After arriving on the Akagi, that's my ship now, we were welcomed by General Nami. He showed Aine and me the most important locations on this ship, such as the throne room...no...ahem...MY throne room. We also met this ship's Commander, Commander Tawo. 

Would you believe me if I said that this Hive is an exact duplicate of the Huntress? And I mean down to the smallest details. I guess it is a maintenance thing or so, but it helps us get familiarized with the ship pretty quickly.

The only thing I had to do was ask for maximum lighting in the throne room. I can't stand that darkness. I even have the same type of windows, in the exact same location, giving us a nice view  into outer space. This feels like home already.

 

And speaking of home, Aine and I are now in my throne room.....never thought I would ever say that. Nivri is standing guard a bit further away, giving me some privacy. 

"Aine, I'm sorry to pull you away from...Commander Spinak." I try to read her expression, does she really care for him?

"..Spinak? Oh? Oooh....you...no no no....you got that all wrong!" She shook her head, making it absolutely obvious that I was mistaken.

"Ha ha...you seem to understand what I meant."

"No, Akari. We are just friends. Good friends, yes, but still only friends."

"Aww.....a pity. I had hoped you two would form a pair."

Yep, she's definitely blushing.   

"Maybe another time." Aine said, but only barely audible.

"Alright, sorry Aine. I meant no..."

"No no, it's alright."

"Okay Aine, next question. Nivri there....where does he sleep?"

"Eh.........in our alcove? It's normal for..."

"No....way...Aine...  As in NOT GONNA HAPPEN." Now it was my turn to shake my head.

"<sigh> sometimes you are such a child. I will find another alcove for him then. But he's supposed to protect you."

"I know, he can do that in his own alcove."

"Ha ha ha...you are special, Akari."

"We know, and we ask that you respect this aspect of ours."

"Huh? Ha...ha ha ha ha ha! Yes my Queen! As you desire my Queen. At once my Queen. Ha ha ha."

I forgot for a moment that General Nami was still waiting near the entrance to show me the rest of the Hive. He must have heard this and, well, I guess he can appreciate a rather....different...Queen. He simply laughed as well. He has a good sense of humor, so I'm sure that we'll get along just fine.

While walking through a corridor, en route to the launch bay, the General informed me that the Akagi is the best of the best, the latest model. Our engines should get us back to Earth in no time. Well, it will still take a week. Yes, unfortunately Earth is not exactly next door.

These engines don't require us to drop out of hyperspace anymore, unless we would have to travel an even longer distance. But Earth is apparently within range of a single jump now. 

Ah right, I almost forgot. The Empress contacted me an hour before our scheduled departure. She wanted to wish us well, but also made a few last-minute and surprising changes. 

My friends...Chiri, Kira and Ghan have been transferred to my Hive. I will miss the others of course, the nurses, the Commander, General and a few more people I consider to be friends. Not that one particular arrogant doctor though. Oh, and my interceptor was delivered to my Hive as well. Yep, Fuku and I are united once more.

Once we enter the launch bay, I see that my three former teammates, my friends, have arrived as well. The Commander must have sent them here at once.

Aine is leaning against the wall, again very carefully I think. I tried to stop leaning against the walls since that time my hand went through it. Ah, those were the days.

"My Queen, Chiri, Kira and Ghan, reporting for duty as ordered, ma'am!"  Kira salutes me, and smiles as well. She's just faking the formalities.

This means I have to play along too. I already see Aine smiling, she knows me as well as the others do.

I walk over towards them and say "we are pleased to welcome you aboard our proud, new, shiny, state of the art, amazing, Hive. We have called her Akagi. Be sure to remember and honor that name!"

Everyone except for the guards outside laughed. They don't seem to understand my joke, if I interpreted that confused face correctly. But he'll just have to get used to my peculiarities. 

"Ha ha ha....apologies my Queen. I meant no disrespect. It's a beautiful name for an amazing Hive." Kira gently patted the wall to show how much she respected the ship.

"We forgive you. She's a beauty isn't she?"

"Yes, 'tis a fine ship, my Queen." Chiri said.  

Chiri has matured as well. She's much more positive and less cautious than before. 

"Please, join us."  I pointed at those wretched chairs. I still have to change that. "We have news for you."

I see Ghan thinking..."Is she really that formal now?"

"Ghan, relax. We are all friends here, I was just kidding."  I put my hand on his shoulder for a moment.

"O..Oh...of course...Akari."

"There, that's much better, isn't it?" 

"It sure is. And nice to see you too, Aine!" Kira said.

We all took a few minutes to catch up. 

"Well, I told you that I wanted to speak to you, right?" I said.

"Yes, what is it about?" Kira asked. She's still their team leader, so it makes sense that she's the one to take initiative in this conversation. 

"You three, I count you amongst my best friends. We want...my god I need to get used to this again....I want you three at my side. You fought well, but you're not going on missions anymore."

"Huh? You're grounding us? Why? Are we not..."

But I interrupted Kira by raising my hand. "Kira, no of course I'm happy with you guys. Your performance didn't go unnoticed by even the Empress. Oh yes....she's impressed. 

And that's why she sent you over to me. From now on, you will be my personal pilots. Whenever we...ugh...whenever I leave this ship, you will fly together with me and keep me safe.

But in the meantime...you will be teaching a new generation of pilots every trick in the book. That includes other Hives as well. But of course only when we are near Vahli Prime. 

No wait, I'm not finished.

We will be departing for Earth soon. The planet I have lived on for eighteen years. A Kakross Hiveship has been detected near that planet by one of our NavScan units. Our mission is to find it...and destroy it before it reaches Earth."

"I understand, Akari. But...will we still be allowed to fly training missions?" Chiri asked.

"Huh? That's all you can think of Chiri? Ha ha ha....of course you will. But not on our way to Earth." I  said, while enjoying that confused expression of theirs.

"May I ask why not?..." Ghan asked, "...we will be stopping to reload our hyperdrive engines, right?"

"No, we won't." I said smiling.

"I...I don't understand." Kira is now confused as well.

"My friends, you don't get it, do you?" They shake their heads..  "Guys, we are departing for Earth any moment now and won't stop anywhere until we are close to Earth. We will take a defensive position near Mars, that's the next planet in that system."

"Okay, but I still don't understand why we won't stop?" Ghan asks.

"Ghan...this Hive is new. Its engines are new. They are better, faster and the latest in technology. We don't HAVE to stop anymore. Well not for this distance at least."

"Ahhhh...I understand. But how do our NavScans contact Control from that distance? I mean, how did they travel all the way to Earth and still contact us here?" Ghan asked an interesting question.

"Simple....right after we negotiated a...more or less peace with the Kakross, we sent out NavScans in all directions. They can dock with Escorts who are strategically placed along the way to Vahli Prime. This also allows us to maintain radio contact with our home, so far away."

"Amazing...so the Empress can still contact us then?"

"Yes, she can. The escorts will be replaced by automated relays soon. Their AI-units will be able to defend themselves, albeit with limited weapons. But we're not quite ready for that yet. Any other questions?"

"When will we get the mission briefing? We don't know much about Earth, only bits and pieces from your stories." Chiri asked.

"True. But we have a week for that. <sigh> Ah why not. Let me tell you a bit about the mission right now. First...Earth..it was my home, please don't forget that. It means that I know how their defenses and communications work. So that gives us at least one advantage that the Kakross don't have.

We will first take position behind Mars, shielding us from the Kakross and Earth's sensors. 

We will try to contact the NavScan unit that should be patrolling that region. We might rendezvous with the nearby escort and provide some supplies to them. But it depends on the situation. Our first priority is to destroy that Hive.

I have already requested that our guards are trained to become proper marines, just like on the Huntress. The Empress should have provided us with plenty of seasoned marines. We might need them, and if not, then at least we will have them for future missions.

Once the Hive has been destroyed, and all threats have been neutralized, you will accompany me to Earth."

"We....we will see your home?" Kira said, her eyes are sparkling. But so are everyone's.

"Yes, of course. We have been together since the very start. We are family, right? I promised you that I would show you my home, if we would ever get back there. And in one week, my friends, we will be there."

"Wowww.....I can't wait to meet your family!" Chiri said.

I laughed at Chiri's innocent reply. "Ha ha, that's Chiri for you. I hope they are alright. We haven't seen each other for....I don't know...a year perhaps?"

"I'm sure they will be fine. If they are anything like you, Akari, then they haven't given up on you." Aine said, then putting her arm around me.

"I hope you're right, Aine. Anyway, you three will fly your own craft and bring along a passenger as well. The passengers are Aine, Nivri and myself."

"Eh, who is..Nivri?"

Just the thought of him made me blush. I glanced at him, and he returned a smile. Mmm..maybe the Empress was right....him...me....? FOCUS AKARI!

"That would be me. I am her majesty's personal guard." Nivri almost shouted that. It startled me. I asked him to take care of a few matters a while ago, but he returned stealthily. He's quite good at that. 

Everyone introduced themselves and I asked Nivri to join us, enjoying some of that delicious tea which Aine had brought for us.

 

At some point Aine walked over to me and looked down. "Please, stand up."

I stand up and ask "what is it Aine?" I look to the floor, but don't see anything wrong.

"Those shoes of yours....they are an eyesore." Her hands are behind her back...she's hiding something.

"Uh? Where did that come from? Sure, they are worn out, but are still comfortable. I don't want to walk barefoot like you guys. Besides, it's not like I can shop for new ones, now can I?"

"And there, my Queen, you are wrong. I have something for you."

She gives me.....new shoes!

I take them in my hands and study them...they are almost an exact replica of what I'm wearing. But in better shape!

"Aine....I don't know what to say? THANK YOU!" I bowed to her.

"Ha ha ha, you are welcome, Akari. It took a very, very long time, but our maintenance team was finally able to recreate them."

"But..how?"

"You know, they have scanners and such. I took them when you were sleeping. And they did the rest."

"Wow...you really keep surprising me, Aine."

"Well, if you really care, you will put those on at once. The others are unbecoming for a Queen."

"Eh...yeah....I have to admit you are right about that."

I took off my old shoes and put on the new ones. "They...they are very comfortable. Like..they're made for me."

"Akari...<sigh>....that's because they WERE made specially for you." Aine faked the appearance of a mother scolding her child. I must say, she did that very well.

"Alright...I don't know how to say this...but I would like everyone to start wearing shoes. At least when you leave the ship. Earth is not a friendly place for people without shoes...trust me."

"Akari?" Chiri asked me. "Why? Is there pollution or something?"

"Eh, no, that's not it. Of course Earth isn't free of pollution. But I meant your feet will be cold....like really cold there. Unless it's summer there now? I don't know. Anyway, you might step onto little sharp rocks and those really hurt!"

"So your planet is a rocky planet?" Chiri's imagination seems to go into overdrive now.

"Chiri, no. Don't think about it. I will show you everything once we're there. I'll try to get onto the internet and show you.....what? God....I forgot. <sigh>  It's a global information network. I will show you all kinds of pictures of animals and stuff."

"You have huge animals there too?"

"Chiri, now please stop this. I will show you, and no....it's nothing to worry about."

She nodded.

"So Aine, back to those shoes?" My old shoes had already mysteriously vanished. I looked around, but they were truly gone.

"Yes....Akari?" That innocent smile....she already got rid of them, hasn't she? Whatever.

"<sigh> Aine, I want you to provide shoes to everyone here. We will need them on Earth."

Thank god I was wearing sneakers that day. Imagine copying high heeled shoes....that would be a sight to behold!

"Yes, my Queen. At once!" She grinned.

"Aine....<sigh>"

"My Queen, if you are done discussing these important matters, I have a few questions as well." Aine suddenly switches to royal-mode. Sometimes I don't get her. Like now. 

"Sure, Aine, fire at will."  That earned me a smile from Ghan. Well, luckily he knows I didn't mean it like that.

"Good. Will we need to bring nourishment with us to Earth?"

"No, if I can eat your food, you will eat Earth food. Trust me, I won't expose you to anything dangerous. And if the food doesn't agree with any of you, we will ask the Akagi to send my personal interceptor and have it filled with nourishment."

"Okay, that's fine. When will you start your flight lessons, my little worker?"

That last part raised quite a few eyebrows, mine too. Yep, they have those too, albeit without the hair.

"What do you mean, mom?" It's now my turn to confuse the others. 

"Eh...can someone please fill me in? She's....your mother?" Nivri asked. Yep, he's pretty confused. 1-0 for Akari for confusing the heck out of everyone again.

"No, Nivri, she's LIKE my mother. And well....maybe she is. She acts the part, so why not call her mom too?"

"Awww...thank you little one."  And there we go again....Aine switched into mommy-mode. "But I meant those wings of yours. A Queen must be able to fly, you know..."

"Eh...so I can really fly with those?" I know the Empress also said that, but I don't know how I feel about that exactly.

"Not yet, but yes. That's why you have them. So....maybe now is the right time to remind you that our Empress wants you to practice that and start language lessons too."

"Nooo....Aine....really?"

"Yes, this is no joke, Akari."

The others are looking at our chit-chat like people watching a tennis match. They are looking left, right, left, right...

"Alright....tomorrow, alright? Not any sooner. And we'll stop once we reach Earth. Our mission is the top priority."

"Of course, my Queen."

"Aine, please stop."

"Sorry, my Queen."

"<sigh>," I give up. Yep, she won.

A messenger suddenly appeared. "Queen Akari, a message from the Commander."

A messenger? Really? I thought they stopped using those! "Yes, please. What is the message?"

"The Commander confirms that we have been cleared to leave. All supplies are loaded and the engine has finished loading for the hyperdrive jump."

"Excellent. Can you return a message to the Commander?"

"Of course, my Queen."

"Tell him to depart at once. Then I want to speak to him about using the ship's intercom. Can you do that for me, please?"

"Yes, my Queen!" He bowed and ran off.

"Alright people, we have a week to prepare and relax. We will have this meeting every day until we arrive. Dismissed."

I return to the throne room and am happy to see that all the lights are on. No more darkness in here. Aine and Nivri join me at the conference room table, enjoying more tea. This really is great stuff!

The view into space shows that the Akagi is slowly leaving Vahli Prime behind, until we enter hyperspace.

"You know, Akari, I didn't want to say this when the others were there...but we might have to ask the doctor to use the neuroscan on you."

"Why would he possibly want to do that?" Did I miss something?

"Perhaps he can put our language into your brain that way..."

"Oh how funny. Please take care of that shoe-thing, alright? Leave us."

"Ohhh....my little one....all alone with Nivri......oh ho ho ho."  She almost sang that..the lovey dovey way.

I bent over and let my head touch the table in defeat. "Ouch." At least Nivri can't see my blush.

She ran out before I could think of anything appropriate. This is going to be a loooooong week.  Perhaps that's why the Empress keeps a leash on everyone....or else they make fun of her.  Well, whatever.....they are my friends. And they know when to quit. At least I hope so.

"Pipi....pipi" Suddenly a little Juju lands on the table right next to me. 

"Awwww....hello little one. Where did you come from?" I said while gently scratching its back with my index finger. It seems to like that, it walks closer to me.

"It must have thought that there was nectar in here. But there are no Pranlary plants here."

"Huh....I guess you are right. Don't tell me they forgot those? There should be two right in front of the throne room."

"Pipi pipi." It repeats its request for help.

"Yes, I know little one." I open my hand and let it hop on. "Very good, now let's find you a nice plant."

"Pi." 

Okay, I think that means it knows I'm helping it.

Nivri follows me outside and luckily I find the plants where they should be. See? An exact copy of the Huntress. It saves me the trouble of finding a plant.

I let it hop on the plant and it thanks me with a single "pi."

Perhaps it just missed the plants? Or it was trapped inside the throne room. I don't know. 

I step back but bump into Nivri.

"Oof, careful, Queen Akari."  He made sure that I didn't fall down, but that means....that he's holding me in his arms now. 

My nose is touching his shoulder. I immediately correct my posture and bow to him. "Oh..I...I...I'm sorry Nivri."

"No harm done, my Queen," he says in a gentle voice.

Okay, now that's annoying.

"Thank you Nivri, but please just call me Akari. I don't care that the Empress forbids it."

"Sure, Akari."

"Because I really.....eh....oh....no problem?" He sure is quick to comply?

"Nope. No problem at all. It'll be our secret. Don't worry, I know when to use polite speech."

"Eh...okay. That's much better. Thank you, Nivri." I'm blushing and can't stop looking into those big, clear, blue eyes of his. His strong wings must almost reach the floor. Oh god, I'm doing it again!

"Are you alright, Akari?"

"Eh....yeah." I'm blushing, but I think he's too. He just keeps staring into my eyes as well.

"Pi" Another Juju lands on my shoulder, bringing our awkward conversation to a halt.

"They really seem to like you, don't they?" Nivri says.

"Yeah, the feeling is mutual. Eh...I mean..the...e.h.."

"The Juju?" Nivri completed my sentence.

"Yeah...the Juju." I pretend to be distracted and pet the little Juju.

Three days have passed where I explored the ship together with Aine. Oh and Nivri was tailing me everywhere of course. Our daily meetings with my friends mostly turned into a laughing fit, but all is as it should be. This feels more like a luxury cruise than a Hive now. Maybe that's a good thing.

My flying lesson was a disaster. I only succeeded in moving the wings a bit. Retracting and extending now feels quite natural. I can't even believe I just said that. But it is what it is...

As for the language lessons...Aine has provided a watch for all of us. We can use it to easily disable or enable the translator function. It will also be beneficial on Earth, she said. It will help them translate everything. The watch is linked to our nearby interceptors which are again linked to the Akagi.

This is her way to forcefully teach me that language, isn't it? But this is torture! Illegal! Does she have ANY experience in teaching at all?

Let me show you one example. She turned off the translator.

"Urul vash vi na zarul kava?"  She said. Well that's what my brain picked up though.

"Urul cash va zaral kohi?" We are playing this speak-and-repeat thing. It's not working so far.

She gave me a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"Itai! Baka da yo!" I said in Japanese, the way I always speak.  (ouch! You idiot!)

She tilted her head and looked at me in the same way cats sometimes do. So incredibly funny! Especially with that nose of hers. She didn't understand a word. Now you know how that feels! She was gesturing wildly...yeah I get it. Repeat...again...again...again...

The week passed by as if it were only a few days. Days when Nivri and I became friends. Good friends. Very good friends. I think I really have feelings for him. Aine left us alone more times than I asked for, I think she knows what's going on as well. But how does he feel about me? 

He's kind and respectful...and very funny. He's supposed to be my personal guard, but I can't treat him like that anymore. But are we friends? Or are we more? We shared more than a few meals together, laughing about silly things, like me dissecting a waffle for scientific purposes. Making a mess of things of course.

Many times our eyes locked onto each other, losing all sense of time.

Today Nivri and I even visited the hydroponics bay, where the source of our nourishment is grown. Many flowering plants are placed in long, endless rows, making them seem like real royal gardens. 

I smelled one flower, but apparently I shouldn't even do that, let alone pick one. The workers quickly left me alone when they noticed that I am the Queen. Sometimes it's good to be the Queen.

Nivri stealthily picked a flower and gave it to me when nobody was watching. I scolded him for it, because they would think that I, the Queen, picked it myself. 

But he knew I didn't mean that...my smile gave that away apparently. Let's just say that we had a nice time together.

How do Vahli show their...ahem...romantic affections for each other again? Right, by buzzing their wings a few times. That's what happened right before we left the hydroponics bay. I swear, it was fully automatic...it wasn't me! He blushed when the same thing happened with his wings....also a mistake?

The rest of the day went by in a blur. Nivri still followed me around, but Aine kept pulling me back to reality. It was during one of my boring language lessons, when an idea hit me. Time. What could the date be on Earth by now? I completely lost track of time.

That evening, I finally got around to asking the ship's computer about converting Vahli time into Earth's notations. Nivri is here as well, but he doesn't want to bother me. Maybe I should ask him? Nah, not now. I'm sure that I won't be able to focus otherwise.

It seems that the neuroscanner had picked up my understanding of time a long time ago, which explains why the others understood "minutes" and "hours."

It carefully explained that those times were calculated notations, based on a "best effort." Whatever that may be. I think it just made an approximation? But I want a better calculation!

When I asked "then why can't you tell me the correct date in my own notation?"...it simply answered "Please enter today's date and a translation matrix."

I hope that nobody saw me bump my forehead onto the view screen. Because....what IS today's day? I don't even know!  And when I tried to manually convert the time of my arrival to an Earth date, I ended up in the year 1812. So frustrating! I decided to just give up for now. Well, so far things seem to work out, so maybe let it be. 

The same thing happened with "kilometers." Much easier, I thought. But again, it seemed to be an approximate value again. I think I have to give up for now.

But struggling with the computer brought another topic up in my mind. If the Vahli used a neuro scanner to scan my brain for a translation matrix....then how was Ghan able to speak to me, moments before he actually "abducted" me from Earth?

Let's ask him now! I want that answer before I go to sleep!

I walk over to Ghan's personal alcove, where he has to sleep alone, because....because that's what I ordered. Maybe I should ask him to join his team next door....no, not now. 

Kira, who noticed me approaching, told me where I could find Ghan...in the mess hall. So instead of just talking to someone, I had quite the evening stroll.

 

Finally, after arriving in the mess hall, I find Ghan sitting alone in a corner near the windows. My favorite spot as well.

"Ah, Akari, Nivri. Good evening!" He spotted me quite quickly. As he should, as that is his primary role...to spot things fast. He stands up and motions me and Nivri to sit down. 

"Good evening, Ghan. It's been a while since we had time to chat. Do you have a moment?"

We then casually talked about the old days, when we trained together. 

Then I felt the need to ask the important question. "Ghan, do you remember the day you and I left Earth?"

"Ehh...yeeeeees?  Please don't tell me you are holding a grudge about that?"

"Ha ha ha, no no no. I just have a silly question about that moment. There is something I just don't understand."

"Okay then. Just shoot. Maybe I can even redeem myself a bit."

"Huh? You don't need to redeem....ah you're kidding, aren't you?"

"Sorry, you do it all the time, so it's only fair to return the gesture, right?"

"Ghan, be careful. Nivri here is my personal guard. Don't push your luck."

"Eh....sorry?" Ghan is looking at Nivri, then at me again. He's confused, the poor guy.

"Ha ha ha. Forget it. No, I just wanted to ask something about the neuroscanner."

"Eh....okay."

"How is it possible that you understood my language, even before scanning me?"

"Huh? THAT's your question? Ha ha ha....no? Seriously? Ha ha ha ha."

"Ghan...your Queen is waiting." I faked a death glare.

"Apologies, my Queen. Ha ha ha. Alright then. Do you remember that bright white light?"

"The one that blinded me? Yes of course."

"That was a soft neuro scan, but at a wide beam setting. Anything remotely intelligent was scanned at that moment."

"Glad that I was recognized as somewhat intelligent then. But the light didn't stop...I thought it was a landing light?"

"Those were on too, that's correct. The initial flash was only a second. Everything else were those landing lights."

"Ah...that explains things then. But really? A neuroscan from that far away?"

"Yep, you were just within range."

"You are not making this up, are you?"

"Of course not. All scouts have such an external scanner. Pretty handy, don't you think?"

"Yes, it certainly was helpful. But why did your scout ship scan me again later on?"

"Simple, the first scan was just enough to get a basic language working. That's why you sometimes couldn't understand me back then. After each neuroscan, the translator is automatically improved."

"My god, nothing is simple with you people. And why does the translator have difficulties then? Even now after so many scans?"

"What is this? An interrogation?" Ghan faked being annoyed. I could see him smile.

"Sorry Ghan, forget it, okay? I'm just trying to make sense out of stuff, and that doesn't seem to work today. Maybe I should just call it a day."

"I'm just joking, Akari. Come to me, or in fact, any of us, if you have questions. We are still a team, aren't we?"

"That, my friend, we certainly are. Oh, that's right. One last question."

"Sure."

"Why did the lights suddenly go out that day? I couldn't see anything anymore, only your scout."

"Also simple. That was due to the Kakross activating their jamming signal. As you probably noticed, it's quite strong."

"Ohhh....yeah, that's plausible. And it was strong alright. Good, thanks, Ghan. I will stop this interrogation and leave you be. See you tomorrow."

He returned a friendly smile and we then said our goodbyes for the evening.

It's quite late already, so I think I should head for bed. Tomorrow morning we will arrive near Mars. So I think I need my beauty sleep.

That is...until Nivri asked me to visit the Star-deck with him. A place I have actually never visited before. Maybe it will help me relax. It's a pity that Miwa isn't here though, I promised to visit it with her one day.

 

We exit the elevator and I'm immediately reminded of those movie scenes, where people aboard an ocean liner walk on deck and take in the view. There aren't any chairs to sunbathe in though, that would be nice. 

I don't know if the sky is only a projection, or if there's a real glass dome above me. It better not be simple glass.

The view outside unfortunately isn't that spectacular, because we are still in hyperspace. The only thing we see are flashes of red and little white streaks here and there. It's almost psychedelic.  

We slowly walk and simply relax, enjoying the peace and calm this star-deck seems to provide. Apparently we are the only ones here...I wonder why though? If I had known this place was so relaxing, I would have visited it with Miwa earlier! 

"Burp!" I heard someone burping behind me, but when I look....there is nobody here...

"Nivri....what was that?" I ask Nivri, feeling like someone is secretly following us.

"Oh that? It's just a Pranlary plant. They occasionally do that."

"They burp? How does that even work? Don't tell me those are eating waffles too?"

"Waffles? I don't think I understand, but what you heard is just an air bubble in the plant's liquid. It usually indicates that it will end the liquid production for a few hours." Nivri said while looking at the plant in question.

"Oh....they sure are strange. But they're interesting too."

"Yep, and delicious as well." He replies.

"Yeah....but mostly for the Jujus."

"Ha ha ha...that's true. I haven't seen any in a while though." 

"Mmm.....you're right. Maybe they can't get here?"

"Of course they can," he says. "See those holes in the wall...no there at the top....yes. That's where they can enter and exit all rooms. They are specialists...they will take care of the plants, so don't worry."

I nodded while imagining those little ones flying through those narrow passageways.

In the past few days I realized that I like Nivri.....a lot. But I think he's completely unaware of that fact. Aine however must know about my feelings for him, but she luckily doesn't speak about it.

I don't know how it happened. But ever since that evening when they gave me that..that wretched nectar...I fell in love with him. He isn't even of the same species...yet. Because I'm still changing.

My nose now looks exactly like theirs. My ears are the only human thing that I still have. Well, I still wear a bra, so there's that too. I wonder if these last bits of humanity will vanish too.

"Nivri, I'm glad you speak informally to me. I know the Empress ordered you to follow and protect me. But I....just want a friend. And friends don't call me Queen."

"Of course, Akari. I can understand that. But I think you are the only Queen...ever...to say that."

"You think so?"

"Yes, I know so. I worked for the Empress for quite some time now, and not even once did someone approach me informally. Nor have I heard of such stories. You, Akari, are special."

"He he he..."  Go on, praise me. So what if I'm blushing? It's dark up here, just some ambient lighting.

I matched his pace and we slowly walked on the Star-deck, which stretches along the length of the entire Hive. This place is perfect for jogging too....FOCUS AKARI, FOCUS.

"I must admit something," he said.

"Eh...you....you must? Then...please do."  I look at him, but his eyes are focused on something in the far distance.

"You are a Queen, so I don't wish to sound disrespectful in any way. I'm afraid to tell you."

He's not making eye contact yet. What could it possibly be? Did I insult him?

"Okay. I promise that I won't punish you. Is that enough for you to just say what's on your mind? Just relax and be my friend."

He now looks me in the eyes, while we continue to walk slowly. "Yes, but that is exactly it. A friend."

"I..I don't understand?" 

He stops walking and is now standing close before me. Really close.

"Will you promise to forgive me for what I am about to say? I am risking my life right now." Nivri said. 

Is he joking? 

"Ha ha ha your life!  ....eh...you're serious? You are scaring me.. Alright I promise. Speak!" Maybe he needs a firm statement, did that work?

"Yes, my Queen, as you demand. The moment we met...I.....I...liked you. A lot."

My eyes open wide. "You....you did too?" I immediately put my hand on my mouth. I didn't want to say that!

"So....you don't dislike me?" He's smiling at me now.

"No!" Alright, the cat's out of the bag. Let's be honest. Is this really it? Are we really falling in love? My goooood....  "No, Nivri. It is the same for me." I looked at my still new shoes, then I locked onto his eyes. "The moment I first saw you....I...I hoped that we.....would be friends. Or more."

His wings are starting to move. Occasionally making a low buzzing sound. "Akari..." 

He said my name, but I'm fixated on those wings. Now I feel mine moving as well. What is going on? They are also buzzing for a second or two.

"Akari, I didn't know you felt the same. And being a Queen...." 

But I put a finger on his lip. "Shh....don't talk."

I am as tall as he is, so that's pretty convenient. I put my hand behind his head and gently pull it closer to mine. Our foreheads are touching....eh..that's not what I wanted. I pull up his chin, close my eyes.... and kiss him.

I don't know how long....a second....ten seconds...eternity...does it even matter? 

I open my eyes and see him staring at me. Huh?

"Are you...are you feeding me?" He simply asks, but in a very gentle way. 

My god! What? Don't they kiss or what? Man, that ruined the moment.

"Uh...you don't know about kissing?" I'm pretty sure that my face is quite red now.

"No....but I'm more than happy to learn!"

"Ha ha ha....good answer. Kissing is......well...  Tell me, did you expect a feeding?"

"Honestly....it's quite romantic. But not all pairs can do that. So.....maybe....try?"

Oh my god...he wants me to feed him? Am I really.....whatever...after all this I'm still thinking like a human? I'm like them now! Or is this going too fast? Yes it is! But I don't care anymore!

"Alright...Nivri...move your lips to m.mmmmmmm" our lips touch and I'm actually feeding the person I have a crush on. Or is it love already? I don't know anymore........my thoughts go blank.

After a minute or two our lips parted as if controlled by a third party. So that's how nurses know how to quit...it just happens. Somehow we both open our eyes simultaneously and I see his smile. His wonderful, warm, gentle smile.

"Akari.."

"Yes...Nivri?" I make sure to sound happy, ignoring the awkward feeding that just happened.

"Thank you. But now I have another question."

He slowly moves behind my back and embraces me while I stare up into the not so starry sky. 

I put my head against his shoulders, which unsurprisingly are not as high as I had hoped. Well that must be a strange sight. But we're alone here.

"Mmm? What question?" I gently say while my mind is still processing what happened.

"Will you....mate with me?" 

Ehh..did he just say that? Or am I imagining things? I know I can do that pretty well, so maybe double check first.

"He?" I am freed from my daze and turn around to lock my eyes into.......his wonderful deep crystal clear blue eyes. Perfectly visible, even in this ambient light.

"I asked if you want to mate with me."

I am perplexed. What am I? An animal?

"You don't seem to approve. I...I'm sorry." He takes a step back.

"No! Wait...I...I just don't understand. I..I don't understand anything anymore. My body....I want us to be together. But shouldn't we bond first? Isn't that the proper way to ask me?"

"You forget one thing....Queens are the exception. But if you will allow me....I would gladly bond with you and not have to share you with anyone else."

"Eh....huh? Share with....no no no! I would NEVER want that." I shook my head.

He smiles, takes my hand and says "forgive me, for this is new to me. I only have heard about the bonding recently. I don't know...."

"What to expect of the ceremony?" I asked with a warm smile.

"Yes."

"I can help you with that. I designed the bonding rules for our Empress."

"You did? You ....you designed this..?"

"Now, now, let's stay in the mood here. I like how you were before. Can you...maybe....hold me again? Tell me how you really feel about me? Do you want to stay with me? Love me?"

"Yes, Akari. I do. I want to stay with you. Not as a guard, but to be in your life. To hold you, k..kkkk.kiss you as you called it. They way you look, the graceful way you move, your kindness...even how you smell. I Love you. Please don't leave me."

Granted...that's a cliche...but from this guy....I know it's authentic. "Mmmm....yes, that'll do nicely. Tomorrow....let's make our bond official."

"Akari..."  He whispered in my ear.

Oh god....my wings start buzzing like they are going to fly off by themselves. But so are his.

I feel so much love now in my heart, his hands on my shoulders, my arms.

At this moment I see the ship moving out of hyperspace. I see the stars again. The endless depths of space with tiny pinpricks of light everywhere. That was all I saw while feeling his gentle embrace and his hand moving between my wings. Oh my god that tickles...no...a good kind of tickle. Weird...but nice. 

Is this the need the doctor had warned me about? Not actually having a choice as a Queen? Something genetic, forcing me to...allow this to happen?

Nivri's feelers are touching my cheeks, making me want to scratch them...not so nice. But all is forgotten when his warm hands touch my cheeks and our lips touch for a far too short time.

Eh...is that Saturn? We must have left Hyperspace a bit too soon. It's beautiful! But I couldn't possibly focus on that now... My uniform.....is slowly releasing its tight grip on me....

Well...what happened next you might ask? A woman needs her privacy! Let's say that the birds and the bees were utterly lost in the woods for a moment. But yes, under the stars....I'm still in his warm arms, still exchanging kisses....being kissed in my neck, until....

"<Ding Dong> Queen Akari. Please report to your throne room. <ding dong>" 

I know that voice....Aine....it sounds urgent.

"We're sorry....our love....but we have....I have to go." Why did I start speaking like that again?

"Yes, Akari. Such is the duty of a Queen. I will follow you....as your guard."

"Oh...right. Maybe...maybe wait a bit? I don't think...oh god..just...wait a while, okay?"

"Yes...my love. Will you still bond...with me?"  

Brrr....I know it sounds so cheesy, but.....I know we both mean it. This is not Earth. They don't watch romantic movies here. They just....are authentic. Or do they have movies too? I think I will find out at some point.

"Do you doubt me already?" I kissed him again. "I will keep you to your promise. You WILL bond with me now." I said that in a teasing tone.

"I'm looking forward to that." He embraced me one more time.

"'Ha ha...I bet you do. But so do I. Now let's.."

"<Ding dong> Queen Akari...please URGENTLY visit your throne room. <ding dong>"

"Crap.. Nivri. I have to run. Just follow me in a few minutes." 

"Yes, Akari."

And gone was the romantic mood we were in. Disrupted by Aine's voice of urgency.