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VOLTRON Whispers From the Void Chapter 2 (Galra Insight) Written by Leo_Todrius and Sabin

[Reality 0001-A] [Location: Tayune: Project Oracle Research Base] [Present]

An alarm still sounded in the research base, echoing down the halls. Power relays clicked and thumped, trying to restart, reroute, re-work. The speed at which Zeke had gone from unconscious in Ravem's arms to up and about had been astonishing, but even with Ravem's protests, the scout had left his quarters and headed to a supply locker down the hall. The base was still reeling from whatever had caused the power outage. The dull orange emergency lights provided just enough illumination as Zeke unstacked crate after crate, his newly enlarged and purple hand providing ample grip. The lid to one more crate popped as the Scout and peered inside before grinning, exposing his fangs.

"Perfect..." Zeke muttered before he pulled out a deep exposure suit, laying it out across the table. He weighed his options before he grabbed a utility knife and started sawing at the elbow. It took some effort, but eventually the fibers gave way and he managed to cleave through the fabric. Once it was loose, he reached down in with his human hand, fishing around, closing one eye before he got a good grip and pulled. The inner lining popped and snapped and he came out with a fist full of tubes, cables, and small electronics. He dropped them unceremoniously to the floor before sliding his enlarged hand down the sleeve.

It was a tight, snug fit, but once it was on it didn't look entirely out of place. Because the exposure suit normally had internal mechanics, it was by its very nature larger than human proportions. Hopefully wearing just the sleeve of the suit, no one would be too curious. Zeke grinned and heaved a sigh of relief, though he looked up as the ceiling lights suddenly snapped back on and the intercom chimed.

"Power has been restored. Senior researchers report to primary lab." A voice stated. Zeke turned and moved over, using some of the stainless steel molding on the wall to look at his reflection. He lifted his lip with a finger, looking at his fangs, running his tongue over the tip of them before he brought his hand back, playing with the soft tufts of black hair at the back edge of his jawline.

"I can probably explain the color streak in the hair as trying to be fashionable... Hopefully I can explain the exposure suit as a desire to have more dexterity on mission. That'll work in the short term." Zeke said.

"Or it looks like you're trying to put together a costume one arm at a time" Leaning against the doorframe, Ravem had followed Zeke into the storage room and stood guard to make sure no one had come to investigate the noises. "Do you know how to stitch together clothing? You might be able to get away with it as your off duty clothing if you attach it to one of those long sleeve shirts you wear, the bulkier ones. And maybe add a few other bits to it."

"We're running out of time before they do a head count... But I've got that liquid sealant, and I could try stitching something. I've seen the doctor do it a few times." Zeke considered. Ravem suddenly stood up straight and quickly slipped into the room, his ears standing out on end, the fur at the end sticking up.

"I would say you're correct, I hear someone coming."

"Alright, showtime." Zeke said, looking around before he grabbed a handful of flashlights and dumped them into Ravem's arms before pulling the first aid kit off the wall. The door slid open and an olive skinned researcher stepped in before nearly doubling back, not expecting anyone to be in the room.

"Woah, sorry!" The lanky young man squeaked, "I just came to get some flashlights in case the power went off again." Zeke smiled slowly.

"We had just the same idea." he replied. Zeke looked to Ravem and, catching on his drift, the two provided the researcher with one of the cases of flashlights.

"Thanks!" He said before he spun and headed off down the hallway. Zeke watched him go, brushing his hair out of his face before he looked back at Ravem.

"We need to figure out what triggered this. Is the PDA back in my quarters?" Zeke asked.

"Yea, should be, as long as it wasn't damaged in the... whatever happened. You think that there might be some feed of what just happened we could find? Even with the power out, that might be a bit of an issue." Ravem would think for a moment. "Or are you thinking something else?"

"What did you call me? When... we were having our moment? Kah... Kah..." Zeke said, closing his eyes, trying to remember.

"Kahzay..." Ravem's face blanked for a moment, before snapping back and stumbling from the mental whiplash. "I think it was Kahzay."

"They're going to need me to show my face and touch bases on this emergency... Go to my room, check the archives from the PDA. Search for Kahzay, search your own name, see what comes up. I'll get back as soon as I can." Zeke said, reaching his gloved hand up to rest on Ravem's fuzzy cheek. Ravem reached up and held the hand there for a moment, before nodding.

"Ok, but please be careful, your suit won't fool them forever." Ravem reached up and slid his hand through the fuzz growing on Zeke's cheek. "I'll see you in a bit." Ravem quickly headed out of the storage room and back to Zeke's quarters, passing engineers and scientists, even one of the other scouts.

With the modifications to the door mechanism it took a little finagling to get the door to slide open, but soon Ravem was inside. Looking around, memories of less than an hour ago came flooding back and made Ravem's ears heated up in embarrassed but happy memories. He quickly closed the door, and after pushing some of the fallen food to the side, made his way over to the bed. Reaching down to pick up the tablet, he clicked the button on the side to turn it on. While waiting, he ran his hand along the bunk's sheets, and after a moment of hesitation, pressed his face into the pillow, taking a sniff.

The pillow smelled like Zeke... An earthy musk with a hint of spice, like a forest world that was just a bit too warm, though there was another scent lingering in the air, a coppery, almost indescribable scent, the smell of a Galra. As the PDA beeped that it was on, Ravem sat up quickly, and mentally slapped himself awake. He opened up the database, and opened the search function. Typing several attempts to spell Kahzay, he was able to narrow down the results, including using his own name. Several reports came up, all of them from the reality labeled 2452-A. It seemed that reality had dominated the archives in the last day.

Ravem sat back in the bunk, resting his head against the bunker wall, and started flipping through reports, until he found one that seemed to hold some merit... It was a personal report, encrypted originally but one of the researchers had found a cypher. As Ravem started to scroll down the report, his fur stood up on end and he couldn't help but feel his eyes opening wider and wider.

[Reality 2452-A] [Location: Balmera G-18-Reb] [Five Deca-Phoebs Ago]

The wind was hot and dusty, blowing across the rocky landscape. The sky was an unrelenting yellow, and the few clouds that drifted were small, offering no respite to those down below. The landscape was one of sloped mesas and terraced rock, but the surface had seen better days. The terrain was pitted, large holes dug deep into the core. Galra tech hugged some of the pit walls like metal ribs holding the wound open, a metaphor that was more than apt. The planet itself was a living creature, a Balmera, and the Galra were harvesting the natural resources to power their fleets.

While there were structures all over the surface, the largest was hanging on the edge of one of the oldest mining pits. Three large triangular spires rose high into the sky, crafted out of a dark black metal and glowing purple panels. That particular pit had long since been drained of any resources of value, but the Regent kept his base there as the base of operations.

A single figure stood out on a ledge, overlooking the pit. He was seven and a half feet tall, broad shouldered but somewhat gangly for a Galra. Two triangular ears extended out from a thick mane of bluish black hair that came down to the figure's shoulders. His eyes were a rich yellow and the fur along his jawline was shaggier than most. He wore not the uniform of a standard officer, instead it was a more form fitting black uniform with red highlights across the chest, shoulders, hips and legs.

"Commander Kahzay, your shuttle has been refueled." A sentry stated from the doorway of the complex. The Galra operative said nothing, still peering out at the pit. The Galra empire was a complex machine full of constantly moving parts. It required maintenance, it required lubrication, and every so often a piece required... replacement.

The Regent had once been like the Balmera he inhabited; full of potential, with a promising future. Now Kahzay feared the Regent was like the pit before him, showing years of use, abuse, and corruption. Claws slowly traced across the hilt of the knife on his leg. He had a mission to do, and his empire depended on his accuracy.

"Thank you, that is all." Kahzay said finally, dismissing the sentry. He turned, brushing his dark hair from his face as he walked back along the ledge, rounding the central spire on his way to the hangar. He would make his report officially before he made his move, though his ears perked at the sound of something sliding across the stone nearby, then a grunt.

Kahzay's instincts kicked into high gear as he started moving swiftly and silently, bringing his head down to reduce his profile. He rounded the pylons and came up to the back edge of the facility. He looked down to see a subcommander and two lieutenants around another Galra... or rather a half-breed.

"You're nothing more than a slave, scum. You shouldn't even be allowed on this level." the female lieutenant quipped.

"Just because you have a little fur doesn't mean you're any different than those Balmeran lizards." the subcommander added in. Their target was, if anything, taller than them though he was a little leaner. He had the purple fur of a galra, but tall, slender sloped horns extended from his skull and two tusk like eye teeth jutted up from his lower lip. Even a tail extended out from his backside, tipped with a wisp of fur.

"Maybe we should send him back home, huh? Push him over the edge." The other lieutenant snorted, a younger male.

"Yeah, I bet the rock worshipper would love that, wouldn't you, slave?" The first grinned, giving the hybrid a shove. Given their proximity to the edge, it didn't look like it was going to take much for them to get their wish. Kahzay had seen enough. He picked up speed again, jumping off the edge before he dropped down from above, landing between the two lieutenants. His knife pressed to the neck of the female, sending her stumbling back to protect himself. Kahzay kicked the other square in the stomach, sending him doubling over in pain.

The subcommander swung to punch at their attacker, but Kahzay ducked the first punch, spun to the side of the second, and then came up back to back with the subcommander. In that moment of confusion, he wrapped an arm around the subcommander's neck and pushed off backwards, sending the Galra officer toppling forward onto the ground. Kahzay flexed off of him as he fell, landing back upright. The lieutenants were scrambling to get up, but froze when they saw his uniform.

"He's... he's from the Central Command system..." The female lieutenant muttered.

"It's the inquisitor." another commented. Kahzay slowly smiled, showing off his fangs.

"Then you know of me, and why I'm here." he said, returning his blade to its sheath. He turned his attention to the balmeran half breed that had been the target of their bigotry. In the confusion of the fight, the half breed had successfully extracted himself away from the other Galra, and was now kneeling next to the back cliff face, away from the pit. His right arm hung limp, but the right one he held as if to try and defend himself. His left eye was swollen, but both of them were trained on the group

"You there, what is your name?" Kahzay questioned.

"Slaves don't have names..." The subcommander muttered. Kahzay's yellow eyes narrowed for a moment before he looked back to the hybrid with a soft smile.

"Ignore him, your name, please?" Kahzay asked. Spitting out some blood to clear his mouth, the hybrid looked at the officer, his eyes weighing the new Galra on the scene.

"See?" the subcommander quipped, "They don't even know what names ar-"

"Ravem." The word from the half breed cut the subcommander silent, and the wind over the barren area was the only thing stopping anyone from hearing a pin drop. Kahzay smiled a bit at that.

"Ravem, that's a good strong name." Kahzay said. The subcommander's lip curled.

"You can't be serious, I don't care who you are... The Galra empire shouldn't be sullied by refuse like him. It's time we put him where he belongs!" The subcommander started towards Ravem. Kahzay ducked down and spun, building up momentum to kick the officer squarely in the armor plating over his chest. He toppled backwards and fell, an arm and shoulder sliding over the edge of the pit, hanging over a sheer drop down several stories. The subcommander scrambled to get up before a large strapped boot came down on his chest again. Kahzay looked down with his solid yellow eyes gleaming. The subcommander swallowed a bit, looking up in fear. Kahzay turned to face the others.

"Ravem, do you have any family here?" Kahzay asked, not removing his foot from the officer who didn't dare squirm in his precarious position.

"My mother, she lived down in the pit. I don't know who my father was. No one else." He stood up a bit more straight, while still being defensive, Ravem started to get curious. "I had enough and tried to climb up to find him."

"And instead you found these weblums..." Khazay sighed, reaching up to scratch at the thickest part of the fur along his jaw, "Ravem, you look to be strong stock. I am granting you a field commission as my personal bodyguard and attendant, if you want the position." the statement seemed to hang in the air for a few moments, none of the individuals present processing at first.

"You are insane!" The subcommander growled. Khazay grimaced and used his foot to push him further over the edge. He grunted, his claws digging into the stone, trying to anchor himself.

Wiping his jaw clean of blood with the back of his working hand, Ravem looked the high ranking Galra up and down. He looked almost as incredulous as the man under Kahzay's boot. "Been a slave, it's no fun. Last time a Galra offered a Balmoran a deal, we ended up as the bottom of your pits with no daylight or stars." Ravem's eyes shifted between the three other Galra, "These three though, seem like you just told them that their mothers were being tossed into the mines to work." He pointed to one of the two left standing. "If she's anything to go by, her mother might be better there. What would I do for this job?"

The female lieutenant's eyes went dangerously violent at the half-breed's insolence, she took a step forward before hearing the grunt of the subcommander as he slipped a bit closer to the edge under Kahzay's boot, some of the stone ledge crumbling under him. His expression was clear to his subordinate - no. She took a step back, but her glare would have disintegrated Ravem in an instant if it had the power. The hybrid barely even noticed her movement, other than a brief flash of the eyes when she momentarily stepped forward.

"By order of the Emperor, The Regent has been relieved of duty and his life for corruption. His behavior was not befitting the Empire." Kahzay stated clearly, "Those that are allowed to remain at this post must demonstrate proper protocol. Your demonstration today has not served you well. I now offer you a choice, your life in exchange for following the edicts of your Empire. What is your choice?" Kahzay asked. The young male lieutenant barely hesitated before he saluted.

"Vrepit Sa!" he stated clearly, dropping his weapon to the ground. As if her co-worker's salute kicked some part in her mind, the female lieutenant turned towards Kahzay, and repeated the salute.

"Vreprit Sa." The words were strong but reluctant out of her mouth. Ravem looked at the others, at the conflict that had erupted and blossomed in ways he never anticipated.

"Vesprit Sa..." mumbling the words, awkward for the first time on his tongue, Ravem knew he was given a way out, but into what, he wasn't sure. It had to be better than a trip back down the literal hole he had crawled out of. With Ravem's attempt at loyalty, the lieutenant's glare shifted away, but not before she gave him one more intense figurative death beam.

"You may be able to scare them into submission," The subcommander replied, despite being precariously balanced over the edge of the cliff, "but I serve the TRUE Galra Empire, the empire whose blood is pure... I see you for what you truly are, I will not salute you and I will die to serve THAT Empire!" he said, baring his fangs before he grabbed onto Kahzay's leg and leaned back, using the weight of his body to pull at the commander.

Kahzay moved swiftly, his knife coming back out, cutting through the straps on his boot. He slid over the edge, but all the subcommander got to take with him was the footwear. Rocks and pebbles tumbled down and after what seemed like entirely too long a this echoed up from down below. Kahzay pulled himself back up, one large clawed purple foot bare as it gripped the stone. He turned and looked down at the heap below hin.

Where the subcommander had fallen, where the officer had shed his life, there was a faint purple glow fanning out across the stone. Ever so slowly, tiny purple crystals were starting to push up out of the rock, jagged and uneven. Kahzay was intrigued. The living planet had been starved of its food source so long that it was learning how to draw quintessence any way it could, and so in a strange way, the Subcommander had served a larger purpose. Kahzay's only regret was that he hadn't ended the Regent's life as poetically as the subcommander's.

---

The sun had started to set, the steady yellow light of the Balmera atmosphere taking on a deep red-orange hue as it spilled through the triangular windows into Kahzay's transport. The special ops officer had brought the hybrid into the common room of the ship, situating him on one of the bunks before he started to administer first aid. A black and white device had been slipped over his shoulder and was steadily pulsating with purple light as it did its work, knitting together the wound and promoting the tissue to heal. The cut on his face and swelling around his eye had been more difficult.

With Ravem sitting, Kahzay towered over him, but he leaned in, applying an enhanced covering over the wound. While not as sophisticated as what was working on his shoulder, it was a lot better than standard wound dressings. Kahzay's yellow eyes were focused, detail oriented, ensuring that his guest was properly taken care of.

Ravem tried his best to sit still, Kahzay having explained what would happen, the feeling of the device that was attached to his shoulder causing his body to adjust and fix itself was an alien experience for him. While he had followed Kahzay onto the parked ship voluntarily, he couldn't help keep his eyes from flicking into the corners of the room or to half walls that hid what was behind it. His fingers grasped the edge of the bunk, his worn and split fingers making the mattress creak under the pressure of his hands.

"You have your own ship?" The halfbreed inquired, ending the question a little higher as he felt a nerve being moved under his skin.

"Yes, my position has me move around a lot, fixing problems. I have to be mobile, autonomous. This ship is sort of like my home. Thankfully it's got a few amenities." Kahzay said, looking at the readout on the red monitor on the wall, seeing how the process was going. It documented in addition to the injuries that Ravem was suffering a depletion of nutrients. Kahzay smiled, "Ravem, are you hungry?" he asked hopefully.

Kahzay got a grunt in return "Define hungry. I ate before leaving the bottom of the pit, but that was 12 hours ago. I normally only eat once a day, twice if I'm lucky, or another had extra." Sitting up a bit straighter, he would lift his arm testingly, and try and work the feeling and movement back into it. "Unless those three were beating me longer than I thought, or I blacked out, but if you have food, I could eat."

"I think I could drum something up." Kahzay said, moving to the cryo unit at the back of the common room, opening it up. He started rummaging through. He wasn't sure what the native foods were on a balmera, there were often insect infestations that he presumed made some sort of aspect of their basic diet, but Ravem was also part Galra. He had to hope that the food wouldn't be unpalatable.

Selecting a flank of meat, Kahzay put it in the preparation slot. Heat was applied, working with sophisticated sensors to keep the meat moist but to cook it enough to be safe. Bringing it back out, Kahzay debated on toppings before he used a dairy based sweet cream sauce on the side of the place and brought it over to Ravem.

"I don't know if this will be any good, I can try to find something else if you don't like it." Kahzay said, but before he could place the tray down, Ravem's eyes had already gone over everything in the common room, and had already taken a large nut from a table before trying to chew on it. Apparently he had been more hungry than he had let on. Swallowing was a little rough but eventually it was down, Ravem took the tray, and started to sample the rest a bit more slowly, actually taking time to chew and swallow.

As Kahzay watched Ravem start to eat at a normal pace, it was hard pinning it down right away, about why he felt the way he did, but the realization was slowly dawning on him. He shared something in common with Ravem, something that had the potential to reshape his entire life... and as a routine fixer of problems, he didn't want to see anyone suffering just because of their origins.

"What is this stuff?" Ravem asked, sticking a claw into the sauce, sniffing it and then licking it off, resulting in him make a face. "Eesh, maybe something to try later, that's sweet. I haven't seen so many kinds of food before. You normally eat this stuff?"

"Yes, any time I'm not feeling well." Kahzay admitted, looking at Ravem, taking a few breaths, "I realize I may have put you in a difficult position. I know you have family down below. I hoped my display would make them realize you're off limits. But it's not a complete fix."

The patched up Galra stopped, food halfway to his mouth, and let his hand rest on his thigh, rolling the food in his hand. "We ar- Balmerans are incredibly kind, and would accept just about anyone, wholeheartedly, into their family and life. It's the reason the Galra were able to come in and set up the mining. That being said, while the older generation is still like that, other Balmerans, like my age or my mother's age, know what happened, and aren't so open, especially to the Galra, now living on the surface. There are a few down there still that got me food, I never really starved, but I was usually kept at arm's length."

"You were caught between both worlds." Kahzay said softly, bringing Ravem a bottle full of a nutrient shake to wash down his food with before he settled in a chair, "My job is to fix things, to make them run better. That doesn't just mean increasing numbers, especially if I can find a way to do that that also improves things for many. Tell me, what do you know of the Balmera you live on, how it lives?"

Ravem took the bottle, eyeing the commander carefully, before taking a swig of the drink. "I know of it, and have tried talking to it a few times. It's not so much... living is a relative term, but it currently lives in pain from all the mining and digging that's been happening since at least I was born. What did you want to know about it?"

"The Regent acted as if it was some resource that was almost used up, but Balmerans have been revered for centuries. Other species had a special way with them..." Kahzay said.

"You mean the Alteans? I used to hear stories from my mother when I was younger about them, I don't think I ever believed her though." Ravem would scratch his cheek fur, thinking. Feeling a bit nervous about venturing into his next topic, Kahzay pushed on.

"Have you ever heard of something called Quintessence?"

Before answering, Ravem put the drink he had down, and reach for another piece of food. "Somethings. From what I had gath- erm, what the soldiers were saying, it was something the Galra were harvesting. Almost seems like you couldn't get enough of it. What is it, used in trade?"

"It is... life force, capable of powering anything in its raw form. I believe it was what the Alteans gave to the Balmera back when they existed. I am wondering if, as you were malnourished, if this planet is malnourished as well." Kahzay said.

Putting the food down on the tray, Ravem slid it to the side of the bunk he was on. "Its in pain, and hurting. It might be hungry, I don't know, I am not sure if it even eats, but I know it isn't being given enough time to heal and recover." Standing up from the bunk, he took a few steps, and circled around the chair that Kahzay was sitting in, his tail twitching as he went. "Why do you want it? Do Galra want to live forever?"

"If it was a good life, would you object to that?" Kahzay asked, looking back at the windows, "I can tell command that operations here need time to restructure. That could give the Balmera time to rest and heal... The question is, do I approach the druids with my idea, or find a way to see if it helps without their involvement." Kahzay murmured out loud as he thought to himself.

The pacing would stop mid-stride, Ravem's eyes would look over Kahzay, reappraising him. "You would do that, listen to a Balmeran about what to do? I have only heard once someone talk about druids, and they made them sound like it would have been better if they dragged their own mother down to the mines." Suspicion was obvious in his voice. "A good life is not a life I know, death at least I can expect sometime, and greet it. What would you tell these druids? What are they?"

"They are not to be trifled with, it is true... But they have control of the quintessence. They refine it, prepare it, decide who can use it. If we got their help, we would have an endless supply." Kahzay said, looking at Ravem. Silence filled the room for a moment other than the sound of the medical machines.

"You mean you wouldn't need to hurt the Balmera anymore? What-" Ravem would bite his upper lip with one of his teeth. "What would need to happen?"

"If the legends are true, that the Balmera gave willingly before... We need to replicate the effect with that we have. It might not be the same, but what we have is quintessence." Kahzay replied. Ravem's reaction was not one of disbelief but instead possible hope.

"That... would be amazing, if something like that was possible." He shifted weight from one foot to another. Turning to the window, Ravem looked out across the view, using the view to hide any possible reaction that would give himself more away. "Do you think it's possible at all? That this could happen?"

"I think there's a chance based on what I saw today, and any chance for a better future is worth chasing." Kahzay said.

"I don't-" Ravem took a deep breath, and slowly things fell into place in his mind. "If what you said is true, and I am here now, then I will help. I don't have anywhere else to go for now, maybe... maybe we can make life better for the Balmera and Balmerans." He placed a hand on the window, and pushed off of it to turn himself around.

"Then I shall request an audience with the druids." Kahzay said, bowing his head to Ravem before he stood back up, "The only question is, do you want to stay here while I do, or come with me to the central command system?" the commander asked. Ravem looked over his shoulder, out the window to the world beyond, his face going a bit strained.

"I don't have anyone left alive here, and I am sure that by now those two lunkers have informed everyone they trust what happened, so staying here would be hazardous for my health." He sighed, and looked around. "At least here with you, I will get to see the stars and sky." Kahzay looked at the tall man standing in front of the window, appraising his body language. Had he been lying earlier about his mother, shielding himself from the truth?

"Then we will set out at once. Make yourself comfortable. For the time being, this is your home now as well." Kahzay offered, leaving the common room and heading to the cockpit.

Looking around, and not knowing what to do, Ravem moved back over to the window, not wanting to miss what this would look like, hoping he wasn't making a terrible mistake. As the ship started to take off and lift skyward, he arched his neck as much as possible, watching his home grow ever more distant below him, the landmarks shrinking away until he couldn't make anything out but the massive land masses, and the discolorations from the mines.

As the ship hit the outer atmosphere, the sky turned black and the stars started to appear in gleaming, steady jewels. Amazement and excitement started to fill the hybrid's face. As the ship jumped to hyperspace, Ravem stumbled to his knees, unable to catch his fall as his hands went to his head. A shudder rippled through his body, as he braced himself. No longer did he feel the presence of his home, nor the vibrations beneath his feet, or the wind. "It's so quiet... " he whispered, his voice hanging in the air, alone and isolated. He pushed himself up against the corner of the view glass and wall and just sat there, staring out the window as countless stars drifted by at unimaginable speeds.

---

Even in its diminished state, the Balmera had an essence of life and vitality to it. It had been a feeling that even in his short time on the surface, Kahzay had started to sense. The travel to the central command system had been relatively short, but that feeling was most certainly not present. The ship had passed through the solar barrier, passed the gas giants and the megastructure rings and landed in the command ship.

Kahzay had requested Ravem remain onboard the transport and had proceeded alone, though as he ventured deeper and deeper into the ship, he missed both Ravem and the feeling of the Balmera. At least there... there had been a feeling of life. The commander came up to a door and placed his hand on the panel. The sensor checked his DNA and granted him access, opening up onto a vast chamber filled with a reddish orange light.

As the Galra officer entered, he looked around at the cavernous space with wide yellow eyes. There were thousands of cannisters of raw, unfiltered quintessence, and a gantry crane was stretched out to the center of the room where more canisters sat, radiating a purple glow. Even in its raw form, it had the highest ratio of power to volume of any substance in the universe. Once it was refined, a single drop could power a device for years.

Kahzay had requested a meeting with the druids and had received word to come to the refinery, but seeing no druid he turned to leave - only to come chest to chest with one. Kahzay slid back despite himself. The druid was as tall as he was, but much thinner and covered in a brown and black robe. A bird like silver mask came out of the hood, four yellow eyes gleaming in the metal while shadow obscured the druid's face entirely.

"Ah, thank you... for meeting with me." Kahzay said, trying to regain his normal charm and charisma, "I am Commander Kahzay, detached enforcer for the Empire. My most recent mission has brought me to a Balmera mining colony and while there... I discovered a most interesting opportunity for the empire." Kahzay said.

The druid said nothing, not moving in the slightest. Kahzay swallowed a bit. Normally he was the intimidating one, using his position and unpredictability to get the upper hand on his enemies. Surely the druid had been practicing those tactics for many, many decaphoebs longer than he had been alive.

"The mining efforts on the Balmera have nearly exhausted the resource. The mines are limited, the power crystals being extracted are substandard..." Kahzay began, "But the Balmera is a living creature. Draining it and casting it away is short sighted, when the Empire could benefit from this resource for ages to come. I would like to request some quintessence, to rejuvenate-"

"We extract crystals from the Balmera to gather quintessence, and now you would have us expend this power on a dying creature?" The druid asked. This time Kahzay was not intimidated.

"Yes. The short term sacrifice will have long term benefits to the empire. We will replenish the balmera, we will save time and resources by remaining at the same position rather than establishing a new base, tracking down more of these creatures. Please, let me take but one of the cannisters of raw quintessence with me, to perform as an experiment." Kahzay said. The druid was silent for a moment before tilting his head, as if listening to a voice Kahzay could not hear. At last the four illuminated eyes on the mask turned back to the commander.

"You will take two of our refined canisters with you. Let us see what the balmera does with pure Galran quintessence. Report to us when your experiment is complete." The druid replied. Kahzay was rather stunned but he quickly saluted.

"Vrepit sa!" he exclaimed. The druid walked past Kahzay, moving to the center of the room to resume his work in refining the energy. Kahzay exhaled slowly, realizing he had barely been breathing for the last few minutes. Everything had gone a lot better than he expected. Now only the experiment itself remained.

---

Space was so quiet, Ravem had never experienced anything like it before. When the ship had taken off from the Balmera, and out of its psychic range, Ravem didn't think the universe could ever be more silent. As the ship left the Galra outpost though, he was thankful, as the barely visible thrum of the ship was much better than when it was off in the belly of that gigantic city ship. He could only think of the fact that it was filled with the sounds of the next life after this one.

Kahzay had suggested that Ravem try and find something to wear, and what he had been wearing before boarding the ship we're 'barely more than rags.' Going through the ship's storage, he was able to find a slate black triangular patterned reinforced shirt, something Ravem guessed is what the Galra wore under their chest armour. His large hands stretched it out and pulled it over his head and horns, though there were several parts on his arms where, normally obscured by fur, blunt bony protrusions pressed out against the fabric. A credit to his alternate heritage and a limitation in Galra fashion no doubt.

He rolled up the sleeves as best as possible. The pants were a bit easier; black leggings with the Galra red playing along the outside of his thighs and covering his shins. He kept the back of the waistline lowered a bit to let his tail hang loose, but even with that modification it seemed that his legs were longer than Kahzays and a fair amount of ankle was showing. Still, he never had anything that nice and was astounded at how well they fit. He took time to look at himself in the mirror on the bulkhead of the room, just staring at what he looked like.

A traitor. Ravem shook his head and looked away. No, he thought to himself, I had no choice, I was dead either way, at least here this Galra is looking at making this better. Wanting to get away from his own thoughts, and now that the ship had been off the ground for a few ticks, he left the common room in search of Kahzay.

The door to the cargo hold opened, revealing the large canisters sitting in the middle, purple light shimmering and radiating off of the metal floor and the walls. The containers were the size of large barrels, specially designed to carry such precious cargo. Kahzay had set his ship to auto-pilot and had returned back to the hold. He stood next to the cannisters, gazing at them with his yellow eyes, deep in thought as the light shimmered across his black and red uniform.

In a strange way, Kahzay felt like he was connected with the light. The Galra had relied on quintessence for so long, and the refined energy took on a purple hue just like the fur that covered the commander's pointed ears, his cheeks, his hands. His yellow eyes blinked slowly, almost mesmerized by it, so much so that he didn't hear when his newest recruit entered the room

"Hey, can you hear me, is that what you were talking about?" Ravem asked a second time. Kahzay shook his head, coming out of his apparent trance. "Are these filled with Quintessence? They're supposed glow like that? Makes my horns itch, they are safe right?" He had walked into the cargo hold in his changed outfit, eyeing the canisters carefully. He crouched down next to them and placed a hand on one side. "And just these two are supposed to save the Balmera..."

"This is refined quintessence, extremely potent. This amount would power five worships for eighteen generations. I am a little worried after being deprived for so long that this could be too rich for the balmera, but we can try to share it gradually. The question is, where? Should we bring it to one of the pits? Find a stable part of the surface? Try to infuse it in a deeper level?" Kahzay considered.

"I'm almost surprised you don't take these two canisters and just run with them." Ravem observed, standing up and taking a step back from the canister, realizing what power they truely contained, "From what the stories I remember, there was a ritual done on the Balmera's surface, to thank and give back to it. When the Galra take the crystals from it, there is nothing given back, and what causes the damage." Ravem rubbed his arms absently, running his fingers along the bones sticking out. "I guess it would depend, you might want to introduce it in small amounts in the wounds, but eventually you could do it from the surface."

"Is your shirt not fitting right?" Kahzay asked, "I could adjust it for you." he offered. He had to admit, with one wardrobe change Ravem had already cleaned up well. He looked almost like a cadet in the reserve forces where hybrids were better tolerated. Something about the image sent a pleasant shiver down Ravem's spine. It was Ravem's turn to be broken from his thoughts

"Huh? Oh, it's fine, some parts of me seem not designed for non-Balmerans. Why, do they look wrong?" He would hold up his arms and turn around, looking around behind himself and not quite succeeding. Kahzay smiled and grabbed a tool from the shelf and moved over, he started moving it around Ravem's shoulder. It managed to split the material seamlessly without damaging it.

The tool slipped around the backside of Ravem's back, then carefully under his arm. The sleeve dislodged, leaving the material in a tank top like configuration. Kahzay nodded in satisfaction, repeating the process on the other side. As he pulled off the spare material, he smiled wider, exposing his fangs.

"There, now it looks like it was made just for you - and I suppose it was now." Kahzay smiled. Ravem flexed his arms a bit now that they were freed and ran his hands over the exposed areas.

"Yea, if feels better as well," he stopped and looked over at the Galra, working his mouth a bit before getting out, "thank you. I would have done something, but this fabric is really different from what I am used to. It looks better now?"

"Oh, it looks very nice... very handsome." Kahzay said, his grin becoming a smile, "I'm glad you found it." The half-breed's ears stood straight out, as he coughed, being caught off guard by the compliment.

"Um, I guess? Thanks?" Uncharacteristically he stumbled over his words before gathering himself back up. "I never thought of it that way, but I guess that could be true." Kahzay shifted a bit. He'd always had a way with people, whether he wanted to intimidate or charm them, but Ravem seemed immune to his efforts. It was both refreshing and disarming.

"You should rest for the trip back though, you're still regaining your strength and I'm going to need you to show me to all the best sites of your home so we can do this properly." Kahzay said softly.

"Yea sure, if you don't mind, I'll go back to that room." Ravem was pleased at the change in subject and opening to step away to regroup. "I'll go wait in that room, I'd like to watch the Balmera as we get in closer." He quickly made his way to the exit of the hold. Kahzay watched the door shut and he let out a deep, lingering sigh before he lowered his head, resting his chin against his chest.

---

The surface of the Balmera had seen far better days. It's sulfur colored sand and rust colored rock was pock marked by the mines and had web like hollow arched growths, the living planet's attempt at scabs to protect itself. The galra spires were like unwanted piercings mutilating the decayed surface. It was this landscape that Kahzay's transport slipped over, the spear shaped craft picking a spot before lowering, slowly changing its orientation as it touched down. Dust kicked out from behind the engines as the ramp lowered.

Ravem wasn't one to be delayed though, after spending the descent watching the approaching of his home world, he was at the door leading outside. He still wore the outfit that Kahzay had finished for him, and was looking a little more energetic. Kahzay emerged a few moments later with one of the cannisters.

Using equipment from the ship, he had fashioned a sort of capacitor valve to regulate how much energy was coming out. He knew first hand if you gave a starving person too much food, they could have violent reactions. He wasn't sure if the principle extended to living planetoids, but he wanted to make sure he did no harm.

Kahzay came to a stop a few meters from the ship and looked around. The wind whipped through his bluish black mane of hair, his ears twitching where they stuck out. He reached up to scratch at the tufts of purple fur at the back of his jaw before he turned to look at Ravem. He felt almost, in a strange way, nervous.

"Is there anything we should do? Any ritual, or... let any of your people know?" Kahzay asked his traveling companion. Looking out across the horizon, squinting in the unfamiliar light of the surface, Ravem made his way down the gangplank and just past Kahzay.

"Yea, something of a ritual," He shouted a bit over the wind which was whipping his mane of a mohawk around, "although I don't know the full- It was essentially offering... something, my mother always said a bit of your heart, to the Balmera, in exchange for it's gift." He knelt down and ran a hand across the dirt. Where his clawed fingers disrupted the dust, the faintest bit of light followed.

"I think the Balmera might- it might know." He looked back to Kahzay. "It's a bit hard for me to make out." Kahzay moved over and crouched down next to Ravem.

"I've heard rumors that the locals can speak with each other through the stone?" he asked softly, causing Ravem to frown, but nod.

"Yeah, we can speak through the Balmera, although how much they'll respond... " He looked out at the land again, and the pitted and dry area, barely any visible source of life that he could see. "I guess if there was a time for them to listen and speak with me, now would be the time."

Ravem settled down onto the balls of his toes, resting more of his weight on his hand, as he pressed it further again the dirt, splaying out the fingers as he half buried them. "Come on..." The glowing from his finger times would swell, and he squeezed his eyes, concentrating on his connection. Suddenly, the light on the ground would swell to a large circle around him, as he made contact. Eyes snapping over, he would let out a Ha! in victory, before going back to mumbling "nonono- please, listen, I have important..." and went silent under wind, carry on the conversation under his breath. He would be there for a few minutes, talking with the other Balmerans.

Kahzay watched on in wonder, starting to feel a little more out of his depth. He got caught up in his own charisma sometimes, in his own plans. He had come with a simple mission and it had ballooned quickly, but his rational was still steadfast. If he could make the mines work better for everyone, that was a net win. He just hoped he wasn't getting Ravem or himself in more than they could manage.

Ravem's eyes snapped open, "I know what to do." He stood up and turned around, the glow dissipating from the ground around his feet, like the dust being kicked up from the wind. He stepped closer to Kahzay, as not to yell more than he needed to. "I know the ritual, or at least, parts that I need to know. We- The Balmerans have agreed to help, and can do it from down in the mines. They're wary, but are willing to try anything that will help quell the Balmera's pain. We should get ready."

"Is there anything I should do, other than controlling the flow of the quintessence?" Kahzay asked, his ears going a little flat against his head in the wind.

"That light that you saw with me? It's going to circle around you. When it steadies, you need to make your offering. It's not much of a ceremony, so we should- I mean, things should happen afterwards. So I have been told." Ravem looked Kahzay in the eyes. "You ready for this? I am not sure what's going to happen, this hasn't been done in any of the Balmeran's memories."

"And sharing our quintessence has not been done in any of mine... But the only alternative leads to a grizzly end for your people. We must try." Kahzay said, exhaling slowly, "I am ready." he said, pulling a release on the canister. An inner seal opened, allowing the energy to begin transferring into the capacitor valve at the base of the device.

Ravem took a step back from the canister and Kahzay, and kneel down once again. He kept his eyes open this time as he concentrated, staring at the Galra and his gift, as the light reappeared again. Unlike previously, there was a hum that seemed to echo across the land, above and below the sound of the wind at the same time. After a moment, another circle of light appeared at Kahzay's feet, and the wind suddenly shift, and seemed to blow outward from the Galra.

"Now!" Ravem called out. Kahzay flew the second switch and an iris at the bottom of the device opened, releasing a flow of pure, refined Galran quintessence. It hit the soil like water on a dried out sponge, running across the surface, forming a pool at first before it slowly began to seep in. A purple sheen began to spread out across the rock, spreading out faster and faster as the radius grew. The shimmering light began to produce floating bluish violet particles that floated up from the rock, rising toward the sky around them both.... But it also was spreading through Ravem.

The hybrid's body was surrounded by the violet light, but his normally amber eyes had taken on a decidedly purple hue as the energy suffused the planetoid he was connected to. Ravem was amazed by the display, unaware of the change in himself. He could feel the Balmera's reaction to the gift, as it called out through him. His vision danced in his eyes as the rippling effect of the refined, raw power flowed down from the tip of his horns, down across his skin as his body seemed to throb in time with the land. His veins almost seemed to glow with energy, before he opened his mouth, and out flowed more of the particles.

Kahzay looked at Ravem in shock and strangely arousal, seeing him at one with the lifeblood of the Galran empire. He was part of it, part of the planet, part of his people. He was one with everything. Kahzay shuddered at that, breathing harder, watching on in wonder.

As the purple phosphorescent particles in the air floated down, wherever they touched the ground, the soil cracked like dried skin, but from the wounds in the land, new pulsating crystals began to form, climbing up from the depths, radiating their newly received quintessence. All around them, blossoming from the ground, the Balmera grew, as if reaching to the sky with crystallized fingers. Thousands, millions, then billions of tiny purple crystals began to sprout from the ground like wild flowers.

The energy sunk deeper, finding veins and fissures, filling in the gaps. The craggly webbed growths in the distance began to fill solid with purple crystals, and some of the mining pits began to rumble and shake. The cannister began to chirp, it's power cycle coming to an end. The iris snapped shut and the flow of energy slowly died away. The purple sheen covering the stone faded away, but... it all seemed different.

Kahzay stood in silence for a moment, realizing the wind wasn't blowing as much dust around. The air was... cleaner, the stone beneath his feet more solid. The light from around both of them vanished, and Ravem visibly slumped on his spot, leaning forward on both hands, panting hard.

"That... was intense!" He struggled to get up. Looking up at Kahzay, the eyes of the hybrid still had flecks of purple dancing around in his iris, although no where as bright or frequent as during the ritual. His entire body shook with exertion, and evident with his new pants, he had grown aroused as well, though he didn't show signs of acknowledging that. He looked around at the landscape around them, and his face loomed into a giant grin. "Look at this place! Quiznak! It's amazing! It even feels better!"

"And that was just the first treatment." Kahzay said, moving to kneel down in front of Ravem until they were knee to knee, "You and I will heal this world together. We should go to the Balmera's core, to feed it what it needs to truly heal. To give back for what we have taken."

"Yes! We could do it, we could bring the Balmera back again from the pain its suffered!" He reached across and hugged the Galra, bouncing on his knees with excitement. "Wait til the Balmerans see this!" He pulled back, and look around again, staring in wonder "We really did it. I can't-" he wiped at the edge of his eyes with the pad of his hand.

"This is just the start my friend." Kahzay said, pleased to see Ravem so happy.

---

The Balmera's core was a beautiful structure a half dozen meters tall, looking almost like a heart forged out of glowing crystal. It radiated light in shades of amber and ruby, though small oval ducts near the top exposed the blue interior, shining columns of light out into the surrounding cave like spotlights. The core was throbbing with more life and vitality than it had in Ravem's lifetime, but Kahzay was sure they could give it even more of a kick.

It had been some effort getting the canister down through the tunnels, but after a few vargas they had made it. They had passed several Balmerans on the way, but while they didn't offer to help, they had followed the pair up to the entrance way, but dare not enter the room. Kahzay lowered his side of the cargo, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his fur, wincing a bit as it stung the corner of his eyes. Ravem placed his side down with trepidatious excitement, and turned to observe the area. He could feel the hole of where the giant crystal once sat in the chamber, and wandering over to that section, placed his hand down on the spot.

"Here, this is where the wound is the greatest." Glacing over at Kahzay, and grinned. "Don't worry, you look fine. This far down, it gets a little humid anyways."

"So if the power crystals that have been removed are like organs... Is the whole area above the core going to fill in? We could run out of space very quickly." Kahzay said, impressed by how well Ravem was handling the heat. Though he WAS native to the planet.

"No," Ravem's eyes ran around the outside walls of the cave, smiling. "this place is naturally open, rooms like this protect these main crystals until they are ready to release them. You might find... yes! Look!" He ran over to one of the side walls, where a crack in the wall opened up, and a small crystal peeked through. "Already, the Balmera is strengthening. If anything, there will be more like this, but it shouldn't reach all the way to the core. We should be fine." Ravem's voice spoke with much more confidence, surprising even himself.

"Anyways, do you think it will take long to set up?"

"I don't know... The equipment is fairly sound, we could set it to release steadily... But do you think it needs another big dose?" Kahzay asked.

The question caused Ravem to stop for the first time since the last ritual and think. It was something he hadn't considered, and being this close to the Balmera's center. "Do you think there would be an issue? We set up another area like the one we did on the surface, but at least here, there would be less of a chance that the Galra forces would journey this far down without need or knowing... It would help make the area fertile again, and a steady drip afterwards would help it to keep growing outwards. A small feed to begin with might not be enough to start things, and could cause the chamber to fail."

"Then let's give her a good helping right off the bat." Kahzay said, finding a secure spot between two ridges of the cave wall. He lugged the canister over and nudged it into place, programing an initial value for releasing the quintessence, then a timer to release a percentage of the contents once a day. After checking the values and percentages, Kahzay looked up at Ravem, "I'm ready." he said.

Ravem nodded in response and moved down to the center area. He placed a hand down on the core itself, and after taking a deep breath to calm himself, closed his eyes. A circle of light once more appeared around his hand, as the chamber started to hum. The Balmerans outside all took places along the wall of the hallway, on the ground or even touching the ceiling, creating their own light which cast into the middle room. After a moment, one appeared at Kahzay's feet, and the feet of the canister feed. Opening his eyes, Ravem looked over and signaled by nodding.

Once more, Kahzay flipped the switch and the iris opened. This time, the energy had no time to pool. It was drawn directly into the stone, then the core. Veins of purple started to appear, slipping up into the heart shaped crystal. The blue organelles shifted to purple, the orange becoming blue and the red turning purple. The core became denser, stronger, brighter, and then the veins of energy fanned outward in every direction. The crystals all around them started to grow.

Generations of harvesting was being undone in moments, and the planet was eager to share its bounty. The light around where the Balmerans touched turned purple, the energy flowing into them as well, trying to make up for their malnourishment, their mistreatment, their strife and struggle. The energy flooded into Ravem as well, causing his heart to race, his muscles to throb, his cuts to finish healing. The energy sped up his metabolism, surging through him like a fountain of vitality.

The energy began to coalesce in him, his veins starting to glow purple under his fur as his head snapped back. His eyes shot through with purple that closed in around his iris like a shutter. His body popped and snapped as he seemed to grow a few inches taller, his horns pushing out longer atop his head, his spikes emerging further along his arms, and the claws on his hands and toes grew a bit more until he took a hold of the ground and core with them. His tail whipped back and forth, as it grew a few inches and more hair as the front of his pants grew tighter, the energy making him grow an erection as his cock pushed outwards. And then his mouth opened.

Hundreds, if not thousands of mores of light shot out of Ravem's mouth, bursting out like someone had let loose a nest of moths, they scattered everywhere, a majority of them shooting into the core, but others going in every direction, towards the outer walls. Each place they landed, cracks started to form, and from each of them, just like on the surface, pure quintessence crystals grew out, forming into purple lengths, from small to ones that almost reached half way into the room,

Outside, the Balmorans themselves glowed with the lights, their bodies maintaining the light. Wherever they touched, a circle of crystals grew, forming faerie rings of quintessence as their bodies became infused with the energies. They themselves started to change, with eyes changing colour, growing larger, and their teeth stuck out more. They pushed their hands into the ground, and it sunk it, crystals still forming up around, to the point where each of their hands became wreathed with permanent bracelets of violet.

As the last of the ritual finished, the light from the rituals faded, from the bodies and ground where they had appeared. With the fading though, another light was made more evident, as the thousand of gems that now lined the walls, hummed with the violet power of the Balmora. To Kahzay, it appeared as if standing in the middle of a geode, uncracked, and lit with its own light. Ravem collapsed forward, hands grasping at the now freshly made core crystal, sitting embedded in front of where he was standing. He held himself up with all the strength he had left at the moment. Kahzay moved over and wrapped his arms around Ravem, trying to support him and help keep him up.

"I'd say that was a success, then?" he asked his traveling companion hopefully. Ravem's head snapped up, a look of shock at the Galra that had made everything possible. He looked right into Kahzay's eyes, his own scleria still stained violet but his face looked fresh, as if he had never been in a fight or had lived a life barely being fed. His expression shifted to one of joy as he let out a small ha, followed by the laugh of relief and exuberance of someone who for the first time in his life was able to relax.

The entire chamber seemed to shiver and shake as geode room reverberated with the laugh. Suddenly, overflowing with energy that wasn't there a moment before, Ravem wrapped his arms around Kazhey and pressed his entire body against the Galra. Ravem brought his face in close to his companion's, a hand gripping the back of his neck, and pressed their foreheads together. Kahzay was shocked but accepting, his breath caught in his lungs.

Like the ritual before, a circle of light appeared, but this time on Kahzay's forehead, and the half breed let out a moan. Like a flood, emotions, thoughts, and even some memories flooded into the Galra's mind. Passion, lust, success, glory to themselves, pride, purpose, all these things wrapped the two in shared minds. Ravem's erection became much more noticeable between them as unfiltered streams of thoughts and emotions echoed back to him from Kahzay.

Ravem's eyes rolled back, sharing for what was for a first for him, something that had been urged by the sudden change in the Balmera's energy; something akin to kissing, but more. Kahzay shuddered, his yellow eyes fluttering shut in the overwhelming connection, all of his truths being laid bare for Ravem. Kahzay was also a hybrid, but his altered genes were supressed. He was as scared and lonely at times as Ravem had been, and he had a crush on the half breed... but now, now all those truths were shared between them. Ravem was the first to pull back, taking in a gasp of air he didn't know he needed, and breaking the connection with Kahzay. He stared for a moment, panting from the mental exertion.

"You're not full Galra?" He seemed astounded, but before he could wait for an answer, he took a thought that he had seen, and pressed his mouth tight against his companion, easing into a more traditional, though very passionate kiss. Kahzay shuddered at first, but his large clawed hand came up, grabbing Ravem's mohawk of hair, pulling him in tighter for a furious, carnal kiss.

Kahzay's other hand wrapped around Ravem's waist, grabbing onto the root of his tail to hold him tight as their tongues started to tangle. Ravem moved as he was grabbed, actually loving it and letting it be known, wrapping his arms around the other half breed and sliding his claws along Kahzay's back. His pants faltered, already sitting at an awkward position from his tail. They slunk down, revealing the thick, purple root of Ravem's manhood.

Ravem moaned into the kiss, feeling a passion and lust he had never felt before the mind sharing. He gave in to his instincts and the shared thoughts, getting pressed into Kahzay, while he pressed his hard length in against the other's. Kahzay buried his face in Ravem's neck, inhaling his scent before he licked the furry flesh there and nibbled it. Ravem was the epitome of strength, a blend of a proud and noble race and the power the Galra genes could bestow. He was sexy, he was tender. He was everything that Kahzay wanted.

A clawed hand pulled Ravem's pants the rest of the way down and coiled around his shaft, giving it a squeeze and then a stroke, then several, thrusting up and down with rapid succession. Ravem moaned in response, thrusting into Kahzay's hand, shuddering as he kicked his new pants away. He moved his own hands under Kahzay's shirt, his claws sliding up the back hem and along the commander's spine.

Ravem pulled away from the kiss, taking Kahzay's free arm over his head, extacting his shirt and tossing it aside to reveal the fine furred and toned chest of his companion. Ravem leaned down and licked along Kahzay's chest, up his neck and to his cheek. Kahzay let out a growl, baring his fangs as his shaft got harder, thicker, plumper, pulsating with blood. He grabbed onto Ravem's head, holding him against his cheek, panting and groaning before he couldn't take anymore.

Surrounded by Galra quintessence infused crystals, in the heat of the planet's core, Kahzay grabbed his knife from his hip and sliced his pants open, letting them fall in tatters to the ground. He dropped his blade and grabbed Ravem, pushing him against the core. Everywhere that Ravem touched, the crystal began to throb with purple light. Ravem looked up from hitting the crystal, and bared his teeth is a grin, growling a challenge. Kahzay pounced against him, pressing until their cocks were squished together, exchanging heat and heart beats.

Kahzay leaned in slowly and licked Ravem's furry chin before he kissed him fiercely, lips wrestling, teeth and fangs and tusks gnashing as they embraced. Ravem leaned his head back and into the lick, before lowering his head and mashing himself forward, matching his mate's passion for passion. His own length grew with the pulsing, stretching longer and taller, slowly bloating wider. Ravem hands reached down and grabbed both of their cocks, moving his hand back and forth, sweet pressure between them enhancing their pleasure as the crystal behind them grew a little brighter, sending that base instinct, that raw pleasure through the Balmera. Balancing himself with his free hand, Ravem wrapped his legs up around Kahzay, sliding his body up against him and moaning deeply into the kiss.

Once more the Galra commander growled, his eyes half lidded as he grabbed onto Ravem's hips, hoisting and steadying him as they changed positions, feeling that hot rod against his furry belly as his own shaft found the muscled cleft of Ravem's ass, sinking down the meaty valley, teasing at his entrance. Kahzay panted harder, gazing at Ravem with such intense desire before he thrust his hips forward, his pointed shaft plunging into Ravem's depths.

Ravem let out a road of pleasure, which echoed throughout the room, the outer walls shaking a bit as the core that he was pressed up against flared, as Kahzay pressed into him. Even as he lost his virginity, Ravem's body rippled with the remaining power of quintessence that had flooded through him, allowing the shaft to slide in with surprising ease, radiating only pleasure at the feeling of being filled.

His own purple eyes looked up with an inferno of lust, reaching up to Kahzay's shoulder, Ravem did a crunch upward, and mashed his lips in tight, holding himself there with the free hand on the core. As the weight shifting, he felt himself start to slide a little lower, and the cock slip deeper into him. Kahzay threw his head back, hissing as his fat, barbed cock suddenly popped the rest of the way into Ravem's shaft, the rubber nubs teasing and tugging on his ass.

"You are protected... and you will always be mine." Kahzay whispered before he started to use his incredible strength to bounce Ravem on his cock, thrusting in and out, building up speed and force, kissing his mate and partner. The entire planet was caught in a high of quintessence, healed from years of pain and suffering, nourished and strong - stronger than ever before, and Ravem's urges, his instincts were pumping through the connection they shared. All around them his people were starting to turn to one another, feeling the yearning, the drive, the heat...

As Kahzay thrusted, Ravem was pushed back against the core, which was warm against him, causing him to groan in pleasure as it just fueled his state, the physical contact boosting the mental contact. Ravem's head rolled a bit in pleasure of the entire Balmera's consciousness broadcast and shared everything to the Balmerans, as it all funneled back, in a giant psychic feedback loop. The words from Kahzay shot deep into Ravem's mind, and was echoed back around, until they were the only thing playing in his mind, and Ravem accepted them as truth.

The core glowed brightly as the Quintessence in it and him bound those words, and in the pleasure of their fucking, he cried out in pure orgasmic bliss, squeezing down on the shaft pressing into him, and his entire body shuddering as cum shot out and covered both their stomachs and chest. Kahzay leaned down to try and catch it in his mouth, though his aim was off and instead he got ropes of thick, hot cum across his chin fur and throat. Still, it was enough to push him over the edge.

Kahzay panted and shuddered before his cock throbbed and began to release his seed deep into Ravem's ass, pumping in hot, thick, steady flows. Kahzay clung to Ravem, digging into his legs with his claws, holding him in the embrace. Ravem responded by squeezing his legs around Kahzay, and in turn, milking the barbed length in him, feeling the warmth and sea filling him. Ravem leaned in close and burried his face into the Galra's neck, moaning in bliss and riding the high of their afterglow.

As they held each other, time seemed to drift as if weightless, lost in the moment, slipping fast and slow all at the same time. Across insurmountable distances these two beings had found each other, working through that contrast before finding a perfect, blissful commonality. Kahzay held Ravem on his lap until his legs threatened to give out and at last he knelt down, but still he remained in his lover, feeling those legs straddling him, that tail draped down... it was as if they were perfect puzzle pieces fit together.

[Reality 0001-A] [Location: Tayune: Project Oracle Research Base] [Present]

Ravem's eyes - the yellow ones back in Zeke's bunk - were glued to the personal report on the screen. The file seemed to just end in the core, but he wanted to know what happened next. He scrolled back to the top of the file, checking, and double checking through it all, but it still ended where it was. He dropped the tablet to the side on the bed, and realized how aroused he had became again, in such short time. His shaft was throbbing, aching, ready to spill his seed... just from reading. Adjusting himself in his pants, trying to get comfortable, he sat up and swung his feet over the edge of the bed.

"Incredible... I never thought that there could be that much connection between realities. Something must have happened during the ritual." He looked around at the small private room. "I wonder if we really are connected like that..."

Catching sight of his reflection in the corner of the room, Ravem realized something wasn't quite right. His horns... were longer than they had been before, and the protrusions on his arms were bigger as well. Holding up his sleeves, he didn't even need to split the fur that normally covered his arm bones which he normally tried to keep shaved down. Zeke's changes had been easy to see due to the sharp contrast, but Ravem had changed as well, starting to resemble his other self from the other side.

"Well, quiznak... If this is changing, and so is Zeke, what else could change?" He mumbled to himself, checking his tusks and eyed out in the mirror as well, although they didn't seem to be affected. Yet. He looked back at the tablet, and the secrets waiting to be found, to possibly explain what to expect. His clawed finger moved over the screen, starting to scan for more log entries, hoping for more... more of his alternate life, more of the strange man that shared some sort of link with Zeke, more of the heated, carnal connection he had the smallest taste of. His curiosity was growing, as was his need.