Chapter 9

~ Tara ~

Arac’s voice sounded off from the doorway. “Yes, I do. And why don’t you let us be the judge of how much trouble we think you are, my queen?”

“I would take so very little coxing to do the bidding of such a handsome drone.”

“You have promised me flirting and tenderness. I wish you to stay so that we might enjoy these pursuits. Our home may not be as luxurious as the accommodations my people have built for the unattached queens, but I will ensure the other benefits make it worth your time.”

Unable to keep the happiness off her face for anything, Tara responded warmly, “I wish to know kind of benefits I should expect if I stay.”

Watching an element of heat light up his expression, she forgot for a moment that they were not alone.

As he drew closer, she noticed that his hair was damp and he’d changed clothing yet again. “Perhaps I could introduce you to Maruvian mating customs. The halabow is the most sacred of these rites.”

Pulling the child down from her shoulder, she looked into his tiny face. “You make gorgeous babies, I’ll give you that much.”

Glancing up at Arac, she watched him swell with pride. “Breeding makes a drone feel useful. Most drones never thought they would get the opportunity to breed. It fills my soul with happiness to see so many of my brethren with young.”

“Well, from our perspective it’s great to have men who are nice and accommodating. The men back on Earth are spoiled for choice and sometimes they can be demanding and not very loyal.”

“Where did my father go?”

Looking around, Tara felt her face heating. “He was here just a minute ago.”

The little one jumped in her hands, unfurling his tiny wings against each of her palms. He yawned as he stretched one arm above his head in a gesture that was so human it took her breath away. His dark eyes stared up at her and his tiny antenna moved around as if trying to pick up a signal.

Rubbing his naked little belly, she murmured soothingly, “Easy little one, you just woke up.”

He blinked up at her and tried to nip at her hand. Moving deftly out of his way, she had to laugh. “He’s an active little guy.”

“Do you like small ones?”

“Of course. I’d have million if I could. Kids are great. Spending time with them lets me see the world through their innocent eyes again.”

“Your enthusiasm is endearing. Come, my father is cooking and I wish to help.”

“Cooking real food? I thought we all ate resequenced food.”

“Resequenced food is necessary on a battleship. Now that we are on a planet, we have the luxury of growing and preparing real food.”

“I haven’t cooked in so long, I don’t think I remember how to prepare a meal.”

“We are fortunate that our father remembers such things very well.”

Entering a large room, Tara saw several drones moving about. Vraden dipped a large spoon into a pot and stirred something that looked like pasta only it was brightly colored. Another drone appeared to be washing fresh produce in a large shallow sink. It was difficult to tell whether the items were fruits or vegetables since none were recognizable. Yet another drone stood at a counter cutting something that looked almost like a potato.

Arac washed his hands and removed two huge bowls from a refrigeration unit. Sitting down at the end of the long counter, he dusted the counter with a flour-like substance and turned out what might have been some sort of Maruvian bread product. It was bright green and smelled like herbs. Tara dropped down into a seat beside him and played with the little one as she watched him roll the dough into round balls.

He quickly grabbed a metal press from under the counter and made flat round disks by pressing the dough balls between two large metal disks. After making fifty or sixty of the rounds, he stepped over to what appeared to be cooking unit which consisted of a huge sunken metal cooking surface. Pressing some buttons, steaming oil flooded the surface. He quickly dropped each disk side by side on the surface. After a very short interval he flipped each one with a pair of long tongs.

Turning, he wheeled over a rack and began removing the rounds and sitting them on end, one after another until the entire rack was filled. She could see the excess oil dripping own into a reserve tray on the bottom. Shoving the rack aside, he repeated the process again. This time, when loaded them into the rack, he sprinkled them with something that smelled sweet.

Within moments, the cooking surface was drained, and he wiped it down with a large cloth, spraying it every now and then with a bottle from a nearby shelf. The entire process took less than twenty minutes from start to finish. Coming to sit beside her, he took the little one and sat him on the counter.

She quipped, “That was impressive, and really fast.”

Dipping his head in acknowledgement of her kind words, he responded shyly, “It is my main contribution to our food prep. Every morning I mix the dough and every evening I cook it. We all do something different to contribute. Everything we do is faster and better when we all work together. Drones do most work in groups.”

“I’d like to help out while I’m here. Maybe I could help clean up after we eat.”

“That is not necessary. You are a guest in our home. We would not consider it polite to put you to work just yet.”

They watch his little one get up and roam around, looking like an insectoid version of a cherub, though his plump little body was thinner and strung tight with muscles, and his wings appeared more like bat wings than bird wings. He was adorable none the less. Tottering around, he was sure footed and didn’t hesitate to use his wings to help him reach stuff. At one point he grasped onto the edge of the counter with both tiny hands and, nearly turned himself upside down to stare underneath. It was strange to see a being the size of a newborn, acting like an inquisitive two-year-old.

“You seem fascinated by my young. Is he so different from human young?”

“Are you kidding? He’s twice as adorable as any kid I’ve ever seen. Your son is all over the place. My best guess is that he’s going to grow up to be a great explorer.”

Arac made a noise she associated with laughter. “He is only six lunars old.”

“Human babies don’t usually begin crawling until they’re six or seven months old. Your little one is running already. At six months our babies are just beginning to cut their teeth, yet your little one has a full set of sharp teeth.”

Several of the drones made the laughing noises again. Arac tried to keep the smile off his face as he explained. “I believe the development timeline must differ greatly between our species. Our young do most of the cognitive and physical development during the first year. My little one will be talking soon. He will be functional adult member of our society by the time three solars have passed.”

Shocked, she jerked backwards for a brief second. “Wait, let me get this straight. This little fellow is going to be a full grown drone in two and a half more years?”

Nodding, Arac spoke quietly, “Drones were bred to develop quickly since so many of us were expended in battle.” His eyes drifted over to his son, who was busy sorting a pile of mixed nuts into different piles according to type and size. “I have always found it strange that we rush the process of maturing, only to bump headlong into an almost endless adulthood.”

“How long is your lifespan?”

“My father is over four hundred Earth years in age. I am over a hundred, and my youngest brother is over sixty. Our medical care is advanced, enabling us to stay healthy for a very long time.”

Vraden spoke up. “Do not worry, little queen. I dosed you with our strongest longevity serum. Your own personal lifeline will decelerate as well.”

“Jesus, how long will I live?”

“The oldest drone I ever met was well over a thousand Earth years old. I suspect you will live several hundred years as your body responded very well to the serum. I tested you three days after your last dose and the longevity markers were exceptionally high.”

Bringing her hand to her chest, she swallowed thickly. “Thank you, Vraden. Your generosity is overwhelming and I have little to repay your many kindnesses.”

“Knowing you are strong and healthy is thanks enough.”

“May I hug you?”

The beaming man opened his arms and she flew to his side. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him tight. “I honestly couldn’t love you more if you were my own father.”

She felt the older man jerk in her arms. “Thank you, little queen. Your words draw emotions out of me that I scarcely knew I had. To my great shame, I was never fortunate enough to spawn a queen.”

Looking up into his shimmering eyes, she pulled herself together. “I can’t say that I was very thrilled about being head butted with the end of battle rifle or catching a boot the face, but let me on record as saying that meeting you and your lovely family made the trip worth it for me.”

Suddenly, the room filled with the sounds of disgruntled drones. Vraden spoke woodenly, “Do not fear, little queen. Armon removed the offending male’s head from his shoulders. He will never harm another queen.”

Stepping back, she replied thoughtfully, “I heard about what Penny’s guardian did to Connor, but he wasn’t the one who beat me. They didn’t want to give up the injured because they were afraid of what your crew would do to them.”

“And now they know how we feel about males who abuse their queens.”

“Maybe. All I know is right before they wheeled me off their ship, the sergeant who beat me whispered in my ear that he would be back for me. It’s one reason I wanted to mine the gemstone, so I could purchase a weapon. I don’t think he would really go to the trouble to travel such vast distances to pursue me, but I’d feel safer with a means of protection.”

Turning, she ambled back over to where she was sitting. A flick of Arac’s hand happened so quickly that she thought she must have imagined it. However, the proof of his action was lying on the counter in front of her. It was a small laser weapon. Her mind flashed images of the weapons going off. She could remember the flashes of light and the scent the discharge left behind. Shaking away the remnants of memories of the great battle, she glanced up at him. “I can’t take your weapon.”

“You will.” Something about his voice was cold and unlike anything she’d heard from him before. “I will not risk losing you to such a male. If there is even a remote chance he might find his way here, I insist you be prepared to defend yourself.” Thinking of her being in danger was clearly churning up dark memories for him, that much was clear to see.

Picking up the weapon, she slid it into the front of her uniform. “I will borrow it, until I purchase my own. Will that put a smile back on your face?”

His terrible scowl smoothed out. “Seeing the male who harmed you die a slow painful death would make me smile for a very long time.”

Leaning over, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “In lieu of killing evil doers, we’ll have to put a smile on your face some other way. Why don’t you let me taste your contribution to the evening meal? You’ve got to explain to me what those things are, because watching you make them has piqued my curiosity.”

Reaching over to the last rack he made, Arac pulled out one of the disks. Holding it up in front of her, he teased, “This is your treat for changing the subject. It is chelva.”

Taking it from him, she noticed the texture was crunchy like a chip. It smelled delicious, so she took a small bite. A strong burst of flavor hit her tongue, tasting a bit like a mix of mashed potatoes, herbs and chicken. Whatever he’d sprinkled on the top made it taste slightly sweet. “It tastes like all the flavors are battling it out in my mouth.” Motioning to her mouth, she murmured, “I think the sweet is winning.”

Arac made a laughing noise as he grabbed his little one who was trying to snatch the chelva from her hands. Turning the child around, he sat him back down amongst the pile of nuts. Apparently miffed, the little one kicked one of the nuts sending it spiraling into the wall.

Ignoring the child’s tantrum, he turned back to Tara. “It is a Maruvian specialty, made from a fast growing plant we cultivate ourselves. All Maruvian vessels have a small seed bank that we can rely upon in emergencies such as getting marooned on a planet.”

“That’s really cool.”

“I’m glad you like the taste. The plant grows to maturity in fifteen days and is quickly overtaking most of the plants in our small garden.”

“Are you kidding, I could live on this stuff.”

“It is healthy because we cook it in a special type of non-saturating oil.”

“Is your son too young to eat it?”

“Not at all. I have no wish to encourage bad behavior by allowing him to take it from you.”

“How about if I chose to share with him, is that permitted?”

“I am certain he would be thrilled.”

Tearing off a large chunk she held it out for the little one. He dropped the nut he was holding and scurried over to her. Taking the chunk gingerly in both hands, he looked at it for a brief moment before literally gobbling it up. The little one looked up and made some type of cute expression before turning and running away.

“He says ‘thank you’.”

“That’s really adorable.”

Before Arac could respond, the little one came running back with huge nut in his hands. Stopping in front of her, he sat the nut down and made some kind of strange noise before throwing his head forward to crack it open.

Tara jerked back, shocked at the aggressive display.

Arac murmured, “He’s showing off for you.”

Watching the little one placing his hands along the opening and jerking repeatedly until the nut popped open, Tara was in awe. “Well, consider me impressed. Doesn’t he hurt his head doing that?”

Bringing his own hand to his forehead, Arac replied tactfully, “We have an exoskeletal plate in this area. Because it blends in with our skin tone, it is difficult to see.”

The little one pranced up to her, holding a large round kernel of nut that he’d pried from the shell. “For me? Why, thank you. You’re such a little gentleman.” Taking the nut between two fingers, she nibbled on it. Meanwhile, he nuzzled his head under her other hand, much like a puppy looking for a cuddle.

Tossing the nut into her mouth, she picked the little one up. “Your son is too much of a good thing. If I’m ever lucky enough to have young, I want him to be just like this one. You never told me his name.”

“I named him after my brother’s queen, because she rescued us. His name is Helec.”

“Well, he’s perfect.”

“I agree.” A feminine voice broke into their conversation.

Tara watched a very pregnant woman enter the room with a drone that looked suspiciously like Arac. She recognized her as the captain of the vessel that rescued them.

“Hello, General Helena. It’s nice to meet you. Arac isn’t your only grateful admirer. You’re my personal hero. God only knows where I’d be if it weren’t for you coming to our rescue.”

“We were happy to do it. You’ve done your share of heroic acts. Connor told me how you were injured advocating for the rights of the women he’d abducted. Naturally, he didn’t use the term advocate. I believe his choice term was ringleader.”

“He was a total asshat. I heard he left this world in two pieces and I can’t say I am sorry.”

“I couldn’t agree more. We appreciated you stepping up during the great battle. It was an act of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.”

“You’re welcome, not that I remember much about the battle. I ended up with a head injury and just get snippets every now and then.”

“Well, she was another that ended badly. I’m just sorry that I didn’t finish her when we ousted her the first time.” Helena’s eyes misted over with regret.

Tara shrugged. “All’s well that ends well, I say. We’re here and they’re dead. See how the ‘verse rights itself?”

Vraden’s soft voice announced, “If you would like to make your way to the dining room, I believe the food is finished.”

Arac scooped up his youngling in one arm and wrapped the other around Tara before guiding her into the adjoining room.