Selene was in the pilots cabin of the Sequester looking at all the activity outside the windows.
Numerous machines were transforming the landscape. One was removing trees and another was making the ground level.
There's a general store, a saloon, barbershop, and things like these being setup in temporary modules while larger more permanent structures were being constructed. People seemed to be enjoying the scenery.
She saw Camden run around with two other kids hitting plants with sticks as if they were slaying monsters and smiled. They no longer had to stay on the ship with them. They had their own temporary living space while things were built.
Selene was slotted to have a rather fancy and large house built for them and herself for whenever she visited.
...The resistance held up it's side of the bargain. It was time she held up hers. She couldn't avoid it forever.
She pressed a few buttons on a console. Navigating to a 'call function' on the ship until she was calling General Adler. Some secretary picked up instead and Selene had to tell her what she was calling for. To give him an update on things essentially.
Then she was transferred to Adler who spoke; "Hello? I expected another month at least before I heard from you Selene. I heard the colony builders arrived the other week. How's everything going?" he asked.
"Great, it's everything I hoped for. Thanks general, keep this up and I think we'll be alright."
"Gooood, I'm glad. And the Zykra?"
She contemplated a moment.
"We're in the hundreds now. And I've even managed to create a commander-type variant. She can talk and everything."
There was no point in keeping secrets about that, they'd all see her soon on the battlefield. She went on to say;
"We'll be going to another planet to get resources to build larger Zykra types tonight. A caasiok. I'll have Dr. Bryant send you a data packet on our Zykra forces and our future battle plans."
"I look forward to it. Is this your reason for calling?"
"No. I was wondering if you or any other resistance higher ups would want to have a tour of the hive."
The line went silent for a moment then. A few long moments.
"Sounds interesting, I know a few scientists who would jump at such an opportunity. Though we will be bringing a security detail with us. Is that... Acceptable?"
"Not a problem. I totally get it. Bring as many soldiers as you want."
They finished up the call by scheduling the visit.
"Sharing so much information about the Zykra is dangerous Ms. Carrington. They could be our enemies in the future."
Selene rolled her eyes; "You need to loosen up Bryant. The resistance seems cool."
He gave her a skeptical glance.
Raymond and Zephyr were in the room as well. Zephyr was currently pawing a tiny green coat that was laid across the holographic table.
"What's this?" she asked.
"A uniform we're trying out. There's another Zykra girl around—Aboleth. You'll meet her tonight before the mission... She thinks it's a good idea to be able to easily tell who our human friends are."
Zephyr didn't seem so surprised, maybe Raymond already told her. She held up the jacket in front of herself.
"What is she—a garden gnome?"
"-Yes. Make sure whatever help you hired isn't here tonight. Danny get what he needs to keep everything running?"
She nodded complacently laying the clothing back down.
"What is the planet like?" Raymond asked. Dr. Bryant answered him.
"I chose it strategically to keep our operations on the planet well concealed. It's a gas giant. There's constant 100kph winds with small debris, and you can't hardly see ten meters ahead of you. But there's substantial life on the planet. Adapted to survive the extreme conditions."
He pulled a video on the monitor that overlooked the pilots cabin which looked out onto the planet from a drones perspective.
"I was able to gather this data thanks to our resistance allies."
The ground was covered in brown and yellow vines. They looked gnarled and covered in thorns. There were 'trees', but they were leafless. Branches with no trunks clutching at the air like skeletal hands.
Murky brine pools had a yellow hue in the more shallow depths and white foam was collecting at the edges. Something was living in them. Like sting-rays but they were tethered to the bottom with their tails. Tossed about by constant waves like seaweed.
It was very alien. The landscape was very flat with only the occasional crater or mountain range.
"Pretty..." Zephyr said unenthusiastically.
"The Zykra should have no trouble surviving in this environment, but any humans will need protective clothing."
That much was obvious just by looking at it.
"I haven't been able to find my drawing book, has anyone seen it?" Selene asked after a second of watching the monitor.
Zephyr crossed her arms; "You left it in the kitchens the other day before you went to meet your uncle on his frigate."
"Oh."
It was surprisingly easy to forget when she had it out. Until last year she's only took it in and out of her backpack. But things have been different lately. She glanced towards Zephyr and did a double take.
She was staring. Why was she staring? It's not like she drew anything particularly edgy.
"Well I'll... Go get it then.. When do we ship off?" Selene asked Dr. Bryant.
"Aboleth will be joining us at sundown in a few hours. So I suggest everyone get anything from the colony they need before then." he said, not looking away from his tablet.
Selene laid on the bed in the captains quarters. Just thinking about everything. She's had to do this more and more often as time went on. It was all becoming so complicated.
She spent a lot of the time waiting by drawing. But it was tough to be inspired, despite having the creative itch no ideas were coming to her. Instead she was touching up on things she already drew.
There was a chime at the door.
She popped up and went to it.
Zephyr was outside; "Dr. Bryant told me to get you. We're heading out and we're meeting this Aboleth chick. I noticed she's green."
"That she is." Selene said boredly. Smoothing out the back of her hair that had become floofed up from laying on the bed. It's been awhile since she cut it last.
"Is she always like that?"
"She can't change like me if that's what you mean. Come on, I'll introduce you."
They went to the kitchens outside. Aboleth had just guided two munlocs through the narrow door into the pantry. Which was like moving a couch.
She was dressed in the little outfit they had made especially for her. It was minimalist in design like the puck uniform she once wore.
Forest green with gold trim at the edges of the fabric. The 'jacket' closed up the middle with one side going a bit across the center. Covering the zipper. It had a narrow collar close to the neck. The pants were also plain as can be. With a thin gold strip down the sides.
The major rank was displayed with the same gold color as the trim on her shoulder. Four arrow shapes over a trapezoid shape.
Raymond, Danny, and Dr. Bryant were there already as Zephyr and Selene entered. Aboleth turned to face Selene expectantly.
"I see you've surrounded yourself with amateurs Selene. You're supposed to be a queen, surely you can source a more adequate crew." she cast a scrutinizing gaze over the gathering. "I remember this one. He was a private we recruited from lamda. Is he supposed to be your body guard? He doesn't even have nanofiber enhancements. This one is narcissistic and his face is too square." she gestured to Danny who raised his eyebrows.
"I can't imagine how he is useful. And this one..." she looked to Zephyr. "Is she your concubine?"
Zephyr and Selene flushed a bit at that.
"No! She's the ships manager! Just what kind of queen do you think I am??"
Aboleth smirked and gave her a 'yeah, sure.' kind of expression. Zephyr glanced down at herself as if to question if she dressed like a concubine.
Meanwhile Raymond had a confused look on his face.
"Why wasn't I the concubine?" he asked seemingly offended.
Everyone looked towards him with accusatory glares.
"I'm just saying, jeez..."
Zephyr leveraged her glare towards Aboleth then; "What's your problem? We might not be the most professional crew out there but we get things done."
Aboleth scoffed; "You're a glorified taxi service. Which the ships piloting ai can take the most credit for.. I can't even begin to imagine how you aid in Selene's objectives."
"You say that now but a week ago you were working for the bad guys. What have you done?" Danny side, leaning on the table at the far end of the kitchen near the 3 porthole windows.
She had a smug expression at that. She raised a hand and began counting off fingers;
"I've maintained the hive, I've built up our forces, simulated battles, formulated battle tactics, built out an array of campaign objectives, and designed uniforms. Which you all will be wearing while on Zykra-related missions."
Zephyr seemed to have have the biggest problem with that. Ever the fashionista.
"No." she said firmly.
"-Yes. When things get hectic I don't want you to be accidentally mistaken for an enemy. It's for your own good really." Aboleth said as she complacently checked her fingernails.
Selene spoke up then; "I never had a problem with that."
"That's because you have the ability to sense human psionic signatures. I don't. I can only sense Zykra. A visual indicator is all I really have to tell who my enemies are. I assume typically before you were assimilated Zykra would just attack anyone who wasn't also Zykra."
"The way our hive operates is rather aberrant. Soon we should stop relying on technology or human aid in general." Dr. Bryant said.
Selene couldn't believe what she was hearing. They really needed a reality check.
"A world with exclusively Zykra sounds terrible. What about the arts, what about theater or fun? Not everything is about reproducing and becoming stronger. You see humans as a means to an end-" she gestured with both her hands in their direction.
"I see the Zykra as a means to an end. There's no reason we can't coexist. Aren't I an example of human and Zykra traits coexisting?"
Aboleth walked over to her calmly. A sympathetic look on her face. She took Selene's hand gently and looked up at her pleadingly.
"You're a walking contradiction. I know because I inherited some of those contradictions. I want to wear clothes and eat food, to breath and talk even though Zykra require none of those things. All to make this one-sided relationship with humanity work better. We don't need them at all. It's a burden on us. A weakness to exploit."
Selene took her hand away. This was supposed to be a basic introduction before their trip but it seemed that they had to clarify the point of their mission at large. What Selene had imagined her rule to be like.
"Listen to me carefully... Both of you. My human side is where my purpose in life comes from. I understand that you both care about Zykra stuff like growth and evolution. But to me life is more than that. It's not that I don't value those things too. In fact since my transformation I've been drawn to that kind of thing. I get it. But my family is human. My pass-times are human. If they were so bad, why would the Zykra assimilate me?"
Dr. Bryant and Aboleth exchanged a look. Neither seemed to have a good response to that. But Bryant made an attempt;
"The encephalon Ku'senai informed me that you held a power that until now was largely contained to their progenitor species only. I don't think the Zykra desire to adopt the other human traits..."
"Well too bad because I do. I like talking. And eating. And wearing clothes."
"That kind of fascination does not retain it's luster forever. Primal purposes like the Zykra's do."
He said it as if he spoke from experience. Selene rolled her eyes.
"Then we'll cross that bridge once we come to it. For now—I'm going to look after my people and put the Zykra second. As your queen, I expect you to respect that." she glared at Aboleth then; "And you better represent my goals 100%. You don't have to be friendly with my crew, but you must protect them."
Aboleth nodded. Her face resolute. "Of course. I didn't mean to behave in a way that caused you to doubt me. I'm more than willing to side with you over the other Zykra. I'm compelled to. Even if it means tolerating fallible human traits."
Selene let out a sigh then. She was letting herself get too worked up about this.
"I want you to keep resisting that weird urge to side with me no matter what. I need you to value objectivity too. Just.. I'll trust you when it comes to battles. Trust me when it comes to this."
"I will."
"Wait, so we're not just going along with whatever the resistance wants?" Danny asked. "We have our own plans for how things should work?"
Selene hadn't realized he'd been kept out of the loop so much. Him and Zephyr. They were busy earning their trust she supposed.
"If they keep practicing what they preach—I'll let them run things. But if somewhere along the road they turn into puck 2.0, I'll knock them off."
Danny smirked; "Badass. I'm with it."
"Okay, everyone caught up?" Selene asked. There were a few glances that passed around the room. "Good. Meeting over."
Dr. Bryant let out a tired breath. "Very well, we'll arrive at the planet in around 10 hours."
He didn't seem happy about Selene's favoritism for humanity. But he'd have to deal with it. In fact he'd better start learning to like it.
Selene walked left the kitchen. Raymond and Zephyr both followed her.
"Thanks for siding with us Selene." Raymond said. "I know we haven't done a lot."
"Don't listen to her, you've done plenty... Besides it's not about that. I chose to become this to save humanity to begin with. I just wish they understood that."
Zephyr scoffed; "Types like those only care about quarterly profits and stuff."
That's what made them so good at their jobs though. Selene wanted to say, but she didn't. She was beginning to realize what she really represented. It was her job to relegate jobs to those who were good at things she wasn't so good at. Like battle plans and science.
She had to focus on her job... Which she was learning to better define each day. Like being a spiritual leader for their movement. And to be a powerhouse that can enforce it. If winning battles meant forsaking her humanity, they'd have to lose some battles. And if the reasonable thing was to side against humanity—they'd have to be unreasonable.
Time would pass and hard times would come... Making it difficult to stick to her guns about this kind of stuff. But that was her responsibility. To draw lines in the sand. To use her unique circumstances to do what she could to be better than either puck or the Zykra.
She considered this but didn't say it out loud. She'd need to ponder it a lot longer before bringing it to them.
"She did have a good point though." Selene said after a moment.
"What's that?" Zephyr asked. Raymond looked on curiously as they walked the halls towards the captains cabin.
"You two could stand to train up a bit. Maybe I could spar with Raymond and teach him some of the things I learned from Luan. And you should study running a larger ship. Always working towards something. I know it's probably redundant to say. But I'd appreciate it."
"Awe.. That sounds like a lot of work though."
Selene chuckled. "I could just convert you into a Zykra." she teased.
"I'll be good." Zephyr smirked.
"Seriously though, if either of you ever want to jump ship... You could just live at the colony. That's what I made it for. To keep people who know about me safe and keep my secrets away from puck at the same time."
Raymond shook his head. "Never. I'm in this to win it. I might stay on Endelon when we take it back, but until then I'm team Selene."
In saying that he gave Selene an idea. What were they supposed to call themselves? 'The Zykra'? 'The Resistance'? It was clear to her that they were neither. She'd have to think on it. A proper name for their new government.
Zephyr spoke next after a quiet moment. They had stopped outside the door to the captains quarters.
"I uh... Was scared. At first. When I first met you—you were covered in blood and looked like you would just as easily rip my head off as talk to me."
Selene winced at the memory. "Sorry about that."
But Zephyr had a resolute expression. "Don't be. They didn't give you much choice—I never wanted to be a criminal, but I was born into it. Forced to play along. You let me be apart of something bigger than myself. This is heavy stuff you're trying to do. Something good. I'm.. Just glad to be around for it." she flushed a bit then; "You're pretty cool Selene. And I'm not just saying that to butter you up because you're my boss."
Selene's heart fluttered at the sincere seeming compliment.
"I second that." Raymond said. He rubbed the back of his neck a bit. "I just wish I wasn't so damned weak. Aboleth had a point. I have next to no combat training. Maybe I can get some of those nanofiber muscles or whatever that Aboleth mentioned. Besides just training with you."
Selene opened her door and stepped aside. She turned around and leaned on the side of the door frame.
"I'm sure we can swing that... When we get back to Endelon 2 I'll let the Preston know. Thanks you two. I'm glad I have you in my corner."
"We could hang out a bit?" Zephyr asked.
Selene sighed. "Eh, another time. I'm gonna get some sleep. Let me know when we're about to arrive."
"Alright. I'll save you some gumbo." Raymond said.
Zephyr made an 'oh' face;
"That sounds good. What kind of gumbo?"
He shrugged. "I like to use shrimp."
Him and just about anyone else who's ever made gumbo.
"I'll help you make it." Zephyr said.
"Suit yourself. Later Selene."
"Cya." she said, waving them off and closing the door.
She yawned and stretched as she walked over to the bed. Things weren't so bad.. Sure she was about to go to war against a tyrannical government using an alien race of monsters.
But it could be worse. At least she wasn't powerless.
She flopped onto the bed face first and kicked off her shoes.