The Odyssey of Scylla

01

Watching the stars hurdle by can make one feel small and insignificant. It's an insignificance that is difficult to get over when you feel smaller than everything around you. Feeling especially small is something you get used to, though. When I was on Earth, I was singing in bars trying to make ends meet, and now, I was announcing one of the most formidable warriors in the cosmos.

The day the fleet arrived, it had been bright, and snow blanketed the ground. I walked from one dive to the next, trying to make my rent payment. It hadn't been easy for me. Without a family to fall back on or friends who weren't friends until they needed something, I was alone in the world.

---

The sky rumbled, and those of us on the street looked up. Thunder during snow was unusual, but there weren't clouds in the sky that day. We collapsed to our knees from the deafening sound of jets flying overhead. As others began to panic at the sight of strangely shaped vessels leading the jets in an aerial display, I grew excited.

I remember grabbing my amplifier and holding onto my bag's straps tight, and following as fast as I could. People and vehicles fled past me, and away from the action, I couldn't run away from that potential danger. As I had begun to assume, two ships landed in a heavily wooded area, reducing the trees to tinder.

Low soundwaves flooded the area, and those of us still close collapsed again. I had cupped my hands over my ears, sparing my eardrums irreparable damage. When I was able to right myself, the ship's inhabitants were in front of us. They were all different, different colors sizes but most definitely not human.

One of the aliens stepped away from the group and stood in the middle of us all. It held its limbs in the air and a scream emitted from it. I protected my ears again, but after a moment, the sound changed, and I was beginning to understand what it was saying.

"You are in the presence of greatness. Behold your conqueror and his minions. I give you our lord, Death."

A thin, human-like alien moved from the shadow of the ship. His skin was a pale green-blue, and his large eyes reflected the sun. It had looked at first like he had dreadlocks covering his head, that was until they moved. One lock moved away from his head and grabbed the alien who had spoken around its middle. He threw the alien away, and it landed below the ship with a heavy thud.

"Can one of you pathetic creatures do better than that?" His words hissed through the air, punctuated by the sounds of the roaring jets.

The jets had dived low, but they ricocheted off some invisible force instead of hitting the ships. Pieces of the jets flew through the air, landing and sliding down around us but not close.

"Make me feel what that announcer couldn't."

I swallowed my fear. I had known I could do better than that creature had. I stood up and faced Death. I took a deep breath and let the words flow from my lips. "You face an inevitable being. One that's name alone should fill you with dread or the joy of release. For Death has swept down from the heavens; he has come to conquer you and release your souls upon the winds. You may kneel in submission or face the weapons of Death."

Death smiled that day, and I knew I had sealed my fate.

---

I jumped as clawed fingers and tentacle-like appendages wrapped around my body.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How vast space is, and how insignificant it makes me feel." I leaned into the alien behind me.

"You are not insignificant Scylla." His voice was calm and even, lending to his demeanor.

"I am. Look at the sky as it flies by us. I'm so small compared to everything around us. I'm…"

He pulled me tighter against him. "You are not insignificant. You are the only one of your species that made an impression on me. Your voice and knowledge of death let me know you were the most perfect creature to be my announcer."

He nuzzled my ear. "As time has passed, I have realized that you are the only female of any species that has moved me to this; moved me to love. You will never be insignificant to our child Scylla or to me."

I pressed his hand tighter to my belly. We had been surprised that we were compatible at a reproductive level. His anatomy had been closer to human than some of the others on the ship. However, it was still different enough that we hadn't considered offspring.

"I'll do my best to remember that."

He let me go and went back to the bed. "You should, Scylla, now come back to bed. We have a world to invade tomorrow, and I want you rested."

I turned from the window and went back to the bed as well. Death wrapped his arms and tentacles around me, and it made me feel safe, safer than any life had made me feel.

02

The world below us vibrated from fear. The Supreme had decided to send the largest ship in the fleet and his three commanders to this world. It had 4 inhabited planets in its system, and he wanted to leave a big impression.

I hadn't met the announcers for Serpent and Chariot before. I looked at Snake and E-scale. At least that's how their names translated in my ear. They were of a similar build to me, but that's where our similarities ended. Snake was thin and reminded me of what I always thought an alien was meant to look like. E-scale was bulky like a gorilla but covered in quills similar to a porcupine. The two females didn't approach me and looked displeased that I was there. Not that their displeasure would have stopped me from announcing Death.

"Scylla?"

I turned around and smiled at Hokuto. "Yes."

He came closer and tucked his head closer to mine. "Watch those two. They have been known to do anything to move up within the fleet. I could see them trying to take your position as Death's announcer."

I ran my finger over his brow crest. "Thank you."

His head twitched, and he knew if he were human, he'd be smiling. "Death was worried about you upon his arrival. I tried to assure him you were fine, but he's..."

I grinned. "He is who he is."

"He doubts my ability to keep you safe."

"He doesn't doubt you, Hokuto. He has a reason to be more protective than normal." I paused; those around didn't need to know I was pregnant. "Tell me, did he sustain injuries?"

"Yes, but nothing that he's not proud of receiving."

I shook my head. "If anyone should worry, it's the two of us. We're his only squad members not allowed on the field."

"With good reason. I will not have my secretary and announcer come to harm." Death's voice was stern.

"Oh, Death. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Hokuto dipped down quickly.

"Hokuto, you have given me inspiration for Death's introduction." I rubbed his crest again, he twitched.

He placed his hand on his thorax. "I have?"

"Yes, you have, and I can only hope the song translates well."

I faced Death and stood straighter when I noticed his brothers, Serpent and Chariot. "I will do my best to honor you with my introduction."

Death tipped his head back; I knew this was his smile. "No doubt you will."

I looked at Snake and E-scale. They rolled their eyes; that wasn't lost in translation.

"Announce us well. Go strike fear into our submissive." Chariot's voice rattled.

Snake and E-scale took off at a run and began sliding down the fly ramp, pieces of debris flying behind them. I shook my head and dashed after them. I hit the fly ramp and let it lead me to the balcony. Sparks and metal flew from beneath my feet, and I tucked my body lower. I quickly caught up with the other two females. I wasn't about to let them show me up or make me look like a fool.

We slid to a stop at the base of the hill, and I took to my podium. Snake opened her mouth, but E-scale was faster.

"Upon his back, the fleet rides. Chariot will forever be our guide." Chariot's squad and the soldiers cheered.

The crowd huddled together but didn't react to E-scale's words beyond that.

Snake raised her hands, drawing the crowd's attention to her. "His coils will crush the life from your lungs. He is the fear that crashes you to the ground. Serpent, the strength of the Supreme."

Fewer soldiers reacted to Snake than they had to E-scale. They were announcers. They were to let those conquered know who conquered them. That was the best they could do.

I closed my eyes and took in air. Then, I stepped around my podium and climbed to the balcony's ledge. I let the words of O' Death slip from my lips. I made the song mine as much as any singer before me, but I also made it Death's. Those conquered needed to know that even though they'd been spared, death was still an option.

03

The whir of the scanner relaxed my body. When I had approached Dr. Traverse about my pregnancy, he had become immediately concerned.

---

"The Kukunda don't typically produce offspring outside of their species. Instead, they have a hive where a single female broods hundred of offspring. Generally, males aren't produced. But, when they are, you get what you are now a part of."

"That aside, Traverse, can I carry this fetus to term, whatever term that is?" I held my hands close to my abdomen.

"If we keep an eye on it. The child's growth could become erratic with two different gestational periods, not only that female Kukunda, lay eggs."

"That's exciting." I couldn't hide the fear from my voice.

Traverse patted my knee. "Well, you could easily give birth to an egg and then immediately the child be born from it. Or you could simply birth the child like you described."

"Can I tell him?"

Traverse made quick and straightforward eye contact. "I'd advise against it, but with him being so, intimate I doubt you could hide it from him."

"Yeah, tentacles and telepathy, so weird." I stood and rubbed my head.

"I'll let you know how it goes."

He touched my shoulder gently. "Please do. Death has not fathered children before. He's the last of them to do so. But, then again, he didn't take to any female Kukunda."

I chuckled. "So, I've heard."

---

The scanner's sound stopped, and Traverse patted my leg. "Well, your pregnancy is progressing well. But I would like to adjust your translator and atmospheric regulator while you're here. The translator seems loose, and your regulator isn't converting enough oxygen for you."

I smiled. "Oxygen is good."

He helped me down from the scanner table and moved me to another. I laid down on it, and he began twisting the implants behind my ears. I squeezed the edge of the table and tried to think of something other than the pain.

---

Hokuto stood beside Death, whispering to one another. I waited patiently for them to notice I was standing in the doorway. Hokuto finally looked up, and his head twitched. He whispered to Death and collected what they had been discussing.

"I will return at a later time to finish." Hokuto headed from the room and leaned in close. "He is in one of his dark moods. Tread carefully, Scylla."

I reached up and rubbed his ear crest. "I'll do my best as always, Hokuto."

He left my side quickly; the whoosh and soft click of the door indicated he had locked it. I again waited until Death acknowledged me.

"Come, Scylla." He held out his hand and a few tentacles as well.

I crossed the room and took his outstretched hand. Death didn't look at me but pulled me to his lap and stroked my back. One of his smaller tentacles played with the hair at the base of my skull.

"Death, I need to talk to you about something." I pulled his hand that was resting in my lap to my stomach.

"Is something wrong?" The rest of his body stopped moving.

"That depends." I took a deep breath and steadied my nerves. I pressed his hand to my stomach harder. "I'm pregnant."

I looked at him, and his forehead furrowed. "Pregnant? Is that something to be concerned about?"

I smiled. "Pregnant isn't something that happens with your species. Dr. Traverse said females lay eggs. However, humans give birth to their babies."

Death turned my face to his. "You're carrying a child within you?"

"Our child." I took the tentacle touching my chin and pulled it to my lips, kissing it softly.

Death pulled me tightly into his embrace. "I didn't know I needed this news until now. Thank you, Scylla, thank you."

---

"All adjusted. Take a breath and let me know what you think." Traverse hovered above me.

I inhaled deeply and noticed a significant difference. "Oh, I didn't know I needed that. That's much better."

He helped me sit up. "Good. Good. You get out of here and go make sure Death knows that mother and child are doing well."

"Thank you, Traverse." I headed out of his infirmary. "I'll see you in a few days."

"Yes, we need to keep tabs on your health during this time."

I looked back, and he was typing away on his computer. I closed the doors behind me and headed for Death's quarters. I pressed my hands to my stomach again, this life meant so much to us, and I was so happy. That was until my world went black.

04

The metal table beneath me sent shivers across my skin. I didn't even have to open my eyes to know that there were bright lights overhead. I tried to lift my hand to shield my eyes but couldn't; they were strapped down. I tugged at my restraints, trying to free myself. Blinking against the lights, I looked around and found I didn't recognize the room. Straps were holding down my body, and I knew I was in danger.

"What's going on? Let me go!" I pulled against the restraints again.

"We have orders to keep you down here. Well, more than that, we're supposed to split you." I knew that voice; I'd only heard it once before this, but it left an impression knowing how terrible she was at her job.

"Snake, let me go! Hokuto and Death will come looking for me. You don't want to stand between them."

Snake came into view, holding a knife in her hands. "No, we cut your transmitter out. So they won't find you. So orders are, split you and jettison your corpse."

Split? What was splitting?

Snake ran the knife over my arm. "You seem confused. Splitting is this amazing thing they use for spies. They put their consciousness into another body. We're going to do that but use a body designed to die immediately. Serpent wanted to keep you for himself, but Chariot said no."

A quilled hand smacked Snake across the back of the head. "Stop talking about our boss's plans."

"Come off it, E-scale. She's going to die when we put her in the little one." Snake reached up and pulled one of the lights close to my body.

E-scale walked to the other side of the table, and for the first time, I noticed the little body lying next to me. It looked like a Kukunda but deformed. Its body was stunted, and tentacles were too long.

"You can't do this! You're making a horrible mistake." I started fighting against the restraints again.

"Orders are orders. We get ahead and don't have to worry about you standing in our way. Or making Death's brothers look bad."

"Enough, Snake. Let's split her and do what we need to do."

Snake tapped me with the knife again. "Bye, little songbird."

The light against my body intensified, and I could feel myself being pulled, and I screamed.

---

The room around me was a very light grey but not in a threatening way. I sat on the table and waited for whatever happened after a human was taken from Earth by aliens.

After what felt like an eternity, a human-looking creature came into the room. The most noticeable differences were that he had a tail, long limbs, and red eyes.

He snapped his fingers. I shook my head. He moved closer and snapped them closer to my face, and I pushed them away. He shook his head. He snapped his fingers next to my shoulders, and I finally understood what he was trying to do.

"My ears, auditory receptors are here." I pointed at my ears.

He grabbed two tiny black screws from the table he shrugged his shoulders. Then, before I could react, he grabbed me and slammed me onto the table; it winded me. He pushed the screws in the bones behind my ears, and I screamed.

"...easy." The word started as a screech but changed to a voice.

"There, that should be better. Can you hear me?"

The alien let me up, and I held my ears for a moment. "It hurts."

"The pain will pass. We do this to everyone, so they can understand all. Hard to explain when you can't understand me." He stepped away and picked up another piece of black material. "This is an atmospheric regulator; it will allow you to breathe anywhere we go. But I must implant it into your airway. It is even more irritating than the translators."

"Do I have to be awake?"

"Unfortunately, you do. You'll get used to it over time. I'll give you a moment to ready yourself."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Dr. Traverse. I am Death's primary physician and scientist. I care for his entire squad, which now includes you..."

"My name is Scylla. Scylla Ariti."

"Scylla. It's a beautiful name, but how about we help you breathe."

---

I woke up screaming but the sound coming from my mouth wasn't my voice. It was broken and watery. I reached for my throat and mouth, but my arms weren't long enough. I looked down and cried out. I knew who I was, but this wasn't my body. This wasn't my body, and I didn't know what to do.

05

Sitting in the dark for hours helps you realize your fears more than you could think possible. So I sat in that place and waited to die. Snake had said I was going to die, didn't she? While I waited to die, I felt my temporary body with my mind. I surveyed its petite stature and let my tentacles move around me. With each movement, I began to understand what I was.

Hokuto once told me that Kukunda genetically manipulated female hatchlings to make soldiers for Supreme's army. I was this genetically modified hatchling, but I had been made to die. So they must make the little ones for traitors or enemies and then split them as punishment.

I closed my eyes and tried to think about something other than dying. Something different than my fate.

---

I followed closely behind Hokuto; I didn't want to get lost on this ship. It was massive, and I knew one wrong turn, I'd fall down a pipe or chute and be ejected into space.

"Death likes to start each day with a meeting. He wants to inform his squad of changes issued by the Supreme for the armada. Today he wants to finally introduce you to them." He stopped and turned to me. "Do not embarrass him. He has never taken a newly conquered species into his squad. He waits until they're assimilated at least a year."

He turned and headed down another hall.

"I'll try my best." I hurried behind him.

He stopped again and rounded on me. "Is this difficult for you to understand? You will not try to do your best; you will do your best. Death will cast you aside, and you'll end up in the sublevels with the rest of the trash. You don't want that."

He was right. I didn't.

---

I opened my eyes. The trash, I was in the sublevels, and I knew how to get out of the sub levels. I had to find a wall, and I had to climb up. I could climb, I would use the tentacle, and I would climb. Maybe, just maybe, I could get to Traverse before I died.

I dropped down so my hands could touch the ground. The limbs were disproportionate, and I couldn't crawl. I took a deep breath and did my best to use my new appendages to my advantage. Using them, I pushed myself forward. I crawled and crawled. I don't know how far I crawled, but I finally bumped into a wall. I moved along the edge until I felt a seam. Where there was a seam, there was a door. I felt around for the switch to open it.

Click! That was it! The door whooshed open softly, and the room behind me filled with light. I moved forward and tumbled down a large pile of trash. I stayed where I landed and waited, waiting to see if that had pushed this little body too much. I didn't know how much it could take since it was designed to die. I closed my eyes and took steady, calming breaths.

My eyes went wide. Footsteps, then voices, and they made my heart sink.

"I can't believe you grabbed the wrong type of little one!"

"They all look the same E-scale. So how was I supposed to know the greenish ones were soldier bodies and not death bodies?"

"I told you to grab a purple one. Purple is dead. Green is alive! You are the stupidest creature I've ever met, Snake."

I wasn't going to die. That meant I had to get up, had to hide. E-scale and Snake were looking for me, looking to fix their mistake, and I couldn't let them find me.

06

Traverse's office was dark, but his plant lights illuminated it enough for me to see. I pulled myself up on the exam table and waited until he came back. It had been challenging to get from the lowest sublevel to his office, but I did it. I wrapped my new tentacles around me and sat in the dark again.

---

Hokuto and I stopped short of each other. "Hokuto! I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Death's door is a busy place today. I nearly ran into a few others coming to see him myself. He's in an odd mood."

I looked over his head and could see Death pacing back and forth. "Odd how?"

Hokuto leaned in closer to me, so he wasn't overheard. "He's asking about affection. How different aliens show it. Kukunda don't show affection, but many species that have come under their reign do. I'm not sure what he is up to. He may have found someone he is attracted to and does not know how to approach them."

Shrugging my shoulders, I walked past him. "All we can do is answer his questions."

"True, tread carefully."

"Always."

I stopped a little way away and waited for Death to address me. Instead, his pacing slowed, and he turned to look at me. He had his tentacles wrapped around one another, and it gave him a human-like quality I wasn't used to seeing.

"Scylla. Good, you are the last I need to speak to. I assume Hokuto told you what I'm asking about." He motioned for me to sit in one of his chairs.

I smoothed my dress under my behind and sat. "He did. Humans are very affectionate, and really so are many of the species on Earth."

He sat heavily in the other chair. "I don't care about the others; I want to know how humans show affection."

I waved my hands in front of me. Affection for humans was complex. I wasn't sure how to explain to him how complex it was.

"There are different types of affection. Affection for family, friends, or lovers. It really depends on what you want to know." Options give him options.

"I want to know them all."

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. "They're hard to explain."

"Then show me."

"Show you?"

"Yes, let me look into your mind while you think about affection. That way, I can see without you trying to explain."

"I don't understand."

He came over to me and pressed two of his tentacles to my temples. "I can see your thoughts this way. No pain, simply think about how humans perceive affection."

"Ok. I can do that."

I closed my eyes and began to think of all the ways humans show affection. Mothers singing to babies. Husbands and boyfriends surprising their partners with gifts. Children hugging everyone that mean something to them. Teachers praising their students. I thought about the different levels of touching that came with new affection to intimate affection. I recalled the words and images that induced the feeling of love. I did my best to think of it all.

Death slowly pulled his tentacles away from my face. "You're right. That was complicated but helpful."

He stood and moved back to his pacing. I stood and brushed my dress again. "Is that all you needed?"

"Yes. Thank you, Scylla."

I headed to the door.

"Scylla?"

I turned around. "Yes?"

"That color of fabric is flattering on you."

The color rushed to my cheeks before I knew I was reacting. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, songstress. Sleep well tonight."

"You, you too." I turned quickly and left before I could make more of a fool of myself.

---

The door whooshed open, and I looked at it. Traverse stood in the doorway, eyes wide with panic.

I reached out with tentacles and pressed them to his temples. "Traverse, I've been split. Please help me."

07

Death's room was filled with a soft pink light instead of the usual yellow. The table was covered in delicate glasses, filled with deep red and gold liquids. Death stood behind the table with his hands behind his back.

I stayed firmly by the door. Death had called for me and said that it was important. I didn't know what this intimate setting had to do with me, but I wanted to bolt. I chuckled at myself, I had run toward an alien vessel unafraid, but this scared me.

"Is something funny, Scylla?" Death's tone was even.

I sighed. "No. I don't know what to make of this."

"I'm showing my affection for you. I saw this in your mind when I asked about affection. The drinks are from the Staiser people, a gift from the heart."

I twisted the tip of my finger. "Affection?"

"Yes, I am fond of you. The moment we met, you showed no fear in front of a vast and terrifying invader. I had not encountered a creature like that before. It stayed with me."

I walked closer, hands spread wide before me. "I'm not much. I'm pathetic compared to some of the others. I sing, but that's it."

"That's not IT, Scylla. I hear the words that you give life. Any crowd you speak in front of, conquered or conquerors, they listen. YOU hold the crowd, not my victory." He came around the table and stood in front of me.

Death ran his finger down my cheek. "I'm trying to find a way, Scylla."

"A way to what?" I stepped closer to him.

"Show you my affection."

---

Traverse held me down as my little body buckled and contorted under the pain.

Traverse kicked his comm system. "Hokuto! Hokuto, get down here immediately!"

The flesh covering my body tore, and I screamed. Each moment was agony, and I was trying to stay conscious.

"Stay with me Scylla! Don't give in to the darkness, fight it." Traverse moved his hands away from me.

Whoosh.

"Traverse, this better be good..."

"Hold her down. I have to get this injection ready; it's going to keep her from dying."

I felt hands press me down again, and I tried to focus through the pain. "Ho... ku...to."

The color drained from his face. "Traverse who, who is this?"

"Scylla."

"No."

I felt cold metal press against my skin; my veins burned.

"Yes, she was split. If this was done out of cruelty, her human body is gone."

"Sn...Snake." The word sounded like mud thrown into water.

"Snake did this?" I would have expected Hokuto to sound surprised, but he sounded angry.

"I do not know who did this to her, but we have to hurry. The soldier bodies have a limited time for genetic restructure. So I'm using her human genetic coding to reconfigure the Kukunda half-life. I need your help to save her Hokuto."

I looked up at Hokuto and tried to stroke one of his crests with a tentacle, but my body convulsed again.

"Tell me what to do."

"Good boy. I need you to keep her still. If she moves too much, then she'll regrow deformed. I need organic weight because it shifts."

"I will do my best. We cannot lose Scylla."

No, you wouldn't lose me. Not yet.

08

The ceiling of Death's quarters was decorated in a mural. It depicted a vast blue forest with a red pool in the center. He'd explained that that was the Kukunda's homeworld, Mahara. It was breathtaking in a painting; I could only imagine the real thing.

I rolled over, and Death was staring at the ceiling too. "Have you ever seen Mahara?"

"I've not been lucky enough. I was born in space and have been slowly heading there." He reached out and took my hand in his.

I ran my fingers over his. "Can I sing you a song?"

He pulled his gaze from the ceiling to me. "I would like that."

I sat up, and the blanket slid from my shoulders. "Now I want you to know that this is a song that mothers usually sing to their sleeping babies. They usually only sing the refrain, but I'm going to sing the whole song."

"I know however you choose to sing it, it will be perfect."

"The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping

I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken

So I hung my head, and I cried

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away…."

I let the words of You are My Sunshine pour out of me like water. I wanted him to feel how dear he had become to me during the time we'd been spending together. Death wasn't like anyone I had met before. He was an alien by my definition, but I was to him as well.

Being with him was different but exciting. I'd been unsure at first because of him being alien. His tentacles had creeped me out, but now they're an extension of his being. When he envelopes me, I feel safe and warm. He wanted me to know he cared, and I could only accept that if I accepted all of him.

"In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me

When I awake, my poor heart pains

So when you come back and make me happy

I'll forgive you, dear, I'll take all the blame

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know, dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away."

Death sat up and reached for me. I let him wrap his body around me and pull me back to the bed. He kissed me, and I knew he understood that he meant everything to me.

---

I blinked rapidly and shot up. I looked down at my body, expecting to see something mutilated and broken. But I wasn't. My skin was smooth and unmarred.

"Scylla?" Hokuto's voice wasn't as confident as it usually was.

I looked in the direction of his voice. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but the strange colors wouldn't disappear. Hokuto was a burgundy compared to his normal honey coloration.

"Traverse, what's wrong with my eyes?" I searched the room for him.

He stood from his chair. "Nothing. The light waves your eyes pick up are different now. I was able to merge your human genetics with the Kukunda's. There were going to be changes because of this. Most of your body is human but your senses and the tentacles are most identifiably Kukunda. "

"Hokuto, do I look…." If I didn't look like me, Death wouldn't know me anymore.

I covered my face and started sobbing. Snake and E-Scale had taken my life away in more ways than just my body. They destroyed my relationship with Death, and they killed our child too.

Strong arms wrapped around my body. "Scylla, he will know it's you. He'll be unsure at first, but he knows about splitting. You'll just have to convince him that it's you."

"They killed me Hokuto, they killed Death's child and me." I looked at him and was surprised by his shock.

"You were carrying his child?"

"Yes."

"That would explain why he is taking your disappearance so hard. Scylla, we have to convince him that you are you."

I pushed him away. "Look at me. I don't look like me anymore, do I!"

Traverse came closer. "Scylla, your tentacles are the same color as your hair. Your skin is lighter than a Kukunda's, and your build is different. For one thing, female Kukunda look physically like males. However, you still have the anatomy of the human species. Your voice is also unique to you. I'm sure he can be convinced that you are, in fact, you."

"How do I do that?"

Hokuto shrugged his shoulders.

Traverse took my hands in his. "Tell him something only you tell him. I think that may be the only way of convincing him."

I thought about all the things we talked about behind closed doors. How we felt was the most important. I knew after a moment that only one thing would make him realize it was me. My words.

09

Hokuto had told me that days had passed since I had disappeared. The whole squad had been looking for me on the ships. They moved from one of the planets in the system to the next, and Death hadn't been announced. I knew that my disappearance, coupled with him going unacknowledged, would create undue stress on every one of his subordinates.

I looked out the window of Death's room. It was difficult thinking about the last time I had done this. Then, I had been fully human, pregnant, and happy. Now I wasn't any of those things. Serpent and Chariot had taken more from me than they realized. They may have very well stolen Death from me as well.

I tucked my arms around myself and waited for Death. As moments passed, I wondered if Hokuto had managed to convince him to rest. He, of course, would need to come here, and I was waiting. Waiting to convince him that I was Scylla even when I didn't feel like me anymore.

"Who are you?" Death's voice was full of anger, but I could hear the weariness.

"What do you know about splitting?" I couldn't turn around yet.

"What?" He hadn't moved from the door yet.

"Splitting, have you ever been split before?"

"I have not been split myself, but that doesn't answer my question." The door closed, and I knew he was trying to creep silently across the room.

I moved my tentacles to lay against my back and began to weave them together; it was a relaxing movement. "I've been split. It was one of the most painful things I have experienced. That was until I had to grow from a little one, a half-life, to this. That was excruciating. To go from being one thing to a half Kukunda, I don't know who I am anymore."

"Then who were you?" He was standing beside me now.

I sighed. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray."

He turned me to face him. "Scylla?"

Death's voice cracked, and I could hear the pain clearly now. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and looked away from him. I found it was hard to meet his gaze.

"It's me. Well, part of me. Traverse was able to merge my human DNA with the half-life. He did his best to make me look like me, at least as close as he could. Without my, without my original body, this was the best he could do." I squeezed my chest.

"Scylla, who did this to you?" He tried to turn me to look at him again, but I held firm.

I lifted one of his tentacles to my temple. "Look."

I went back to the moment before they split me before the pain became real. The conversation with E-scale and Snake played through my mind. When they let me know who had ordered my split and death.

Death's tentacle fell away from my face. "They will pay for this Scylla."

I finally turned to him. I could see how truly unique and beautiful he was for the first time. The colors on his skin blended together smoothly compared to before. I could see more shades. He was so beautiful, and I kept thinking that this was the last time I would be this close to him. I reached out and touched him with my hands and tentacles. I wanted to know what he felt like with my new limbs.

Death reached out and pulled me tightly against him. He wrapped his tentacles around mine, and I gasped. Each physical connection sent thousands of tiny electrical currents through them.

"So, this is what it feels like to touch a female. I had believed that I would never know what it would be like to be with a female of my own species."

I tried to pull away. I hadn't been enough for Death before; as much as he said he loved me, I was human, and human wasn't what he needed.

He didn't let me go. "As horrible as these last few days have been and knowing they have killed our child, Scylla, you are still here with me. You are still here, and now you are more than you were. I loved you as a human, but now you can feel what I felt with each sensation. You can feel my affection as a Kukunda shows it to their mates. I am relieved that you are back by my side Scylla. Human or half, you are the female that has moved me to love and grief."

Death took my face in his hands and kissed me. "Scylla, my love, never for a moment believe that you weren't enough. I conquered worlds in the name of the Supreme, seen the most beautiful sites in the cosmos, and yet you were the first thing that has ever made my hearts stop."

"But you seem happier now that I'm half Kukunda than..."

"Enough, enough. I am happy that you are alive. I am relieved that you are here. You have made me feel, please don't think that you didn't before, because you did."

I leaned into him and cried. "They changed me! They wanted to kill me, but they changed me! They knew what they were doing. It must have been part of their plan; they must have been hoping that I'd make it to Traverse. Hoping that he'd save me and make me different."

He stroked the back of my head. "My brothers must have planned this in hopes that I would reject you like I had every female Kukunda before. Yet they didn't consider that I wasn't in love with your physical body Scylla, I am in love with the you inside. The way you speak, how you know what I need to hear. It doesn't matter how you look; it matters that you can make me feel with your words."

I pulled back and looked into his eyes, they reflected the stars flying by us, and I let myself get lost in that reflection. "I love you."

"I love you, my songstress."

10

I pulled the new dress over my head and clung to my new curves as it went down my body. I was trying to outshine every announcer that was going to be at the Supreme's gathering. Hokuto had explained that Serpent, Chariot, and Death weren't the only children of the Supreme conquering worlds. He had daughters too. Strong, imposing Kukunda females that would make me look pathetic in comparison.

I jumped when the electric currents trickled through my body. I couldn't get over how quiet Death was.

"I like this dress. The color flatters you." He held my hips and pressed his lips to the back of my head.

"Hokuto put a rush on its construction. He wanted me to shine for you tonight."

Death turned me to face him. He threaded his tentacles through mine. "You always shine, Scylla. Do you remember the first time you presented before my squad?"

I closed my eyes and recalled the moment he was talking about.

---

I kept readjusting my outfit and fidgeting with my hair. Meeting the primary members of Death's military force made me nervous. They came from so many different planets that they'd made an impact across the entire fleet.

The door behind me opened, and I turned around. The eight aliens behind me talked low and eyed me with great suspicion. I swallowed hard.

Death strode in behind them but stopped, for only a moment, then made his way to his chair. "Introduce yourself."

I stood up straight and looked at the eight before me. "My name is Scylla Ariti. I'm from Earth, and I'm human."

"Some introduction." A giant blue alien smirked.

"When I said introduce yourself, I meant INTRODUCE yourself. Like you would be, little star."

The group chuckled, and I knew the star comment was an insult. If Death wanted me to introduce myself, I guess I could. Hokuto had told me to bring whatever I thought was necessary to make an introduction. I reached down and picked up my electric guitar, and pulled its strap over my shoulder. I toed on the amplifier and pulled the pick across the strings.

I played the song in my head, messing with its arrangement before playing out the cords and words. Fancy was a powerful song whose meaning wasn't lost on me. In a way, I was Fancy out in space, planning on charming the masses and keeping myself from the bottom any way I could.

I took on Fancy and made the song my own. I didn't want these nine aliens to ever doubt my reason for being here. I was here to play for Death, make him infallible on the planets he conquered.

The last line left my lips, and I took in deep heavy breaths. Death wanted an introduction; I hope that he'd gotten what he wanted.

---

He chuckled. "I can feel how you felt that day. I enjoy knowing you took pride in showing me up."

"You like that I was shoving your patronizing tone in your face?"

Death leaned in and kissed me. "Oh, I did. Every time you prove your defiance, it excites me."

I wrapped my arms around him. "Defiance isn't a good thing."

"On the contrary, your defiance is a good thing because you are so loyal to me. It lets me know that you could fight me on things you need to."

I kissed him. "I'll only defy you when you need it."

"Good." He paused. "We need to head to the transport. Are you ready?"

"Yes, let's go knock them dead."

11

Supreme's ship was massive; moving beneath its hull blocked the sky. It could carry his entire fleet within its hull and have room to spare. Hokuto called it Second Mahara. The ship was rumored to even house Mahara, but that was only a fanciful story.

Hokuto wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me agilely through the crowd to the room where I would make my announcement. I pulled my hood over my head and pressed myself closer to him. He pulled me through a door and hesitantly let go of me.

The room was filled with the entire fleet's announcers. The 30 or so aliens in the space looked up but didn't react to our entrance.

I turned around. "I see where my things are. I'll be fine. Go attend to Death."

He held my elbow. "Are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"

I ran my fingers over his ear crest. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure." He looked over the group, and I knew he searched for Snake and E-scale.

"Go. Don't keep Death waiting. I'll see you in a few."

He squeezed my elbow and let go with some reluctance. I watched him leave then headed to where my things were placed. The others had begun to take the places in front of doors spread down the room.

Death and Hokuto had told me the announcers would come out of the doors simultaneously. Each announcer would step forward and give their best introduction. Death had told me to introduce him and add to it about the crime committed. It was going to be interesting, to say the least.

I closed my eyes and waited. I could hear them all practicing their speeches. I was the only one that would be singing. After a few moments, I heard the gentle woosh of the doors. I opened my eyes, collected my things, and stepped through my open door.

We stepped into an amphitheater, and all the Kukunda were spread through the room. Supreme, his mate, and his children sat at a table facing the doors. I quickly scanned them and found Death. He took a drink from a goblet and set it back down. Then, he focused his eyes on me.

We didn't break eye contact until it was my turn to announce. Then, the room was silenced, and all eyes fell on me. I picked up my microphone and headed to the center of the room like the others had. Hokuto had made sure that my guitar would be compatible, so I was appropriately heard.

I began plucking away at the song's chords, letting its rhythm fill the amphitheater. Pushing my hood back, I let them all see my face. Had I been human, removing my cloak would have interrupted my performance, but I wasn't human anymore. I used my tentacles to toss my veil aside, and it fluttered to the ground.

The words of Lorde's song, Glory and Gore, flowed from my lips in a slight hum at first but grew loud and clear with each passing second. I quickly found my own in this amphitheater surrounded by Kukunda, spectators, and leaders alike. I stole glances at the crowd, and they swayed with my words letting the music push them. I smiled.

As quickly as I had let the energy rise, I brought it back down. I could feel the anticipation from the crowd. What would come next? Who did she announce, who was her master?

I let the last cord reverberate across the room. Glory and Gore, like Lorde, said they go hand in hand and victory was contagious. I flipped my guitar's volume down so I wouldn't send discord through the room then set it on the ground. I took the microphone in my hands and moved closer to Supreme and his children.

"Death. Through loyalty and command, you have led your soldiers home. Home, to where they have been greeted and embraced as brothers and sisters. Death. You sit beside your kin and wait for them to hear; hear what tale you have to tell."

I could see everyone lean forward in their seats. I had them eating out of my hand. "Death! The third son of Supreme, you have come home to Mahara. You have listened to their call."

I stopped in front of Death, and he looked down from his seat and nodded his head.

"Though you have returned home and brought many with you, there is one who did not."

The crowd erupted in a frenzy of whispers. They had realized I had gone off-script.

"Death was bringing home news and excitement. Excitement because for the first time, he would have a child."

Supreme stood, and the crowd fell silent. "Speak the truth plainly tale weaver."

His voice echoed in the quiet room, and I could feel his command in those few words.

"My story and Death's story intertwine, Supreme." I lowered my head.

"Out with it."

I stood up tall and looked at Serpent and Chariot. "My name is Scylla. I was split from my original body. The body that was carrying Death's child within it. My consciousness was placed inside a half-life, and my original body jettisoned into space. This body does not carry Death's child."

The room erupted in shouts and screams. They called me a liar and didn't believe Death would choose someone other than a Kukunda. So I waited until they settled.

Once I was sure it was safe to speak again, I did. "I'm not lying, Supreme. I was a human from Earth, and through something miraculous, we were able to conceive a child. Dr. Traverse was doing everything in his power to ensure the child was healthy and that I could bear it. But, unfortunately, the announcers Snake and E-scale split me. They killed my body, thus killing Death's child."

Supreme turned to Death. Their words passed unspoken. "What do you want, Scylla?"

"I want retribution. Those responsible pay the price." I let those words sink in.

"Death, what do you want?"

Death took another drink from his goblet. "I want the announcers silenced and the ones that gave the order," he looked at me coldly, "I want them to die by the vacuum of space."

"Death, who ordered the split?" Supreme's words were flat.

"Serpent and Chariot, Snake and E-scale told Scylla before they split her. I've seen the memory."

"You may choose ONE of your brothers to face that punishment, and the other will be silenced along with their announcers."

Death had figured that would be the case. "Serpent."

Supreme sat down. "Done."

Serpent and Chariot stood up, keen on protesting, but armed soldiers grabbed them from behind and dragged them out of the amphitheater. Soldiers made their way across the amphitheater ground and collected Snake and E-scale. The soldiers carried them past me. They pleaded with their eyes, but I had no mercy in me for them. They were being punished for the crime they had committed. I could only help Death, and I could find peace after this.

12

I rolled over in bed stretched. Humming drew my attention across the room. Death stood in front of his window, watching as the stars passed us by. He looked relaxed and content, something he'd always lacked before.

"What are you doing?"

He turned around and smiled. "Thinking about what comes next."

I sat up and stretched more. "Well, that could be a lengthy process."

Death came back to the bed and pushed me into the mattress. He nuzzled my neck and ran his limbs down my body. "What comes next for us is the most pressing."

I squeezed his bicep. "I don't think that is much of a mystery."

"No, I suppose it isn't." He kissed me, and I let the sensation overtake me.

---

Death held me against the wall, trying to figure out a comfortable way to keep me there.

"What's wrong?" I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I don't know what to do when it comes to this." Frustration bled into his brow.

I kissed him and squeezed him tighter. I pulled back again. "I guess it depends on what you want."

"I want to make you mine."

I didn't know why his words caught me off guard so much. We'd been meeting secretly for months, and in my mind, the next logical step was sex, but we didn't talk about it.

"Um, how do Kukunda have sex?"

"We breed when females are at the height of fertility. You're human; I do not know what to do with a human."

"Well, maybe just pretend I'm a Kukunda female?" I shrugged my shoulders.

"No, I will figure it out, but please help me."

"Ok. Well, let's get on the bed first. I say start there."

"The bed is for sleeping."

I chuckled. "The bed isn't just for sleeping."

---

Death and I collapsed around each other. It was a sensory overload from before. Every touch sent electricity through my body. Finally, I understood why Dr. Traverse said to take it easy regarding procreation. We could kill ourselves from the intensity.

Death picked my hand up and kissed my fingers. "We need to start practicing again."

I let out a breathy laugh. "Practice! I think we know what we're doing."

He rolled over on top of me again. "You feel different, and even though you're moving this body, it moves differently too. I was trying to be with the human you, not the half-life you."

I put my fingers over his mouth. "Can we think of something different to call me other than half-life? It sounds like I'm dying."

He moved my hand. "Half-life means half of one life, half of another. So you are whole, simply half Kukunda and half-human."

"That makes it a little better." I wrapped my tentacles around his and pulled his face close.

"I suppose we could use a little more practice."

He chuckled. "We have all the time we could hope for to practice. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

"Is that a promise?"

He kissed my lips softly. "That's a promise."

"Good. I like that promise."

"Me too."

---

I stood silently as the alien Death walked circles around me. He'd sent the other people away, and I felt foolish for addressing him. He flipped my hair with one of his tentacles, and I pulled my head away.

"Don't like to be touched." It was a statement where most would have questioned it.

"Not really."

"You'll fit in with my squad. Most don't like to be touched. My assistant doesn't at all, too intimate."

I squared my shoulders and regained my composure. "Maybe Hokuto's never known a touch to teach him the difference."

"Why don't you like to be touched?"

I didn't look at him. "Maybe I wasn't shown affection, and touching was taboo."

"I suppose it's a good thing I'm not offering you a position where you have to touch anyone. I simply want you to come with me to announce who I am before the conquered masses." He stopped in front of me.

"If that's the experience you're giving me."

He stepped closer to me but kept his body parts to himself. "I'm giving you more than an experience. I'm giving you a new life, one where you will be important and revered."

"Will you throw me aside like the other guy?"

"Other guy?"

"Yeah, the one you threw."

"No, that was my assistant. We've been searching for a new announcer. I promise he landed on his feet."

I took a deep breath. "But you didn't answer my question."

He picked up a lock of hair and ran it between his fingers. "No. I don't think I will."

Death turned and headed to his ship. "Come along. Let me show you how vast space is."

Space. Leave Earth behind and go on the most epic space odyssey known to man. Don't mind if I do.