Some time earlier, a monster rouses from her meditation.
“{Sister, we need you.}”
Her eyes open. She often wonders if her sisters have anything that compares; the ability to shut out the world with a simple body part. They hate her because of them and other things, but they leave her alive. She has many things they do not.
She says nothing. She doesn’t need to. Like walking into a room, they are aware of her.
“{The mammals and their allies are proving difficult. They have entered [Sherrynn] territory. The Chosen Queen does not wish to engage them sooner than needed. But, the mammals… they have one of our own. She MUST be retrieved.}”
She rises from her bedding, brushing aside one of her attendants who tries to offer her a drink. “{And, the mammals?}”
“{They are blasphemers of the highest order. If we can contain them, they will be unified, but their fate is inconsequential otherwise.}”
She always hates when the voice talking to her shifts mid-statement. Her sisters are fluid at passing off the divine bond as nothing less than perfect unity, but she knows better. She is not a naive sister.
They ensured it.
Even with her little hatreds, though, she is still the most loyal and capable being they know. If not, they would not grovel before her. She looks at her three-fingered hands and inspects her fingernails, asking chillingly, “{My fee?}”
She loves asking that question. Every new sister, and even some of the older ones, in the bond cringes, and she can feel it. And, it tastes glorious. An entire empire bound by thought listening to their own collective grovel before a bounty hunter.
But, if they could handle it, they would never even acknowledge her existence.
One of the senior voices replies coldly, “{They will be delivered as always. May your path shine, dear sister.}”
She smirks. Delicious.
“{Consider it done.}”
She walks to her mirror, admiring her grotesque appearance. She is not deformed from the way she was born, nor is she genetically deficient in any way. In fact, so many of her advantages make her a near-goddess by comparison to her sisters. She was meant to be a cruel joke or defiling of her people, and indeed she is. However, her siring bred one of the deadliest beings the Shining Daughters have ever seen.
She is hideous and ugly to her sisters, but she finds a beauty in that. Feeling the loathing, grovelling desperation crawling to her mind makes every abuse she ever took worth it. Every single time.
She asks audibly to the room, “{Is my ship fueled and ready?}”
“{Yes, my queen,}” is the humble reply from one of her attendants. She doesn’t care which.
“{Then, fetch Sister Zeeannssii. She will be eager for this mission.}”
“{As you wish, my Queen.}”
Footsteps leave the room. She gingerly scrapes one of her sharp teeth with a fingernail, idly passing time and verifying any plaque on her shining teeth is cleared away.
“{You summoned me, dear Sister.}”
She smiles. She never heard her enter the room. As expected.
She still focuses mainly on her teeth, but she states, “{I did. Apparently, our ‘sisters’ have an issue with a mammal fleet. They captured a Shining Daughter and our sisters want her back.}”
“{Is this a large fleet, dear Sister?}”
“{Apparently, not. But, they have the aid of some Fievegalizz, a surviving Nizzkurezz, and a traitor.}”
“{A traitor? They told you this?}”
She grins, and Zeeannssii snickers. “{I often wonder if they realize how weak their minds have become.}”
She licks her teeth, satisfied that they are perfectly clean. “{Not ‘become’, my darling little sister. They are simply a previous step.}” She turns and faces Zeeannssii.
The white-skinned Zarakyssn has perfect posture, and is wearing her finest dress. She is young, with an expressive and naive gaze, but she is far less naive than her peers in the Shining Daughters.
The Azure Queen steps towards Zeeannssii, gingerly fidgeting with the latter’s blue dress. Zeeannssii appears to be a normal Uniter Queen, aside from the color of her chitin. However, it is her inner biology that makes her different. And, it is why the Azure Queen demanded her from the Shining Daughters.
“{This dress is beautiful. Did you thread it yourself, darling sister?}”
“{Yes, dear sister. It is in honor of you.}”
“{Really? I’m flattered.}”
“{You need not be, dear sister. It is too humble to truly honor your beauty.}”
She smirks. Is this love? No deception, no insincerity, and no ulterior motive. Such an interesting taste, just as always.
“{It is beautiful all the same.}” Her hand travels up to Zeeannssii’s face, stroking her mandibles gingerly. The white Shining Daughter never flinches, and even seems to enjoy the contact.
The Azure Queen adds seductively, “{You will take my ship and however many troops you want, and extract the missing daughter. Do as you wish with the rest.}”
“{Me, dear sister? I am honored, but are you certain?}”
She smiles, licking her teeth in anticipation. “{Yes. He’s going to attempt to escape again, so I must remain here.}” She adds dryly, “{He stinks of muscle exertion.}”
“{But, dear sister, we could simply restrain him.}”
“{I could simply kill him. But, just as I did not sterilize him, I enjoy taking away his small victories.}”
No one else would ever hear it. She’s the only one with ears powerful enough in the room. She looks directly behind her, where a single, lone, female Grodrrn stands. This Grodrrn, timid and bound by fear alone, whimpered.
And the Azure Queen heard it.
The Queen’s sensual smile twists into a poisonous and devilish grin, full of sharp teeth. She remarks chillingly, “{Something to say, darling sister?}”
The female Grodrrn looks down and away, “{N-no, geeztress.}”
Zeeannssii says plainly, “{Your pronunciation still needs work.}”
The Azure Queen says venomously kindly, “{There is no trouble. I love all of my darling little sisters. Words cannot come between us, can they, darling sister?}”
The Grodrrn replies, “{No, geeztress.}”
“{And fret not, darling sister. I will not kill him. After all, he is my greatest treasure.}” She then says with a more general gaze in the room, “{I think I’ll have that drink now.}”
Her attendant from before, a male Breetezz, one of the most recently discovered races in the process of being unified, steps forward quickly, saying nothing. He offers the skull-formed goblet filled with nectarok, one of the most expensive drinks in the horde, and just a small portion of her fee for her imperial services.
Instead, though, she swiftly slashes her fingers across his throat. She catches the goblet, carefully holding it under his neck as she holds his head. He chokes out as his blood spills, “{M-may i-its… chood s-serve gon… well…}”
She grimaces at the pathetic creature as its life leaves. He stinks of fear, in spite of many chances to accept her as she is; his new queen. He did not fear the Azure Queen, he feared the Zarakyssn horde and the monster they sold him to.
She lets him die with her frown of disgust, dropping him to the floor when the goblet is full. She sips the newly-mixed drink, smiling after.
The drink is honestly disgusting, fouled by fear. However, it serves a pleasing purpose. It tests those in the room with her. She offers the goblet to Zeeannssii, who drinks without hesitation, and without even an ounce of fear in her scent.
“{Do you taste that, darling sister?}”
“{I’m sure I don’t taste what you mean, dear sister.}”
The Azure Queen gestures at the Grodrrn to approach, and she nervously complies. She offers the goblet to the small female reptile, tipping it for her to drink. The Grodrrn sips hesitantly, knowing nectarok is hard on Grodrrn stomachs, but she’ll survive.
“{How about you, darling sister? Do you taste it?}”
“{F-Fur, geeztress.}”
The Azure Queen smiles, stroking the Grodrrn’s cheek with her free hand, cooing seductively, “{Fear, darling sister. That’s right. It’s disgusting, isn’t it?}”
The timid reptilian nods affirmatively. The Queen leans down to her level, licking the Grodrrn’s cheek, “{Gree’ato, you taste disgusting.}”
Gree’ato shivers nervously, saying nothing.
“{Do you not love me, darling sister?}”
The Grodrrn is frozen, terrified.
“[I asked, do you not love me, darling sister?]” The Azure Queen, unlike her ‘sisters’, has a talent for and the wisdom to learn the languages of her enemies, including the Grodrrns.
“[I… I love you, d-dear sister.]”
“[Then, why do you still fear me?]”
“[I… I miss my Hulma, d-dear sister.]”
“[I see. I suppose I should take you to see him. Soon, darling sister. I promise I’ll let you see him soon.]”
“[Th-thank you, dear sister.]”
The Azure Queen strokes Gree’ato’s cheek one last time, slowly descending to her neck. She then leans over the young Grodrrn, exhaling hot air on her neck, and Gree’ato shivers with a spine-tingling sensation that she can’t resist.
The Queen grins, stepping away to return her attention to Zeeannssii, “{The enemy is formidable, darling sister. Do NOT underestimate them. Your primary target is a female named ‘Admiral Long’.}” The nice thing about the divine bond, especially the complex tie she herself has to it, is that she can extract information from the horde without them knowing, and she can do it at will.
“{Admiral Long? Is this female significant?}”
“{She is their ruler, it seems. She is not the only one, but she carries the most respect. Capture her, and their will may just falter.}”
“{It shall be done, dear sister.}”
“{Fill the void with the foulest of scents, darling little sister.}”
The Azure Queen strokes Zeeannssii’s chest, exhaling warmly on her neck as well. It has no meaning to a normal Shining Daughter, but she has taught her followers to feel the warmth, and they adore her for her affection; something lacking for even the highest status Shining Daughters, let alone those born sterile like Zeeannssii. But, where an empire saw a useless burden, the Azure Queen found the most beautiful and powerful army in the universe.
Zeeannssii starts to leave, and the Azure Queen says, “{Wish your sister a safe journey, Gree’ato.}”
She looks at the Grodrrn with blue stripes adorning her scaly skin.
The young female reptilian still hesitates, but eventually says softly, “{Sane journey, geestress.}”
Zeeannssii hesitates a moment. It’s no secret that virtually all Shining Daughters hate the Fievegal, and they hate even more to be compared to lesser beings. But, the Azure Queen has one true rule; who she declares to be sisters are sisters. No exception.
The white-skinned Queen replies gently, with a hint of disgust in her voice detectable by only one with ears powerful enough and knowledgeable enough to detect, “{Thank you, darling sister.}”
The Azure Queen sips her goblet again, watching Zeeannssii leave. She then says without looking, “{Tend to your stomach, Gree’ato. You are dismissed for today.}”
The Grodrrn whimpers, “{Thank, geeztress.}” She nearly bolts to the refreshing rooms, her stomach already starting to bubble and growl, again, audible to only one.
As other attendants approach to clean the deceased attendant from the room, there is only a mild foulness to the air.
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However, it is not the foul smell that puts her into a deeper thought. It is her sister, Zeeannssii. Normally she trusts her highly trained Void Queens, but this time, she may not be enough.
She resolves to let it rest for now.
IF this new race can defeat a Void Queen, it is a better gauge of how dangerous they truly are than if Zeeannssii is to destroy them outright. Rarely does a fleet exist with such a small population without a reinforcing force to arrive. If more of these mammals exist, it’s better to know what they’re capable of.
And if it comes to that, she has many more Void Queens to turn the tide.
She finishes her drink with a long gulping draw, handing the goblet off to one of the attendants helping clean the blood from her floor.
Still, she reaches out to Zeeannssii through the bond they share. “{Darling sister…}”
“{I know, dear sister. And, I am prepared.}”
“{Express concern, and I shall send everyone with you.}”
“{No. Let me earn your praise or die for wisdom, dear sister. Either will make me happy.}”
The Azure Queen sighs. “{You will have my praise either way, darling little sister. Know, no matter what happens, I love you.}”
“{And, I love you, my dear sister.}”
With that, Zeeannssii sets off.
The Azure Queen studies the skull forming her goblet, held under the arm of a working attendant. It belonged to another Grodrrn; one whom she killed with her bare hands. It’s rather large and unwieldy for most, of course, but it helps her think to stare into the empty eye sockets.
Grodrrns throw away lives and tell them it is duty. Shining Daughters throw away lives and tell them there is light at the end. She never wants to throw away lives, but she doesn’t like to deny her sisters their own choices.
She finally shifts her mind away, heading towards the prison block. She can hear a disturbance, and soldiers are falling.
***
Silence.
The Argonaut seems to have thrust keeping it in orbit, but there is no response coming from the multiple communication requests. There are also no watchstanders on the hull signalling, and no attempts at visual communication.
Long says, “What could have happened?”
Dzor replies, equally distantly, “Not shoor. Perhaps breedge impacted by something on landing.”
Kane asks, “Shouldn’t the crew be trying to make auxillary control the conn, then? Power is up.”
One of the Grodrrn shocktroopers nearby remarks, “Porhops atmosphere poison?”
Dzor replies, “Eez unleekly all crew die so quickly. Not just from atmosphere leak.”
“Any sort of… I dunno, like a lightning storm or something maybe? Does that sound possible?” Long’s questions are directed at anyone on the bridge.
Dzor answers, “Hoomin sheeps surprisingly roboost against electrical damage. Sorveev ocksheegurvv… nebula bolt, only to lose crew after? Unleekly. Boot, not eempossible, either.”
Commander Hitch asks, “Should I prep Alpha team, Admiral?”
“I think we’ll have to. We need to find out why the Argonaut isn’t responding. But, let’s say the atmosphere is acidic; could that eat through our EVA suits?”
Hitch replies, “Unfortunately, yes. The eel leather might hold up, but science team hasn’t tested against all pH levels. Not to mention, we don’t have very much of it in any of the suits.”
Long looks at the screen with Murdock, who isn’t looking at his camera, but is probably studying the Argonaut through the windows. She asks, “Captain Murdock, can the Providence reach it from this far?”
“This far, not likely. We're fishin’ for a ship outside an atmosphere, I don’t think any of our long cables have the strength to pull the Argo out of the gravity pull. She’s sinkin’ as is.”
“I know.” Long thinks. She asks, “Any ideas?”
The crews all look around, finishing at Queen Syretia, who is standing idly in the corner. Kane translates some of what’s going on to her, and she listens to him intently. She answers him, and he says, “She thinks an acidic atmosphere is most likely. Zarak ships are armored for atmosphere and sealed against highly acidic and reactive atmospheres. She believes our ships, including Grodrrn ships, are not.”
Dzor states, “Usually no rizzon to land on highly acid worlds.”
Long states, “Ask her if there’s anything we can do to verify what happened to-...”
The communication channel blinks, and the comms officer states, “ADMIRAL! Communication from Argonaut auxiliary channel!”
She looks at Hitch, “Aren’t the aux channels reserved for TEAU forces?”
He nods, and she states to the comms officer, “Put it through.”
The sight that appears on the screen is surprising. Captain Decklette is bruised and beaten, wearing an EVA suit, but with his polarization low enough to show his pummeled face. He’s wheezing and bleeding from his nose.
However, he’s not alone on screen.
First is the army of humans on their knees under what appear to be bubbles of some kind. Surrounding the bubbles are hundreds of soldiers.
Zarakyssn soldiers.
And, standing directly behind Decklette is a slender, black-armored Zarakyssn that appears to be a little larger than a soldier, but lacking the profound thorax of a Queen. They appear to be in a bubble as well, and the Zarakyssn has its helmet off, revealing a white exoskeleton, as opposed to the typical tans or browns of the many others.
The Zarakyssn does something else more surprising than having a white body, though, as it speaks fluent Grodrrn, “{We know the traitor and the daughter are in orbit. If you want these mammals to go free, we have conditions.}”
Everyone on the bridge is stunned. They all look at Dzor, who has said that Zarakyssns detest learning other languages. He is equally shocked, and is at a loss of words himself. Together, they all look to Syretia. She looks at the Zarakyssn on screen, and then at the others. She asks nervously in her own language.
Dzor snarls, “Play ignorant as always. Useless insect.”
Kane says more calmly, “She’s surprised as well, and has no idea what this one said.”
Long asks, “Captain Decklette, have the Zarakyssns communicated with you?”
“They’ve tri-” The white Zarakyssn slams him with a powerful hand-strike, knocking him down, and he coughs. It says in Grodrrn, “{The human is not here to communicate. He is here for a reminder.}”
A Zarak soldier steps up and stands Decklette back up on his knees. He looks at the camera apologetically.
Kane translates quietly, and Long asks more calmly, “What are your conditions?”
Kane translates in Zarakyssn, and the Zarakyssn cocks its head. It states in Zarakyssn, “{The traitor and the daughter will both be turned over.}”
Kane serves as translator between Long and the white Zarakyssn.
“Who do you mean by each? The Zarakyssns we captured died.”
“{Do not attempt to deceive us again.}” She places her clawed, pincer-like hand on Decklette’s neck.
“Apologies, but we only have one Zarakyssn in custody.”
“{We know of the egg.}” Decklette winces as the Zarakyssn’s hand tightens.
“What assurance do we have that you’ll release our crewmates?” It’s a touchy subject, but it’s an obvious question. Only the most naive on the bridge believe this Zarakyssn intends to release the hostages.
“{I am not blindly loyal to the Shining Daughters. I serve my own Queen, a queen your traitor knows nothing about, most likely. However, my Queen wishes to negotiate. The traitor and the daughter will be brought to this planet’s surface by Admiral Long to negotiate cessation of the pursuit. Our queen is a covert operative, and will happily claim your destruction in exchange for completion of our mission. The Shining Daughters will never question her.}”
“Our blasphemy forgiven for two Zarakyssns? That sounds far too good to be true.”
The white Zarakyssn replies with the Zarak equivalent of a scoff, “{Blasphemy is for the weak minded. Isn’t that right, sister?}” She stares intently at the screen.
Syretia whimpers, and the white Zarakyssn adds, “{I know your name is Syretia, dear sister, given to you by a human male. And, so, I shall introduce myself. I am Void Queen Zeeannssii. Yes, I too have a name, bestowed by my Queen. I do serve the Shining Daughters, but in the loosest of terms. Agree to come back to us, and you will be returned to my Queen, not the Chosen Queen’s pathetic drones.}”
Long whispers to Dzor, “Does the toxicity to her own kind seem like an act to you?”
He shakes his head. “Eez genuine-sounding. Boot, I know of no inner faction in the horde.”
Kane whispers, “I agree, at least about her sounding truthful. Problem is, she sounds like a sociopath as well. I can’t quite describe how I know that.”
“I believe you. Keep translating, please.” Long then says, directed at Zeeannssii, “Void Queen Zeeannssii, again, what assurance do we have from you?”
The admiral isn’t certain she’s willing to turn over Syretia, even if Syretia agrees, which hasn’t been discussed yet, but it’s worth asking.
The white Zarakyssn replies plainly, “{You have orbit, we have hostages. If we betray you, you bombard us from orbit. If you betray us, we slaughter all of the hostages and summon the horde. As you undoubtedly know at this point, the horde can and will arrive quickly at my word. [Sherrynns] be damned.}”
Long whispers, “Why so much trouble for two Queens?”
Kane replies, “Loyalty. The horde is all they have, and the horde is built on loyalty to each other. They feel nothing if a Queen passes, but they feel rage with one of their daughters in the hands of the enemy. Or, so Syretia has indicated.”
“{Make your decision, mammals. The traitor and the daughter, handed over by Admiral Long, or lose this entire ship.}”
Kane states plainly, “You know it’s a trap.”
She nods, “Want to be an Admiral for a day?”
He scoffs and nods.
“Are you willing to go, Syretia?”
Kane whispers to her, and she nods solemnly.
Long says to Kane, “Priority is the Void Queen, obviously, but you need to buy time for us to deploy the TEAU forces.”
“Of course, Admiral.”
She nods, “Go ahead.”
“{I am Admiral Long. I will bring the traitor and the daughter shortly.}”
The Void Queen stares at the screen a moment. She flexes her neck, and then swiftly jabs her hand in and out of Decklette’s abdomen only once. However, he cries out, falling to the ground as blood drips from her hand. She states coldly, “{I warned you. This mammal will die in minutes, and I do not have a medical Queen. Red-brown hair, female, green eyes. Do not keep me waiting.}” The screen goes blank, and the bridge is silent.
Dzor’s teeth nearly crack.
The huge Grodrrn explodes towards Syretia, stopped only barely by three shocktroopers and Kane, who hold him back as he roars, “HOW DID SHE KNOW!? WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON TRAITOR!?” Syretia cowers in the corner as the Grodrrn commandant bellows and snarls ferociously, trying to pull his arms free of the shocktroopers and Kane, nearly succeeding several times. “I WILL PEEL YOU APART!”
It takes several long moments -moments Decklette doesn’t have- for Long to calm him down. She fearlessly stands in front of him, gently holding a hand on his chest as she continuously urges him to listen and to calm down.
When he’s finally in control of himself again, she says gently, “It’s not her fault, Jor. And, she’s going to make it right.”
He spits caustically, “All deception. Lies and trizzon.”
She says softly, “If she is lying, you’ll unleash the bombardment like the void queen said. I know you won’t hesitate.”
“NO. I go with. I rip-”
“No. Jor, I need you here. You’re the only one that will make the call that might need made. I have to try to save the Argonaut’s crew… you know I do, no matter how foolish it definitely is. I’m gambling; on you, on the other ships to arrive; and on God. I have faith.” She smiles, gently petting his cheek. “Have some faith in me. And… pull the trigger if I fail.”
“This is stupid. You are stupid. Leave-... There is ano-...” He snorts and groans in frustration, trying to think of something -anything- to say.
“It is stupid, and I’m being naively stupid. But if there’s a chance… I am in command… And between you, Kane, the other ships… I truly believe there’s a chance…”
The big Grodrrn looks away from her. He says coldly, “Maybe I open fire as soon as you off sheep. Give no rizzon to land.”
“You won’t. You know I’d never forgive you.”
He snorts, grunting, “Maybe eez worth.”
“Maybe… Decklette needs me, Jor. Please… have faith.”
He says nothing, and she walks away. “Kane, bring Syretia with me and fill her in. We won’t take the egg, though. Our promise to her was the egg gets a chance at freedom. Whatever happens, we can fulfill that promise.”
As they walk, Kane says cautiously, “Admiral, I’m with Jor on this. Me going was one thing; I might be able to do something with this. But,...”
“I know. But, unless you can give your gauntlet to me and give me a crash course in the next minute and a half, then it’s useless. Look, I’m serious. This is the best way to buy time I can think of. They might not hesitate. They might kill all of us on the spot. But, if Zeeannssii was truly not afraid of the orbital bombardment, she wouldn’t have been so casual about it, right? She wants us to believe she’s not concerned. She also doesn’t want to do the trade in space because she’s probably concerned we’ll send the Grodrrn shocktroops with Alpha Team to her ship and sabotage it. Safe bet, since that was my first thought when we had time. I’m guessing she read Syretia’s mind during the time her bond was recovered, so she has a lot more idea of what to expect against us. That puts us at a disadvantage, but this whole journey has been a gambit. It’s not right that I’m making yet another one, but I don’t know what else to do. It feels right.”
“Easy on your conscience and right aren’t the same, Admiral.”
“Lecture me later. Catch Syretia up.”
The supersoldier sighs, and begins translating to Syretia.
Long whispers a prayer audibly for once, asking for strength, courage, and a lot of luck.
And then, more luck than that.
***
Dzor paces on the bridge of the Polonia, growling and grunting impotently. He can hear them whispering, with ease.
“He won’t really do it, will he?”
“Would that be a lawful order?”
“She did say to do it, though, right?”
“Who could do it, though, really?”
Dzor roars at them, “I HEAR YOU!” He growls more calmly, “I hear you clear. Were it anyone else, I already geev order. Glass planet and leave. End of book. Boot, is NOT anyone else.”
His muscles are tight from angry tension, and he smashes a locker door in, managing to direct his rage, but startling the humans on the bridge. There’s an EVA suit in the locker, partially smashed and ripped by the locker door.
However, it causes him to halt.
I don’t want you to stand alone on one of our bridges questioning your life or pride again.
Her voice is as clear as that day.
It’s not the feats that matter when everyone is just trying to survive together.
His role model’s vision spoke directly to -and from- his soul.
Yukonja.
Dzor doesn’t have much. Before the human fleet, he had only his title and command. In a few short months, he gained one thing that he cared about more than anything that came before.
One person.
Yukonja.
His mind is made up instantly. He is not a coward or a traitor. He is not a slave to emotion, he is empowered by them.
And a cursed insect stood beside her with faith, no matter how naive that faith is.
In Dzor’s experience, naivete leads to death.
Also in Dzor’s experience, rage is a powerful emotion.
So when the white Queen contacts them again, now with Long in the same position as Decklette before, beaten and bruised the same, demanding the Zarak egg, the Jardzen’s concrete decision is hardened by rage-filled determination.
But unlike his temper tantrums of rage, this rage is the worst state a Grodrrn can be in…
For his enemies.
Dzor simply storms out of the bridge to the protests of the humans.
His blood is no longer roiling with rage. It has been replaced by rage. It is all that he is now. Humans and Grodrrns alike in the hallway cower out of his way, as if they would vaporize simply at his touch. He hears nothing. Nothing they can say will stop him or change his mind. He is locked in.
He storms past marines gearing up to board dropships, and he dons a shocktrooper’s drop armor. What he is about to do should never be done. Not many Grodrrns can survive it fully armored with a fully powered regenerator. Not many Grodrrns are fueled by cold rage.
His body will break. His mind will drown in pain. But he will destroy this treacherous Queen and her entire army if he must.
The human supersoldier tries to stand in his way. Dzor shoves him aside, surprising the supersoldier who tried to overpower him to stop him.
Kane tries talking to him, but Dzor ignores him. Only the last words make it through as Dzor opens the airlock door, “Yarjen! We’re almost ready! We’ll be deploying-...”
“Still not fast enough.”
“Yarjen!”
“Death is preferable to helplessness.” The Grodrrn commandant looks at Kane one last time, and the human can see something surprising; slightly raised from horizontal and painted on his shoulder is a silver cross. Kane may never know if Dzor chose a portent cross on purpose, or if the mere cross alone was symbolic enough for him. But, Kane says nothing further, recognizing what he sees before him.
Dzor closes the airlock door, not hesitating to force the outer door open, resisting the decompression that blows the door open. He looks at the planet below, making note of the location of the hostage situation by the terrain and the tracking data they had on the bridge.
There is no fear. There is no tangible emotion anymore. There is a Grodrrn warrior going to war.
A Grodrrn warrior with everything to lose.
A Grodrrn warrior who will deny that fate.
***