The green sky of Nubilonia, his homeworld, was a sight for sore eyes. As usual, the red dwarf star shone in the sky. Tejeda lived on the side of the planet that faced the sun all the time. The scorching heat was something he was accustomed to as evolution was extremely generous with his species.

Nubilonia was tidal locked to its star, meaning that the planet revolved around its axis once every revolution around its sun. Thus, it was forever facing the red dwarf with the same part. The planet was a perpetual desert on one side and a never-ending glacier on the other side.

Both parts of Tejeda's planet were dear to him. He was a Nubilae after all, so he could adapt to any extreme temperatures. It was the simultaneous exposure of his body to different extreme temperatures that posed the problem. As it was happening now when Tejeda awakened from his sweet dream regarding his homeworld.

Stretched upon a table, the muscular man was gripped by strong chains that pulled his limbs. Tejeda’s hands were in an enormous kettle with boiling water and his feet in a basin with frozen water. There was someone who had been doing his homework. The best way to incapacitate a Nubilae was to do this.

A glare of annoyance rose from Tejeda's eyes as he tilted his head to one side. With her arms crossed across her chest, the woman was leaning against the desk. Though his ears heard nothing sweet, Tejeda could not fail to be entranced by her voice. “You are awake, I see. I hope you enjoyed your rest because you will need it. How are you feeling?”

The Nubilae’s lips stretched as his usual sheepish smile appeared. “Hot on one side, cold on the other. Hmmm, I would say I feel good on average.”

“We have read your file. I know everything about your excellent observation skills. So, I can assume you figured out that I have a soft spot for intelligent and funny guys. Your ruse won’t work on me and I won’t fall for you. Are you prepared for interrogation?”

Tejeda’s grin spread even wider, while he stretched his limbs in an even more uncomfortable position. “But I am really an intelligent and funny guy. I can’t help myself.”

Shayla clicked her tongue and started the list of questions. “What is your mission?”

“That is a tough question and I will need to kill you if I tell you that. Let’s just say I was sent in an undercover operation that went wrong.”

She leaned more upon the desk. “You can bet it went wrong. Major Tejeda Hajar is powerless and ready to confess all his secrets to the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom.”

“Haha, the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom? That is where I am now? Sorry, honey, but I have bigger fish to fry than you. Well, since you apparently already hacked the Interplanetary Police Database and know everything about me, I see no harm in feeling in the gaps.”

Tejeda winked at Shayla before continuing. “I was sent to infiltrate a meeting between the Alpha Pirates and the Universal Consensus. I was discovered before finding out anything of great importance. Hmm, somehow that happens quite often these days. The short version is that I got a spacesuit and threw myself into the arms of destiny to save my life. And fate brought me to you.”

Shayla wasn’t impressed. “Are you telling me that you got here by chance? With no ulterior motives at all? And what is with this? Is it a new kind of weapon developed by the Supervising Unit?”

She had Carmen in her hand, tossing it up and then catching it like it was a toy. Tejeda’s right eye twitched, his smile vanished. “Can you please give me Carmen?”

Now it was Shayla’s time to smile and glow. “Is this your weakness? I mean, except for the extreme temperature difference.”

Tejeda’s eyes turned from blue to purple. It was such an unnatural color it sent shivers down Shayla’s spine. The Nubilae yanked his limbs from the chains, smashing them into pieces. He tried to rise but his feet were blue. His hands were red with huge blisters covering them.

“Evolving on a tidal locked star, the Nubilae had to fight, to do anything in order to survive. That drove my race to become cowards and lunatics. This is highly imprinted in our very essence. But I found a way to fight through the cowardness and relinquish any self-preservation instincts. That is what makes me a security level threat 10/10. That is my weapon. That is Carmen.”

Shayla was stunned and didn't know what to do or say. Tejeda was still on the table, looking at her with an understanding gaze.

The Nubilae continued. “There should have been a temperature difference covering all my body, not only the extremities. This prevents me from shapeshifting or reverting to my normal form. But once I remove the affected parts, I should be able to regenerate in a matter of minutes. Keep this in mind for the next time you catch me.”

Tejeda shoved his hands in the cold water. After that, he took the chains that had held him in place, wrapped them around his hands, and smashed his frozen legs. Looking back at Shayla, he saw that the woman was terrified.

“You have nothing to be afraid of. I did all this for you. I am a mad creature and I always get what I want. Unfortunately, there are only a few things I care about. You are one of those.”

Shayla's eyes widened in disbelief. Her eyeballs almost popped out of her head when she saw a purple tentacle coming out from the stump of the Nubilae’s right leg. It came straight for her, wrapped around her waist, and brought her face to face with Tejeda. Her breathing halted as his lips approached hers. The kiss was short but ravaging, and Shayla closed her eyes, enjoying it.

The air coming out of his mouth was hot when he whispered. “All the things I said are true. You know I would never leave you, my dear Carmen.”

The tentacle dropped Shayla onto the floor and snatched the spoon from her hand. Another purple tentacle appeared. It removed the cover over the air vent and went into the dark tunnel, pulling Tejeda and Carmen after it.