"After a while, the day of the slaver bust drew near. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to save a bunch of Earthen just like I'd been saved. I couldn't wait to be a hero too.

"I'd learned as much as I could from the Gilded, but I was still clumsy. Juno provided me with different armor from them. She called me their Imperial Legate, and I would lead them to battle.

"Cowed by this sudden responsibility, I panicked. I didn't want it. Not at all. What I wanted was a chart to fill. I wanted a chalk to make my notes about the natural elements of the planet. I wanted to study the climate, to use my brain — not this stick and not these men.

"But there I was. Armed with gold and thin bravado, I drew up a plan - one that I thought was good. They looked at me, skeptical, but they listened.

"We stormed the market. The Gilded did most of the work and I stood behind them like an idiot.

"At first it was going so well. Death everywhere, just as I assumed a battle should be. Again, I was not a warrior, I didn't understand what was happening. When I finally noticed it was more of my Gilded on the ground than the others, I realized that something was wrong.

"The planet was a wet one. Their heavy armor bogged them down and made it hard for them to run. The running was basically half of my strategy and I hadn't taken the planet's climate into consideration at all. The weapons of the market security easily overtook ours. Their blasts were far stronger. It was horrible.

"I stood in the chaos and tried to figure out what to do. Slavers came at me. I could effectively use my shield, but even then, I was cut to the ground. Two Gilded died trying to get me out.

"Some survived, broke up what they could and rescued eight Earthen along with my sorry ass. My first day in this job and I fucked it up. We lost nearly fifty Gilded, but I was pretty excited that we at least got those eight Earthen.

"Juno, not so much.

"'Worthless,' she screamed, 'useless, pathetic little Earthen slag. Your bravery is as flaccid as your cock. Where is your honor?'

"The Gilded made no noise, but I'm sure down inside, they were rolling.

"I tried to defend myself — I never wanted this to begin with. Her screams were humiliating be-yond understanding. I wanted to throw myself off the ship.

"'Impotent worm, you are a disgrace.'

"I wished I was left to die rather than suffer this.

"She didn't let me in her quarters for so long. At first, I was glad to be rid of her, furious that she'd treated me so badly. I was disgusted with her.

"But without her quarters, I had nowhere to go. So I wandered Olympi. I wandered the ship for so long, I grew restless. She never came. She never sought me out. Any day now, I thought. Any day she'd come find me and apologize.

"She never did. I began to wonder if she hated me so much, she was going to drop me at the next planet. I wondered if I would be pushed aside, this creature she was grooming to be her perfect man. We had done so much together, she couldn't possibly dispose of me now, could she?

"I couldn't focus anymore. I had to find out where we stood, so finally, I went to her.

"Will you do what needs to be done to win glory for Juno?" she asked after I begged her on my knees to let me prove that I could be exactly what she needed.

"I conceded. I'd do anything to make her happy again. I found myself down at Grandel's again with that same orange gel rubbed over my head.

"This time when I woke up, I was on fire. The pain, it was all-consuming and stemming from my hands which were contained in a clear box attached at my wrists. They were smoldering and black with ashy smoke billowing from the palms, circling the air inside the container. I couldn't move, but I screamed. Juno appeared above me.

"I asked her what happened.

"'Reticulan skin,' she said, 'it produces ions that move so fast, it creates immense heat. Anything you touch will be burned at the same temperature of stars. This is your weapon. Since you cannot use your spear, you will use those hands I remember you are so good with. In this way, you will fight for Juno and Olympi.' She turned and walked away from me as I laid on that table in the sterile room and watched my fingers burn.

"The skin cooled and turned to rock, cracked, and new skin appeared underneath. She was right. Everything I touched, metal, mineral, or biological, it all burned the second the tip of my finger made contact. Juno had these made for me." Moon lifted his hands and turned them around to show the simple black material.

Innocuous. Harmless. Teeno noticed that Moon's hands seemed no different from any other Earthen hands when in those gloves. He silently wondered what they looked like underneath.

"They're her last real gift to me, if I think about it. Kind of sweet, right?

"After that, I was mad at her. The blue energy and yellow healing patches were one thing, but this hurt. This was painful. My body was starting to morph into something I had a hard time recognizing. Sudden urges, pains, and emotions kept appearing that weren't normal ones in my repertoire of feelings. I was agitated often and easily.

"She told me to make up for my recent humiliation by scouting the next slave market day. And just like that, she sent me away.

"I grounded and snooped around for different intel from the intergalactic rest-stops. This is something I've become much better at as you can tell. It's how I found you, isn't it?

"Another market day was approaching. I wanted to take charge of this one to pay for the one I'd botched for the Gilded Legion. I was ready.

"Despite being freakishly painful, let me tell you, Teeno, this new power was fucking fantastic at first. It was incredible, watching the slaver guards burst into fire under my hands. We saved all the Earthen this time. Juno was pleased.

"At first I was thrilled, but as we lifted off, I was struck with the repercussions of this new skin.

"Have you ever smelled burning flesh? It's horrible. Absolutely disgusting. That's how I work now. I have to deal with the stench despite it being the absolute worst thing I've smelled to date. Each species has a different stink, some with more subtle notes than others. It's the worst. She did this to me. I was pissed.

"'Juno's Moon,' she came preening, opening her arms and welcoming me into them when I stood there after the massacre, my hands burning and bloody. I felt betrayed. This was not an improvement. Everything smelled like skin on fire and I felt awful all the time.

"Juno's bright, wonderful Moon. You did splendid work. Look at how many Earthen you saved. The brothers and sisters of Mother Planet are now with Juno and Moon where they will be protected and cared for. Did Juno not tell you that one day, you will become great? Just think of what you can accomplish.'

"I sighed, content as I leaned my head against her breast. This was good. This was what I wanted. But it was different. I felt nothing.

"'There is one more step,' she said serenely as she held me to her.

"'No,' I said, 'no more improvements.' I was still trying to adjust to what I was working with.

"She did not like that.

"She came at me, furious. With a voice that rolled over the entire ship like a storm, she demanded I obey.

"I was sick of this. Sick of her demands and for what? I could no longer enjoy the touch of bodies anymore. All my touch, the entire sense had burned away. I could no longer feel a thing. All that pleasure before had turned to ashes.

"You will comply with Juno's demands, Moon. You will comply or you will die."

"I scoffed. Death was starting to sound better and better. I thought I was immortal. Isn't that what the yellow and green patch was for?

"'You can still die, you inferior microbe,' she seethed at me, 'you can die slowly, painfully, with each piece of your skin stretched and ripped strip by strip in the atmosphere of the planet Lorit Nabulan. Have you heard of this planet?' She was teasing me, drawing out my curiosity. 'Juno will drop you into their atmosphere that is riddled with airborne bacteria so small, they take living biology and eat the flesh atom by atom, curling back every layer that makes you human until you are nothing but dust in their world, you worthless germ. You vile parasite. You may not be able to touch, but this you will feel. You will feel every bite they take off your flesh and there's no weapon or mercy in the universe big enough to pity your pathetic carcass. Obey Juno or suffer."

"I didn't answer.

"She had me taken to the cells below. We were headed to Lorit Nabulan.

"When we arrived, I noticed the swirling indigo planet from my window. It didn't seem so bad. It looked peaceful. I was taken from the prison and placed in a cage wrought in, not surprisingly, gold. The Olympi hovered in their atmosphere and without protection, I was lowered.

"I was at peace, I swear. I was done with the universe, with this existence. With this new body that I could hardly recognize anymore. My family was dead long ago. It was time I joined them.

"But that was before my foot hit the violet and black cloud.

"Juno didn't do the pain any justice with her description. It was a rip, a minute rip one atomic bite at a time in piercing burns. It was my big toe to touch down first. The agony was a hot energy from a million lasers in one focal point in murderous, continuous torment.

"I couldn't hold back the screams as they ripped from my chest. My whole body exploded in fiery agony, bursting in a torturous geyser stemming from a single point on my foot.

"I broke.

"'I'll do it.' The words came from me over and over in hysterical sobs as tears fell from my eyes that felt more like flames in the sockets.

"I was lifted back up. The pain was still flaring and I blacked out.

"When I woke up again, I was strapped to Grandel's table. Juno stood above me leaning against it, her hands gripping the edges as she frowned down at me. 'You will never disobey Juno again.' She backed away and nodded to Grandel who slurped forward with his tools. A small drill whirred in his tentacle.

"I asked her where the orange gel was. She didn't respond.

"'Where's the gel, Juno?' I asked again. She didn't say a thing. Grandel came towards me and hovered the little blade next to my heart.

"I called to her again, 'where is it? What are you doing to me?' I rattled against my restraints but I couldn't move. Grandel lowered the blade and the miniature circular saw cut right into the skin around my heart.

"In retrospect, compared to the toe thing, the saw wasn't bad. But it lasted longer. Much longer. Because I was moving around, he cut craggy lines to make the new space in my chest.

"When he sliced through my ribs, I passed out again.

"I'll have to show you this one some time. It's my ugliest bit. The scar got infected and the trans-planted material didn't take so well. It was supposed to be perfectly clear, like a window, but it's brown around the edges. It's hard to see through, but if you get close enough, you can catch my heart beating on the other side."