The clerk announced his presence. �Master Kerrechu, Teacher Caste Master.�

The three Masters sat on a semicircular bench wearing the red robes of their office.

Kerrechu, a large dark furred Renuea, could no longer change but could alter his body density and form still. He looked imposing today. He went before the three of the rotating governing triumvirate. �Honored peers, three days ago, the orbital mind that runs the Qesak Habitat took one of my finest students hostage. As we are all well aware, our kind is not well regarded among other cultures. The death of one Renuea is a determent to our people as we number fewer every year. I appeal for the permission to engage outside resources to rescue my Tekui.�

Lady Kessilu of the Triumvir growled assent. �I concur. We cannot let aliens hold one of our people. We must meet this with maximum force.�

Master Erellku of the Triumvir looked down. �Let�s not be hasty. This mind has not issued any direct threats against the life of our Tekui. It is merely holding her for an unspecified time.�

Master Inektru of the Triumvir regarded him with a scornful look. �Just because it says it will not harm her does not mean that it will not do anything. We should act quickly. Never is one of us more vulnerable than when changing forms.�

Kerrechu bowed his head in respect for his old friend. �Inektru is right. We must act.�

Kessilu growled. �Don�t be fools. How can we possibly threaten a whole habitat with billions of souls on it and belonging to the Alliances? We should consider losing our Tekui. As you say, Kerrechu, we number far too few to contend with such forces.�

Kerrechu snarled. �I will not consider any such thing. There have to be friendly souls on Qesak. Let us hope that they find our Tekui.�

It was quiet in the surprisingly lovely room in the residence hotel�s upper floors. Empty food containers filled the refuse can and there were many dishes in the cleaner, freshly cleaned. It beeped for somebody to come empty it but the room�s only resident could not hear it.

Tekui had been eating nonstop since four days ago when the Qesak Mind told her that she should return to her normal form. It wasn�t that her natural form was much bigger than her present human form and both had the same basic body plan, it was that her Renuea form was far denser and had to regenerate her claws and fur. Changing forms took a lot of energy. She didn�t have much to spare, having last changed forms just four days ago.

She was afraid that the Qesak Mind would trap her in an unnatural form, which would mean certain doom for any Renuea who could not hold a form for longer than five seasons as they count them on Ikleu. Tekui willed herself to change back into her natural form and had locked all the doors of her room, secured the windows and erected the privacy screens.

She went to the massive bathing pool in the bathroom because changing was a very messy affair. She felt heavy and sick from eating too much. It distended her belly and was uncomfortable. The sight of her naked body startled her as she passed the mirrors near the basin. She did not like this form. It felt too vulnerable.

The change to normal was far worse than any change to anything else. It was painful and difficult. Tekui shed tears of pain as she stepped into the basin, already starting to feel the change begin deep inside. She got on her hands and knees and lowered her head for the worst part.

To return to normal, a Renuea had to discard any foreign qualities. Bare skin was one of these. This worried her greatly. Her skin had to be discarded and there were many hours where she would be tremendously vulnerable as her natural skin developed.

Tekui sniffed and whimpered as her entire body underwent the telltale constriction and detachment of the old skin. The skin started to tear and crack with pain. Blood surged from the fissures and covered the entire floor of the basin.

She clenched her hands and cringed as the skin opened on her belly and chest, up to her throat and head. A massive sheet of skin slid off her back and slopped onto the basin floor. What was left underneath was soft and red, developing her dark yellow fur under a layer of change membrane that protected the not quite skin during this long process.

Changing bones and the marrow inside them was quickly replacing the blood that surged from her. The bone change was far too painful to endure while awake. Tekui fell flat on her belly in the blood and discarded skin, fading out of consciousness.

She came to a few hours later, still changing. Her tail and claws were developing and the bone change had already taken place, displacing the rest of the old skin by stretching it. Now completely covered in the bloody red change membrane, Tekui was completely blind and could not hear or smell. Anyone could come in and easily kill her.

She half-expected this as she endured the pain of the change but the Qesak Mind was holding true to its promise not to harm her. Her feet enlarged and her hands grew thicker and more proportionate to the body, which was becoming longer and sleeker, deceptively thin as the figure was usually hidden beneath fur.

Time seemed to pass quickly this time, likely brought on by her urgency to get this over with as soon as possible. A day passed as she lay in the sticky puddle of effluvia, sickening crunching sounds coming from deep inside her.

The crunching felt worse than it sounded, like being squeezed and pulled apart simultaneously. Her teeth had all fallen out and her pointy carnivore teeth were growing in. Her teeth had always amused Tekui because she was vegetarian. Impersonating other creatures on the most intimate level led to her belief that animals had a right not to be eaten. Most Renuea who could change felt the same way.

Her belly shrank as her stomach stripped the food of its nutrients and beneficial qualities and passed all of what was left over through a gut that never really changed. Her heart, lungs, gut and reproductive organs never changed though they shifted and changed position while in another form. Tekui could not impersonate a creature much smaller or larger than herself.

Her most extreme form, the Av�rite-er hawk, took eighteen days and drastic changes to take, mainly because it compressed and shifted her inner organs. It hurt worse than this but there wasn�t much call to return to that form until the Winter Festival of Riterban, the next being in 73 years. Time flowed slowly there for some reason. The festival alone was worth the pain and effort of changing.

Tekui was nearly 1,400 seasons old. Her people had long ago discovered the secret to immortality as it came naturally to those who could change. Some, like her beloved teacher, Master Kerrechu, chose to become old and die due to beliefs. She did not share those beliefs since she had a world view broader than most.

The final phase of the change came as Tekui dreamed of the next Winter Festival in an uneasy sleep. Her fur grew at an astonishing rate. Her tail filled out. All ten of her semi-retractable claws solidified. Her hooded ears poked the change membrane, making her look like she was encased in bloody bioplastic. She had small ears like all Renuea, but unlike most, hers were not black or dark colored. They were the same color as the rest of her. She liked uniformity in her fur colors. She could not change the pasty pallor of her hide, the grey-yellow color of her eyes or her dark nose.

Nearly two days after she began, the change membrane started to dissolve starting over her rump and spreading down her legs and tail and up her back. Bloodstained dark yellow fur appeared with its orange stripes that made her distinctive when among her people. Most Renueas liked to change their stripes or eliminated them altogether but she left hers alone. The orange and yellow subtly blended for an effect most found beautiful.

Those who could change were forbidden from mating to reproduce or else she would have had many cubs by now. She thought about that often but the change ability could not be countered, not that she ever wanted to do that.

Once the membrane was gone, Tekui was complete again. She recovered from her change induced stupor and blinked. She would be mostly blind for another week since the eyes took longer to change. She pushed herself up, her claws clicking on the basin floor. Sticky, congealed effluvia stuck to her fur and pulled her to the basin floor. She had to use her natural strength to pull herself free and keened in happiness.

Tekui had learned long ago how to cope with after change blindness. She put the dissolution enzyme on the sink counter where she could find it with blind hands. With practiced slowness, she reached for it and grasped it, tearing the package open and feeling her way along the basin.

She poured it in and listened for the hiss pop sizzle sounds of it working as she waited for several minutes as it dissolved everything, eager to wash herself clean. When the sounds stopped, she eased her left foot in to see if it was all dry. It was and so she rinsed the basin clean and started to fill it.

Tekui loved water. She was a very good swimmer and regretted that she could only take the form of large birds and land-based mammals. She could not change into a sea creature. It was impossible. She eased herself into the hot water and mewed in pleasure. She had not been in her natural form in over a season. It was like coming home.

She used a bath brush to scrub herself clean and shampooed her entire fur. She rinsed in hot water and used an air dryer to dry off. The water automatically drained from the basin. She could not see that it looked like a frothy red ocean tide.

Once dry, Tekui went to the fur brush she had purchased the last time she went out and carefully luxuriated in brushing it, though being short, brushing was more for pleasure than anything. She was an attractive Renuea female without changing at all.

She left the bathroom and felt her way along the wall to the couch. She really could do nothing until some of her vision cleared. She sat on the couch and sighed.

�Tekui? Can you hear me?,� The Qesak Mind�s androgynous light voice asked.

She growled softly at the artificial intelligence. She did not understand it at all. �Yes. I cannot see.�

�That is a pity. They have invited you to a small tea party hosted by the Ermenda Ambassador on this very level of the hotel later this afternoon.�

That flustered her. �How can I go to a party when I�m blind? Are you always this inconsiderate?�

The Qesak Mind scoffed. �I was being congenial considering you are of an unwelcome species. You should be grateful that the Ambassador invited you. Shall inform him that you will be coming?�

She growled more insistently. �I told you that I�m blind.�

�I will send you one of my avatars to escort you. You should really try to make friends, Tekui. You may be here for a very long time.�

She became angry but calmed herself. This habitat was nearly a million miles across. Untold energies controlled it. No sense in getting mad at the intelligence that ran it. �You won�t lead me into trouble, will you?�

�Hardly, your fear is unfounded, Tekui. I do not wish to harm you. I just want to keep you out of trouble. You just being here upsets the Alliances Government. Expect my avatar at six P.M. You will know by a tone your wall clock will sound.� It clicked to let her know that it was done speaking.

Tekui sighed. She had no idea of how she could put on earrings or a gold neck collar to look sociable. She didn�t even have any jewelry with her.

Master Kerrechu walked across the tree bridge to the Training Dome. The massive wooden dome straddled fifteen trees. Forty-five feet off the forest floor. The ground was a forbidding place, usually frozen. In the trees, it was cold but bearably so. Kerrechu had to walk slowly and took a while to get there.

He came to see Communicator Edenu. The very rare purple furred female was adept at understanding the Alliances and could impersonate every sentient member race of the star spanning government.

Edenu sat at her massive desk looking at computer displays and listening to some bizarre bell music. She smiled when she saw Kerrechu. �Master, welcome, how may I help you?� She turned off the music. Her violet eyes were captivating to even the elderly male.

He smiled weakly. �Thank you, Edenu. I need to know more about the Qesak Habitat.�

She manipulated some lightly glowing controls and a vast ring shaped grouping of plates appeared in a stable orbit 102 million miles from a typical yellow star. It looked like a bracelet with a dark-colored outside and an earthlike underside. �This is it. Qesak. It�s at the junction of two major trade routes and protected by sixteen treaties and agreements. The Cuaxa hold most of the burdens of its defense, mainly keeping asteroids and comets away and the like.�

Kerrechu scratched among the gray fur on his chin. �Who governs it?�

�It governs itself. It has an AI of remarkably complex abilities that formerly was the world brain of an Alliance station at Khedera. It�s called the Qesak Mind. It may be trying to protect Tekui because the Alliances offer a 330 gold piece reward for . . . � She shuddered. �For one of our pelts.�

He grumbled. �If it seeks to protect her, why does it not release her to come home?�

Edenu narrowed her beautiful eyes at the scrolling scripts across a gel screen. �I don�t know. It must know something we do not. Shall I change to infiltrate the habitat? It will not detect me like it did Tekui.�

Kerrechu snarled at the suggestion of endangering another valued student. �Absolutely not. Remain here and watch the situation. We must have a way of reaching Tekui, who is undoubtedly changing if she hasn�t already and she will be blind for a while.�

�Yes, Master. If we can reach her, I will find a way to do it.�

The elderly male smiled. �I know. Keep me informed.� He hobbled to the center of the change dome where they were teaching a young male cub how to change into a spotted plains cat, often the first form a Renuea who could change took. Only about 20% of Renuea could change. Fewer were born every year it seemed. He considered regenerating like so many did once more and resolved to do it to save his student. Any of them would do the same for him. Kerrechu went to get ready.

The avatar must have a metal skin, thought Tekui as it led her down a hallway, its left arm curled around her right arm. She walked hesitantly, nervous. Many hated her kind. She knew of the reward offered for Renuea pelts and wondered how many here would skin her for 300 gold pieces, a paltry sum for ending a life.

The Qesak Mind controlled the avatar and told her to act natural.

She wished that she could see. Her acute hearing and smell senses told her that there were good food and many different peoples at this party. The avatar led her to a door and opened it for her. They went in and a deep male accented voice said, �Welcome. You must be Tekui of the Seshenu Clan.�

She backed her ears, surprised that this one knew her clan name. �I am. Who are you?�

The male chuckled deeply. �I�m Ambassador Celdan of Ermenda. It is a privilege meeting you.�

The avatar forced her into a bow and she lost her balance, falling hard on her hands and knees. She could not stop the angry growl that came from her throat. She got back on her feet without any help. �Forgive me, Ambassador. I cannot see and this thing is exploiting that to debase me.�

If the Qesak Mind ever got angry, it did not show in anything the avatar did. It merely said, �I would appreciate it of you would mind your comments, Tekui.�

She would have raked her claws across its face if she could see to do so. �Take me to where I can sit down.�

The avatar led her across the room and almost pushed her down, making her sit wrongly on her tail, which hurt. She growled as she moved to get off it. �You get away from me. Return to wherever it is you plug in, you machine.�

It must have taken that personally because she could hear it stomp away.

No one talked to her and chattering in languages Tekui did not know distracted the Ambassador and she knew a large handful of languages. She sat there, wishing she could leave. The avatar abandoned her and she did not know the way back to her room.

Someone sat beside her. �Oh, look at this pretty pelt. I�d surely get more than 300 for you,� a male voice said.

Tekui growled at him. �It�s my pelt and I will not part with it. Go away before I bite you.�

A hard, gloved hand cuffed her across the nose, making her gasp and tears come to her eyes. She snarled and struck out with her open hand, her claws extended. They sailed through empty air as the male laughed at her.

Tekui growled and stood up. �Mr. Ambassador?�

�I am here, Tekui. Can I help you?�

She could tell that he was big and walked on more than two feet, possibly three. She held out her left arm. �Can you escort me to my room, 34-C? I�m blind and people are threatening me.�

Celda rumbled. �My apologies. I regret that you did not enjoy yourself here.� He took her arm and led her through a crowd of people, coming between the others and her to protect her. He led her into the hallway and said, �I�m sorry. I wanted to get to know you. You must be well-traveled being what you are and what you can do. I did not know that you cannot see.�

�It is only temporary, sir. I could probably see completely by the end of this week.�

He squeezed her hand. �You have many enemies here. I will see that none set foot above the 15th floor.�

She felt warm, blushing under her fur. �Why are you helping me?�

�Why not?� He pressed a hard plastic card into her hand. �When you can see, call my secretary and we will schedule a luncheon.� He opened the door for her after guiding her hand to the recognition plate. Celda carefully led her to her couch.

She sat and smiled at him, well, where she thought he was. �Thank you, sir.�

�You may call me by my familiar name, Celda. I will be leaving now. You can voice-lock your door. Please call my office if you need anything.� He kissed her hand and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Tekui was confused. Who was this charming male? She leaned back and reclined her head, still tired from changing. She dozed off quickly.

Unlike his students and any younger change able Renuea, Master Kerrechu could change within hours to any of 76 forms he knew how to take. He took the one that suited him best, the strong, young Renuea he had been ages ago. He felt absolutely great and was troubled by the belief he violated to do this. It was worth it. He was big with gray fur and dark gray stripes. His dark gray eyes gave him an intimidating look, especially in his black Master�s robes.

He returned to the Learning Dome to check on Edenu�s progress.

The exotic female gasped when she saw him. �Master? You look . . . um . . . very good.� She backed her ears, embarrassed.

Kerrechu smiled. �Thank you. How are you coming along with the communication effort?�

She poked at the gel keys on her computer. �The Qesak Mind closely regulates the habitat. All things going in and out are scanned. I was able to hack records and determine that the Qesak Mind did not expose Tekui until after she changed into the furless female form she took after impersonating the rekka. This leads me to believe that it did not discover that Tekui was a Renuea by scanning.�

He growled. He taught his students better than that. �She took her form too soon. I will speak to her about that. Can you locate her in the habitat?�

Edenu inclined her head toward a section of the habitat, plate 32 of 470, displayed on the gel screen. �She is in a residence hotel, 18th floor. There is an ambassador from Ermenda taking up residence there as well.�

Kerrechu looked at her. �That one will watch over her. Those of Ermenda owe our people a debt for saving them from Cuaxa expansion in the wars. That was long before your time.�

Edenu sighed. �Unless we take the form of Cuaxa, we cannot get onto that habitat. I have looked into every option. They�re spooked by something. Every entrance into the habitat is on alert. There are a few warships in the vicinity when they need only one.�

He growled quietly. �We are forbidden from taking the form of enemies. Find some way to contact her room.�

She busily started to look at lists of numbers and codes. She found one frequency of interest. �I can call her.�

�Do it.�

Tekui snored softly, her head reclined on the couch�s left armrest. A loud beeping startled her awake. She nearly fell off the couch but got to her feet with her claws� help. She tried to find the source of the beeping, stubbing her toes on her right foot against a table leg. She growled something unladylike and tried to focus on the beeping. It was coming from the wall in front of her, the comm unit.

She slowly made her way over to it and blindly scrabbled for the answer button. She found it. �Hello?�

�Tekui? It�s me, Edenu,� a familiar voice said.

Tekui became anxious. �Edenu! Are you coming for me? This crazy habitat mind is keeping me here.�

�We cannot come for you. The risk is too great,� a male voice said but she couldn�t be sure of whom it was.

�Um? Master?,� she guessed.

�Indeed. How are your eyes?,� Kerrechu asked.

�I feel them changing but I cannot see.� She cleared her throat. �When can I see, Master? I need my eyes.�

He growled. �You need to rest. You should regain partial sight after one sleep period. You have met the Ambassador?�

She smiled. �Yes. He was very kind to me.�

�Stay close to him. We will be coming for you but it may take some time to build a plan to save you. Can you order things?�

Tekui unwittingly nodded. �Yes.�

�Order kerra juice and a ripe kilu fruit. Use your claws to shred the fruit into the juice and shake it up. That drink will quicken your eye development. Stay strong. I want you to thicken your claws and don�t be afraid to bite.�

She lowered her head. �Yes, Master.�

�We will be in touch,� Kerrechu said and the comm unit clicked off.

Eager to speed up the development of her eyes, Tekui ordered the fruit and juice at once. It came via a robot server and she took the drink and fruit to her room�s kitchen. She found a cup-bowl and poured the juice in it. She used her claws to mash the fruit and dropped it into the juice. She covered the cup-bowl with its cover and shook it vigorously. She pulled the cover off and drank it, at once regretting it because it was tangy-bitter. She smacked her mouth a few times and went to the bedroom.

She lay on her bed and surprised herself by falling right asleep.

The next day, Tekui awoke and was astonished to see again. Her vision was monochromatic and everything was gray but at least she could see. Color vision would come along eventually. She got up and hurried into the bathroom. She refreshed herself and brushed her teeth to get rid of that bitter juice taste in her mouth.

She went in the front room and sat on the couch to focus on strengthening her claws. She hoped that the Qesak Mind would leave her alone today but that would not be quite the case.

To Be Continued . . . ☺

� 24 June 2004 Gregory Thompson. All reproduction is prohibited.