Hancock is not a war hero or a genius. He’s not particularly boisterous and not particularly noticeable. The conversation required a lot of focus, and judging by the fact that he’s not hearing footsteps, no one’s noticed yet. He moves quickly. He was able to slip away because he’s always been less than noticeable, and he’s said all he intended to say. It’s unlikely they’ll notice with how crowded the room was, at least for a short while. He has maybe a minute or so of head start, which he can work with. He jogs quickly to The Garden.

Pratt and French are currently guarding Zeeannsii. They jump to their feet quickly. Perfect.

“Hey guys. I’m taking Zeeannsii.”

“S-Sir?” asks Pratt nervously.

Hancock replies as he approaches, “Admiral Long wants her to get a walk in. A… uh… uncomfortable walk, if you know what I mean.”

“R-Really?” asks French. “She and Baskylla Jardzen Dzor were just here.”

Hancock doesn’t delay, however. He’s one of the few who knows the code to Zeeannsii’s cell, since he’s the one who escorted her back into it this last time. “Listen, I know. I know, really. But, apparently I’m the only officer left in TEAU at the moment, and she wants a TEAU officer present. Go figure. You mind escorting us?”

The two glance at each other, but nod.

Zeeannssii isn’t currently wearing a golden head-dress like the one Syretia voluntarily wears, but Hancock suspects they’ll figure it out quickly enough that it won’t matter.

Just as he’s escorting Zeeannsii out of the cell, he pauses, “Oh, shoot. Can you get that thing?”

Pratt and French both turn back and look inside the cell. Hancock moves quickly, catching them both off guard when he kicks French’s knee, dropping him to a kneel while he launches Pratt into the cell. Before Pratt or French can recover, Hancock shoves French in as well, closing the door. He says quickly, “Sorry, guys. Someone will find you quickly. Tell them whatever.”

He draws his pistol at the surprised Zarakyssn and gestures for her to walk. She has a limp, but he needs to move quickly. He scoops her over his shoulder, thankful that the Void Queen is not Syretia, and he jogs to the hangar. He has to dodge fellow marines and spacers several times, but he manages to avoid any obvious detection long enough. If he’s not careful, he fails and looks like a traitor. Even if he’s branded a traitor, he has to try.

Hancock scopes out the hangar itself briefly. Obviously, plenty of marines are present, but they’re still celebrating the hatching with the grodrrns, asking Nyonnys to name hers after them, and other typical humorous gestures. If he moves quickly enough, he can make it. Hancock jogs to his locker with the Void Queen, who is surprisingly complicit in his apparent rescue attempt. While he is effectively rescuing her, he’s also trying to save the fleet.

He grabs the roller case his power armor is in and jogs to one of the remaining grodrrn shuttles. He knows enough to get himself into trouble, but he suspects Zeeannssii may be well-enough versed in grodrrn technology to pilot once he gets clear of the fleet.

Thankfully, while the navy may control the ships, the ships were not built for military operation. The shuttle he wants is not anchored in any way, so he only has to board.

Boarding is simple enough, and he sets Zeeannssii in a seat. He handcuffs her to a mechanical piece nearby, saying, “Stay.” He’ll be able to translate once he has his helmet on. He glances in the hangar bay. A couple marines seem to have noticed him, but they’re confused as to what he’s doing. All of them have seen him and Lopez sneak into random places at random times, and they know it’s part of her way of life. So, when Hancock is acting suspicious, it’s usually written off as something Lopez is doing.

He closes the hatch to slow down any would-be snoops, and he jogs back into the cockpit. Zeeannssii watches him silently the whole time.

He doesn’t notice what she notices.

He manages to start the shuttle, and he takes off as quickly as possible. He’s delicate about his motions, but he drives the shuttle forward, nearly bumping one of the others as he scrambles across the piano-like controls to drift away.

Now, everyone’s probably figuring it out.

He manages to get out of the hangar and into the space around the ships, and he glances around carefully. He knows the rough distance before it’s safe to jump with a shuttle, but he gives himself a larger margin for obvious reasons.

Just as he’s about to attempt to activate jump, a young woman’s voice says from below him, “You have the coordinates backwards.”

Hancock nearly leaps to the ceiling, shouting, “JESUS!” He looks, and he curses to himself. “LEVI!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?”

She glares up at him through her EVA helmet, growling, “I knew you would refuse.”

“NO! NOT ACCEPTABLE! YOU ARE-”

She adds in irritation, “I knew they would make me stop you.” She looks directly into his eyes. “And, I would.”

He pauses, and she types on her computer. The ship changes direction, seemingly on its own, and she types again. Soon after, the white bubble forms, and the screens go dark just after a voice yells through the radio, “Hancock-!”

Now, the ship is silent, and Hancock stares at the young scientist; arguably the savior of humanity and only hope for reverse engineering some of the captured technologies.

She stays under the console, and Hancock makes a horrifying realization. Emergency Hiding Spot One Thirty Two. He knows many, he forgets a lot. Usually, when he sees them, he realizes it. But then, she was there next to him, wasn’t she? How could she have figured out what he was doing? He kneels down, “How could you do this? Levi, this… This is a suicide mission, most likely. There’s… There’s very little chance of us reconnecting with the fleet.”

“No, there was very little chance of YOU reconnecting. I don’t know the stars like the grodrrns, but I can navigate. And, I can still access networked systems.”

“What if you’re captured!?”

She looks away from him. “Don’t let that happen.”

“That’s-!? LEVI!”

Another familiar voice startles him from behind; “You should lock down airlock when prisoner is onboard.” He whirls to find a huge figure towering over him, though it’s probably the smallest being that can do so. Khla is in an EVA suit, and she takes her helmet off as she squeezes in to inspect the instruments. “It seems we all had similar calls to duty.”

Hancock shakes his head, “No… No, this… This was supposed to be me. One life risked! This is insane! You’re both crucial to the fleet!”

Lopez admits, “I made a backup of my computer finally…”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”

Khla replies, “Indeed. Point is, we are all present. We must make most of mission. Niolajt Jardzen Murf used to say I should aspire to die like a master pilot; in a bed surrounded by my loved ones from old age.” She smiles, “Dzilika will be safe. My duty to Grodurra is fulfilled. My duty to humans and Fievegal is to deny assets to our enemies.”

Lopez adds softly, “I’m here so you don’t die alone, Rex…”

He groans as he paces into the back for a moment. It settles in, and he must accept the reality for what it is. Whatever the case may be, his goal was to ultimately survive if he could, but he wanted to gauge this mysterious queen and try to figure out what she actually wanted. With that, they could try to better strategize how to deal with her.

“If it comes to it, I go in alone, and you run. Please. I don’t care what it takes. I don’t care what you have to do.”

Khla nods, but replies stoically, “It will not come to. I will not let them catch us.”

Lopez asks softly, “Rex? Are you sure giving the white queen back is a good idea?”

“I don’t know. But, I think it’s better than having her on our ship giving away our secrets and location every time she gets out.”

“I thought the military didn’t negotiate with terrorists…”

“That was when blackmail was the only way to hinder us as a superpower. We’re not a superpower anymore. We don’t have any leverage. If I have to… I’ll do what needs to be done. That’s why I brought my armor.”

Khla remarks as she watches the meters and readouts, “From what I was taught, Zarakyssns don’t negotiate at all. In fact, they don’t even like to acknowledge other races other than to exterminate them. This queen seems to be acting against what little we know.”

Hancock nods, “I noticed that, too. And, all of the grodrrns she had captive seemed to be nervous about her. I don’t think she’s a normal Zarakyssn.”

Khla nods. "Agreed. We must be careful." She makes a few calculations on the ship's calculator to the side of the pilot's seat and reports, "We will arrive at destination in one week, approximately. Drift should be minimal. Navigation computer estimates no objects within corrected landing tolerance."

Hancock nods. "Thank you…"

She nods. "I left Hulma's ship to fight humans alone. Only mistake was alone. Though, may have changed what went right."

Lopez states from her hiding spot, "I didn't want to be alone…"

Hancock urges, "Levi! You have…" He trails off, but she asks skeptically, "Who? My father?"

Hancock looks at her, unsure if she knows or…

"Mr. Right is an okay boss… but I was a liability to his company. I know that… That's why I couldn't tell him I know. And also, why I couldn't tell him I was coming with you. He's an okay dad already… If he's a good dad, he'll yell at me when we get back, and if he's a great dad, he'll rescue all of us. But, I'm fine with having a good dad." She smiles softly at Hancock, and he feels a strange moment of sentiment.

As well as sadness. He keeps it to himself, but he didn't get to say goodbye either, and he's kind of glad he didn't. It's not real otherwise.

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Hancock sighs, "So we're stuck for a week. I'm going to go talk to Zeeannssii."

Khla nods as she takes a seat on the floor to relax, "I will monitor for anomalies."

Lopez crawls out of her hiding spot, hesitantly following Hancock as he puts his armor on. She helps him, as she designed most of it. Once his helmet is on, though, Hancock speaks to Zeeannssii, allowing his helmet to translate audibly, "[Void Queen Zeeannssii, can you understand me?]"

She cocks her head, replying, "Z:{Strangely, yes. Can you understand me?}" She hums in what would likely be a taunt of some kind. However, he swaps languages to test the translator's Zarakyssn. "{Yes, I can.}"

She recoils, growling, "Z:{Humans are ever-surprising.}"

"{I'm flattered, though grodrrn will translate better, if you don't mind.}" He swaps the language as Lopez nods in affirmation. "[Tell me about 'your queen'. What's special about her?]"

"G:[To a human, quite a bit, I imagine. We are an empire that spans the galaxy.]"

"[See, that's what we don't get. We know Syretia was a plugged-in zealot barely clinging to unique thought. We also know individuality is forbidden in the Horde.]"

"G:[As you are supposed to…]"

"[You're smarter than me, I get it. Nothing new. But, I want to know, genuinely, if she'll negotiate.]"

"G:[Of course. Merciful or painful.]"

"[How about alive or dead? I can play the tough act, too, and I'm sure she and I can both win at that, depending on who's faster. But, why? Why play the games? Why offer us something if she's a thinking being? If it's all bait, then fine. But why is all I'm asking. Do you actually get anything out of exterminating us?]"

Again, the Void Queen doesn't cooperate. "G:[What if we do? You are all a blasphemy upon the Shining Mother.]"

Hancock stands up, grumbling, "[Fine.]" He takes a seat across from her to rest his head, stating coldly, "[I don't care. I'm taking you home, and your queen will kill me if I don't kill her first. Frankly, it sounds better than being hunted for eternity, so I give up. If you plan to kill me before that, just…]"

He trails off.

"... G:[Just what, human?]"

He doesn't acknowledge her.

"G:[Just what, human? Was that a threat?]"

He ignores her again. The insectoid queen stares at him silently. Lopez hesitantly takes a seat next to him. There's a long moment of silence before Zeeannssii asks, "G:[Just what human?]"

Again, Hancock ignores her. He's not necessarily trying to get anything out of her, but he's quickly beginning to suspect that an unfinished thought is irritating to a being that can read the thoughts of her sisters.

His suspicions are confirmed when a shrill and piercing shriek fills the shuttle, causing Lopez and Khla to flinch, and Hancock to cock his head. His helmet dampened the volume drastically on its own, and even did the courtesy of translating; "Z:{Error: Translation Unknown.}"

At least the computer recognized that it was Zarak in origin.

Zeeannssii seemingly hisses in Zarak, "Z:{Do not ignore me, you [Error: Translation Unknown].}"

Hancock looks at her. He states, "[What if I do? You're the animal that takes and gives nothing in return. A plague, even. At least the Fievegal can be reasoned with. They are at least capable of letting us survive-]"

"Z:{What do you know of survival!?}" shrieks the insectoid assassin. "Z:{Who of your people want you dead for how you were born!?}" She violently tugs on her restraints, more in frustration than in trying to escape. "Z:{You disgusting, dark-following, light-smothering, [Error: Translation Unknown] in all of the universe! Mammals disgust me, but not so much as sentient ones! And you arrogant, selfish humans shatter the [Error: Translation Unknown]. You offer impossible gifts and expect the enlightened not to take offense to not only your blasphemy, but for your disgusting arrogance as well! [Error: Translation Unknown]. I hope she kills you. I hope she rips you apart piece by piece. I hope you have just enough time to feel your blasphemous, [Error: Translation Unknown] darkness purged from you as she crushes your skull!}"

When she finally relents, Hancock states poignantly, "{Our blasphemy of existing as we were born.}"

She twitches, silent, as Hancock resumes his relaxing posture. He adds quietly, "{And if you must know, our own tried to kill us for sparing you.}"

A deep, awkward silence consumes the shuttle as it hurtles through space. Hancock looks at the text coming from Lopez, "(Do you think that was wise?)"

"(What?)" he types back.

"(Angering her, obviously.)"

"(I don't care. She's probably right. The Zarakyssns aren't like us. They probably can't be reasoned with. But, I couldn't do nothing.)"

"(... Okay…)"

"(We'll figure something out.)"

She nods softly.

One thing is for certain. Foolish decisions have risky consequences.

And luck preys on the foolish.

***

There is another one.

Focus, sister. The mind can hold only so little at once.

May the Stones guide our way.

We are searching chaos, sister. And chaos is the mire of darkness.

Blessed be the light by which we walk.

For every coherent thought, five empty prayers flood the chorus of voices. For a Shining Daughter, filtering down to a target conversation is simple enough, but the chorus is always present. The Queens are interconnected within the divine bond, together always in mind and spirit. There are battles being discussed, there are unifications being finished. There are worlds being harvested. There's even a new substance encountered and discussed. It is all present and static, just as easy to hear as to ignore.

And then, there are the prayers.

Blessed Queens high on their pedestals of self-righteousness preaching what has been said and repeated thousands of times, as if any Queen is ignorant of it at any given time, and if they were, wouldn't be able to figure it out on their own.

Unlike the general consensus of the Divine Bond, which is always an intelligible continuous stream of voices ever-flowing, the prayers are like stones cast into the river. The Blessed Queens notice centralized conversations focusing on specific topics, such as a battle, a world, or a search, and they interject a prayer to "remind" those conversing of the enlightened wisdom they possess.

Urrzzvynnurr grumbles audibly to the other Void Queens around her, "{Do they ever stop?}"

Mmnnorrynn replies dryly, "{I think not. We might forget they exist if they did.}" The Void Queens snicker together.

A few more moments pass, and Urrzzvynnurr grumbles once more, "{I can't focus. Every time I try to send gentle words to her, one of them singles in on my voice and starts preaching.}"

Urrzzanngii urges gently, "{Patience, Sister. We will find her.}"

"{I hate those pompous egg-dumping charlatans.}"

The Azure Queen states plainly, "{Mind your words, Darling Sister. Those are Blessed egg-dumping charlatans of which you speak.}"

Again, the Void Queens hum humorously. Without warning, the predatory Queen’s presence seems to chill to a very cold tone, and even the Void Queens feel less comfortable -though, they know they are not in danger-.

The prayers are still going on, and their sciolistic nature are as apparent as ever. Blessed Queens preach words in a combination to sound smart and wise, as well as enlightened to a higher plane of thought.

All of the Queens within the Divine Bond know what they’re doing. And, a few have complained to the Chosen Queen about it.

However, one has figured out how best to deal with them. Her voice within the bond is cold and heavy, carrying weight no other can muster.

May ashes find solace as new soil for the worlds cleansed. So sayeth the Stones. May darkness and ignorance fall prey to the apex predator of all apex predators, the light. So sayeth the Stones. May death find those who make unification difficult. So sayeth the Stones.

An eerie silence befalls the Divine Bond, aside from newborns with no control connecting and making noise, sisters in battle coordinating strikes and defensive actions, and sisters lamenting in delirious or forlorn states softly -normally entirely ignored and virtually drowned out-.

The millions of minds listening know exactly who spoke. Some have no idea who or what she is in actuality, but they know that when virtually all of the voices silence, the creature listening in from the darkness has made herself known, meaning she is not particularly pleased.

The Azure Queen's predatory presence reaches across the telepathic connection, and she continues as calmly as ever.

Sisters, if your battle has reached a stalemate, do not hesitate to withdraw far enough to deceive your adversaries of victory. A fleeing prey draws on the instincts of many to pursue. And when they do, you may control the battle once more.

The battle raging falls a little quiet. One of the queens involved is wounded, so she can't help herself slipping agony and pain across the bond.

And then, a youthful voice asks -likely a sister trying desperately to rescue the wounded-.

Is a retreat not a disgrace, Sister?

How could anything done for victory be a disgrace, Sister? It is unlikely you will survive, by the sounds of it, without a change. Our Sister will certainly not survive if you are killed as well. Regroup and draw your enemies into a trap, and we shall celebrate or lament our Sister's falling in victory.

Sister…

If I were there, I would already have asteroids being towed. We are but humble beings basking in the light. The universe will always be more powerful and provide us with plenty on our Path. So sayeth the Stones.

Suddenly realizing the new strategy, the youthful voice fills with energy.

So sayeth the Stones! Thank you Sister! Hang on Sister! I'm coming!

The Azure Queen turns her powerful mind to the other conversation being discussed, mostly by young Queens seeking the shortest path to glory.

Sisters, do not lament your lack of daughters at this moment. A drone cannot choose the offspring he gives you, no more than we can choose the locations of the Divine Sisters. Instead, we must all trust in the wisdom of the Divine Sisters, and seek solace in our deeds. If you give yourself to the journey and continue a path of honor, your daughters will find you, and by then, you will truly be worthy of them. Do not lament, rejoice. For every step on the path that you are alive is a step closer to the many daughters who will celebrate you.

Again, there is an awkward pause before a brave soul asks a question softly of the dark monster brooding on a far away ship.

Sister… What if… What if my daughters never come?

You are focusing on a possibility instead of the probability. Almost no Sisters who die of old age do so without daughters. Is it not better to strive for that old age with a great list of victories that the daughters of others sing of, even if you are one of that so very few? Will the achievements of your effort weigh so little against the shortest path to glory?

Again, there is a very, VERY awkward silence. The Azure Queen adds to her thought.

I understand. We all dream of daughters; the greatest honor of any Queen. I, too, have none. But, while we wait, we should be spreading light and prosperity to the universe, and when our daughters arrive, they will not be means to an end, they will be treasures. Am I wrong?

Several voices excitedly cry out in unison, No Sister! Thank you so much!

Now, even the majority of the soft lamenting being ignored has quieted, leaving those out of their minds from wounds, lost on pilgrimages in the galaxy, and those few daughters whose whereabouts are unknown due to never having been baptized and trained properly.

The Azure Queen listens intently to the remaining voices. They need only one, and though some of the discussion of battle returns, the prayers do not begin for the time being. Undoubtedly, Blessed Queens are racing to the homeworld to speak to the Chosen Queen and beg for the Azure Queen to be reprimanded for her blasphemy misquoting the stones… Except that most Zarakyssns know one thing; she’s the only one who knows how to read them. She spent 50 years in secret deciphering them on her own once she resolved herself to her fate, and she succeeded. She knows many of the established preachings have become less accurate over time, but she was able to prove she could read them when she quoted every line of the preaching in order by reading one of the transcriptions in the Chosen Queen’s throne room. Though most Queens can not read the text, it is transcribed everywhere, as if the presence of the words provides power.

Regardless, the Azure Queen is listening for one voice. She knows Zeeannssii was recently moved from her containment, but disappeared shortly after she reported silently to them that she was being moved unexpectedly.

The humans got her message.

However, she is not listening for her darling Sister Zeeannssii. She is listening for a voice the humans are not prepared for. She is listening carefully for a voice they will never suspect. Because, though many Sisters are lost in the void of space, that is mainly only because attentive enough souls have not searched for them, and it is very difficult to focus on them with all of the excess noise. And, in order to find those sisters -what few attempts there have ever been-, no one has asked the one who has proven it possible.

The Azure Queen and her Void Queens are huddled in a circle on her ship, silently tuned into the Divine Bond as they listen intensely.

Virtually a thousand new voices appear every second; newborns hatching from their eggs, finally free of the egg sac distorting them to a whisper. Sounds of joy surround them, even if the Horde as a whole is being very quiet following the Azure Queen’s threatening ‘prayer’.

And, in that quiet, one more in a thousand appears.

This one, however, is hearing and imitating another language.

***