Fantasy Tigerborn, and other true stories. (most of the time)

[Calibutcher]

"No." The voice repeated. "This is a Tiger, no other animal defines it."

"As for how to control it, you are the superior and it is you. So far your mind has been limited to a bipedal body of one form. This Tiger can do almost anything. You can change the size, change the makeup of your body will yourself into air, or have engines do it for you. The Only limit to the tiger is its form. You must always be in the shape and style of a tiger."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"But how?" she began and pushed her right paw through the hole, grasping around for the edge to pull herself up.

 

[Calibutcher]

"Just as I instructed you to open the internal cavity for your brain. You must will it to be so. Saying what you want out loud will likely help you accomplish your goals. "

The city of Tressden was a ghost of its former self already. Those that could evacuate had, but the city streets were now empty. Ships whizzed by overhead skimming the tops of the damaged skyscrapers. holes in the ground were evidence of the explosions that had been rocking the city and causing the earlier earthquakes.

A pair of teardrop-shaped ships flew towards the tiger. "Surrender yourself!" A strange robotic voice called out to her.

"Or you could fire at them." The voice in her head suggested. "I promise you surrendering will not go well."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"So if I just say it," she muttered and swung her back legs back and forth as she tried to climb out. "Make me wings." Pieces of the tiger seemingly pulled off her main body, although, her body didn't appear to change in size. They came up, came together, strong yet flimsy as a wing should be, and eventually she could control a pair of wings on her back. She flapped them once, then a couple more times, until they helped her out of the hole.

It was only then that she realized the state of the city above the lab. Destroyed. Haunted by what was and made her think tons of time had gone by for such an event to happen. Such wasn't so as she came to see the aliens overhead. She jumped as they told her to surrender. She eyed the ships. So many. So unknown. She may be a being beyond her understanding, but she understood the magnitude before her. She was a scientist after all. Alyss swallowed, or at least, as much as she could, and put her weight on her hind legs, lifted her front paws as her wings pulled in toward the center of her back and announced, "I surrender."

 

[Calibutcher]

"Good, you are catching on quickly." The voice said in a satisfied tone.

"You what!?" The voice shrieked. "No, no no! Superior I must protest you must not surrender, you are making a mistake."

The Vittox ships hovered in silence for a moment. "Good." Was the foremost reply. There was another long pause. "Come with us." One ship flew into position behind the tiger and the other led in the front. They began to ascend toward orbit. Already other ships were approaching to reinforce the two that had so triumphantly captured the great Tiger.

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"It was a mistake attacking that brain in the first place!" Alyss said in her mind as she padded forward, being careful to avoid debris and buildings beneath her. She didn't want to add more to the damage. If anything, this stopped the ships from scrambling. She was doing something good.

"Come with you?" she inquired and tried to come with them the best she could. Alyss flapped her wings, and it took her about half her height off the ground, but she hadn't managed to create anything that could truly make her ascend. "I understand that, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of things, and this is as high as I can go. Could you help me? I've never been off planet."

 

[Calibutcher]

"Superior, you are wasting your time with this. Have you even considered how you will surrender? Or what they will do with you once you have?"

There was another pause from the ships as they saw the slow progress of the large tiger. "Are you not capable of space flight, previous records show you are more than able to achieve atmosphere." The voice said in a slight tone of annoyance. Two more ships joined the escort group and took up position on either side of the tiger.

One of the new ships had different markings and a new voice came from this one, no longer the robotic voice of translation but a slow methodical voice that carried an unusual pitch. "If you do not hurry we will consider you in defiance of our commands and you will be fired upon."

"See Superior? They mean you and your kind harm. Do not allow this to continue."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"Of course I've considered it. Surely I've even considered what they'll do with me. I'm a scientist, I don't fight things."

"Let me try something!" she yelled at the aliens and said out loud, "rockets." Her voice shook. It showed her unease in this new body. That reflected outwardly as the rockets formed at her shoulders and hips, and while it helped her start getting into the sky, it still took a while. "Whew..oh man."

"I know they mean me and my kind harm. I'm not an idiot. They just told me that I'll be fired upon and they've already destroyed a city."

Alyss took a moment to breathe. "Sorry guys, you're probably right about me being capable of space flight, but I'm actually young. At least, in terms of knowledge." Her ascent kept steady. Ever so snailish, but still clearly trying. "You see, you must have known about my mother. The tiger before me. Or at least, I consider her my mother, but she probably just made me with bits of herself. The humans here found me in the middle of open space and brought me back to Earth." The rockets grew in size a bit the more she relaxed, aiding in the speed, but still not yet enough to break through the atmosphere once she reached it. Her entire body teetered back and forth in the air, as though she was an actual cat a person was struggling to pick up. "While not all humans are bad, the scientists that took me in were selfish. They put me in a frozen state and I grew in size over time. I literally only just woke up. You found me digging out of my prison. You're speaking to essentially a cub's mind in a fully grown body."

The rockets altered again, and the wings next to them developed further spread, which helped balance her body in the air and prevent it from swaying. "I implore you to not destroy this planet, honestly, the humans here aren't worth it. They've hardly any knowledge to be able to go against you in the first place. You'd snuff them out in a single Earth day. Instead, you could add to your command. Teach them, and you'll have an entire world of people at your side, and I'd encourage them. The only thing I ask," she pointed with her tail down below her, "is to destroy the lab they locked me up in. I'd deeply appreciate it if you did that. Now let's see, I think I'm getting the hang of this. Watch!" The rockets slicked some, and formed at the sides of her paws as well. Her speed increased fast enough to almost match the ships around her. "Can you guys believe it?! Just in the short time I've been trying to! This is so freeing. Mind telling me how close the atmosphere is so I know when to try and speed up more again?"

 

[Calibutcher]

There was no response from the aliens as she spoke to her reasons for her inadequate space flight capabilities. As they accelerated to escape the atmosphere they sped ahead of her, the ships had to cycle back around to stay in line with her. It led to a parade of ships accelerating past her and swinging back around to keep her in sight.

"Superior, you have made engines capable of space flight you are lacking power you can modify things by asking what you want of them. In this situation saying accelerate should accomplish what you want."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"Right, right. Okay...let's see. Wait up guys!" Alyss yelled to the different ships and began to think of the equipment necessary for escaping the atmosphere. Her body began shifting, albeit, slowly, as her unsure side shown through. "It's coming together now." The changes grew ever evident that she was certainly trying her best to shift her new form into an adequate position to achieve what was needed of her. "By the way guys, why did you need me in the first place?" she asked the ships right when rockets proper and filled with strength came into fruition and she shot past the atmosphere. "wh-o-oAHHH!" she belted, scaring herself into space.

 

[Calibutcher]

Her acceleration spoked the other pilots as well. They could not keep up with such a massive surge of speed and power. Fortunately, the first cruiser was coming down to meet the tiger. While it was on an intercept course she far overshot it. The larger ship turned to give chase but at a languid pace. Its commander was far more confident than the pilots of the smaller craft. That and the direction the Tiger flew would lead her roughly toward the flagship and it's escort ships.

"Superior you should stop now, also you are receiving a hail."

The flagship was a hulking mass as compared to the sleeker cruisers and frigates, even the supercarrier further back In the group was smaller and more nimble looking. The flagship was essentially a series of platforms stacked and attached in precarious ways. A true space vessel, not something that could withstand the gravity of planets or the strain of reentry. The Fleet Admiral may have been taken aback by the sudden approach of the great TIger, but if he was none of his crew could tell by the straight expression he kept.

"Foreign vessel, halt and power down. You will be boarded."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"OH HECK, OH GOSH, THIS IS FAST! LIKE REAL FAST!" Alyss belted as she scooped on by the ships and zoomed way more than she had planned or expected. She didn't pay much attention to things around her until she heard that voice in her head speak again. "Wha-!" she tried to ask, but then heard the other ship asking to board. Her legs sprawled out, and she only slowed down slight as she no sooner began ninja starring through the void of space. "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!" her tail flicked and she shifted, to which she began somersaulting instead. "I'm trying, I'm trying, I'm trying!" Her voice boomed through space, despite it being space of all things, where sound should be void. Her legs flicked back and forth and she could not, for the life of her, will her mind to think of anything to help her stop. "CAN YOU GUYS HELP ME!"

 

[Calibutcher]

The Fleet admirals crew were well attuned to their captain. They made no effort to deviate from their current course seeing as the Tiger would still fly well clear of them. However, the creature calling out for help raised a few brows on the deck of the ship. "Halt foreign vessel" Was the only reply from the admiral.

"Superior counter your current thrust to come to a halt. You may also ask the system to stop movement." The Intelligence also began running the numbers on how long it would take before they would crash into another celestial body. Nothing was close enough to be a concern yet. The fleet clearly waiting for them was enough to stir concern for the intelligence. "You many want to endeavor to comply more readily if surrender really is your prerogative."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"I know, I know!" Alyss said to the voice as she tried her best to will her mind to stop the movements, rather than being terrified of hurdling through space. She was well happy that she hadn't any normal stomach to grow nauseous from, because she'd surely be sending rings of liquid all around her if she'd still been human. "STOP!" she cried out and flares of rocket boosted from her paw pads, altering their flow to slow her down until they emitted just air to keep her leveled. "Whew... okay, sorry about that guys. I managed to control...it...myself? This."

 

[Calibutcher]

"Well done Superior!" The computer voice said in a cheery tone. "you have managed to gain better control, and integration of thoughts an controls are continuing to streamline. Please continue to try new actions to ensure better control."

Even before the Great Tiger had come to a halt boarding craft were readied by the ship and once it settled to a standstill boarding craft were rocketed out of a series of cannons to propel them toward the Great Tiger. "Remain where you are vessel and prepare to be boarded." The ship's bridge was abuzz with activity radio calls and maps charted courses and organized flights.

Amare had been taking time to observe his surroundings in the small house-like structure. The accommodations were simple but he had even found food in the small gally that was still edible. He finally sat down at a small table with a small screen built into it. He tapped at it and the screen illuminated. After a few moments a holographic monitor and keyboard projected in front of him. "Whoa..." He stared at it blankly for a time tried to compose himself and began tapping at buttons. A small beeping sound came from the computer in a corner of the screen. Amare clicked on it and was met by a robotic voice.

"Amare, greetings. I am the AI for the Superior. From what I have gathered you and Superior, who you know as Alyss are friends. Currently Superior has been engaged by the Vittox and is trying to surrender to them. The boarding craft is now en route and will be here shortly. I would like to see if you could convince her not to surrender as she is intent on now. The Vittox will not be kind to you in my experience."

Even as the AI spoke the screen showed images and brief video segments of what had happened to catch Amare up on Events even going so far as to show how the Vittox handled prisoners. "would you like to be put in touch with Superior Alyss?"

"YES!"

"Connecting..." The screen changed to display a telephone ringing for a moment before connecting. "Connected."

"Alyss? Alyss can you hear me? I'm still aboard and this computer say you are controlling the Tiger now. What is happening out there?"

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"Oh thank goodness, I thought I'd never get to talk to another human again!" Alyss returned back with relief. "I'm not just controlling the Tiger, I am the Tiger, and I have no idea how to get out! Or off? Change? I don't know." There was a long pause. "Oh right! There are aliens attacking me and the planet. I know we always suspected Aliens existed, but I didn't think they'd arrive in a snap like this."

 

[Calibutcher]

There was a long pause as Amare now had confirmation from his friend of not only her turning into a Tiger but also the existence of aliens. "Uhhhhh, me neither...?"

"Imminent boarding action." The AI voice said to both of them. A radar showing the proximity of the boarding craft popped up in Alyss's field of vision, dozens of small red dots were drawing close to her.

"We are getting boarded? by the aliens? Alyss, I don't think I want to meet these aliens based on what I have been shown."

 

[AEONmeteorite]

"Okay, cool, then you come back up here and take the wheel. I don't know what I'm doing. This is terrifying. I'm a TIGER, Amare. My entire being was stolen and then, poof, in the next moment, Aliens. If you think you know what I should do, then how 'bout you get turned into a tiger instead, hm?"

 

[Calibutcher]

"Is there a wheel?" He sat back in his chair. "Can I actually take control somehow?"

"A secondary control method is possible but efficiency is greatly reduced." Replied the AI voice.

"Computer is there a way for her to go back to normal?"

"No, though it is possible for her to take a more human form, this is her new true form."