I'm super happy about getting this out so fast! Special thanks to me sister/editor for that. Also in this AU the Highbreed are not inbred and dieing. They are also pretty nice to other Highbreeds. Also Highbreeds are considered adults once they are sexually mature. This happens at age eight to nine. So Ben is not a child biologically, but he's still really immature. Highbreeds continue to grow all their lives. The older they are the larger thy are.
The Atasian lord sighed inwardly as his cruiser drifted along through a sector of Highbreed territory under his family's ownership.
"Could Frustra do nothing right?" he complained inwardly, "I have far more important business to attend to without performing her monitor duties while she runs about being courted." The Highbreed's hand formed a fist behind his back as he paced the ship's control-room. He wished just one of these mongrols would mess something up so he could have an outlet for his rage, but all he saw was proper conduct and performance by the crew. "Perhaps my sister trains her garbage too well…" suddenly a small beeping noise at one of the scanners indicated an anomaly," ...or perhaps I'm merely acting soft." He quickly, with extreme elegance mind you, strode over to a small DNAlien rescanning over and over in disbelief of whatever data the scanners showed.
"What is it?" his commanding voice caused the thing to jump before answering.
"W-w-we've detected a live form, my lord."
"A life form? There?" he asked disbelief as he gestured to the small, arid, and horribly purple wasteland they were currently drifting by.
"I-ind-d-deed your grace," the mutt shifted uncomfortably under the Highbreed's glare, "It appears to be an Atasian your most glorious." This caused the Highbreed even more shock. Had someone gotten stranded? Purpura XII was a desert planet; a highbreed could easily die of heatstroke or dehydration.
"Make preparations to send a detachment."
…
Ben felt like he'd been wandering this planet for days. Yet the sun had only sent once, and just when things became cooled off it rose again!
"What I wouldn't give for some waaaateeeerrrr." Ben wished he hadn't cried every time he thought of home since he got here. He figured that must have been a huge waste of liquid, but he just couldn't help it! Of course getting lost in his thoughts caused him to trip on a sharp rock and fall clumsily to the ground. Again. Ben laid there on the scalding hot purple stone for a moment. Glancing down at his his new body that had been miraculously not badly damaged by his many falls down ravines and trips over rocks, he let the fact that this was how it was going to end slip once again into his mind. If the heat didn't kill him maybe the lack of water would. He might even just completely give up and die of broken heart like in the movies.
"No Tennyson. You are not going out like this." Even as he thought that, though, his body began to shake, "Pull yourself together and keep moving!" Finally he shoved himself up, then continued to stumble forward through the open expanse.
He ended up hearing it before seeing it. As he turned toward the roar his eight eyes squinted against the flying purple sand before it settled to reveal a ship. The bottom lowered into a ramp as an alien that looked like him stepped out!
"Are you alright?" he called to Ben while speed-walking towards him.
"I'm not dead so thanks..." The other alien circled him as if checking him over for injury without actually touching him. He stayed about a foot and a half away like there was some kind of field around Ben.
"You seem a bit bruised and dehydrated, but other that that…" the alien came to a stop in front of him, "I am Reinrassic the third, seventh son of the noble house of Devalah. Identify yourself, and how you came to be here."
"Uh… Ben, Ben Tennyson. Pretty sure I got left here to die or something. Um…" Reinrassic gave him a look that was probably the same look Gwen had given him when he first found the omnitrix. Reinrassic suddenly began checking him over again.
"Perhaps you are more damaged than I thought, Ben-Ben Tennyson." the taller alien stopped circling again before gesturing back to his ship, "Come." Normally Ben would have been rattling off question after question at this point, but man was he tired. Also thirsty, which felt really weird since he no longer had a throat, and was now breathing through his sides.
Reinrassic led him into the ship, that was about twice the size of Ben's house, which took off and boarded an even larger ship! The thing was freaking massive! It had technology unlike any he had ever seen. Well, that probably wasn't saying much… but still! Ben looked at everything he could once inside the large ship, while making sure to keep up with Reinrassic of course. The inside was very open, it main colors were deep purples, reds, and black with bits of bright pink, blue, and orange. The decor seemed to suit his alien host as well as the odd smaller aliens that apparently ran the ship.
Once reaching what he assumed to be a medbay (Ben couldn't read the sign by the entrance) Reinrassic told Ben to 'sit' before leaving the room. Ben sighed, "Is he a jerk,or a good guy?" Soon enough the alien was back with a large bowl. When he handed it to Ben he could see it was full of water. "Thank goodness… I have no mouth." He looked back up at Reinrassic who widened a single eye starting at the lower left and going around one at a time. "Did he just roll his eyes?"
"I'm certain you are aware that the least you can do is trust me," Reinrassic said as he took the bowl back from Ben. Much to Ben's shock and appal he brought it to his torso where four leathery skin flaps pulled away to reveal pulsing pink organs held in place by a black, cage-like shell. Ben felt like he was watching some sci-fi horror film when two of the organs wormed through a larger gap in the shell and into the bowl. They sucked in a bit of the water before retracting under the white stomach folds. "No poison. The water is perfectly drinkable," Reinrassic confirmed, handing it back to Ben.
Ben swore he'd never get used to this when he opened his torso and felt the ship's cold air on his intestines. Carefully, he maneuvered his new tendrils down into the water like Reinrassic had done. The cold water felt even weirder than the air had. It was like it was going directly to his stomach. Still it was soooo refreshing he soon got over the way it felt. When he drank it all Reinrassic refilled it with a warning not to drink it too fast.
"'K, and, uh, thanks for saving me."
"Of course, though I must ask… are you using any medical substances I should know of?"
"What?" Ben was a bit surprised by that, "Like drugs?" the alien nodded, "No. Why?"
"Your speech and movements are sloppy, though you could still be drugged without your knowledge. You did say you were left to die on that planet after all."
"Yeah, but I don't recall being drugged," Ben thought for a moment, "unless they did it while I was unconscious."
"Unconscious?" Reinrassic replied. He was utterly shocked. What filth would have held a highbreed unconscious then left him them to die in a wasteland?!
"Yeah, though, can you tell me where I am exactly?"
"Certainly," Reinrassic answered when he was brought back from his thoughts. "Now is not the time to ponder. I need to get Ben-Ben back home so he can be properly examined and treated. Then we'll find out who is responsible for his state."
"We are in the Devat sector of the Highbreed empire. You are safe from whoever did this to you, and I'm bringing you back to my family estate to receive medical attention." The younger Highbreed still seemed concerned.
"How far are we from Earth?"
"Earth?"
"Yeah, I'm from Earth. I need to get back to my family, and maybe Uncle Max will have a way to fix me," the sadness and hope were very noticeable in the younger Highbreed's voice.
"I apologize, but I do not know of a planet called Earth. I was not aware there were Highbreeds that did not live near our home world. Also what about you is damaged?" the older Highbreed was guessing it was Ben-Ben's head.
"I'm not damaged. I'm just not me! I'm a human who got turned into a Highbreed!" With that Reinrassic was now absolutely certain that there was something definitely wrong with Ben-Ben's head. He needed to call his brother, Medicus, to help the young and horribly confused Highbreed, but he couldn't just leave him like this all alone. That, and the younger Highbreed was possibly the most stunning person he'd ever met, but no, his health was more important right now. No time to ogle.
"Stay here," he commanded before exiting the medbay to head towards the communications room.
…...
"Well?" demanded Reinrassic.
"He seems to be in a state of shock, but I believe there are some truths in his tale. First, you should see this," the Highbreed Medicus led his younger brother to a screen that displayed Ben-Ben's testing results. Medicus had never seen Reinrassic's eyes grow wider. "I had the same reaction when I saw them myself for the first time."
"He's… so… pure…"
"Indeed. Ben-Ben is the exact biological example of a pure Atasian. Almost impossibly so."
"It's…"
"Amazing, stunning, you feel as though the only two ways you could have possibly been luckier is if he wasn't in a state of mental instability, or you had been born that pure yourself?"
"...Indeed"
"Yes, well back to his story. I believe he was raised on another planet. A long lost strain so to speak."
"Why is that?"
"His DNA, while impressively perfect, is entirely unique. He is not related to any other Highbreed families." Reinrassic was surprised to hear this, but nodded for Medicus to continue. "Earth is a planet in Plummer territory. While it is possible that he could have been there, he is not human. The Plummer files show that humans have no shape-shifting capabilities, and even if they did, the DNA test would have shown him to be a shifter stuck in transformation. It is my diagnosis that his traumatic experience combined with his improper upbringing has caused him to devise a false past to escape his memories,as well as be completely clueless to who and what he is. He must be carefully assimilated back into society. It will take a long time, and a great deal of patience, but I am convinced he can fully integrate if given the chance."
"I see," Reinrassic wasn't sure whether he should be hopeful for Ben-Ben or furious that someone had hurt him so much. No, right now he needed to help him, needed to focus. "I found him, so I am responsible."
"Good luck then Reinrassic, and remember that he has no control over his delusions. Patience will be the key to his recovery." Reinrassic nodded again before heading into the room Ben-Ben has waiting.
"You have to believe me! Please, I'm not nuts!" Ben-Ben immediately asked the second Reinrassic entered the room.
"Of course you aren't nuts Ben-Ben," Ben was relieved at hearing this till the Highbreed continued with, "You are Atasian. Why would someone claim you to to be nuts?"
"Uhrg! That's not what I meant!"
"Come, you are exhausted. From now on I am in charge of educating you on what you are. I will help you adjust to Highbreed culture and life. Therefore, you shall be staying in my quarters. I'll have the room next to mine prepared for you."
"But I'm not a Highbreed! I need to go back home to Earth! I'm a human!"
"Do not disgrace yourself by claiming to be such a putrid lowly species! I understand that I must be patient with you, but I will not allow you to ever say that you are less than what you are!" Reinrassic had now gotten the awkward one and a half feet away that seemed to be the limit for how close any Highbreeds ever got. He was directly in front of Ben. He looked down at him while scolding, "You are perfection, Ben-Ben Tennyson. Do not dare forget that." Ben was stunned to see the seemingly cool-headed Reinrassic suddenly snap like that. He was intimidated enough to begin quietly following the taller Highbreed through the halls. For some reason, though, Ben felt flattered by what Reinrassic had said.
About half way back to Reinrassic's quarters Ben began asking questions he'd been holding in since he got here. Reinrassic answered each calmly. He even seemed to enjoy the mostly one-sided conversation, or maybe he just enjoyed talking to Ben-Ben.
Man, I nearly doubled the content in this chapter compared to the previous one. So happy with this!
