Boarding ships attempt to approach the Azure Queen’s personal ship, since she blatantly refuses to follow protocol. There have been times the patrols opened fire immediately, and the Void Queens fought them off successfully. But, the Azure Queen was also more confrontational this time than other times, and as soon as a Shining Daughter sees her, the entire horde knows she’s present. Likely, they know this apparent rogue ship is the Azure Queen, but they have to play it safe.
Of course, the irony is, the Grodrrn warrior Mrrk’lah snuck to the surface by flying in the shipping lanes, managing to fool the blockades and customs stations and reach the surface virtually unchallenged. After all, in what universe would one Grodrrn be able to single-handedly fly to the surface of the Zarakyssn homeworld?
This universe.
And, she learned from him. She didn’t shun or hide from history. She used it.
Mmnorrynn reports, “{They’re getting dangerously close, Dear Sister. Locking on.}”
“{That’s fine. Just stay on course and ready to evade.}”
“{Yes, Dear Sister.}”
The reptilian queen sits calmly, scraping one of her teeth idly. They are her pride; the one thing no Zarakyssn will ever have. They have taken many lives, struck fear into the souls of all around her, and torn into the flesh of the one being she hates most.
Mmnorrynn flies as if she’s ignoring the patrollers as much as possible. She doesn’t sprint away from them, but obviously drifts away from them as they try to slow down to clamp onto the shuttle.
Finally, they attempt to communicate. “{Incoming communication, Dear Sister.}”
“{Send audio only. Tell them they’re risking death.}” The Void Queens snicker, and Mmnorrynn says warmly, “{Yes, Dear Sister.}”
“{Pursuing craft. Leave the area immediately or perish. Your blood stinks of fear.}”
There’s a pause, and she replies, “{They still want to connect, Dear Sister.}”
“{So be it. Let them see me and cower.}”
The patrolling soldier’s face appears, and it recoils. It chatters in panic, seeing an apparent Grodrrn flying in. But, its face quickly disappears. Soon after, the ships break off pursuit, flying back to their patrols.
She smirks. The queen commanding the soldiers patrolling clearly recognized her. It may be the same queen commanding the moon base, but it doesn’t matter ultimately. She is the apex predator, and her Void Queens are only a step below her.
The shuttle flies past all of the slow moving shipping lanes with superhaulers, horde ships, battleships, cruisers, captured ships, slave ships, and medical ships. All of them have to go through the bureaucracy. There are likely queens in that line that wanted to convene with the Chosen Queen about the humans. Zarakyssns wait in those lines to land on their homeworld. This is not the homeworld of the Azure Queen or her Void Queens. In fact, they are quite unwelcome.
But, refusing the Azure Queen is tantamount to questioning her authority. Ever since her rise, the queens are cautious about such reckless actions when they are unwarranted. She may be a ferocious and spiteful outcast, but she is still loyal to the horde. In fact, she’s the most loyal one in the horde, and most of them don’t even know it.
The reception is icy and fearful. It’s understandable. If a queen arrived unannounced to her castle, the Azure Queen would all but kill her. Of course, her outcast status has more to do with this reception. The queens fear her, they respect her out of necessity, but they do not love her.
One of the heavy-set blessed queens slowly ambles towards her, greeting her, “{Sister, welcome. We did not expect…}”
“{Get out of my way, egg-dumper. I won’t be distracted.}”
She follows her nose. The palace changes around every few [years], but the chosen queen doesn’t change over often. And, she doesn’t move very quickly. Her fertile, matriarchal body is large and heavy, much like the blessed queen.
“{Wait!}” calls the blessed queen in a futile attempt. The Azure Queen and her entourage of Void Queens march past with purpose. Soldiers belonging most likely to the chosen queen line the corridor, standing with tall spears and grafted weapons. Just one of her Void Queens could clear this hallway in a matter of minutes. Their weapons are concealed in their dresses, as always. And, as always, the Azure Queen’s presence alone sends fear through every soldier she towers over -which is all of them-.
The chosen queen is old enough to know, and as such, she doesn’t try to impede the reptilian ruler.
She finds the enlarged queen in the baths, being washed by workers as over a dozen blessed queens join her.
Zarakyssns don’t wear footwear of any kind. Grodrrns wear armored boots with solid silicone soles. So, her footfalls sound nothing like the scraping, light sounds of a Zarakyssn. Even her Void Queens are wearing footwear. Zarakyssns are resistant to toxins of all kinds, bacterias on even new worlds, and all sorts of other lethal agents. However, other than the presence they provide, there’s never a reason not to be protected against those things they are vulnerable to.
And, her boots keep filthy insect blood off of her feet if it comes to that.
Many of the ‘blessed’ queens in the bath are startled to see her, but the chosen queen stays relaxed. The chosen queen is several times larger than the Azure Queen, in spite of their comparable ages. Grodrrns grow relatively slowly and live a lot longer, but it’s unlikely even she will grow to the size of the highest ruling queen of the Zarakyssn horde.
Especially because her predatory nature keeps her much more fit and agile. Just as she’ll never be as big as the chosen queen, the chosen queen -and no other queen- could ever hope to be as strong as the apex predator.
“{Sister… Welcome.}” The chosen queen’s voice is slow and deliberate. Luxury makes queens lazy, and through it, even their speech reflects their lack of respect for time.
The Azure Queen states plainly as her Void Queens intentionally circle the room, making their presence fully known, “{I was to understand my mission was my mission. After all, YOU asked me to undertake it.}” She walks into the bath with her boots and all, causing some of the blessed queens to squirm. Visible mud, blood, soot, and oil trails off of her well-used boots. She takes a seat on the stairs as the blessed queens shift closer to each other and as far as possible from her. The nectar soaks her armored elegant dress, and its heat seeps into her body. She can feel her own energy nearly super-charging. The reptilian chimera lounges in the nectar in her spot on the stairs. The blessed queens likely haven’t realized that they’re trapped.
The chosen queen, who is also helpless to escape now if she wanted to, is still calm. She, like the wisest of the queens, knows that the only real way to deal with their outcast sister is to stay as calm as possible with her.
“{It is... and will always be... your mission, sister, unless… you desire… aid.}”
“{Mmm.}” The hybrid Queen reveals her teeth as she disinterestedly polishes one with a sharp nail. “{I was surprised when a messenger came to my palace to attempt to fish a status out of me.}”
The chosen queen strains briefly, and one of the workers receives an egg as it’s laid. It starts to approach the stairs of the bath, but it slows when it gets close to the Azure Queen, who makes no effort to get out of the way. She waves the worker over, and the worker obediently approaches.
The Azure Queen pets the egg gently, still lounging. “{Mmm. A drone. Never too many drones.}”
She shifts a little, letting the worker pass without further hinderance.
“{The messenger was… ill advised… The collective pondered… your progress… And some… rushed to… please.}”
“{I see. Well, since I’m here; we’ve learned many things. Mnnorrynn?}”
The addressed Void Queen says from behind a handful of blessed Queens as she idly kneels to touch the nectar, “{The mammals -humans, they call themselves- are travelling in a nomadic fleet. Their homeworld was apparently wiped out by the Fievegal.}”
The blessed queens murmur to each other in surprise, and one of them challenges, “{The information we obtained from our imprisoned sister indicates these mammals are allies with the Fievegal.}”
“{But a small sect of the Fievegal, by what we’ve learned further.}”
The chosen queen gestures at Mnnorrynn, “{Please, sister. Join us if you wish.}” The blessed queens desperately look at the chosen queen, but Mnnorrynn refuses politely, “{No thank you. I would not wish to taint your nectar.}”
The Azure Queen smirks at the passive-aggressive remark. It’s an obvious jab at all of the queens in the bath, save the Azure Queen.
“{How do you know this about the Fievegalizz if we do not?}”
Urrzzvynnurr replies this time from one of the walls of the room, “{Our sister has infiltrated their lead ship. The traitor has inadvertently told our sister more than she knows.}”
The Azure Queen waves her hand lazily, stating, “{Now, now, Darling Sister, we don’t fully know or comprehend our rebellious little sister’s motivations. She IS responsible for keeping our Sister alive, no doubt.}”
“{Of course, dear Sister. My sincerest apologies.}”
One of the blessed queens hisses, “{Such talk is blasphemy-...}”
The chosen queen tries to stop her, “{Sister!-...}”
The predatory queen, however, grins her sharp-toothed, evil grin. “{My existence is a blasphemy, just as is what I know YOU do on a regular basis.}”
The blessed queen tenses, horrified. The bath starts to stink of fear, rather than condescension and hate. The reptilian chimera growls a pleased and predatory growl, “{Yesss. I know all, dear sister.}”
The chosen queen tries to derail the conversation, saying, “{We are well aware... of your intellect, Sister... And, we are all... aware that all rulerships... have hypocrisies. Let us return… to the topic… you came all this way… to discuss.}”
The Azure Queen smiles and bows her head. “{Of course.}” She then says in Grodrrn, “[Tell them of the Saurmynnyka.]” Her gaze is locked on the chosen queen, but she can see the blessed queens squirm when she commits yet another blasphemy on the homeworld.
“{As you wish, dear Sister.}” Mnnorrynn stands up, wiping her hands together to clean off the nectar of the bath, “{We now know that the Saurmynnyka of the Fievegal has been assassinated. The Fievegal believe the humans are responsible.}”
This shocks even the stoic chosen queen. The Fievegal has kept news of the Saurmynnyka’s demise rather silent beyond the veil of their territory. They also never speak of it to or around the two Zarakyssns onboard their ship, nor do the humans. But then, the chimera queen doesn’t need to hear it from any of them.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
The chosen queen asks more seriously, “{How can this be? We have heard no such rumors.}”
“{This is no rumor. The Saurmynnyka is dead. The Fievegal launched a desperate mission to retrieve a fertile human in hopes of bio-hosting a Saurmynnyka embryo, but for now, there are very few Fievegalizz being born.}”
One of the blessed queens, likely the newest ascended from uniter queen, jumps to her feet, saying desperately, “{We must launch an offensive at once. Even if we must meet the Fievegal in a war of attrition, this is our opportunity!}”
The Azure Queen dips a finger in the bath, tasting the liquid. It’s clear the queens have been in the nectar for a while, as it has the taste of the waxy pre-chitin that slowly solidifies into the natural plating the insectoids have. She muses with very little interest, “{You are welcome to try. But, the might of the Fievegal military has not decreased. And, they will likely concentrate efforts to assault this world. They may even rally allies from other empires if it means stopping us.}”
The queen who rose accuses caustically, “{YOUR arrogance has always been apparent. You may be descended of those blasphemous monsters, but they are NOT superior.}”
The other queens desperately tried to get her to stop, but her emotions -unchecked by her luxury- got the better of her.
For their part, none of the Void Queens even flinch or react. It’s not that they don’t care or agree on any level. It’s that they know that, if the Azure Queen is insulted, she will deal with it herself.
And for her own part, the reptilian ruler rises slowly to her feet, emerging to her full height as the nectar drips from her dress. The blessed queen’s posture shifts and she shrinks a little. The chosen queen quickly says, “{Sister, forgive her outburst. Your advice is heard and heeded. We must make this decision with more information.}”
The Azure Queen gives no indication of her thoughts just yet though. When she does, she says warmly, “{I’ve clearly overstayed my welcome, haven’t I? Well, then, I shall return to my business. I’ll inform you when our rebellious sister and her daughter have been dealt with.}” She turns, walking elegantly up out of the bath as the Void Queens fall into step behind her.
“{Sister,}” calls out the chosen queen. The hybrid queen halts long enough to turn partially, and the Void Queens match her. “{Thank you.}”
The Azure Queen snorts. “{I live to serve.}”
With that, the Azure Queen leaves.
“{Sister…}” starts Mmnnorrynn as they board their shuttle. “{We didn’t tell them that the humans aren’t responsible for the Saurmynnyka.}”
“{I considered it, truly.}”
Urrzzvynnurr states, “{We were ready to defend your honor, dear Sister. Do you feel it was wise, how you departed though?}”
The chimera queen nods casually, “{Indeed. Worse for them than me murdering a blessed queen on the homeworld in front of the others is when I, the Apex, leave the room in apparent defeat or humility. They will be more fearful of what I left unsaid and mull it over nervously.}”
The Void Queens snicker together, and they head back to the Azure Queen’s ship.
The Azure Queen is disgusted with this world.
***
“What is she after?”
“Unknown! Keep trying to isolate her!”
“We’ve got three more casualties on main deck! Medical teams en route.”
“Pwall’kynn, are we getting close?”
Grey looks at the Grodrrn shocktrooper leading them. More than once, the Void Queen Zeeannssii scattered traces of her own blood and chitin down different halls using balls, bolts, and anything else she seems to have used to throw the Grodrrns off at least momentarily. Zeeannssii obviously knows Grodrrns are serving on the ship, but more importantly, unlike the other Zarakyssns, she seems to have a better understanding of the reptilian warriors. She’s also quick to cut down human soldiers with ease, showing very little resistance. She seems to be extraordinarily stealthy compared to her counterparts.
Pwall’kynn slams a fist on the floor, “Another decoy! Apology, Chief. She is close, boot staying ahead.”
“Keep us moving. Fisher, are the small fries and the Chaplain secure?”
Fisher’s voice comes over the radio, “Yes Chief. Dumas linked up with Tachibana, and they’re securing honey pot and over-easy. Mr. Long is on his way.”
“Mr. Long…?” murmurs Grey. His thought is interrupted when Pwall’kynn shouts, “CONTACT FORWARD! Friendlies hot!”
The marines swarm around him to take aim, but they’re forced to hold fire. Sure enough, Zeeannsii is in the hallway, but she has three human hostages at the moment; one pinned to a wall with her foot, one over her shoulder, and the third gripped by the throat and being held between her and the squad. Several more marines are incapacitated on the floor.
Zeeannssii grumbles in Grodrrn, [Irritating mammals. Why do you not fear what is more powerful than you?]”
Pwall’kynn chuckles, “[That certainly would have made life easier.]”
Grey notices the hostage on her shoulder, though. It’s a very familiar male officer; Commander Hitch.
“Chief! That’s the Commander!”
“I see him. Pwall’kynn, order her to release them and we’ll spare her.”
“[Void Queen Zeeannssii, release hostages and surrender, or we will execute you.]”
“[You are the ones who throw away more lives in attempts to save others. What will you-...]”
Grey fires. His rifle round hits the hostage marine low in the abdomen. The hybrid rounds are highly armor-piercing in order to combat the Grodrrns, so it passes through the human body with ease, hitting the Void Queen in the middle right of her abdomen. She shrieks, stumbling as she drops the yelling marine.
The follow-up goes to her, however, as she reacts from her stumble without hesitation. She leaps backwards into one of the maintenance corridors behind her, toppling the marine she had pinned with a foot.
“Don’t let her get away!” shouts Grey. The marines storm after her, but Pwall’kynn is forced to hesitate.
The Grodrrn’s large size won’t let him fit in the corridor. Grey orders, “Stabilize the downed marines! Dumas, let’s move!”
Pwall’kynn asks, “How you track?”
“She’s bleeding. Hopefully, we can trace it. Get squads securing all exits, though. We may be able to trap her inside.”
Pwall’kynn replies, “At once, Chief. Good luck.”
“You too.”
Grey and Dumas jog down the maintenance corridor. Dumas asks as they pursue the white Zarak queen, “Do you think she realizes who she has, Chief? She’s never met Hitch, did she?”
“I don’t know. She specifically held onto him. But, how did she know?”
“You don’t think… Syretia wouldn’t slip her intel, would she?”
“Look, I’m not a frickin’ mind reader. Let’s just catch this bug and worry about it later.”
Dumas chuckles, “Aye Chief.”
The two follow the tunnels and the trail of blood, diligent of their quarry. It’s very possible that the Queen is more of a formidable hunter than either marine could ever be, but Grey is a soldier. He may not be immune to traps, but he has battle-hardened reflexes and instincts.
“I can’t believe you shot him.”
“Yep.”
“Y-... You didn’t hesitate…”
“She was counting on hesitation.”
“But… you shot one of ours.”
“If I’m ever the one in that position, I’d expect nothing less of you, Dumas. I did my best to make it non lethal, but clearly it wasn’t lethal enough for the bug.”
“R-... Right…”
The two check corners carefully, keeping low as they do in case the Queen is waiting for them. It seems like she’s moving quickly, though.
The real question, then, is her destination.
The trail leads out of the maintenance corridor. It isn’t far for the two to find Zeeannssii trying to keep close to a door as she attempts to bypass the electronics to open it. She has Hitch seated against the door.
The door isn’t just any door, though. It’s an airlock.
Grey knows a little of the Grodrrn language. He can understand it more than speak it, but he also knows a few words. “[Stand down!]”
Zeeannssii doesn’t even glance. She simply grips Hitch with her foot and holds him acrobatically between herself and the two Marines. They hesitate this time. Hitch is already wounded, and the Void Queen is keeping her profile small as she works. She is deftly working the panel.
She does retort dryly, “[You should be thanking me, human.]”
“[Thanks? Why?]”
Dumas barks, “Chief, I don’t have a shot! We have to recover the Commander!”
This time, Zeeannssii glances at Grey. “[I protected the Nizzkurrezz. Not my intent, of course. But, she lives, yes?]”
Grey paces in a wide arc, trying to find a line of sight. “[You’ve killed.]”
“[I’m not your ally.]”
The door opens, and the Queen grips Hitch in a moment of triumph.
However, a deep, predatory growl fills the hallway from the airlock, and Grey realizes who Fisher was talking about.
Baskylla Jardzen Dzor steps out of the airlock, flexing his body. It’s no secret he’s still recovering from his first encounter with the white queen, but even now, he radiates power.
The Void Queen launches into a fast and brutal attack, whirling away from Hitch momentarily to punch Dzor quickly several times. She even runs up his chest, kicking his chin as she backflips away from him.
He flinches some, but he is ultimately unharmed.
The Zarak Void Queen doesn’t relent, though. She acrobatically kicks off of the far wall, swooping behind the Grodrrn through a tiny gap between his side and the doorway. She attempts to hang from the overhead and swing in a kick to drive Dzor away, but he isn’t as slow as his large form would suggest. The Grodrrn commandant manages to spin, elbowing powerfully and maneuvering into several hand-to-hand slashes and parries with the Void Queen.
The much smaller insect isn’t hurting the Grodrrn, but she is holding her own. She taunts during a lull, “[My Queen would give you the worth of this fleet to know how you survived a fall from orbit.]”
“[I will give you your life to know why you took that human.]”
“[What are they to you? Do you not believe they killed your Saurmynnyka?]”
Dzor cocks his head skeptically. But, instead, he states, “[The Saurmynnyka was misguided.]”
Grey calls out, “Jor, Commander’s secured.”
The Queen glances behind her at the outer airlock door. She won’t be able to escape through it with the Grodrrn so close, even if her escape ship is still waiting. She hums angrily. “[My life for an answer, yes? You are a creature of honor?]”
Dzor snorts, “[More than you, scaleless.]”
“[Scaleless? Your prospective mate has softer skin than I.]”
A deep growl fills the room, rumbling the airlock. She puts her hands up to try to disarm him, stating quickly, “[That human I took is not on your side. Blind luck that I found it.]”
“[Commander Hitch is an honorable leader. Your deceit will not work on me.]”
She points accusingly at him, “[You wanted the truth as I know it. I took an enemy of my enemy.]”
“[You knew your prior targets would be the first we would defend. So, you hoped to escape with intelligence in the form of a prisoner.]”
She affirms with the Grodrrn nod, “[Is the traitor calling herself Syretia really worth all of this? An unhatched egg?]”
“[There is no future in killing everyone else. The strongest armies are built of allies, not bodies.]”
The Queen relaxes. “[You… truly believe that… don’t you?]”
“[What concern of it is yours?]”
Zeeannssii sinks to a seated position on the floor, waiting patiently for the marines to surround her. Dzor stands watch over her, and she replies softly, “[You are not so different from my Queen, I think.]”
“[I am surprised you didn’t melt into shadow for saying so.]”
She twitches -a Zarakyssn equivalent to a scoff-. “[You know surprisingly much of the Horde. You know nothing of my Queen.]” She adds as she looks away, “[But then, she has spoken of the Grodrrn belief in knowing everything they can about the enemy.]”
“[Your queen seems to follow a similar doctrine.]”
She says nothing further, and the marines swarm in. Grey asks calmly, “She say anything good, Yarjen?”
Dzor nods. “I will report when secure.”
“Thanks. Tell her not to resist. We’re not feeling too compassionate now.”
The Grodrrn nods. “[Do not resist. They will not hesitate.]”
“[They shouldn’t. They should’ve executed me many times over.]”
Dzor snorts. “What did she say?” asks Grey.
“She agree with me.” He then says to Zeeannssii, “[You live because the humans wish. Admiral Long included.]”
“[You should come by, Yarjen. I might be compelled to speak.]” The marines lead the insectoid queen out of the airlock.
Grey tells the Grodrrn once the Queen is out of earshot, “You should probably swing by Medical, Yarjen. Looks like the Queen gave you a few jabs.”
“I will live.”
“She’s a master assassin, Yarjen. Go get it looked at, or I’ll be forced to speak to you know who.”
Dzor growls more quietly than usual. “I will not let her become leevarage against me.”
“I know in a standoff, it wouldn’t work. But do you REALLY want to chance it when all you have to do is get signed off that the Vee Cue didn’t do any serious internal damage?”
Dzor crosses his arms. “My business is complete here. I go to Medical. But, not because you tell.”
“Right. Thanks for stopping her, Yarjen.”
Dzor nods and makes his way up the hall.
As the medics move Hitch onto a stretcher, however, Grey takes notice of something pairs of eyes have yet to gather.
A tiny sliver of blood on Hitch’s right hand.
***