Chapter 19      

Spawning

~ Haroc ~

Haroc was not nearly finished worshiping his queen’s belly when heard the front door squeak open. Fixing the noise that door made was a high ranking priority for his queen, but not for Haroc. It was his one micron warning to get in as much snuggling as possible before Valic barged in. Something about breeding his female made him extremely possessive. He knew it was wrong but some tiny little voice wanted to scream, MINE.

Sure enough his partner came rushing into the room, peeled off his uniform and boots and climbed into the other side of the bed wearing only his thin undergarments. “Are you going to be selfish again today, Haroc?”

His longtime friend was more amused than annoyed with him, thankfully. Wrapping both arms around his queen’s very round belly, he growled in the voice he used to mock his sentinel. “Mine! Go away.”

Dargon remarked from across the room. “I heard that, Haroc. Keep mocking me and will seal the door when our queen gives birth, with you on the outside.”

Ember smacked his arm playfully. “Come give me a kiss and let Valic speak to our child.”

“I should not allow him anywhere our little unborn queen. She already likes him better. When Valic talks she kicks. When I talk, she ignores me.”

Taking his face between her hands, Ember kissed him like she meant it. It went a long way towards soothing his irritation at being ignored by their soon to be birthed queen. “I am sorry. I wish our new queen to like me like our sons do.”

Speaking of which are they all down for the night.

“The hatchery is quiet and every eye is shut on my side of the room. I checked before I came to you. Valic’s brood was roaming around, trying to get out of their cubical. Meric is on duty tonight, so all will be well.”

That made sense. Valic’s sons were so much more active for some reason. “I like him. We should introduce him to some queens.”

Haroc grumbled. “You know the rules. No talking about other males when we are alone in our chambers.”

Running her fingers around his ear, she sighed. “That is something you created because you are a jealous drone. We never officially made that a rule.”

Valic looked up at her adoringly. “We should make it a rule. I do not like you talking about other drones either.”

“As long as Dargon sides with me, it’s a tie vote. You need a winning majority to instate a new rule. My goodness, you two would rule a woman to death. No going to the city alone. No skipping breakfast. No climbing trees to pick fruit. No battling the harvester droid. No…”

Both men’s head snapped around to look at her. “You have been battling the harvester droid? That’s a really bad idea. Drale hasn’t worked all the kinks out yet.”

“It wasn’t an actual battle. More like a skirmish.”

“I am going to kill my own brother for endangering your life with that stupid contraption.”

Calm down. I battled a Maruvian queen. Do you really think the harvester droid poses a significant danger.”

Both men lowered their heads again. Valic went back to running his hands over her belly and telling their unborn child his reasoning for painting her space in the hatchery, yellow instead of pink. Haroc went back to laying kisses along her neck. Ah, this was the paradise she never knew existed.

“Do you think it will always be like this?”

The men looked up at her again. “It better be or I’ll rip someone’s head from their useless shoulders for interrupting us.”

Dargon propped his head on the end of the bed. “Stop pillaging me threats, you scallywag. I’ll feed you to the sharks. Savvy?”

Haroc glanced down at the now huge sentinel. “I wish to have an eyepiece and say nonsensical words. I vote that we make it a new rule that we can steal good ideas from each other within the family unit.”

Valic nodded. “That sounds like a reasonable idea.”

“Never. Go grow your own personality and leave mine alone.”

Everyone glanced at Ember to be the tie breaker. “Not a chance Haroc. Leave Dargon’s pirate personal alone.”

Her large warrior’s antennas swerved around in her direction and he murmured. “One of these days you are to break the tie by voting in my favor.”

Bending down to drop a kiss onto his lips, she responded. “Don’t count on it.”

“You will be our queen until the end of days though, right?”

“You better believe it. You two are never getting rid of me.” That earned her immediate snuggles from her guys.

Dargon made a sighing noise from the foot of the bed. Ember looked down to see a sappy expression on his face. “I think someone’s in need of a mate to cuddle with.”

Haroc nodded. “Yes someone to keep him amused so we can have more private time.”

Dargon perked up. “I have investigated all the females on this world, including the new ones from the training vessel.”

Sitting up, Ember rubbed her belly. “Did you find someone interesting?”

“I have but you probably will not approve.”

Now both the guys were paying attention as well.

“Ocular activate.” She watched his eye piece light up. “Display file, Onora one five nine.”

An image came up of a very young female Golugua. She had a tiny pup between her paws and her face was partially disfigured. “Wow. She has a little one.”

Nodding decisively, he stated. “She is two seasons younger than me. She was bred to a highly aggressive male by her former queen. She is nice. I hunt for her and her child.”

“What family are they attached to?”

“No family. They live in shed behind the building Queen Carolyn built for the new human queens. Some of the queens try to feed her and her young, but they have no idea how much ones such as us eat.”

“Are you sure she is your one.”

“Of course I am certain. She likes me as well. I can tell because she allows me to groom her little one. She ”

Turning to Haroc, Ember didn’t even have to ask. “We will retrieve her, immediately. Come Dargon, let us fetch your mate.” Dargon happily trailed after him.

Valic smiled up at her. “It is just you and me. What would like, my queen.”

“For you to bring all the son’s you spawned for me?”

Grinning, he responded. “They always love spending time together.”

He slipped out of the room and Ember grabbed her box of chelva. Within moments he was back, with some good natured complaining. “Haroc’s brood is the laziest group of young I have ever in my life seen.”

“Let’s be thankful. There are so many of them. Imagine if they were as active as ours.” Dropping them gently onto the bed, they immediately toddled over and huddled around the tin on her belly. Popping the tin open, she began handing out small chelva rounds. The little ones loved gnawing on the hard flatbread, especially since they were now cutting their first set of teeth. “I have to give you credit, Valic. You certainly make adorable children.”

Preening a bit he replied. “Remember, It’s not quantity that matters, it’s quality.”

“You and Haroc are hilarious, with your never ending competition over spawning.”

“We make a joke about it, but I am well satisfied with my lot in life, for his spawn are mine and mine are his because we are one family unit.”

“Well, I love you and every single one of my boys. For a woman who lived her entire life under Earth’s one child rule, having a nursery full certainly seems like a dream come true.”

“I am happy you are pleased with your choice to make a family with Haroc and I. I know Haroc teases a lot, but he is happier than I have ever seen him.”

By that time the little ones had eaten their fill, making a mess of crumbs on the blanket, and were tumbling around playing on the bed.

“I’m always surprised that our young aren’t clingier. Human babies cry to be held. Though our young seem happy enough to accommodate my affection, they don’t seem to crave it.”

A shadow fell over Valic’s face. “I’m certain they never think to crave what has always been given to them in abundance.”

“I’m sorry you did without that when you were young.”

“Is that why you are so affectionate with me now? You wish to make it up to me?”

“Maybe a little. It’s more because cuddling with you fills a hole in my heart. I need it like I need air to breathe or water to drink.”

“That response fills my soul with happiness, for no drone wishes his only source of affection to be some misguided attempt at pity.”

Reaching out, she grabbed his shirt and hauled him closer. “Never for one micron think such awful things about our love.” Swallowing thickly, Ember leaned her forehead against his. “I honestly don’t think I could make it without you.”

“You are filled with words this evening that are fit to burst a drones heart, my fiery queen.”

Smiling indulgently, she murmured. “You always point out my hair color.”

Sliding his fingers through her hair, he replied. “How could I not. It is the most beautiful of any queen I have ever seen.”

I like the spots our sons have. They are all green and pretty, like their father’s spots. Picking up her oldest by thirty microns, she held him up. His plump little body and miniature wings were adorable. “Quasar, has a nice even distribution of spots across his entire head. How adorable is that?” Picking them up one at a time and talking about their best features was fun. She kissed them on the tip of the nose and told each one how much she loved him. The youngest was cranky and shoved his hand in her face when she tried to kiss him.

“I should put them down, they are finally ready to sleep.” Ember liked spending almost all her free time with the hatchlings. She normally took them in small groups of five or less. Any more than that and things seemed to go sideways. She made sure she spent at time with each of them in her hands every single day. Suddenly her bed was not only incredibly crummy from the little ones eating their snack, it was also soaked. Valic came back immediately, because they didn’t like leaving her alone when she due.

Seeing her ashen face, he knew it was time. Picking her up, he walked to the shuttle and strapped her in. “Are you well, my queen?” His nervous voice caught her attention.

“I’ve never given birth before but I think this is all normal. I’m just beginning to feel contractions. They are sharp but few and far between.”

“I will have you at the healing center very shortly.”

Running her hands over her stomach, she tried to be rational. “I probably have many hours of labor to go, so there is no need to rush.”

As if reading between the lines, he answered evenly. “I will be safe, for my cargo tonight is very precious.”

Ember’s heart broke a little for her drone, because she could see he was so anxiety ridden that his antennas were constricted down to tight nubs against his head. She’d honestly never seen that. He spoke into his tiny com device to his father to meet them there as he was her chosen healer. The next call was to Haroc, asking him to meet them at the healing center.

Within what seemed like mere moments, he was carrying into the healing center and placing her onto a healing platform. It felt weird and cold. Grabbing his hand has he stepped back, she asked with a trembling voice. “Please don’t go.”

Without hesitation, he hovered closer and grasped her hand as the healers performed their scans. Vraden rushed through the door, looking fairly disheveled. It was funny because she had never seen Haroc’s father anything but perfectly groomed, polite and conversational. This evening, he looked almost panicked.

The room suddenly swiveled around, cutting off access. It was what happened when more than one patient was being seen at a time. Looking through the clear glass wall, she saw it was Haroc with a clearly injured Golugua. Dargon was carrying a small Golugua on his back. The little creature looked absolutely terrified. Haroc turned the Golugua over to a team of professionals and was forced to decontaminate before entering. She could tell it angered him, as his complexion darkened. By the time he made it to her side, he was calm as ever he was.

The healers had some process for removing the child directly that supposed to be safer and less painful. They set up some kind of tent over her lower half to obscure the process. Both Haroc and Valic hovered over her, stroking her hair and trying to keep her distracted. She wanted to ask about the Golugua but knew her males would consider that inappropriate to the moment.

Suddenly, Vraden stood up with a small infant in his gloved hands. Ember had to smile at the dark red hair. This little girl was her mother’s daughter. The grand sire rubbed the infants back and she began to cough. “She’s breathing on her own. That’s just perfect. You couldn’t wish for a better spawning.” Though it was technically a birth and not a spawning, she reached out for her inexplicably quiet baby.

Vraden laid the child on her naked chest and put a white sheet over them. The drones were dumbfounded. They kept touching her hair and back, making comments about how perfect she was. She had ten fingers and ten toes, so she seemed fairy typical. As Ember ran her hands over her little one’s body, she felt a strange bump in the lower part of her back. Showing the fathers, she ask worriedly. “What is this? It feels like a ridge. The more she explored, she found a faint ridge running up her spinal cord.”

Vraden raised her to a sitting positon and removed the tent, covering her lower half again with the sheet. “I believe it is a wing base.”

“She’s going to have wings?”

“Though Maruvian children are born with intact wings, I believe the trait is more recessive in infants born to human queens. They will probably break through about the time as her first teeth and slowly grow into something useful.”

Looking down at her little daughter, she imagined her flying around with her brothers, playing all their silly games. The idea was nothing short of thrilling.

“Thank you so much, Vraden. You’re the best grandparent ever.”

“If not the best, I am certainly the happiest.”

The moment he left, Haroc and Valic took turns holding their child. “I can tell you two are already smitten.”

“She is our first little queen.”

“Thank goodness she has a hoard of big brothers to guide and protect her.”

Valic smiled, “As your brother did for you?”

Nodding, she responded. “The man did give his life for you.”

“But the two of you got it back for him.”

“He real damned grateful for that, by the way.” Dark’s eyes found Ember’s and he grinned. “I came as soon as I heard. I want to hold my niece.”

“Don’t think you’re going to start playing favorites. I won’t allow it.”

“Hell, I’m just hoping this one will take a liking to me. Haroc’s offspring ignore me and Valic’s are downright vicious.”

Valic preen. You should not play rough if you can’t handle my four.”

Dark chuffed a wry laugh. “There are only four of them? They move so quick and bite so hard, it seems like a dozen or more in a fight.”

Ember laughed. “Stop sparring with them or stop whining. Those are your only two choices.”

Carefully taking the baby from Haroc, he replied. “Well I sure as hell am not going to stop playing with my nephews, that’s for sure. I love those little curtain climbers.”

Ember muttered. “I never for a moment thought you would, bro.”

Dark gushed, “Gosh Em, she looks just like you. Look at that pretty red hair.”

Valic asked curiously. “How it is you ended up with black hair?”

“Em and I are born of different queens.” Hearing her brother use Maruvian terminology was strange. Then again she was doing that herself as well.

She interjected. “We had the same father. When Dark’s mother passed away, he married again and his second wife had me.”

Haroc stammered in awe, “You are like Maruvians. We don’t make differences between sires either.”

“Christ God Almighty. As many kids as drones have, I can’t imagine it matters. What’s the deal with that Golugua you brought in? She looked pretty banged up.”

Sighing, Haroc reported. “Last night something happened that I never thought in my life to see.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Ember asked quietly. “What did you see?”

“Me arresting two human queens.”

Valic gasped. “You did not!”

“I certainly did. When we arrived, we observed them throwing rocks and sticks at Onora and her child. She covered the little one with her body to keep it safe. It was heart wrenching to see.”

“What are they going to do with the females?” Valic’s voice sounded worried.

“Who cares? Do you have any idea what kind of person they would have to be to do something like that?”

Ember asked cautiously. “What would be the penalty for a drone who committed the same offense?”

“Two years of hard manual labor and never to be permitted around a Golugua again. I believe the current plan of action is to ship them back to Earth. Queen Carolyn does not wish to pass criminals along to another world. She is also issuing a warning of their crimes to every member world. If any accept them, it will be knowing full well what they have done.”

Ember stated. “I know it’s only been a few hours, but do we know how Onora is doing?”

Vraden looked up from his control panel and spoke. “She took some substantial damage on top of her old injuries. We have healed the damage and given her our most potent longevity serum. I suspect she might be well.”

“I noticed that Dargon has not left her side.”

“We fed him and the child not long ago. Onora is receiving nutrition through her IV.”

Valic spoke with confidence. “Onora will have a good life with us. We will see to her every need, as we do Dargon.”

“The ocular came in handy. We used the medical device to make sure there was no internal bleeding and it was safe to move her.” Haroc’s voice sounded pleased.

“I’ll bet Dargon was losing his mind.”

“He was very worried and angry. I think that if hadn’t kept his focus on his mate, someone might have lost their head. He told me on the way that Onora was the only female who would speak to him before he got his tech.”

Ember grinned, That’s my smart and loyal sentinel. She loved him before he was popular.”

Vraden announced quietly. “Ember needs to get some rest now. Perhaps you could all visit again later.”

“I don’t sleep without my drones. I wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep.”

“At least let me take the infant.”

“Bring a cradle, you’re not getting her either.”

“It will be as you say, Queen Ember.”

Dark laughed. “You let the women run right over you in this place. Why don’t you work on this little plan I’ve been working with my gal. You tell them what to do.”

Yawing, Haroc stated blandly. “Queen command, drones obey. That is the natural order of things. The moment my queen begins making demands I do not wish to obey, I’ll look into your plan.”

Dark grinned. “I see where you’re going with that.”