by Juno Wells
“You are young to be so jaded, Meric.”
“Where I am reluctant, you are brave. I hear you have allowed your scion to train under her in the medical unit. You know that wasn’t necessary. He could have picked up that training on Dracon Two when we return.”
Changing the subject, his friend asked, “Why are you so persistent in believing ill of the humans, Meric? Do you not wish to take a mate?”
“The new human rulers on Dracon Two have written laws protecting warriors from forced breeding. I am not above shielding myself with them if need be.”
“I have never seen a human queen press the issue. Usually, they simply turn their attentions elsewhere. What was it like having one in your arms?”
Sparing the elder warrior a glance, Meric lowered his voice. “She was warm, soft, and scented of flowers. Her legs are long and smooth, with no claws to harm a male during mating.”
“I’ve noticed their claws were not meant for defense. I almost pity the poor helpless creatures.”
Meric practically hissed, “Do not pity this queen, for she walked in amongst a hundred of her kind and they bowed to her wishes. I think their strength is in appearing weak when they are anything but, Salon.”
“I will tell your sire that you are well, and not yet chosen by the human.”
“I will visit when she is safely in her bed with a warrior at her door.”
“This I will do. Whether you are interested in her or not, now is not the time to be distracted from the task at hand. I would hate to see this quadrant made over to the liking of the symbionts, for many would needlessly suffer under their rule.”
“I have no intention of allowing the soul-suckers to gain a foothold so close to my family and our new home world. No matter what it takes, we find them and root them out.”
“I have faith in you like no other warrior, save your sire. As always, I follow your lead.”
When his oldest friend had slipped from the bridge, he took a moment to stare at their new queen. She was confusing—strong one moment and frail the next. Happy one moment and then emotional the next. Still, something inside wished for her to be content. Why did he care? He honestly wished death on his former queen and never thought to feel guilty about it. Something was different with this queen, and he needed to figure out what it was.
10 Self-Sacrifice
Stacy
The Draconian technicians had set up a holographic interface that was encrypted to keep anyone within communications range from listening in. Every morning at seven sharp, Stacy, Riya, Kearney, and Kendra had a meeting with their captains and some of their elders in attendance. Standing in a circle, it seemed almost like they were in the same room.
Today they shimmered into view, and after some informal greetings, the round robin of reporting began. “Just to recap, we’ve been tracking the Moltan vessel over nineteen parsecs of space for almost a full month. I feel like we’re being led in circles and we’re exhausting our resources. We need a better strategy.”
Meric stepped forward, looking resplendent in his crisp uniform. His unique attributes always drew the notice of everyone in attendance. “Even though we’ve managed to catch up with them twice when they stopped for supplies, they’ve escaped under the power of their advanced engines. Though the Raspian can outmaneuver the Moltan vessels, we’ll never be able to match them for speed.”
Calen spoke from beside Riya. “We need to find a way to supercharge our engines or figure out how to slow them down.”
Kearney, who had picked up some weight, was now looking much healthier. Her sister had filled out as well. Bristling with annoyance, she stated, “This cat and mouse game is getting tiresome. I’ll do what it takes to nail their asses down once and for all.”
Riya quipped, “Like my captain said, that is not going to happen until we discover a way to slow them down.”
Stacy frowned, feeling old and slow, though she was neither. “We’ve settled down into a predictable routine, but the strain of being battle-ready at all times, and the constant crew changeups at ten-hour intervals are wearing on the warriors.” They all knew that spreading the crew of the Raspian among three vessels, had led to bare-bones staffing on each ship.
Kearney spoke up again. “Having the warriors treat all thirty or so of us women like royalty is too much on top of everything else they have to do. We got fed up with watching the warriors fussing over them, so we traded their gowns for uniforms and doled out crew assignments to the women on board our ship.” Kearney’s voice was self-assured; leading Stacy to think perhaps leveling the playing field had been a success. Unable to keep the curiosity from her voice, she asked, “How did that work out for you, Kearney?”
“It worked out pretty well, actually. At first, the warriors were furious, but most of the women seemed relieved to have something to occupy their time. They said that it felt good to help out and working made the time pass more quickly. Once things settled down, it became clear that having everyone work together was the only solution that really made sense.”
Meric snarled, “Queens should not be forced to work. Performing mundane tasks is beneath the dignity of a queen.”
Stacy’s head swiveled around to look him in the face. “Those women are no better than the four of us here. You seem more than happy to let us work our asses off, running the ship’s operations, engaging in mission planning, and helping you to track down this enemy vessel. I vote that we let all the women help out a little.”
A long silence spun out in the room before Riya finally had mercy on everyone and spoke. “I’ve had several women beg me to give them jobs on our ship. I’m going to try to get the rest of them motivated. The more we can pitch in and help out, the less will fall on the warriors. Many hands make light work, as the saying goes.”
Stacy finally stopped staring at her stunned captain and chimed in diplomatically. “We’ll do that as well. Let’s face it; we’ve been in the black a lot longer than we anticipated at this point. Our female passengers can’t be considered guests forever.”
Riya shook her head vehemently. “That’s a good decision, Stacy. I’m sure they can contribute more than we think.”
Stacy caught the bone her friend was tossing her way and said, “Humans are fast learners. They would be good in support positions. At the very least, the women passengers can take care of their own needs such as their clothing and food, freeing up warriors for the tasks they are trained for.” Taking a deep breath, she got back to the mission planning. “So, we’ve gotten pretty good at following their exhaust trail, but does anyone have any bright ideas on slowing the Moltan vessel down?”
After a moment of silence, Meric spoke. “I’ve been brainstorming ideas with our elder warriors.” Glancing behind him at the small group of older males, he sighed. “Although I cannot say I support the plan, I agreed to bring their idea to the table.”
Everyone turned curious eyes on him, but he continued without missing a beat. “The elders wish to use a particle device to transfer one of them to the Moltan vessel. They have come up with a virtually foolproof plan to bring their engines off line.”
Stacy took a step closer to him. “Why do I feel like you haven’t gotten to the part we’re not going to like?”
His wings kicked in frustration from their neatly folded position behind his back and his body language tensed as he prepared to deliver what Stacy was certain was bad news. “No species has yet perfected particle technology enough to transport a person safely from one location to another.” The normally taciturn man looked more emotional than she could ever remember him being. Stacy wasn’t sure if it was being called out by her earlier, or because he had some personal skin in the game on this one. His horns jerked and he swallowed thickly before continuing. “Therefore, whoever we transport may not survive. We have a pool of six elders who are prepared to transport one after another in the event their predecessor does not survive.”
Shock ripped through her chest at their brazen and lethal plan
. Stacy sounded off immediately. They were planning to send their elder warriors on lethally dangerous missions? She raised her voice without meaning to. “How about we all say ‘hell no’ to that request? I’m not about to begin sending our elder warriors on lethal missions that might get them killed.”
Meric unlocked his jaw to add stiffly. “I’m also obliged to mention two important considerations. First, it would not be a high-risk mission. It would be a suicide mission. Even if the elder warrior survives the transport, successfully brings their engines offline, and we manage to board and take the ship, he will still not survive the effects of the particle transfer.”
Kendra spoke for the first time, her voice thick with emotion. “That’s why all the Intergalactic Council’s member worlds are forbidden to use particle technology.”
Looking every bit as sick at his stomach as Stacy felt, her captain nodded. “What you say is true. Our scientists report living beings transported by particle scrambling and reordering will cause a cascading failure of living cells on a subatomic level within weeks of materializing in the secondary location. This means, even if we save our elder warrior, he will die a slow and painful death from the effects of the device.”
Stacy asked hesitantly, “What was the other consideration? You mentioned you had two issues to bring to our attention.”
“I am told that though their plan will cost us dearly, it is virtually guaranteed to be successful.”
Riya, who appeared to be in a state of shock asked quietly, “Why send our elders on a mission that is guaranteed to cost them their lives? I thought you people revered your elders?”
Meric growled. The sound was dark, deep and unnerving. “We value our elders above all others. It is the elders who do not value themselves. They feel that since we now have the possibility of finding a queen and making real families like our ancestors of old, it makes more sense to sacrifice the males in the twilight of their lives, because they are unlikely to find mates and procreate.”
Stacy closed the distance between them. “I take it you disagree with their reasoning on that one.”
“I have no desire to see my sire end his life simply so we can verify no queen mother is aboard the Moltan vessel. The chances that she has found her way to this sector of space are astronomical.”
“I didn’t know you had family aboard this ship.”
Meric’s head snapped up and the look on his face told her that he hadn’t meant to disclose that fact. Cursing under his breath, he closed his eyes and turned his head slightly to the left. He looked miserable, torn between duty and love for his father.
Stacy sighed. “I’ll go. You can teach me how to bring the engines offline, and I’ll get the job done.”
Several of the males began talking at once, and Riya and Kendra shouted to be heard over them. As the room exploded around them, Stacy and Meric stared at each other. Without so much as a conversation, Meric dismissed her offer out of hand with one slight shake of his head. She knew that once the stubborn man made up his mind, he would not change it. Even if he acquiesced to her demand, he’d just accompany her and end up dead as well.
Stacy straightened her shoulders. “If you can’t bring yourself to sacrifice a queen, I won’t allow you to sacrifice a warrior. We’ll just have to find another way.”
Meric’s tense body relaxed a bit, but he never took his eyes off her. Something shifted in his expression. Maybe it was relief at allowing him to make the final decision. Accepting his slight nod had clearly earned her an ounce of respect with the man who always guarded his emotions around her.
Turning to the now quiet circle of people, Stacy looked from one unhappy face to another. “How about we break apart and brainstorm with our warriors about less costly ideas for bringing the Moltan vessel to heel?”
Riya responded immediately. “I think that’s a grand plan because allowing people to intentionally kill themselves is not okay with me.”
Kendra spoke instead of her more verbal sister. “I’m relieved the whole idea is off the table. Kearney and I would never agree to sacrifice an older warrior to win a battle. Though our mission is critically important, I have to believe we are intelligent enough to come up with a solution that doesn’t send good warriors to their death.”
Stacy nodded her agreement. “I’m glad we’re all on the same page.” Turning to Meric, she took a deep breath and struggled to find the right words for him to take back to the elder warriors. “Please, thank the elders for their diligence in finding a creative solution to our current dilemma. Thank them for being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the freedom of the worlds and the peoples of this sector. Make it clear to them that we value them too much to sacrifice even one.”
“Your will be done, my queen.” Normally his tone of voice was cold, standoffish, and almost defiant. The former negativity had given way to something warm and respectful. Stacy felt herself becoming slightly emotional. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she realized that it took her offering to die in place of their elders to earn his respect. Where most people lived their lives in the middle settings of their feelings, vacillating between anger and warmth depending on the circumstances, this man’s emotions only had two settings, hot and cold.
When the holographic imagers shut down, Stacy did an end run right around him and headed straight for her quarters. At some point she realized that two of the elder warriors were escorting her rather than her perpetual shadow in the form of a captain. When she was in front of her door, she smiled at their stark and slightly emotional expressions. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t support your plan. I hope you understand our reasoning.”
One of them spoke. “We do.” He picked up her hand in a courtly way, almost as if he would kiss it, but he didn’t. “My Phan always has such nice things to say about you, and I can now see why he’s so proud to be working at your side in the medical unit. Thank you for taking our safety into consideration, but know the offer still stands.”
Resting her other hand on his, she nodded, blinking back tears. “I’ll keep it in mind, but I don’t think we’re quite that desperate just yet.”
11 Constant State of Denial
Meric
Meric dropped into a chair across from his sire, surrounded by the four surviving scions that he’d sired during his time as a breeder. Having heard and officially passed on his queen’s message, he could rest easy now that his father would not be allowed to throw his life away. For the first time since they’d approached him with the idea he could actually breathe freely.
“Elder Salon stopped by to report Queen Stacy’s response to our request. I could hardly believe my ears. Is it true that our new queen actually said she values a warrior’s life as much as a queen’s?”
Meric nodded at his sire as he shifted to get more comfortable in his favorite chair. “Let me think.” Running her words back through his head, Meric responded thoughtfully. “Her exact words were that she valued our elder warriors too much to sacrifice them. Since elder warriors are still warriors, I have to acknowledge that she values a subset of warriors if not all of us.”
“She does appear to value our lives more than her own, if she insisted upon subjecting herself to the particle transporter.”
“I believe she was quite serious when she offered herself for the mission. I scented no deception when she spoke. She even suggested that we could train her on disabling the engines on the enemy vessel.”
His sire asked curiously, “What stopped her from doing so?”
Without hesitation, Meric answered, “Me.”
Low growls of displeasure came from across the room. His eldest scion, Timric spoke. “You exerted control over a queen? I never thought to see the day when you would allow your past experiences to so cloud your judgement that you would forcefully impose your will upon our new queen.”
When Meric gazed at the beloved face of his eldest, he was surprised by a look of genuine anger creasing his young features. Timric was not yet old enough
to enter the ranks of warriors, though he wished more than anything to prove his worth. The boy’s long, golden strands were pulled up and wound in a tight ball on top his head. His still developing chest was bare, evidencing no bony plating yet covering his heart. Still in his tender form, he was too vulnerable to risk taking a blow with a closed fist. Still, he had the heart of a warrior, and this filled Meric with pride. He responded to Timric honestly. “I did not force, but I suspect she knew I would.”
His father’s harsh voice reverberated through the spacious room. “Explain, my scion, before I lose my temper.”
“When she offered, I gave her a slight shake of my head. I could see it in her eyes. She knew I’d never allow her to go unescorted. I believe she acquiesced to my wishes because she did not wish to risk my accompanying her, and thus dying as well.”
“Then it’s clear to my eyes that she values the lives of warriors.”
“I would not go quite that far. She values our elders, but that may be her culture’s belief rather than her own. As for me, perhaps she values me simply because she has worked side by side with me over the last lunar and has no wish to replace me with a stranger.”
His sire jerked his wings in frustration. “Why can you never give this queen the benefit of the doubt, even when she proves herself?”
Suddenly sitting up, he leaned forward. “Why should we trust a queen? Being breeders, we know how treacherous they can be.”
“Draconian queens are malevolent. I’ll give you that. However, it is because of the symbiont, not the queen. Even you must be able to see that!”
Meric growled, baring his teeth. His wings rose on either side of his body as he spoke. “I must see nothing. How can we be certain viciousness is not a hallmark of their gender? Perhaps it is not the symbiont that makes our queens vicious. If we stripped them of their symbionts, there is no reason to suspect the queen herself is any different.”
