Hive (The Color of Water and Sky Book 4)

by Andrew Gates

  But alas, no matter how high Sanja climbed, it seemed there was always a new regime, a new status quo, a new enemy, to push her back down.

  It was not fair. None of it was fair.

  Sanja clenched her fists and tried to bury her frustration. Despite it all, she would find a way to rise again, somehow. She would climb this ladder as best she could, just as she had in the FCP. And if that failed, she would do the same thing she did last time…

  She would not hesitate to abandon them all and find a new ladder to climb.

  “Kal Sanja,” a deep voice said, prompting her to look up and face the speaker. She had fallen so lost in her thoughts, she had almost forgotten where she was.

  She unclenched her fists and relaxed her body, hoping nobody saw how tense she had become.

  “Yes,” she replied to the speaker, a Kholvari garbed in an ornate red robe. She stood up from the tall backless seat and felt the cold surface of the floor against her bare feet.

  “The Supreme Chieftain is ready for you now,” he replied, politely half-bowing to her.

  Sanja nodded back to the guard, or messenger, or servant, or whatever he was, feeling the ornate metal rings around her neck as she moved her head.

  The seat was positioned near the wall next to the door, so it was a short walk to get to the entrance. This was the room outside of the room outside of the throne room. It was where people like Sanja, who had scheduled meetings long in advance, had to wait like little children for the Supreme Chieftain to see them. She couldn’t believe how long she had to sit there. Even as a member of his advisory council, she was still treated like any other Kholvari.

  The door opened and two female Kholvari exited, followed by Ikharus’s new bodyguard, Kho Vylan, who had already taken to his role as if he had been doing this for years. He walked briskly and kept his head straight the entire time as he wielded the ornate – albeit highly ineffective – spear in his grasp.

  As soon as the two female Kholvari were far enough down the hall, Vylan turned and looked down to Sanja. She looked back up to him, not saying a word.

  “Kal Sanja,” he greeted, “the Supreme Chieftain will see you now.”

  “So I’ve heard,” she replied. She faced the door to the room before the throne room and motioned to it. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  Vylan nodded and the two proceeded through the door. There were still scrape marks here and there across the floor, along with some obvious burns made from a plasma cannon. This room was where Ikharus and his team had battled against Kozakh and Ezen-something. Sanja wondered how long it would take to restore it all to its former glory.

  They stopped before the next door, which was flanked by honor guards on each side. As always, they did their best impression of useless statues. Sanja made one last check to make sure her Kholvari clothes looked alright as the door slowly began to open.

  The throne room, Sanja thought with a small smirk. It took long enough to get here.

  Vylan led Sanja inside and she followed closely behind until she stood about halfway between the throne and the entrance. Then she stopped and bowed before the tall backless seat.

  “You may rise,” Ikharus said, waving his only claw as he sat upon the throne.

  Sanja stood up and faced the Supreme Chieftain. His body was silhouetted against the light of Earth through the massive window at his back. Vlyan had already found his place next to the throne and now stood in position, staring forward.

  “Supreme Chieftain, it is a great honor to come to you today. I am humbled in your presence,” she lied. She figured she should say something flattering to start the meeting.

  “Spare me your compliments, Kal Sanja. What is it you wish to say to me that warranted a private meeting between the two of us?” Ikharus replied.

  Sanja felt the eyes of the numerous guards lining the wall. She could hardly call this a “private meeting”, but she would keep that comment to herself.

  “I’m sorry, sir. I forget that you don’t like compliments. Kho Veznek was different. I’m still getting used to that.”

  “I understand. This is a time of transition. In times like these, there will always be a need to adjust to our new roles. There is no need to apologize,” Ikharus replied, casually waving back to her. “In time, I am sure you shall find that Kho Veznek and I are exceptionally different.”

  Yeah, I’ve noticed.

  “Yes, thank you,” Sanja replied, nodding to him.

  “Still, you have not yet answered my question. What is it you wish to say to me that warranted this private meeting?” he asked again.

  Sanja gulped and met his eyes.

  “Well, sir, I was hoping to speak to you about my role in your advisory council.”

  “Has your time within my council been unpleasant?”

  “Not unpleasant. That’s not the word I would use, no. But… minimal.”

  “Minimal?” Ikharus repeated. He adjusted in his seat.

  “I know I am part of your council, but it feels like this is a role in name only. When I’m with you all, I sit in on meetings, but my opinions are hardly ever addressed, and I have been given no formal duties. It honestly feels like I was grandfathered in just because Kho Veznek trusted me. If I may be frank, I feel as if I have been largely ignored and…” She lowered her head as she searched for the word, then raised it again as she remembered. “I feel underutilized since you took over.”

  Ikharus let in a deep breath of air and slowly let it out. He leaned his scepter against the seat and leaned forward.

  “What is it you would have me do?” he finally asked, calmly.

  “I would prefer not to feel powerless anymore. Give me something to do. You know, like a long-term task or a mission.”

  “A long-term task? A long-term mission?” Ikharus repeated. He slowly bobbed his head and leaned back again. “You are in interesting sort, Kal Sanja. I too am one who likes to keep busy. I can easily relate. But alas, I confess that I do not have much use for you. I do not know what you could offer that the others by my side could not.”

  “I can lead. I can help. But I feel like you won’t even give me a chance.”

  “I am sorry you feel this way, but this is not the time for chances, Kal Sanja. Think of what is at stake. Factions of the Chiefdom are in open rebellion, trade across towns has been disrupted, cargo resupply shuttles into orbit have been difficult to coordinate, blackouts on Mars, lost ships. The list is longer than I can tell here and now.”

  “I understand what’s at stake, your Highness, but not giving me a chance is like saying I’m nothing. It’s like I’m being ignored on purpose.” Only after saying those words did it occur to Sanja that she had addressed him the wrong way. He was supposed to be referred to as your Majesty, not your Highness. She hoped he would not take offense to her mistake.

  Ikharus sighed again and lowered his head. He was quiet for a moment. Sanja could even see his mandibles twitching, as if he were thinking of the words to say. Finally he calmly nodded his head and spoke.

  “You are correct to assume that it is by intentional effort that you have been kept far from a position of power,” he said as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before my efforts grew too much for you to tolerate.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I am saying, Kal Sanja, that even if I did have a job for you, I don’t wish to see you in command of anything or anyone.”

  That sure was blunt.

  “May I ask why?”

  “Need I honestly say? Your actions should speak for themselves.” Ikharus waved his claw as he said the words. “I have been hesitant to say this to you directly, but since you ask, this is my answer: your methods are highly concerning. It is an understatement to say that I disapprove of your decision to bomb the remaining evolved-ones.”

  “Ah, so that’s what this is about. Bombing the humans,” Sanja said. Somehow she knew that was the root of it. “You know that I was just helping Kho Veznek a
chieve his goal, right? I didn’t give that order.”

  “Still, you are to blame for the destruction of your own people. Whether you gave the order or not, this kind of treachery is not something I can so easily turn my gaze from.”

  “Seriously? But Kho Ikharus, your Majesty, I was just following orders. I was compliant. Don’t you value compliance in your culture?”

  “We do,” Ikharus confirmed.

  “And didn’t Kho Kozakh and Kal Ezenkharam just follow orders when they fought against you and your team?” Sanja hoped she had pronounced the second name properly but was not quite sure.

  “They did,” Ikharus said.

  “And yet, you were able to forgive them. You were able to look past their treachery. If you can look past what they did, why can’t you look past what I did?”

  “Because what they did was not treacherous. They did not knowingly betray their people. They saw me as an attacker, a terrorist, a killer.” Ikharus leaned forward. “When you killed your people, you saw them as your people. There is a difference.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, sir. The humans, or evolved-ones, stopped being my people long before we bombed them to bits. The only part of me that’s still connected to them is this body,” she said, motioning to herself. “I am not one of them.”

  “You may have disassociated yourself from their society, but you are still an evolved-one. Just because you did not like them does not mean they are your enemy,” Ikharus replied, leaning back. He sighed. “Still, you are persistent, aren’t you?”

  “I am,” Sanja said, optimistic about his sudden change in tone. She did not know why, but she anticipated that he was about to give her something to do.

  “While I still do not trust you, I must admit, your timing comes at a most auspicious hour. There is perhaps one way you can be useful, should you wish to prove yourself to me. It is not a long-term role like you have requested, but a short one-time duty I have in mind.”

  “Yes, of course, anything,” Sanja eagerly replied.

  “Then I shall tell you the task,” Ikharus said, shifting in his seat. There was an obvious a tone of reluctance in his voice. “Reports from the surface claim that a band of evolved-ones have seized and are now in control of one of our bipedal combat tanks. We use these vehicles mainly to hunt and contain ruors living in the forest.”

  Evolved-ones on the surface, Sanja thought. Now we’re talking. She quickly went through the list of who it could be. There were so few left. She could not imagine any of them being brave enough as to capture an enemy vehicle. Part of her doubted the validity of this report.

  “If reports are to be believed, these hijackers have used the bipedal tank to subdue two of our ruor hunters. When discovered, the bodies of our hunters were trampled beyond identification, though we were later able to learn that they were a mated pair who had not yet seen the eggs of their unborn nymphs hatch.”

  “Where did this happen?” Sanja wondered, not caring about the details of nymphs and eggs.

  “The bodies of both Kholvari hunters were found not far from the missile launch site that destroyed our Vigilant Behemoth.”

  The missile launch site. The Pentagon. Damn. It must be them.

  “Your mission, should you wish to prove your usefulness to me, is to accompany some of my soldiers to the surface and find these evolved-ones who have stolen our vehicle.”

  “So it’s a search mission?”

  “No, not a search. We already know their location. We know the position of the vehicle through its onboard tracking system.”

  “Okay, so I guess I’m a bit confused. We know the humans have stolen your walking tank and we know where they are because we can track it, so what is the job?”

  “To prevent additional loss of life, Kal Sanja. I do not wish for these evolved-ones to murder another innocent Kholvari. We cannot have them roaming around with this vehicle aimlessly killing whoever they encounter.”

  “So you want me to talk to them?”

  “Exactly. You are to talk. That is all. It will be much harder for us to communicate to them with Kholvari soldiers alone. They may not listen to a Kholvari, but if they see another of their kind, they will hear what you have to say,” Ikharus explained. “I want you to peacefully convince these evolved-ones to come to Fruitful Spring. If they follow your request, no harm will come to them.”

  “And if they do not follow my request? Then what? Will harm come to them?”

  “No, Kal Sanja. These evolved-ones are not to be harmed if we can help it.”

  “When why bring soldiers?”

  “In the event that we cannot help it.”

  Sanja sighed.

  “I see,” she said. “So the soldiers are there in case the guys in the tank shoot first and won’t listen to my little speech.”

  “Let us hope such a fate does not occur,” Ikharus responded, “but should such events come to pass, then yes, that is why the soldiers are there.”

  Sanja slowly nodded her head and thought about this assignment. She could not help but feel that it was beneath her, but she supposed she had no choice. She was itching for a chance to prove herself. As much as she wanted to take any other job, she knew there was no other job.

  “I understand,” she said as she bowed before him. “Thank you for this opportunity, Supreme Chieftain.” She rose and met his gaze. “I will not let you down.”

  Chapter Six

  Scion

  SQL Kal Jakhu

  Jakhu ducked as the long metal staff swept above her head, barely missing her. She instantly popped back up and drew both claws up to the ceiling, knocking the stick out of her sparring partner’s grip. She then dove forward, plowing into her partner, sending him clear across the mat.

  Before he had a chance to recover, Jakhu drew her blunt knife and brought it down to her partner’s throat.

  “I have you,” she declared through long breaths.

  Kozakh placed both claws upon his head in surrender.

  “A good match,” he responded.

  Jakhu nodded and placed the dummy knife back inside its sheath. She helped Kozakh back up.

  “I must say, I am surprised, Kho Kozakh. For one who has spent the bulk of his career wielding a spear, I expected I would be no match against you and the long staff.”

  “You are more skilled than you know, Squad Leader. That and my body is not what it once was. Our battle before the throne room has taken more out of me than I care to admit.”

  “Still, you are strong. That much is plain to me,” Jakhu replied, patting him on the back of the shell.

  “Thank you, Squad Leader. Your words are kind.” He paused for a moment, then said, “If you will excuse me, I find myself dehydrated.”

  “Of course.”

  With those words, Kozakh walked off for a horn of water.

  Jakhu wiped some sweat from her face and looked around the room, studying the sparring matches around her. Regular military used this facility to train, but without a designated space for the Kreeds, Jakhu and her team were granted permission to use this space too whenever they needed it.

  Most of the soldiers in this room were unknown to Jakhu. She did not interact much with the regular military. But after a bit of looking around, she was surprised to see Kho Evirak and Kal Ukhrani present. They sparred together in the far corner.

  Jakhu watched as they practiced with nothing but their bare claws. Ukhrani was clearly at an advantage in the fight, having not been injured in the battle to defeat Kho Veznek, though Evirak still managed to hold his own. He managed to deliver a few blows to Ukhrani’s chest before she swung her front left foot around, tripping Evirak and forcing him to fall back. Ukhrani wasted no time pinning him down to the floor. After a few seconds of struggle, Evirak finally submitted, placing both claws upon his head.

  The squad leader smiled and slowly passed by the pairs of dueling soldiers around her until she met the members of her squad in the corner. She calmly clapped.

  “Exce
llent work, both of you,” she said as she approached.

  Ukhrani helped Evirak stand and they both turned to face her.

  “Squad Leader,” they greeted in unison.

  “You may rest. That was quite a bout.”

  “If only I could have kept my footing,” Evirak said. He faced the floor as if ashamed.

  “You are still recovering, Kho Evirak. I understand.”

  “I did not know you were here, Squad Leader,” Ukhrani said. “Have you been watching us long?”

  “I was sparring with Kho Kozakh,” Jakhu replied. “He is fetching water now.”

  “If it is alright with you, I would like to do the same,” Ukhrani said.

  “Please, drink,” Jakhu replied, motioning to the other side of the room with the water dispenser.

  Ukhrani nodded and passed by Jakhu without saying another word.

  “How was your match with Kho Kozakh?” Evirak asked, looking up to meet Jakhu’s eyes again.

  It was just the two of them now.

  “Challenging. He is a skilled fighter.”

  “He is,” Evirak agreed.

  “He is still unaccustomed to our ways as Kreeds, but he is learning. The speed and precision at which we work is still foreign to him. He is finding it difficult to shed his training in the honor guard. But I have no doubt he shall come around.”

  “That is good to hear,” Evirak said, nodding.

  “Yes, it is,” Jakhu replied. “You and Kal Ukhrani seem to work well together. Watching you spar was like watching a choregraphed dance.”

  “I imagine it was not as pleasing to the eye as a dance, Squad Leader.”

  “More so in fact. You underestimate yourself, Kho Evirak. Your skills are strong, both of you.”

  “Well, I thank you for the kind words, but I have my doubts. I am not as strong as I was when I first joined Kreed Marauder.”

  “It is as I said, you will recover.”

  “I know, but the wait is difficult to endure.”

  “The body can only work so fast to heal itself.”