Chapter 13

Stand Off

~ Ember ~

Finally giving up, the young queen yanked off a pendant from around her neck and smashed it into the cold metal floor, before fading into unconsciousness. A holographic image popped up of a more frail version of the motionless beings. She wore only a thin swath around her waist, covering her queenly treasures. Looking vulnerable and frightened she stared straight into the recording device for a brief moment before turning full circle. Unfurling her delicate wings, she kept turned until she had made a complete revolution.

Unclear what she was seeing, Ember concentrated on figuring out what the woman was trying to communicate.

Dark filled in the blank. “This footage was captured before her lashes grew in.”

A thousand dark thought filled Ember’s mind. Unfortunately, when the impossible young queen spoke, everyone’s mouth dropped open. “My name is Shana and I am over fifty solar revolutions old.” Holding her arms out from her side, she continued. “This is what a Maruvian queen looks like before they force the transition upon us.”

Crawling her fingers over a nearby computer pad, triggering a short informational simulation on a large nearby screen. It shows the familiar lashes, being fitted to the small of a young queen’s back and her bulking up three times in size, her skin getting thicker and her becoming highly aggressive.

“No queen in my region of space escapes the transition, and once the symbiont joins with us, we are no longer in control of our own bodies. The queens of our world crave the transition because it confers upon them great power. The symbionts use us to feed their craving for inflicting pain and misery on others. Some few of us have no wish to become the lifetime host of an insidious parasite.”

Letting her wings drop to her side, her antennas constricted with emotion. “Working together, we have discovered an interdimensional rift. There are some few drones who wish for freedom, so we shoved them through the rift. It is the only way to escape for any of us, for the symbionts rule here. I am the first of the queens to break free. I beg of you to remove the symbiont from my body before it is embedded to deeply to successfully remove. They have tentacles on the inside much like the lashes on the outside. They grow, slowly wrapping themselves around our organs and bones.”

Looking forlorn, she continued. “If this cannot be done, please terminate my life functions, for I have no wish to exist as a helpless observer to the crimes the symbiont will commit while having control of my body.”

The very moment the image faded away, Valic’s raised his weapon. Ember’s hand came down on his, gently urging him to refrain from killing her. Ember sucked in a stuttering breath. “I want her dead as well. Yet it seems wrong to kill her for the evil acts her symbiont committed.”

Looking down at the blue skinned Queen, she appeared to be sleeping. She looked so innocent and helpless.

Haroc spoke his peace. “Maruvian queens are clever and manipulative. They are not to be trusted.”

“By spawn mate is the reason you are now free. Would you terminate her precious life without first verifying her words.”

Ember shook her head. “All beings deserve a chance at life. Put her in stasis and we will see what the Shardon clones make of her symbiont. They will remove it if they can and if not we may be forced to terminate her.”

“Your will be done my queen.” Haroc’s tone communicated his willingness to acquiesce to her wishes.

Valic reluctantly placed a stasis bar down her body and activated it. Several healers moved forward and stopped short about twenty feet away.

Haroc spoke. “Take the young queen to your medical unit. Do not remove the stasis until, until we can determine if it is possible to remove the symbiont.”

One of the older healers shifted his gaze to Ember. “Is your queen maker also your actionator, my new queen?”

Smiling indulgently at the older man, she noticed the drones were all staring at her uncomfortably. “Things are much different in this region of space. My queen maker was given command of our vessel and tasked with transporting over a hundred queens to our new home world. His mission changed once we encountered your vessel. He speaks because now commands both vessels.” Since the man was still looking very confused, as were most of the drones, she tacked on diplomatically.” I suggest you follow his directions like they were my own.”

“All will be as you say, my new queen.” Clearly the man accepted that Haroc was her actionator but were simply called something else. Sighing, Ember worried about how they were going to handle learning how their new world operated.

Ember watched them levitating the young queen onto a hover board. Snagging a medical bag from one of the medics before they left, she pulled out a medical scanner and began trying to figure out how to use it. Valic leaned over and silently pressed some buttons. Pointing it in Haroc’s direction, she slowly scanned it over his body. His systems were blue lighted all the way down his body.

One gigantic hand came out to close around hers and the scanner. “I am fine my queen. There is no need to worry over your queen maker.”

Noticing the burned flesh around his wrists, she almost teared up. Swallowing thickly, she locked down her emotions and began digging through the small pouch for a healing device. Carefully taking one hand into her lap, she began the tedious process of healing the scorched skin. The entire room remained silent for several long minutes while she healed his wrists and turned him around to work on his back.

Valic seemed emotional. “It is not our fault, Haroc. I scarcely know how to accept that fact.”

Haroc’s free hand came out to land on his longtime friend’s shoulder. “Thanks be to the Gods.”

Ember murmured without looking up. “What’s not your fault?”

Haroc cleared his throat. “Valic and I wondered many times why our queens were so filled with hate for us. We forever subjugated ourselves to their wishes and dedicated ourselves to obeying their every command. Still they deal only pain and misery back to us in return for our loyalty.” Becoming overly emotional, Haroc snapped his mouth shut.

Valic’s quiet voice finished his partner’s thought. “We honestly thought it must be something to do with us. Queens were made to be perfection. I thought we must somehow bring out the worst in them, without meaning to. We thought drones must be flawed in some way.”

Ember replied soothingly. “Drones are not to blame. Being on our home world should have shown you the flaw in your reasoning. Many drones have females and those females are not growing into monsters.”

Haroc chuffed an exhausted laugh. “This is something we did notice. Valic and I spent many weeks debating the phenomenon. We decided that human queens must have some natural resistance to whatever provokes our own queens.”

“You two are hilarious. How could you have thought drones were the problem?”

Valic, who was typically a little more introspective than his best friend stated sincerely. “When one is mired in a situation beyond one’s control, seeking answers to the why of it all can provide momentary relief from the pain.”

Ember smiled up at the sensitive drone. “I’m really loving all the emotional honesty.”

Dark interjected sarcastically, “Well, I sure as hell am not. It made me throw up a little in the back of my throat.”

Swatting him playfully on the arm, Ember snorted a laugh. “Leave my clan alone, brother.”

Rubbing his arm, Dark grinned. “You’re packing a good punch there, sis. You aren’t sneaking into the warrior’s serum are you?”

Kalon looked from one to the other of them, before settling on Ember. His expression was amused but also worried. “My spawn mate had no young. Will you free her enemies from holding?”

Chewing her bottom lip, Ember thought it over. “I suppose it depends on what they did. We should look at each case individually. If I have any doubts, we will leave in holding and talk to her when she is free of the symbiont.”

“Might I advocate for my sire? I believe the symbiont hated him, because our queen was very attached to him.”

Dark interjected. “Ember is right, we should interview them without delay and begin with her father. Humans respect our parents above all others. He should not be left in holding any longer than necessary.”

“You look like hell though. You should rest and let Kalon and I handle this.”

“Fuck that.” Haroc’s crude words sounded absurd coming from the normally respectful drone. Finishing the last of the healing on his back, she quipped. “I can’t believe my brother is rubbing off on you. I had hoped it would be the other way around.”

Haroc leaned over and kissed her. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“You doubted that I would.”

“I hoped you would not risk yourself, but I believed you would. Human queens can be very selfless.”

Running her hand through the side of his hair, she whispered. “I would never leave either of you behind. You’re my clan, remember?”

Kalon tilted his head sideways. “What is a clan?”

Coming to his feet and pulling her up as well, Haroc answered diplomatically. “It is the new social order for drones on our new home world. We break ourselves into small family units of three to five drones and search for a queen. Many human women prefer to mate a single drone. Our beautiful queen has elected to accept Valic and myself.”

Smiling, she added excitedly. “On Earth it’s called a tri-bond.”

Kalon looked from one to the other of them before stating. “I would have to see that to truly believe it.”

Haroc jerked to his chin to Valic. “Call the training ship back to us. We are safer traveling together. I will contact the closest Shardon vessel and ask for their assistance once more.”

“I worry that they will tire of trading biological samples for medical assistance.”

Shaking his head, Haroc replied. “I think they would respond because they have sworn their allegiance to Queen Carolyn. Getting more samples is merely a bonus for them.”