Kala. Those two syllables had burned themselves into his mind. After she had left he paced to and fro in his quarters, like a caged animal. She should have stayed. She must know that I am offering her the chance to improve her life, why did she leave? What has gone wrong? He stopped and gazed out of the window. He had even allowed her the treat of watching the nebula because he knew she would appreciate its beauty. And before he had done nothing as she had entered the room, instead he had waited for her to come to him.

This was the one key to successful worshipper training. Make them come to you seemingly on their own accord. Leave them but one direction to choose and then let them step forward when they are ready. If you then give them a treat for their right decision they are as good as yours. This method was very time-consuming but he had found out that it always payed off in the end. You got loyal and motivated worshippers instead of brain-dead enzyme addicts. He still used the hard method though, but usually only on warriors who were too stubborn to be convinced otherwise.

This young female – Kala, he told himself, somewhat amused that he bothered to use her name – seemed to be receptive to his training, she had been promising – until she had left in a bad temper. That proved that she had lost her fear of him, at least for a few minutes. This was a crucial moment in the training, now everything depended on her next reaction. Although it was encouraging that she had lost her fear she could not be allowed to lose her respect for him.

Instead she would now have to learn to trust him, otherwise she would never be able to respond to his touch with delight and pleasure. I can wait. She is smart, she will eventually see that I am the best thing that can happen to her on this ship. He was looking forward to that day when she would reward his training by giving herself to him on her own accord and by returning pleasure to him.

She had made a small but significant step forward tonight by touching his tattooed chest. He remembered her expression, a kind of absorbed fascination. Her touch had felt good and he had been severely tempted to kiss her but he knew it would have been too early for both of them. For her because she was not ready for this kind of affection and for him because he could not allow himself to grow soft with her.

The memory of touching her soft skin still lingered on his fingertips and he was annoyed by the setback. The relief she had brought him now had a stale taste, he wasn't relaxed anymore. He knew he would not be able to sleep now so instead he sat down at his desk and activated his computer. I might as well use the time for refining my filter algorithm, I have only two days left for finding the solar system, he thought irritatedly.

It was essential for the hive to find the system, or, to be more precise, a specific planet where a laboratory was hidden. The reseach which was conducted there by an enemy hive would be very valuable. The problem was that his informant did not have the coordinates but merely a description. A desert planet, orbited by three moons in a double solar system. That was all he had gotten before his informant had died.

His thoughts circled around the commander while his fingers touched the computer screen, moving columns of code around and programming in new parameters with a long practised ease.

The Queen was not entirely content, the old commander had been her favourite but she had acknowledged the cunning and ambition of the new, so she had confirmed his status for the time being. He is far too aggressive, his choleric attitude could bring doom over the hive. It would be better if he was replaced with someone better suited and level-headed. He loathed the commander for many reasons, thinking of Kala again he mused And he should not be allowed to kill worshippers at random and just for fun.

Kala, there she was again. I should not have asked for her name, once you know their names they begin to mean something to you. Saving his latest addition to the code with a wave of his hand he got up in a bold, determined way. He had made a decision. Kala is ready for her next test, the one which will decide whether she is worthy to continue the training. He smiled as he lay down on his bed. After all it felt good to have someone to play with again and he was optimistic that she would pass the test.