I've had a terrible night. All of these events kept me from sleeping. I don't think that I slept more than an hour or two. So it's still early in the morning on the Huntress, but I'm already beyond tired....I just want to sleep. But I can't.

 

The lights are still dimmed for the night when I sit down in the mess hall. I was hoping to find a few other people here at this hour, but it seems that I will have to eat an early breakfast alone. Aine is still sleeping, so she won't miss me for a while. 

I take a few waffles and eat them while standing in front of the windows, looking out in space. It's strange how these waffles make perfect comfort food.

My thoughts are wandering. From recent events, to back home...Earth. Now that the war is over, will I be able to return? Do I even want to, now that I look like this? Shouldn't I feel excited? Why am I feeling so down? Many questions, but there's nobody here to answer them.

Then my thoughts return to yesterday evening. Late in the evening, in a personal communication, my Empress said that she will honor our end of the bargain. We shall deliver basic medical supplies to the Kakross. But not without a proper escort or two. So far the Kakross have kept up their end of the bargain as well. Promising signs of a changing future. Until now, not a single Hive has been detected anywhere remotely near us, but we remain vigilant.

The Empress has ordered NavScan units to patrol the area together with interceptors, to find any remaining Kakross Hives...talk to them....or end their existence. We have remote controlled destroyers standing by, which are designed to take out those Hives. So, all it takes is time before those are gone as well. And in the meantime, while our population is expanding, we will continue to build additional defensive units.

She then asked me, which means demands, that I join her in her palace on Vahli Prime. She made it very clear that I wouldn't be returning to the Huntress anytime soon. I agreed that I would see her tomorrow evening, meaning tonight. 

After finishing my lonely breakfast, I visited Miwa in her throne room. But before I could tell her about the Empress's orders, that very Empress addressed her people again. We watched her speech on the view screen. 

She took the time to name the losses we incurred and our fallen were honored respectfully. She then spoke of a new era for the Vahli. Our numbers have multiplied and our defenses have increased considerably....even considering the recent losses. Also a fragile relationship with the Kakross has been achieved; something unthinkable until recently.

Starting tomorrow, after a day of mourning, every Vahli shall celebrate our victory and the start of a new era. 

After the speech I could finally speak to Miwa about me having to leave the Huntress. 

Miwa was more than devastated that I would be leaving her. "You promised you would always be near me!" Was one of the quotes I had to endure. It took a while to explain that I wouldn't really be abandoning her. We would continue to see each other, just as the Empress had promised.

It took me another feeding session with this adult Queen, who sometimes acts like she's 12 again. But in the end....she smiled...trusting that we would be together again soon. In the meantime I have to call her every night.....<sigh>.....kids these days.

In the afternoon, while feeling incredibly sleepy, I took the opportunity to visit the General and Commander, and the nurses Riki and Mari to say my goodbyes.

Before I left for the Imperial Palace, I visited my good friends, Chiri, Kira and Ghan. They were safe with Ghan as one of the NavScan telemetry units during our recent attack. It was good to see them, and we took a moment to remember Esi. Plenty of tears left me before I said my goodbyes and left for the Palace, late in the afternoon.

I actually fell asleep during my ride in the transport. The pilot was too afraid to wake a Queen...so he let me sleep until a security team started asking questions.

After some much needed cat nap, I arrived at the Palace and greeted the Empress.

"Akari! There she is. Our star! We salute you! You brought victory to us!" The Empress is excited, brimming with positive energy.

But as for me...I'm short on sleep and am still feeling down. "Empress...with respect. I don't feel like celebrating. We lost too many lives. And being somewhat responsible for the death of 3 billion Kakross...doesn't make me feel any better."

Her expression changed from cheerful to serious. "How odd. You saved their Empress, though? Offer peace between our races? We would not have hesitated to end her life."

"Well....I just hope they don't return to their old, savage ways," I said with a sad expression.

"Indeed. Please, sit down, Akari."

I sat down and one of her attendants served that tea-like stuff again.

"Ha ha...drink. We promise that it is safe. We shall not let you drink nectar again. At least not for a while."

"Yeah...that was embarrassing." I remembered Nivri carrying me to my alcove.

"It was understandable. And we apologized for it."

"It's alright, mother." I'm not in the mood to discuss anything really.

Then my eye caught something in the corner of this room. Something I would NEVER expect in a high-class lounge of the Imperial Palace. 

"Mother?"

"Yes, dear? What is on your mind?"  She drank more of her tea. She takes the cup, puts it on her left hand and then guides it to her mouth with her right hand. Okay, so that's how it is supposed to work.

"Is that a Rasha doll there in the corner?"

"Why yes, it is! Tell us...how do you know about it? We only acquired it yesterday." She shows an amused expression.

"One of my friends, Rasha, made it. They are toys for the young ones. It helps them develop social behavior....and just relax."

"Mmm....so that's their purpose. We just thought it looked cute."

"Ha ha ha <cough>."  God, I almost suffocated in my tea. "Sorry mother...they SHOULD look cute. This one is nice, but the original looked just like a small version of Rasha herself."

"Why are we not surprised that you were involved in this as well?" She smiled.

"I don't know, I just thought that children liked plushies, so I ordered a few."

"Plushies...you call them. Mmm...well there certainly are many. Your Rasha....has a complete factory now. But we don't mind. We see the benefit in this. We shall allow them in all Hives.
Alright, now tell us Akari. Do you remember when we first met?" She looks serious again.

"Eh...sure I do. Why?"

"We learned that you...trained in flight games? Or what did you call those?"

"Ah...no, flight simulators. Space simulators, just games in space."

"Right, those. We were wondering. They have taught you well. We cannot believe that our victory was partly based on.....games.....toys.....for fun."

"Yes, that's rather strange when you think about it. I guess different cultures can complement each other. Or sometimes not at all."

"Ha ha....yes... now....we want you to be aware that those destroyers are not a long term solution. We do not want to sacrifice a vessel for one enemy vessel. The construction materials wasted are unacceptable. Tell us.....what else might you share from those games?"

It seems she's switched to business talk now.

"Eh...from my games?" The Empress nods. "Uh....let's see. No, first a question. Why don't your....our...people simply experiment with new weapons?"

"An excellent question indeed. It is because our old ways have served us so well, until the Kakross started attacking us. That is why we asked you to implement those changes in the Huntress. We knew that our old ways were no longer adequate. Innovation is often driven by the need to survive."

"Eh..true...  Anyway, I think I have something for you. Capital ships, those are huge ships, are usually equipped with excellent defenses. Turrets and missiles too of course. But your ships seem to miss a primary weapon."

"Ho hoooo...We were right to ask you this. Tell us about this....primary weapon. What is it?" She seems genuinely interested. Or perhaps just trying to cheer me up? She knows that these things are my favorite conversation topics afterall.

"Uh....please don't forget...we are talking about games, right?" The Empress nods and smiles. She wants me to continue. "They are usually incredibly powerful laser beams. The weapon would take a minute to charge, and then discharge their energy in one massive burst, impacting the enemy ship. 

They are designed for eh...Hive to Hive combat only. Usually those capital ships have imposing names, like the names of a previous Empress. Or perhaps a historical event. Our world also likes names such as Dreadnought, Behemoth, Invincible, Destiny or Judgment."

"Interesting. Very interesting indeed. We want you to speak to our head of research tomorrow morning. Three Queens shall be there as well. We want you to impress them..show them what your value is."

"Th...three Queens?" I don't know what to say.

"Indeed, three Queens. Actually four Queens...you are one as well. A meeting of royals. One of those you already know. She doesn't know yet, but she will join you in the morning. Her name is...Miwa."

"Huh? Miwa is allowed to..." I am now smiling.

But she interrupts me "yes of course. She's a proper Queen now. All of you shall discuss your recent improvements which were implemented on the Huntress. Two Queens are there to learn, Miwa and you are there to answer any of their questions. We don't want them on the Huntress as it is currently damaged. Yes yes....we shall have it repaired. We won't forget our friends and former home."

"T....thank you...mother."

"Of course, my daughter. We know where your heart lies. We share the same feeling."

"<yawn>  excuse me."

"Ha ha ha. After such a battle....you are allowed to yawn. Eat and then take your well deserved rest. We need you to be fresh and relaxed for your meeting in the morning."

"Yes, mom." I think at this point my body was only working on auto-pilot.

"Ha ha....thank you for saying this. Nivri!"

Her shout startled me..no no no....not him again.

Nivri quickly appears before her and bows, "yes, my Empress?"

"Please guide her to her alcove."

I didn't register his reply as my thoughts were wandering. Mmm...his wings are always extended. But why though? Isn't it bothersome like that? Now that I think about it....most males do that. Meh....might be a personal thing. Best not to think about it. Well....they seem....well-cared for. Maybe he can really fly with those? They appear so....strong too.

Oh my god...what the heck am I thinking? His wings? Why would I even care about those? I swear, it's my body. It's slowly driving me mad!

Am...am I blushing again?

"Akari? Are you alright?" The Empress first sounds concerned, but then I see that creepy smile again. I hope I don't look like that when I smile. The corners of her mouth go up way, way beyond what is considered normal for mere humans.

"Eh......yes....mother."

"Ahaha.....we like that response. Don't worry, child. We will see you in the morning."

I skipped the meal and Nivri simply guided me to my personal alcove, where I didn't just sleep...I  hibernated.

Well, until a familiar voice woke me up. 

"Akari..." 

"Mmmmmm.....mom it's still dark." Was the only thing I could say. In my dreams I was back home in Japan.

"Mother, please wake up!"

That...woke me up alright.

I look up and see Aine and Miwa smiling at me. Huh, I just took a nap? Why are they here already?
Ah correct, Aine would accompany Miwa. Then Aine will stay here with me.

"Finally...mother....really." Miwa shakes her head. Then she gives me a hug.

"Wha....what happened? And where is your retainer, Miwa?" I'm still not awake.

"Nothing happened mother....it's morning! I don't know why, but Orho wasn't allowed to join me. The other Queens will arrive within the hour and you are still sleeping."

"Other...Queens? Ah right...WHAT it's morning already?" I look at Aine, probably looking confused.

"Yes, Akari. You are hopeless. Miwa, please join the Empress. It would be unacceptable if you weren't there to greet them. No no, don't worry, I will get your mother there in time."

I scratched my head when I saw Miwa leave. Aine walks to the windows and violently opens the curtains, instantly flooding this room with natural light. They have curtains here? Oops. It still hurts my eyes though.

"Did you sleep well at least?"

"Yes, Aine, thank you. You are the best."

"The best what?"

"Oh c'mon. Alright. The best mom, alright?"

"Well said, my little worker. Now let's get you ready."

Five minutes, I swear. Just five minutes later I was bathed, dressed in a fresh uniform and on my way to the Empress. Did I just travel forward in time? It was all a blur....Aine....is terrifying.

"Good morning mothe...eh....Empress." I'm still not fully awake.

"Ha ha ha, we heard that Aine had to drag you out of your alcove. Well done, Aine."

"Thank you, Empress." Aine smiles.

"You arrived just in time, Akari, we received word that the Queens have arrived."

Oh crap....I'm not in the mood to meet any Queens. Just let me...wake up first...

"Akari...are you really awake?" The Empress asked.

"Eh....yeah....I am now. I promise....mostly.."

"Ha ha ha...that will have to do. Alright everyone. We demand formal speech, it is protocol when visiting the Empress."

"Yes, Empress," everyone here said at the same time.

Great...that means that it applies to me as well.

[ A royal meeting ]  

Nivri guides the two Queens to the lounge and introduces them.

"My Empress, Queens Aral and Yeli have arrived."

"Thank you Nivri, you are dismissed."  It seems that Nivri doubles as a butler. He glances at me, just before he closes the door.

"My Empress, we are pleased to meet you again." Queen Yeli said.  

I don't like her. I don't know what it is...but I don't like her. Maybe you experienced that once as well? You go somewhere and instantly have a bad feeling about someone. Well, that just happened to me.

The other Queen bows and gives the Empress a warm smile, "My Empress, it has been too long. Oh..our apologies...greetings to you both, we are called Aral."  See? This one I like already.

"We are delighted to meet you both. Our name is Akari." I bow to her out of respect and to Queen Yeli because I simply have to. I guess bowing is part of their culture as well...but why didn't Yeli bow to us?

"Nice to meet you, we are called Miwa." Miwa bowed as well.

"Such interesting names. You both must be very young, right?" Aral says with a kind smile, not unlike how a big sister would smile.

But before I could think of an appropriate answer, the Empress came to my rescue. "They are young, yes. Please be seated, we have much to discuss."

I'm in fact older, way, way older than all of them. But I guess the Empress wants to protect me from them. I appreciate that.

While we all drank their version of tea in beautifully handcrafted, but still weird looking cups, the Empress discussed the recent events and the implemented improvements as well.

Queen Aral kept asking questions like "interesting, why did you do that?"  Or "mmm, how does that work?" She showed quite the interest.

The other Queen, Yeli, however, turned out to be a royal pain in the ass. Pardon my speech. My instincts were spot on...  At this moment that is my upgraded assessment of her.

Her replies were the following. "Why are we no longer included in all decisions? Are we not the Queen of our Hive? Our workers cannot be trusted with decision making."

Oh another one of those..."we cannot possibly let those workers mate. It is against nature, it is revolting."

Yep, she's a pain alright. And the Empress almost seems able to read my mind. So by now she must realize how I feel about Yeli.

"Yeli, we do not care how you feel. We want you to implement these changes at once."

"But Empress. We.."

"STOP IT. You are getting on our nerves. You will follow our command."

"Yes, Empress, as you command."  Yeli gave me a mean glare. Why? What did I do?

The Empress took a deep breath...she's still in control of her emotions. But so am I. For now.

We more or less enjoyed breakfast together. They do have cutlery here...I wish they didn't. Neither Miwa nor I have ever seen anything like it. Do I need to use both hands for these? Truly an alien experience. 

"Please Miwa, Akari, you both are still young. Eat as you please. There is still time to learn proper etiquette."

"Thank you, Empress." Both Miwa and I say.  She's a life saver, let me tell you that.

Miwa and I both ate a waffle and two pieces of fruit. Guess who lost two more teeth in the process? Yep, I did. But unfortunately everyone noticed this.

"How disgusting. How can you even be losing your teeth? Just how young are you? One?" Yeli looks at me with a disgusted expression. She even showed her tongue for a second.

Keep calm Akari...calm...breath in......breath out.

"We will not tolerate this behavior. You are all Queens at this table. Act like it. And if you must know, Akari is the one who saved us from the Kakross due to her unconventional tactics." The Empress is slowly losing her temper.

"She's definitely unconventional. Stop, we meant no disrespect in this. We just find her appearance....odd. Again only a fact, not an insult." Queen Yeli said.

"And yet we perceive it as an insult." Aral said. "Kindly ignore her, Akari. We are interested to learn about your appearance, though."

The Empress replies with "Nature had other plans with Akari. We assure that she is a Queen in all ways. We ask you to drop this matter at once. But Akari, we feel that your teeth need immediate attention. You will visit the medical bay at once."

"Yes, mother...ah...I...we apologize...my Empress. At once." I bowed to show respect. "May we be excused?"

"You are dismissed."

I bowed again....oh my god...I hate this royal bickering....and left the room to find the medical bay.

I asked for directions and after a few more minutes I arrived at the medical bay.

"Ah....Queen Akari. We meet again." It is that nice doctor who helped me after that Kakross shot me in the leg.

"Doctor, you remember my name? I'm impressed."

"Ha ha ha....no no, I have a list of who's visiting here today, see? There's your name and picture. Not very hard for me to figure out...ha ha ha."

I blushed a little, "eh..of course doctor. Sorry."

"You really are different from them aren't you?" She gave me an honest, friendly smile.

"difffffrn"...crap another tooth. "diffelent whal you mea?"

"Oh no no no......you are losing teeth fast...that's not good. Please sit down."

I sat down on the biobed and let her scan my mouth from both the outside and inside.

 

"Yes, as I already expected. Your old teeth are falling out, and the new ones are ready for action. But I still don't understand your appearance in general. You are.....different."

"Ah...I....onwy...rencenwly...came to this Hivve."

"Awww...aren't you a cutie? Don't worry, I will remove those now and...HEY!  Where are you going?"

I'm shaking my head. No way is she gonna pull my teeth out. Maybe she can put new ones in?

"Young lady, you may be a Queen, but I'm the doctor here. And for matters concerning your health, I'm the one who decides. So PLEASE....sit down."

"Yew doctow."

"Now, open your mouth and let me do my job. I promise it won't hurt. I scanned them, and ALL of them are coming out easily. They are not connected to your jaw anymore. The roots are gone. Do you trust me? Or will you bite me?"

I shook my head. It's up to her to decide which question I exactly answered with that.

She pulled her hand out of my mouth after another scan, to allow me to answer her.

"I twust wou dowtow"

"Yep, very cute. Now open wide and then we can talk."

She then took some kind of tweezers and very gently pulled out each tooth. And none of that hurt. I guess they really were coming out today, one way or another.

"Aaaand... there..   We're done. It didn't hurt, did it?"

"Mo...wimt huwt aw aww dowwow." Okay, that didn't come out right.

"Yeah....that's not going to work for a while. Unless...."

"Uweww waaa?"

"Unless we perform the coming of age ritual right now. That will hurt though, but only for a short while. Do you want me to give you a mild anesthetic? Usually we don't do that, but your biology is a bit different. There is always a balance between a ritual and unnecessary pain...ah forgive me I'm babbling. Do you want the anesthetic?"

I nod very visibly. 

"Good choice."

She reaches for a small pen-like object and puts it against my cheek. Then on the other side.

"There...didn't feel a thing did you?"

"Huh?" 

"Don't tell anyone. It's magic." She smiled at me as if I were a toddler. "Ha ha ha...that face..forgive me. I will call the Empress now. Rituals exist to be shared."

I waited for a few more minutes, spending some time sitting here all alone. This place could use a few plants. And why does she have to leave me? Don't they have messengers or an intercom here?

Then the doctor returns with the Empress and all three Queens. What are they all doing here? I thought she only asked the Empress?

"We have brought everyone here to share the ritual. Are you alright with that, Akari?" The Empress asked.

I nodded. What else can I do? Shake my head? No way I'm that insensitive.

"Good. We need you to continue speaking soon, otherwise we would have allowed you to practice speech without the teeth."

"Iw owweee"  I wanted to say "it's okay," but whatever.

"We do not understand, but we will now continue. Even though we were discussing important matters...a coming of age ritual is special enough to demand priority.

Miwa and Akari are our daughters. Yeli and Aral are invited as family. Family is life, family is future. Today we celebrate the coming of age of my beloved Akari. My daughter will now be an adult in our likeness, even though her spirit has already matured much sooner. May she grow healthy and honor us. Akari..."

I wonder why she didn't say this to Miwa. I recognize that expression on Miwa's face...she doesn't understand either. I wink at her once...she gets it...just play along. The Empress must have a deeper meaning with this.

"Akari...are you with us?"

Ooops. I look at the Empress "we awe Empwe"

"We assume that means yes. We want you to think about...a waffle as you call our nourishment. We know they are your favorite. Think about eating one....close your eyes...and feel the texture....and..BITE!"

"Awwwwww!! That freaking hurts!"  Huh?  It didn't hurt much though. I taste blood.......iron...yuck. I thought she used anesthetic. She lied!! 

The doctor takes a napkin and cleans my mouth. "Well done Akari, see, it didn't hurt too much did it?"

"No doctor...ouch....but those teeth...ouch....are quite sharp."

I see my reflection on a well polished cabinet. It's not very clear...but I can now do a very nasty Alien impression, let me tell you that.....brrrr....it's horrific.

"Yep, that they are. Oh....and I apologize for the lack of magic. This is how things must be."

"Yeah....thanks doc." But no thanks.

"One more thing Akari..how is your leg? Does it still hurt?"

"No, doctor, it healed properly after about a day or two. After...OUCH!" I bit my tongue.  "Afteeww that I totawwly fwogot about it."

"Excellent. And no more of that epi...thing?"

"Epilepsy? No, not yet." 

"Alright then. You are dismissed....Queen Akari." She winked at me for some reason.

I bow to the doctor and thank her again, then I follow the others back to the lounge.

When we are all seated comfortably, and enjoying some tea, Queen Yeli asks me "pardon us for asking, but were you recently injured? We heard the doctor speak about an injury."

The Empress then replies on my behalf "Yes, she was injured by a Kakross disrupter while saving us here in the Palace."

"She....was injured by THEM?"  Aral asks out of sincere concern.

"Yes, she killed the creature for that." The Empress proudly proclaims. "Didn't you Akari?"

Well...it didn't quite go that way.

"Eh, yes Empress."  I said meekly.

"Amazing, at her age. We are impressed." Queen Aral said.

She must think that I'm only a month or two of age. That tooth-story only emphasized that I can't be much older than that.

"Akari, we thank you for allowing us to witness your ritual. It is a very special moment in one's life." Aral said with a warm smile.

"The honor is all mine, Queen Aral." I said.

"Well said. Now let us continue with the weapon we discussed yesterday evening." The Empress puts our conversation back on track.

Weapon? Ah...the eh...let's call it a Dreadnought. Not the ship, but the weapon itself.

"Of course, Empress. We want to..." I wanted to start explaining what kind of beam weapons are used in my games, but Nivri interrupted me.

"I apologize for the interruption, but Empress, your presence is urgently requested. A communication from one of your Generals."

"We see. We apologize. We won't be long. Please..continue."

Ooh boy......I hope things work out....and of course they don't. The moment the Empress left the room, Miss arrogant started her tirade. 

But she didn't see Nivri enter the room again after whispering to the Empress. He is waiting near the door.

"Tell us...in all honesty.....what kind of Queen are you supposed to be? Your biology disgusts us. You are impure." Yeli almost shouts at me.

"What? What did I do to deserve that? Now hold your horses Yeli.." I tried to calm her down.

"How infuriating. Not only your appearance but also your speech is unappealing." Yeli said.

Aral didn't know where Yeli's outburst came from. I can see she doesn't agree with her. Aral says "stop it at once, Yeli. Or the Empress will punish you for this."

"Hmpf...we do not need your advice. Aral, you cannot even properly control your Hive." Yeli said.

Aral wanted to reply, but Miwa already did. 

"Mother, don't let her get to you..." Miwa wanted to save me, but she only made things worse.

"WHAT? MOTHER? You are this one's mother? HA! That explains it all! You just had your coming of age ceremony. We even witnessed that disgusting event. And now we learn that you already have offspring? YOU ARE DISGUSTING!" Yeli shouted.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" The Empress returned and noticed all of us standing, ready to fight it out the old fashioned way....with our fists. Or maybe our teeth.

"SIT DOWN...NOW! ALL OF YOU."

And I sat down as if my life depended on it. It might actually. Oh boy....the Empress...she shows those teeth as well. Sharp.....a shark ready to bite..creeepy!  I look at my shoes. Uhh..I need new ones soon. Shit...FOCUS, AKARI!

"We are gone for one minute and find you ready to fight. What...yes Nivri?" 

Nivri then whispered a few things to the Empress.

"Ho hoooo!  Now that is interesting. Yeli, stand up.  STAND UP we said." She shouted so loudly that her command must have been heard from outside the Palace.

Yeli slowly rises.

"A moment ago we contacted the General onboard your Hive, Yeli. We are not pleased with what we have learned. You forbade your workers to start....GRRRRRRRR LOOK AT US."

Yeli rolled her eyes and then looked at the Empress.

"We have made up our mind. As we said, your workers are not allowed to create offspring. And we thought there might have been a misunderstanding. But learning from Nivri....there is no misunderstanding. Do you know, YELI.....do you know you have a bloody mutiny on your hands?

Workers who actually REJECT their bloody QUEEN? Do you know how many times this has happened in our history? Let us enlighten you." She made a gesture by raising her index finger and tapping on her left palm. That probably means "zero?"

"NEVER...NEVER NEVER until today. Today is a day that will go down in our historical records in infamy. It will be remembered as the day when the Empress punished a Queen for insubordination. Do you know the penalty for that?  YELI....LOOK AT US AND ANSWER!" The Empress shows her teeth like a wolf ready to rip apart a bunny.

"No, Empress. We did only act in the best interest of our Empress."

"You did WHAT? Tell us..  WHAT is your punishment, YELI?" 

"We do not know, Empress."  Yeli acts as if this is just another day in the office.

"The punishment is that I WILL TAKE YOUR LIFE. GRRRRRRR" The Empress opens her mouth completely and seems ready to bite into Yeli's neck.

She stops speaking and starts hissing, like an animal. Her fangs extended...saliva is falling from the corners of her mouth. I don't think I will ever be able to sleep again....this is stuff of nightmares.

Yeli tries to run, but falls down. Oops....my feet were in the way. I can see it in her eyes, she expects to die now. She finally realizes that she has crossed the line....much too far.

"Empress! Stop!!!" I yelled. I don't know where it came from, but it happened.

"No, Akari....she deserves to DIE! <hissss>" The Empress hisses back at me, showing me her teeth, barely able to speak properly.

"Just like the Kakross Empress. And you showed HER mercy."  I don't give up. I won't.

The Empress calms down and keeps breathing to prevent killing Yeli right here, right now. 
"What would you have us do? TELL US NOW OR BE SILENT!" She only has a bit of restraint left.

"Simple, remove her from her Hive. Take her into your Palace for a month and beat some common sense into her. Then she will be a nice Queen.. WON'T YOU YELI?"  It was now my turn to show my teeth at Yeli, while tilting my head. I'm sure I'm looking like a proper alien now.

She's trembling. "Yes, Akari!.. We will be a very nice Queen. We will accept the beating as punishment."  Yeli said very meekly. She's obviously intimidated by the abundance of teeth here.

"WE DID NOT HEAR YOUR REPLY. WILL YOU ACT LIKE A PROPER QUEEN NOW?" The Empress shouts again.

"YES EMPRESS!" Yeli shouts while crying.

"Good. We shall not take your life but do as Akari suggests. Yeli, do you still think she is disgusting?"

"NO! My Empress, we were absolutely wrong!"

"That is a good answer. And yes, Miwa is her adopted daughter. But also our BIOLOGICAL daughter. You would not understand this. Or do you?"

"We understand my Empress. Miwa is Akari's daughter and yours. We did not understand."

"As we already said. You did not understand. Now leave this room and report to the medical bay. Pray that she finds something wrong with you. We will punish you later. LEAVE US!"

"YES EMPRESS at once!" And Yeli just RAN out of the lounge. I heard her hit a wall..but who cares.

Silence. Total and complete silence for five minutes. Nobody even dares to say a word, let alone look at the Empress. She keeps breathing and tries to calm down, until I glance at her and don't see her teeth anymore.

She then addresses us after taking another deep breath. "We apologize that you had to witness this. You see...this was the actual reason why we asked you here today. We knew of Yeli and the problems in her Hive. But Akari..."

"Yes, my Empress?"

"I was about to kill her. Why save her?"

"She has experience as a Queen. I would suggest putting her in another Hive after her....rehabilitation."

"We see. We...see the value in that. We would have simply killed her and created a new Queen to replace her. But now, we will find another Queen to take her place in her former hive."

"You...you can choose to only create a Queen?"  I was astonished. First time I heard this.

"What? Ha ha ha ha! Forgive us..we needed this. Thank you Akari, we feel much better now. Yes, yes, of course a Queen can decide what she wants to produce. That's what we do!"

"Oh...sorry." Was all I could reply after this explanation.

"You really are still young, aren't you Akari? Now it makes sense that Miwa isn't your biological offspring. It all makes sense now." Aral said.

"Yes, she's young. But we are happy to have her. And Aral too. And Miwa. All of you. We are proud of each and every one of you. You acted the way we had expected. We thank you for helping us clean one of our Hives the hard way."

Nobody replied...well what could you possibly say? "You're welcome?" No way!

"You are all quiet. Too quiet for our liking. Akari, we have news for you." The Empress said.

"Oh? I thought we would be discussing that weapon?" I said.

"Mind your speech, QUEEN Akari."

"Our apologies, My Empress. We have much to learn."

"You do, yes. But about that weapon of yours...we know what you mean. Our scientists will look into the matter. It was mostly a false pretense. We apologize."

"No prob....It is alright my Empress. Glad to be of service."

"Impressive...you learn fast, Akari." 

The Empress gives me that kind of expression like "sorry I have to put you through this, but just play along, please."

She then continues. "Akari, as we said...and don't interrupt us...."  I shook my head. "....good, we have a reward for you."

"My Empress," Aral said after standing up.

"No, Aral, please stay and witness this."

"Yes, My Empress." Aral sat down again. 

"As we were trying to say...." the Empress looked at all of us for a moment. "...we want to reward Akari for her contributions. To all present in this room...you shall keep this a secret. Good, we see you understand. 

Akari gave up much to serve us. She has a unique perspective on matters. One recent example is Yeli. We would not have hesitated to kill her. Akari's contribution is greater, however. Her ideas assured the survival of the Vahli and the downfall of the Kakross. She even killed one of them in close combat.

The lives she saved are immeasurable, even though we have lost so many. No, Akari, you may NOT speak...let us....good.....

Akari is a Queen without a Hive. Not because we wouldn't assign one to her, but because we needed her for more important matters. Those matters are now resolved.

Akari...Queen Akari, our child. We have built a Hive for you. Alright, SPEAK if you really must."

Oops, I think she's annoyed. "My Empress, you give us too much praise. Nothing happens in a Hive without the help from others. If you wish to reward us...please...reward all of the Huntress."

"Akari...we do not know what to say. Did you hear that, Aral?" The Empress looks surprised.

"Yes, My Empress. She is one with her Hive. She values her workers more than herself. Her request to save Yeli.....and now this...this is....a Celestial Event."

"Eh...what?" I think I lost them.

"You do not recognize this, Akari? It means you have the spirit of our Celestial Empress. The one who teaches us that a true Hive can only exist when a Queen is one with her Hive. You, Akari...are." The Empress tried to explain.

Okay...I'm lost. Now we're talking about religion? Can you please rewind?

"Mmm...we see you do not understand. But you will. For now, let us continue. We have built a new Hive. One without a name. Her new Queen shall name the ship. You, Akari shall be her Queen.

No no, we have not finished, let us continue.

You will learn to speak, act and live as a proper Queen. Continue with your current way of thinking and you shall be fine. We are proud of you. But you won't pilot an interceptor...ever..again....do you understand us?"

"Eh yes my Empress, but..."

"Good. Now what will you call your Hive?"

"M..my Hive?"  I said.

"She...she's a pilot?" Aral asked.

"Ha ha ha....she is an accomplished interceptor pilot, but due to certain restrictions, she can't fly anymore. We can't allow that anymore."

"Amazing. A Queen and a pilot." Aral is amazed.

"Aral, now you understand why we value her so much? And yes, she's young but has accomplished this much already. We expect much, much more from her."

I swallowed. I don't think you should expect that!

Aral nodded. She's baffled. Well, I'm 18 years old. More or less. Maybe 19 now? But still young, right? So it's not really a lie.

"Akari, how are your language studies?"

"Eh...we did not have the time yet, My Empress."

"Make the time. We expect you to learn it soon."

"Yes...my Empress."

Aral looks confused "My Empress, what do you mean? She can speak fine, right?"

"No, you hear the translator. Due to some reasons she doesn't have a genetic imprint. She needs to learn our language the hard way. The translator has learned the sounds Akari makes, and translates it into proper language. But not for much longer...she will learn soon."

"Ah....even more amazing Akari. No genetic imprint....so you...and...wow...just wow." Aral has lost it completely.

"Eh he he.. We do not know what to say..."  I'm blushing.

"That does not happen very often." Miwa said, while smiling at me.

"Miwa....." I tried to say something, but nothing useful came out of my mouth. Now that I think about it...I still have my teeth, shouldn't they retract at some point? "Mibba vwy mwo.." Me and my big mouth, my teeth have retracted the instant I thought about it...scary!

"Ha ha ha....see, she's speechless....ha ha ha ha..." The Empress laughs so loudly, that we all have to laugh as well.

"Alright. Focus on your teeth, Akari and then name your Hive."

Think Akari...think....think....something Japanese...definitely.  Samurai? Too cliche. Yamato...meh.. The "Akagi" was also a battleship....my last name is Kagiyama. Not quite the same...but the "kagi" part is the same, meaning "key." And Akagi means "red castle." Yep, that sounds good, solid, strong. 

"The name shall be AKAGI, it means red castle in my language. It was the name of a battleship."

"Then Akagi it shall be." The Empress proclaims.

"Eh...your own language? And what is a battleship?" Aral has lost it again.

"She speaks a language foreign to us, remember? A battleship is what we call an escort." The Empress came to my rescue again.

"Ah. We understand..mostly. Thank you for explaining, Empress."

"My pleasure." The Empress winked at me...she just saved me from further questions.

The Empress ordered more tea, and after drinking some, she seemed to be much more relaxed. She requested Aral to leave us, so we all said our goodbyes. I will definitely keep in touch with her, she's great!

"Akari, we have more to tell you. Yes, more. Listen to us. We have ordered NavScan units to roam the region, hoping to find stray Kakross Hives. And we have found one. You will not be pleased where we have found it."

"Where? Where is it? Is it coming here?" I almost shouted, worried for another immediate battle.

"No, Akari.. It is traveling towards Earth."

"What??? No! They won't stand a...."

"Calm down, Akari. Do you know of a Queen who would be willing to take one escort and go there?"

"You mean....me?"

"Of course, Akari! We are ordering you to take one escort to accompany you and end their existence. We tried contacting them but they refused to respond. As per agreed terms with the Kakross Empress, these are considered our enemy. Your duty shall be to wipe them out. Can you do this?"

"Yes, Empress. When can I leave?"

The Empress smiled at me. "In a few hours. We are preparing things while we speak. We expect that the Kakross will land on Earth and start a new Hive. We cannot allow this. Miwa, you shall return to the Huntress. You won't be seeing your mother for quite some time. But we will keep our promise, we are not intentionally keeping you apart. Either the...Akagi will return here, or the Huntress will join the Akagi. But it will take at least another month before the new engine is installed."

"A new engine? As in a more recent model?" I asked.

"Ha ha ha, you still care for our old Hive? We thank you, Akari. Yes, the Huntress will get the latest hyperdrive engine. It will cut the travel time in half."

"Miwa, we apologize for not viewing the stars on the Star-deck yet." I winked at Miwa.

"Mother, we will wait for you. Maybe soon?"

"Of course, Miwa. We look forward to it."

"Ha ha ha...such a polite speech. We are alone now. Just.....be Miwa again...and you, be the Akari we love."

"Thank you, mother," we both said.

"Yes, that's MUCH better."  The Empress is now smiling mischievously!

"Akari....we have more to tell you, my daughter." 

Oh oh...

"First, how is your epilepsy, I thought you called it?"

"Eh, seems to be less harmful each time it happens. I don't lose consciousness anymore."

"We heard from our doctor, yes. Perhaps something good has finally happened to your body."

"Honestly, I was scared at first, with these changes and all. But I feel fine, and these new parts are....I don't know....interesting?" I pointed at the retracted wings on my back.

"Hahahaha! They sure are. And those teeth were a funny addition today. We loved it!"

Oh my god, I'm blushing again. Why does she want to embarrass me?

"The doctor informed us that you now can have offspring like us. Have you already found a mate?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeeehh????!!!!"     What the?

"Ha ha ha...you are such an easy target for my teasing. You know, it would be good for your Hive to have many children. Think about it. You always speak about family....alright we won't continue. We were only interested as a mother. Can you forgive us?"

"Yes...mother....I know.."

"Thank you, Akari. One last topic."

"There is more?" Oh my god. I just want to go home.  TO EARTH already.

"You already met Nivri, one of my royal guards. We have selected him to become your personal guard.  We find you too valuable to walk around without protection."

"A...ppp.personal guard?"

"Yes, Akari. Wherever you go, he will follow. His orders are to ensure your safety." 

I look at him for a second...why is she smiling like that?

"But I have Aine?" I said, now focusing on the Empress.

"Aine is your royal retainer, not your guard. Nivri, please join us."

Nivri walked over to me and bowed.

"Queen Akari, we already met. I look forward to protecting you."

The Empress gives me that look that says "don't even think about discussing this with me."

"Eh....thank you Nivri. Just call me.."  But the Empress interrupts me

"No, he shall address you as Queen. You need to get used to this. No...that is final."

"Eh...yes...Empress."

Looks like I don't have a say in the matter.

"Good. We will now order you to hug us, Akari and Miwa."

Miwa and I smiled and hugged our...well...our mother.

"Children, go to your Hives and make us proud. Good luck. We shall meet again."

"Goodbye mother," we both said.

But right after saying my goodbyes to the Empress, she whispered in my ear "Akari...we sense a connection between you and Nivri. Make us proud!" She even winked!

My face continued to stay red until we arrived at my new Hive, the Akagi. And he really does follow me. Aine isn't so sure she likes him, but we don't have a choice, now do we? Eh...where's he supposed to sleep?