FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Staring out of the cockpit viewport of a small freighter into the unfathomable depths of space, Cyr Rota felt unquestionably bored. With a sigh she sat forward and touched a button beneath her seat. As the chair leaned back she began to close her eyes. Sleep was one activity that she could always rely on to get her through long bouts of deep space travel.

"Rota," a gruff voice said from behind her. "Getting comfortable?"

Cyr immediately sat up and looked up at the newcomer, a man in his late twenties clad in a green Jenovan military uniform, sat down in the chair next to her. He gazed at her critically. Despite his unwavering stare, the pilot was not intimidated.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention?" he asked.

"There isn't much out there, Captain Varo," she replied, saying his rank in such a way that it almost sounded insulting. "There's a reason we took this route."

"The enemies of Jenova are everywhere."

"Or maybe you're just paranoid."

"Jenova is not paranoid," Varo said, folding his arms across his chest. "We are prudent."

Cyr rolled her eyes.

Varo got to his feet and pointed an accusatory finger at the pilot. "Need I remind you, Rota, that it is the government of Jenova that is paying you to covertly transport me?"

"No, I read the contract and your government gave us shitty pay for this type of work."

"Ungrateful spacer! You were about to sleep and you call that work!"

With this, Captain Varo angrily stormed off. Cyr shook her head. Good riddance. Maybe he could bother Xia and Lovric instead. If he was worried about her work ethic than their currently activity of gambling would bother him even more. Leaning back in her chair again, she reflected that Varo was the most short-tempered Jenovan she had ever met, especially an officer. Of course, it was her luck to get stuck with an oddity of a Jenovan. She probably had the least amount of luck in the entire universe, she reflected. Even the basest unicellular organism was more fortunate than her.

At this thought, a rather large fighter craft of alien origin materialized in view of her window. Cyr quickly sat up and moved her hands to her craft's control panel. She pounded a red button at the bottom of the panel and covered her ears as a loud alarm blared throughout the freighter.

"Shit," she said. "Shit, shit, shit."

Footfalls sounded behind her and then Lovric was by her side, Varo close behind him.

"Shee-it," Lovric echoed in his thick accent, before taking a seat by Cyr.

"Zarlins," Varo breathed, before turning to Cyr and shouting: "I told you to pay attention!"

Before Cyr could respond, the alarm abruptly ceased and then a dull buzz began to sound from the control panel. The pilot looked questioningly to Lovric, who nodded.

"Answer it," he whispered.

Cyr activated the communications. After a moment, she spoke in a shaky voice: "Hello?"

"Subject: Mercenary light freighter," A robotic voice answered. "Crime: Possible transportation of Jenovan adversary."

"Cowards!" Varo shouted. "So scared of me that you have to use your drones to speak for you!"

There was silence. Then:

"Revision," the robotic voice spoke again. "Jenovan presence confirmed. Crime: Transportation of Jenovan adversary. Retribution: Vaporization."

"Wait!" Cyr said. "We'll give him up! No payment required! We'll negotiate!"

Varo gaped. "You Arlesian wh--"

The Captain was interrupted as the Zarlin ship responded with what it thought of "negotiations" by firing a burst of plasma at the unarmed and lightly armored freighter. Before this deadly projectile could reach its target, Cyr took control of her craft's movement and evaded to the left before activating the thrusters. This sudden burst of speed sent the craft hurtling past the Zarlin fighter. Not to be deprived of its prey so easily, the alien fighter quickly altered its facing and set off in pursuit of the freighter, continuing to fire whilst doing so.

"Lovric," Cyr shouted. "I need to you be ready with the flares in case--"

The freighter suddenly shook as a missile impacted its stern. The alarm started up again, blaring louder than ever.

"Fuck," the pilot muttered, staring down at the ship's readout. "That was our left engine."

"Damn it," Lovric swore. "Without our engine we won't be able to outmaneuver them! We're doomed!"

"Move aside," Varo pushed Lovric out of his seat and took his place. He began to touch the control panel.

"Hey!" Cyr shouted. "Don't touch anything!"

The Jenovan ignored her as he continued to manipulate the controls. Cyr grimaced, took one hand from the steering mechanism, and drew her pistol. She pressed it into the Captain's side.

"I said don't touch anything."

Varo froze. "I know you don't value my life, but I am trying to save us all."

"I wasn't--" Cyr sighed. "I wasn't actually going to hand you over. I was stalling so that--"

A second explosion rocked the freighter.

"Can you kiss up and make up later and actually get us out of here?" Lovric screeched. When no one moved, he continued: "Cyr, put the gun down and fly the damn ship!"

Cyr pursed her lips and did as she was directed. Although she tried to guide the craft, its movements were so rocky and erratic that it was nearly impossible to fly properly, a fact she did not choose to share with anyone else.

"Captain," Lovric said. "What are you doing, exactly? I didn't even know you were could fly."

"All Jenovan military personnel must be familiar with every sort of transportation," Varo answered. "As for our escape, I am programming a Nexus jump to a remote and hidden Jenovan installation. We should be--"

Another bolt of plasma struck the ship, this time in the front. Strapped into her seat, Cyr remained in place but the unrestrained Varo was thrown out of his chair and into the ceiling. He grunted as his head hit the ceiling and by the time he fell to the floor he was unconscious.

"Fuck!" Lovric swore. "I thought you were trying driving, Cyr!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Cyr shouted back. "Now get up here and see if he finished."

Lovric rushed up to where the Captain had been sitting and looked down at his programming. Cyr waited a moment and then glanced over to her comrade who stared in befuddlement at the Captain's work.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't what the fuck he's doing," Lovric admitted. "This math...there's a reason I'm not the ship's navigator. Where the hell is Xia?"

Cyr shrugged, though she probably knew Xia was already dead or too wounded to be much help.

"I don't care if you don't understand it, activate the Nexus!"

"Activate the..." Lovric looked over to Cyr in disbelief. "Are you crazy? What if he didn't finish? This could send us anywhere!"

"Anywhere--" Cyr winced as the ship was hit one more time. "Is damn well better than here!"

"Anywhere could be in the midst of an asteroid field! In the middle of a sun or a planet's core! What about a black hole or--"

"Just do it!"

Lovric took a deep breath. Without further ado, he bent down and hit the panel that activated the Nexus. Sparks of blue energy began to run through out the damaged freighter, preparing it for the jump. These sparks multiplied and then began to engulf the organic inhabitants.

"This better be worth it," Lovric muttered.

Fully powered, the Nexus activated just as another bolt of plasma impacted the freighter. The glowing blue hull shuddered for a moment and then the craft was gone.

Nexus jumping was a technology derived from a long extinct alien race. The tech itself was not fully understood, but its ability to nearly instantaneously matter from one corner of the galaxy to the next was all that most cared to know. It was as expensive as it was useful, leaving most ship crews unable to afford charge enough for one jump let alone two. As Cyr opened her eyes and found herself still alive, she was grateful she had managed to convince Xia to put money into the exotic tech just in case of emergencies.

Glancing around the freighter she found that Varo was still unconscious while Lovric was struggling to his feet. She started to remove her chair's straps to help him, but he shook his head and pointed with wide eyes to her viewport. She looked over to it, really the first place she should have looked, and gasped. They were in orbit of a large orange and stormy planet and being drawn closer to its surface with every passing second. Cursing, she tried her craft's thrusts only for the ship to tremble and balk. She looked down at the ship's readout and saw most of the sections were red, or severely damaged.

"Damn it!" she shouted. "Engines are out!"

"Engines are out?" Lovric asked, a horrified expression appearing across his face.

"Yeah." Cyr nodded. "We can't escape the pull." She glanced down again at the ship's readout. "Landing gear is out of commission. We're going to have to make a hard landing."

"We're screwed..." Lovric muttered to himself. "So screwed..."

"Get up here and strap yourself in! We're not dead yet!"

Lovric did as he was told. After he was properly secured, he nodded towards the Captain.

"What about him?" he asked.

Cyr grimaced. "We don't have time."

At this, the damaged freighter entered the first part of the strange planet's atmosphere. The ship began to rattle and shake as it was drawn faster and faster downwards towards the planet's surface. A new beep, distinct from the ship's alarm began to sound.

"How is thermic shielding?" Lovric asked.

Cyr shook her head, keeping her gaze focused on their descent.

"Shee-it. We're not screwed," Lovric realized. "We're fucked."

The falling craft accelerated faster and faster as it fell. Cyr did her best to maneuver the craft around, but there wasn't much to see until they past the planet's cloud cover. Now, she could see the planet's surface, an endless stretch of orange ground littered with a few dark colored rocks here and there. It certainly looked like the location a remote Jenovan base could be located, but Cyr doubted they were that fortunate. After all, she was the unluckiest thing in the entire universe.

Only a moment after Cyr thought this, the freighter struck the ground. The pilot's chair was ripped off its base and she was catapulted through the shattered viewport. The chair and its somehow still uninjured attached inhabitant bounced a few feet away from the freighter and then came to a halt. Cyr immediately set to work into freeing herself. Once unbound, she rolled off the chair and onto the planet's oddly cool surface. The orange-colored ground felt grainy like sand, but she was not so sure that's what it was. She breathed in deep, glad to find they had at least landed on a planet with a breathable atmosphere. A sudden cry of pain reminded her of the freighter's other inhabitants.

Cyr got to her feet and looked over to the smoking wreckage. Another cry, sounding much like Lovric, set her sprinting towards the downed vessel. She carefully crawled through the viewport she had just flown through, only pausing one she caught sight of Lovric.

Lovric did not look well. He had smashed his head against the freighter's metal walls, and now his cranium was cracked and bleeding. Still strapped to his chair, he gazed up at Cyr with dazed eyes.

"I'm okay," he said, chuckling despite the pain. "Just wake me up when we're back in Creston. I'll just be taking a nap till then..."

"No!" Cyr shouted.

It was too late, however. Lovric shuddered and lay still. His eyes remained open, though, staring to a cold, alien world.

"Damn it," Cyr muttered, reaching out and closing his eyes.

She glanced about the cabin until her gaze rested on the still unconscious Varo. The motionless Captain had a thick spike of glass embedded in his stomach and bruises and scrapes all over his body. Cyr walked over to him and checked to ensure he was breathing. He was still alive, but she was not sure for how long, not if she couldn't get him help. But first, she would need to help herself. She couldn't very well survive without requisitioning the proper supplies. Thus she ran over Varo and into the common quarters of the freighter, where she found that the storage room beyond that was on fire, no doubt due to more of craft's more volatile cargo. She also found Xia, or what remained of him splattered all over the walls. With the fire spreading and the knowledge that Xia's infamously unstable alcoholic concoctions rested in the supply room, the room between the storage and common quarters, she gathered what she could, including a week's worth of food and water for one person, ammo for her pistol, a lightweight Expando-Tent, and a distress beacon. She stuffed these into her backpack. Prior to her departure she dashed into the supply closet and activated the AccuDoc, a three-foot tall medical drone that would prove invaluable in treating Varo.

"State the nature of your medical emergency," the robot said upon activation.

"Follow me," she said, motioning towards the shattered cockpit. "I need you."

"Ah, separation anxiety. Very well."

The drone followed her as she dashed through the increasingly hotter and hotter freighter. She stopped at Varo and pointed to him.

"Pick him up," she said.

The drone did as directed, scooping up the wounded Captain and holding him with a strength that belied its size. Cyr crawled out of the shattered viewport with the drone closely in tow. She exited the freighter just in time for it to explode. The pilot dove prone and covered her face as the immediate area was showered with hot shrapnel. Once the immediate danger had passed, she lifted her head and glanced backwards. All that was left of her freighter and her livelihood was a twisted wreck.

"Removing foreign infringement," the AccuDoc said, followed by a wet rip. "Applying biogel."

Cyr glanced over to the AccuDoc and saw that it was taking caring of Varo. As she got to her feet, she felt new pain. She put a hand to her aching abdomen and felt the blood-soaked cloth.

"You are wounded," the AccuDoc said as it rolled up to her. Before she could react, it lifted her shirt ever so slightly and quickly removed the shard of glass that had been deeply embedded inside her. She grimaced as the AccuDoc touched the wound with its other hand. "Applying biog--ERROR. Biogel empty."

Cyr fell to her feet and laughed hysterically. Of course it was empty. After all, the expense of the Nexus had prevented them from completely refilling the AccuDoc since their last violent mission.

"I suggest applying a bandage before you bleed out."

"Me?" Cyr said. "You're the medic!"

"You are lower on triage. Patient I suffers from blunt head trauma and is in a coma. Critical condition."

Cyr reached into her backpack and took out the Expando-Tent.

"Can you at least set this up while I tend to myself?"

"Do I look like a manual laborer?"

Cyr cursed and threw the tent at the drone. It removed the covering from itself and returned to caring for Varo. The pilot used what she had to bandage herself, staunching the bleeding but not mending the wound itself. She knew she and Varo needed proper care soon. Without another resort, she took the distress beacon out of her pack and set it up. She had no idea if they were even on the fringes of civilization but it was better than nothing. Next, she took the fallen tent and activated it. It quickly lived up to its name, expanding it a large tent large enough to comfortably house three people. The AccuDoc dragged Varo into the new shelter while Cyr half-heartedly chewed on a NutriBar.

"So this is it, huh?" she asked herself. "Just me, a useless droid, and a dying man."

With these morose words, it began to rain. Being on an alien world, Cyr would have normally felt obligated to seek shelter in the tent because she couldn't be quite sure what it was actually raining. However, she stood in the liquid downpour, not caring if she melted. After a moment where she did not cried out in pain and start to dissolve, she stuck out her tongue and tasted the falling liquid. It was cool and tasteless--water. Maybe, she hoped, Varo had been able to finish inputting the coordinates for the Jenovan base and rescue was only minutes away.

When Cyr turned around and took a step towards the tent, the ground suddenly crumbled beneath her tread and she was falling...falling...falling...

Cyr woke groggy and sore. She opened her eyes and found herself lying on solid ground. Looking down, she could see the rocky floor was covered with a hard, translucent substance that gave off a whitish glow. It provided just enough illumination to see the immediate area but not much beyond that. She glanced upwards and saw the stormy sky had been replaced with a rocky ceiling that had no evidence of her entrance. She remembered falling, but not landing or moving away from her landing spot. How then, had she been moved underground--

Cyr's thoughts were interrupted as she heard scuttling up ahead. Out of the darkness emerged two giant antlike creatures, though with differing from the Earth variety as they possessed six eyes and ten legs. In their mandibles they held two black organic vessels that they dropped in front of Cyr before they scurried off back into the darkness. The pilot examined the vessels cautiously. She determined that one was filled with water and the other with an amber-colored gelatinous substance.

Consume this nourishment.

Hearing a smooth and monotone voice, Cyr glanced around but could find no speaker, not even a trace of it in the shadows.

I speak directly to your...mind.

"What are you?" Cyr asked. She knew of telepathy, but had never experienced it herself.

I am this...colony's queen. Consume. If I had wished you harm your essence would have...terminated long ago.

Cyr looked at the vessels again and then reluctantly picked the water filled one up. She drank and felt some of her strength returning.

I am not...familiar with your kind, outsider. From where do you hail?

After a moment of silence, the queen continued:

You may...speak. Your mind's...impulses are enough for me to read.

"Ok. I am from another world," Cyr said, putting down the now empty vessel. She reached for the other one and sniffed its gelatinous contents. It smelled sweet.

Another world? I do not fully understand. In your mind I can see...vessels, carrying others of you through a...vacuum. How can this be?

"I don't know," Cyr shrugged, taking her first bite of the substance. It wasn't so bad. "I don't know the science, just how to fly the ships."

I...see.

Cyr suddenly grimaced with pain as he wound ache. She put her hand to her abdomen.

You are injured. So am I.

The pilot didn't reply as she examined her bloodstained bandage.

A...virus inhabits my body. It is linked to my...genes. For now I contain it, but I know soon my weakness will spread to my children just as your wound will spread its infection.

"So we're both screwed," Cyr said. "For a minute there I thought you could actually help me."

Help? Yes, aid. I believe we can help each other. You...save the hive. I save your life.

"How?" Your...genes are stronger than mine. Could...overcome virus. Like your gene therapy. Integrate you with hive.

"Integrate?" Cyr said. She wasn't liking how this sounded.

Yes. Will not force you. If you cannot help, hive will die. Replacement queen just as vulnerable. Require new strain, stronger queen. Require...you.

"What are you proposing?"

Make you new queen. Alter...mutate...evolve. Superior hybrid. Will also heal your...wounds. You live, hive lives.

"Mutate? So I wouldn't be--"

Human? No, not...precisely. Still retain mind. Retain...memories. Retain...feelings. Still be you.

Cyr considered the queen's offer. What choice did she really have? Unless--

"Are there others like me here? They would wear green uniforms."

Once, yes. They lasted for...not long. Varten consumed them. Only ruins left on world's other side. Was afraid Varten would get to you first, drawn by your signals. Fortunate to get there faster.

So they had come to the right place--not that it would matter anyways. The only rescue, the only chance to live was what the queen offered to her.

"Ok. I'll do it. I'll be the new queen."

You are...sure? I will not...force. The choice of survival is yours.

"Yes. What other choice do I have? I'm not ready to die, not yet. The only thing I ask is that you save another life. Near where I fell there is another human, Varo. Could you save him too?"

Yes, I will...retrieve him. Now, your...conversion begins.

Out of the darkness emerged a large beetle-like insect. It stood before Cyr and then lowered itself down.

Climb...aboard. It will take you to where the conversion shall be...initiated.

Cyr looked at the beetle and repressed her feelings of revulsion towards it. After all, if she was going to be the new queen then she'd better get used to her subjects. She climbed upon the beetle's flat back and lay down. At once it begin to move, carrying the pilot with ease.

Thank you. You will be at the...chamber soon.

On the way, Cyr and the beetle passed a multitude of insect-like aliens, including more of the ants, a hundred legged moth-like creatures, winged weevils, and clusters of red spotted bees. There were more types than Cyr could even remember and she was astounded by the variety.

Each plays a different role. And they would soon be...deceased if it were not for you.

_ _ Finally the beetle came to a halt in front of a semi-transparent portal of slime. The beetle lowered itself and Cyr stepped off.

Step inside.

Cyr grimaced as she stepped through the slimy membrane. She entered a dark chamber somewhat slick and sticky, a room only lit by a pool of yellow glowing liquid.

That is what your kind would call royal...jelly. You must submerge yourself to begin the conversion. Do not be afraid.

The pilot stepped towards the pool and looked into its depths. It smelled sweet yet unpleasant. Was she really going to go through with this?

A twinge of pain in her abdomen reminded her why she was doing this. Without another moment of hesitation, she jumped into the jelly. The jelly clung to her and she began to panic as she realized she couldn't breathe. She tried to swim up, but movement in the thick semi-liquid was nearly impossible. While darkness began to overcome the pilot, her body tingled all over and then she knew nothing more.

As Cyr had fallen unconscious into darkness so did she regain consciousness in the dark. She was initially relieved to find herself alive, only to descend into panic when she realized that she was engulfed inside some construct of white membrane.

Do not be afraid. I am with you, always. You have the power to release yourself. Tear at your bonds and emerge as queen.

Cyr tore at the membrane with her hands. The membrane tore easily and the pilot was able to push herself halfway out of her prison. She pushed harder still. A moment later, she fully emerged from the chrysalis on her knees.

Feeling strange all over, she glanced down to find that her body was naked and changed. Her skin had been replaced with a smooth, yellow-green carapace, though her breasts were still soft. She turned over her hands, noting that she now only possessed four fingers, though they were thicker and stronger. Her legs were thick at the top but thinned the further they went down, terminating in two toed feet. Her crotch was thin and flat, any signs of her former reproductive organs missing. She looked over her back and saw the beginnings of transparent wings. Most surprising was that an insect-like abdomen had replaced her rear. It was nearly three feet long though it did not way much. She brought her hands to her face. Her nose had flattened, her ears were missing, and her eyes felt bigger, but everything else seemed the same.

How do you...feel?

"Great," Cyr said, and she really did. The changes had provided her with new energy.

I recovered your...friend. He is nearby.

Cyr looked to around the wide chamber she was situated in and noticed another chrysalis, like hers, near the end of the room. As the pilot watched, the chrysalis shuddered and then a creature very much unlike Cyr emerged. Not noticing the pilot, the creature got to its feet, looked down at itself and chirped in surprise.

Cyr was just as surprised at the creature's appearance as it was with itself. It was a humanoid bipedal mantis covered with carapace the color of the green Jenovan military uniform. It was nearly six feet tall and stood on legs very much like Cyr's own. It also had four fingered hands like her, but that's where most similarities ended. It had no insect-like abdomen like her. Atop its narrow shoulders rested a mantis head. Antennas raised with alarm, its bulbous compound eyes stared at characteristics that were confusing to Cyr as well: two large carapaced breasts hung on the creature's torso and in between its legs were the lips of a womanhood.

"That's Varo?" she whispered.

Yes. Removed chromosome you did not possess and replaced it with the only chromosome you did. Far more...adaptive. Altered so that your...Varo could serve as your second. Posesses potential to evolve into queen like you in case of...accident. Also removed from normal hivemind. Independent.

"But why the breasts?" she asked. "Why female?"

Queens cannot be male. Rather make change sooner rather than...later. Mammaries or...breasts are experiment. Carry nectar and nutrient in case of shortage. Also very...pleasurable.

The creature Cyr now recognized as Varo hesitantly brought a hand to her breast and then squeezed. She shivered with contentment and was bringing her other hand to her new sex when Cyr decided she had seen enough.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Stop that!" Varo froze and then immediately removed her hands from her more erogenous zones. She looked across the chamber and took a step back when she recognized Cyr. Varo clicked her mandibles together in an attempt to communicate.

"I don't understand you," Cyr said.

Varo brought her hands to her mouth and paused. Then she scampered towards Cyr until she was standing in front of her. She bent down and began to trace something in the yielding floor.

Both your telepathic nodes have yet to be fully developed. Apologies...was most difficult part to alter.

Varo finished tracing and then looked up at Cyr expectantly. The pilot read what the mantis had traced and nodded.

"I know who you are, Varo," she said.

The mantis cocked its head and then put down to trace something else.

"Stop," Cyr ordered. "Don't bother. I'll just ask you yes and no questions, okay?"

Varo nodded her head.

"I know, not the best solution but bear with me. Your probably wondering why we're like this and it's because..." Cyr sighed. "It's the only way I could save us both. You were in a coma, I was bleeding and--"

Varo began to squeak and click indignantly.

"Look, I already said it wasn't the best solution! I acquiesced to being this hive's queen in exchange for both our lives. I didn't know..." Cyr had to choke back a laugh as she glanced over Varo's feminine insect form. It was hard to believe the always upright Jenovan officer had been transformed into a busty mantis babe. "...you'd end up like this. But hey! We're alive!"

Varo angrily folded her arms across her breasts and looked away.

"Hey, don't be like that. What? Would you rather be dead?"

Green breasts bouncing, the former Jenovan lifted her arms and started to shriek at Cyr. The pilot got to her feet and put her hands on her feet.

"Listen--"

Cyr stopped talking when Varo blinked and then suddenly collapsed to the ground, asleep.

My apologies. Virus has...progressed farther in myself than initially thought. Must accelerate changes. Will render you unconscious to spare you pain.

Before Cyr could protest, she felt suddenly very drowsy and then she was unconscious again.

Cyr awoke feeling more rested than before. She yawned and lifted her arms, halting when she realized she had just lifted two additional pairs of arms, new additions since her last awakening.

Again, apologies. How are you?

_ _ "Fine," Cyr answered.

Glancing to her right, she saw that Varo was still sleeping. Curled up as she was, the pilot found that the mantis looked almost cute. Then she looked over herself and saw that her insect-like abdomen had grown several feet longer. It was heavier this time, severely limiting her mobility. Her seemingly useless wings had also fully developed. She flapped these experimentally as she cupped her large breasts before noticing her head felt the slightest bit heavier. She reached up and felt two antennae.

Telepathic functions are complete. Activating...

At this, Cyr noticed she began to hear the queen's voice in a clearer tone and that it had an accent that buzzed occasionally. Her attention was soon drawn elsewhere as her mind slowly became aware of more and more presences. At first, she could only sense a few grubbers, the names of the type of insect drone being supplied by the queen. Then, the burrowing diggers joined the grubbers. Next she could hear the communications of an entire legion of buzzers fighting of an incursion of the silicon based Varten. If she was not overwhelmed already, Cyr's mind came close to breaking as it became aware of the thousands of drones that toiled all throughout the planet.

"H-help!" she cried out. "I c-can't stand it!"

Be calm. Focus on but one. A queen does not have to be aware of all her subjects at once.

Guided by the queen's words, Cyr focused on one of the initial grubbers. The grub-like insect crept through a subterranean cavern, cementing the floor with an illuminating paste.

Good. Now many, but not too many.

Cyr took a deep breath and then expanded her sphere of influence to five more close by grubbers. Though they were traveling different paths, Cyr found it much it not difficult to keep track of what was going on, as they were all achieving similar tasks.

Good...excellent! More!

The pilot made her mind aware of the diggers underneath, who were working on new pathways for the grubbers to illuminate. With a start, Cyr realized that the grubbers and diggers were working together. Different tasks, but the same goal: the good of the hive.

Yes!

With this revelation, Cyr no longer felt overwhelmed. She regained control of the buzzers, directing them to ambush the Vartens in an area they would least expect. From there, it was easy enough to keep track of the thousand drones and their disparate activities, of the callers and their lures, of the feeders and--all the power and control was so wonderful.

Very good...but that is enough for now. You have made it, to the final step. Sleep once more, and then the hive will be yours.

For the last time, Cyr lost consciousness.

"Rota?"

Cyr awoke to the call of her last name from a familiar voice she hadn't heard for days. It sounded different though, an insect's chitter converted into human words.

"Rota!"

The pilot opened her eyes as she felt a hand nudge her side. She looked down to find Varo poking her. Cyr was confused. Hadn't the mantis nearly equaled her in height last time they had stood together?

Cyr's question was answered as she looked behind her. Her insect-like abdomen had grown even larger and had developed a full egg sack at the end. Four pairs of strong legs also now supported its heavy weight.

"Rota!" Varo called again to her mind.

"Varo," Cyr said, answering telepathically and looking down at the mantis. "I'm awake."

"It's about time! I've been trying for hours."

"What's the hurry?"

"Hurry?" The mantis put her hands on her head. "We've got to get to the Jenovans here. I don't care how I look, I--"

"They're dead."

Varo paused. "What?"

"The Vartens killed them long ago. Look, I know that's not what you wanted to hear but--"

"Dead...then I'm trapped here like this!" She motioned to her breasts. "Forever."

"I can understand why you're upset, but it's not all bad," Cyr said, sending calming emotions towards the mantis's mind. "I'm going to be queen here and you--well, the current queen told me that you're to be my second in command."

"Second in command to you, Rota? I'm subservient to naught but Jenova!"

"I'm not asking you to give up your allegiance to Jenova. I'm only asking that you listen."

"Listen? I--"

Varo fell silent as her mind became occupied with something else. Like Cyr before her, she began to take notice of the other insects and the influence she had upon them. Cyr accompanied the mantis on this mental trip throughout the hive and did just as the queen did. She allowed Varo to become overwhelmed but prevented any lasting mental damage. Then she allowed Varo to take her own steps and learn her limits. After a time, Varo had been through a lesser version of Cyr's own initial experience with the hive.

"Incredible," Varo said. "That was incredible, Rota."

"Yes. Imagine what I could do with the hive. Imagine what we could do--the current queen did not even know about worlds beyond her own. And our genes have only improved the hive! If you still worry about Jenova, we could scavenge the base's ruins and recover what tech there is and in time make contact."

"Jenova," Varo replied. "That was my home. But now...this hive is my home. I felt more of a connection with these insects than I ever did with most Jenovans. Perhaps my heart was always in the wrong place."

Cyr smiled at the Varo's new attitude, though she began to wonder if perhaps more than the former man's body had changed.

Very good. You have...indoctrinated your friend. You have control; you have...ambitions to strengthen the hive. You have passed the final test. Come to me. It is my time to die and your time to...reign.

Cyr telepathically located the dying queen. Turning to Varo, she said: "Come, Varo."

Cyr found moving in her new form easy enough. As they traveled through the underground caves, Varo had trouble keeping up until Cyr allowed her to rest on her abdomen. They passed many of the insect-like aliens who paused a moment in their labor to give their soon-to-be queen their utmost respect. A few minutes later, Cyr and Varo arrived at the queen's chamber. Its entrance was precipitated with an arch of organic material that gleamed like gold.

Come.

Cyr stepped through the arch and finally caught sight of the queen who had been instructing her. They were not dissimilar in appearance, though Cyr was obviously a more human adaptation of the queen's form. What truly marked their difference was their state of health. The hive queen lay propped against the rock walls, her eyes blind and unseeing, her body marked with many odd growths and tumors, and her abdomen withered and deflated. A few of her many legs had already begun to rot, filling the chamber with a terrible stench.

Ah. It is good for you to be finally close. I think we can both...agree that we made the right decision.

_ _ "Yes," Cyr said, looking sadly upon the dying queen.

Do not mourn me. I was too weak to resist. From above...salvation came from those unlike I. You are the stronger...the survivor.

"I would not have survived if it weren't for you."

"Me too!" Varo chimed in. Yes. Your survival meant the hive's continuance. Better--evolution! The eggs you carry are of a new...generation, a new kind. Remember, this is only the end of weakness and the foundation of greatness. A new...beginning.

Cyr remained silent.

With my abdication, I give you my final...gift: the mind of the hive.

The dying queen groaned and then thought no more, but Cyr no longer was focused on her. Rather, she was already ordering drones to clean up the old queen's remains and sorting a legion of buzzers so they could be ready for an incursion into Varten territory. She no longer had to carry about money or loyalty or even her previous misfortune. No, the only thing she or Varo or any of her subjects had to worry about was one thing: the sustainment and improvement of the hive.

Cyr smiled. It was a new beginning indeed.