kind she used to seal and send Margret into the sun.

  And now, she got it back.

  The power of space, the energy to move things around in a vacuum.

  But most importantly.

  The one that will let me break this egg open.

  With the last of the energy absorbed, and the DNA from the ship that allowed it to utilize such energy, Chimera had a template that could finally use the power.

  Black coated tendrils, no longer weighed down by their dense mass, shot out of the cube like a sea urchin.

  With a twist, Chimera wrenched the entire cube open, the rest of the energy syponing into her body as she shoved herself out.

  “ARGH! Yeah.”

  She cracked her neck as she assumed her child-like form once more.

  “You freaking Elfs or Elfari or whatever are about to get an ass whoopin! Come here you damn fairies!”

  Chimera turned to face the men outside her cage…

  And found all of them bowing their heads to the ground.

  Along with fifty other people with them!

  “W-What?”

  “WE’RE SORRY!”

  Chimera stared out in confusion as the wave of apologies flew forth from the assembled crew of the Meras-102.

  “W-What the hell is this?!”

  …