As expected, the creature thrashed violently in response to the light. She cried and banged her chitin-armored body against the floor for what seemed to be a lifetime before settling down, even a little.
"Are you done Wizard?" Alexis winced "I would like to start the interrogation if you don't mind"
In response, the Hive began to chant an incantation, unaware its power is stunted by the heavenly body above the ship. A slight mist of poison gas erupted from her maw and she waited to see the light bearer before her die. More time passed as the two females stared each other down, a silent contest of will, to see who would be captive and who would be master.
"You do not die human?" It spoke at last
"I was hoping you could speak English. I can't actually speak your language and I didn't want to have to pass notes all night." The Warlock's gaze softened slightly.
"Free me." The Wizard growled "Free me or suffer" Alexis took this opportunity to shock the creature again. A slightly smaller jolt to act as an irritant. The Wizard chose to grunt loudly instead of shriek, then the two witches got back to staring at each other.
"Tell me your name."
"I am Yu Mala, of the Hidden Swarm. Singer of Death and student of the Logic. My children have already wet the ground with the blood of you humans on many occasions." The Deathsinger, Yu Mala began to raise herself as Alexis provided the chain with more slack. It still burned but it was much more manageable than a dedicated appliance of energy.
The witches now stood near equal height, Alexis at 5'8 and the Wizard floating at her eye level. The conversation could now begin.
"How long have you been alive? Where were you born? Do you live in the Ascendant Plane or here among us mortals?"
The questions fired off rapidly, Volkov did not expect any answers immediately, but if she simply kept speaking maybe the beast would get annoyed.
"Do you know Savathûn? Have you even seen her? I was told she was in hiding, are the Hidden Swarm hunting her?"
This went on for some time. Yu Mala was stubborn, her arms were crossed in a way that we humans use to signify annoyance. Alexis sighed.
"Please Yu. I don't want to spend all night hurting you." Her tone took a sudden shift towards compassion. The Warlock furrowed her brow and tilted her head, hoping she could appeal to the creature's survival instincts.
A sound like an old door creaking filled the cargo hold, this was Yu Mala's own sigh. "If you must know, human, I have been alive in this system for 3 of your centuries. When I was young, I lived in Our Lord Crota's throne world, where I studied the Death Song at the feet of Lady Ir Yût. Another casualty of your tribe's blasphemous trespasses." There was venom in that last statement.
"Is that when you became a Deathsinger? After Ir Yût was killed?" The woman's curiosity piqued again. She had always wondered if the Hive policy of "kill and replace" applied to their lower echelons.
There was more silence. Yu Mala's emerald eye's flashed, unlike most Deathsingers her helmet exposed her face, it was so striking that Alexis almost forgot her incoming statement.
"I'm no novice to the ways of the Hive, you know. Many of us Guardians have perused the files you store in The World's Grave with great interest." Yu's face contorted, was she…smiling?
"You amuse me, Alexis" Using names now, good progress "To even entertain the idea you Guardians truly know anything about our ways or our throne worlds is laughable. You were resurrected recently, no? We are an empire that spans an ocean of stars, while you primates were crawling from the muck, we had already exterminated a million, million species. This interrogation is a farce if you wish to pretend to be my equal."
"If you honestly think I'm not worthy of your time, that I'm ignorant then teach me." Alexis had finally revealed what was in her heart. Her goal has always been to turn evil on itself and that is impossible if one cannot understand it. She was happy Jericho wasn't piping up, maybe he was afraid. Or embarrassed "Tell me what you see with those beautiful eyes."
A dark throbbing sound emanated from the chained-up Hive, Yu Mala began to chuckle. Her tone became condescending "Oh, the walking corpse wishes to learn how to play with death?"
"I'll feed you. I can shelter you" Alexis began to plead, to bargain, the opportunity to learn more apparently overpowered her dignity "I can't let you leave but I can protect you. Please teach me more!"
The monster's answer came as thunder on a cloudy night.