Did I mention I managed to write two chapters worth of content while on vacation? No? Oh, well... I did. And I'm sure you're not complaining too much about a fairly quick update. Just don't expect another one for a while. I do have other stories, after all.
So, in this chapter we get an alien name for a character we've already seen in the films, an alien species name for an alien species shown in the films, and a new character who has an original name and species I devised specifically for this story. All of these names and the one new species are my invention, but they can be borrowed anytime. Just give credit where credit is due.
Oh, and any Hawaiian words or names I use are based on what my research reveals. If I am incorrect with the translation of their meanings, I apologize. I'm only human and I can make mistakes. But I at least make the effort to try and get things right.
Anyway, on with the show!
Urca always wanted to be part of the Galactic Armada. From her pointy beak to her six tentacle-legs and every inch of scaly teal skin in between, she wanted that job. True, her species wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but she'd been certain she could help. She'd dreamed about it since she was a little squidling. And though everyone told her it was foolish, the amphibious young recruit never gave up. She survived basic training and did everything she was told. All her hard work finally paid off when she received orders that she would be on the newest ship and the flagship for the entire armada, the BRB. It was the greatest day of her entire life.
True, she was working in the galley. That wasn't exactly what she expected, but it was a start. And it was an important job, making sure the crew was fed. Urca intended to always do her best, even if the task didn't seem particularly glamorous. Besides, the company was nice.
Reuben was Chief Galley Officer and one of the main sources of gossip on the ship. Everyone knew the first part of the story, that Dr. Jumba Jookiba was arrested about three (almost four) years ago for performing illegal genetic experiments and the creation of a living weapon. The creation then escaped during transport and attempts to retrieve and extract the creature were enacted. These facts were well-documented. Less certain was what events led to the pardoning of the experiment and creator, the dismissal of Captain Gantu from service for three years, the discovery of Dr. Jookiba's previous creations, and the temporary overthrow of the Grand Councilwoman from her office by Dr. Jacques von Hamsterviel. Rumors and guesses were exchanged regularly. And of course, the resident experiment's presence on the ship at the personal request of Captain Gantu sparked even more curiosity. Which Reuben seemed to enjoy fueling in his spare time.
Urca found the illegal experiment intriguing and surprisingly harmless considering how steep the penalties were for their creation and the stories of Experiment 626. Half her height, golden-fawn fur, large red nose, big black eyes, and four limbs (well, technically six), he looked fairly ordinary for someone who could theoretically lift three thousand times his body weight, was bulletproof and fireproof, capable of climbing most surfaces, and could problem-solve faster than some computers when properly motivated. Of course, he rarely performed such actions. Instead, he ruled the galley with the occasional snide comment and expertly-crafted sandwiches. And anyone who wondered why Captain Gantu would want the genetic experiment onboard tended to shut up when they tried one of those sandwiches, especially those made with exotic ingredients such as that "turkey" substance.
Far more interesting than Reuben's (cute) appearance or origins as an experiment, however, was his interactions with Captain Gantu. The Chief Galley Officer could be rude, disrespectful, argumentative, insultive, blunt, casual, overly-familiar, or practically insubordinate in his addressing of the Captain, his decisions, and ideas. He could speak his opinion without permission or even interrupt the Captain midword. Reuben could say anything to him and Captain Gantu would often take his words into consideration. A few times, the Captain even wandered down to the galley to discuss a mission with Reuben. Urca remembered how surreal it seemed, watching them trade vicious accusations of being a lazy waste of space and a useless tub of blubber before almost instantly breaking down into chuckles and returning the conversation to the original issue.
It seemed strange that Reuben never wore his uniform except for inspections, that comments that should cause him to be tossed in the brig were instead met with a bemused shake of the head or a thoughtful pause, and that the experiment could somehow order the Captain to get some rest whenever he stayed awake for several days straight. Then Urca figured it out. It wasn't that Reuben completely disrespected authority; he was simply too close of a friend to Captain Gantu and too lazy to bother with all the formalities necessary. And the Captain understood his faults enough to let the issue go.
As Urca cleaned up the last of the dishes, she watched Reuben work on crafting yet another sandwich. For someone who was self-admittedly lazy, he could work surprisingly hard on projects that were important to him. She liked watching him in the galley. She made a mental note to review the section of armada rules concerning relationships among crew members. Just because some people had issues with interspecies dating didn't mean she did. Of course, bringing him home to Mother might be tricky since he lacked a set of gills to go with his lungs, but not every species could be amphibious...
"Incoming call for Chief Galley Officer Reuben," the intercom announced abruptly. "Origin of the signal is Ee-arth"
"Sounds like I'm getting a call from home" he said cheerfully, setting down the jar of pink goop and walking over to the screen imbedded in the wall. "Connect it down here. And learn how to pronounce 'Earth' sometime. It isn't that hard."
"Do you want me to give you some privacy?" asked Urca, fumbling the plate around in her webbed hands.
He shook his head, "Nah, you can stay. You might get a glimpse of my cousin and the little girl. They're the ones who usually call. The kid likes to keep an eye on us experiments and make sure we're still happy. You'll probably think she's adorable."
She'd heard many of Reuben's stories about his time on Earth with Captain Gantu. Urca knew that Experiment 626, Stitch, and the human girl, Lilo, featured in most of them. It might be interesting to meet them. Not to mention it might be nice to get another look at what humans looked like since, outside the recordings of a single award ceremony about the rehabilitation of the experiments, the information on the isolated and primitive planet was limited outside of certain college classes and dull survey reports.
The image that appeared, however, was a Kweltikwan. Urca recognized his face from the outcry over his illegal experiments, the news plastering his image everywhere immediately after the trial. And just as easily as she recognized Dr. Jookiba, she could see that he looked upset. Reuben, however, didn't seem to notice the less-than-cheerful emotions on his creator's face.
"Hey, Jumba," he greeted with a smile. "Wasn't expecting to hear from you. How's everything going with the ohana?"
"Things are not going well, 625," the scientist replied, shaking his head. "Something terrible has been happening today and we are in need of all the help we can be getting."
Frowning momentarily, Reuben asked, "What happened? I mean, it can't be that bad. Right?"
"It is very bad. Little Girl has been kidnapped. We are thinking it was Entolyterians."
Silence fell over them. Urca could hear someone in the background of the call, a female saying something about getting off work for a family emergency. Urca felt like she was intruding on something important, that her presence for this conversation was wrong. She knew the word 'ohana' from Reuben's stories and this was a moment meant only for family.
"We are going to Turo for to be getting answers," Dr. Jookiba continued.
There was a seriousness on Reuben's face that she didn't remember seeing before. He wasn't supposed to look that determined. The change was startling.
Slamming his hand to activate the intercom, the experiment said, "Tell Gantu we need to head for Turo and to get his fat patooki down to the galley now." Without waiting for a response, he turned his attention back to the scientist with a wry look on his face, "It might have taken me a while to get involved with the whole 'ohana' thing, but I understand enough to know that no one messes with our family and gets away with it. Give the big lug a couple of minutes to get down here, then tell us everything from the top."
The last time she was held captive by aliens, she was handcuffed and stuck on a floating disk whenever she wasn't locked up in a cell. This time, Lilo was allowed to at least walk on her own two feet. Running away wasn't an option, however. Pua and her friends were carrying the spear-shaped blaster-type weapons with their pincher arms. The girl didn't doubt for a second that they would fire at her if she tried to escape. Besides, where would she go on a strange planet?
She was in a city of some kind. Tall, brown, curved buildings that reminded her of termite mounds from nature shows loomed ahead of her. There were lots of various colored bug people going in and out of the rounded structures, moving with deliberate motions rather than the casualness of someone out for a stroll. Beyond the bustling insectoid population of the metropolis, she could catch a glimpse of a jungle. But as interesting as it was to be on another planet, the general appearance of the place was strangely boring. There weren't any decorations, signs, or artistic touches. Everything was practical.
Turning her gaze away from the alien city, Lilo spotted the welcoming party. A crowd of orange praying mantis people armed with spear-blasters were flanking a single red one. From the crown and white cape, the girl could assume the she was Queen Soltus. Based on the fact that female Swarm members apparently had slightly curved antennas and males had straight ones, Lilo could also see that most of the guards with the queen were male.
"Very good work, my loyal Oranges," Queen Soltus said, her gaze locked on the girl. "You have fulfilled this task admirably. I trust the retrieval was performed without difficulties, correct?"
"None that the Swarm could not handle," stated Pua, her eyes dropping to the ground and her antennas flattening against her head in response to being addressed by her leader. "We would never fail you, Queen Soltus."
The red insectoid inclined her head briefly and distractedly, but most of her focus was on studying Lilo. It was a little creepy. The girl felt like the bug person wanted to eat her or something.
"How strange," remarked Queen Soltus. "Such a small, ordinary-looking creature."
"Thanks?" Lilo said uneasily, tilting her head.
Ignoring the interruption, she continued, "It is difficult to believe something so insignificant could be capable of converting so many living weapons. It certainly should be interesting to see if the Yellows can weaponize that ability for our uses."
"Do you mean how I turn the cousins from bad to good?" asked the girl. "Is that what this is about?"
Still paying no attention to Lilo's words, the red praying mantis turned towards Pua, "Take the human to the science lab on the Theta Level, Orange. Guard the specimen during testing and study. The other Oranges need not accompany you for this task. They have other tasks to perform."
"As you command, Queen Soltus," she replied.
No one ever claimed that being the Grand Councilwoman was an easy job. She sometimes missed her days performing surveys on distant planets in search of possible settlement and occasionally assisting agents of primitive planets to devise excuses to declare their homes off-limits (Mr. Bubbles was certainly convincing to her shipmates at the time, but she'd seen through the mosquito excuse). It was certainly easier before she was elected to oversee the Federation Council.
While her position offered a great deal of power, she was still bound by the laws and decisions of the council in addition to the responsibilities of governing dozens of species. And though Ororalin Lyora from Tweslyrode, the surveyor, could make choices and hide facts based upon her own desires and beliefs, the Grand Councilwoman must always be equal and fair to all the planets and species in the alliance and could not show favoritism to a single group over the welfare of others. The previous Grand Councilman lost his position because he gave excessive benefits to his home planet at the expense of others in exchange for bribes and gifts. She would not repeat that mistake. She must always be neutral and all decisions must be based upon the laws and the decisions of the council.
Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't use the laws to ensure justice was served. With so many different planets, treaties, and past precedence, she could usually find a loophole or two when it became necessary to be creative to make certain that she did right thing rather than just the lawful thing. It was surprising how useful an ancient by-law about the division of non-livestock-supporting property could be sometimes. Or a pet adoption document from a relatively-unknown planet...
She wasn't allowed favoritism in regards to her rulings, but that didn't mean there weren't individuals she enjoyed dealing with and could usually find a method to be lenient with them. She liked those who could pleasantly surprise her in some way. Stitch, once known as Experiment 626, and Lilo Pelekai were both such individuals. One of the decisions she was most proud of was allowing the reformed experiment to serve his sentence of banishment on Earth with the rather unique family that claimed him. Over the years, the Grand Councilwoman continued to be impressed by the members of the "ohana." Agent Pleakley regularly sent detailed reports of their progress and his latest studies concerning Earth, but she found the less formal and more personal messages from Lilo and Stitch to be more refreshing. Based upon the success rate with the assigned task of retrieving and reforming the various experiments, the Grand Councilwoman found it easy enough to convince the council to allow the child to represent her planet as ambassador. Even with Mr. Bubbles' experience with extraterrestrials, Lilo made more sense. The girl was ideal for the role since she could literally grow into the responsibilities without various complications and would be more used to dealing with different life forms than most of the people on her isolated planet.
She was honestly fond of the entire family from that planet. The concept of ohana was a nice one and it was interesting how so many were pulled in by Lilo. Somehow being partway across the galaxy didn't stop the girl from adding the Grand Councilwoman to the ohana. And the Tweslyrodite couldn't help herself from offering assistance to them when she could legally. Dropping all previous charges against Dr. Jumba Jookiba and Stitch so they were no longer banished to Earth was easy enough. The offers of jobs to Jumba, Pleakley, and Stitch in positions they were highly qualified for was also simple to accomplish, even if they ultimately declined. She even reinstated Captain Gantu and his partner, Reuben, because they were technically part of the ohana somehow and the job was open at the time. She did what she could to help them without completely crossing the line into outright favoritism.
So when she received news that the BRB was requesting permission to alter its flight plan to return to the Turo system and the spaceship registered to Dr. Jookiba was leaving Earth with a request for a private meeting with her, the Grand Councilwoman knew these individuals well enough to know there was a connection. And when she ordered Captain Gantu over a private channel to explain what was going on, those suspicions were confirmed.
The kidnapping of Lilo Pelekai, with the perpetrators suspected to be members of the Swarm, was a delicate problem. The political nightmare of an ambassador being taken by a foreign power with a large army and a history of violence was bad enough. Earth's current status as a wildlife preserve and not a true signatory of the alliance meant that it couldn't be quite considered a declaration of war against the United Galactic Federation, even if the human was given an official position as a representative. It was a little difficult to know what would be the ideal way to handle the situation without making it worse.
Outside of the political issues, the fact of the matter was that there was a little girl who was taken away from her family and home. And if she couldn't find a way to help the child with her rank and power, then how could she claim to be doing her job as the Grand Councilwoman? If she couldn't do the right thing for an innocent girl, then she deserved to be replaced and demoted back down to being a surveyor.
In the time until the arrival of her guests, she could make some preparations. Pushing aside some proposals and documents that could wait for a later time, the Grand Councilwoman requested everything connected to the Entolyterians and the fragile peace with them to be brought to her immediately.
Nani stared out at the stars. They were a beautiful sight for her first trip into space, yet the only reason she was coming was because a bunch of aliens kidnapped her sister. That cold fact destroyed any pleasure she might have gained from her breath-taking surroundings. It was like a nightmare. A horrible, twisted nightmare. She couldn't believe it. Well, she could believe it. Her life was just that strange.
The young woman ran a hand through her hair. Getting off work wasn't easy, but she just couldn't stay home and wait. She'd left a message for Cobra Bubbles, but she had no idea when he might return to find it recorded on his answering machine. For someone who was supposedly retired from the FBI/CIA/MIB thing, he spent a lot of time completely out of reach on classified assignments. Hopefully he'd at least be able to help devise excuses for her job that would be more detailed and believable. The vague "family emergency" probably wasn't enough, regardless of how true it might be.
At least the rescue party was shaping up. In addition to Gantu and Reuben apparently meeting them at their destination, a few cousins were coming along for the ride. In fact, it was a little tricky keeping the numbers low enough to be practical; they were all fond of the missing girl.
She might not be as well-acquainted with the experiments as Lilo, but Nani did recognize some of them. Splodyhead, Slushy, Kixx, and Slugger were in the back with Pleakley and Stitch. Sparky and Elastico wanted to come, but couldn't risk leaving their jobs for too long. And while Finder offered his help, the intergalactic distances made his abilities a little less practical. Angel promised to watch over the cousins while everyone was gone, though the suggestion (translated by Jumba) to prepare a back-up team and commandeer/build another spaceship if necessary was both concerning and comforting. The loyalty to Lilo was amazing to the older sister, but somehow not surprising.
Nani tried to take comfort from how quickly and how many worried individuals sprang into action. She tried to think positively about the situation. But as she shifted in her seat, the young woman couldn't banish the unnerving thoughts about how she might never see Lilo again. Or even more treacherous, that Lilo wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for all the aliens in their lives. She regretted those ideas the instant they occurred, but she couldn't help it.
"I would to be asking if you are all right, but it would not be taking evil genius to know you are not," Jumba said abruptly, pulling Nani out of her thoughts. "Do you wish to talk, Bigger Girl?"
Letting her head fall into the palms of her hands, she sighed, "No, I want to strangle the ones who kidnapped my sister. I want to find her and never let her leave my sight again. I want to wake up and find out this is just a nightmare."
"Sadly, it is not turning out to be a dream," he sighed tiredly, glancing away from the controls for a moment. "We will find Little Girl."
"I know. I have to believe that."
"So does 626," said the scientist, his voice dropping in volume. He glanced towards the back of the cockpit, checking to make sure the door was closed and that even the sharp-hearing of the experiment might have trouble eavesdropping. "I am worried about him."
"Yeah, he's definitely upset about this," she said, remembering the look on his face and the pained tone of voice he used when describing what happened. "Lilo's his best friend."
"More than that. Little Girl makes him good, helps him remember what is right and wrong. Little Girl showed 626 how to be more than ultimate living weapon and how to be Stitch instead," Jumba explained quietly. "But he is still what I created. He still is wanting to destroy, but choosing to be more than that. But now she is missing. He is angry and blaming self. This is not good."
"Trust me, there's plenty of anger to go around," she muttered, forcing herself not to think about blaming the blue experiment.
Treacherous thoughts about how unstoppable Stitch was supposed to be, how she trusted him to protect Lilo, and how he should have been able to beat anyone who tried to take her fluttered around the back of her mind. It wasn't fair to blame Stitch. Nani knew it wasn't fair and that she was just upset about the situation. She tried to keep that in mind.
"Yes, we all have every right to be angry," he acknowledged. "But while you are only to be making threats of stuffing people into blenders, 626 is strong enough to do it. And if he is angry enough, he may not think about what he is doing and only react on instinct."
"And his instincts would tell him to destroy," she finished.
She wasn't scared of Stitch. When she first thought he was a freaky dog, she was creeped out by him and a little nervous. After that, she wasn't afraid of him. Who could be afraid of him when they'd seen snoring on the couch with Lilo after a monster movie marathon? He could be annoying sometimes, but he was relatively harmless to the family. But now she was forced to remember how strong he was, how he could tear his way through metal and crush stone with his teeth. Nani knew he would never hurt his ohana. She also knew that people could do things they'd never normally consider when furious and scared of losing someone important. Things they may regret and be horrified by later.
"He is angry at self and kidnappers. He is also scared of what he is wanting to do," said Jumba before running a hand through his scarce collection of hair. "He is not used to be dealing with his destructive instincts without her around, especially when facing the possibility of loss. He has always had Little Girl there as calming influence, moral compass, and supportive friend. Now she is gone." The scientist paused a moment, staring out into space, "I am not knowing if you realize this or not, but 626 was about week old when you met him. He is still younger than Little Girl was when we first saw her."
Nani knew the experiment was relatively young. It was something that she kept in the back of her mind, but it was hard to remember sometimes. He was too smart and capable. Sometimes she had to be reminded of the truth. If Stitch was human, he would be in preschool. His brain was highly developed, but his experience and emotional maturity was still that of a young child. And this wasn't a situation that she would wish on a little kid.
"He is scared of becoming what I made him. 626 was meant to be a weapon and I was once happy about it. Now I am hoping he can remember to be good, to be Stitch, long enough to be back with Little Girl." Shaking his head slightly, he added, "That is why I am glad 625 is to be meeting us at Turo."
"Why?" she frowned.
"I trust 626. I know he is wanting to be good. But only 625 is strong enough to stop 626 if he is about to be doing something he'd regret."
Trying to turn her thoughts away from the idea Stitch being provoked to violence by anger and his destructive instincts, Nani asked, "Why are we going to Turo? I thought you said she was kidnapped by... Entolyterrors?"
"Entolyterians," he corrected. "Also called Swarm. You are right. We are fairly certain that is what 626 saw. We still have to make sure, but we believe they are most likely candidates. Question is, though, why did they take Little Girl? They are war-like species and only want things they can use. So why go to primitive planet away from everything? Because they think Little Girl is useful. Which is good since they take care of her until they get what they want from her."
"But how did they even know about Lilo? You said they aren't part of the federation thing, right? How would they know about her?"
"Exactly," he shouted as an evil grin spread across his face. "If they are Swarm, then they should not know about Little Girl. But they did. I have an idea of how they find out. If I am right, we shall be getting answers one way or other very soon."
Nani noticed Jumba wasn't wearing his normal evil grin. This one lacked the warmth and pride he usually possessed. This one was more vindictive. It reminded her that the self-declared evil genius was also fond of his "niece" and spent about twenty-five years creating living weapons with the intention to unleash them upon the innocent universe. Stitch might not be the only one who could be dangerous in the near future.
She would be okay. She would be okay. Stitch kept reminding himself of that. He sat near the back of the passenger section of the spaceship, ignoring the sing-along Pleakley was leading the cousins in. True, he could still hear the various voices trying to sing (or snort, squeal, or growl) in pitch and failing, the hum of the engines as they traveled by using the hyper-drive, the faint thumming of the life support pumping out the metallic-smelling air, and the scattered heartbeats of his ohana huddled in the metal structure while everything outside was dead silent. He couldn't help hearing everything, though he could push them to the back of his mind. He could ignore the noise. But he couldn't ignore the absence of sound. He couldn't ignore the fact he couldn't hear her voice or her heartbeat. All he could do was repeat the belief that she would be okay.
Jumba had a plan, there were cousins coming along to help, and the Captain of the Galactic Armada (formerly known as Stupid Head) was going to meet them at Turo. Lilo was getting the best rescue possible. He had to remember that. If anyone could save her, they could. And they would. She would be okay.
The scent of sea salt encrusted in his fur was fading. He could smell the rest of his surroundings again and the effect of the life support wasn't the only thing his nose was picking up. The scent of worry, fear, and anger clung to his cousins, just like he knew it came from himself. None of the experiments liked the idea of Lilo being in trouble. She was the one, after all, who helped all of them find homes and purposes with their lives. And none of them were completely certain about what would happen next. Not even Stitch could banish all doubts.
He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms across his chest. His thoughts wouldn't stop racing through his mind. Scenarios and calculations continued to form, devising so many ways Lilo could come to harm in the time she was missing. The likelihood of each possibility was easily figured out by the super-computer-speeds of his brain. He couldn't help how easily the scenarios flashed through his mind, showing him hundreds of ways she could be battered, bruised, scratched, smashed, crushed, shattered...
And even worse was the plans that formed almost against his will. Ways to destroy their spaceships. Ways to destroy their cities. Ways to destroy them. It was too easy to imagine. And part of him, the part of him that loved chaos and hated the idea of someone taking away Lilo, almost wanted to consider the scenarios. That was why his inner mantra about how she would be okay was so important. He needed to remember that he was good and that he couldn't let Lilo down. Because she would be back. She had to come back...
His ears perked forward as the sounds of footsteps joined the rest of the background noise, but Stitch didn't bother opening his eyes. He knew who was approaching, the sound a familiar one and the fragrance of her preferred bubble bath undeniable. He just didn't want to look at the older girl, didn't want to see the disappointment in her face since he couldn't keep her sister safe.
She sat down beside him. For a moment, she remained silent and still. He almost opened his eyes to see what she was doing. Then Nani sighed heavily.
"We'll find her. We'll find her and bring her home," the young woman said. "My sister will be all right. She has to be."
"Ih," he said quietly. "We get Lilo back. Chi chabita."
He was a little surprised when the older girl gently pulled him into her lap. Then her arms wrapped around him in a half-hug, half-cuddle position. Stitch remembered her doing the same thing to Lilo sometimes, stroking her hair gently as they watched a movie on the couch or the time Lilo caught the flu. It was a familiar act, but not one he was generally on the receiving end of from her.
But it felt nice to be held in the arms of someone older and larger. It made him feel safe, secure, and reassured that they would fix everything. Granted, he knew he was physically more formidable than her, but that didn't alter the sensation of comfort. It helped to quiet the doubts and slowed his racing thoughts for the moment, just like how he felt better after Jumba promised to fix everything. He briefly wondered if this was what it was like to have a mother. It wasn't as nice as a hug from Lilo, but it felt better than just sitting alone with his thoughts. It just seemed so comforting and nice to be held.
And maybe Nani needed comfort too. She was, after all, holding him the same way she would Lilo. She wanted her sister back just as much as he did. She might even feel the gnawing loneliness, the tight knot in the chest, and the sensation of drowning that Stitch couldn't completely banish. But maybe holding onto him made those feelings better for her just like it made him feel less miserable. He wasn't certain if he deserved to be comforted by the older girl since it was his fault that Lilo was missing in the first place (he should have saved her...), but Nani definitely deserved it.
So while she stroked his head, he nuzzled her gently in return. He kept his eyes closed, listening to the ship engines, the voices of his cousins and Pleakley, the steady beat of Nani's heart, and the first few notes of the slow and familiar lullaby as she began to hum Aloha 'Oe. For the moment, his fast working brain grew still and his thoughts quieted.
Everything looked the same and boring. Lilo couldn't believe how dull a building on an alien world could be. The smooth brown walls of the endless hallways all looked the same. There were no pictures, no decorations, and almost no signs. There weren't even any windows. It was just bare and empty.
Well, not completely empty. Occasionally she saw another bug alien going through a door or traveling in the opposite direction of her and Pua. Lilo found it interesting that the other orange praying mantis people met Pua's gaze briefly like an equal. The yellow ones, the sort of murky greenish-brown ones, and the chocolate brown ones lowered their eyes and flattened their antennas submissively when they encountered Lilo's escort. And the grayish-blue ones almost cringed and hid behind their strangely-shaped push-brooms while Pua didn't even acknowledge their existence. It didn't take long for the girl to figure out that the colors of their exoskeleton determined not only their jobs, but also their rank in society. And while the royal red queen was obviously the highest and most important color, orange was also apparently a good rank.
"Why?" asked Lilo, abruptly ending the silence.
"Why what?" Pua said, tilting her head.
"Why do you pick your jobs based on what color you are when you hatch? I mean, that seems like a silly way to decide on the one true place you belong."
"It is not our place to question such things. Our roles within the Swarm are clearly defined from the start. Our assigned tasks to serve the queen, the amount of glory our actions can bring to the Swarm, who should be selected as mates to produce future generations to strengthen the Swarm, and essentially what to expect out of our lives are decided from the beginning. It has been this way since the Swarm first conquered the first visitors to our planet and we took their spaceship as the spoils of battle, letting us expand our glorious forces to other worlds."
Lilo frowned as they passed another doorway with a few brown bug people inside, "But that's crazy. What if an orange Swarm member didn't like fighting? Or a yellow one was bad at science? What if someone wanted to be a teacher, a painter, or a farmer, but they were the wrong color? You can't decide someone's entire life the moment they are born. Even when Jumba made experiments specifically designed to do certain things, their one true place was sometimes really different. Like Sparky working at the lighthouse or Babyfier at the animal shelter or Slugger helping kids learn to play baseball and softball. They weren't mean for those jobs when Jumba made them, but they're good at it and they're happy."
"It does not matter," said Pua. "And we have no need for painters or farmers. Artistic expression is a foolish waste and we obtain food and other resources by conquering other species. We are meant for far greater things than agriculture."
"But what happens when you run out?"
"Then we conquer more worlds and take theirs."
"That won't work," the little girl said, remembering fragments from her books and random conversations involving Jumba and Pleakley. "The more you expand, the more resources you need. If you take over more planets, you'll have more mouths to feed and you'll have to ship the food to all your other planets. The bigger the Swarm gets the worse it gets. You'll have to keep taking over more and more worlds, but you'll also have to keep doing it faster and faster. Eventually you won't be able keep up. That's why Pleakley said it was important for a species to expand only at a sustainable rate and why Jumba said it would be so easy to toss an evil experiment into the economy and unleash chaos. Your queen should have noticed by now."
"Silence," she snapped sharply, causing Lilo and a nearby bluish insectoid to jump.
Actually, now that the little girl thought about it, the blue bug person was paying a lot more attention to them than any of the others they'd passed. He'd even been pushing his strange broom in their direction, allowing him to follow for quite a while. He'd been around long enough for Lilo to notice another difference between the ranks besides just colors; the praying mantis-like pinchers were rather large for the orange bug people and grew smaller down the line until the blue ones were left with skinny, delicate limbs. Lilo also noticed that he'd been staring at Pua almost exactly like how David sometimes looked at Nani.
No longer actively escorting the girl down the hall and instead just standing in place with a glare on her insectoid features, Pua said, "Queen Soltus is beyond questioning. Her decisions and orders are for the benefit of the Swarm. We have followed these methods for generations. And you dare to question her wisdom in ruling us? If our society is so unstable, then how could we continue to emerge victorious? The Swarm is unstoppable and perfect. Our traditions ensure that we are the best we can be and our queen helps maintain that perfection."
"If everything you do is supposed to make sure every part of the Swarm is as good as possible so that everyone as a group is the best, then why are jobs chosen by appearance rather than talent and skill?" Lilo asked, crossing her arms. "If you want the best army, isn't it smarter to use the toughest and strongest fighters instead of just using people who look alike? And wouldn't you get better inventions if all your scientists are geniuses instead of just whoever is yellow? Nani says sometimes it takes more time and energy to do things the right way, but it's better than just doing them the easy way. Sounds like you're taking the easy way to pick people's jobs rather than the best way."
When her escort didn't immediately respond to the girl's words, Lilo turned her attention to the grayish-blue praying mantis who seemed to be paying attention to the conversation too. He was certainly braver than the other blue bug people, meeting her gaze. As long as Pua or any other insectoid alien didn't look at him, he seemed willing to watch and listen. That made him different than the other blue ones.
"I'm going to call you Kekoa," she declared, startling him. "It means 'the courageous.' Maybe I'll see you again."
When Pua glanced in his direction with a look of confusion that suggested she'd not even noticed the fact she wasn't alone with Lilo, he looked suitably submissive and anxious at being seen. The moment she looked away and dismissed his presence as unimportant, however, the girl could see a hint of pleasure on his face. Kekoa would certain be a good name for him.
"The Yellows are waiting," said Pua, obviously trying to ignore the previous conversation. "We should hurry."
"Lead the way," Lilo shrugged, wondering if her companion would forget about everything she'd said or if Pua would consider her words later.
Either way, she'd have to wait and see.
Yep, she's named another one. That's sort of what Lilo does. And I decided that the Grand Councilwoman deserved an actual name instead of just a title. So she's Ororalin Lyora and she's originally from Tweslyrode. Of course, no one uses her name since she identified by her role within the Galactic Federation rather than as an individual, but she still deserves to have one. As for Urca, I made up her name and species. And yes, she has a bit of a crush on Reuben. Unfortunately, she's not intended to have a huge role in this story. I just wanted an outsider's view on Reuben and Gantu, so she got the job.
I have absolutely no idea when the next update for this story will be. This is all I wrote up while on vacation. Plus, I need to get back to some of my other stories. Still, I appreciate feedback. Reviews make writers happy. Thanks!