Chapter 12
~ Arac ~
Returning to his newly assigned suite, Arac picked up one of his restless newly born and cuddled the small infant to his chest. The little one quieted, being so close to his scent. Looking down into his son’s sweet face, Arac was conflicted. For two long solar revolutions, he had truly hated everything about being Kabelda’s queen maker. Never having had a chance to see his own hatchlings, he saw no upside to being her breeder. Looking into the child’s tiny face, Arac could now see that some good had come from the unwanted alliance. That small realization meant he could no longer wish he’d never been chosen by the cruel queen.
Relieved beyond belief the situation was finally over, he could now enjoy the rights breeders were supposed to have. Slowly his entire world was righting itself. Raec seemed quite intent to be their new queen’s breeder. Their lovely new queen had absolutely no interest in him and that meant he was free to care for his young without being bothered.
“Are you happy for your brother, Arac?”
“He seems much more suited to being a queen maker than I. As long as he is content with his situation, I will be happy for him.”
His father walked by with another of his little ones slowly falling asleep across his shoulder. It took a stable of drones to care for so many young.
“Why do I get the feeling you are grateful she didn’t take a liking to you instead?”
Chirping a laugh, he sat with his father. “I have done my duty, father, and none can fault me for it.”
“It must seem unfair that your experience at the hands of a queen was rife with misery while your brother’s appears to be nothing but pleasure.”
“I would not wish the misery I have endured upon any male, least of all my tender-hearted brothers. All eleven may be strong warriors, but it takes a certain resiliency and strength of character to endure being toyed with by one who enjoys cruelty.”
“I very much agree. Many hope this will be a turning point for our kind. I have decided to reorder our society in the fashion of our brethren in this sector of space. I have asked the drones to break themselves into small family units.”
“I see why you have stayed up to speak with me. You wish me to join a family unit.”
“Why would you not? You are young and strong. Many earth females would be drawn to one such as you.”
“As I have pointed out before, I have done my duty and have no wish to be selected by another queen.”
“Both Raec and Drale have refused to join with a family unit as their females do not prefer such. If human women prefer lone drones, perhaps one will be drawn to you. You are a prolific breeder.”
“Every drone loves to breed. It makes me feel useful and I take great pride in my young. You must understand that my time with Kabelda has damaged me on the inside. I still see her in my sleep, doing to me all the things she once did in my waking life. At times, I worry that I am no longer fit to serve a queen. At other times, I realize that I simply no longer wish to.”
“I do not wish you to feel that I am pressing you into service again. My goal is simply to understand your wishes and give you the support and encouragement to try again when the time is right for you.”
“You have my gratitude for understanding my feelings in this manner. Will you be joining a family unit yourself?”
The older man’s head snapped up and the look of absolute shock gave Arac his answer. “I never even considered myself for inclusion in a family unit. I am well past my prime breeding years. I can’t image a queen that would accept a family unit with an older drone.”
Arac changed the position of the infant from his lap to his shoulder. “Apparently the younger queens are very talkative. The youngest has told our drones that many older unmated females are keen to find safe passage from their dying home world. Many of the other species in this sector have welcomed them with open arms as it seems elder warriors greatly enjoy their companionship.”
“I am not against the idea.” Jostling the infant on his shoulder slightly to lull it to sleep, the older man seemed discombobulated.
“Surely, as the new queen’s actionator, you would be welcomed into any family unit? The young queen is a constant source of irritation for our linguistics specialists. They spend a great deal of time modifying our translation program to compensate for the unusual colloquial anomalies she uses.”
Chirping a laugh, the old man smiled. “The youngest queen is quite adorable. When she comes into her own every young drone on the ship will want to be in her family unit.”
“She pointed out to one of the healers that Earth women really dig elder warriors.”
“I am uncertain what that means. It sounds vaguely threatening.”
“That’s why her words were passed over to the linguistics team. After much deliberation, they report the word ‘dig’ has multiple meanings but the most likely match for her sentence was the word ‘like’.”
“Earth women like elder warriors? It doesn’t seem reasonable.”
“It is true. They checked with Queen Alexis. She reported that older warriors are not frowned upon in their culture. Their elder females seek them out for companionship and their younger queens seek them out for their wisdom, and occasionally their companionship as well.”
Clearly Arac had shocked his sire beyond the capacity for speech. The two drones sat with sleeping infants on their shoulder, considering what opportunities lay ahead on the new Maruvian home world.
Arac dreamed of having his own domicile. It would a place where he could raise his young in peace, far from the prying eyes of a female who might call up again. He would have a fire like his ancestors of old, and plant appetizing plants for his young to munch on as they played outside. His little ones would live their entire young lives without being subject to a queen’s will. They would learn to fly and frolic in the trees. It was a perfect fantasy. If only such a thing were possible for his kind.