When I wake up in our shared alcove, I notice that I'm the first to wake up. The others are still sound asleep. It really seems that they need more sleep than I do...

"mmmm.....yes my Queen...mmmmm".   I need to be careful not to laugh...Aine seems to be dreaming about the Queen. Should I wake them? Nah...let's give them more time. 

I sneak out of the alcove and observe the food dispenser....should I? Maybe not today. I don't want to hurt Aine's feelings again, so I turn to the bath instead. There are quite a few buttons on it, I never noticed that before. I thought they were always "online," but it seems that I was wrong. Whatever the case, we can bathe as many times as we want, because bathing just takes a few minutes. Except for the evenings...that's when we want to take our time in the bath to relax.

"Good morning, Akari." A familiar voice from behind startles me, making me raise my arms for a moment.

"Aaah!  Oh...Aine, it's you.  Good morning...what are you exactly, a ninja?" God she startled me.

"A ninzzja what?" She gave me a very confused look. 

"Never mind. It means that I didn't hear your approach. You startled me."

"Ah..sorry about that. But why are you up so early? Are you hungry?" Aine seems genuinely worried. Or just hopeful to start feeding me.

"Well...yeah...but I'm not up early. It feels like I had more than enough sleep."

"Interesting. Perhaps your body needs less sleep than ours do."

"Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. Or maybe our days are longer than yours."

 

After she insisted that I enjoy "breakfast," the others slowly woke up, one after the other. Look at them...what a sleepy bunch. 

I asked Aine about something like a toothbrush, but they don't have anything like that. Not surprising as they don't even have teeth. But Aine recommended that I'd try using some cleansing fluid on my tongue, then on one tooth. It works fine and gives me that nice clean feeling again. Splendid. Just what I needed...more weird stuff.

"Moooorning." Kira said, sounding half asleep. 

Oookay...she's not the morning type, there's no doubt about it.

"Morning, Kira." I said. Let's leave her be for a while.

Then Esi flies my way and hugs me. Yep, definitely the morning type. "Hiya, Esi. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep! I feel great today!" She seems much more social than yesterday. Gone is the shy one. Can you imagine that she's only 2 months old? And ready to pilot a spaceship? My god, she's more like a little sister who I need to guide to school after breakfast. What a strange world....eh...universe.

"Ughh....my head hurts..." And there is Chiri, our cheerful enthusiastic optimist. Not.

"Chiri...are you even alive?" I said while smiling and shaking my head. She doesn't seem to be doing well this early.

"I will....this....this normal.....need food....hungry..." Sounds like Chiri is on low-power-mode.

Aine seems to feel sorry for Chiri and offers her a breakfast "Aine-style." Maybe it will help Chiri become a bit more positive. 

Ten minutes later everyone had their breakfast, one way or the other. We then had our communal bathing session. 

While still bathing, I asked "Chiri...do you always need to eat immediately when you wake up?"

"Yes, I can't think or wake up properly without eating first."

"Okay, then it's settled. Aine, we may need your help during emergencies. Imagine when we need to fly in the middle of the night and she can't even get out of her bed...eh...her alcove."

"Understood. Chiri, you have my nourishment immediately upon waking, agreed?" Aine's eyes are sparkling.

Huh? I only meant in an emergency? Ahhhh...I see...Aine doesn't mind....she WANTS to feed her. Okay, I will play nice. Let her be.  

"Yes, Aine. Thank you." Chiri seems to appreciate it as well. They could be mother and daughter, I tell you.

Everyone gets dressed while I wait in the bath for Aine to get my new uniform. But I don't need to wait very long.

"Akari, here's your new uniform! Now get ready and I'll help you." Aine looks really proud....and I swear, she's just like my mom.

"Thanks, mom." Oops.. I actually said it out loud! The others are snickering. So...they do understand what that meant. Maybe they met other races? "Sorry, Aine, you reminded me of my mother."

"Awwww.....come here..." She embraces my shoulders while I'm still standing in the bath, which makes my face turn red again.

She guides me to the "dryer" and then helps me get dressed. 

Only moments later can I observe my new uniform in the mirror. Yep, my makeup is definitely gone now. I hadn't noticed before, but no more lipstick. Luckily I don't wear earclips, or perhaps they would have thought that I was born with those. 

The mirror now shows a weird human-bee combo. My uniform is more like a sweater now, bright blue with black striping. My black pants are tight around my legs, so they look more like leggings. Yeah...I can get used to this. Ah..but my shoes are still my own.

"Aine? What about my shoes...will I get new ones eventually?" I pointed at my shoes.

"Your...shoes? I thought they were some natural part of your body."  Esi said, her eyes showing utter bewilderment.

Huh? Why would anyone be able to remove parts of their body? Esi...please!

"Eh...no...they won't last very long." I said.  My shoes are sneakers, so they are comfortable, but all things need replacing eventually. "Esi, didn't you notice that I wasn't wearing them when we bathed together?"

"Ehh....nooo?" She said very shily while looking at the floor.

"I will see what I can do for you. Is it urgent?" Aine said smiling, while studying my shoes for a moment.

"No, not at all. My shoes will last a few more months."

"Ah..that's eternity. We will have something nice for you by then."

"Alright. Thanks Aine!"

"You are welcome, little worker." And there she goes again....mom-mode. And the giggling was just an extra.

"Maybe we all need shoes. They are most useful when you leave the..eh...the Hive and go somewhere else." I said.

Aine nods, she understands. I guess she sees the benefit of this.

"Oh! I almost forgot...Aine? Is it okay for me to wear these shoes around here? In Japan we usually use indoor slippers....eh...special shoes."

"Of course you can wear them everywhere. Don't think about it."

"Oh..thanks, I feel relieved about that. But...if you don't mind me asking...why does everyone walk barefoot?"

"Why wouldn't we?" She simply replies.

Okay, I give up. I shrug and let the topic slide.

All pilots in our team are now dressed in similar uniforms. I am apparently the only one who is wearing shoes, though.

Aine guides us to the training area, where we are about to be briefed on general procedures and safety. Just the usual stuff...I hope. She won't join us for our lessons though. The training area is just a room and in fact it looks quite similar to a classroom.

A huge screen shows pictures of situations the instructor wants us to learn about. He told us that we will learn like this every morning. Yep, these people don't have weekends it seems. 

So this is going to be our routine for...well...for a long time to come. Today we will also discuss a few common tactics. Every day we will have something like a mission briefing, like our position relative to the homeworld. But also enemy movements. 

I'm slowly beginning to feel that this is real...there is a real war going on outside. And we are going to get in the middle of it...

After these general briefings we will use the flight simulator -yes my favorite part! And when we are a bit further, fly training missions for real. Afternoons are for us to review lessons and strategies in private.

So it seems that we have quite the time available to ourselves. It somehow feels weird, like they are forgetting something. But it is just the way they work here.

When the instructor briefly mentions their homeworld, I immediately raise my hand. He looks somewhat surprised and asks me what's wrong. Of course I needed to tell him what this meant.....I just raised my hand to ask a question.

"Instructor..." he didn't mention his name. Maybe it is not really their custom? "....what is the homeworld called? Is it just homeworld?" I hope he doesn't see me as a fool.

"Yes pilot...our homeworld is called Vahli Prime. Any other questions?"

"Yes, instructor. When you have the time, maybe next week or so...could you please tell us about eh..Vahli Prime? Defenses, number of Vahli on the planet. You know, basic stuff that might be helpful in defending the planet one day."

"Interesting...I will ask for approval. It might indeed be helpful one day as you say. Anything else?"

Wow, he really is polite, isn't he? And they seem to have all the time in the world for us. Nobody is stressed that they can't make it before the end of their shifts.

"No, instructor. Thank you."

"Very well..."  and he continued by showing us images of Kakross space ships. Ah..that scout...I already recognize that one. 

He didn't mention that they have shields, so I made sure to point that out to him. Really? That surprised look on his face.

"Tell me....pilot...how do you know this classified information?" 

Classified? What the heck? "Eh...classified? Aren't we supposed to learn about these important facts?" Can you believe this guy?

"Yes, that information is important, but these things will be discussed in future sessions. So tell me...how do you know this?"  He's getting annoyed. Okay, but so am I.

"Instructor...I destroyed one of those scouts when I was piloting a scout ship. They are tougher than they look. Especially because we don't have shields in our own scouts."

"You...you...wait a minute." He simply leaves the classroom and we exchange glances.

I forgot to mention that these lessons are only for our own team...so I have to admit that it's a perfect way to focus and learn. They probably believe it works best to individually train a team, to give them the best coaching for their level of development. That's why we can also ask many questions like these.

"You..really shot one of those?" Kira seems impressed.

"Yeah, I did. It was them or us. It happened the day I arrived here..eh...I guess it was the day before yesterday? I'm beginning to lose track of time." I put a few stray hairs back behind my right ear.

"Amazing. I can see why they made you our Leader." Chiri says with an honest smile. Nothing cynical in her voice at all.

Esi decides to remain silent. I hope she can pack a punch out there. She really is young for this role. Too young for my taste. 

"Esi, are you alright?" I can't use her in my team like this. 

"Eh...yes, Leader. I'm...just having difficulty with all of this." 

"Esi..relax. I am not just your Leader. All of us are your friends. And I know you are young, so let me know if I can help you, okay?" I hope this works.

A smile shows on her face and she visibly relaxes. "Mmm..Thanks." Her reply almost sounded familiar to me in Japanese. But I'm afraid that she really is too young for this.

But before I could encourage her further, the instructor returned. "Apologies for the delay. I confirmed your mission records. Interceptor Leader Akari, you are correct regarding the shields. The Commander will allow it if you wish to customize these lessons. Is that what you want?"

"Yes, please. Whenever you are going to discuss an enemy ship, I would like to see all available information on it. And occasionally we will review that. As soon as we meet those in space, we must be able to instantly recognize them and know what their weaknesses are. Regarding other topics, it's still too early to make any changes. I first want to see how you do things around here."

"I see. We will try to accommodate you. Our Commander has asked to get you three into the simulator right now, unless there are any questions. No? Good, then follow me." 

So the Commander is monitoring our progress..isn't he? I knew it. Are there any hidden cameras in here too? I'm sure there are. 

We follow the instructor into a nearby room where five Interceptor cockpits are placed on some kind of hydraulics. They remind me of professional flight simulators which real pilots on Earth use to train in. These setups seem able to simulate gravity as well...excellent. It's just a pity that I only see the cockpits, so only glass canopies with some metal around it. It hardly looks like a real plane now.

The instructor reminds us of the safety procedures. Things like "don't use your wings to fly into the cockpit, use the ladder instead." Well, I can't fly so that's not an issue for me. I climb into the first cockpit-unit on the left and the others take the ones directly next to mine.

A voice from the cockpit immediately says "please get seated and use the white button near the window to close the canopy. And don't worry, opening the canopy in space by mistake is not going to happen." 

It is our instructor who puts our minds at ease. That must have been one of the first questions he always gets from rookies. 

I push the button and the canopy slowly closes with a familiar hydraulic sound, followed by a loud CLICK. 

Well...I think I have to get used to this. It's rather a snug fit, considering that I'm taller than most here. Suddenly I hear a female voice coming from the cockpit instruments.

"Do you wish to adjust your seat?"

"Eh, yes please, but who are you?"

The seat moves backwards and my legs now have enough room to sit comfortably.They are now stretched into the nose section of the plane, with the instrument panel between them.

"Greetings, pilot1, I am the AI-unit currently installed in this interceptor."

"Oh...eh, I am Akari, nice to meet you! I'll be piloting you in this training session."

"Nice to meet you too, Akari. Do you wish to name me or start the pre-flight sequence?" 

Wow...she's polite!

"Eh, we have the time today, considering this is a simulated mission only. I'm about to learn about this..eh..about you I guess." 

"I see. Initiating neuro-scan....scanning....scan completed." 

The onboard displays are now activating and all text is displayed in plain Japanese. Like before...amazing!

"Alright, let's find you a name. It's a lot nicer than calling you my plane."

"Agreed, please speak my name..."

"Eh...let's see...Yamato..no, Yukikaze, no..something shorter is better. Eh...how about...Fuku? It's a ship from my favorite anime series. It means "good fortune." Do you like that name?"

"Name registered. You can now call me Fuku."  (Author's comment: the "u" is pronounced as the "o" in food)

Mmmm, she still sounds a bit formal. Well, it's only natural I guess. Probably needs some training too.

"Alright Fuku, start the pre-flight sequence."

"Affirmative. Akari?"

"Yes, Fuku?"

"Please note that I will be the same AI-unit in simulated flights as in real flights. So whatever we discuss here, will be available in real flight and vice versa."

"Oh right. Excellent. Then I look forward to working with you."

"As do I."

"Oh, that's right. Fuku, did you receive any instructions about the irregular brain wave patterns my body sometimes produces?"

"Please wait. Loading pre-flight briefing. Negative..no reports were filed.  BEEP.  Pre-flight sequence is now complete. Do you want to tell me about those patterns now?"

Ooookay...I have to get used to that. She switches topics mid-sentence.

"Yes. Please continue to monitor my brainwave patterns. It happens rarely, but it will render me unconscious. It will look like random neuron firing. In such a case, please take over from me and get us to safety, okay?"

"Understood. Exception added to flight protocols. BEEP.  Comm lines to teammates are now open."

"Chiri, Esi, Kira, are you there?"

"Yes"  "Of course" "Here!"  Are the replies I get.

Thankfully the instructor keeps quiet while we get ready.

"Alright. I will be using some words or descriptions that are not common to you. Please try to remember them. They will help us to be very efficient in real combat." I think it's important that they understand the concepts I'm familiar with. And I believe that's what the Queen wants me to do...share Earth concepts and ideas.

They confirmed my remark, all three in a different way again.

"Good, first of all, when you acknowledge my orders audibly, please say........" I took five minutes to teach them the basics of military communications. Simple, to-the-point and efficient. Let's see how things work out for us.

"Instructor, this is Team Leader, we are ready to start the simulation." I said.

"Copy that. Loading simulation now."  Excellent, he must have heard our discussion and started to pick up my terms as well! 

The canopy is no longer transparent, but shows a hangar deck now. Or launch bay I believe they call it. I am on the utmost left lane, the others are on my right. Exactly the same as how we entered these training units.
Wow, this is very realistic! I can even see simulated people moving about the place.

"Team 7732, prepare for launch." The instructor said in a serious tone of voice.

"Eh..instructor? Shouldn't you first teach us how these controls work?" I said. I mean....duh...how are we supposed to fly these things without proper instructions?

"That's a negative. Commander's orders. He wants to see what you can achieve by cooperating."

"<sigh> Alright...this is going to take a while," I said. I think I understand what the Commander wants, so let's try this my way.

"Fuku, do we still have an open comm line to my teammates?"

"Affirmative."

"Okay...here we go..." I took fifteen minutes to explain to my teammates what I believed was how this thing worked. The thrust slider on the left, the mode-selectors for the MFD (multi functional display) which can switch between modes like Navigation, Weapons, Damage control and Radar. Well..I call it radar, as long as it works it's fine, right? 

We all simply pushed buttons to our heart's content and taught each other what they did until Esi's cockpit started to beep like crazy. "What did I do???" She was in panic.

"And that combination, my pilots, is the ejection-sequence. It will eject the cockpit section from your Interceptor, thus enabling a rescue operation. Don't.....push....that....unless...you....have...to."

"Yes, instructor!!!!"

After ten or so more minutes, we felt confident enough to actually fly this thing. It's a simulator, so there's no real danger anyway. Not to us nor to the interceptors.

"Fuku, are we ready to go?"

"Checking....yes, you and all teammates are properly configured for launch."

"Okay, girls, prepare to launch on my mark." I know they only hear "females" but that is their problem, not mine. Maybe I will get my hands on the translator one time, who knows...

"Control, this is Team 7732, requesting launch permission." Wow, that actually sounds cool, especially when I am allowed to say this for real.

I see lights flashing in the distance, those must be indicating that the outer doors are opening. Then they stop flashing and continue to show a blue color. That's probably the signal "doors open."

"Team 7732, you are cleared for launch. Please note traffic ahead."

"Control, copy that. Team, we are launching NOW. Fuku....LAUNCH!" I said.

I'm immediately being pushed back in my seat and see my ship rushing through a dark tunnel. Clunk, clunk, cluck, it almost sounds like a train moving on tracks and....we're already outside! Jihaaa!! What a ride! Can we do that again? 

I see Kira already in front of me, the rest is still behind me. We are actually in space now!  The Huntress slowly disappeared behind us.

I felt some G-forces pushing me backwards, but nothing too bad. I guess these things have some minimal inertial compensators or something fancy like that. I can get used to that!

"Team: everyone alright?" Just checking.

"Yes..this was amazing!" This and other similar replies confirm that they enjoyed the launch sequence as much as I had.

"Team 7732, Control, proceed to your next waypoint." The instructor seems to play the part of Control as well.

"Control, 7732, copy that."

But we are still figuring out WHERE the next waypoint is. The instructor soon intervened and gave us some pointers. Waypoints should be easily configurable, but this must be bee-logic....we had to use a combination of two buttons to select the next waypoint. That's just crazy! I will talk to the Commander about that. It's supposed to be a war-plane, ready for combat...not a bloody freighter.

We finally managed to arrive at the designated coordinates when the instructor spoke to us again. 

"Alright, let's get informal for a while. So far, the four of you are performing above expectations. Usually we only launch after five or six sessions, but you managed to launch within the first session. Anyway, the Commander has ordered me to put you, Leader of Team 7732, into a simulated fight with an enemy scout. Nothing too serious though. Your teammates will hold this position and observe.  They are NOT to intervene, do you understand?" 

"Yes, instructor!!!!"

New coordinates are being downloaded to my simulated cockpit and I move towards them. They are only about one kilometer away from my teammates. I have to get an understanding of their concepts soon. Kilometers, miles, clicks, whatever they call those.

"Ah, team, I will call these scenarios dogfights so please remember the word." I said.

"Copy that!!!"  I wonder what word the translator found for that in their own language. It might sound silly, but I need to use words familiar to me if I want to survive out here.

What could they possibly want from me? Are they testing me? Better show them what I'm worth. This is a simulation anyway...so....let's go all out. Spacefighter Akari at your service!! Finally I can play again!

"Team leader, are you ready?" The instructor asked.

"Yes, instructor. Please start." He probably didn't see me nod, but who knows.

"BEEP. Akari, enemy scout detected at 020125." Fuku sounds worried, just like in real life.

"Alright Fuku, this is it. Raise shields."   Yep these babies do have shields.

"Shields are up."

I push the thrust slider to the maximum position and try to maneuver a bit. It definitely handles better than the scout ship I piloted. I don't need to compensate for inertia as much.

The target display shows a red triangle approaching, directly ahead. So that's the game you want to play, huh? I know this, you are going to play nice and then fire when you're close...no way mister.

I change course, left and push the turbo for five seconds. I see the red triangle changing course to follow me. Yes yes, you bastard come and play this game my way.

I let him approach me from my six. But I'm sure that the instructor and Commander know this scenario already. They have probably analyzed my tactics from my encounter with the scout. So...let's be creative.

"Fuku lock on target and show it on the display."

"Confirmed, target locked." 

I now see it approaching me....only a few more seconds...and there we go. I choose a loop-maneuver, doing a full 360 until I am back to the same heading I was in before I started the maneuver.  The enemy makes a left turn and I push the Turbo to get close to him. 

"Fuku, select beam weapon."

"Weapon ready." Fuku sounds excited....just like I am.

The computer then confirms that I have a target lock.

"BEEP - BEEP -  BEEP BEEP - BEEP BEEP -  BEEEEEEEEEEEEP"

That's when I keep pressing the Fire button, taking out the shields in one go. But the enemy quickly pulls up and right so I have to stop firing. Shit. So close. 

He makes a right turn and probably wants to get on my six again. No way buddy. Not today. 

I pull up 90 degrees and hope that the enemy is confused. And....he is. He's passing my previous projected course. I match his course and want to attack from above and behind, but as soon as I'm near him, he reverses thrust, thus getting behind me. I know what he's doing...that's my maneuver! So I push the Turbo and turn right, going for a full 360.

And there he is...a sitting duck...only now accelerating by using his Turbo. Too late buddy....I get a positive fire lock and only release my Turbo when I'm on his six. I keep firing and see that he has sustained massive damage. Don't relax now, Akari.

I press Turbo again and keep my distance from the target. My engines need to cool down. I double check the radar and confirm that no additional targets are approaching. Excellent...time to go for the kill. 

"Fuku, switch to railguns." They should rip that thing apart. But I need to get closer.

"Selected."

Just a bit more....and fire! BAM BAM BAM -  The high-yield bullets rip the scout to pieces. I didn't forget the debris this time and turned left with full thrust enabled.

"Target destroyed," Fuku said. It is the message I had hoped to hear from Fuku.

"Yihaaaa. Splash one lizard." I can't help myself. It's just like home! But if that was only an AI-unit...I'm in for some serious training. Or maybe their AIs are just the best of the best.

"Alright leader 7732, come to a complete stop."

I set my engines to zero and wait for further instructions. 

"Mission complete. We will be ending this simulation now. We will practice manual and automated docking maneuvers in future sessions. Prepare to see the bright light of the training room again."

He wasn't kidding...my eyes are blinded for a few seconds when the canopy opens. I'm back in the room where this adventure began. Weird! Such a weird feeling to be back here when I really felt I was flying in outer space!

"Akari, are you alright?" The instructor apparently climbed up the ladder and saw me daydreaming. 

"Eh, yeah, I'm fine. That was....AMAZING! So realistic!"

"Ha ha ha. This was simulated and your previous session was in a real scout ship. I think you have things reversed."

"Ha ha ha, yeah I guess you're right. But this feels so...REAL! WOW!" 

"That's just the adrenaline rush. Are you ready to climb down?" The instructor offers me a hand while smiling.

"Sure." I stand up and follow the good man down to the floor.

My three teammates are looking at me as if I were a monster.

"What?" I said while shrugging.

"Please tell me that you practiced this many, many years." Kira said.

"Ha ha ha. No, I only used games...eh...simulators back home. It's a hobby of mine." I scratched my head, not knowing what to do with the compliment.

"Akari...you were AMAZING!" Poor Esi is trembling on her knees while she embraces me.

"Aww...Esi...don't be worried. I've played lots of games. You are still very young. You will get to beat me soon enough, trust me."  I embraced her as well, and gently patted her head.

"Really?" She looks up into my eyes.

"Yep, that is a promise. You heard the instructor right? We worked as a team and managed to get out in space in the first session. That's not me...that's us, working together. Listen to me....YOU....CAN....DO....THIS!"

"Yes, she is very right on that." I hear the familiar voice of the Commander, entering the room behind me.

"Well done, Akari. I flew that simulated enemy craft you just destroyed. It seems...."

"That was you?! My god those tactics...I knew it. No computer could possibly do that!"

"Ha ha ha, so you even noticed that, huh? Akari, you are coming with me. As for your teammates, please meet her in your mess hall shortly. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Commander!" They saluted him and left the room. But not before turning around and shaking their heads. Oops, did I go too far? It was just a game, right?

The Commander motions me to follow him. After a short walk I found myself in his office again.

"Please, Akari, have a seat."  He points towards the nasty squares without a backrest. I need to teach  these people about real chairs.

"Thank you, Commander." I sit down and wonder what this is about. I subconsciously look at the spot where my hand made a hole in the wall. Guess they fixed it. 

"Yes they fixed it. But back to you now. What did you just do?" He looks quite serious.

"Eh...excuse me? Did I...damage something?" I look around but don't see anything wrong.

"No, no, not the walls, Akari. The flight! Your combat a moment ago. What was that?" He crossed his arms and seemed really serious.

"Sorry, I don't understand? I just...flew that thing?"

"Yes, exactly that. That was supposed to be your first training flight. How were you able to get this kind of working relationship with your teammates?"

"Uh..we're just friends?"

"No no...you misunderstand. You four stepped into those cockpits....taught each other how to do things and then were able to launch your interceptors. IN THE FIRST SESSION. That has NEVER happened before. Never. In any Hive. Anywhere."

"I'm sorry, Commander. It won't happen again." Jeez, what's wrong with him?

"No no no...oh my Queen how do I say this. YOU ARE AN ANOMALY. A WELCOME one. The Queen was spot on with you. From now on you are going to customize your training sessions to your requirements. We will have an extra instructor attending your future training sessions. He will be observing only. Your tactics are fresh. The way you treat your team is...well...fresh.  
And you use your own set of descriptions for each scenario. Like copy that instead of our "we acknowledge your orders." These words are short and precise, more efficient. My Queen....Akari...."

"Eh...I'm not your Queen though."

"Huh? No no no, I meant...."  

I interrupt him by raising my hand. "Commander, I know what you meant. Please relax and let me explain." I smiled and tried to get him to start making sense again.

"Of course. I.....<sigh>, yes you are correct of course. It's just that you achieved so much in so little time. It just blew my mind."

Well, he's honest alright. But I don't want this kind of praise. Just....keep it together please.

"I understand, but please see it from my perspective."

"Yes, of course, please explain."

Good, he's a lot calmer now. "Commander, I told you that I like to play games, right?" He nods, good. "I treated this session as just another game. I played many, many hours against other humans for fun. Destroying alien ships and also close range fights, known as dogfights. I know basic tactics and can advise you here and there, but in the end.....this here..." I point to the floor  "....this Hive is real. We are in real outer space. Lives are at stake. People can die when I do something wrong. That never was an issue in my games....because they were fake, simulated. So please don't think that I can perform miracles."

"Akari, you already have. And I know exactly what you mean. You won't be going out there without proper training, believe me. I am only excited about your fresh tactics. They are EXACTLY what we need to fight our enemy. Your ideas, suggestions, tactics, maneuvers, whatever you want to call them....might actually save our race."

"So...no pressure. Just a species to save." Oh god, what did I agree to?

"No, Akari. We will learn from your simulated fights and apply them in reality. Your training will go on as planned. We are not going to send you to our enemy like this. Who do you think we are? We are hardly savages."

"Commander, I know that. And I meant no disrespect. Really. I just don't want to disappoint you. You think that you found your answer with me...and I'm afraid that carelessly applying my ideas might be harmful to you."

"Your attitude is commendable. But I know potential when I see it. Will you help us? Show us all your..tactics...tricks....anything that might help us?"

"Yes, Commander. With all my heart. But please promise me to use sound judgment. I am only used to playing games."

"I promise. And I also promise to watch over you and your team. We won't be throwing you into dangerous situations when you are only starting your training. Don't forget...you just started today. And look what we learned already!"

"Well...that's true."

"Yes, it is. Now excuse me...I need to speak to the Queen. You are dismissed."

"Yes, Commander!" I salute him and make my way outside. Eh....which way is to the mess hall?

I turn back and see the Commander pointing to my left...ah....gotcha. I nod and continue my walk.

Okay, I've been walking for like fifteen minutes now....and I'm completely lost. Officially totally lost. And I'm getting hungry too.....!
Should I just ask someone here? I'm about to ask someone, but they beat me to it. 

"Excuse me...eh...pilot?"  A female worker tries to get my attention.

"Yes, I'm Akari. Are you lost too?"

"Huh, lost? No no no, I need your help."

"Help for what?" I'm a pilot, what could they possibly want with me?

She grabs my arm and drags me into a large well-lit room and points towards some white..thingies?

"Sorry, I don't understand?" I said. What is going on here? I don't see anything here that needs my help.

"These are about to hatch. My co-worker is in the medical bay and....oh my Queen..... just follow me, I beg of you! They'll die without our help."  Her expressions underline that she's not exaggerating.

"Eh...alright, alright. Just tell me what to do."

"Forgive me for sounding patronizing, but I don't have the time for questions. Those are eggs. Take them in your arms and carefully open their soft casing. Then gently put the little ones in a crib.  I will do the rest. Can you do that?"  She practically begged me to help.

"Eh...yes ma'am. Of course."

"Then go. And thank you."

She ran towards the cribs where little ones are wriggling in their cribs. Great, my luck. I walk towards the eggs and see that they are each in some kind of basket.

So...I just open them? Whatever. I sit down next to them and put one in my arms. Then I carefully try to use my nails to open the egg. It's just like cotton candy! I just have to....there we go. "Mwaaaa!!!"  Oh god, is it supposed to do that?

The lady from before shouts to me across the room "perfect, now put them in the crib and repeat."

Alright. I walk to a crib and gently place this one in their crib. It looks like a cute little plushie. But I don't have time for that.

I take another one, and repeat the same maneuver over and over again. When I don't see any eggs remaining, the lady approaches me. I guess the emergency is over now? She sees me staring at one little cuddly bee. Yeah...I decided to just call them bees.

"Cute, aren't they?" She looks at the newly born....eh...freshly hatched, then at me.

"Yes, they are very cute. I'd love to cuddle them."  How can I not? They are so adorable. 

"Awww...you'd make an excellent nurse. Pity that you are a pilot. But your role is important, too."

"Yes it is. Awww....I never knew they were so cute."

Only now does the nurse realize something...she falls to her knees in prostration. I look down at her...in complete bewilderment. "Huh?"

"Please forgive me for not realizing it sooner. You are....a Queen...."

Here we go again. Won't this ever stop? "Please...nurse."  She's a nurse, or isn't she?  "I am not a Queen. Please stand up. I don't deserve that much honor."

She looks at me and sees me smiling. She immediately stands on her feet again and says "thank you....I....you..."

I interrupt her, otherwise she just keeps repeating the same sounds. "Don't worry. You are not the first. My body somehow produces the same pheromones as the Queen's. I don't know why, just ignore it, please."

"Ah...right. Thank you for being so kind. And for helping me with the little ones. Without your help....I would have lost at least ten."

"Lost?" Now I'm confused.

"Yes, as in died. Their lungs only start working at the last moment, and there isn't enough air inside. I don't know why, but that's just how things are. We nurses are often underestimated..but we save lives every day too."

"I see your point. And for what's worth...I will tell my friends about your role. Maybe they even come and visit here?" 

"Of course! You are always welcome here. Would you...would you like to hold one?"

"Aww..can I? They are so cute!"  

"Sure....here...you.....go.. there."

She handed me the nearest one. The one I had already decided to be "cute."

"Oh god, their little hands are so adorable. And that smile...soo cute." Perhaps my maternal side is taking over, I´m carefully nuzzling its little nose against mine. 

"Ha ha ha, maybe you can ask for a transfer? Or come here when you are off duty? The little ones love to get your attention. We don't have much time for that." She gave me a sad look. I guess she really cares for them as if they were her own.

"Well, I can't promise that. I just arrived on this Hiveship recently. And I started training here today. And to make matters worse....I'm completely lost!" I almost forgot that last part. They are way too cute.

"You...you are lost? Where did you want to go?"  

"I'm supposed to meet my team in the mess hall close to the launch bay. The one with windows."

"Ah...I know exactly which one you mean. But you are not going to believe it."

"Believe...what?" Now what is going on?

"When you leave here, just go left and left again. It's not more than a short walk from here.

"What? Really? Wow. Thanks!" 

"No problem at all."  She gave me a warm smile.

"Alright then. See you!" I turned around and wanted to leave the room.

"Eh...pilot?"

"Yes..nurse?" 

"That...little one....."

"Oh..ooohh....sorry...of course. Here you go."  I almost took the little one with me!

"I wouldn't blame you for taking her with you. She's very cute."

"Ah..it's a..female?"

"Eh...you didn't know? We both are females, you surely noticed that only males have feelers on top of their heads, right? We only have...nodes on our heads. Or not? Mmmm....now I see that you look a bit different too. I guess your pheromones played a trick on me. May I ask what you are?"

"Sure, I'm a human. I accidentally arrived here a few days ago. The Queen offered me a job....eh...role here."

"Ahh..amazing. You could have fooled me. Your kindness, your way of handling things..even your pheromones."

"Eh..please no more compliments. My Commander already gave me plenty. I don't think that I deserve them."

"What a wonderful attitude." She gave me one of those creepy big smiles they tend to give.

"Eh....right."  I need to switch topics...."May I ask you something?"

"But of course! Always! It's the least I can do in return for your help."

"When will those babies be fed? They are newborn..eh...newly hatched....so they must be hungry, right?"

"They won't be hungry for about an hour after hatching. It's one of those things in nature that help to maintain balance I guess. Otherwise nurses would be stressed even more. Getting them out of their eggs and then feeding them immediately after...no....we have some time. Thank the Queen."

"And how..."

"Feeding? We nurses eat quite a lot in the morning. Our bodies then make nourishment. We can give that to the young."

"Amazing. So you don't have to eat the nourishment and then return it...but your body actually makes it?"

"Yes, that's exactly what happens."

"Only for nurses?" I asked. Sorry, but this is just so weird, I had to ask.

"Yes, we are the only ones capable of doing that. May I ask why you are interested? Are you hungry too?"

My face is heating up again. "Eh no no no, Aine will be feeding me soon." I can't believe I just said that so casually. Feeding me!

"You mean...the Queen's attendant?"

"Yes, exactly. But she's now assigned to me."

"Ahhhh....I understand now. Don't tell her, but she was born a nurse. The Queen then assigned her to become her retainer. All nurses are told that story. It tells us that we all are important, and that sometimes even a nurse can serve the Queen directly. But a nurse's instincts never leave us."

"Interesting. That explains many things."  So that's where the desire to feed others comes from...

I take a look at the baby who is lying securely in her crib. She's cute. No, that's not true....they're all cute!

"Exactly. Now come here." 

Oh crap...I know where this is going.

"Eh...no...I have to..."

"If you don't...I'll tell Aine that she should consider asking the Queen to make a nurse out of you."

"But..."

"Don't you worry....I can tell that you're hungry."

Well she's right about that. I look around....there's nobody else here. "But you'll keep this a secret?"

"No, I won't." She shook her head.

"Eh...I don't get it." If she's going to tell, then why bother in the first place?

"I'll inform the Queen's new attendant what you did here today. But I won't tell anyone about feeding you. Is that alright?"

"Eh...if you must tell the Queen. I'd rather not."

"You are too modest. We always say: you serve the Queen by serving the little ones. And that's what you did. Maybe she'll even order you to come here more often, ha ha ha."

Nope. Not funny. Not funny at all.

"Alright then. I trust your sound judgment." I shrugged. I'm not going to win this one.

"Very wise. Now come here and close your eyes. I still need to feed the little ones, so I can only give you a tiny amount. Alright?"

"Sure. I will be going....mmmmmmmm" She already stood on her toes and pressed her lips against mine.

Wow...this is...something like custard pudding mixed with lemon and...honey? Of course I get the honey...but.... Hey! A little bit she said!

"There you go. How was it?"

I opened my eyes and tried to savor the taste. "It tasted absolutely amazing. It's different from Aine's and the Queen's."

"You....you were fed by the Queen? Oh my Queen....I knew I should have shown you more respect."

"No no, don't worry about it. The Queen's nourishment was very sweet. Aine's is more of a vanilla custard pudding flavor. Yours was like Aine's, but with a more lemony flavor. I like it."

Eh....did I really just say that? It sounds like I'm taste-testing for a gourmet restaurant.

"Ha ha ha..thank you, don't be embarrassed. This is only natural."

"May I have your name? Mine is Akari."

"Akari, it has been an honor. I'm Riki. Please come visit me again."

"I'd love to. Until next time!"

"Bye!"  She waved me goodbye.

Ah right, I need to go left here. And another left....yep, she was right..this is the place!

The second I walk into the mess hall, all eyes are focused on me. Silence....nothing but silence and stares around me.

"What?" I shrugged.

"Eh...you...you are covered in egg residue." One worker was kind enough to tell me.

Grrr...Riki !!!!!!!  <sigh>   Now they all know.

"Nothing happened okay? Just helping out a nurse in distress."

People are now all smiling. They probably thought I killed one of theirs or something like that.

Aine was talking with the other three when I walked into the room, but she's now walking towards me. She doesn't say a single word, just looks at my uniform and takes some residue from it.  She sniffs it and then sniffs near my mouth. What is she? A dog?

"Open your mouth." She sounds pissed.

"What?"

"You heard me..NOW!" 

Oh crap. I open my mouth as wide as possible, like when you're lying in the dentist's chair.

She sniffs again, then says "I knew it. You were fed by Riki, weren't you? How could you?" She really seems in distress.

Excuse me? Are we married? Did I miss something?

"Eh.."

"No no..tell me the truth." She now crosses her arms.

I then whispered everything that had happened. Including the part that Riki would make sure that the Queen would be notified of my support in the nursery. And that I had no other option than accept her feeding, because she would otherwise recommend the Queen to make a nurse out of me. Can she really do that? Or am I just too naive?

"Ah.....Akari....you did a fine job...but Riki..she shouldn't have forced you. I will tell..."  She was about to leave...probably to pick a fight with Riki, but I took her arm.

"Please Aine, please don't make an issue out of this. I just wanted to help and I don't want any trouble with you. How can I....make up to you?" I can't believe I'm saying this. I didn't even do anything wrong! But I don't want this situation to blow up in my face.

"You are too kind for your own good, Akari. Alright. But tell me, which taste did you like better?" 

"Yours! Really! Absolutely!" I nodded vehemently. I didn't need a second to think about this. Aine is quite competitive, isn't she?

"Ha ha ha, correct answer. Now come and chat with your teammates. They already had their meals."

<sigh> Ehhhh......here we go again...back to business.

We first discussed what the Commander had said to me. And that I was lost for a bit...but I didn't tell them anything about the nursery. Nothing! And why do they insist on feeding me? Do I have my pheromones to blame for that? Do they register me as an infant on a subconscious level? Maybe I'll figure that out someday.

We then discussed what tactics I had used...and that the Commander was happy to see more of them.

Aine interrupted me for..well..what she always does when you don't expect it: feeding. Knowing that she used to be a nurse explains a lot though!

We then used the remainder of the afternoon to discuss our training schedule that I wanted to modify. They were also interested in the fact that another instructor would be observing us. It was a major morale boost for our team.

They were surprised when I announced that I was also looking into physical training. We need to exercise and at least practice some basic hand-to-hand combat. Apparently pilots never need these kinds of training. So we are going to change that!

They were not very enthusiastic but I was nevertheless able to persuade them during a relaxing hot bath next to our private alcove.

Let's show this Hive how well we girls can work together!