Keep Your Shape

"Keep Your Shape" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction tale about the Grom, aliens able to manipulate their forms, who struggle with who they are as they plan an invasion. The story looks at what happens when societies demand everyone be the same, especially when the Grom try to take over Earth using advanced tech and face arguments within their group and the desire to break free from their social classes. Pid, a Grom pilot, is the main character, and he has to try and keep order and follow Grom rules as they land on a strange planet. All the while, he is tempted to give up control and live without boundaries, realizing the confining nature of the rules they've always lived by, leading him to change his mind when he sees the happiness and potential that comes from choosing your own path away from their society's strict rules.