Chapter 5: Chapter 4: New friends

I'm already beginning to lose track of time. If their perception of time is anywhere close to that of humans, it should be around one in the afternoon by now. I'm not really looking forward to "eating," mainly due to my encounter with the Queen and the resulting stress....but my stomach betrays me...it makes those sounds again. 

 

Please, just let me eat like an adult.

 

I follow Aine to the mess hall, but not the same as before. This one however is supposed to be next to the launch bay and our personal "alcove," which makes sense when we need to launch within minutes. She told me that we are expected to stay close to this location for obvious reasons, but also because our training facility is nearby. 

 

One interesting thing to mention is that this mess hall has huge windows on one side! I can finally look outside every day! The other mess halls must have been somewhere near the center of the ship, but this...this is much, much better! We seem to be traveling in hyperspace, the stars appear as long, white lines instead of the usual stationary white dots.

 

She guides me towards a table at which three girls, or rather young women are sitting, engaged in what seems to be a serious topic.

 

When Aine stops at the table, all three look up at her, then at me and back to Aine. All of them stand up and wait for Aine to speak. They must have met her before. 

 

"Hello girls, I'm Aine, Akari's retainer. Please introduce yourselves to your team leader, Akari."

 

Oookay, so they haven't met before.

 

"Retainer Aine, team leader Akari, it is an honor to meet you both." All three of them speak simultaneously. That's what they must have been discussing earlier, making a good first impression. And it worked.

 

"My name is Esi," the girl on my left said. She bows for a few seconds, then gives us an awkward smile and partially hides after one of the others. That explains her barely audible introduction.

This one is the shortest of the three who all are otherwise similar in appearance. It reminds me of the youngest of three sisters, one who just tags along with her elder sisters. My first impression of her suggests that she's careful and timid.

 

"I'm called Kira." A loud voice proclaims. Kira also bows, but then crosses her arms. Oh..she seems to be the leader of those three. Not shy at all, she looks straight into my eyes and gives a big smile.

 

"And I'm Chiri," the girl to my right said. Chiri bows as well and keeps looking at Aine. Is she afraid of her...or perhaps of me? She only glances my way, then looks at her feet. She has more of an "I shouldn't be here" kind of vibe going on. Maybe she expects to be rejected? Mmm...insecure....I would say. But I shouldn't judge a book by its cover.....easier said than done.

 

"Nice to meet you all. I am Akari. I hope we can become friends." I bowed as well, just once, not to all of them individually of course.

We all sit down at the table and Aine asks "did you three already have your meals?"

 

"Eh, no retainer Aine." Chiri replied. "May I ask why you selected us?" 

 

"Chiri! Don't be so rude!" Kira immediately intervened. "Sorry, but she's afraid that we are here by mistake." She glares at Chiri for a moment, then tries to smile again.

 

Aine looks at Chiri for a moment, perhaps considering actually rejecting her.

"I see, but I'm not easily offended. Let's first start with just using our names. Don't use titles when we are informally together. You four girls are supposed to form a team from now on." 

 

Aine knows by now that I couldn't care less for titles or ranks. Unless we absolutely have to of course.

 

"A...a Team? Really? Are you sure?" Chiri replied. She really has her mind set that this is just a big mistake.

 

Aine looks at me and I take the hint. "Yes, Chiri. We are now a team. The Queen has assigned you to me."

 

"But why....why did she...choose females? We are not supposed to be good enough for this role." Chiri said, with a completely bewildered look.  She then glanced at Esi and Kira.

 

"Chiri! Just stop speaking already!" Kira is trying to save what's left of their first introductions.

 

"Chiri....Akari here specifically asked three females for her team. And the Queen approved it and expects much from you," Aine said. Her expression now changes into a more serious look. I think they should understand by now that it's time to stop asking those kinds of questions.

 

"You....you...you...spoke with our Queen? But you are not even....Vahli?" Ah....Esi can speak after all!

 

"Yes...eh...Esi was your name, right?" She nods. "Well, you are right, I am not Vahli. And.."

But Aine interrupts me.

 

"No she's not Vahli, but she is the Queen's guest. Do not treat her with disrespect." Aine gave all three a serious stare. I guess it helped, because they are all quiet now. 

 

"Eh...thank you, Aine. And so you know, I'm a human eh..female. Is that going to be a problem?" I asked.

 

"No problem at all. Thank you, Akari, for choosing us. We may not look like pilots yet, but we are excited about our role. Without you, we would probably have been assigned to maintenance duty. So on behalf of them as well, thank you for this opportunity."  Kira said while pointing at her teammates.  And she really meant it. 

 

"That is the correct attitude and proper respect to Akari, your team leader and the Queen's guest. The Queen has accepted her into our Hive. This means that you four will be eating, sleeping, bathing and working together. Those are the Queen's orders." Aine is in serious royal-mode. 

 

"Yes ma'am."  is the only reply she gets from all three of them, I just nodded.

 

"Good, now that introductions are over, let's eat. You four are entitled to receive nourishment through me. I only ask Akari to allow me to feed her. You three may decide for yourselves." Aine looks at all three of them, giving them a warm smile. They know that the offer is genuine.

 

"It would be an honor to receive your nourishment. But only for today. We can't take this much honor everyday." Again it was Kira who spoke.

 

"See, Akari? It's considered an honor. And her reply was respectful as it should. So it is decided, I will feed you three today."

 

"But....but what about Akari? You just said.."  Chiri seems specialized in getting on people's nerves. Or maybe she's just too young.

 

"If you must know, Chiri...Akari was fed by the Queen not so long ago." Aine looks proud and smiles.

 

"What????"  All three of them speak quite loud at the same time, causing other workers in this mess hall to look our way for a moment.

 

"Yes, it's true. And please keep it down. Surely you must have registered her pheromones by now?"

 

"Ah..eh...yes..Aine. I think I speak for all of us when I say....we thought it was you, returning from a meeting with the Queen. Oh my Queen.....I don't know how to apologize."

 

"Don't worry, you guys. We are friends now!" I give them a sincere smile and that seems to help them relax instantly. 

For the next ten minutes, Aine fed my three teammates as if they were hungry little bees. Well, they are bees...kinda....and they are hungry, but you get my point. 

 

Lucky them, they can eat themselves after this..this strange display. They expect me to be fed like an infant every day....it gives me goosebumps, just thinking about it. But it's just one custom of many that I have to respect. Maybe I can get them to accept a few of my own. You know...compromising here and there? We'll see. I won't give up.

 

While Aine was feeding Esi, I took a waffle and a cup of the sweet liquid. They were yummy as usual! Honestly, this is much tastier than being fed. Less embarrassing too.

 

I can see Aine observing me from the corner of her eyes. Oh boy.....her eyes are telling me I did something wrong.

 

Once she finishes feeding Esi, Aine looks my way with her hands on her waist.

 

"Akari..." her voice is scary... "you remember what I said about seemingly punishing me? That's what you are doing right now. So you'd better give me the proper respect."  

 

Oh god..her death glare.....and the others...are they laughing? I glared at them and they instantly froze...good!

 

"No, Akari, this is not their problem. Come here." 

 

Oh god, I'm chided like a child. Definitely no waffles for me ever again...this sucks.

My face is bright red when I'm in the kissing range of Aine. She smiles and says in a low volume "sorry to speak that way. Thank you for giving me the respect. I know what you think of this. You are a very brave, little worker."

 

Did my face get even redder? Yep, it just did.

 

I close my eyes and brace for the worst. 

 

"Relax Akari...this is supposed to be a good thing. You make me feel guilty." Aine really sounds upset.

 

"Sorry..mmmmm" but she already started kissing me. Then I taste something like vanilla. Huh? Custard pudding? This tastes exactly like that waffle-filling stuff....amazing. Eh...so that means...that stuff is the same.....oh god.....

 

She stopped when I tried to make her understand that my stomach was starting to get beyond its maximum design capacity. Did she sense that or did she respond to my struggling? Anyway...it's over....for now.

 

"Well? How does the nourishment compare to our Queen's?" Aine makes it sound like a competition. Honestly? Both are equally creepy! But I can't tell her that of course.

 

"Aine, honestly....this tasted better than expected. It reminds me of vanilla custard. A speciality back home." 

 

Let's see what...but Aine interrupts my thoughts. 

"What? Better than the Queen's nourishment? Are you certain?" She seems uncertain if this was a true compliment.

 

"Yes, Aine."  Oh god this sounds so wrong. "It was tastier than the Queen's. I really like your nourishment."  Oh god I really said it. This is wrong in so many ways! Please, kami-sama, forgive me...help me out here. I just want a normal life.

 

She embraces me and almost squeezes the life out of me, then says "thank you so much, my little one. You have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you for accepting me."

 

Huh? This is about accepting her? I look around the room, but nobody seems to care about this at all. They really think this is business as usual. Amazing how different our cultures are.

 

"Eh, Akari?" Aine seems worried.  She looks at the three others and confirms that they are out of hearing range. They should be, as they are close to the window, looking out into the depths of space.

 

"Yes, Aine? Did I do something wrong again?" I don't know what to do anymore if I messed this up.

 

"No no, not at all Akari. It's just....your pheromones.....they....they are back to how they were. You are emitting the pheromones only a Queen would emit. Oh my Queen, this needs some time getting used to. I'd better inform your three new friends over there."

 

I swallow and nod....does this mean that the Queen is going to take offense? I hope not...

Aine guides me to the window where the others are talking amongst themselves. 

 

"Ah...eh...I hope you don't mind. We didn't want to disturb your feeding session." Chiri starts the conversation, but she makes it sound gross. Which it actually also is.

 

Then reality seems to hit the three of them and they all bow to me at the same time "our apologies my Queen. How may we serve you?" 

 

Two other workers, who were sitting nearby, also jumped to their feet and bowed to me. Oh god, here we go.

 

Time to intervene.  "Alright...EVERYONE....may I please have your attention? Yes, you too, thank you." 

 

Literally everyone in this rather large mess hall is now looking my way, and I see more and more workers bow to me. 

 

"Thank you for your attention. There seems to be some misunderstanding about my pheromones. They seem to tell you that I'm your Queen. But let me be very clear, I am NOT a Queen. This is just some case of difference in biology. So please ignore me, alright? Thank you for your time, please continue."

 

Oh god, my face is red. How did I sound? I'm not used to public speaking. I even get nervous when I need to introduce myself during school classes. 

 

Many are returning to...well whatever these people do when they are off duty and so are my three teammates.

 

"Well done Akari, I'm proud of you. I'm sure that the Queen will be informed about this," Aine whispered to me.

 

"Heh? What? She's going to be informed about....THIS?"  I try to cover my face with my hands out of embarrassment, but it isn't working. 

 

"Yes, Akari. You mentioned our Queen and that means that people will inform her about this..development. But don't worry, you said the truth. Our Queen can only respect that."

 

"Oh god, I soooo hope you are right with that."

"So...you are not a Queen?" Esi asks, still a bit shy. She really acts like a small child, doesn't she?

 

For some reason I feel that she needs a hug....."eeeeeek!"

 

"I'm sorry Esi, I thought you needed a hug. And no, I'm not a Queen."  Was that wrong?

 

"Don't worry, Akari, she's still young. You only startled her. But you don't mind, do you Esi?" Chiri said smiling.

 

"Uh uhh.  N..no..no, Chiri." Esi shakes her head. She appears to be embarrassed. Or is she just shy?

 

Chiri then focuses on me and says "it's going to take some time getting used to those pheromones, but I think we can manage. Akari, do you think you can accept us?" Again a bit pessimistic.

 

"Chiri, Esi and Kira. You are my teammates. We are together. And Aine belongs to our group as well. We are friends now. Yes we accept you, all of you. Does that answer help?"

 

"Yes! It does! Thank you Akari!" Chris seems happy now. Finally!

 

"Anyway, Esi, how old are you?" I just have to know. She looks twelve or thirteen at most. The other two appear to be around my age.

 

"Ah....I'm..I'm two." Esi says, sounding really shy.

 

"What? Two? No...can't be!" I don't believe it, she's that young?

 

"But it is the truth, Akari. Chiri and I are both three and Esi is two." Kira explains.

You are reading story BEEvolution at novel35.com

 

"You...you are three years old?" What is this? Make-fun-of-Akari-day? I'm not enjoying this! 

 

"Years? Ah, you mean years. No, we are Nura Zahlo Vantik old." Kira answers.

 

Uhhh? Say what?

"I'm sorry, the translator malfunctioned. What did you just say?" I'm scratching my head...this just doesn't make any sense, or does it?

 

"Months. We are three months of age." Kira looks at Aine, trying to ask her to help them out.

 

"Akari, I am three years old. How old are you?" Aine asks.

 

"WHAT? You are only three years old?? You are so young!" My mouth is agape. I'm so shocked that I forgot to answer her question.

 

"Oh, stop the flattering, please Akari." Aine puts her hands on her cheeks, smiling her big smile. 

 

Is she embarrassed? It wasn't a compliment, you know? I'm just flabbergasted, nothing else! 

 

"Eh....if I may ask...how old are you, Akari?" Kira asks.

 

"I just celebrated my 18th birthday last month."  I simply told the truth.

 

"Months?" Chiri asks.

 

"No....years." God I feel old now.

 

"You....you...you are 18 YEARS old? No way!" Now it's Chiri's turn to be flabbergasted. Aine seems surprised as well.

 

"Well....she is of a different species, but 18? That's just amazing, Akari." Aine is at a loss for words.

 

"Maybe we should start another topic, because you make me feel ancient here. My age just marks the transition into adulthood, I have you know." I said, while looking out into space.

 

"Alright, another topic. I can do that. Akari, why are you wearing a worker's uniform? Shouldn't you be wearing a pilot's uniform?" Kira is direct as expected.

 

"Let me answer this Akari." I nod, after which Aine continues. "Kira, Akari just visited the Queen. The Queen accepted her into the Hive only this morning, just before feeding her. So her uniform will be available soon."

 

"Oh I see." 

Mmm, Kira...you didn't see that coming, did you?

 

They all are afraid to start a new topic, so I think I should continue.

"Eh..Aine...can I inform them about the situation the Queen talked about this morning?" I whispered to Aine.

 

"Yes, you may speak to them about it. The Queen has informed you about this, so it is alright to speak about it with your teammates. It might be important for your performance together." She looks quite serious, and the matter is a serious one of course.

 

I motioned them to come a bit closer and made sure not to speak loudly.

"Alright, the Queen told me this morning that the..eh your..homeworld is about to be attacked. We are now going there. That is also the reason why I'm here and not on my way back home right now. I just can't go home at the moment. Anyway, we are now a team and will probably soon need to defend your homeworld against an enemy attack."

 

"No.....no..that can't be!"  Esi said.

 

"Shhh...quiet Esi." Chiri said, whispering quite loudly.  "Are we losing the war?" Great, our little pessimist has spoken again.

 

"Well, things are not going well. Hives were lost, but that's why this Hive is going to defend your homeworld too. Together we will prevail, right?" I tried to stay positive.

 

"Well said Akari." Aine's eyes are sparkling. "Together we shall prevail!" She proudly says. 

 

"Together we shall prevail!!!" All three of them reply. Is this like some kind of greeting? Or an expected reply?

 

"Together we shall prevail!!!" and the crowd goes wild. Literally everyone in this room just shouted the same!

 

"Akari, sorry, we startled you. That is our Hive's battle cry! You couldn't have said anything more inspiring! Well said!" Aine seems thoroughly motivated now...creepy. But so are the others.

 

I need them to focus again, so I ask "Kira, can you describe our enemy to me?"

 

"Well of course, team leader Akari!" She's still motivated! 

 

"They are known as the Kakross. They have wings as we do, but they are much taller than us. Even taller than you, Akari. They don't wear clothes as we do. Their bodies are yellow with black striping, much like our uniforms. When they fly, their wings make an ominous loud and deep sound, like something huge is coming after you. Their mandibles are filled with teeth and can slice through everything in mere seconds. They attack everything that moves without remorse. They also have a Queen in their Hives, but those Queens sacrifice their workers at will. They are vicious Queens, nothing respectable at all. Only their Empress can prevent them from killing each other."

 

That sounds like a description of wasps. Scary...I hate wasps. But these are definitely bigger than the wasps back home. 

 

I think I'm grimacing at the moment...yuck.

 

"That's enough Kira." Aine's voice sounds frustrated. I guess she's trying to boost morale.
"That's also going to be their weakness. We are well-organized and value our workers. They don't. We may have lost many Hives, but we are learning and improving. One perfect example of that is Akari here. 

 

Why do you think that our Queen has accepted her into the Hive? Mmm? Because she knows that fresh blood and insights are what we need to survive. We are not stuck in our old ways like them. And THAT's what's going to help us!"

 

All of them nodded in agreement.

 

"Speaking of Akari....sorry to switch topics....but the Commander wants to see us today. He should be finished debriefing the others by now, so if you have the time..." Chiri sounds serious again. 

 

"Sure, of course. Aine, unless you have anything to add....would you please guide us to the Commander?" 

 

"No, there's nothing else. Please follow me." Aine is guiding us towards the Commander while I'm trying to envision our enemies. Yuck...scary. I don't think a big fly swatter is going to work against them, though.

After arriving at the Commander's office, near the launch bay, Aine steps back. I guess that is protocol here. She's here, but her body language shows that she's not one of us pilots. Very graceful indeed.

 

"Welcome, welcome."  Yep, it's Commander Spinak again. The fluffy looking one who can keep talking and talking and talking....   "Please have a seat. You too, if you wish, retainer Aine. Or maybe not...." 

 

Her stare answered his question. I guess she's not very fond of him? I don't think he's a bad Commander...he just talks too much. Ehhh...and now Aine smiles again.....and he noticed that. I don't get it. Whatever.

 

The Commander focuses on me and says "Akari, your new uniform will be delivered soon. Tomorrow morning you will be able to dress properly as a pilot. And speaking of pilots...you are the only female pilots in our Hive. Something that will make your lives more difficult. Expect quite the competition with the other teams. And the Queen was clear...she expects much from you four. Don't fail her."

 

We all salute at the same time. I salute Earth style, while saying "yes sir!" 

 

The others did something quite different...and said "yes, Commander!"

 

"Ah...Akari. Please address me as Commander and salute like this.." The Commander said.

He then makes a movement with his hand as if he's wiping the fog from a bathroom mirror........just a circular movement. That's all? It's not very inspiring, is it?

 

"Eh..yes.si...eh...Commander." I saluted him their way.

 

"Excellent. Now let us continue. Now for your ranks. You four are the proud, but also only members of Team 7732. Remember that." 

 

"Yes, Commander!!!!"

 

"Good, you Akari, are Interceptor Leader, Class3 and the others are all Interceptors, Class3." 

 

We all nod to acknowledge our ranks. Class3, huh? That most likely means that we are designated as "rookies." Freshmen. Absolute beginners...

 

The Commander continues "tomorrow morning you will start your training in the simulator. You are expected to reserve afternoons for group discussions about improvements or revise strategies. Do you understand?"

 

"Yes, Commander!!!!"

 

"Excellent! You four are already making a great impression. Let's see how things work out. You, Akari, are expected to take your team to the next level, and beyond."

 

"Yes, Commander! At what time do we start the training?" What else can I say? He doesn't want to hear anything else, right?

 

"Time? Ah you mean a certain position of the star in the sky, right? While we do measure the passing of time, we don't often refer to that in our daily lives. A perfect example for an exception are your missions, where timing is essential.

We want results, not schedules. So tomorrow morning means tomorrow in the morning. You have all morning to practice until your trainers feel that it is time for lunch. Then your afternoon starts."

 

"Eh....okay. I see. I understand, Commander."

What a weird way to live. They have clocks, but don't really use them? But sometimes they still do? Doesn't make any sense to me...but whatever....

 

"Great. Any questions?" The Commander looks my way.

 

I look at my teammates, and they all shake their heads. "No, Commander! No questions."

 

"Excellent reply, Leader. You are all dismissed."

 

We salute and leave his office at once. 

 

As soon as I'm able to, so help me god, I will introduce the concept of "efficient use of time according to schedules" to these people. I wonder how they mark days in a calendar. Perhaps their computers keep track of the days, but they don't let that concept bother them?

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting to know each other in the mess hall.

We ate together, but in the old fashioned way this time. I only then noticed many of those weird plants, but didn't see a single Juju. I'd love to pet one of those now.

 

After dinner, we followed Aine into our personal "alcove."  And surprise surprise, what do I see?  Three familiar "cells" placed next to each other in the usual arrangement.

 

There are some objects resembling benches and a table in this not so large room. It's pretty cozy though. But still very spartan. Most space is occupied by the sleeping area.

 

A monitor or tv screen is adorning the wall. Maybe I'll have to use that too, we'll see. I don't think that these people watch any entertainment in the evening. Ah, that's a nice touch...there is a food dispenser in the corner. So I can have a stealth midnight drink and a snack if I want to.

 

And then there's the alcove itself. The same empty hexagon shaped room awaits me. Ah...but we have a rather large bath here as well! Combined with more privacy, this is amazing!

It means that we can discuss classified topics in the bath without worrying about our neighbors.

 

After bathing together, the five of us decided to lie down in the alcove and relax a little. Everyone had some fun stories to share. 

 

It seemed that sleep had to wait a while as we somehow switched to Earth as a topic. 

"So, you really have trees inside your homes today for Christmaaas?" Esi asked, with wonder in her eyes. 

 

"Ha ha, yeah. But not every country and then only for the period around Christmas. Oh, do you guys like flowers by the way?" I asked. I mean...c'mon...they're more or less bees, right?

 

"Flowers? Of course we do! They always smell amazing! Did you know we harvest them on planets and make our nourishment from them?" Esi continued.

 

"Really? Amazing, that is a total surprise for me!" I lied, they are definitely without a doubt related to honey bees. Same preferences, fluffy and hard workers. Yep, just plain busy bees. With a hyperdrive.

At least the nourishment from the waffles is based on plants...I think.

 

"See, I told you she wouldn't know." Esi shows a smug smile towards Chiri.

 

"Esi, you are too young and naive. Look at her...of course she knew! She's 18 YEARS old, how can she not know that?" Chiri replied matter of factly, while ruffling Esi's fluffy head.

 

Aine smiles at me and just lets us be. But that comment hurt...18 years is not much. Really!

 

Kira then explains how things in general work here in the Hive. They are all born from the Queen and are brought to the nursery. When they hatch from their eggs, a nurse takes care of them until they mature. These people have a genetic memory, meaning that language and basic behaviors are all programmed into their genes. School only exists to further guide them into their future roles.

 

That's what the doc was doing to me in the medical bay..deciding my future role here. So that's what happens with them too. Someone like the doc decides what they will be doing for the rest of their lives.

 

Their lifespan is about 40-50 years. So considering that they mature in just a few months, it's not actually that bad. But they don't age like humans do. We age slowly in appearance..they don't at all.

It took me some convincing before they were able to accept those facts. But I think it brought us closer together.

Our conversations then went all over the place. Apparently they have a celebration once a year when the Queen addresses her Hive-members. Three workers are chosen at random and are allowed to dine with the Queen. And you know what that means, right? 

 

Otherwise these people are not of the party-type. They are focused on their jobs and the Hive is their home, their everything. Everyone is encouraged to be considerate and helpful towards each other, because they simply need each other.

At one point I started to cry, earning me a big hug from Esi. It happened when I told them my story...that I dropped my bags of groceries and my phone and had to run for my life towards the scout ship. 

 

I realized at this point that mom and Hitomi must have figured out by now that I wouldn't be returning anymore. Strange burn marks in the grass. My phone and bags must have been brought to the police station. That's Japan for you. People don't just take your stuff, they bring it to the police. Well mostly, because times are changing. Let's assume now that at least my cell phone found its way back home.  

 

Mom...Hitomi....I miss you.....but I promise to return home.....some day.