I was running through what would best be called a jungle. I wouldn't know precisely what to call it, having never been in anything akin to this extreme of a setting before. I wisely stuck to civilization on a regular basis, avoiding places where the life forms didn't have at least a shred of intelligence and decency.

                I was glad I was not encumbered by my regular spacesuit, though in retrospect it might have offered a little more protection than what I was wearing.  On the other hand, the version I was presently sporting gave the wearer enhanced physical abilities. Since running pell-mell through dense foliage was not in my usual routine, the added boost was appreciated. Only, I knew I was going to pay for it eventually. But that was going to be a future concern.

                Then again, it was unclear if I was going to have a future.

                The indigenous life forms that were presently pursuing me was one of many of the more advanced species on this planet, but they were far from being in the higher order in regards to intellect.  And by they, I really do mean they. It wasn't some lonesome specimen looking to end my life. It was multiples. I'd normally be more specific, but I was honestly too encumbered with my own wellbeing to do a head count.

                The suit I was in was a experimental version of the CBI that I had  never used. It hadn't been designed for space jumps and since there had been no other need for it, it had been stored away in the tech section of the ship. Like I started to say, it had some advantages, but with it came a number of potential drawbacks. I'm sure I'll explain later, if I make it out alive. One of those disadvantages was buzzing directly into my ear. It was annoying as hell.

                “They are known as D'svella. Poisonous teeth. Large appetites."

                “Thank you computer. I'm sure I'll have more of an interest once I find myself free of these little vermin."

                “I assume you know I can get readings from the suit. I see what you see. And I see that you have presently a 23.56 percent chance of surviving the next few moments."

                “Never tell me the odds. I'm still coping with the emotional state known as depression, so telling me I'm going to die is hardly helpful."

                I didn't know if the computer had any interest in my welfare or not. Do I think it might have been plotting against me? No, nothing like that. It had been hard to interpret anything it told me ever since Gashi had inhabited its mainframe. Before it had been personable, I guess you could say, but now it was a little more…spunky…I think might be the best word. It was prone to telling me only half the information, as if that was some big joke. And then there were times it gave me more than I wanted…or needed.

                “Depression? Hardly. I find that to you are only belatedly assessing your involvement in this mission. You are wondering how you got talked into doing this. That is second-guessing yourself. Depression only sets in when you can't find a suitable answer to your question."

                I knew the answer. Every question or questionable thing in my life any more had a singular answer and she was missing somewhere in this dense mess of vegetation, likely as lost as I was. We had gotten parted some ways back as we had split up to try and throw off these little vermin. Something called D'svella, or so the computer had just told me. Giving them a name hardly made matters better for me. It just meant that as they devoured me, I could properly curse them.

                They were still after me and only the mere happenstance that I was taller and leggier was keeping me ahead of them. They might be slower, but something told me that they were tireless. I was not. Even with the suit I would eventually wear down. There was going to be a reckoning and it wasn't likely going to be to my benefit.

                I needed a strategy.

                The computer managed to read my mind, no easy task even with the suit. I was barely under control of my rational facilities at the moment.

                “Might I suggest you simply stop?"

                “You might. Might I suggest you fuck off?"

                “Now, now. I liked you better before you learned about emotions."

                “I'm not surprised. I liked me better. Leastwise I think I did. Right now I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."

                “Running for your life. But I think at this point it would behoove you to stop running and face your pursuers."

                “That's not what I would call a great plan."

                “Your suit will likely prove a tough barrier even for their teeth."

                “Great. Can I maybe be out of it when they try to rip it to shreds?"

                “Yes, if you wish to take it off now, be my guest. Otherwise, have a little patience and faith."

                “Faith? In what? You? You're hovering above the stratosphere in a synchronous orbit. Nothing can touch you, even if you were flesh and blood. Don't tell me to have patience, faith, or anything else other than the hysterics I feel creeping up on me!"

                “Fine. I'll do it instead."

                I felt my limbs suddenly lag, as though fatigue had set in early. I knew that could be the case with the enhancement it gave my body, but this seemed deliberate.

                “What the hell are you doing?"

                “Slowing you down. Turn and face your adversaries."

                “I have no weapon of any kind. What am I supposed to do, grab a stick?"

                “If it will make you feel better, then yes. Otherwise, you'll just have to trust fate."

                I regained a moment of mental clarity.

                “Fate? What kind of stupid concept is fate?"

                “An old one that can be found in several thousand different planetary systems. Your ancestors had many names for it. I would have thought you would have studied your primitive origins."

                As we were talking, I was being forced to turn. I could see the leaves and plants moving in the near distance, and my heartrate increased by no small degree. In a moment, I was going to be overrun.

                “How would studying a bunch of superstitious backwater aborigines be of use to me, especially now?"

                “Because everyone fears something Borlan. You can either face your fears or you can run from them. Even fearsome predators often answer to a higher power."

                “Great! Philosophy."

                “No. Observation. Now hold still."

                I didn't have much of a choice. I had no idea the computer interface on this suit allowed for external control. I might have reconsidered wearing it had that bit of knowledge been made available to me. But hindsight was always clearer than foresight. I braced myself for the onslaught of fierce little impish bodies.

                The first one that came out from under the broad red leaves of the nearby groundcover seemed to be heading directly for me. I clenched up every muscle I had control over and waited for those teeth to sink in. I felt a presence against my leg and stifled a yell. It was an involuntary cry as the contact was made and then it was gone, a mere fleeting collision. This nasty little fellow bushed past me like I was nothing more than a rotten stump. The others were now coming, hooting and calling out like the fabled blood-fiends of Jollitha.

                And one by one they ignored me and kept going like it was some preset migration route they could not deviate from. They flowed around me and maybe, just maybe, one or two spared me a glance. I was no expert on the local fauna, but it seemed to me that there was something analogous to fear in their eyes. Considering that I feared them, the thought gave me cause to shiver. Whatever they feared had to be worse than what they were, and this gave me no easy feeling. My legs began to falter.

                That was when I heard the snarling. I cannot describe it accurately for you, not with words. It was multi-tonal, with both high pitches and low pitches combining into something both cacophonic and somehow pleasing to the ear. It sounded large, larger than the creatures that had just darted past me, but how large I was unable to tell. Whatever it was had yet to come into visual range. Part of me wanted to see what it was, and the other, wiser part told me to run. 

                However, the computer decided matters for me. I was staying.

                What came into view, just behind the stragglers of the D'svella mob, was a creature unlike any I had ever seen. True, this planet was new to me, being as we were outside of what I normally call home space. Everything on it was odd, though in general all the lifeforms were of body forms that were at least analogous with those of other planets. This thing was extraordinary in its appearance, if not its overall form.

                It was blood red, with a series of undulating black stripes wrapping the beast from head to tail. If it were to remain motionless, it could easily blend into the flora without being noticed, making it the perfect ambush predator. In size it wasn't as large as it's vocalizations would have led one to believe, but it was large enough.

                The eyes were oily black, and the teeth equally so. The claws it sported on the tips of its four legs were nasty scimitars, and colored only a slightly duller ebony from the other fearsome features. It padded into the open clearing I had ended up stopping in, pacing around me, sizing me up I to see if I was a decent meal. I only hoped the computer was happy. It could now go fly itself anywhere it wanted. If computers actually wanted things that is. Like my death. I don't remember ever doing anything to deserve such a fate. Then again, I was thinking poorly at the moment In another I might just be incoherent.

                “How curious. This beast has the general overall form of the Old Earth genus Panthera. It also has some distinct characteristics of the Haretyos Home-world gang-predator Euripressos."

                “Fascinating. How long before I die?"

                “I have no idea," the computer replied rather blandly. “Locally, this beast would be known as Eer'donil. If this were the beast that is."

                “Quit double talking. Is this thing dangerous or not?"

                The beast answered for me.

                “Gashi is often dangerous to you, so you have said many times. But today maybe, she has saved your life?"

                I have never felt such a calm come over me.

                “You little sneaky bitch. I didn't know you could change to such an extreme form."

                She sat down and began to groom herself. There was no fur, only thick elastic skin much like her own. Well, it was her own, so I guess that makes sense.

                “I am, what is the word you use? Versatile. My form is adaptable in many ways, not just the one you prefer. But bitch? I know the term, so at least you retain the female connotation, but I am unclear if the species I resemble has the same gender identity."

                “I meant it in the slang usage, oh shapeshifting wonder of the universe."

                My tone was both droll and mocking, probably because I was coming down from an adrenalin high. I had thought that perhaps death was imminent and because of it, I was not filtering my words very carefully.

                She smiled, a very disconcerting thing on the face she presently bore.

                “I am only teasing you. I took this form as quickly as I could, knowing that you would not feel confident in holding off the pack. I told you carrying a weapon would be beneficial to your wellbeing."

                “Staying on my ship would have been even more so."

                “In the short term only. There was a reason we came here, remember?"

                “How could I forget? What was it the ancients called it? A game of Hide and Seek? Or was it called a Treasure Hunt?"

                “Your terms are arcane but understandable. We were retrieving something once lost."

                “Once lost. Still lost you mean, or is it possible to lose something more than once?"

                She smiled wider. Her eyes developed a rainbow sheen on the surface.

                “No longer lost. And of course, you can lose things more than once. Did you tell me just recently that I was causing you to lose your mind? How many times have you said that?"

                I pulled off the mask that was covering my face. It wasn't being bothersome, but I felt that this conversation needed to be more intimate, if not precisely decorous.

                “No longer lost? I take it then that you managed to find; what was it called again?"

                “A striavulle capsule."

                “Yeah, that thing. If you found it, where is it? I really don't want to trek back the way we came, if you don't mind."

                “No need to go back. I have it."

                I looked at her carefully, noting that she had neither clothing nor satchel.

                “Gashi, I don't wish to sound stupid by pointing out the obvious, but in this form; in any form for that matter, you have no place to hide such a thing."

                She laughed in an almost tittering way. In this fearsome looking form, it was very unsettling.

                “It is in the same spot I routinely have you filling in your own, special way."

                I choked a little at the thought.

                “How big is that thing? You made it sound like it was sizable."

                “Feeling jealous now Borlan?"

                I felt a flush of blood run to my cheeks. She was as bad as the computer, or maybe I t was the other way around.  She had learned a bit of human-related humor. She knew I was still adapting to my role as a breeding partner, albeit a partner unable to consummate the ultimate nature of the act. That was why she had first found me, and why we were still together But then, I suppose you remember all of that.

                “Without seeing the object we were seeking out, I cannot claim to have any idea of its true, relative size."

                She chuckled again. She had been doing more of that. I was unclear if it was a learned behavior or if being freed from the responsibility of being Kla hade lightened her spirits.

                “This body is elastic. It has many more possibilities than you could imagine. It is not as expansive as is my mind, but within its genetic limitations, what it looks like is mostly restricted to what I can see or create from the stores of my own creativity."

                “Fine. We can discuss this at length when we leave the planet. I'll feel better when we get onboard the shuttle, and even more relieved when we are back in space."

                She frowned.

                “We are not leaving as of yet. While I am far from observing protocols that do not suit me, in this case, we must go to Gellakar and show them that this striavulle has been recovered and is leaving the planet."

                “Why would they even care? If they wanted it, they could have found it themselves."

                “Borlan, they knew where it was. I'm the one who put it here."

                “You? But you said it had been here for many generations. Now which is it?"

                She sighed in a snarling sort of way. I hoped it was due to the form she had assumed.

                “Borlan. My mind is passed down to me, and therefore it is layer upon layer upon layer of personalities that came before I was conceived. You have only yourself in your head…" she started to say.

                “Not true, I have you and the computer."

                She sighed again.

                “What is you is all from your lifetime. Not so with me. Much of the information I have so recently relinquished goes back several thousand generations."

                “So then, your head was as layered as Hustolian sandstone?"

                “If you wish to think of it that way, then yes. But it is much more complex than that. Everything I am has its foundations upon who I was. Even at the present moment, I am the end result of years of passing down that legacy; that which I carried has made me who I am. Just as a burden sculpts a physical body, so this has sculpted what makes me - me."

                “You know, when I first saw you, I wasn't all that impressed with you. Now you just never stop with the surprises."

                “In your lifetime Borlan, you have and will continue to see many unusual things. Not all of them will be me, but I may be able you to be prepared for some of them."

                “Meaning?"

                “Meaning that I can change at will, given enough time - for you must understand that some forms are more difficult to assume than others."

                “I see." I shook my head. “No I don't but as I said there will be time to discuss this later."

                “True. I'll change when we get back to the shuttle."

                “Why not now?"

                She smiled knowingly.

                “Your little friends aren't afraid of me as you know me. They are terrified of how I look presently. Good enough reason?"

                “Plenty."

                We made the shuttle in good time, and without additional difficulty. Apparently whatever it was she looked like; this Eer'donil; was pretty much the apex predator in these parts. No one messed with one unless they wanted to die. True to her word, when the rear hatch came down with a solid clang, she began to revert to her old self.

                I watched her, knowing that even this wasn't her natural appearance and wondering silently what that might be. I was used to a lot of variety, for that was part and parcel with the job. Just because my heritage was human didn't exclude me from doing work for anyone who had the money. Some of them had been a little outside the norm, if you get what I mean.

                No? Oh well, I guess you have to experience it to understand.

                Gashi took only about the time it would take the average person to suit up to transform. It was nearly too much for the eyes, trying to follow the rapid yet subtle alterations to her physique. Colors melted and ran like a hundred different evening skies I had witnessed, until that familiar pale skin with orange blotches was back, and the legs became legs in the back and the set in front became arms. She stood, stretched, and smiled. This time it looked more inviting.

                “It is good to be me again."

                “Is this you?"

                “For now, yes. It suits you and therefore suits me."

                I left the matter go. She was rather attractive in her own way, though I couldn't help but wonder at the possible permutations she could achieve. There were a number of races that in retrospect, and now that I was capable of appreciating such things, might indeed have been missed opportunities. For now however, I was going to be the sole caretaker of Gashi's needs.  They were more than enough for any sane man.

                And heck, my sanity has been in question for a while now.

                Gellakar (common name for it) was the generally accepted capitol city of the planet Kjer'apsit. Its local name is much longer and extremely difficult to say without having a bifurcated tongue. I let Gashi do the talking, as she could split her tongue and thus carry on a conversation directly with these people. Then again, it also helped that she knew the language. Me? I was able to follow it thanks to the shipboard computer language translation interface with my suit. Not having a clue how to speak it, I wisely sat there as silent as a stone.

                Gashi started the conversation by holding up the object of our quest.

                “This is that which I have come for. See it so that you will know it for what it is,"

                The leader, or whatever they called the head of the government here spoke up next.

                “We see and we acknowledge that it is that which was laid here a millennium ago. Take it and go. We are glad to be out from under the onus of being its caretakers."

                And that was pretty much that. Oh, there was more, but it had the general feel of being officious and pompous and rather boring. The object Gashi was holding looked like a polished cylinder of some common mineral, with bands running through it in varying shades of green and gray. One end was rounded (making its entry into where she had hidden it much easier I would assume) and the other was crowned with a strange bluish metal.  From what I could see, there was an intricate pattern on the base of the metal portion, but the rest of it was polished to a high sheen. It looked like a piece of artwork from some bygone era, and why we had risked our lives for it was beyond me.

                Gashi wasn't saying either. But the way she carried it, and one might even say, guarded it; it had to have a fair amount of worth to it. I was left guessing at the possible use she would have for it, and could'nt find none based upon what little I knew. If it was really as old as she said, then its use was going to be as arcane to me as many of my predecessors' customs back on Earth. And let me tell you, that had some weird customs.

                “Borlan dear, I will be spending a great deal of time with this. And yet, I still need time to cure the craving that continues to hold my body hostage."

                “You can't do both you know, unless you can study and perform at the same time."

                “Maybe I can. But that would prove problematic, now wouldn't it?"

                “How should I know? All I'm saying it that you can't be in two places at once."

                “So I will have to divide my time between both needs equally."

                “I'll leave that up to you. You'll know where to find me."

                She nodded, but then a look of serious concern came over her face.

                “Be careful when you take off the suit. Your body will likely react in a manner which you will dislike. I found not data on this prototype, but overall it seems to have weathered the test run well enough.“

                “I had nearly forgotten about that. I'll just have to go slowly when taking it off. I'll let the computer download the data, if it hasn't done so already."

                “Yes, and it might be beneficial for you to do it in the sick bay. I can think of no better place for you to be than there is you find yourself suffering from any adverse reactions."

                “And you'll be?" I asked, wondering where she intended to conduct her study.

                “Here and there. Mostly I need to connect to the mainframe."

                “Seriously? What the hell is that thing? I just figured it was some old artifact."

                “Old? Yes. Artifact? Yes. There is much more to it than that.  I do not wish to say any more now, in case time has damaged it. But if you are patient, and if I am lucky, all will be known in a few turns of the planet."

                She essentially meant days, but as I said before, that measure of time was variable. However, the planet we were orbiting was the likely standard she was using, so I was able to transfer the span into regular time. I would normally go into hypersleep, but if I did that, it would deprive her of her main reason for having me around.

                It would be preferable if she would pick one task or another. But then, I could find something to do easily enough. We were in a sector of space I think few of my fellows had ever visited, so the chance to observe and scan the region was too good to pass up. She went off to do her analysis, and I decided it was time to be rid of this second skin.

                I was thinking this over as I carefully undid the suit. There were a few thousand sensors that adhered to the skin of the user once it was on, and if you pulled too quickly, you felt it in your skin. The problem was, I felt something entirely different, and I might add, far worse. My muscles went into immediate cramping, in the most painful manner possible. The suit had been overriding my body, and the minute it lost contact, the entire ordeal I had been through was translated to my brain as pain. Having never had need for the suit before, I realized immediately I had overused it in a grand way.

                Let me backtrack. The suit had weathered it fine. My body was now suffering for it.

                I let out an involuntary yell as my body suddenly froze up. I heard the com come to life.

                “Borlan?"

                I was unable to do much more than moan and hit the floor.

                “You are in distress. I will send help."

                The pain was too intense for me to consider who the damn ship would send. Gashi would be busy, and while I knew she would come, I hated to bother her. Then again, I was ready to die right now. I had never suffered so, even with the introduction of heretofore unknown hormones into my system. This was pain pure and simple and I was thinking that those creatures devouring me might have been a picnic compared to this. At least with them, I would have had a chance at an ending to this agony. This torment was exquisite beyond reckoning.  

                I passed out, for which I was extremely thankful. I have no idea how long I was laying on the floor, and while I did remember hitting it hard, I was left trying to piece together how and when I had made it to my own sleeping quarters. I felt like I had gone through a bad warp-jump, but the pain had lessened to a dull ache. As my eyes fluttered open, a concerned face was peering into my eyes.

                The voice cracked as she looked kindly into my face. Even her tone and mannerisms were slightly off.

                “You…are feeling better?"

                I tried to sit up but my head was pounding.

                “Define better."

                “Pain?"

                “Down to a dull roar. What happened?"

                She climbed up and lay against my side.

                “You over extended your capabilities. The suit is supposed to enhance your abilities, but you used it to supersede them. If your physical condition had been more attuned to activity, you would not have suffered so. As it is, you are suffering from rhabdomyolysis."

                It was an ancient term, but I knew it well enough. It was the breakdown of muscle tissue which caused a myriad array of symptoms. The suit had somehow managed to suppress the symptoms. I'm not sure it did me any favors.

                “Suffering is right. I hope that whatever that thing was we retrieved has the value to it you seem to place on it."

                She pulled away a moment, as if uncertain what to say.

                “Yes, I hope so too, for your sake. Time will tell."

                “Yes I believe you said that."

                “Oh yes, I suppose I did. You'll have to excuse my distraction. I am not ashamed to say that I am worried about you. I feel…worried? Would that be correct?"

                I felt a little flustered. She was growing more emotional, but this seemed very to the point.

                “I can't say what you feel. But I thank you for your kindness and consideration. Then again, it was you who put me in this situation."

                I was feeling a little upset, as I hope you can imagine. My tone was a bit on the sharp side.

                “Me? I…guess I did. My apologies."

                “Really? You sound sincere."

                “I am sincere. I would never wish to lose you. I have grown rather fond of you - I think that is the term. Emotions are a concept I need to work on learning and understanding more thoroughly. I hope to make some progress while we remain in orbit here."

                “Do you now? I'll have to do you the disservice of telling you that you'll be getting nothing from me.  I'm pretty much shot for the moment."

                “Yes, you need your rest. Would you mind if I curled up next to you? It always looks so nice."

                Something sounded weird about that. Gashi could curl up next to me any time. Just riding me was out of the question.

                “Sure, why not? But I thought you said you needed to work on your discovery. You can't be doing both."

                “I will attend to that which I find to be the most important. Dare you argue against it?"

                I was not cut out for arguing with the likes of her or any female.

                “I dare not."

                I stretched out my arm in invitation. She was quick to accept and snuggled into my side with obvious excitement. I suppose she was glad I had survived my recent ordeal, for it was obvious in her quivering posture and mannerisms.  I was prepared to ponder it in more depth, but I was still deathly tired, and with her at my side, I was filled with feelings of comfort and wellbeing. Sex would have to wait, but that was fine with me. I had overdone it already and there wasn't a single good reason I could think of to overextend myself yet again.

                Even for her.

                I drifted off to sleep, wondering as I did if sleep would come to her or if she intended to keep a close watch on me. It was difficult at times to predict her motives and commitments. She seemed to care, like she was now, but she also seemed to have other priorities. While she didn't have her storehouse of knowledge to quickly tap into anymore, she still seemed a formidable intellectual. My thoughts clouded and faded as my brain subsided into REM sleep.

                In the corner of the room was a camera. The ship was dotted with them though they rarely found any practical use. This one whirred to life as its lens focused on the sleeping pair. It zoomed in, happy to see them so comfortably entwined as they were at the moment. Borlan needed as much attention right now as did Gashi's body. One simple could not be in two places at once, no matter how talented they might be.

                Gashi lingered over the couple for a moment before turning off the link and turning her attention to excavating the security code for the data core. She had buried it in her memories so long ago, that even with the assistance of the mainframe it was going to take some fervent searching before she located it. There was a reason her people had eschewed computers for storing their most valuable asset, but that had not been the case in the distant past. That which was lost could be retrieved if one had the forethought to have had backups in place. But politics decried such use of technology, and so that which could have been retrieved was left to rot.  No longer. It was time to reassemble the lost segments and see if they held the information she was looking for.

                A millennium was a long time for any being to retain a code of this caliber, and she now had to sort through the data banks to find any reference of it. But it was here, she knew it. Thankfully the AI wanted to experience life in a living body, otherwise the task would be all the more difficult. Gashi didn't mind. Her body needed the attention; her mind did not. She had more important tasks at hand. Let them have fun. There would be time for that later.