"So, Draco," Allan said, taking a bite out of the tray of meats that had appeared before him, "what is the catch?"
Draco, without missing a bite, responded. "I don't know what you are talking about. What do you mean by 'The Catch?'"
"You seem oddly focused on me, the conflict, and making sure nothing ends this galaxy. But I get the distinct feeling that you and your people would be highly unaffected by the death of all the 'mortals' or the gods."
That stopped Draco. He smiled, his slightly distorted head making the gesture something of nightmares. "You are correct; we would be completely unaffected. You are close but not quite there."
"What do you mean, not quite there?"
"I mean, you are almost asking the right questions, but the scale you humans think on is always so grand, so vast. Think smaller."
Allan thought for a moment, trying to parse out what he meant. Like a lightbulb, a thought popped into his head. "Why do You care so much about me?"
"Ohh, warmer, so very close, one more try. Think a little bigger on the back end." Draco said as if coaching a pet through a difficult trick, which Allan thought was an apt analogy.
"Why do You care so much about this Galaxy slash reality?" Allan said, padding his chances slightly.
"Bravo," Draco said, "the right question is, why do I care so much about this particular galaxy? The correct answer to that is something so far out of my ability to relay to you in terms that you would understand that I should not try. However, I will do my best."
Allan looked at him eagerly, and Draco washed down the food with a glittering drink. "You humans have something called an ant farm, correct?"
"The children's toy?" Allan asked, confused.
"Yes, well, you are like my own ant farm. All the little mortals in this galaxy are mine. If you were all to die, I could easily recreate this galaxy or another with entirely new rules. However, the gods, as you call them, are entities who existed, in their galaxy, on a similar level to my people..." Draco trailed off in thought.
Draco surprised Allan then by locking eyes with him and asking a question. "Where do my people come from, or where do the Gods come from?"
"I barely understand where my people come from. I am sure I could not even begin to guess at the sources of your people or the gods." Allan said hesitantly.
"That is a good answer. I have asked as many of my people as possible where we come from, and none of them know. But since the gods arrived in this galaxy, we have begun to derive some semblance of a theory about where we come from and what our purpose is. I have grown to care deeply for your all, especially the gods. So I wondered, 'Could I create a God?' At least a god as you know it. It is a complex question, one I have not quite answered, but I know deep in my being that I will never be able to answer this question without the galaxy that has already surprised me so much." Draco stopped and looked thoughtful once more.
"So, sorry to sound stupid, but what the hell does that have to do with me?" Allan asked, somewhat angry. "Why the hell did I have to die? What is the point of any of this involving me?"
Draco seemed to shake himself before responding. "I do not know. While I am able to see many possible futures and the effects that certain things will have on those futures, I am not all-knowing or all-powerful. That is one of the reasons my people allowed the gods to inhabit this galaxy as they saw fit. It gave them greater influence, and we might be able to affect reality at our level by observing how they affect it at their level. As for you, you became the favorite of many of the gods through your various actions. That is how I became aware of you, and you have won me over in your way. While I may never fully understand you, and you never fully understand me, know that you are my friend Allan. I will do what I can to help you, but I have done what I can at this point."
Allan mulled what Draco had said over as he worked on a giant turkey leg. "If you can't do anything directly, can you tell me something?"
Draco shrugged non-committal, and Allan contained speaking. "What do I need to do to ensure that I come out ahead of this, alive, and I lose as little as possible."
The look that came over Draco was one of sadness. "The fact that you have already accepted you will lose something is a testament to how difficult your life has been and how harsh you humans are to one another. For that, I am sorry. But to answer your question, there is not much I can tell you other than the fact that there are more futures where you fail than those where you succeed. In those where you prevail, the one commonality is that you embrace everything offered to you by your allies and refuse everything from the enemy."
Draco looked as if he wanted to say more, but Xulgra popped into reality. "Allan, you must awaken now; danger approaches."
Allan nodded and stood, taking a drink of water. "Thank you, Draco, you have helped me more than you know. I would love to hear more about your people if we get the chance. If I do not see you again, I would have you know it is great to have you as a friend."
Draco nodded, and with a swish of his dragon-like claw, Allan was awakening back on board the Solstice.