Border of the Forbidden Regions

Thirty-one solar days after leaving the Republic Hive world

6,185 light years from Earth, 2175 A.D.

The command drone watched with increasing anxiety as more Guardian ships continued to flash out of null space and encircle the rescue Hive ship.

They were already surrounded by six Hive ships and over a dozen cruisers, and another eight cruisers flashed out and completed the encirclement as they covered all possible avenues of escape.

The animal command soldier started making noises that seemed angry, and she looked at the holograms that appeared in front of the animal’s thorax, trying to make sense of the fast-moving claw signs.

“Luna, do not panic. Remember what we planned for if this happened? Do you have the focuser with you?”

Luna, who readily accepted the name the animal had given her during their journey here, looked towards the machine animal and made claw signs, trying to clamp down on her panic.

The android turned towards the animal command soldier and started making noises as it translated Luna’s claw signs. “Captain Bader, Luna says she has the focuser, and she wants to know what she should do. I think she is panicking, sir.”

“I can see that, Giskard! Tell her to relax and just do as we planned for the last damn thirty days. She needs to use the focuser and bullshit her way through; that’s all there is to it.”

The android turned back to Luna and signed to her as it replied to Captain Bader. “The closest insectoid analogue to bullshit is aphid droppings; should I use that, sir?

Captain Bader groaned in frustration at the android’s ridiculous question and walked over to where Luna was standing on the raised command dais.

Luna felt herself losing control as the machine animal and the animal command soldier kept making noises at each other while the machine animal confused her with claw signs that made her think of aphid waste.

The animal soldier stepped in front of her. After making a loud noise to the machine animal, it stopped making claw signs to her, and she turned her attention to the animal.

The animal soldier started to make softer noises to her, and she focused intently as the holographic claw signs made noises into thoughts.

~Luna, remember why we are here and what the Hive mother wants you to do. Do not think of anything else. You are Luna, sister of Aurora, and her envoy. Act like it, and do not let them stop you.~

Luna saw the animal thoughts in her mind as she watched the claw signs, and she felt the first touch of calmness taking hold of her as the animal thoughts helped her to fight down her fear and anxiety.

She was here for her Hive mother, and she had a task to fulfill. She sent a thought to a waiting nearby drone, and it came over holding a small box.

The animal command soldier watched her as she took the box and removed the focuser, and it grimaced at her as she gently held the delicate crystallized latticework imbued with the Hive mother’s essence.

She placed it on the platform next to her and made claw signs at the machine animal. It turned away from her and made noises to the animal command soldier, sharing her thoughts with him.

“Captain Bader, Luna says she can already feel the thoughts of the command drone here wanting to share thoughts.

She wants us to go over to the far wall and remain there out of sight in case she must use the viewer to show the focuser and assure our passage.”

“Okay, Giskard. We will go over there and stay out of sight; please tell her that she’s got this, and I have faith that she will get us through this and on our way.” Captain Bader replied before heading over to where Luna wanted them.

Giskard signed to Luna, telling her what the captain had said to it before walking over to the far wall to join him.

Luna watched them as they took positions along the far wall of the command chamber and out of view of any of the screens that could transmit images to the other ships.

She could feel the thoughts of the command drone in control of the ships that intercepted them, and she resisted the thought commands for immediate compliance.

Luna made sure that they were where they were supposed to be before opening her mind slightly to the command drone thoughts.

It seemed like a regular command drone like her, not one of the specialized ones she was warned about.

She could immediately feel a mind trying to force its way into her thoughts, and she denied it access as she held the mental intruder at bay.

Luna felt the presence back off slightly, unsure of herself now. She also felt disbelief at her thoughts, and she readied herself for what was coming next.

It made it a little easier for her, the fact that there were two Hive mothers, so there was no real falsehood in her thoughts.

The presence immediately stopped trying to force its way into her mind, and she felt the first signs of hesitation in the thoughts of the command drone.

She also felt a slight alarm at her threat, and she sent more thoughts to take advantage of the fear of being culled.

Luna felt the anger of the command drone’s thoughts. They had one task, and they had failed at it.

She quickly thought of a way to use the information to her benefit and take advantage of the disruption the animals they were here to rescue had caused.

Luna allowed a small amount of disbelief and arrogance to tinge her thoughts as she sent them.

The doubt in the command drone’s thoughts was palpable, and she detected worry of an animal invasion, which would explain their refusal to allow her passage so far.

She had to get past them before one of the specialized drones arrived.

The response was immediate.

She felt her anxiety come back, and she responded with her thoughts, allowing her anger to bleed through.

There was another flash of fear from the command drone, and she felt like she could force her way through if she pushed a little harder.

Luna felt a wave of terror in the command drone’s thoughts, and the prior arrogance that was within them disappeared as she immediately replied to her.

She thought furiously for a moment and decided to take a chance with another falsehood as she replied with her thoughts.

The wave of terror grew stronger, and Luna detected the anguish of the command drone’s thoughts as her loyalty and obedience were questioned.

She felt bad for the command drone as she suffered from the implication of disloyalty, and she forced herself to ignore it as the command drone replied with thoughts heavy with grief.

Luna felt the anguish and turmoil within the command drone’s thoughts, and she regretted having to commit a falsehood and make her think that the Hive mother thought she was a disloyal drone.

She felt a surge of happiness from the command drone as she received her thoughts, and she knew she had achieved her task.

Luna felt euphoric at having succeeded in getting passage, and she started to excitedly make claw signs to the machine animal when she saw another Hive ship flash out of null space and assume position right in front of her ship.

She felt as if the command drone was abruptly pushed out of the way, and a new presence made itself known. She felt the new mind try to force its way in, and she could barely resist the power behind it as it sent thoughts.

It took all her mental strength to resist the urge to immediately comply with the compelling thoughts of the newly arrived commander drone; she was almost as powerful as a young queen.

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This is what Hive mother warned her about.

She was already exhausted from her barely successful effort to stop the invading presence, and she struggled to respond.

Luna felt the powerful mind back off slightly, though she was still trying to access her thoughts.

She looked at the machine animal and the animal command soldier, feeling her anxiety and fear threatening to return and overwhelm her. She tried to bluff her like she did with the command drone.

It did not work this time, and the mind was starting to push aside the mental blocks she had thrown up to deny access to her thoughts. She became desperate and sent another thought.

The intruding presence withdrew slightly, and she felt thoughts coming from the powerful command drone.

Luna looked at the far wall and held up a claw, indicating to the machine animal and animal command soldier that they were to remain where they were before sending a tired thought command for the worker drone in front of her to activate the viewer.

The drone activated the viewer almost immediately, and Luna picked up the focuser and held it in front of her as she waited for the newly arrived Hive ship to make a connection with their viewer.

The viewer flickered, and she saw the commander drone appear, easily identified by the pattern of colors on the exoskeleton and the bulbous presence of pheromone glands located under her ear holes.

The commander drone stared at her, and she could see the presence of a powerful mind within the eyes.

Luna also noticed that she was almost as large as a soldier drone, and the pheromone glands were almost twice the size of her own glands.

She forced herself to remain still as the specially bred commander drone shifted her eyes to look at the focuser Luna was holding in front of her thorax. Thoughts came to Luna’s mind.

Luna struggled to think of more falsehoods, afraid that the powerful commander drone would detect them and attack.

She thought of the animal command soldier insisting that they practice what the animals called lying during their journey here. Hive mother told her to work with them, so she did.

The concept had disturbed her, and she did not understand why the animal wanted her to say something was blue when it was really red, or that there were three drones when there were really five.

It had become easier for her to make falsehoods as time went on, and she began to see the deviousness of the animals as an advantage, not a wrongness if it was used for a correct purpose.

Now she understood why the animal had wanted her to learn this new way of thinking false thoughts, and she was grateful she had time to practice making falsehoods.

Luna had to make another falsehood combined with truth to obscure the falsehood from the powerful intelligence trying to stop her.

Luna felt the shock from the commander drone as she told it mostly truth, and now it was time for false truths.

There was an outpouring of distrust and suspicion from the commander drone, as well as anger. Powerful thoughts came to her, making her wilt under its mental assault.

Panic seized Luna; she had failed her Hive mother and will be culled along with the animals in the Hive ships when they are discovered.

If the animals were not on the ship, she could let the commander drone come and see the focuser was real, and she could then perform her task.

The commander drone will see the animal ships inside the Hive ship, and the ships surrounding her would destroy the rescue Hive ship. She did not know what to do, and she seized on her last chance.

There was disbelief at her threat to fire on them, and she could feel the commander drone renew her attempt to overpower her mind. She fought off the intrusion, but she did not have much time.

Luna lifted the focuser before her eyes and stared into it, feeling the echo of the Hive mother’s essence as she reached out to it.

As the powerful mind of the commander drone continued to tear through her mental defenses, Luna cried out for help with her own essence, pleading for help from the Hive mother.

Her spirit fled the Hive ship, and she suddenly felt and saw herself hovering over the last focuser they had dropped before reaching the border, floating in deep space over five hundred light years away.

Luna barely had time to realize what was happening when her spirit was hurled to the one dropped before the one she was just at.

She was now over one thousand light years away, hovering over another focuser within a stellar nursery that was colored with beauty from the gases surrounding her.

Luna could feel the essence of the Hive mother getting stronger as she continued to leap back with her disembodied spirit.

She hurtled through vast distances that defied her limited comprehension of time and space as she jumped back through the focusers they had dropped every five hundred light years since they left the Hive world.

She was suddenly within a dim structure on a strange planet, floating above her Hive mother. Hive mother was making claw signs with the animal queen and they were surrounded by the machine soldiers.

The Hive mother continued to make claw signs, and Luna reached out to her, letting her fear of failure and desperation for help emanate from her spirit.

She saw a small point of light emerge from the Hive mother’s body and go to her, enveloping her with tender love and a warm glow that calmed her and promised safety while the Hive mother continued to make claw signs with the animal queen.

Luna made the journey back with the Hive mother as they transitioned from one focuser to another, allowing herself to be cradled and borne by the Hive mother’s spirit.

They reached the Hive ship, and Luna was back in her body, seeing out of her eyes as the Hive mother took over and stopped the violation of the commander drone, violently ejecting the powerful mind.

Luna looked at the time dial and saw that there was barely any elapsed time from when she had left to when they had come back. She could see out of her eyes and hear her thoughts, but she had no control of her own body.

She was now inhabited by the Hive mother, and she communed with her quickly, opening her mind entirely so that Hive mother knew what had been happening.

She could hear Hive mother’s much more powerful thoughts as if they were her own, and she remained in the partition the Hive mother had put her in instead of subsuming her entirely.

She watched the commander drone on the viewer reeling from the traumatic ejection as she rapidly contracted and expanded her abdomen, breathing heavily through her spiracles as she sagged under the brutal mental assault from the furious Hive mother.

< You dare to defy my envoy? I am Hive mother; you are a commander drone. You make me come here when I have Hives to look after? Do you think of yourself as a queen?

Luna could not hear the thoughts of the commander drone any longer, but she could see the effect the Hive mother’s powerful thoughts had on the commander drone as it reacted to her onslaught.

The arrogant superiority that was present in her large, black eyes disappeared and was replaced with abject terror. The commander drone deflated and her antennae hung down limply as she struggled for air.

The commander drone seemed to deteriorate even further, and she started to started shake violently as the Hive mother ravaged her mind in punishment for defying her envoy.

A few moments later, a command drone like Luna appeared and saw the powerful presence of the Hive mother in Luna’s eyes. The command drone immediately bowed, awaiting commands from the Hive mother.

Luna saw the command drone flinch from the anger within the thought command of the Hive mother, and the command drone stood back up straight from bowing and held out a claw, waiting for something.

A worker drone came half into view and placed a long dagger into the command drone’s outstretched claw before scurrying out of sight of the viewer.

The command drone turned around and faced the barely conscious commander drone, and without hesitation, she surged forward and drove the dagger into the skull of the commander drone right between the eyes. She let go of the dagger and turned to face the viewer, her eyes filled with fear.

Luna did not hear the thoughts of the terrified command drone, but she did see her bow deeply before the viewer turned off on their end.

Gentle thoughts from the Hive mother came to her, and the partition that Hive mother had built for her started to fade away.

Luna responded quickly as she felt the Hive mother starting to leave her body.

There was one last thought from the Hive mother before she left her body and went into the focuser.

The focuser flared brightly before it started to pulse with an ethereal glow as the Hive mother’s spirit readied to begin the journey back home.

After a few moments, it dimmed and returned to its barely luminescent glow. All that remained was the echo of the Hive mother’s essence, and Luna carefully placed the focuser on the platform next to her.

She was just about to turn to the animal command soldier and the machine animal to have them approach her when new thoughts reached out, respectfully asking for permission to share with her.

The thoughts were from the first command drone who had agreed to let her pass, and she opened her mind to her sister.

Luna replied, letting her distaste for the demeanor of the haughty commander drone permeate her thoughts.

There was a noticeable hesitation before her sister responded with more thoughts.

There was a long pause, and Luna waited patiently for her sister to send more thoughts, feeling sadness at the grief and loneliness within them.

Luna felt a deep sadness at the thoughts of her sisters and their terrible fate of being disconnected from the Hives as they waited for an ancient enemy that had not come for hundreds of cycles.

Command drones and worker drones needed something to do; it was their whole reason for being. She could not fathom the agony of endlessly patrolling the same routes and waiting for something to happen.

She replied with her own thoughts, feeling compassion for her sisters suffering such cruel fates.

There was a brief surge of joy at the possibility of sharing thoughts again, and the command drone responded quickly.

Luna felt a deep regret for ever mentioning the possibility and giving her sister hope; it was wrong to have done so when she had no intention of ever honoring her promise.

The command drone responded with thoughts imbued with happiness at the prospect of returning to the empire with Luna.

On the viewer, Luna saw one of the Hive ships power up a single particle beam emplacement before firing rapid pulses with a widely dispersed beam that fluoresced over the entire ship.

The command drone sent thoughts again when the pulses had stopped.

Luna responded, allowing her gratitude for her sister to be sent with her thoughts.

There was a flash of happiness from the command drone as her thoughts retreated from Luna's mind, and sadness from the falsehoods she had been telling her sister came over her as she instructed the worker drones to prepare to flash into null space.

Luna indicated for the animal command soldier and the machine animal to come over to her, and she made claw signs to the machine animal that they were now proceeding on their task.

As the animal and the machine animal made noises at each other, Luna turned her thoughts back to her sister and the false promises she had made to her.

Her thinking changed, and she thought of ways to fulfill her promise. If they find the animal friends and rescue them successfully, she will come back here.

Determination filled her thoughts and her spirit as she thought of many ways to save her sister from her cruel fate without jeopardizing her task.

As the massive engines powered up, the Hive ship started thrumming from the power being fed into the null drive capacitors through the energy conduits.

She sent the coordinates to the worker drone, showing a mental map of where she wanted to go and ordering the drone to flash out when ready.

She ignored the others as they continued to make noises at each other, and she had a thought just before the Hive ship flashed out.

I will be back for you, my sister. I will turn my falsehood into a truth and take you back to the Hives if I can. You will know my Hive mother, and you will know happiness.