"She's regaining consciousness."  A male voice says.

"Wha....waha ......ugh...where.........." I taste iron in my mouth while I'm massaging my forehead. I feel a bit dizzy, but it's getting better already.

"Easy there...your tongue was bleeding, it should be repaired now," the same voice said.

I sit up straight, look around and find myself sitting on a biobed in the medical bay again. Shit, I bit my tongue this time. I hate it when that happens! And he's the doc, I remember now.  "Thank you doc. I'm alright now."

"No, you're not."

"Eh...excuse me? I had another seizure, but I feel fine now." Is this some kind of bad joke?

"While you were out, I not only scanned your brain, but also the rest of your body. There are...things you need to know." He's holding one of their tablets in his hands and ticks his finger on its front.

"Tell me doc. What is it? Am I changing into one of you? Ha ha ha." Let's just play along with him.

"Well...actually....you might." He says with a serious expression.

Oh boy...this can't be good. He's serious! "WHAT?!!!"

"Easy now. You are in no immediate danger." He puts the tablet down and waits for me to relax....which I don't.

"Sorry, but please tell me. What's going on?" I feel really worried now. 

"Alright, I will give you a non-technical summary. Your Queen-like pheromones are getting stronger. You may not have noticed it yet, but your eye color is getting lighter. More like.....ours."

"No way...you're joking, right? Did Aine put you up to this?" I try to find a metallic surface or mirror to see my eye color, but can't find one.

"No, she's sitting right over there." He points to a location behind my back.

I turn around and only now notice Aine sitting near the entrance. Her expression is dead-serious. No joke. Absolutely no joke.

But before I can speak with her, the doctor continues. He first makes sure that other staff are giving us some privacy. This is scary...

"You have two small bumps on your head. We are not sure yet, but they might develop into normal female nodes." My mouth is agape..what the heck are nodes? But there is more. He continues "your nose and ears seem unaffected, but your internal structure is definitely changing."

"Changing? How?"

"Tell me, did you notice anything different about your body?" He glances over my body from top to toe.

"Well.....I haven't had a period since I got here. But....that...can happen....right?"

"Period? Ah...your reproductive cycle I assume. Well, there is no easy way for me to say it, so let me be blunt. It appears that you won't be able to have children. Ever."

Aine walks over to me and puts an arm around my shoulders, but doesn't say a word. I look at her and then back at the doctor. He nods with closed eyelids to emphasize that he really means this. 

Only then does the gravity of the situation sink in...I will never have children.. Ever.  

For the next five minutes I cried and cried. Being brought here against my will. I did everything they wanted, and now....now my body is affected?

 

Aine continued to comfort me and I finally was able to speak again.

"Are you feeling better now?" Aine asks gently.

"No...not really. But I'm glad you're here."

"Awwww....my little worker. I will always be there for you."  She massages my back, then gives me a quick hug.

She really is like my mom. Will I ever see her and Hitomi again? Will they even recognize me by then? Oh god, what do I do?

"Stop worrying Akari. I know it's scary, but the doctor will take good care of you. He may be an arrogant, insensitive jerk with terrible bedside manners, but he's a good doctor."

"What?! I resent that!" The doctor crosses his arms and he really seems upset.

Good, because he really is an insensitive jerk. 

"What part? That you are a good doctor?" Aine gives him a smug smile, which makes me laugh too.

"That's my girl. Well done, Akari. Now doctor, is there anything else she needs to know or do?"

"I'm afraid so. We are required to file a report to our Queen about this matter. Mainly about the pheromones. But otherwise, our scans show that you are healthy, albeit with a somewhat....different bodily configuration." 

"So...she's fit for work then?"

"Oh yes, physically yes, definitely. She just needs some time to process these...changes." The doc seems certain. 

It's just some changes....not a death sentence! But it sucks nevertheless...

"I was mistaken, you don't have a terrible bedside manner. You actually showed improvement now." Oh..Aine is scary when she talks like that.

That reminds me.."Aine?"

"Yes, dear?"

Dear? Eh...right.

"Aine, what happened back outside the Commander's office?" I pointed behind me. 

"Oh that.....eh.....a worker thought you were our Queen. And his instincts just took over. There's nothing he could do about that. He....he thought the Queen wanted to.....mate." Aine looks apologetic, knowing what I'm already going through.

"MATE!!!!! What?!"  My face must explode any moment now! It's THAT red.

The doctor then explains "only the Queen is allowed to mate. All other eh....reproductions are prohibited." 

"So....everyone here could technically have children then?" I look at the doctor.

"Technically.....yes. But the Queen forbids it. It carries the death penalty." The doctor said.

"Oh...I see. And that worker, is he fine?"  

"Ha ha ha, yes Akari. Amazing that you care for him, considering what just happened to you. Yes, he's fine. Just confused, but fine. The Queen knows about this matter and the doctor will file a report about the incident. He won't be punished for this, considering he wasn't initiating the eh...ritual." Aine said.

"Eh.....say what?" I didn't do anything, right? Why blame me for that?

"Yes, you...or rather your pheromones were asking...well...you know...." Aine can't finish the sentence, trying to prevent me going into full panic-mode.

Too late. I'm already panicking. "Oh my god......please help me!"  I covered my face with my hands, but it won't help.

Aine is massaging my back again. Not helping very much this time.

And just when I think I feel better, another messenger arrives. Why don't they just send emails? Strange people.

"I'm a messenger from our Queen. I have a message for the one called Akari."

I raise my hand "that's me, just tell me please. These two can hear the message too."

"Understood. The Queen demands that you see her at once."

"Oh god, is she angry with me?"

"I do not know. I'm only a messenger. Bye" And the messenger simply ran away. Rude.

"Well then, Akari, follow me. We can't let the Queen wait."

I nod to the doctor and thank him for his help, then I follow Aine all the way back to the Queen. This is getting silly....AGAIN an appointment with the Queen. I'm sure she's mad at me this time around.

We are now, once again, standing in front of our Queen.

"Akari, Aine, we appreciate that you could come before us on such short notice."

We both give a nod to show some respect.

The Queen then continues "we are aware of you losing consciousness again. But we are also aware of the worker who attempted to court you. No no no, please relax. We know that you are not at fault. It is us who promised you something for that, is it not?"

"Yes my Queen, but still..."

"Please do not interrupt us. You and that worker are not to blame. Neither shall be punished. We have thought about this and shall address this matter later. There are more important matters to discuss."

What? More IMPORTANT matters? Now what did I do? 

"Be calm, Akari. Aine, support her if you will." Aine then put an arm around me, pulling me closer. It may sound silly, but it really helps to calm me down.

"Good, we are also aware of your bodily changes and must apologize. We can only assume that our nourishment has an...adverse reaction to your body. Your doctor informed us that there are no known methods to return your body to its original state. Will you accept our humble apology?"

The Queen...apologizing to me? I CAN'T refuse that. And I can't blame her, can I?

"Yes, my Queen, but you do not need to...."

 

"We thank you, Akari. We promise to support you wherever we can. You are our Hive member, but also our guest. We have not forgotten. A guest who has no way to return home and even helps us in our moments of need. There can be no proper way to fully apologize to you. But unfortunately...there is even more sad news to discuss."

Aine and I exchange glances, then I focus on the Queen again.

"Indeed....we have received word from Vahli Prime. We have only entered communications range this morning. The Kakross.....have attacked our homeworld."

"No....." I see Aine holding her right hand before her mouth. She didn't intend to speak.

"Yes, Aine, the dreaded attack occurred yesterday. At least one third of the Vahli on the planet have been decimated."

"Nooo!! My Queen!" Aine is crying. I'm now the one who puts her arms around Aine this time.

"Let us continue. There is more sadness to come. 23 Hiveships and 64 heavily armed escorts have defended our planet. Without their sacrifice, our planet would have been reduced to dust."

"No....they...they...." Aine is at a loss for words.

"Indeed, Aine. All ships in orbit above Vahli Prime have been destroyed. Each Hiveship had about 70,000 workers. In total, including on the planet, we have lost the lives of at least one billion loyal Vahli. It is....beyond sadness. This is....genocide. We are at a loss of words. <sniff>" Now the Queen starts to cry. I instinctively wanted to console her, but she raised her hand to stop me.

"I am so sorry, my Queen. There are no words...to describe this." Is the only thing I can say. My eyes are getting moist, but I can still manage to hold the tears in. Barely.

"Indeed, there are no words for this. But the bad news does not stop there. We also must tell you that our home world's defenses have been reduced to zero. We expect to arrive there tomorrow in the morning to assist in defending....the birthplace of our race. All Hives have been recalled. That was the last order we received from our...Empress."

"No.....my Queen! Please...don't tell me..."  Aine is crying again.

"It is exactly as you fear. Our Empress died together with her people." The Queen now visibly cries as well.

Seeing Aine and the Queen cry makes me cry as well. Oh my god...what a cruelty. Genocide...

"Akari." The Queen said, barely audible, after a short moment of silence.

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Are you loyal to us?" She looked at me with her teary eyes. 

How can she ask me something like that? I know I'm just a guest, and that I actually just want to go home. But why wouldn't I be loyal? It's not her fault that my body is changing. I hate it, but there's nothing I can do! 

"Of course, my Queen!" 

"That is what we needed to hear. Your Queen has anticipated this outcome and has prepared for this contingency. You see...we..are now the oldest Queen of all Hives. We are therefore chosen to become the new Empress. An Empress with a decimated Empire. But still there remains hope."

"Hope, my Queen? But how?" Aine cannot possibly see anything hopeful in this situation, and neither can I, to be completely honest.

"My loyal subjects. We are grateful to have such a good family."

Family? Ah, ALL of them are her children, of course! But me?

"I see you understand, Akari. We understand your position. Your body is changing to our likeness. We cannot possibly tell you how sorry we are for that. But it is out of our hands. Soon, you might not even be accepted by your own Hive anymore."

"My Queen."  I need to interrupt her. She's just too emotional to think straight now. She may make a mistake.

"No, do not interrupt us. You are now accepted into our family. Not as a mere worker, but as our child. It is the least we can do. Do you understand?"

"Eh, no my Queen. I appreciate the gesture, but aren't they all your children?"

Aine seems to understand, she's looking my way as if I'm too stupid to understand. Well thank you for that! You're not helping!

"Well said, my Akari. But it is not the same. Perhaps the translator cannot find a word for it in your language. Aine, can you please explain?" The Queen is wiping her tears from her eyes.

"Eh...yes, my Queen. Akari...our Queen has granted you...royal status. Only her offspring that are hatched as Queens are allowed to have that status."  Aine tried to explain to me. 

Oh my god...they...WHAT? Did I miss something?

"We see that you understand now. And before you speak, this is not a selfless gift we are bestowing upon you. It is out of necessity. You see....as we said earlier...we have anticipated this outcome. We have recently produced a new Queen for this Hive as I will leave this Hive tomorrow, to become the next Empress."

"Ehh...I still don't understand? My eh....Empress?"

"We do not mind how you address us. Let us explain why we bestowed royalty onto you. As Empress I'm now ordering you to stop your role as an interceptor pilot.
No no...wait for our explanation.

You shall continue to share your....ways. Your tactics and different views are what we need to survive. Share new insights with the Commander or General wherever possible. They will in turn brief our other Hiveships. We want you to work with the General and devise a way to exterminate the Kakross at all costs. Do you have a problem with that command?"

What? Genocide? Of course I do! But...it means survival. And I really can't go home anymore, looking like one of them! Maybe this is my new home from now on, whether I like it or not. And their enemies are my enemies. But still....no choice I guess?

"No, I will do as you command, Empress." I stand up straight and tell her the truth.

"We see in your eyes that you mean it. Commander!"

"Yes, Empress!"  The Commander walks out of the shadows and stands next to the Empress, who is still sitting on her throne. I should have known that he was also here.

"Commander, see to it that Akari receives a royal uniform. Her teammates, as you call them, will no longer have Akari as their Leader. Do you have a successor in mind?"

"May I suggest Kira? She shows excellent promise." The Commander just read my mind. I don't want another, random, pilot to take over from me. It would destroy our "chemistry," for lack of a better word.

The Commander and Empress see me nod. Well, I guess it's time for me to stop flying. That sucks! But my team already learned most of my "moves" and everything has been recorded. I guess I just have to let go. But that still sucks!

"So shall it be."

The Commander is then allowed to explain the reasoning. Apparently things are infinitely complex here in the Hive. 

"Akari, I know you don't like it that we have revoked your permission to fly. There is another argument  in favor of that decision. The doctor has confirmed, through the neuroscan recordings of your simulated flights, that your....condition... is triggered by high levels of adrenaline. Perhaps there are more reasons, but the bottom line is that flying eventually results in you getting unconscious. And that is one thing we cannot allow. As already mentioned, we are hoping that your Earth experiences will continue to provide a fresh approach to our predicament."

"Yes, Commander. I understand." It still sucks though! I look at my shoes and feel very disappointed.

"Akari. Let us continue. As of now, your teammates shall no longer share your personal alcove.  You will be assigned a new alcove. Aine, you shall continue to be her retainer. 

Akari...now you are part of our family, you no longer need to hide your pheromones.
You shall be treated and respected as a Queen, but you are NOT the Queen of this Hive. That shall be my unhatched child. Do you understand?" She looks quite serious.

"Yes, my Quee..Empress.  But how do I explain to others that there are two Queens in this Hive?"

"Simple. Your role is to work with the General. Our nurses will take care of our unhatched Queen, but you, Akari, shall teach and guide her to become a new breed of Queen. A Queen destined to save our race."

"Bbbb...but...how? .....Eh...my Empress?" She waited for that last part! Then gave me a quick smile.

"It is our hope that one Hive can make a difference. As we stated earlier, the survival of our race is at stake. If we continue to live as we have before.....we might see the end of our race. We ask you to raise a new type of Queen. We have heard from our nurse Riki how you handled one of our children. I want you to show her much of your affection. It is not our usual way. But it may help to open her mind to new possibilities. We want our Hive to grow strong and hope that your fresh way of thinking will contribute to that."

"Eh...yes my Empress?"  Oh my god. Now I'm a nanny too???!

"We see that you are overwhelmed. But there is more."

"Mmmm...more?.....eh my Empress?" 

"We apologize, but these are hardly normal circumstances. One, and only one, shall lead this Hive when we leave to become the next Empress. My unhatched Queen is too young for such an important role so early in her new life. I only see one....being....capable of running my Hive." She nods to me, indicating she was speaking about me.

"WHAT? Ah..sorry for the.....but.....my Empress?"

"We understand the weight on your shoulders, but you are not alone. The General shall assist you and so shall I...through the General. Yes...he shall report to me now. The General is not allowed to take command of the Hive, only a Queen is. And you are the only Queen capable of such in this Hive. And before you ask us...we need every Queen in their respective Hives. So we can't take others from their homes."

Why do I feel like I have been drafted?

"But..what if I do something you don't approve of? ......my Empress" I keep forgetting to add that part!

"Well said. It seems we have chosen well. You are allowed to make any changes in this particular Hive, as long as it benefits the Hive or the Empire. Speak to the Commander and General about your ideas and then implement them. Use this Hive to show what you are capable of, Queen Akari."

"bbb....Queen Akari? Empress?" I think I don't understand anything anymore. I thought it was just a status. But apparently she wants people to recognize me and refer to me as Queen.

"Yes...we would find this amusing under other circumstances, but you have your orders. Now...do you have any immediate suggestions or remarks before we excuse you?" 

"Yes, your Empress. But....this is a personal question. One that might offend you. Might I ask you to forgive me for even asking it?" She's not going to like this.

"We are curious...if you already know that we would disapprove of it....why ask us?"

"Because it might save your....our race."

"OUR race, huh? Interesting. We shall hear it and promise not to retaliate."

"My Empress. It is my understanding that our enemy is in far greater numbers. Is that correct?" Crap, I forgot the Empress part. Well she knows, so whatever, right?

"Yes, that is a fact. Continue."

"I would suggest...with the utmost respect and sincerity....to ask you to increase the number of workers and Hives so we can even the odds."

"And....how would you propose this? We are not sure that we like your suggestion." She narrows her eyes, almost glaring at me now.

"Please let me finish my proposal before you decide." The Empress nods. "I suggest that...under VERY strict conditions....your workers are allowed to create...."

"NEVER!!!!" The Empress shouted so loudly that it hurt my ears. She stands up from her throne and seems....royally pissed. She looks at Aine and Aine then quickly makes me leave the throne room. Well...that went well.

After the doors close, Aine says "Akari! How could you possibly say that?" 

"Because someone must. If she doesn't listen to reason now.....we shall all perish."

"Oh, Akari....I hope you are wrong."

"So do I....but I have this feeling that we..." But I'm interrupted.

It is the Commander. He asks us to return to the Empress.

So....we walk back inside and are once again faced with the Empress.

I bow and say "Empress, I apologize deeply for...."   But she interrupts me.

"No, Akari. Now stop the pleasantries. We need to discuss business. It is us who should apologize and we do. We apologize for that outburst. We promised not to take offense, and we still did. But we feel that your fresh way of thinking, even though it very much annoys us in this case, might be what we need to survive. We need to be open minded...that was our goal...even when it is inconvenient. Now, speak of your.....conditions."

"Of course. I suggest that male and female workers are allowed to create offspring. Increase the size of nurseries and nursing staff. Males and females shall form a voluntary pair who are united into what we Earthlings call "marriage." It means they form a sacred bond together. They will, ideally, stay together for life. And here come the conditions. Each pair shall swear loyalty to their Queen before they shall create offspring. Loyalty to their Queen and the Hive is their number one priority. Taking care of their offspring is their second priority. There are always other Hive members who can take care of the little ones if something should happen to a bonded pair. 
They shall teach their offspring about loyalty to the Queen and shall provide them with all the affection they can. The excess number of workers created from this Hive will migrate to other Hives or to the homeworld. Once the population has grown sufficiently, new Hives and new attack craft can be created."

"It seems you have given this much thought. We see the wisdom in your proposal. Considering the circumstances...after having lost that many lives.....and perhaps even facing extinction...we reluctantly agree to your proposal. 

BUT only in this Hive. We shall see how your actions determine the future of our race for ourselves. Starting the next morning, you shall be this Hive's temporary Queen and shall take care of our unhatched child. She must assume the throne as quickly as possible. Nurse Riki is watching her development now."

"Of course, my Empress. As you command."

"Alright. We wish you well, Queen Akari."

"My Empress...may your reign bring victory to us." 

I'm sorry, this just came out of nowhere. I guess I really feel at home here now?

"Well said. You are dismissed."

We are now in our NEW personal alcove. Yep, not the same as before. This one is close to the throne room. Aine is in a bad mood and asks for permission to feed me. I forgot how hungry I was and...well...she needs her nursing activity to relax too.

I guess I have lots and lots to worry about now....noooo pressure...nope.

After eating and bathing I needed to remind Aine a dozen times to stop calling me "yes my Queen" or it would drive me nuts.

But in the end she finally stopped the moment she reminded me of other bodily changes.

"Eh...Akari?" Aine sounds cautious.

"Yes...we are listening..." I tried to imitate the Empress, which resulted in a good laugh. 

We both needed a good laugh, considering all the changes and bad news lately.

"No seriously.. Akari...maybe..you should..." Aine sounds really worried. What could it possibly be?

"What is it, Aine?"

"There are...2 scars or something on your back."

I look at her in disbelief and run to the mirror, trying to see what she means. I can barely see it. They do seem like scars, but they are long and thick scars. Scars should not be the same on both sides of the back...so no scars...?

"Eh..now that I look at it...they do resemble what our young have...." Aine's nose almost touched my back, she was investigating the scars a bit too close for my comfort.

"Oh no....something bad?" I'm still looking into the mirror.

"No, not by definition. They look like....like....wings."

"Ehhhh??!!!!"

Aine suddenly gives me a motherly embrace, "Akari. All is fine. The doctor said you were healthy, so believe him. Even though he is an arrogant..."

"Ha ha ha....yeah. Thanks Aine, I needed that."

"You know....I wouldn't mind if you called me mom."

"I...I think I'd like that. But it might make the Queen....eh....Empress upset now."

"Oww...good point. Better leave it then."

It's now my point to embrace her. "Thanks....mom....you really care for me....I hope you can meet my real mom one day."

"Awww....as do I Akari...as do I."

After a few hours when I finally felt a bit more relaxed, I visited my friends...who now have Kira as their new Leader. Things became emotional, but orders are orders. I promised to visit them frequently. And they are always welcome to visit Aine and me. 

I'm lucky to have kind friends in these difficult times.