To Be Human

What did it mean to be human? Ves asked himself this question many times on the trip back to civilized space. The researchers avidly studying each and every corner of his body hummed with excitement as they unfolded the secrets buried within.

Ves had unquestionably departed from the standard of pure human. The trans-galactic organizations maintained a strict definition of what fell under the human race, and Ves happened to get kicked out of the playground.

In his daily life, Ves wouldn't be treated any differently. The Common Fleet Alliance's researchers revealed that certain levels of hybridization was a bit more common than usual in the upper echelons of society.

"We are at war with aliens, but we envy them as well. The most sophisticated races possess various wondrous powers that we secretly covet. It's therefore not a crime against humanity to depart from the norm, because we know we can't stop people experimenting on themselves."