by Juno Wells
I’m strangely intrigued by her idea for the clad of Grayson to trade biological matter for a small ship. A large family could just about make a fine living with such a ship. Why should they be forced to suffer and die on a barren planet if it can be prevented?
At first, I did not understand Queen Kearney’s plan, but now it all makes sense. I hope she plans to take her family from this dying world. The oceans churn with acid and pollution, there are no animals running free and wild, and our scans reveal that on some parts of the planet one cannot breathe without a respirator to protect from the particulate matter floating in the air. This is no place to birth young.
Seeing the hopeless expressions on the Grayson clade’s faces affected me deeply. I will render whatever assistance is necessary to see them safe. From the tight expressions on the other warriors, I suspect they feel the same as me. Seeing their frail females would have been enough to engage our services.
It takes only moments for us to reach the cave site by shuttle. We find our three warriors there caring for the females. They have built a fire using heating gel and the females are all huddled in warm blankets. Each has a hydration packet in her hands and a food bar in her lap. I realize some of the youngsters are male, the oldest just breaking into adolescence.
A woman screeches and several jump from their seats to run to the sister queens. One is a mature queen who was sitting with Elder Scarn. He is left grappling with two youngsters who can’t be more than a couple of seasons old. Suddenly, everyone is on their feet, moving into a tight circle around the sister queens. I have rarely seen so many queens in one place and looking so rough.
One of the three crew members who arrived first directs my attention to a floating hover board. It has the body of the crew member we thought was dead. He has a stasis strip running down his body. I can see it sticking out the top of the blanket. Why they have wasted a blanket on a person in stasis is beyond my ability to reason. “Warm blankets should have gone to the queens.”
Ledan glances over his shoulder at the tangle of queens. “The elder queen insisted. I do not believe she understands how stasis fields work, Commander Tabor.”
I know he’s probably referring to the sister queen’s mother, but she is not of age to be considered an elder. “Remove the supplies from our shuttle and take a team back to repair our downed shuttle. Our queen has made peace with the hostile natives and they are to be treated with respect.”
Never one to second-guess the judgement of a queen, Ledan dips his head in submission and jogs off to assist the crew members who are already unloading supplies. I begin exploring the area, looking for danger and security threats. Their cave is spacious and there is a large flat area that juts out the front. This is where the queens were warming themselves. I’m confused about why the warriors built their fire outside the cave. The heat source they are using could easily heat the interior of the cave. I guess the queens did not wish to be indoors.
Scarn approaches me with a child under each arm. He smiles and they are laughing. “What have you there, my friend?”
“A young warrior and a young queen who thinks she is a warrior. Where shall I put them, commander?”
“I would have to say to put them down. Young warriors and queens like to run around and play.”
He laughs merrily. “These two like to fly.”
“If their queen mother allows it, take them under your wing and let them enjoy the fresh air.”
Sighing contentedly, the scarred elder warrior states, “This will be their third trip. We should see about getting wings grafted onto their bare little backs.”
Before I can answer, I am called by my queen. My feet are moving before I will them to and I am at her side in the blink of an eye.
“I wanted to introduce you to my mother. Her name is Ella.”
Turning to her mother, she gestures towards me. “Mother, this is Commander Tabor. He’s been looking out for us since we’ve been gone.”
The mature queen’s hair has barely a thread of gray to be seen, yet her face is wrinkled around the eyes and mouth.
She smiles at me, and her voice is kindly when she speaks. “It’s nice to meet you, Commander Tabor. Thank you for looking out for my girls.”
I drop to my knee in submission and bow my head.
“Oh goodness, not you too.”
My queen explains quietly. “I told you, it’s just their way of communicating that they’ll submit to your wishes.”
“That’s real nice, but he needs to get up and talk to me like a gentleman. I’ve got a bunch of questions.”
I rise to my feet and greet her verbally like she prefers. “Forgive our gestures of submission. I have no wish to make you uncomfortable.”
“It’s no problem, but from now on, I want you on your feet talking to me. Humans prefer respectful conversation over displays of submission.”
“This I will remember, queen mother. You mentioned that you wished to ask me questions. What would you like to know?”
“My daughter says you are all dragon warriors. Does that mean you turn into dragons?”
My queen shifts from one foot to another, looking uncomfortable.
I answer honestly because not only do I have no reason to do otherwise, but lying to a queen mother is a crime punishable by death among my people. “In ancient times, our people had their genome spliced with that of dragons. Though we had fire in our blood and could start a fire with our breath, it was determined that more modifications were needed. There was more splicing with an unknown species. The result is we no longer have fire in our blood but each family line is gifted in one way or another.”
Glancing curiously between me and her daughter, she asks, “What is your family’s gift?”
Pressing my hand to my chest, I answer as best I can. “We sense danger in the heat of battle. It is how I knew to move our shuttle out of the line of fire today.”
“I heard all about how old man Grayson shot down one of your shuttles. I mean to have words with the old coot about that.”
“I believe Queen Kearney has already done that.”
“Queen Kearney?”
My queen jumps into the conversation and explains. “They call all women queens, mother, not just me.”
She takes a deep breath. “You called me queen mother because I am Kearney’s mother, right?”
Dipping my head again, I elaborate. “When our linguistics program broke down your language, there was no word that our elders felt communicated the esteem and respect we bear for human females. The closest match was queen. We treat females much like queens are treated on this planet.”
“Their society is matriarchal.”
Nodding, her expression turns somber. “I see. Kearney tells me that we would all be welcomed on your home world, and she has a ship in orbit to take us there. Is this true?”
“I do not understand the question?”
“She is double-checking to make sure my family is welcome among your people.”
“Ah, I understand now. Queens command and warriors obey. It is the natural order of things.”
“I don’t understand any more now than I did a moment ago.”
Her tone is frustrated and I cannot determine why. I try to clarify our position. “Your daughter has determined that you are welcome among us. Queens are gifted with the right of choosing, not males. No male will go against the word of a queen.”
By this time Kendra, Phan and Timric are standing close. Phan supplies helpfully, “Warriors serve and protect queens. If more queens come to our world more warriors will have something to do.”
“How about the boys? Are they welcome as well?”
“I do not know how helpful a warrior can be without wings, but our numbers are few so any assistance they could provide in serving and protecting queens would be greatly appreciated.”
“It’s my understanding there are more women than men. Aren’t you afraid they’ll take mates away from your kind if we relocate?”
&nb
sp; I step back into the conversation. “Males may not take queens. They must wait to be chosen. Whether a queen chooses a human mate or a Draconian mate, it makes no difference because the decision is hers. I am inclined to say most warriors would wish the queens to have more selection because it is not right to deny a queen.”
Kearney’s irritated voice chimes in. “Except the two women who rule our new home world have specifically asked for women to relocate. Male children are very welcome. Adult males, not so much. Until we get a chance to talk to them about that, we’d best stick to just our family.”
“I see. So the Grayson’s are shit out of luck when it comes to getting rescued?”
At this point Kearney just seems tired. “I have an idea for getting them off Earth but I can’t save everyone.”
Before I can think to stop myself, my wing comes out to slip behind my queen and I pull her close. “This day has been fraught with danger and my queen has exhausted herself negotiating peace with the clade of gray beings.”
Kendra murmurs, “He means the Grayson clan. Clade is Draconian for clan.”
“Yes, this is what I meant. Perhaps you could speak with Queen Kendra and allow my queen to rest.”
“Why is she your queen in particular?”
My queen snuggles under my wing before responding. “They all call me that because I’m in charge of the ship.”
The queen mother’s expression shifts into one of amusement. “Fine, take your queen and let her rest. I have many questions for my younger daughter as well.”
I catch Kendra’s expression and it is one I cannot identify. The brave young queen stands her ground before her mother with her warriors at her back.
I settle my queen down and make her a warm drink from one of the crates I packed. She is with her family, so now she can eat and drink like a normal person. Our drink is similar to the drink humans call simulated coffee, except it’s warm and nourishing. I make a large vat of it and begin passing out drinks in collapsible cups. I keep a watch over my queen as I make food for her and her family to eat.
My brother stands by his queen, answering all the queen mother’s questions as best he can. Whatever he tells her must have pleased her, because she reaches out to embrace him and then her young daughter. When I hand my queen her food, she thanks me. “We’re really happy to have a doctor in the family. Don’t worry, you’ll end up with a hug before it’s all said and done as well.”
That clarifies the situation for me. I had the thought the hug was a welcome to her family gesture, rather than simply showing approval for his vocational choice. Though Phan is beaming, Timric appears confused. It occurs to me search the faces for the one who shares Kendra’s face. Her twin is not to be found among the queens. Stooping down in front of Queen Kearney, I ask, “Where is your sister queen, Kara. She is not here.”
She grabs my shoulder. “Don’t freak out.” Her voice is loud and stern, drawing notice from the others.
“Tell me now, my queen.”
“Calm down. She went to town to trade some pine nuts for medication for one of the little ones.”
I’m stunned. “You have a sick child in this group?”
“Phan already scanned and healed her. What part of calm down don’t you understand, big guy?”
“Your sister queen is in the city, unprotected.”
“She’ll be fine in the bio dome.”
“She should not be unprotected. Queens are few and precious.”
Giving my arm a jerk, she frowns. “Not around here. On Earth women are man and males are few. I know that’s not how it works in the rest of the world, but it’s true for this planet.”
Timric is at my side in a flash. “You are correct, Commander. I wish to find my queen and shelter her under my wing.”
I stand and begin brainstorming ways to find the missing queen. “We will get Phan to load Kendra’s biological signature into hand held scanners and…”
Queen Kearney comes to her feet as well. “You guys are not going to let this go, are you?”
Our heads swivel around to face her at the same time. My brain is scrambling for something to say to get her to recognize how serious of a problem having a young sister queen unprotected in a large city can be. In many ways my queen is innocent. I have traveled the verse and know very well how danger can creep up on a queen before she realizes. Another thought pops into my head. “Is she the only family member missing from your ranks?”
The queen mother wanders over, clearly having overheard our conversation. “I have a niece who works in one of the restaurants in town as a cook. She doesn’t get off until midnight.”
I try not to be abrasive to the queen mother, but I’m unable to hold my tongue. “My language translator is telling me midnight is a time point which occurs during the dark of night. May I suggest that we retrieve your daughter immediately and if the niece queen is not agreeable to leaving her workplace, we will leave warriors and a shuttle to escort her back to this grouping?”
“I think all that’s a bit of an overkill, but if you need security to be tight, I’m agreeable to your suggestion.”
Turning my attention to Queen Kearney, I bow my head respectfully. “Do I have your leave to see to the safety of the two errant queens as well, my queen?”
“Well, they’re not really errant, but sure, what the heck. Knock yourself out. Just don’t scare the hell out of them. Huge warriors dropping out of nowhere might freak them out a little.”
Timric interjects earnestly, “We have no wish to distress the queens. We will be careful to ensure they are not frightened and respect their wishes.”
Phan is already loading a hand held scanner so we can match to her biological signature. Of course, we have eyes and can recognize her by sight since she is Kendra’s twin, but with our hand held, we can scan large areas. I turn to Queen Kearney. “I will leave Elder Scarn and the remaining warriors to protect you. Ledan should be returning with your second shuttle once the repairs are made.”
“I’m going to focus our time on packing. I want us up out of here as soon as possible. We might be able to fit everyone into the two shuttles. If not, I’ll leave the warriors and come back for them.”
“That is a wise decision, my queen.” For some reason I do not know, I reach out and draw her to me. “All will be as you say. We will have your family safe aboard your vessel before the sun rises on another day.”
“That’s just what I wanted to hear.” She’s gazing at me in a way that makes my cock ache. I am a dishonorable warrior for thinking of my queen this way, when all she wants is my protection.
Her hands come up to rest on my hips, and she moves closer. “Now that my family is safe, everything changes.”
“I will obey. This is my vow to you.”
A smile lights up her face. “You say the most adorable things. Don’t go looking at other ladies when you’re in the bio dome. I won’t have it.”
Her statement feels possessive. “I wish only to secure your loved ones and rush back here to look at you.”
My mouth is saying things that make little sense and that my brain does not fully approve of, but I care not as long as my queen’s attention is focused squarely upon me.
“Get going, you big Romeo. I want you to rush, but be safe doing it.”
“I will return quickly. Do you wish me to secure any extra provisions while we are in the trading center?”
“We call it a marketplace, and buy whatever you think best. After we link the Strovians with the ambassador, I plan to do some large-scale trading.”
“As you wish, my queen.” Instinct tells me to brush my face against her cheek so she will feel my affection, but I doubt my queen thinks of me like that. Therefore, I step back and turn to Timric. “Are you ready?”
“More than ready, Commander.”
12 GETTING REACQUAINTED
KEARNEY
WE WATCH the shuttle take off with Tabor and Timric. My mother ushers everyone back down and we sit and sip our h
ot drinks. Phan seems worried and Kendra picks up on it immediately. “Hey, don’t worry about your brother. He’s going to be fine. Earth Gov has a zero-tolerance policy for harming aliens. They don’t want anything interfering with the trade they bring.”
“I should have gone with him to find your kin, but I did not wish to leave you unprotected.”
Scarn’s gruff voice sounds off. “You’re newly mated. The mate bond is strong and instinctual with our kind. I do not believe you could have forced yourself from her side even if you were ordered to do so.”
Phan’s wings flutter in a clear gesture of frustration. “We are not yet mated.” I can tell admitting to that fact pained his soul.
Scarn frowns, as he wrestles with Roxie with one hand. “I do not smell a mating scent, yet you have been on your queen’s sleeping platform every night.”
Before our mother can ask, I do. “I remember hearing something about how the warriors release a certain scent to lure their mates, but to be honest, I never quite understood it.”
“During the courting phase, when there is intimacy between a warrior and a queen, she releases pheromones, and it triggers the male to release his mating scent. It is automatic. Some males claim they can control the release of their mating scent, but I think they are confused. The queen mates her warrior several times in rapid succession and when his eggs release, the scent dissipates.”
My mother wrinkles her nose in a delightfully pensive expression. “That’s weirdly fascinating. Do you have any idea why that happens?”
Scarn sighs, clearly unaccustomed to having to talk about mating so openly.
Phan answers the question for him. “Some say our mating scent is a leftover remnant of our dragon DNA. Others, such as myself, believe it’s an evolutionary advantage to ensure the survival of our line. Our mating scent is pleasing to queens but thoroughly repugnant to other warriors. It ensures other warriors do not approach a queen when she is mating. Some males are convinced their scent is what lured their mate to them in the first place, but I do not think that is the case.”
I’m slowly trying to work out why he isn’t releasing his scent. “So if Kendra doesn’t get aroused by you, what will happen? Will you two break up so she can find a guy who excites her more?”