Extract from the book “Confessions, an Admirals tale volume I”

I exited the ramp and upon gazing at the collection of monster and freaks which I would eventually call my loyal soldiers, confidants, and right and left hands, I immediately fought down the growing urge to vomit and bolt out of the  place at full speed, all the while making my way down the ramp towards my new command.

But what should have stricken me as odd was that they were in their First Form.

 You see even then Imperials, unlike Republicans or those Federals have the ability to change between their native form (called the first form) and a humanoid shape, or multiple native forms if they have mixed parentage.

It was one of the many things which helped unite the various nations of the Empire and keep it together.

Even before the Imperium when two sentient species from different planets met; hostility towards the other is the first thing that comes to both their minds. It’s not their fault, since for some strange reason sentients have a sort of built in biological programming against those who are different than them.

Long ago the Great Founder of the Empire and her lieutenants found a way to get over that and gave the nations that would make up the Empire what is now called the ‘Blessing’.

As you know, the blessing allows Imperials to morph from their native shape to a humanoid one and back, the only notable indication between them and humanity is the fact that the skin retains the same pigmentation as their original bodies, and certain aspects like various distinctive facial features or in more extreme cases and extra pair of arms, legs and various other appendages remain.

This had three delightful advantages: one was that it was rather hard for them to hate their fellow sentient since the barrier of racial differences (barring a few divergence in skin color) was gone, and there was no more hostility because of that, or rather it was reduced from a mainstream mindset to more of a annoying and trouble making indie scene, but for the most part the hatred and desire to blame others for their misfortune because they were different was diminished for the majority of people; well except if you’re a Republican or Federal, they always find some reason to pin the blame on you and not themselves.

The second was that, well let’s face it, sentients have always had a preference for new and exotic things, exotic food, exotic toys, exotic company, and when you can have a pretty girlfriend from another planted that is a whole new ‘motivation’ for friendly relations!

Thirdly, as I said earlier it changed the nature of Xenophobia and hatred for what was different. All of a sudden the various species which would make up the Empire realized they had something in common and it was a whole galaxy that barring the exception of a few immigrants who would join them, had nothing in common with the Empire, and so they did what any good rational and moral civilization would do and namely unite and prepare for war against the foreigners that were not ‘blessed’.

And as I said before thanks to the ‘Blessing’ if you call it that, there were three shapes that an Imperial could take.

The First Form was their native one, the Second Form was the humanoid one, the Third Form is……….. Well, more on that later on.

What was odd was the fact that as an unofficial tradition in the military, when someone new arrived at a unit the members of the welcoming party where usually in their second form.

The idea in case of the enlisted men was that: ‘you’re an outsider and you got to earn your place’ and in case of officers it was a sort of sign of respect only attributed to worthy leader. Now back then I had a reputation as a hero thanks to the media, but so many others like myself  had similar reps in the army, navy, s.p.a.ce fleet and air force/fighter corps, so I probably shouldn’t have received at that point in my carrier such an honor, for that was shortly before the part of my carrier which would thrust me into the most dangerous moments of my life and earn me the respect of the army and fleet and draw a big bullseye on my back for enemy armies.

The fact that they were all in their first forms suggested that they were actually glad to see me!

That was crackers, since as I mentioned before I wasn’t that big a hero back then. That combined with the fact that my arrival had the added effect of depriving one of them of the opportunity for advancement in rank, meant that the current situation was so desperate that these poor b.u.g.g.e.rs where either under the delusion that I could actually bail them out or they were glad someone was here to take the fall when the dam breaks!

I approached Horatia, and as she extended her right arm, I took what was an arachnid version of a hand complete with retractable claws in her chitinous fingers and shook it. I searched her eyes, all six of them for any sign of deception, hoping and praying ‘Please G.o.d, let these people be lying to me, don’t let them be actually glad to see me, let their happiness for my arrival be false, let the truth be that they hate me for coming here and stealing their chance for a promotion! Let them be bootlickers and a.s.s kissers!’, but much to my horror her smile was genuine in all of its fangy and venomous glory, and upon seeing the others up close and shaking hands with them as well I noticed that their smiles where more brighter , sincerer and happier than what I originally thought.

Dear G.o.d, the situation was a disaster! Heaven save me from their happy smiles!

Metternich per Pelasgiamus, Freelance Potions maker