CHAPTER III: HORRIBLE TRUTH

I started to fly back to the hornet's nest to ask Queen Maula if any other hornets would be coming with her and King Palpatine later. It would probably be alright but I thought it would be best to check.

I approached the entrance to the hornet's nest, as it hung from a giant tree. I quickly flew in the entrance and landed down.

I looked around, but there was no one in sight. If I remembered correctly, the room where Queen Maula was just down the corridor. I turned right and went down the hallway. Yes, the door was the second on the left, and it was slightly ajar.

I approached the door, and I was just about to push it open, when I heard voices from the room beyond.

'...I cannot believe how easy that was,' said a voice that I recognized as King Palpatine. His voice sounded harsher than before.

'Yeah,' said Queen Maula's voice ruthlessly. 'I knew that rhino beetles were pretty stupid; after all, rhinos have tiny brains, so do coleopterans, but it was incredibly stupid, even for a rhino beetle!'

I heard them laughing. This couldn't be – had they really lied to me, had I really been tricked that easy?

'I mean,' continued Maula, 'I was pretty confident that if we gave it food, treated it nicely and seemed to be a nice clan, that I would trick it, but I didn't expect it to be that easy!'

'But Maula,' interrupted Palpatine, 'when we do take over that beetle colony, what are we going to do about that one that came here?'

There was a brief pause. I could only assume that Maula was contemplating her answer. I noticed that they referred to me as "it" – that explained why they never remembered my name during the conversation. I continued to listen, hating myself for not flying back to the colony right now.

'Well,' began Maula, 'as long as it does nothing to stop that takeover – and if it has any brains at all, it'll keep quiet – I'm willing to let that one live. After all, we need to keep some of the beetles alive to tend to our every whim. But of course we'll kill all the royals, Soldiers, and Earth Moulders.'

'You know,' said Palpatine, 'it was pretty lucky that it had been banished and all. Because it was already emotionally down, it was far easier to sway it to our will!'

'Too true,' cackled Maula. She was really quite the actor – she had totally fooled me. Come to think of it, when I had asked them their names, had they not hidden the faintest of raged faces? They had probably felt furious at been addressed by a non-royal – everything I had heard about hornets was right, it seemed.

'So,' said Palpatine, 'what's the plan?'

'First off,' stated Maula, 'we'll instruct Squadron 9 through Squadron 29 on when to attack them. It will be just before you and I "start" the peace treaty negotiations. You know, I wonder how those stupid beetles expect to sign a treaty when they don't even have any arms.'

'And how many guards will be with us personally when we arrive?' asked Palpatine.

'None,' said Maula. 'I know that sounds risky, but to trick those coleopterans fully, we need to appear friendly, and having guards by our sides seriously undermines the chance of fooling the whole colony. Fooling just one, we could get away with a few guards, but there's bound to someone in that colony who actually thinks at all, and to fool them we'll have to not look hostile.'

'I see what you mean,' said Palpatine.

'Remember,' said Maula, somewhat viciously. 'When we get there, let me do all the talking. You only speak when you're spoken to, and then keep it down to a simple "affirmative" or "negative". If my mother – I know she's dead but she was the second best queen we ever had, next to me – smiles on us, we might just pull through.'

'Right,' said Palpatine. 'I'll summon Squadron 9 through 29.' A second passed, before the scraping noise came from inside the room again.

I panicked – hornet guards would arrive any second. I had to quickly get out of here undetected – if I could get back to the colony, the hornets wouldn't know we knew of their attack. We could subdue Maula and Palpatine by sheer numbers when they arrived – without their Queen, the hornets wouldn't be able to have any more larvae, and they could be easily defeated. But, if they found me, out plan would be scuppered.

As quietly as I could, I scuttled back down the hallway. I couldn't fly, for if I did, someone would hear. I was almost near the exit to outside when – I heard steps coming from both exits of the corridor. Hornets were coming, and I would never get to the exit in time.

I glanced up, and I noticed that the ceiling was narrow near the top. That was it!

Quick as a flash, I flew up to the ceiling and balanced myself between the walls by pushing my legs against them. If I stayed tight, I could keep up without having to fly, which would give away my position.

Barley a second later, dozens of hornets appeared at both ends of the corridor. They all began filing into the dining room that King Palpatine and Queen Maula were in. All I had to do was just stay airborne until they were all gone, then I would get the heck out of here.

The hornets were waiting outside the room while a single squadron of a dozen hornets went in and came out shortly again and marched off. Queen Maula must be giving separate instructions to each squadron, for them to be taking so long. I couldn't hold up much longer...

I was really starting to lose my grip. Suddenly, I had a new idea. Slowly, I began to edge my way closer to the exit whilst staying near the ceiling. There was every chance I could give way at any second, and then I would be busted. But, if I took it slowly, just putting one leg in front of another, I could make it.

Finally, I was at the ceiling right near the exit. All I had to do was stay put until the corridor was quiet. I glanced down and I saw Queen Maula and King Palpatine walking down the corridor with several guards. I just had to wait until they were gone...

Suddenly, I felt sick. Now I wish I hadn't eaten all those kernels – I really had to take a leak RIGHT NOW. I tried hard to hold it, but to no avail.

Against my better will, I started to pee straight down. The piss landed straight on top of Queen Maula's crown – on her head.

Naturally, I expected her to look up and see me. Naturally, it was now stupid to stay put. Quickly, before they could look up, I let go, and I fell crashing to the ground, landing straight on top of two of the four hornet guards.

Now King Palpatine and Queen Maula saw me. Before they could so more than register my presence, I quickly ran for it – only to be yanked backwards by the other two hornet guards.

King Palpatine looked shocked – he seemed to be realizing that their plans were also scuppered – but Queen Maula looked downright furious. To be honest, I couldn't blame her. After all, to her, a pathetic non royal coleopteran had just taken a leak on her head.

'Boy,' uttered Queen Maula slowly, 'you're in a heap of trouble, you pathetic, brainless, useless coleopteran.'

We were all right beside the exit. If I could just shake off the two guards holding me, I could fly out and make a runner.

'You know,' said Queen Maula quietly, 'I wonder how you expect to get away with doing this to me.' She gestured to her head and crown, which were dripping with my piss.

King Palpatine stayed silent. Evidently, Queen Maula was truly the one in charge.

'You coleopterans are all alike,' said Queen Maula.' You're weak, spineless fools. You couldn't do anything sensible if you're life's depended on it. It took your colony that long to consider a peace treaty – as though we would consider that, when your species' only purpose in life is to serve my one, the European Hornet [Note: That's the only hornet species that lives in America]!'

'You are pretty gross, to do that on the queen,' said King Palpatine timidly. He almost seemed scared of Queen Maula too – she seemed to radiate fear.

I nervously glanced sideways, and noticed something about the two hornets holding me.

I then realized. All insects had a physical weak spot – the lower abdomen, just between the leg joints. Only an absolute hunk would not cringe when hit there.

Without pausing, without giving so much as a second thought – I quickly jabbed my horn right between the leg joints of the hornet on my right. She fell over, clutching where I had hit her. Before anyone could do anything else, I quickly re-jabbed my horn into the same location of the other hornet, who also fell over. Queen Maula and King Palpatine darted forwards, but I ducked.

Before the other hornets got up, I quickly turned tail and flew out the exit, leaving them in my wake. If I could just get back to the colony alive, not all would be lost. However, I didn't expect them to let me go that easily. They would most probably sent several hornets after me.

Approximate Chapter Running Time: 00:07-00:10