[... and in any case Sirex, you don't need to be upset about it, is my whole point. You know how the older sisters are with their favorites.]
[Oh, yes. Glad I'm not one.] From her view, the costs outweighed the benefits. It was hard enough keeping the elders away! Being a favorite was like living with someone's claws buried in your shell, someone who was powerful enough to keep others from interfering. She'd lost track of the number of times an angry older sister killed off someone else's favorite. Or their own. [That's way too much trouble.] Better to associate with one and listen to all of them.
[Yeah, ha ha. The older sisters completely lose it if someone messes with their little chew toys. Remember Cotesia?]
[How could I forget?] People were still finding bits of shell. Pfft, jealousy. Why was it such a problem in the older sisters? [Why those two, was my question.]
[Probably because Rhyssa wasn't smart enough to run the other way. She actually likes her!]
[Ha, no way?] She'd always figured Rhyssa- like most of Macrurus' other followers, including herself- decided Macrurus was a safer bet than everyone else. That would be a smart reason to stick around, to let someone like her have so much control. But then again, that novice was always right behind her, wasn't she? In hindsight it was obvious.
[I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true.]
The two black-and-white shapes slipped into an empty ship. They cleaned their antennae in disgust; that foreigner could sure stink up a small space! How Rhyssa could feel for such a monster was beyond them, but then again the moron had a problem with misplaced affections. Mildei picked up a metal cylinder.
Sirex recognized the shape. Lahilans dropped those... [Look out! It's going to explode!]
[Get it away from me!] Mildei threw the metal thing, and they both hit the ground, waiting for the deadly 'BANG!'. No sound came. [Nothing happened,] she said.
[Well that's obvious,] said her sister.
[Oh no Sirex! Look! It's going to explode!] the first one mocked, flinging an empty cylinder at her.
[Shut up, Mildei!] her wings stood up. So she was wrong; her sister didn't have to rub it in.
[Wrath of Eciton, now you're going to explode!] the Soldier in question exclaimed in mock-terror.
[Don't say that, She'll get mad!] The spirits were a wrathful bunch. It was best not to get their attention...
[The Queen of Fire, angry? Unthinkable!]
They burst into fits of mandible chatter and wing flickering, hugging each other. Nobody else was around, they could goof off for a while if they wanted.
[Fine, I overreacted. Can you blame me? This place is creepy,] Sirex said, picking up the empty cylinder and licking the inside. It was horrible! So much salt! She tried another...
[Yeah, what are these things for, I wonder...]
[Food storage. There's some kind of nectar in this one!]
[Why are they all wrapped in paper?] Terrible, thin, colorful paper. Not the proper stuff she and her sisters made.
[Who knows, lets go get those robots and get out of here.] Sirex found one with the same paper as the sugary one, and chewed it. Delicious sugary liquid came out, and little chunks of fruit. [Wow, this is good! You can read Basic, right? What is this?]
The label read DICED PEACHES. [...Um...] "Decide peaches?" [I think it's spelled wrong.] She tried some. It was good! They playfully scuffled over the can, getting the syrup everywhere.
Creak, creak, creak... boy, did Ten wish the lubricants had survived. His joints and ball bearing were rubbing together -which was very uncomfortable!- and if it continued he might have to go in for repairs. Thankfully Star Command kept its robots insured, even if it did mean he was kind-of-but-not-really property. Most Rangers joked that they were owned by Star Command anyway, and technically Rangers did have some rights curtailed (being paramilitary and all) so he wasn't too upset about it. At least he didn't live somewhere where the law said he was nothing more than a talking toaster. He'd heard stories...
"Anything?" Sentry Nine asked him over the com link.
"Nope."
"It's been five hours, he should have at least contacted us by now."
"You're telling me! Ugh, organics never make sense!"
"That's prejudicial thinking, Ten. Besides, Ty's not so bad," Nine told him. Hmm, did that bite mess with his processors? He was a bit snappier than usual. Just great, if those were damaged that meant he had to go in. They walked up to each other, having completed their hourly circuit.
"True. But still-" he stopped to listen to sounds from the ship.
"Was that them?"
"I'm not picking up his suit signal."
"Could be damaged."
"Could be." With that crazy bug, he'd be surprised if it wasn't. What was he thinking, going off with her?
Odd chattering came from the ship.
"I don't think Ranger Parsec can make those kinds of noises," Sentry Nine said.
They looked at each other and pulled out their cannons. They locked the weapons on the highest setting and shared a quick three-fingered robot handshake for solidarity. Moving as carefully as possible so they didn't make much noise, the Sentries walked up to the ship. The bangs and chattering from inside masked what few metallic grindings they hadn't been able to avoid making. Something hissed, low and rattling. That was definitely not Ty. Pointing their weapons at the doorway, knowing whatever was in there was not their captain, they charged.
Two black-and-white bugs were inside, horsing around. Ten fired first, startling them into flight. Well, flying to the ceiling and running around on it, dodging rapid shots. One dropped to the floor, screeching at him, and Nine shot it in the thorax. The other one jumped on Ten's head, also getting hit, and the first bug had gotten up to charge them both. Nine and Ten aimed for the same spot on the thorax and fired, Ten doing it again for good measure. No way was he getting chewed up again, no sir. It hit the ground hard and didn't get up again.
The remaining bug threw a can at them, and did a twirl to dodge the cannon fire. It flew over them and out the door, and they chased it. The insectoid crashed into Ten, tearing his headpiece off and throwing it at Nine. It clanged on his arm, and he fired once more. The thing tackled him, tearing open the service panel and attacking his inner workings. He aimed the cannon at its head, and it slapped the weapon away and bit into his headpiece.
"Shuttinnngg Doowwnnnn..."
Sirex stood up, having destroyed the machines. Where was Mildei? She rushed to the cockpit, only to find her sister still on the ground. [Mildei! Quit playing around!] This wasn't the time for her goofing off, they had to catch up. She shook her sister. There was no reaction. Oh no. [Come on, this isn't funny!] Still nothing. That shell looked terrible. Layers of chitin cracked and peeled, leaving a smoking hole almost down to the membrane below. Yellow-green fluid seeped out from between some of the cracks. [...Get up...] Her sister's antennae twitched slightly. Sirex waited a little longer, to see if it would happen again, but nothing else did.
She gathered some dry plants and the paper wrappers off the cans for a small fire. It burned next to her sister. [Eciton,] she dropped some bits of robot metal in the flames, since there were no proper enemy pieces to be found. It was the best she could do. [If you would pity your foolish children, take away your claws...] The fire only turned green from the copper fragments, but since she didn't work with metals she didn't know that. She recoiled apologetically, not knowing what it meant, and left to rejoin her sisters and their captive.
A while later, Mildei hopped to her feet. [Hey, where'd the ship go?] Her sister wasn't anywhere to be found. [Sirex?] Where was she? What was burning?
Smoke surrounded her, before sucking away and formed a perpetually shifting exoskeleton over a smoldering core. The smoke didn't cover the eyes or wings, or the antennae stretching in high arcs overhead. Embers flickered off the wings, dying away. The shape looked down at Mildei. Like any queen, the creature had an enthralling, comforting smell, but this smell had harsh smoke seething beneath it. It was like flying over flowery grasslands with fire underground: it seemed pleasant now but was ready to erupt at any moment, Swarm take anyone unfortunate enough to be there when it did. The Queen reached down at her with enormous hands, fingers larger than Mildei's entire body, and gently scooped her up. A smokey talon gently petted the Soldier, as the Queen of Fire brought her to Her thorax. Both were startled by a flash of green light. The Queen reacted first. [A poor offering!] She said scathingly. Working in satellites, Mildei knew metals; she knew that shade of green. Had Sirex really made an offering of the robots? They didn't even count as prey! The hunter was rooted to her spot in fear. If Sirex had offended Her... [But I will accept it... for now.] She seized the light, and Mildei felt herself vanishing away.
When she stood up, again, the flames next to her face were gone, only smoldering ashes left. So it was only an illusion... She looked at the tiny fire, grateful that her sister had tried to help anyway. Just to be safe, she thanked the ashes before scattering them and leaving. Mildei's life was crazy enough already without spirit-wrath.