Lily: -Do you accept your defeat?

First queen: -...

Lily: -Oh, wait, you probably can't speak from the paralysis effect. Well, I will take this as my win, so don't worry, the larvae attached to your back have already begun to neutralize the poison. You will be up and fine in a few minutes, just lay there for now.

I see, so those armor pieces are actually larvae, and they also have poisoner bites, and they have the antidote too. It is a good design to have both not just as immunity but in a way to inject it into other beings through their bites. It is an interesting evolution choice, never saw this on any other zerg. If they are already immune to a certain poison, why would they make the effort to heal others from their own poison. It is clearly a conscious evolution path... even normal animals didn't do such a thing. She most likely wants to heal the other zergs if they get poisoned accidentally. I already knew that the hybrid was able to speak in terran, but the fact that even the other zerg queens are capable of doing so is simply astonishing. I will have to report this to the council.

I guess it is about time to go. This much excitement should have been enough for one day. I began to walk towards the opening on the wall, that was functioning as a general entrance. Unfortunately, after I took a single step, a loud screeching noise alerted me of a terrible mistake I had just committed... I stepped on one of those stupid larvae... How did this one fly so far from the battle? Or did it sense my presence and come here purposefully. Probably not the best time to think about this... I looked up only to realize that the hybrid was currently standing in front of me... When did she come here? Ugh, those larvae attached to her skin looked quite unsettling; from this distance they were constantly moving and wriggling around.

She was looking at me at the moment, but she was clearly unable to see me. She was more likely looking through me, trying to figure out what had happened. I carefully stepped away from the larva so it finally stopped its frustrating screeching and ran back to the hybrid. I knew that I probably should leave right now, but it was so fascinating, looking at this unique entity, from this short distance. I normally didn't dare to come so close, because of her paralyzing poison, if she hits me accidentally and it gets behind my psionic shield, that could be troublesome. Yet I couldn't just waste this rare opportunity... At least the scientist in me wasn't willing to do so... 

I have to see her reaction. Will she become aggressive or scared? I am curious. She closed her eyes, ah, I see, smart. She realized that she is unable to see me, so instead she tries to sense me through carefully listening to the sounds and smells around her, probably. It is unfortunate, that my shield does not let either sound nor smells leave any trace behind. Wait... What is that on her forehead? Was that vertical slit there all the time? Ugh?

While I was too occupied by taking in the different parameters and characteristics of the hybrid standing before me... She just grew a third eye in the middle of her forehead, in front of my own eyes, just like that... What the hack is that?

To be honest, I can't be entirely sure, if she grew it now, or if I simply didn't know about its existence until now. Anyway, the eye itself was about twice as big as her normal terran like eyes. The very moment its eyelids opened, the eye began to turn around rapidly, looking everywhere with wild, sudden movements. How fascinating, I thought, mesmerized by this incredible sight. That only took up a few seconds of my time; then it suddenly refocused on me. This time it was different; I just knew that, now, it was able to see me, with that strange eye. It looked like the ones on the observer overlords, only in a much smaller version. The girl suddenly showed me a childlike, satisfied smile... I would not have been able to realize the meaning of this, expression, if I hadn't painstakingly analyzed terran facial features and body language in my past, but that was a given for someone who mostly worked as a spy...

Anyway, she was clearly happy that she was able to see me now. I am curious, what would she do now? I am certain that if I wanted I could easily run away, from them... Fighting against the three of them would be stupid, but running away was still easy, at least I think so. If she is the only one, that can see me, even if she shared the information with the others, I only have to get out of her direct vision and everything will be fine. So I wasn't that worried yet.

Lily: -I can see you now! But who are you? You are clearly not one of us, or I would know about you... Wait... You look like one of those strange creatures who saved me, and brought me here... Do you need something? Oh, wait, I didn't tell you my name yet... I am called Lily! I am the hive queen of this zerg colony... Wait no, not anymore... I will give that rank to the First queen, since she wants it so badly, that means from now on I will be... hmm, what should my rank be? Oh, I know, I will use the name of my evolution path from now on... I only figured this out not long ago... it looks like, I am the overmind of this colony.

Shadow Guard: -THE WHAT?

Lily: -The Overmind, well, it states Unfledged Overmind, but that is practically the same thing. It is stated by my biological scanning! Is that a big deal? Anyway, I was unable to thank you guys before, so thank you that you brought me here... It is a beautiful place; I like it very much. What is your name? Tell me your name! I already told you mine! It isn't fair, if you don't tell me yours! 

Shadow Guard: -Wha-what?... Eh... you are welcome. I guess... I am called Eandollath...

Wait... did I just tell her my real name, oh, no. I just told her my real name as a shadow guard... I am so stupid... I have to do something about this...

Lily: - So you are called E-an-do-llath? Eandollath, it is a nice name! But kind of hard to speak it out... Can I call you Ean instead? 

I am saved...

Eandollath: - YES! But you can only call me that, do you understand? Promise?

Lily: - Well, it's okay for me, but why the sudden concern? 

Eandollath: - ...I just, don't like to be called different names... 

Lily: - Ah. I see, I know exactly what you mean... I also used to forget my name... I would totally forget it if there were multiple versions of it. There is not even that much of a reason to have a name, if there are no terrans around... I mean, zerg don't really have a use for a name, we usually speak directly to the one we want to speak with through psionic ways. 

Eandollath: - E-he... 

What the hell is she talking about... I am also speaking with her through psionic means... yet she uses both ways of communication at the same time. And not having a name, can only happen with creatures that always leave open their psionic communication links towards each other, and they are not individualistic in nature. As a secret shadow guard, I had to cut off my khala at my initiation into the order. So I have to always consciously open up my mind to speak with anyone, that is the price to be psionically invisible.

-----

Meanwhile in the background.

Second Queen: -I can't believe she was able to take out the First... It is true that she was leaving out a bunch of opportunities, but still such carelessness should not have been allowed...

Third Queen: -I agree, it was a mistake from her side. She managed to distract her by simply using her voice... I never saw this tactic from any zerg creature before. Maybe we should consider this a legit strategy in the future.

Second Queen: -Absolutely, and her poison is much more dangerous than we anticipated... Its effect was devastating and almost instantaneous.

First Queen: -If the two of you are finally finished with your insufferable gloating, you can cast a few transfusions on me.

Third Queen: -Oh, I see your voice came back quickly, sister...

First Queen: -What do you mean by that?

Second Queen: -By the way, do any of you know what she is currently doing? I mean mother? She is standing over there and happily speaking to herself...

First Queen: - She is probably speaking with the hatcheries and forgets to only speak in her mind... It's not that rare really...

Second Queen: - Well, if you say so, come Third... it is time to help our sister...

Third Queen: -I will cast the first transfusion! Oh, did you see that mother used three transfusions on herself? I was so surprised, I even tried to do it on myself, but I failed...

First Queen: - She is the first of us, that means she is our overmind... She ought to have some special abilities... But it still surprised me, none the less. That armor too... Later we will still have to speak with her, she can't hold the hive queen title, if she stubbornly refuses to lay eggs...

Hatcheries: - Correction, you have just been appointed to Hive Queen, by the wish of the Overmind.

First Queen: - .... Is that so? Then, I guess the problem has already been taken care of.

Second and Third Queen: - Congratulation, for your appointment sister!

First Queen: - ...Thanks...